I am a rock….

Posted on January 25, 2011 by Michaela

A winter’s day
In a deep and dark December;
I am alone,
Gazing from my window to the streets below
On a freshly fallen silent shroud of snow.
I am a rock,
I am an island.

I’ve built walls,
A fortress deep and mighty,
That none may penetrate.
I have no need of friendship; friendship causes pain.
It’s laughter and it’s loving I disdain.
I am a rock,
I am an island.

Don’t talk of love,
But I’ve heard the words before;
It’s sleeping in my memory.
I won’t disturb the slumber of feelings that have died.
If I never loved I never would have cried.
I am a rock,
I am an island.

I have my books
And my poetry to protect me;
I am shielded in my armor,
Hiding in my room, safe within my womb.
I touch no one and no one touches me.
I am a rock,
I am an island.

And a rock feels no pain;
And an island never cries.

Posted in Zeitgeist Music | 3 Comments

Letting go

Posted on January 24, 2011 by Michaela

 

“When the compulsive, tyrannical self
sees the inside beauty, it melts”

Shams Tabrizi



Posted in Quotes & Mantras | 1 Comment

Cure and Healing

Posted on January 24, 2011 by Michaela

I always found it to be curious that the official WHO definition for health is a perfectly holistic one: “Health is a state of complete physical, mental and social well-being and not merely the absence of disease or infirmity”.

Each human being is represented by several layers. There is the gross physical body with all it’s structures, organs and functions. There is the mental level which is seat of thought, intelligence and cognition. Then there is the emotional level, home to feelings and sensations. The energetic level is no longer confined to the physical body but stretches beyond it. It contains information that runs through channels and meridians, and is connected to the physical body through chakras and acupuncture points. And of course there is also the level of soul, with it’s distinct vibration and information, that make out spiritual characteristic, so to speak.

So it is easy to see that in case of a disturbance, all these layers have to be taken into consideration and a holistic approach to health and healing does allow for a broader perspective, than conventional medicine which is mostly concerned with the cure of bothersome symptoms.

But there is a difference between a cure and a healing.

A cure is a method, or a course of medical treatments to restore health. A cure may be a course of antibiotics to treat bronchitis, or surgery to remove an inflamed appendix. A cure is taking an aspirin against headache, or anti-depressants to stabilize mood. A cure is what allopathic medicine is all about – tell me the symptom and I will find a remedy to fix it. And many times we expect the same of the more holistic methods of homeopathic medicine. But any cure, either allopathic or homeopathic, or a combination of both, may or may not work…

Continue reading →

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LoL

Posted on January 24, 2011 by Michaela

Know thyself….

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Just comic

Posted on January 24, 2011 by Glerikud

Posted in Glances | 1 Comment

You, You, You

Posted on January 24, 2011 by Michaela

Beloved, You are my cave.
You are the fire of love that consumes me.
The beloved is You; the cave is You.

The Prophet Noah is You; spirit is You.
The conquerer and the conquered.
The chest torn into pieces is You.
The one knocking at the door of the secret is me.

You are the light; You are the celebration.
The protection of those who are protected.
The bird over Mount Sinai is You
The exhausted prey in it’s beak is me.

The drop is You, the ocean is You.
The gift and the wrath are You.
The sugar is You; the poison is You.
Grant me no more pain .

The signs of the sun are You.
The house of Mercury is You.
The path of hope is you.
Grant me the Way.

The day is You, the fasting is You.
The result of my begging is You.
Water is You; the ewer is You.
Give me the water this time.

The grain is You; the trap is You.
the wine bottle is You; the cup is You.
Don’t leave me uncooked.

If this body becomes more refined,
the pathway inside the heart pumps more freely.
Become my path completely, so there will be
so much less for me to say.

