Hmmm… well, yes, I supppose. But the deeper wondering has me thinking ‘how could we impact the world with these blogs?’ Of course, it all starts with our inner, personal changes… but finding a way to bring those changes into words, and onto the net, well, that causes me to ponder.
Mark,
I wonder the same thing at times. I think those of us who have a vision regarding the potential of blogging and what it can accomplish through its global reach leaves some of us striving for a deeper experience that is broader in its scope. And I see this as something very positive. That reaching, that desire to go deeper, is our energy, our engine, as we ignite the Divine spark that lives inside of us, never allowing us to be lulled into a state of complacency and laziness about the potential that resides in this medium. In so doing, we connect with each in our shared Divinity and humanity, see each other through the same eyes we see ourselves, and have an opportunity to create holy encounters of healing and purpose.
I offer my gratitude for you and for those like you who have the vision and the drive to make a difference, to see the potential for how living in an age of advanced technology brings us blessings and avenues for us to expand our reach, go deeper, connect, conduct, and fulfill.
Blessings of Peace, Joy and Love flowing to you and to all of your lovely blog visitors.
Mark,
You are reaching people that perhaps you would not of been able to reach without this technology.
One gets the feeling we are all finding each other, giving to each other and in doing so extending outwardly. One gets the feeling also there is a mass awakening going on … and as in Serenity’s post today … one feels the shifting … she says:
We not only have a responsibility to ourselves to make this shift but we also have a responsibility as agents of change and healing of our broken world, and as eternal beings given the gift of life, to shift our perspective to one of holiness and Love. We are Spirit creations of Love and Light. Isn’t it time we start seeing ourselves that way?
Therefore … no, your blogging is not fruitless … it is rich with nourishment.
serenity - growing up in the Christian tradition, we often sang a song “Onward Christian Soldiers.” Every tradition has similar songs and sentiments, that equate our journey as a battle. Shaking loose that “state of complacency and laziness about the potential that resides” in us and in the potential of this medium is definitely a challenge, a battle in some senses of the word.
trinity - I suppose the way I am looking at it is less about hard-to-get-my-hands-around ‘change the world’ concepts, and more about ways we can make an everyday practical impact, on an eternal level.
Rob - I was just talking with another blogger today who said that certain blogs have a way of welcoming people from many different paths. Your blog is definitely one of those.
trinity - I look at it like this: shall I leave it for someone else to do, or stop and go, hey, I am an eternal being, on some kind of eternal level myself - so, let me get to work.
Exactly … just do … action causes reaction. On the spiritual level work never ends … limitless and boundless. We are creators of life. Purpose being is Being and to create a better life.
Methinks. :o)
i have some thoughts on the issue of blogging and how it can bring the chance in consciouness of the collective.
right now away for a trip. as soon as i get back i will try to put my thoughts here.
its GOOD to see Sensei here. my deep respect and regards to him. there is a lot to share and internet is bringing us together. this alone is appreciable, though there is much deeper contribution can be made.
31102006
Rob (07:12:15) :
Thank you for saying that. I really appreciate your words. In my view tolerance is one of the greatest of all qualities.
Mark,
Wow, I see on return that your post has inspired some Spirited discussion and contribution here. I think what strikes me is that you have managed to strike at the very chord I think you were attempting with the very intention behind your post.
I, for one, am very grateful (and honored) that you have allowed your visitors (myself included) into this self dialogue you are engaged in about the potential of blogging centered in purpose. I guess in returning to this post, and returning to these comments, I find myself returning to the place where you started. The discussion has taken a fascinating journey of twists and turns, and so in itself quite wonderfully makes me return to that place where you started it; Center.
Blessings of peace, joy and Love flowing to you this evening.
serenity - well, back to center, huh? Looking though all the comments, I can see here and there drift from center… certainly by me. How so? Because as the guy asking the question, I should be keeping on the point - constantly wondering, perhaps provoking discussion in the direction of how we can better center our blogs. So, first, thanks for the reminder from both Kathy and now you.
