Life is Sacred - Higher Self 17

Today's blog is about life being sacred. As I write this I am waiting for an open casting for a television miniseries. It is amazing when you can see the beauty in the mundane that life can lead you off in many directions. Never did I ever think I would be writing screenplays let alone acting but here I am doing both. The acting, like many things I am doing at the moment is so I can better understand the film making process and improve in my writing and screenwriting skills.

I love film, because of its immediacy and also the impact a good or great film can have on a person's life. In many cases this impact is at the subconscious level. How many of you have walked out of a great film and been a different person than the one walking in?

I felt that way when I first saw Star Wars, or Casablanca or Lost Horizons. Each of these films impacted in ways that even today many years later are still evident. Books can do it as well but usually on a more conscious level.

"Use the force Luke," has always been a part of who I have become and sent me off on my on mystical journey. The concepts of the force or the Tao has been concepts which I have been searching and researching for all my life. Each of those moments from those film have been sacred in my own life and probably for many others who have seen these and other films.

It is now later in the afternoon and I am sitting in the front garden As we near spring, the flowers are starting to bloom and the rain now falling and the heat in the air will only see this marvel of nature increase over the coming weeks. My dogs are with me for company as the sun breaks through the rain clouds. Beatrice my muse sits proudly on the chair beside me, nudging me every now and again for a pat or to stop writing and give her more attention. The other dog Horatio sits by the front door waiting to go back inside. Just like people all animals have their own distinct personality.

I am not a vegetarian but sometimes wish I could be. If you have ever looked in the eyes of a cow or a pig you will see their own distinct personality shining through. My wife will tell you that I don't even like picking flowers because I like to see them in their natural beauty. I tried vegetarianism for about seven years but it did not suit my body type. I do my best to see all life as sacred and express gratitude for each little blessing that I receive.

The rain has stopped and the birds are now out chirping. Both the dogs have gone to sleep and in my current state I might soon join them for a nap in the sun and reflect on the magic of this day.

Life Is Sacred

Huo wandered through the countryside for many months with one goal in mind: to find the Forest of K'an and journey to the mystical Lake of Li. The old sage had talked often about this magical lake and the forest. Over the last two days, he had found the Forest of K'an, and now he was heading towards the lake. He knew intuitively where the lake was; he could feel her presence with every part of his being.

On the journey to find the lake, he had many adventures and had met many strange people, the strangest being the badger that could talk; well, talk was not quite right, but he could communicate with Huo in the most unusual way. It happened over a month ago, when Huo first thought of finding the Lake of Li in the Forest of K'an. He had been sitting by a stream, meditating, when a picture of the Lake of Li came into his mind. He knew it was the Lake of Li because of the description that he had received from the old sage. He could even see the large rock that Chung Fu used to sit on when he was teaching his students. In the meditation, Huo could imagine himself sitting on the rock and staring into the Lake of the Li. The more he stared, the more real the picture became; it was so real, if Huo had wanted to, he could have transported himself there in an instant, but of course, he was not yet aware that he had those abilities. He opened his eyes with the knowing that came from deep within that the next part of his journey would take him to the lake the old sage had talked so much about.

He returned to his camp to the find a badger, a big fat badger fossicking through his pack for what little food he had left. Years ago, he would have become angry to lose the little food he had, but he was different now. He understood that the Tao gives and the Tao takes away; so, rather than express his anger, he sat down on a log of wood and watched the badger, for the inner part of him knew that the badger had a message for him.
Badgers are very independent by nature, and this one was no exception. The badger turned to look at Huo, but the look was brief, and he went back to eating the food and destroying Huo's pack. He was certainly an individual. Huo knew that badgers were very different from most animals in the forest, and they did not seem to care what humans and other animals thought about them.

Huo sent a molecule of himself into the badger, and what returned did not surprise him. He could almost hear the badger talking to him.

