Improvement Begins With Thought

Improvement Begins With Thought

Buddha said, ‘All that we are is the result of what we have thought.’  All things begin with thought.  Thoughts can manifest themselves into reality; this applies to all thought forms whether positive or negative.  With that in mind, we should be careful what we spend our time thinking about.  When thinking about something we are devoting energy to it.  To perhaps oversimplify things if we want to help we should think positive thoughts.  If we spend our time and energy worrying about what might happen, we are only helping it to become a reality.  We may not be able to control much in this world, but we can control our own thoughts.  Control of our thoughts leads to control of ourselves.

In gaining control of ourselves, we begin to gain control of our little piece of the world.  In controlling our own thoughts we take one step closer toward a greater connection with THE ALL.  The Kybalion states, ‘THE ALL is MIND; The Universe is Mental.’  We all live in our own little worlds, but they are all connected back to this larger world.  This world is connected back to this Universe, this dimension and all others.  We are all connected back to the Source.  The Primal Sound or Thought that is the Source-THE ALL.  Once we realize this connection on a Planetary scale the world itself will be changed.

His Holiness the Dalia Lama stated, ‘Inner darkness, which we call ignorance, is the root of suffering.  The more inner light that comes, the more darkness will diminish.  This is the only way to achieve salvation or nirvana.’

We must start with ourselves and find this Inner Peace and Light.  Where do we start?  We start with our own thoughts which lead to our actions.  We can then radiate that light to those around us and to Mother Earth Herself.  We can be like Lighthouses and help illuminate the Divine in all that surrounds us.  Each little candle of Light adds to the total.  With our help the Earth itself can increase it’s own Light Divine.

Aristotle said, ‘We are what we repeatedly do.  Excellence then is not an act but Habit.’  We need to make a habit of our inner work to bring it excellence.  Our work on ourselves as individuals helps the whole of the Universe to reach ever higher levels of consciousness and ever higher levels of vibration.  The effort expended by each individual in contacting their own Higher Self or raising their own vibrational level is not lost.  That effort or expended force clears a Path making it easier for the next person or group to follow.

Bill Schell
(AKA) Frater Frabato
(Formerly Known As and sometimes still known as) Mr. Moon

Time

Once Upon a time, Time itself did not exist.  Do you believe/Can you perceive that to be true?  What if Time still does not exist?  It does not, at least not the way most of us perceive it.  Time does exist upon the physical, but does it above? Maybe, but in a different way from a different perspective.  What if before and after are happening at the same time on another plane?  The Past, Present, and Future all happening at once.

Meanwhile on the physical all we have is the Now, this moment which is ever changing.  The only constant is change itself.  The past is over, the future is yet to be. We are here now to learn from the Past while living in the Present in such a way as to make the Future that which we wish it to be.

Full Disclosure-Time to Give

I grew up poor in the South of the U.S...  We received food Stamps.   We also picked up our commodities like Cheese, canned goods, powdered milk and other staples once a month.  I remember more than once also going to a food bank for other things to get us through the month.   I got shots and Immunizations from the county to stay healthy.   I qualified for and got free lunches at the school as well.

 I worked every year of high school, at least during the summer from the time I was 16.  That first summer job was only possible due to a state program.  A program which granted funds to a tiny town council/city hall.   This in turn allowed the city to hire a few teenagers to mow, run a weed eater and other general outdoor cleanup.  I paid for my own clothes with the money I earned, this way I got wear what I wanted. Senior year I worked at the school after school-cleaning.  People would be leaving and there I was pushing a trash can to start on some of the outbuildings.  With this money I paid for my own car-well used-but mine none the less. 

I was raised a lot by my grandparents.  My grandfather drove a garbage truck for a long time.  My grandmother worked mostly cleaning hospital rooms.  My mother also worked at least for awhile in the same hospital cleaning as well.  For awhile I remember my mother working as a maid at some type of hotel.   I think at some point all of my four uncles also drove a garbage truck.  Off and on we lived as, what I guess they call now, a Multi-Generational Family-cheaper that way.

