Mira Prabhu's Blog, page 67
June 7, 2015
Monday Funnies – With MAXINE
“I’m not surprised the first man on the moon left his footprints. Most men leave a mess wherever they go.” Maxine, you’re oh so refreshing! Love you, and thank you Chris Graham, for sharing…
Originally posted on Chris The Story Reading Ape's Blog:
June 4, 2015
Terms of Enlightenment
A team of attorneys I once worked for in Manhattan specialized in the purchase and sale of aircraft between countries. Transactions often involved a slew of lawyers from different corners of the world and required that the legal team as a whole put together a set of documents so an aircraft could be properly transferred from Seller to Buyer: Escrow, Contract, Sale, Purchase, blah blah blah.
Since definitions of important terms differed slightly from country to country, and because even minor misunderstandings could lead to serious problems as the deal meandered on, the first order of business was for these lawyers to pool their definitions of relevant terms. When agreement on the meaning of terms was reached, a document would be created that would stay in place for the entire deal.
The document listing these agreed-upon definitions was known as the Definition of Terms—and only when it was finalized did the deal take off into the stratosphere. During the transaction (which could go on for months or even years), members on the transaction team could easily clarify confusions regarding specific terms by referring to this key document.
This legal necessity to be absolutely clear on definitions led me to ruminate on the misunderstandings that often erupted in my own life. You see, although I took pains to get my message across, confusion often arose due to the different backgrounds, the gender divide, mother-tongues, education levels, orientations and natures of those involved. These glitches in communication could sometimes trigger within me emotional explosions that prevented me from moving smoothly toward my personal goals. Soon I realized that in order to achieve harmony with another, there had to be at least basic agreement on the meanings of words we used to communicate with each other. (Here I refer strictly to the verbal aspect of communication; as we all know, there are other forms of communication even more powerful than words, but these lie beyond the scope of this post).
Today, years later, Advaita has become my preferred philosophy of enlightenment; while I am light years from being a scholar, I have found it necessary to understand its most basic terms in order to appreciate this ancient teaching of Oneness. For instance, the great Indian sage Shankara’s simple three-line verse on the nature of reality is bound to mystify a seeker who does not possess a fundamental comprehension of the language of Advaita:
The world is unreal
Brahman alone is real.
Brahman is the world.
Shankara’s message made brilliant sense to me only after I understood the meaning of the words Real and Unreal (as they pertain to Advaita). Simply put, Real is that which is permanent and lasting, while the Unreal is the ephemeral, or that which comes and goes. (As for Brahman, it is a Sanskrit word translatable as God/Divine/Absolute Consciousness).
Real and Unreal are (in my view) synonymous with what the Buddhists call the Two Truths of Absolute and Relative Reality. Absolute Reality is our true and unchanging nature and its nature is pure existence-consciousness and bliss. Relative Reality is what emerges from the Absolute; since it is fashioned by the unique karma (thought, speech and action) of each individual, it is experienced variously, and dissolves back into the Absolute, when a particular karma is over and done with.
In Shankara’s verse is embedded the essence of Advaita: 1) that Brahman (Absolute Reality) alone is immortal and unchanging; 2) that the World (Relative Reality) emerges from the Absolute as an ephemeral thing that each one of us is forced to perceive differently; 3) that since the Absolute includes the Relative, Brahman/Absolute is also the World (Relative Reality). Cutting to the chase, Absolute/Real and Relative/Unreal are two sides of the same coin and dance together to form one single reality.
Does this mean that the Unreal (that which comes and goes) does not possess a valid reality? Not so! Personally I interpret Shankara’s verse to mean that those of us who seek permanent peace and joy should increasingly focus our attention on that which is Real (our true nature, existence-consciousness-bliss or sat-chit-ananda in Sanskrit)—because the shifting and relative world on which most of us pin our hopes and dreams can never bring us lasting happiness.
Photo Credit: Bernd Kalidas Flory
Greetings from Arunachala, the sacred hill that vows to destroy the ego of the committed seeker so that we can experience the luminous and blissful Self (Absolute/Real) that we are beyond our earthly identity (Relative/Unreal)!
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June 3, 2015
Brave New Bullying—How to Protect Yourself from Cyberbullying
Bullies are the lowest form of life in my opinion, and, what’s more, I don’t know any good-hearted human who would not agree. Bullies come in different sizes and guises – from the classic sneering school bully to the suave crook who blackmails or drives a victim to destruction — and now we have the Cyberbully! Kristen Lamb’s interesting post on this issue caught my attention – read on!!!