"Walk your own path at your own pace. Don't defend yourself. You are what you are, so be proud of it. If someone attacks you, don't defend; just walk away. You are an infinite spirit walking your own journey; be proud of yourself, but at the same time do not judge others because you do not know what their journey is or where it will lead. You don't have to explain to anyone what you are doing. You are following your inner spirit, and to explain it would be impossible; allow it to lead you in ways that you would not think possible."

Huo was not sure if the words were coming from the animal or just the workings of his own mind. It did not matter, though, for the teaching was the same. It was time for him to go back into the world and take what he had learnt to the people who were drawn to him.

He looked down at the badger and offered thanks for its teaching. For its part, the badger gave him what appeared to be a grin, then scurried off into the forest without any apology for destroying Huo's worldly goods.

No longer encumbered by any Earthly goods, Huo continued on his journey to the Lake of Li in the Forest of K'an.

Blessings and Peace
Geof

************

The 33rd Sage and the 33rd Sage and the Initiate are available at Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Book Depository, Watersons, Xlibris, a number of online book stores and on my websites.

The Way of the Initiate will be published late 2013

Twitter @GeofSpalding
Official Author Blog - the33rdsage.authorsxpress.com/
Translatable Author Blog - 33rdsage.blogspot.com.au/
Book Websites 'The 33rd Sage,' at www.33rdsage.com
'The 33rd Sage and the Initiate,' at www.the33rdsage.com

The Tao Owns Everything - Higher Self 16

We have almost reached the halfway point in the Way of the Initiate which is based on the 33 steps that my old Chinese teacher shared with me. I wonder if those of you who have been reading my blogs have been practicing some of the steps like Huo in the story. If you have I would love to hear feedback on what has been happening in your world.

As I write this I have finished the first draft of my screenplay The Merlin Key and as I look back I can see the amazing changes that I have experienced in my own life since taking the first steps on the path of the Initiate. A path that will continue till the day I either walk out of this dimension or become food for the maggots. One of the greatest changes that occurred on this journey has been the need to express my inner creativity. If this was the only reward for the years I have spent on the path then that would have been enough, for in tapping into my own inner creativity I have experienced a joy, a connection that is almost impossible to explain.

If you are reading these blogs and you have just read  the chapters of The Way of the Initiate as a story, then hopefully you have enjoyed it and on some level it has touched you deeply.

Today Huo begins to understand that everything is owned by the Tao and that we have it on loan, so rather than hold onto it, enjoy it and share it, for one day it will go back to the Tao.

The Tao Owns Everything

As he walked from the town, he understood he had lost nothing because everything belonged to the Tao. Everything he had experienced had been given to him by the Tao; it was as if it had been on loan. Also, because he was able to release everything he had, he knew more would be given to him, so there was no need to hold on to anything. He walked into the forest a rich man, rich in the knowledge that he was abundant in all areas of his life.

He soon came to a fork in the road. He looked off down the left fork and felt nothing; however, when he looked down the right fork, he noticed the road seemed lighter. He closed his eyes and sent his energy off in the distance to feel a royal carriage coming towards him. He turned and walked down the right road; the spirit wanted him to go in that direction, so who was he to disagree with the feelings coming from deep within his inner self?

About a half-mile down the road, he came across a carriage carrying members of the Emperor's family. As with everyone he met, he showed his respect, giving a short bow from the waist. Immediately, a woman called out for them to stop the carriage, then called the young man over. As Huo walked slowly towards the carriage, the woman dressed in beautiful silks with her jet black hair tied in a bun on her head, attached with a jade pin, addressed the young man.

"Sir, can you tell me if there is a healer in the town up ahead? My son is gravely ill and needs immediate attention."