Divani Shamsi Tabrizi 37
From: Rumi “Love’s Ripening”
Translated by R Azar and K helminski
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The brave trickster

Posted on January 23, 2011 by Michaela

The attached is an interview with the British comedian Ricky Gervais, who gave a memorable performance at the Golden Globe Awards Life. There was a big row about this and people were up in arms about the reportedly offensive jokes. It is a wonderful example of what makes an insult – the judgement of the receiver. He explains brilliantly what comedy is and where humour is coming from – it is a vehicle, a tool to reveal – or as Ricky says: “I don’t think a comedian’s job is to make people laugh – it is to make people think”.

This reminds me of the wonderful archetype of the trickster – someone who uses humour and trickery to get people to lower their guard – and to reveal their own foul  beliefs or identifications behind their masks.

Watch the interview with a super-trickster who set out to make Hollywood look at the truth about themselves. How heroic – he took on Tinseltown, the world’s mecca of illusion.

Bravo to Ricky Gervais, the bravest trickster of all !

 

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Black Swan

Posted on January 23, 2011 by Michaela

Black Swan is a very unusual and very contemporary movie. I cannot remember ever having seen the discovery and gradual opening up to the possibility of living a life without the boundaries of limitations and control,in such an intensely impressive way. It is the story of a young ballerina preparing for the dual role of White Swan / Black Swan and losing her fear of accepting her shadow side. It is a story about letting go and dying to the old ways of living a life in constraints and shackles. The symbolism of the movie is absolutely remarkable.

“Perfection is not only about control – it is also about letting go”.

More movie clips: Black Swan

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Means of Life (7)

Posted on January 23, 2011 by Michaela

“Means of Life” is an inter-disciplinary approach to how everything is connected and to pin-point the difference between what we need and what we want.

Addiction to food may be the reason for many chronic disturbances and diseases.

We said previously that food and eating stand for nourishment, safety and filling a void and this makes it so enticing to use food as compensation to avoid feelings of lack and insecurity. In industrialised nations, food is generally available in abundance, cheap and well marketed, so that it is easy to come up with a conditioned reaction to a perceived lack or a frustration. Often times we think we “deserve” a good meal to compensate us for the disappointments of the day. Food and snacks are often times positioned as a treat and this is how we learn to override the instincts of our body in terms of being more selective of what we eat.

At this point in time it seems to be appropriate to speak about the impact of chronic stress on health and in particular the relationship of  digestion and metabolism, as well as the disturbances caused by the imbalance of a stress reaction.

The most important truth in dealing with chronic stress and it’s impact on health is that there is not only one reason for disturbances and that the true causes are often deeply hidden within our personality structure.

Chronic stress is a lasting full-body response, that leads to an imbalance of the normal energy distribution. More energy is used for the purpose of defense – like heart and circulation, muscles and the brain. Other bodily functions, like digestion, the immune system and procreation are reduced. This is a normal distribution during a stress reaction, but under normal circumstances this is over with in a few moments and the balance is being re-achieved.

Chronic stress usually has many contributing factors – like lifestyle. lack of exercise, the wrong food, alcohol, nicotine, not enough sleep . but most importantly the biggest reason behind all of it is an inner conflict – a resistance to a reality we just want to avoid.

Continue reading →

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Go deeply inside…

Posted on January 22, 2011 by Michaela

A reflection on a poem by Rilke

In the past few weeks I have been reading Rainer Maria Rilke ( as you may very well have noticed by the choice of poems posted on this blog). Rilke was a serious mystic, a poet-teacher and his language is very immediate and intense. In fact, sometimes I read the English translation before I feel ready for the original German verses. Monosyllabic English seems to take quite a bit off the added depth and profound resonance by the words in their original intent.

There are many poems I resonate with, but there is one in particular I have been coming back to many times: You see, I want a lot.

This poem is about the open heart. The willingness to be the space for everything – from the deepest depth of our being to the highest possible realm. “You see I want a lot, maybe I want everything…” there is the hesitation of knowing that no man can know God, but at the same time there is the complete surrender, the ultimate intimacy with everything there is.

Many live who are happy and content, at ease with life, not in resistance and free of suffering. But God loves those who wants to know him, surrenders and explores with the curiosity – not of a searcher, but of a child, excited to find, whatever it may be.

Go inside. Take a heart and go deeply inside.

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