Originally posted on Kristen Lamb's Blog:
I’ve talked before about how I train in Brazilian Jiu Jitsu. Recently, I have started assisting with teaching the kid’s class. It is shocking how much time we devote to training kids to stand up to bullies. Bullies, in my opinion, are among the lowest known existing lifeforms. I wouldn’t want to insult cockroaches and fleas by drawing a comparison.
I’d love to say that we leave bullies behind when we are no longer kids, but I think bullying just gets worse and harder to fight. As writers, we deal with bullies a lot. Tragically, I’ve received many messages from semi-suicidal writers who left their dream profession because they had the misfortune of landing in the crosshairs of cyberbullies and no longer could endure the stress.
I have a hard time blaming them. I know what it is like to be willing to do anything to escape the torment.
Kristen’s…
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June 2, 2015
Lilith, First Wife of Adam
Susan Scott is South-African born; with a BA in Clinical Pyschology, and an abiding interest in the work of C.G. Jung, Susan is married with two adult sons. What brought the two of us together? Common interests and mutual affection. Please do check out her blog: gardenofedenblog.com.
I enjoyed Susan’s series of three posts on the fascinating light-and-dark persona of Lilith and she graciously allowed me to reblog them….this is the first of those three (originally posted on 18 May 2015 on gardenofedenblog.com). Here goes….
This myth still has its affects and effects in the contemporary lives of both men and women. It is necessary to bring Lilith out of the shadows, as well as Eve on whom the blame, even unconsciously, is placed for accepting the apple. I’ll be writing about her too.
According to the Midrash (Rabbinic study into the spirit of the scriptures for a larger understanding), Lilith, first wife of Adam, was born from the same mud and clay at the same time as Adam in the Garden of Eden and thus they were equal. Lilith refused to be submissive to Adam. The ensuing argument in which Adam, and God, refused to see Lilith’s side of the story caused her banishment by God for her blasphemous rage to the depths of the Red Sea to be never seen or heard of again.
But she does re-appear, from her exile, in the guise of the serpent who offered Eve the apple. Lilith, as serpent, was instrumental in Adam and Eve’s exile. In contemporary psychological terms, this banishment is referred to as the ‘Rise’ of man, and not the ‘Fall’ as it was seen as necessary, Fate, for them to move from unconsciousness and to strive for consciousness.
This meant leaving Paradise and its unity, into a world of duality, where pain and pleasure, light and dark, life and death, temporal and eternal, into a world of opposites with which to contend, and to experience over and over the extreme of them. To re-find themselves in a newly-found world of the collective –
Lilith as serpent has had a seriously bad reputation. She is viewed inter alia as a whore, responsible for the death of new borns, men’s wet dreams at night (to sap their strength), Bride of Satan and In her demonised and objectified form she is indeed frightening and threatening.
She is seen as all we are not, she who is the container for the dark and earthy creative feminine. We have all sought to repress her through our projections. Looking at her in a one-dimensional way means that we do this at the expense of other more enlarging and encompassing ways. We have put her out there, as not belonging to us and the hard work is bringing her in again, allowing her into our psyches to her rightful place within us.
If we relate to her in a more compassionate way we can see in her, some of ourselves. We all get into horribly dark places at times, when we feel unloved, unappreciated, unvalued, unfairly treated, exiled even from ourselves and we feel that dark, destructive and dangerous energy rising. Too often we act out our feelings of rage and despair, disempowerment and feelings of helplessness, stuffing ourselves with food, drink, drugs, anything, to rid us, numb us, tamp down those uncomfortable feelings and emotions. We repress those feelings, in an unnatural way, thereby repressing the vessel. Repression stored in darkness is soul destroying. It tends to become distorted and, if disregarded, turns against us to our detriment manifesting in ways we know only too well ..
What are we to do with that roiling energy? Do we disregard it as too foreign to ourselves, too black, too dark and dangerous? Can we bring Lilith energy out of the shadows and connect to it in a different way, releasing some of its demonic powers by acknowledging her?
Her energetic force arose as a result of opposition and suppression. Her spirit was broken but not indefinitely. If we bathe her, wash and cleanse her with our tears she will be redeemed and transformed. We need to rid her from the socially conditioned and condoned guilt that we have taken it upon ourselves to suffer. Can we reach deep inside ourselves and connect to the core of our sadness, anger and wounding and allow healing to take place allowing the divine, constructive and beautiful feminine to be restored?
It is important to be aware of both her divine and demonic powers. She is not to be cast out and banished – it is only by banishing her that that she becomes demonic. Anything that is repressed will find a way out, for expression. She can be redeemed through our conscious awareness of her. Given the proper outlet the darkness within us can be constructive. Dreams can offer a way of bringing her into consciousness if we take the time and effort required.
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May 31, 2015
The Writer’s Face: 4 phases of drafts…
ha ha ha….the four phases of drafts….only a dedicated writer would appreciate this! But don’t give up, hear?
