Fireside II
It is to the Village Square that the townspeople come to exchange views and thoughts on their beloved spiritual philosophy, learning from each other in kindness and wisdom. Then when their minds have been filled, they retire to the tavern on the western side of the square where they share in social discussion, learning of each other’s events and challenges, happinesses and sometimes sadnesses, too. With a mug or glass in hand, they collect in front of the great Fireplace that dominates the long wall. Benches and chairs are often filled on market day with those who have come from farther away, bringing news of events and views the local people delight in hearing.
If you are feeling disoriented by all the philosophical talk by the fountain in the Village Square, then come sit down on the bench here with us for a while just to soothe your mind and share a mug of tea or coffee. Let’s all make sure the conversation is quiet and simple, caring and thougtful, exactly the kind of talk you might have around a warm hearth, the only light filling the room coming from the fireplace.
Wow, Nina. That is great! ALL it takes is choosing to see it differently. But that ‘ALL’ is a biggy! Congratulations on your persistence and success!!!! YEA for Nina!!!!!
Love,
Jean
Thanks for that yea, Jean! ALL IS A BIGGY!!YAY!!!!
Just getting back from a few hectic days away. It’s past midnight so I’ll drop in to the Tavern tomorrow morning… (snore…)
that is wonderful Nina, really wonderful …Here’s to you !(pours out some of the delicious Normandy cider that Bernard brought}
picks up glass of cider…Cheers to you Nina…clink (-:
Nina! (schfrmghlmf… pops another delish pumpkin scone of Winne’s – no one is looking) That’s a (shlerpdidurpshlerp – ahh, that’s good cider!) What a great forgiveness story… There must have been a wonderful peacefulness after all that. Beautiful…
This is it – our ontological guilt, the great Blob of OG, actually captured live on video!! A fearless ACIM warrior approaches the dreaded OG only to fall back in start terror at the site of his foe. Woe, woe! The enemy is too potent and overwhelming – yellow, round, and sort of squishy and hard at the same time. Terrifying! Our guilt, our guilt – what is to be done, except…
L A U G H, everyone !!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_MqHN-4okZ4
Thanks to TexAnne for this great contribution. I couldn’t post this on the galleries page otherwise I would have. PS I think the music is awesome.
Talk about your Scardy Cats!
Winnie-huge thank you for the conclusion of the story – excellent and to be read many times! Nina – wow – thank you for sharing your forgiveness lesson! TexAnne-awesome – and what an apropos analogy of our “fear of nothing” – love it!
With Love and Gratitude to you all,
melody 🙂
Summersauts with Nina-ok my form is not so great but my hearts in it!
So Happy that you are Happy Nina (:
Love the Video Texas!
It would have been perfect if it was a blue ball but then again it is- isn’t it?
What a silly, funny cat! (but then, it’s a reflection of myself, no?) Wouldn’t it be great if we all could ‘play’ with our ‘fears’ in the same way! Thanks, TexAnne.
Jean
If you’re just browing the Internet right now (like I am (: — and are interested in reading another ACIm blog, then just head to Acimblog (dot com) of course 🙂
and on the Home page, a neat article on Tomas Viera and a couple of really neat metaphors that he and his co-teacher Nouk used in dismantling the Ego-thought system.
Quite enjoyable (for me), and hopefully for whoever from here goes there (:
toots.
a
Hey new daddy you have time to surf the internet? Has life settled down into a new rhythm for you all? I think of you often and I just imagine you still waking up at all hours of the night just to watch your son sleeping. They get cutier by the day don’t they?
Ok so I plugged in the address above (thank you very much) and I too enjoyed the article on Tomas. I also really enjoyed the video of Bob Newhart!!! OMG. I needed that one today!
It was only a month ago that Ken told us to “stop with the baby business” but I think he said it too gently- seems like I hear better when I’m being yelled at! Hmmmm now that’s telling!!!
Another glorious day of forgiveness (: Let’s see how I do today.