"Great lady, my old Master Chung Fu is in the town ahead, and he is a great healer." Huo caught sight of the young man in the carriage and knew instantly the boy would never make the journey; he could see that his inner spirit was about to leave his body.
Huo was at a loss regarding what to do. He did not want to infringe on the young boy, as he did not know what lesson he had come here to learn. Maybe he had incarnated to die early and teach his mother the great lesson of loss, for he understood that some highly evolved spirits came in service to die in their first thirteen years. What he did know for sure was that the child would never make it to the town. For a brief moment, he went within his inner self for an answer, only to meet the spirit of the young boy. The young boy was confused and not sure what was happening, so Huo went inside his inner self and asked him if he wanted help. The boy said yes, and in that moment Huo could see the future of the young boy, particularly how he would grow up to be a mighty ruler who would be loved by his people.

Huo turned his focus back into the outer world and said to the Emperor's wife, "Your Highness, I fear that your son will never make it to the town. If you allow me, I will give him a healing right here that will enable him to travel to town, where my master can finish the healing process."

The Emperor's wife was beside herself with fear. She looked down at the young man who was dressed in little more than rags, but there was a plum red sash around his waist that brought back a childhood memory. When she used to go with her father into the Emperor's garden, he would often meet a monk who also wore a plum red ribbon around his waist. It was the monk that helped his father build a garden that pleased the Emperor so much, she was plucked from her life of servitude to now be one of the most powerful women in the court – and she eventually to became the number one wife of the Emperor.
She faltered for a moment, but it was just a moment. "Please, help my son."

She opened the carriage door, and Huo, dressed like a beggar, climbed in. He went straight to the boy, who had a very high temperature, then looked to his mother, who said, "He came down with the fever last night, and I was at a loss what to do. We have tried everything. He has a bite mark on his left arm."

Huo examined the wound with his eyes, but with his inner senses he saw that the young man had been bitten by a spider. He reached into his pack, took out some herbs, and made a poultice to put on the boy’s arm, then used some other herbs to make a drink for the young man to sip while they made the journey to his old master at the Pagoda. He held his hands over the young boy and allowed the energy from his own being to enter the young man and take on the poison. It was not something he had been taught; it was just something that happened naturally when he inhabited the body of the young boy.
In only a few minutes, the young boy opened his eyes; the fever had been broken. Huo felt the shock of the poison in his own body, but he soon released it through his breath to the air that surrounded them.

The Emperor's wife had never seen anything like it. She worried that Huo was not a healer, but a black magician. It is funny how even when people see something with their own eyes, they cannot believe it to be true.

Huo smiled at the Queen, and somehow his smile put her at ease.
"What is your charge for healing my son? I will pay anything."
"My Queen, it is an honour to do it for you. I do not require any payment, as I have everything I need."

The queen looked at the young man before her, dressed in little more than rags with no carriage, no money, and only a poor pack to carry his herbs. "You say you have everything you need, but surely some money would help you on your journey? Or I could give you a servant to look after your needs, or you could come back to the palace where you could be my personal physician?"

"Thanks for the offer, my Queen. It would be a great honour, but I am on a great journey, the journey of the inner self, and I have all I need. Look around: I have the sun, the forest, the animals, and the seasons to keep me company. If I want food, I will find it in the forest or in a stream. If I want companionship, I can walk into any village and find someone to talk to. If I need a bed, I can rest wherever I choose. As you can see, I have everything I need."

"I can see that you are a strange man, a man who I will always be grateful to. If ever you need my help, just come to the palace, and I will give you what you need."
Huo thanked the queen for her offer. Then, just as he was about to take his leave, a thought crossed his mind. "Your Highness, there is something you could do for me."
"Name it," she said, hoping it was not a ploy by the young man to get more than she was willing to offer; she need not have worried.

"My Queen, there is a young girl in the village by the name of Qing. If you could give her a small piece of jewelry and tell her I love her, that would be a most special gift."
The queen pulled the green jade pin from her hair, which allowed her blue black hair to cascade over her shoulders. "Will this be a suitable gift?" she asked.

"Thank you, my Queen. Now take your son to the next town and ask for my old Master Chung Fu at the Pagoda, and he will ensure that your son is fully healed."
Huo bowed to the queen and winked at the young boy, then took his leave of them both and continued on his journey.

