Gaia: The Integral Pod - Water Cooler

Re: Albert Klamt's birthday November 12

http://Mascha.gaia.com — Thu, 12 Nov 2009 07:20:07 GMT

I've been doing my best to stay away from obligatory rituals such as birthday celebrations, including my own, since I was 16-years-old, verdammt nochmal. But I do admire Albert from afar. Very much so. Not sure that it's mutual, lol, but undeterred, I found a photo of an old German apple tree, taken recently in full autumnal glory, to commemorate the occasion.

Albert Klamt's birthday November 12

http://ADLIAC.gaia.com — Thu, 12 Nov 2009 06:33:27 GMT

And it's not too late for any wishes and celebrations here. If you belong to 50-stars pod you can add to the birthday thread there:

http://groups.gaia.com/50_stars/discussions/view/498998

I left my wishes and profound appreciation there. Albert is a gift to us all, and his 55th birthday is a fine excuse for some acknowledgments and appreciations!!

Blessings, OM Bastet

Re: An Exagerated Sense of Self Importance

http://co-mason.gaia.com — Tue, 03 Nov 2009 12:47:21 GMT

That what is ultimate to me, or the big Self, is something that is transcendental to me and my direct perception. It is something I may someways be interacting with having surrendered myself to the deep intelligence beyond life.Or maybe I'm just on the receiving end. I don't know for sure.
This surrender has had big implications on how and to what objectives I use my intelligence and mind.

Irmeli

Re: An Exagerated Sense of Self Importance

http://grainytaste.gaia.com — Mon, 02 Nov 2009 00:28:30 GMT

Irmeli, you said:

We come to exist through relating to others, through our interactions with others. Our existence is possible only through that. Who I perceive myself to be evolves through my relations and relating to others. Later this process can become internal.

I thought about this earlier today: if it weren't for society and the people who surrounded me as I grew up, I would be very much an animal. I should remember to appreciate the uniqueness of my upbringing, and maybe learn to understand social clashes as in some respect a by-product of a far greater thing, which is the education of the human race.

I also feel that we agree on many things including the process of dis-identification. The part that trips me up is where small self and big Self interact.

Edward

Re: An Exagerated Sense of Self Importance

http://co-mason.gaia.com — Sun, 01 Nov 2009 17:23:40 GMT

Edward: Even these large aspects of universal identification are limited in some sense as you aproach another person with all their infinite potential, in the context of their developmental altitude.

We come to exist through relating to others, through our interactions with others. Our existence is possible only through that. Who I perceive myself to be evolves through my relations and relating to others. Later this process can become internal. Then it includes also internal relating to different aspects of myself, or even an internal dialogue between these aspects. Our way of relating to others, and also to our mind, is hence very basic to our development and evolving, not the experiences of infinity in our meditations.

I believe creating grandiose interpretations of ourselves through our infinity experiences and attaching to them, can actually do harm to how we relate to others and our mind. This can create stagnation in our development through the stages, in spite of having access to even ‘universal states’.

As I have explained in my earlier posts the most important role of these advanced meditative states have to me is through their subtle energy component. I infuse my heavy shadow energies and bodily sensations with this light. I put them together. This I perceive to be truly healing. It increases my wellbeing in my body and in my mind palpably.

But probably you cannot use the light in this way, as long as you identify with the light and infinity. You have to be detached from it, for that energy to become something you can use in shadow work.

Self development is a gradual process of non identification. As long as I am something, I cannot use that something as a tool in my mind. Through self development more and more stuff becomes available to you as tools in your mind, as you not anymore identify with that stuff.

This process of nonidentification is gradual and involves many levels or stages. An important step in this process is to learn to take emotionally the position of the other. Only then a true dialogue with others becomes possible. When you have this capacity you don’t anymore need to continuously control and manipulate others to make yourself to feel stable and safe. An even more advanced level means stopping to identify yourself with how others perceive you or expect you to be. This step brings great inner stability and autonomy. Then you can more peacefully rest in what you are, and accept yourself as you are. You can better learn to respect your own rhythms, tendencies and inclinations.

I know this sounds awfully self-centered, and it is in a healthy way. In the wake of this healthy self-centeredness, you learn also letting others to be who they are. You can better respect their rights, their own space, as you can respect your own. Martyrdom does not anymore exist here, nor exploitation of others. Paradoxically you feel also less loneliness and separation from others, even if you may spend actually a lot of time alone.

This stage of acceptance, the feeling of being at home in your mind and body, does not mean stopping evolving. Instead it means possibility for enhanced evolving, as you have got a stable ground to stand on.

Edward: Stepping into the arena of universal identification involves more than just “ME”.

All of our existence and evolving always inevitably involves more than ourselves. Self development is a gradual unfolding of what has been embedded in my“I” ,to available resources and tools in my mind. “I” is always the subject that perceives, and it hence cannot see itself or the lenses through which it sees.

Irmeli

Re: Halloween Hoedown

http://maryw.gaia.com — Sun, 01 Nov 2009 06:18:04 GMT

A delightfully haunting way to say, "giddy-up, dogies!"

Re: Halloween Hoedown

http://DouglasRWallack.gaia.com — Sun, 01 Nov 2009 05:36:37 GMT

Purrrfect :)

Re: Halloween Hoedown

http://maryw.gaia.com — Sun, 01 Nov 2009 05:26:02 GMT

Okay: The ABSOLUTELY Scariest Movie Scene of All Time(for a child growing up in the Midwest, at least) . . .