Second, there is something each of us centers in when we blog. Acknowledging that, my next question is taking a step past that:
What is it, that is deeper and closer to center than we currently are? And what is causing us to miss the deeper and closer to center spot? How do we find that and get there?
Mark, it’s funny how the shorter the statement, the longer the discussion!
For me, blogs provide spaces in which to communicate. Blogs allow me to communicate with people from the rest of the wide world, giving me an opportunity I may well not otherwise have had. The key words for me here are connection, communication and opportunity.
I think we miss the closer and deeper to center spot because we are big fat chickens (speaking for myself here). It is scary, it is unknown. The path into the deepest point you are able to go is familiar. I imagine it is similar to why abused people find it so hard to break out of the abusive situation. At least the abusive situation is known - you know what to expect, and you have already lived through it.
I think this is why a teacher is so important. The teacher dwells deeper than the student and can attest to making it to the deeper point and surviving (from an eternal viewpoint). They can show the student HOW to go deeper, and can guide them through it.
But back to the point - can a blog centered on purpose make a difference in the world? I think so…if it is centered. We all tend to go off the point, by defaulting to our tendencies.
Thanks to Serenity for bringing us back to the point.
Abdur - I think that is funny too. A master of short powerful sentences is Rob - see his site Mmmm… listed in my blogroll.
I agree with your key words, and add another - conductivity, used in the sense of electrical conductivity. In other words, what is it that I want my blog to conduct? I am searching for a way to conduct deeper inner awareness, past the point of words, conveying to and immersing the reader in an actual eternal experience. Our on going discussion of the principles of the Art of Giving are centered on my teacher instructing me in how to go about doing that.
Gretchen - It is always important for us to share that the inner path can be tough, but at the same time the problems we encounter are typically quite familiar to others who have tread the same ground.
I agree, this is one of the values of a teacher, and also of fellow students, and the trail sometimes becomes a much easier pill to swallow when others share similar experiences and reactions.
I am discovering, through lessons with my teacher, and being posted here for anyone to follow, that there are some essential keys to centering a blog (ourselves or anything) in a manner that can truly make a difference in the world. I hope anyone interested in that is able to follow along as this discussion opens up by discussing the principles compromising the Art of Giving.
Yes, Mark, this is a question I often ask myself. Within my own tradition (Islam), it’s the intention behind an act that gives it its moral/spiritual worth/value. Thus, within the Sufi path (as I’m exploring it - I’m sure Irving at Darvish will be able to put it more eloquently) one should constantly ask ‘why?’ and ‘to what end’?
Conductivity is a good way of putting it. For me, this brief poem sums up my own aim in blogging (and all other relationships):
What I’m Really After
‘Warm human relationships are what I seek,
not the embarrassed fumblings of lust.
I need connection,
to link hands and speak.
But I do not seek empty sentimentality,
for all its air-brushed glamour.
To touch the living heart of another,
and to have them touch me so,
is what I’m really after’.
With regards to last post, it’s always important I feel to offer such advice. Not everyone will have encountered that situation yet. Moreover, maybe they are finding that issue challenging. Sometimes all it takes is the smallest key to unlock the heart. Hey! Sometimes, we don’t even realise which word becomes the key
Abdur - “to touch the living heart of another, and to have them touch me so, is what I’m really after.”
Worthy goals like these inspire me, yet I often fall short. One reason I do is because I have not truly surrendered to the essence of dynamic Giving, wherein I am truly focusing on consistently expressing the deeper source in my actions and life, and being completely dedicated to helping bring that experience to others. But… I plod on.
Isn’t that what you’re doing?
Hmmm… well, yes, I supppose. But the deeper wondering has me thinking ‘how could we impact the world with these blogs?’ Of course, it all starts with our inner, personal changes… but finding a way to bring those changes into words, and onto the net, well, that causes me to ponder.
