The Space of Zero

Recently I read a wonderful book titled Zero: Biography of A Dangerous Idea.  The major idea from the book is that zero is both infinity and the void; two opposing extremes that exist in one symbol. Zero leads to life because it's the fundamental essence of opposing forces. If zero were a sentence it would be: "This sentence isn't real." It is the absence that exists, and is defined by its endless nothing quality.


Zero and consciousness have similar properties. Perhaps scientists and philosophers would prefer that zero and consciousness didn't exist at all. And yet they do, elusive and hard to describe. Riddled with contradictions, zero plays perhaps the greatest role in the universe; it holds everything together. Consciousness is the zero that exists in our heart that holds our body and spirit together.

Break the shackles of false victimhood.  Realize that there are no good or bad events, everything that happens is simply something that happens, it is neutral.  You decide how to view an event, which gives you the ultimate power; choice.  If you find yourself in negative situation after negative situation, decide the break the pattern and liberate yourself with your mind.

Help

The only way to receive help is by asking for it.  However, asking isn't enough because it's up to us to be open to the help when it arrives, and it's up to us to act on it.  

The (Cyber) Space of Love

"People don't change their minds. They die, and are replaced by people with different opinions"
- Arturo Albergati

     A few days ago, Microsoft’s Internet Explorer 6 (IE6) died, or rather it is no longer being supported. Why does something technology related matter to this blog?  Earlier this year I read an article explaining the advantages and disadvantages between being mortal and immortal. This was a computer experiment with one species being immortal and the other being mortal. When we think about it, species that are immortal should have the advantage. Imagine a world where people don’t die; where all the intelligence and knowledge that we have lasts forever. Where we don’t die and have to be reborn to relearn everything. It sounds amazing on paper, but the fact is immortal species, in the long run, can’t adapt like mortal ones can. 

     I remember in the mid 1990’s when IE6 was very popular. That was the best browser around, people adopted it, and it was the basis for all future browsers. I know some people who still use it. However, its popularity is now holding back web invention because websites still have to be designed with IE6 in mind. Today it died and this allows future inventions to evolve.  

     See, IE6 was such a standard that technology had trouble really moving past it. The benchmark that is IE6 didn't die (immortality), therefore future progress slowed because, instead of looking to the future, we were supporting the past. Sometimes it is good to kill an outdated, but very successful, predecessor to further evolve.  

     This explains why it is necessary for there to be death. We are sad when our grandparents, parents, and, finally, ourselves perish. However, death must occur for thought to evolve and refine itself. I feel the reason that we forget everything about our previous selves between karmic incarnations is so we can evolve and let go of outdated ideas. Even "the most important thing that has happened to you ever" is a product of this life, but our true quest is constant growth.  Sometimes holding onto the past will limit our future because we will try to define our future experiences based on past events and cycles.  Forgiving and forgetting these events, whether they are negative or positive experiences, is key.  They only serve to remind us who we were, not what we will become.  

     Ego is a product of this Human existence. Our true nature is one of forgetfulness. Without a brain, it’s always the present. The question is "What form is the best to overcome karma the quickest: Forgetfulness or Remembrance?" Why was it necessary for us to have a brain? I believe that the point of our lives is to overcome karma, so perhaps it’s to help us in that way.  If we can remember our past mistakes then we may not repeat them, allowing us to move on instead of dwelling on one lesson forever. 

     Every meditation session I’ve been to, I’ve been encouraged to go in a direction of oneness and completeness. That's good, we came from a place like that and will return to that place, but what if we had to grow a physical body to further rid ourselves of karma? We needed a brain, aka remembrance, to shed the next phase of our karma. Of course meditation is a great thing, it allows us to become realigned with our higher self and to act wisely, but for now we must come back to this reality that is moving, full of joy and pain, but is temporary, in order to be tested in an effort to refine our character. 

     Where did we get all our human karma? Is there a future step past our having brains, such as losing ego but still maintaining our physical bodies? I find that hard to achieve because our egos are what, essentially, protect our bodies. However, I am using my current brain to predict the future, so instead of doing that I will enjoy the ride. Maybe when this current IE has outgrown its usefulness I can refresh with updated ideas and have a better shot at it.

Story of the Outlier

From time to time I get overwhelmed. This is easy to do in a world filled with so much beautiful information, but occasionally I have to step back. I love really diving in and experiencing something that resonates within me, however, I feel that I build up and build up and surround myself with all these beautiful ideas until I find that I have been building walls around me. Occasionally I must tear them down.  

Want to know true stability? Find the most important thing in life - the place where all other ideas and inspiration come from - and either remove it or imagine it removed. Does everything else collapse?  Identify the central things in life that you identify with: being in a certain role like a parent or in a particular relationship, having a certain car, being the best at something, being talented something, etc. What is the crux on which your universe spins? I have a friend who said that if it was proved that Jesus wasn’t resurrected then he would renounce Christianity.  That is a weak conviction if the entire spiritual structure of his reality could be renounced based off of one thing not being true.  Before there was even a problem in my past relationship, I imagined life without her because I wanted to be independent of my need for her. We eventually split up, but I didn't base my entire identity on her so I wasn’t completely lost and I didn’t have to restart my life.  Life always has a way of finding the most important, central sacred thing or belief, and completely destroying it.  It is a catalyst for change.  Whatever ‘concrete’ thing that we define ourselves by will always be lost and you will be forced to become a new you.  Try not to place too much emphasis on one thing to define who you are. 