The queen, her son, and the long retinue of servants watched as the strange young man walked back into the forest.

The queen took her son to see the old sage, who professed he could do no more for her young son and that if he continued to drink the herbs given by the young man, he would soon regain his full strength.

The queen fulfilled her part of the bargain, and much to Qing's delight, she gave her the green jade pin and words of love from Huo. What Huo did not know was that the queen took such a shine to Qing that she gave her a position as her own personal servant, a position that would see wondrous things happening for the young girl - but that is another story, one I am sure will be told one day.

Blessings and Peace
Geof

************

The 33rd Sage and the 33rd Sage and the Initiate are available at Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Book Depository, Watersons, Xlibris, a number of online book stores and on my websites.

The Way of the Initiate will be published late 2013

Twitter @GeofSpalding
Official Author Blog - the33rdsage.authorsxpress.com/
Translatable Author Blog - 33rdsage.blogspot.com.au/
Book Websites 'The 33rd Sage,' at www.33rdsage.com
'The 33rd Sage and the Initiate,' at www.the33rdsage.com

Higher Self 15

When I started to think about what I was going to write about the topic of today's chapter I was a little stuck, for in the words of this chapter is everything I wanted to say. Sometimes in the simplicity the real teaching comes from your own stillness.

The Sage Does Not Infringe

After the meditation one morning, when all the students had gone back to their homes, only Huo had stayed behind with the old sage to help him clear up the space they had used in the Pagoda and clear the energy from the meditation; sometimes even after the meditation, the unclear thoughts that had dropped away from the participants needed to be cleared away from the sacred space to allow anybody who used it later to find a space that was open and clear of any negativity. The old man always made sacred anything he did. It did not matter whether it was getting dressed in the morning or teaching a student; everything the old man did, he would do it in a sacred way - for to do any less would mean that something was less than the other.
The young man had not understood it at first, but as he began to practice the technique of making everything sacred, he soon realized that it was what connected him with everything. It was in the act of judging something to be less important or less sacred that disconnected him from the One or the Tao. It was interesting to watch his own life, to observe the difference when he did things in a sacred way.
He remembered the first time he had created a sacred space before he meditated. At first it felt silly and uncomfortable, but of course that was only because he was coming out of judgement and the reason he was judging it was that he did not yet understand that everything is sacred. It was that one realization that changed him forever. Just like the old sage, he was now doing everything in a sacred way, and the most surprising thing was that because he made everything sacred - even things like washing, dressing, and eating, which had been mundane - they had now taken on a new quality: a quality of freshness.
The world had come alive for him. When he put on his clothes in the morning, he could sense, almost feel, the man or woman who had made the garment and what they were feeling at the time. As he would give thanks to the person who had created the garment for him, he started to realize how abundant he was. Others would see him as a penniless young man because they came from their own judgement, but if they could only look deeper, they would see a young man who had all his needs met. Huo was so in touch with the Tao that he wanted for nothing; it was in his gratitude that he understood that he was receiving so much.
In clearing the space in the Pagoda, he could see what energy the students had left behind, which would instruct him and the old sage on what to teach the students the next day. He looked across at the old sage, who was sweeping the space they had used, ensuring that on all levels it would cleaner and clearer than when they first entered it. As the old man swept, a beetle crawled into the space. To anyone else it would have been a nuisance, but not to the old sage, who saw it as one of God's creatures and an extension of himself. He picked up the beetle and took it out to the garden, where he spoke gently to it before putting it down on the ground.
When the young man, who had followed him out into the garden, questioned him on what he had said to the beetle, the old man replied, "I thanked the beetle for allowing me to have a break from my cleaning and experience the beauty that existed in the garden. It is easy for us get caught up in our own world, and sometimes it takes the beauty of nature to show us that we are all connected. And to do some kindness - to even something that appears as insignificant as a beetle - can return to you a bounty far in advance of the act you performed. Look at the garden: it is teeming with life, all the plants and insects working together to create the moment we are now experiencing, which is a moment only you and I can share. It is only by living in the now and treating everything as sacred that we get to see the beauty in the world. It is through non-judgment that we can truly see the beauty that is inside us all, then experience it when it is reflected in the outer world."