Mark,
I wonder the same thing at times. I think those of us who have a vision regarding the potential of blogging and what it can accomplish through its global reach leaves some of us striving for a deeper experience that is broader in its scope. And I see this as something very positive. That reaching, that desire to go deeper, is our energy, our engine, as we ignite the Divine spark that lives inside of us, never allowing us to be lulled into a state of complacency and laziness about the potential that resides in this medium. In so doing, we connect with each in our shared Divinity and humanity, see each other through the same eyes we see ourselves, and have an opportunity to create holy encounters of healing and purpose.
I offer my gratitude for you and for those like you who have the vision and the drive to make a difference, to see the potential for how living in an age of advanced technology brings us blessings and avenues for us to expand our reach, go deeper, connect, conduct, and fulfill.
Blessings of Peace, Joy and Love flowing to you and to all of your lovely blog visitors.
Mark,
You are reaching people that perhaps you would not of been able to reach without this technology.
One gets the feeling we are all finding each other, giving to each other and in doing so extending outwardly. One gets the feeling also there is a mass awakening going on … and as in Serenity’s post today … one feels the shifting … she says:
We not only have a responsibility to ourselves to make this shift but we also have a responsibility as agents of change and healing of our broken world, and as eternal beings given the gift of life, to shift our perspective to one of holiness and Love. We are Spirit creations of Love and Light. Isn’t it time we start seeing ourselves that way?
Therefore … no, your blogging is not fruitless … it is rich with nourishment.
Feed us more :o)
isn’t being centered something we practice,
Individually?
blogs are a great tool for getting your
voice heard. You are doing a great job!
if one is centered then
ones blog and everything else they do will
reflect that.
Blogging has opened my eyes wider…especially to the genuine sincerity of people who have a different spiritual path to myself.
serenity - growing up in the Christian tradition, we often sang a song “Onward Christian Soldiers.” Every tradition has similar songs and sentiments, that equate our journey as a battle. Shaking loose that “state of complacency and laziness about the potential that resides” in us and in the potential of this medium is definitely a challenge, a battle in some senses of the word.
trinity - I suppose the way I am looking at it is less about hard-to-get-my-hands-around ‘change the world’ concepts, and more about ways we can make an everyday practical impact, on an eternal level.
Kathy - I love your point about centering, and having that manifest in our blogs, attracting people to center.
Rob - I was just talking with another blogger today who said that certain blogs have a way of welcoming people from many different paths. Your blog is definitely one of those.
Will the Eternal Level not take care of that?
Ask yourself why are we being drawn here? Truth, perhaps. Sometimes with impact … sometimes very subtle … delicate but precise.
trinity - I look at it like this: shall I leave it for someone else to do, or stop and go, hey, I am an eternal being, on some kind of eternal level myself - so, let me get to work.
Exactly … just do … action causes reaction. On the spiritual level work never ends … limitless and boundless. We are creators of life. Purpose being is Being and to create a better life.
Methinks. :o)
i have some thoughts on the issue of blogging and how it can bring the chance in consciouness of the collective.
right now away for a trip. as soon as i get back i will try to put my thoughts here.
its GOOD to see Sensei here. my deep respect and regards to him. there is a lot to share and internet is bringing us together. this alone is appreciable, though there is much deeper contribution can be made.
Thank you for saying that. I really appreciate your words. In my view tolerance is one of the greatest of all qualities.
trinity - thanks
sadiq - I hope your trip goes well, and am very much looking forward to your thoughts on blogging and our contributions to consciousness.
Rob - you are very welcome, and thank you for your wonderful insights and honesty.
Are we all feeling elated now … feed us Mark! :o)
Mark,
Wow, I see on return that your post has inspired some Spirited discussion and contribution here. I think what strikes me is that you have managed to strike at the very chord I think you were attempting with the very intention behind your post.
I, for one, am very grateful (and honored) that you have allowed your visitors (myself included) into this self dialogue you are engaged in about the potential of blogging centered in purpose. I guess in returning to this post, and returning to these comments, I find myself returning to the place where you started. The discussion has taken a fascinating journey of twists and turns, and so in itself quite wonderfully makes me return to that place where you started it; Center.