Another good exercise is to lay in bed and 'forget' what stage in life, or health, you are currently in. I have found myself in fear doing this because I forgot what my physical condition was and, at that moment, all possible versions of self were real. What if I really was old, and that my youth was only a dream. One day this will be my reality, and the sooner I accept and embrace the fear the less it will control me.


Each of our paths are unique. We should each behave in our own nature and not follow the unoriginality of the crowd. In doing so we lose our individuality, which in turn robs from the complex and miraculous tapestry of humanity. I have seen this occur in a spiritual context. It is possible to follow the crowd with ideas like the universal makeup of reality. Spirituality is a deeply personal journey that we are each individually on.  To follow others is a distraction and will slow the journey. Knowledge unravels itself in a very particular way so that we may best understand it. There will always be a need for advice and guidance, but following others without trusting your own divine instinct will not produce enlightenment.

The journey is about facing fear and giving up incomplete ideas in exchange for something that is more true. It’s about becoming a better person because you looked at yourself in the most honest light possible and embraced all of yourself. Occasionally you lose friends because your journey takes you away from their values. That is an acceptable, and sometimes necessary, occurrence on your journey. They are on their journey too. The journey is about burning down walls so something more beautiful can grow. The journey is about achieving True freedom within yourself.  

WE ARE ALL GENIUS.  

Imagine yourself without your friends, without your colorful cloths and the artifacts in your room.  Imagine that you are all alone with no physical scrap of identity left.  Who are you?  Would you hold on to what you have now and try to get it all back, or would you let it fall away?  Imagine that one pure idea, whatever your ‘Resurrection’ idea is, as being proved false.  What out of your current belief structure survives?  What is your core?  What would drive you to continue to live?  

Life as a Star

We are traveling SO fast! What used to take us a lifetime to deal with and overcome now takes us a matter of hours or days. Where are we going to end up? Beyond anything that we can imagine.

As long as we keep our egos in check we will advance. We KNOW what the correct, enlightened, answer is. Sometimes it is hard to accept and our egos may fight it, which always leads to misery. If people are aware of what is going on we can choose the easy path in which life will beautiful and beyond anything that would could possibly plan for.

As long as our *core* is strong we can navigate any reality. That's what a bad trip is - just being freaked out by a lack of control. It's the same attitude that causes suffering in this realm. Trust and love is what we are here to learn, and perhaps the same lesson is universal in different dimensions.

I can also imagine an place that only pure and complete souls can get to. We get there by navigating the dark path by using all the knowledge and confidence that we've allowed our hearts to receive. We have to confront our deepest and most primal fears and remain unfazed by them to ascend. At that point our energy is so sustainable that we become light beings. We become stars. We are Gods!

New Universe

(This is something that I wrote for one of my dads trips, but they ended up not using it, so why waste!)

These are the times of great ascension!  We are becoming of a higher vibration and consciousness and the world around us is changing.  We too are changing as we begin to witness major breakthroughs on a daily basis.

As our divine selves become more awakened we sometimes experience inner turmoil.  This is our ego and higher-self separating from each other.  Where the ego used to be the dominate force in humanity, now the divine-self has awakened and is leading the way, but the ego is still struggling to stay relevant.  This can cause inner conflict as we suffer from old habits and relationships that our ego says we must have, usually at any cost.  It is foolish to attempt to control the outside world.  The egos very realm is an illusion; the illusion that our 'belongings' and relationships define us.  Inside our mind is where our attention should be, as that is the only part of the universe that we can control.  We should become one with the flow of life and dance with the divine.

To allow a more positive life to manifest we can do certain things. First, we can realize that we, as individuals, are fragmented. What we perceive as 'you and me the individuals' is an illusion. We all come from the same source, and we all are one. Only in the fragmented condition do we think linear thoughts and react, instead of orchestrating life from our divine will.

What is the best way to experience this transformation? We must do what our egos could never do, which is letting go of control. We must trust absolutely in the flow of life and realize that each life event is an opportunity to grow. Naturally, the ego will attempt to make us doubt our higer selves, but deep down we all know what the divine choice is. This is the path of adventure! Enjoy your life as it becomes richer beyond anything that our egos could ever plan for.

Prayer and meditation are two actions that we can do everyday to become more receptive to the subtleties of life. With prayer we define what it is that our souls need for nourishment, and over time we will manifest it.  However, if we try to define what we need with our ego than we will eventually get what the soul needs, but we may not recognize it as to accept it and we may struggle. Pray from your heart and be truly open to the path forward, no matter what form it may take. You will know it when you feel it.

With meditation we quiet our minds and allow ourselves to become receptive to the universal answers. Answers come in many forms: an idea, inspiration for a project, a glimpse of a beautiful future. Clear the mind of all thought and remove intention. The these divine thoughts manifest, for they are subtil, fleeting, and pure joy. They are the present.

Let us embrace the next level of human consciousnesses with enthusiasm and joy! Be prepared to feel with love and playfulness

Om Mani Peme Hum - Tibetan Short Form (108 times)

Sour Grapes

"You cannot make someone love you. You can only make yourself someone who can be loved"'
-  Unknown