"Chung Fu, you are the wisest person I have ever met, and each day you deepen my wisdom and knowledge of the Tao, but I never see you sharing this wisdom without being asked. Many times, I am sure you could have helped people when they needed your assistance. Why is that?”
That was the first time in many years he had called the old sage by his name. It was good that Huo had gone beyond the master-apprentice relationship because the old sage could see that the young man was already a very wise sage himself.
"I was going to answer that question, but then the spirit prompted me to ask what you think."
Huo's ego was immediately taken in by the compliment, but the real Huo - the eternal, immortal and infinite Huo - understood that it was now time for the teaching to come totally from within. By going beyond the need to judge, he allowed a higher awareness to come through.
In that moment, he understood that he was no longer the apprentice. He answered his own question by saying, "I know that one word from you could change a person's life, a person's evolution. Who are we to decide what a person has incarnated in this life to learn? To give them help without asking is infringing on their journey. It is to treat them as a finite being, rather than the eternal, immortal, and infinite being that they are."
The young man stopped for a moment as he allowed another impression to come forward; he knew it was time. Before he could even voice the words, he had felt it when Chung Fu had suggested that he answer his own question.
"I have defined our relationship as you are the Master and I am the apprentice, but now it is important for me to experience life rather than be defined by our old relationship. It is time for me to move on. I am sure I could learn much more from you, but in my heart I know that I am to become my own teacher. It is time for me to wander the lands and learn from my interactions with all the aspects of the Tao. I thank you from my heart for all that you have taught me, but it is now time for me to go."
Tears escaped from both their eyes as they both knew it was time for Huo to go. Chung Fu had chosen well; the student was now the teacher. The old sage reached into his pocket, pulled out the dragonfly pendant, and gave it to the young man.
Huo took the pendant, which was now more special than ever, for when he held it or looked at the pendant it would now remind him of more than his parents; it would remind him of his time with the old sage. In losing the pendant, it had become an even more sacred object.
After saying his goodbyes to the old sage, he went to find Qing. She was in the kitchen, preparing their breakfast. He took her in his arms and kissed her full on the lips. At first she tried to pull away, not because she did not want to kiss him (she had wanted it more than life itself), but because it had shocked her that he had been so bold. After pulling slightly away, she eased back towards him and joined him in a passionate kiss. During the kiss, she could feel that they had come closer together, but on some level further apart. She looked at him for some kind of explanation; he could feel it, too, and he explained to her that although he loved her with all his heart, he had to leave her and the old sage so he could continue his inner journey. He promised he would come back for her one day, but he was not yet ready; his journey was leading him elsewhere.
She tried to talk him out of it with talk of their life together and what their life would be like, but she soon realized that she may as well have been taking to the wall of the Pagoda; his spirit was already on the journey, and it was his body that needed to catch up.
That evening, they held a banquet in his honour, but before the speeches were finished, he had quietly slipped out the side door, collected his small pack, and walked away from the town.
He looked back a few times, but only to remember what the town looked like; the people, Chung Fu, and Qing were forever in his heart, and he would never forget them.
Blessings and Peace and infringe no one.

Blessings and Peace
Geof

************


The 33rd Sage and the 33rd Sage and the Initiate are available at Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Book Depository, Watersons, Xlibris, a number of online book stores and on my websites.

The Way of the Initiate will be published late 2013

Twitter @GeofSpalding
Official Author Blog - the33rdsage.authorsxpress.com/
Translatable Author Blog - 33rdsage.blogspot.com.au/
Book Websites 'The 33rd Sage,' at www.33rdsage.com
'The 33rd Sage and the Initiate,' at www.the33rdsage.com