Blessings of peace, joy and Love flowing to you this evening.
serenity - well, back to center, huh? Looking though all the comments, I can see here and there drift from center… certainly by me. How so? Because as the guy asking the question, I should be keeping on the point - constantly wondering, perhaps provoking discussion in the direction of how we can better center our blogs. So, first, thanks for the reminder from both Kathy and now you.
Second, there is something each of us centers in when we blog. Acknowledging that, my next question is taking a step past that:
What is it, that is deeper and closer to center than we currently are? And what is causing us to miss the deeper and closer to center spot? How do we find that and get there?
Peace, one and all…
Mark, it’s funny how the shorter the statement, the longer the discussion!
For me, blogs provide spaces in which to communicate. Blogs allow me to communicate with people from the rest of the wide world, giving me an opportunity I may well not otherwise have had. The key words for me here are connection, communication and opportunity.
Abdur Rahman
I think we miss the closer and deeper to center spot because we are big fat chickens (speaking for myself here). It is scary, it is unknown. The path into the deepest point you are able to go is familiar. I imagine it is similar to why abused people find it so hard to break out of the abusive situation. At least the abusive situation is known - you know what to expect, and you have already lived through it.
I think this is why a teacher is so important. The teacher dwells deeper than the student and can attest to making it to the deeper point and surviving (from an eternal viewpoint). They can show the student HOW to go deeper, and can guide them through it.
But back to the point - can a blog centered on purpose make a difference in the world? I think so…if it is centered. We all tend to go off the point, by defaulting to our tendencies.
Thanks to Serenity for bringing us back to the point.
Abdur - I think that is funny too. A master of short powerful sentences is Rob - see his site Mmmm… listed in my blogroll.
I agree with your key words, and add another - conductivity, used in the sense of electrical conductivity. In other words, what is it that I want my blog to conduct? I am searching for a way to conduct deeper inner awareness, past the point of words, conveying to and immersing the reader in an actual eternal experience. Our on going discussion of the principles of the Art of Giving are centered on my teacher instructing me in how to go about doing that.
Gretchen - It is always important for us to share that the inner path can be tough, but at the same time the problems we encounter are typically quite familiar to others who have tread the same ground.
I agree, this is one of the values of a teacher, and also of fellow students, and the trail sometimes becomes a much easier pill to swallow when others share similar experiences and reactions.
I am discovering, through lessons with my teacher, and being posted here for anyone to follow, that there are some essential keys to centering a blog (ourselves or anything) in a manner that can truly make a difference in the world. I hope anyone interested in that is able to follow along as this discussion opens up by discussing the principles compromising the Art of Giving.
Peace, one and all…
Yes, Mark, this is a question I often ask myself. Within my own tradition (Islam), it’s the intention behind an act that gives it its moral/spiritual worth/value. Thus, within the Sufi path (as I’m exploring it - I’m sure Irving at Darvish will be able to put it more eloquently) one should constantly ask ‘why?’ and ‘to what end’?
Conductivity is a good way of putting it. For me, this brief poem sums up my own aim in blogging (and all other relationships):
What I’m Really After
‘Warm human relationships are what I seek,
not the embarrassed fumblings of lust.
I need connection,
to link hands and speak.
But I do not seek empty sentimentality,
for all its air-brushed glamour.
To touch the living heart of another,
and to have them touch me so,
is what I’m really after’.
With regards to last post, it’s always important I feel to offer such advice. Not everyone will have encountered that situation yet. Moreover, maybe they are finding that issue challenging. Sometimes all it takes is the smallest key to unlock the heart. Hey! Sometimes, we don’t even realise which word becomes the key
Abdur Rahman
Abdur - “to touch the living heart of another, and to have them touch me so, is what I’m really after.”
Worthy goals like these inspire me, yet I often fall short. One reason I do is because I have not truly surrendered to the essence of dynamic Giving, wherein I am truly focusing on consistently expressing the deeper source in my actions and life, and being completely dedicated to helping bring that experience to others. But… I plod on.
Peace, one and all…
As do we all Mark. In a way, the only thing that makes life bearable is each other
Abdur Rahman