Annie !!! (:
So good to see you here. I think of you every day and sometimes several time a day – (and Acim Village too – I think everytime I think of the Village or any of its inhabitants, I’m one step closer to seeing through the dream )….
but… (:
more importantly to your question – yes, indeed you took the words right out of my mind – I just had dinner with S and my lil boy an hour or two ago, and I said to her, while I was playing with him, while she ate in piece – “is it my imagination or they get cuter by the day” ? he’s delicious – i feel like biting into his chubby cheeks – (how’s that for cannibalism (: ?
and yes, life is getting into a better rhythm now. I rely more heavily on our maid (: and so does my wife, so the apartment is nowhere near as spotless as it once used to be (and the way she likes it), but we both get a lot more sleep and work done (: – ‘coz my boy, he’s a restless one – likes to always be on the move, and looking at new images all the time, and that’s tiring for his aging parents (;
but it’s great having him in our lives (although we’re both happy with one, and consider all parents who have two on a pedestal – those folks are god-like in our perception – to be able to have gone through the child-rearing process twice !! yikes (:
In sum, all is well, and love (or whatever we imagine of it) is definitely in the air ! (:
eternal hugzenkisses (:
a
Hi everybody: Wow, so many posts to catch up!
Lots of hugs to all,
Lisi
Stop with the kitty biz-ness!
a* ~ Thanks for that update on your family life. I thought about mentioning how you could eat up those baby arms and toes and of course cheeks…yes the thought of cannablism did cross my mind (: Can you even imagine that you were loved with that kind of intensity once? That we are still loved so completely?
Winnie: I don’t want that to be the end of the notes ): I will go back to day one now and start again. Thank you for this ever giving gift.
Lisi: Tell us how its like working with Jamie? Do you get health benefits? (:
Tex: What kind of kitty biz-ness are you up to these days?
Nina: Still doing summersaults?
katrina: You doing ok? Miss you.
Ninjanun: I love you dearly.
Before I go off and leave anyone behind let me just say have a great Friday my Village Family and an even better weekend!
short answer to Anne re summersaults:
Nope – they lasted only an hour or two – until I got a mail from Andreas’ wife about a far better way to do things. I managed to COMPLETELY misunderstanding her, and was in COMPLETE hell the rest of the night. Next morning I spoke to my old neighbor face to face, and gotr it explained what she meant. Which meant that I re-drew my offer, and that is alright with A and his wife ( I hope) – but I learned again about the strong paranoia I still have, and COMPLETELY it screws up perception. I mean, totally totally completely – like I have bewitched goggles on. egogoggles, in short: eggoggles.
I allow it to be dissolved, and place to value on this perception 🙂
Tex – are we doing kitty biz-ness? explain! (-:
It was in reference to the video of the kitten….who is scared.
And Ken’s quote to stop with the baby business.
And throw in a line from the Course:
“It is your specialness that is attacked by everything
that walks and breathes, or creeps or crawls, or even lives at all.”
(The Forgiveness Of Specialness)
They opened an In-N-Out near my house.
So that will save on trips to California for me!
aww shucks Nina was hoping it would last a lot longer. It will next time …it most definitely will. Back up we go – doing the kitty dance around that big blue ball.
Finally Tex! I know you’ve been waiting for that. Enjoy!
Oh, I am so convinced that kitty is not the tiny bittest afraid at all- he is just practicing being a cat and a hunter. What a joy playing is! if you don’t have an enemy. make one us :::gigles:::: I never do that …
-and here’s a cute story I just got from my brother:
A little girl walked daily to and from school. Though
the weather that morning was questionable and
clouds were forming, she made her daily trip to
school.
As the afternoon progressed, the winds whipped up,
along with thunder and lightning. The mother of the
little girl felt concerned that her daughter would be
frightened as she walked home from school, and she
herself feared the electrical storm might harm her child.
Following the roar of thunder, lightning, like a flaming
sword would cut through the sky. Full of concern, the
mother quickly got in her car and drove along the
route to her child’s school.
As she did so, she saw her little girl walking along, but
at each flash of lightning, the child would stop, look
up and smile.
Another and another were to follow quickly, each
with the little girl stopping, looking up and smiling.