As a child I was conscious of the fact that we were poor.  I never tried out for any team or group that would require any type of expense or travel because I did not want my family to have to figure out how to pay for it.  What I did do however was read and study.  The only way I was ever likely to go to college was through a full scholarship.  I actually ended up with a Full Academic scholarship to the local university because of a great score on the ACT.  I really only used that one semester.  After which time instead of signing up for the next semester I signed up for the Marine Corps instead.  After six years of active duty I was Honorably Discharged from the Marine Corps.  I decided to try college again, this time using the GI Bill.  Thanks to the GI Bill and a Pell Grant, I was able to afford a two year Associates degree.  One of those years I worked two different jobs one from 1-5PM, then the next started at 6PM-9 or 10PM.  I eventually was able to cut back to just one part time job most of the second year and actually had time to study and do homework.  

I was lucky enough to get a job that paid great, especially for this state.  It was a Union job with good pay and good benefits.  I will forever be a supporter of Unions because of this job.  Now for the past year and a half I have been working in a management position.  I never would have got this position without the degree.  I never would have gotten the degree without the GI Bill and Pell Grant.  I never would have received the GI Bill or Pell Grant without government help.  Without the ACT scholarship, I never would have been able to go to college in the first place.  Well before that even; with help from the federal, state, even county and school boards I was able to go to bed healthy and well fed.  Being healthy and fed made it much easier for me to be able to learn and get the grades which made all of this possible.

Without help from others including Government, I do not know where I would be today.  I am fairly certain it would not be sitting in this office, writing over lunch.  This is why I give to Food Banks and support local groups which help those in need.  I know I am but a few steps removed from where they are now.  It is my turn to give back as it was given to help my own family.

Bill Schell

Subconscious Reactions to Smells

Subconscious Reactions to Smells

One morning I ran out of shaving cream, almost did not shave. Then I saw my wife's shaving cream in the shower and decided use it.  It was pink and afterwards I smelled like apricots.   The good news was my skin had not felt that soft and smooth in years.   I also ran out of my Irish Spring and used her body wash that morning as well.   It really does not have much a smell though.  Basically I sure smelled pretty this morning.   And my skin was healthy/not dry.  

Smelling 'pretty' that morning got me to thinking about how our subconscious interprets certain smells and automatically associates them.  How is one smell more manly or feminine than another? They really neutral, it is us that decide/decided with what to associate a scent.  If I as a male like the smell of something, say vanilla, and decide to wear it is does that make me more feminine? I don't really think so.  Or say a female likes the smell of Leather and decides to wear it; does that make her more masculine? Again, I do not believe it does. 

The next thought then is, even if it did what does that matter?   It matters not; the ancients perhaps knew this better than many do now.  Everything has its 'Feminine' and 'Masculine' principles.  I for one accept that, if not the definitions of Feminine and Masculine.  

My wife sometimes blends her own perfumes from essential oils and a good base of carrier oils.  Once she loaned a friend a certain blend that was a favorite of mine.  I was at a lecture and that friend walked in.  Before I turned to see her, my brain had already associated that smell with my wife.  My brain then started bringing up feelings and thoughts of my wife.   I turned to see our friend and I was for a brief instant confused.  In my subconscious, that smell WAS my wife. How could somebody else smell like that?  To be honest for at least a tiny moment in time those thoughts and feelings were associated with our friend due to her smelling like my wife.  

To get back to the point, it was all entirely a subconscious reaction to a certain smell.  Being aware of the power of the mind I was still caught off guard.  Imagine had I not been aware?  Our subconscious is a real powerhouse.  We should be aware of this in all our interactions.  Something as simple as a scent can make us feel certain emotions and change our thinking.  To wrap up I smelled 'pretty' that day and I enjoyed it, while being fully aware of the part the subconscious was playing.  

Now if anyone needs me, I will be just over here Pondering the Interconnectedness while Seeking to maintain that Magical Equilibrium.