Originally posted on Kawanee's Korner:
Yep I’ve made all these faces.. but not really in this order.. :D
May 30, 2015
9 famous authors rejected by publishers (comfort for emerging writers)
How well would YOU have coped if you were told your precious novel was: “…an absurd and uninteresting fantasy which was rubbish and dull.” (It has since sold more than 14.5 million copies and helped the author to win the Nobel Prize in Literature.) Thank you Bridget Whelan for your encouragement to all scribes…and readers of this post, don’t forget to go into The Writers Circle website if you want to read the whole article. Greetings from Arunachala.
Originally posted on BRIDGET WHELAN writer:
I enjoyed reading the article published by The Writers Circle website about famous authors who were not only rejected (in one case 800 times), but also had to suffer crushing criticism and they don’t even mention J.K.Rowling’s numerous rejections. I wonder if there are publishers who still wake up in the middle of the night remembering that they once held the manuscript of Harry Potter in their hands.How well would you have coped if you were told:
“…an absurd and uninteresting fantasy which was rubbish and dull.” (It has since sold more than 14.5 million copies and helped the author to win the Nobel Prize in Literature.)
“There certainly isn’t enough genuine talent for us to take notice.” (One of the most celebrated and admired writers of her generation)
“Stick to teaching.” (The publisher who offered that advice has been out of business a long time: she hasn’t…
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May 27, 2015
YOU ARE WHAT YOU READ…
My great escape from relative reality began when I was a little girl, with books…and while today reading has far richer meaning that just escaping the daily grind, I continue to be a voracious reader. I can’t say my reading habits are noteworthy. But I can say I LOVE the feel of a book….and can barely bear to read more than a simple article on the computer/internet. I also happen to know I am far more than what I read….ha ha ha. Just in case you’re interested, here’s a peek at the bookshelves of famous people….thank you Chris Graham and Mike Hanski!
Originally posted on Chris The Story Reading Ape's Blog:
To see another GREAT Infographic and article
from my good friend Mike Hanski,
Click on the header or link below:
http://bid4papers.com/blog/read-more-write-better/
May 26, 2015
What does a rat, dust, urine, stairways, a baby carriage, and a dead mouse mean in a dream?
Deconstructing our dreams can lead to amazing insights into our waking lives….check out Dr. Steven Foxs’ interpretation of this woman’s weird and disturbing dream….and dream on!
Originally posted on Dreams: Guide to the Soul:
Stairways + rat = sexual mistreatment?
Dream 353: Working It Out
A young adult woman dreamed that she and some acquaintances spent the night in a house. Her work supervisor’s boss was with them. They climbed never-ending stairs that were scary and increasingly narrow.
They arrived in a dark attic. They were exhausted and piled into bed to sleep. She later woke up within the dream and it was light out.
She could now see clearly in the room and was horrified. The room was filthy because it was covered with dirt and dust. She saw a dead mouse on the floor.
She walked to a bathroom. She saw a baby carriage. An overwhelming smell of urine pervaded the atmosphere like what you might smell in a bad nursing home.
She then saw a very large rat sniffing around the baby carriage. She worried about the baby. She started choking…
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May 25, 2015
How to be an Agent’s ‘Dream Client’
I had a great literary agent in Manhattan…but selling spiritual fiction was not easy at the time, and despite much interest from various New York based publishers, I reluctantly had to let go and self-publish my first novel, Whip of the Wild God: A Novel of Tantra in Ancient India. Today hordes of writers are moving into self-publishing because it is quick and painless in certain respects…but to be honest, I do occasionally miss the comfort of having a professional literary agent on your side….if you’re a serious writer, you might be interested in reading about how to be an agent’s dream client…
Originally posted on Writers In The Storm Blog:
How does a literary agent define their “ideal client”? The question is extremely important because it’s one that factors into an agent’s mindset before and after they sign you.
If an agent has read your complete novel or book proposal and wants to sign you, the next step is almost always to arrange a telephone call where the two of you get to know one another. You ask the questions you want to ask about her and her style; she does the same regarding you and your style. During the phone conversation, the agent is trying to gauge whether you’re compatible enough with her to be signed as a new author in her stable. She’s already sizing up whether you can be a good, long-term client, or close to it.
Then after you sign with the agent, the two of you begin a long process of working…
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Punny Funny Monday
PUNOGRAPHY….I tried to catch some Fog….I mist…ha ha ha…if you enjoy the vagaries of the English language, you’ll likely enjoy these…thanks Chris Graham and Ritu!
Originally posted on But I Smile Anyway...:
I love a good pun, and this was in a newspaper, somewhere, then posted on my Facebook. I had to share!!!!!