Finally, the mother called over to her child and asked,
“What are you doing?”
The child answered, “Smiling! G~d just keeps taking
pictures of me.”
ah – make one us – nice error – I guess you saw that I meant make one up
annie – your note inspires me to call my mother ! (my wife says (and i agree with her) that i have not been very nice to her these last few years 🙁
toots – off to call mum (:
a
That’s a cute story, Nina — made me wonder why the Mom was home but made the poor kid walk home each day – how is that for ‘judging??’ And it probably is because I could be that mother! My daughter says I have ‘forgotten her’ a few times (when I was late or forgot about early dismissal, etc!) Also, thanks for clarifying the ‘make one us’ — no, I didn’t figure it out? I was like, ‘what is she trying to say here!’ My mind must be a bit slow today!! LOL
Peace,
Jean
Sitting here in the Tavern, feet up on a cushion, staring into the fire. The window is open because it’s a lovely spring evening, in between cool and warm. I can hear the crickets chirping from outside. This glass of hot apple juice with cinnamon is perfect. There’s a pot heating over the fire if anyone wants to join me. Just sitting quiet here, not much to say.
My work today while I was building was to look at all the smoke my ego could come up with and say, “That’s not what’s really bothering me, nor that. It’s just taking the separation seriously that’s bothering me, and that’s all. And that’s not a serious or real problem.”
That’s a nice story, Nina. I haven’t heard that one before. A lovely rambling post from A*.
Jean – it makes me giggle to think how we all, as parents ( if we are not the REALLY badd onnnes I mean) forget about our children and blame ourself for that. As if we in some way have magic powers of protection for them. I think of all the stories we hear about people loosing their child /spouse/parent/partner a nd afterwards say, “If I hadn’t…. fill out with everything you can think of)…we seem to think we have this almighty power to protect our loved ones from what we think is horrible. I remember dr. Phil in one show ina very tender way explaining that to a mother who saw her self as guilty for her young sons child. It had lasted for 20 years – and her guilt went that very second dr. Phil suggested that that gave her a lot of power – and would her son enjoy that her mother felt so guilty? was her degree of suffering and guilt a proof that she had loved him?
Yep – there it is: if a suffer for 20 years/all my life, I might have atoned just a little bit of the guilt I have after robbing God’s power.
Yeah….that ol’ mama guilt! I have really tried to not feed into that one. But since it is an aspect of the ego I suppose ‘trying’ to not feed into it kind of perpetuates it, too! Being in Temecula for the last year has really had so many ‘thoughts’ and feelings surface for examination. I thought I had done a lot of that already – years of analysis, being a seeker…..but there are just layers and layers!!
Bernard, thought of joining you in the tavern last night but was just too out of it. I watched a Swedish movie ‘Mother of Mine’ about a Finnish boy that was sent to Sweden during WWII to be safe and how he ended up with two mothers – and issues with both of them! It was interesting. I find myself kind of isolating myself these days as I switch directions from living here to returning to NY — and also some of the themes that have come up in Ken’s talks – ‘make it about the other’ — ‘having no needs’ — all seem to be causing me to feel ‘frozen’ — like if I pick up the phone or even write here – I’m being ‘needy!’ I know this isn’t what he means…..it’s the content behind – but suppose I AM feeling needy while trying to work on not being that way! I know — just ‘look’ at the feelings. So I sit here on my couch – looking!
Well….it’s not that bad — just kind of ‘paralyzing!’
Peace,
Jean
re 777 …sorry about the error in wording again: “young sons child” should be “young son’s DEATH.” Oy vey
I apologize that I haven’t been very active at the Village lately. In fact, I’ve been doing a lot of quiet contemplation looking toward my visit to Temecula next week. It has been kind of hard to get into ‘building’ mode here at the Village, especially since I have had lots of building work to finish over here at the house before I go. So, just to reassure you that you’re all still in my heart and I still have other plans, but this is an important time to try to move past a few internal barriers. ‘No more baby business’ I heard someone say not long ago; and so I’ve been trying to move past some long standing fear and preoccupations and guilts that I’ve just been too lazy to deal with. I would like this trip to be a fresh new start in some ways on my path, since I’ve been feeling stuck for a while. I had a double consultation with Jamie about 10 days ago and it pretty much blew my mind. So much came out of that meeting that I’ve been very inwardly focused since. There’s still so much more to get out of that lesson, and I’m glad I took notes at the same time. Sometimes you can see something important so clearly that you know you’re going to need to go over it quite a number of times to make it stick. Well, there were about 10 things like that that came out of that session, so I’ve got work to do.