Bill Schell

The Impermanent

Many permanently dwell upon the impermanent.  Why?  It seems better to even temporarily dwell upon the permanent.  But what is permanent?  Nothing at all that resides solely upon This Plane is permanent.  Even great mountains are temporary.  They too are slowly wiped off the Earth by the Wind and the Rain/Water.  Sharp edges/peaks become smoother over time.  The area that is now Kansas in the middle of the U.S. was once an ocean proving even the vast oceans change.  The only thing permanent on This plane is Change itself.  Stick around long enough and one can see Mountains and Oceans change even.

 

The Devil Made Me Do It

The Devil Made Me Do It

Be it for good or for ill, the Devil cannot make a person do anything. Each person is free to make their own decision. For this reason the devil gets a bad reputation in my opinion. I also want to say the Devil as known by many is misunderstood. Let us look at the Tarot, specifically Key 15 for an illustrative example.

Key 15, as is true of all Keys, has many different levels of interpretation. Depending on ones own level of development a different response may be evoked. The Devil may be seen as the Dweller on the Threshold, or the Tempter of those seeking enlightenment.  The Devil is the symbol of the One that is in charge of the severe trials all must face. This Tempter is really our own Higher Self helping to prepare us all for enlightenment.

This figure is depicted as grotesque. It is an amalgam of parts from seemingly several different beings. However if one looks closer, the wings, goat’s horns, eagle’s claws and torch could suggest a combination of the four elements albeit in a distasteful way. It is also worth noticing that the chains around the necks of the human figures are loose and could easily be removed if only they realized how they were bound. The Pentagram upon his brow is inverted. The inverted Pentagram is a symbol of the falsehood that man is dominated by the elements in the physical world.

If in our Mind we turn that Pentagram around then the Devil who is ugly, due to his inharmonious nature, begins to be transformed into the Angel that is our Higher Self. Imagine yourself as one the human figures. The two figures start to feed each other with the energies of Love. They are giving each other new energy, new insights because the light filling them both is the energy of Love. Stop to truly feel that energy. Now, filled with Love, together to two figures are ready to face the Devil.

Look at him, does he look scary now? Not anymore because you are seeing him with freshly opened eyes. You see him as a dreamed up combination of symbols. Together the figures can transform him through the joy of seeing him for what he really is. Keep the energy flowing between the figures; now pour out that Love to the Devil. All things can be overcome with Love. There is now an exchange of energies between the figures and the Devil above. He is being filled Love and Light. You can even laugh at him now because a new vision of his true self is being revealed.

As the figures continue to send energies to the Devil suddenly he is transformed. The figure that was there before was never real. He was only a dream, a nightmare. Yet, it is that nightmare that woke you up. You could not wake up to wisdom without first encountering the Devil. Even in that old form, the Devil taught us to search for the Light. All the time he was really an Angel, the Higher Self.

What The Devil really looks like is the figure from Key 6, The Lovers. The same human figures are also on the card as well. The figures are now no longer bound in this Key and have been transformed themselves.

The beginning of Wisdom is Ignorance or rather the realization of that ignorance. That is what the Devil represents as well. If unaware this image is seen as materialistic or evil. However, once we learn to see him as he truly is, we see he was an Angel and a teacher all along. The Devil does not make anyone do anything. They do these acts all on their own, it is their own ignorance that allows these actions to be committed. Once we all become aware that we and everything in this Universe truly are One, these acts will stop.

Bill Schell
(AKA) Frater Frabato
Formerly and sometimes still known as Mr. Moon

Spiritual or Religious?

Spiritual or Religious


Which are you? What is the difference? I am going to attempt write my thoughts about this subject. I consider myself a Spiritual person. The spiritual person sees the truth in all religions, while the Religious person seems to acknowledge only their path. There are many paths to the Divine mine is but one. There are many very Religious people, who follow at least the letter of their religion. They do not however follow the Spirit. They have read about or been told about A Path, but do not recognize others. How can one Faith be more correct than another can? Who is right? The truly Spiritual person can see that all are correct.

All are different paths to the same goal. The goal is reunion with the Divine. The Divine is manifest in all things, including us. The Religious person may have read or heard about all things Divine in nature. The Spiritual person has experienced these things for themselves and seen their own true nature. The Spiritual person recognizes they are a Spirit being having a human experience, not a Human have a few Spiritual experiences.