Re: Halloween Hoedown

http://maryw.gaia.com — Sun, 01 Nov 2009 05:24:14 GMT

LOL !!

Re: Halloween Hoedown

http://maryw.gaia.com — Sun, 01 Nov 2009 05:23:26 GMT

Oh yes: Feed me Seymour!

I have very fond memories of this movie. :)

Re: Halloween Hoedown

http://brucealderman.gaia.com — Sun, 01 Nov 2009 01:39:56 GMT

I watched this movie last night, after I don't know how many years, and had a lot of fun:

Re: Halloween Hoedown

http://ADLIAC.gaia.com — Sun, 01 Nov 2009 00:52:50 GMT

Absolutely hilarious!! And maybe scary enough for Halloween.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HukW-TVXlQ4

which is same as this embedded video.

Blessings, OM Bastet

Re: Halloween Hoedown

http://Mascha.gaia.com — Sat, 31 Oct 2009 22:24:37 GMT

Thank you, Mary!!!!!!! I suspected as much.

Re: Halloween Hoedown

http://maryw.gaia.com — Sat, 31 Oct 2009 20:57:58 GMT

.

Extraterrestrials flying giant hub caps are coming to rob our graves, people!

Re: Halloween Hoedown

http://maryw.gaia.com — Sat, 31 Oct 2009 20:49:22 GMT

Re: An Exagerated Sense of Self Importance

http://grainytaste.gaia.com — Sat, 31 Oct 2009 18:37:55 GMT

I think the axis point of this thread lays somewhere in what Irmeli was talking about, as she approached the topic of going "too much" into identifying with large and ecstatic places.

Irmeli, you wrote that you use the feelings of bliss on a subtle level to help you better approach your shadow. In a way that is what I am beginning to appreciate. Even these large spaces of universal identification are limited in some sense as you approach another person, with all their infinite potential, in the context of their developmental altitude.

But I believe what OM is saying is that even though it is true that we live in the context of others (many others!), and in that context our desires and wishes are no more important than any other's, we are still important and deserve to be treasured and loved.

Stepping into the arena of universal identification involves more than just "ME."

Edward

Re: Halloween Hoedown

http://maryw.gaia.com — Sat, 31 Oct 2009 08:45:31 GMT

Halloween Hoedown

http://maryw.gaia.com — Sat, 31 Oct 2009 08:04:50 GMT

It's been too long since we played in this here integral pod. I noticed, for example, that it's been an entire year since the last post on the "Jokes and Laughs" thread!

Anyway, join me for some Halloween goofiness, if you will. Got any Halloween jokes, videos, songs, tales, cartoons, etc., to share?

Here's my recent find, for Twilight fans (or non-fans) ....

Re: An Exagerated Sense of Self Importance

http://ADLIAC.gaia.com — Thu, 29 Oct 2009 22:49:06 GMT

OOOH, Irmeli, it sounds fabulous. Thank you a zillion for the recommendation. I especially resonate with
The image that Newtonian physics created of our role is deeply alienating to us, and has had a catastrophical effect on us in this regard.
That makes me REALLY want to read the book!!

Edward, in my perspective you are the things as well as the sense-maker and the gravity, you are the events and their connections. Some "you" or other is that, and others "you's" are smaller and larger than that.

However, the way you are talking now points to your sense of yourself which I call your Cosmic Essence. It's the quality or characteristic of the All which you specialize in. There might be others who also specialize in that. We are all all qualities, but I perceive that we do specialize, for the fun of interacting that way and experiencing that.

Other Cosmic Essences might include truth, beauty, playfulness, order, wisdom, creativity, possibility, graciousness, love, chaos, movement, freedom, acceptance, honoring, and a lot more possibilities. The list is very very long.

So from what you say I'd take a guess that your Cosmic Essence is along the lines of intersection between wisdom and connecting. Wisdom FROM seeing connections. If this is true, that is something you are always doing, practically in every moment and in a thousand different ways, without even consciously trying.

Or perhaps not Wisdom but Knowledge or Intelligence, from seeing connections or seeing patterns. Seeing them by seeing the quality of or gravity in the space between them, rather than seeing similarities of their elements. Which is a wondrously different way to spot connections; very rare, very helpful to people.

Anyway, my profile mentions I do Cosmic Essence readings, at a distance. It's partly from a questionnaire and partly intuitive, and the result is about 3 written pages. Let me know if you would like one. To me it's one of the most powerful tools of self-knowledge, of self-acceptance, and also of rapport with others!

So, continue your journey inside, coming up with many answers to Who Am I? Very interesting so far, huh?? You've evoked a lot of possibilities from me and from Trichronos and Tely and Irmeli.

Blessings, OM

Re: An Exagerated Sense of Self Importance

http://grainytaste.gaia.com — Thu, 29 Oct 2009 19:04:47 GMT

Om,

That's interesting, I'm feeling out the concentric circle image right now.

I like the nested chains, in that I am that which connects all these random events and makes sense out of them. I am the chain between many things, many perspectives.

I bring things together, to "make sense" out of them.

Sort of like gravity, in our model.

Edward