Nina, that was really a great story of forgiveness. “Was her degree of guilt and suffering proof that she loved him?” We can always ask ourselves what we think our guilt and suffering are proof of, ie, what goal they serve. The same with any negative feelings, of fear, hate, anger… what are they proof of? What purpose do they serve; do they serve that purpose well; are we winning at that game, are we going to get there? Great stuff.
Sorry we didn’t get together in the Tavern last night, Jean. But I promise we’ll get together in a nearby tavern in Temecula next week! I get hooked into that same questioning about needs. I think the best we can do is, like with everything, not to stop making our plans, but just use that as our classroom and try to take a step back. We then look at ourselves getting all wound up about needing to make the right choices and decisions, about not having the needs we do indeed have, then we try to settle back on a virtual couch in our minds where Jesus has placed some comfy cushions. Then we let him remind us that the only reason we think it’s so critical to make the right decisions, or to get ‘the’ thing we think is right for us on our path is because we’re still separating ourselves out from that inner experience of plenitude and deep satisfaction.
We allow Jesus to suggest to us that we can satisfy that need in us much better by allowing his love to enfold us, so that we might feel completely accepted. If we remember that our lives are already completely fulfilled, in God, in some place that perhaps we cannot see perfectly yet, and we allow ourselves to breathe a little more freely, without that tension of lack and need, then perhaps we can make exactly the same plans, but our experience will be one of peacefulness and satisfaction all along the way.
We’ll chat about each other’s needs next week!
{{{Bernard}}}
Thanks, Bernard. I do look forward to meeting you (and Pat) next week. It’s actually been a long time between the April and this coming May academy – so seems like forever! Some months it can be 5 weeks between. Looking forward to it.
Went out for a bit….tried to find the dog park for my dog but it was locked/closed! We found a field….but will try again tomorrow….I know there is one around here that is open…..feeling ‘less paralyzed’ — but still stuck – thanks for the reminder to comfy up with Jesus……..
Jean
Congratulations Bernard, I just found you And Paulo listed in the links tab on Susan Dugan’s site foraysinforgivness. Hooray!!!
Hey Jean sitting here on the “needy” couch with ya.Hugs
{{Bernard imagining how postively impactful a double counseling session with Jamie was and is continuing to be for you}} Winnie….bust a gut laughing reading your Brook and Brooklyn puns. Tex and Annie….bust my gut tonight, and it’s all your fault, after my extreme rare vist to one inspired to after reading today how happy you were thrilled with the In and Out spot opened close by you with Annie’s congrats to you. Nina… your forgiveness dream and negotiations with neighbor villa goodwill efforts very potent. a*…after reading your great family update, can remember my own want to just take a bite insticts that still arise when in front of adorableness, smiled happily to see you mentioning as Michele says in a post to Jean…Jean happy you’ve been so comfy sharing within this great village we share….love you all everyone Lisi, Pam, Melody, Kendall, Lawrence leaving no one out}}}
I just upgraded to the new version of Firefox but am having problems visiting this site. I’m getting a white horizontal bar across the screen followed by a purple bar, about an inch wide. Anyone else having problems? Perhaps there’s no problem if you haven’t updated…
Thanks, Pam and Michele. Nice to see you pop in. Hope all is well with you both.
🙂
nom nom nom!
What’s the latest version? I’m running 4 and it did an update when I opened it. Seems OK to me. I just installed it a couple weeks ago.