Many religious people have been told to do things certain ways and not question why. If they do question, the answer is because, The Bible or Koran or some religious text says to do it that way. That is ok for some but just because it has been written down does not make it good for the benefit of all. There have been many great religious and spiritual leaders. They were not necessarily one and the same.

The religious leaders put forth the letter of their own faith, but often repressed other faiths. The Spiritual leaders spread the word as they saw it, but did not condemn others paths. They often incorporated other faiths into their own. Thus instead of a new religion, they were spreading an extension-a continuation of an established faith. They offered a new philosophy based on old values, old values such as love.

From time to time many Spiritual teachers have manifested to help guide humanity. Jesus was such a spiritual leader. Jesus said that he would return in different forms. He was asked, how will we know it you? His answer is in John 10:37-38. `If I am not doing the works of my Father, do not believe in me. If I am doing them, even though you do not believe in me, believe in the works, so that you may know and believe that my Father is with me and I am with my Father.' Krishna also spoke of returning from age to age. `For the protection of the good, for the destruction of the wicked and for the establishment of righteousness, I come forth into being from age to age.' Since Krishna was manifested on the Earth thousands of years before Jesus, Jesus could have been a manifestation of Krishna. All religions stem from the same source. The Spiritual person sees and can acknowledge this fact. The Religious person is at times trapped within their own faith and can not see outside. They often can or will not acknowledge the many paths to the Source.

The Spiritual person can recognize the many manifestations of the Divine as being parts of the same Source. The religious person recognizes only the manifestation they have been taught. Too often the religious person seeks to discredit other manifestations of the Divine. This has been the cause of many wars and countless deaths. This has caused people throughout history to be persecuted because of their religion. The Christians persecuted the Pagans. The Jews persecuted the Christians. The Chinese government persecuted the Buddhists in Tibet. Christians persecuted other Christians. Once started this cycle is at times hard to stop. This list could go on and on and on.

Even within the same path, people interpret things in different manners. The Spiritual person can see the Light in all. The Religious only sees their own narrow band of light. The Divine Light is Broad and contains all the colors of the Rainbow in a constant state of change. The Divine includes all sects and paths.

If only there were more Spiritual people in this world as opposed to Religious people. Spiritual people are more open to other faiths and learn from each other. Religious people tend to only want to learn about their own path. Religious people follow the letter of religion, but often not the Spirit of it. Spiritual people are more concerned with the spirit of religion than the letter of it. I suppose that is the main difference between Religious and Spiritual.

People are often led by fear. It is this fear that must be overcome. People fear that which they do not understand. To overcome a fear-any fear-you must learn about it. There are some fears that do not have to be experienced first hand to be overcome. We can learn from watching others, which may have faced that same fear- either on purpose or accidentally.

There are many people who are Religiously Spiritual or Spiritually Religious. The Paths to the Divine are about connecting with the Spirit/Soul/Divine Light that is within us all and is also outside. The Source is in all things as The Source IS all things. As a Buddhist and many other Paths might say, the entirety of the Universe is contained within a single flower. It takes all aspects of the Universe to combine together and manifest in such a way as to create the flower. The flower has always been there as the Source has always been there.

I tried not to use absolutes, as in 'ALL Religious/Spiritual people Do This...' I myself do not like being labeled and thus grouped in with others that have been labeled the same thing, what ever that thing is. We are all different, we may be very similar, but no two people truly think in exactly the same way. That is a part of the gloriously, wonderful gift of Free Will.

Universe: Uni=One; Verse=Song.
Universe=One Song. One Song heard by all throughout the entirety of existence.
One Song. One Message to all. I feel that message is Love.
Love is the Law. Love Knows no religion. Love Knows no nationality or country border. Love is Love.
May the Divine Light shine upon us all. May it fill our hearts with Love. May we shine with the Light and illuminate the Divine in all that surrounds us.
Bill Schell
(AKA) Mr. Moon
(AKA) Frater Frabato