Official Discussion Forum for the works of Stephen R. Donaldson
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Regret and guilt re-live the past (emotions -Middot).
Thought and commitment define the present (mind - Seichel).
Words and action determine the future (behaviour - Ma'asseh).
One for the depression thread, perhaps...K.I.S.S is a skill. (Keep It Simple, Stupid!)
Mindfulness of the miracle of ‘now’ is an art.
Consciousness of the preciousness and potential of each moment - a gift.
Sadness is the soul crying.
Happiness is the soul singing.
Oneness is the soul flying.
There is only one moment that defines character - the moment of choice.
At this moment there are infinite possibilities open to you.
But when you exercise choice the waves of uncertainty collapse, and you embark on a brand new path.
Your choice!
Laibl Wolf wrote:The Kabbalah of a Eucalyptus
The king of the Australian ‘bush’ is the majestic Eucalyptus tree – more commonly known here as the ‘gum tree’. The hundreds of species are dressed in different textured bark, individualized finger-like leaves, and some have brilliant flowering fruit e.g.- the flame red Rosea.
I am sitting in a coastal town in north east Australia admiring a shiny perfectly smooth-barked gum - Ornata. Its willowy leaves gently drooping and swaying in the afternoon easterly. As I watch the tree’s dance I begin to see the movement of hands and face, even its vocal articulation. The tree speaks. And I recall King David’s psalms expressing the tree as a human metaphor.
In my retreats I often ask the group to select a tree that most ‘speaks’ to them. Each participant then describes how the appearance, texture, colour, and shape become a personal mirror. Some note how the trunk twisted early in life but eventually thrust tall and straight. Others refer to the spread of branches representing their many pathways that life has taken them. To some the bark represents their rough exterior that hides gentleness deep within. The flowers become the reservoir of latent talent.
The remarkable common denominator is the overwhelming positive self-reflection. Rarely does a participant detect a negative trait by looking at the tree. Why? And I find this a very therapeutic process – people discovering their innate beauty, strengths and capacities.
The word for ‘nature’ in Hebrew is ‘teva’. Kabbalah employs ‘gematria’ (totaling the numerical value assigned to each Hebrew letter in the word) to find amazing cosmic subliminal correlations. The gematria of ‘nature’ is 86 (together with the definite article letter ‘hei’). The Kabbalists note that the gematria of the Hebrew name of the Creator, ‘Elokim’, is also 86. When we look at ourselves through the prism of nature we see our inner reflection of goodness, reincarnative rationale, and inner beauty. We see our inner Divine image – the analog of ‘Elokim’. All too often when we look at ourselves in the mirror of society, the reflection in that distorted mirror of corruption, pain, and insecurity, reveals our frailties and shortcomings.
That is why my retreat participants discover a truer self-perception by focusing on the beauty and majesty of a tree.
As I gaze at this tall and strong gum tree in front of me, I see a tree with seemingly disorganized asymmetry. Unlike the apparent symmetrical perfection of a palm, the gum tree has a much more subtle arrangement of energies and forces pulling together. Its variegated branches reach out short and long, thin and thick, displaying angular irregularity. Yet a subtle congruency characterizes the gum and presents as a wholistic work of art. This is most apparent when a gentle sea-breeze animates the its torso, arms, hands, and fingers, to animate gracefully , each limb expertly orchestrated in its sway and rhythm – the dance of nature – a Divine and graceful waltz.
Did King David gaze out from his palace window and perceive this Divine rhapsody that translated into the rapture of his psalmic sonnets? Did he espy the Australian Eucalyptus? I can only guess that David’s deep prophetic spirit foresaw the ‘Israeli species’, the powerful tubular gums imported from ‘down under’ at the turn of the nineteenth century by Jewish settlers and used to harness the living energy of the earth below, and transform swamp-land into wheat farms and rose gardens.
Gaze out of your window. See your reflection. Is it true or are you staring into a cracked mirror? Better still – find a tree and discover your real self.
I've always loved trees, and found them very spiritual. They have featured in several of my mystical and psychedelic experiences.Isn't it interesting how the frame changes the picture?
So...
Frame your reality with a beautiful frame.
Acknowledging others affirms their individuality and allows the light of self-worth to radiate.
The World is a mirror of creation.
To know one-self is to know the Cosmos.
…and…
To know the Cosmos is to know one-self.
Life’s meaning is about your soul’s reincarnative self-expression. Each soul is distinctly different and seeks its expression individualistically. It is provided with a recent model vehicle, the body. The vehicle needs high grade fuel, expert maintenance and repair, and a capacity to drive in many different terrains. The challenge of negotiating the curves and turns, the smooth and rough, the difficult and easy, allows the soul to reach out and touch the Cosmos. In that moment of touch lays life’s significance, joy and fulfillment.
May your life always be blessed with life’s soft touch.
The slightest action on our part creates a huge multiplier effect in the Cosmos.
When we extend love to each other,
fate smiles.