RE;786… Yes i am having problems with this site, its a bad influence on my thinking, why the other day i was very opinionated about a complete stranger i saw from my window, a moment passed and i reconsidered my first thought of hate and murder, i looked at the stranger again and realized i was in the Village Tavern looking out at a brother, and then a curious thing happened, i laughed at the madness of my judgement of another, and the further i looked the more i laughed at the judgement of myself judging another and it brought down the whole pack of cards of nonsense i tell myself and the world. So i am not happy at all that my precious identity is been erased by sites like these, where will it all end eh?. The kind of thinking that goes on around here could bring about the end of mankind as we know it, it could destroy our very existence. I propose we keep the white horizontal and purple bar and that everyone forgets this crazy miracles stuff ever happened…let this be a warning… now go home …X
Richard, LOL!!!! THANK YOU for that wonderful reminder. My ego was just starting to build-up steam and that put the fire out. ((-:
Hee hee haaa haa!!!! Joining with Pam (:
I myself stay clear of walking past the tavern when I know Richards been in there all afternoon. He’s not kiddin about the deck of cards either…I’ve seen him just leave the place with them strewn all over the floor. His laugh is so contagious that you can’t get mad at him! He can build some crazy ass houses with those cards. God I love it when he swings on by.
Lol…..joining with Pam and Annie—and the whole village -perfect Richard!!!! 🙂
Anne..nom nom nom what? share,please
Love it here… Hi Michele-love to you too and everyone. The past several days I am so quiet inside it feels unfamiliar. I know this is a different way of looking and I know that I am holding Jesus’ hand-I must be because I don’t know how to “make” myself feel this quiet on my own. Yucky hate and annoying stuff still happening (even seems much worse lately from a worldly way of looking) but I feel it and look and wait then to my delight continue to feel quiet inside, gentle, stable-knowing I can’t be hurt. For so long it seems there is no movement, even feels like going backward-then times like this reappear and I know my daily chopping wood and carrying water is doing what needs to be done. Thanks for being here. Love, Kendall
In line with Richard’s suggestion of keeping this place sufficiently imperfect in order to banish all thought of innocence, holiness and laughter from our minds, I am in the process of inventing more discombobulating formatting errors and oddities. I do hope you will join in with him and me in this joint effort to keep the house of cards in place, holding up all sides and sticking chewing gum in the right places, just so we might keep this illusion of sinfulness and separation going just a bit longer, a wee bit longer. Okay, let’s look for some SIN here. I’m sure we’ll find some in the Tavern; that’s always a good place to start looking (especially if Richard is hanging out). Then we’ll move on over to red light district of the Village, you know, where Farmer McPhee sets his jack o’ lantern out six months before thanksgiving, just to remind us the ghouls are waitin’. Who’s in?
Hey Bernard you can keep your ghouls but that Jack O DaLantern guy sounds interesting.(-;
Oooo, Kendall several days, betcha soon it will be familiar. So cool,Luv ya too.
“nom nom nom” is the “internet” sound of some one eating –
and not paying any attention to anything or anyone else….
KInda like “yum yum yum” with your mouth steadily chomping!
The transatlantic Village bus is preparing to leave in two days… So many things to prepare – for just a short visit! Well, actually, we’re using this deadline to get a ton of things done around the house that we’ve been stalling for ages (years?). We’re preparing for a new era in this Village House!
PS BTW Did I ever mention my dream of creating a real ‘live’ bricks and mortar Village? Well, actually, my dream is that the construction be of straw bale, lots of little chalets dotting the fields and hillsides, with meandering paths and garden groves, fountains and, of course, a big communal hall with wood everywhere. And a Village Square replete with bubbling fountain. And… a wonderful Tavern. I’m becoming more convinced all the time that this would be a good thing, and it should just happen. Anyone else like the sounds of this? But it would have to be here in the south of France. We need good weather year round in our Village, I think. Better than Scotland (no offense, Richard).
An Intentional Community based on the ones talked about in books like “In Praise Of Slowness” by Carl Honore’?(sorry no little slash do-hicky to go above the “e” subed an apostrophe)
Sounds good to me.—-now I really do need to win the lottery so I can come help—- how hard is it to learn French???? (-;