Fireside III
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.
This is the third installment in the Fireside discussion series. After we reach 900 comments, the page takes too long to load on your computer, and so we start another fresh page. To review previous discussions, we keep the old pages (Fireside I and Fireside II) which you can find under the ‘Village’ tab on the navigation bar at the top of screen under the image of the tree.
Is that a python on your shoulders, or are you happy to see me?
I don’t drink no stinking apple juice – too many carbs!
Gotta watch carbs…. they sneak up on ya, ya know….
Especially in the form of beverages!
(So I’ve heard)
Apples? No, not me. Kendall and I have quietly been participating in the same dance. Remember that my voyage to Temecula this last spring was my first out-of-bed experience in 2 years. And apples are far too much roughage for the delicate interior.
Kendall, I will ask our Mayor for your email, or to forward mine to you.
Bernard, apples? You want apples? I recall when Nina had baskets of them (and I was so mentally sad that I couldn’t have one.. I dared not even try virtually.) Perhaps she can conjure up an early ripening for you!
Katrina, What a wonderful reflection of healing to go to Temecula! Looking forward to emailing with you my friend. Hugs and smiles…
Apples? my tree has been completely white with bursting appleblossom this year. I will definitely send mr Mayor a big basket in September or so -sweet wonderful innocent and graceful li’l me. In the meantime mrs snake, TRULY ponder your sins how could you( and you could have shared some with me, i stood almost right behind you.) smrff
acting as Narrator: For those that have came to the fireside this evening(like I)and are wondering just what this apple thing is all about go back to the forgiveness garden episode 1, ponder #653. (-:
This is good-the suspense-the intrigue-the silliness-what other players shall arrive?? Let’s watch and see…..
Apples sure stir something within us. After all comedians dont throw peach-pies or pear-pies
One apple caused…..
The entire downfall of mankind according to the western world’s most popular book of all time.
And yet one apple a day is all you need to….
keep the doctor away.
One apple is the symbol of the world’s most popular computer company, {far as i can tell} – a tool which in itself has revolutionised the way we live our lives.
One apple is the symbol of Australia’s largest supermarket chain, Woolworths.
And on a personal note, i thought it was funny that in the picture that Annie took of me with Ken, that Bernard posted here in March, i was holding the apple that i had been eating for morning tea, behind my back for the photo shot. Even as that was happening i was in touch with my inner “eve”, the original decEiVEr, wanting a piece of all that was holy.
Big hugs to all and apple-pie all round….. ( ducks as Tex puts all those carbs to a much more enjoyable use!}
One apple… was all I wanted that day! One delicious, crunchy, juicy red apple. Was I deprived? Oh, yes! Hmm, so it’s not Anne, it’s not Kendall, or Katrina or Nina who swiped my lovely little apple… As I once said before in some misty place of the past, the THOT PLICKENS!
Sure enough, Tex-Anne, those pink flamingos just bring you right to mind. hmmm . . .
I am so excited cuz I just found the perfect icon.
Fingers crossed it works!
Listening to a wonderful replay from Jennifer Hadley’s class last week with Maria Lucia Espinosa – (a wonderful teacher (by the way, in my not-so-humble opinion).. she tells a good Ken Wapnick joke (and it’s clear she really loves Ken).
Ken: You know what’s worse than a Course in Mircales student ?
You: No, what ??
Ken: Two Course in Mircales students
(:
(because then they can use Course talk on each other and yada, yada, yada… (:
TexAnne, nice woolly bear but what is he saying in the thought bubble? I zoomed to 400% and still can’t read it.
Hello??!! Jean! Did you make it home OK?
Tex, I wanna know too, about the woolybear
I’m going to have to re-work that article. It really doesn’t say what I’d like it to. There was a pretty amazing ‘a-ha’ moment behind it which just doesn’t come out.
Hope you’re all well and havin’ fun. It has been steamy hot over here in the French Southwest today – it hit 40° (104°) and tomorrow it’ll be the same! How’s the weather in Norway/Singapore/Queensland/Midwest/West Coast/UK?
Dear B, in Norway it is about 68 fahrenheit, mostly sunny, three raindrops today, but so lovely.
For me the article is crystal clear, and the aha-moment does not come as an aha, but as something so simple and clear and wonderfully matter-of fact, that no-one could miss its truth and simplicity. I am wondering if it is really li’l mr ego who’s telling you to change it. i felt those words within my heart, nesting there, calmly, safely, welcomed home.
*
I have had a strange and wonderful day. Was invited to baptize-celebration of one of my brother’s 14 grandchildren 🙂 This brother, 8 years older, grew up with me and we loved each other very much.
When he learned that our father had abused me for many years, he first accepted it completely and then denied it. he then refused to have anything to do with me – not even mailing – for about 15 years now – except a short hug in all our common family-celebrations – but today we found some of the old tenderness again, behind neutral talk.
I had put all of that social stuff today in His hands, and eased up completely about all the logistics ( complicated stuff) – and it all went smoothly. Two persons almost fought about driving me home :-)children who before had barely smiled at me not met me openly and warmly – and I sensed a chaos in the brain, but a deep love and satisfaction about the whole assembly of relatives.
trusting the process more and more
love to all
Nina
Thanks for your kind words, Nina. I nevertheless made a few changes just so that it would really a little bit more friendly and perhaps clearer. Hope i didn’t change it too much, now that I read what you’ve said! And what a lovely story of your family meeting – many thanks.
I hope Annie and Lisi are okay and just tucked away quietly in their own inner worlds. We haven’t heard from either of them in a while. Big hugs and blessings to the two of you.
Wooly Bear (the soft and silent type) says “Squeak!”
I can’t read it either. *sigh*
Back to the boxes and icons….
Great article Bernard! The last paragraph “Let’s all be the same now, the same as every brother. Let’s all contain the ego 100 percent, and let’s all contain the holiness and exquisite sanctity of the Holy Spirit, 100 percent. That’s what a split mind is all about. That’s where we are still. And that’s really okay. In fact, that’s absolutely perfect.”
Amen! With Love and Gratitude to all~
melody
Well, now that Less Miserable girl will have to be my icon for a while.
She can take a break from sweeping the floors, and staging a Revolution…
and hang out with us in the Village.
“What would 24601 do?”
I made a breatharian meal for Pat and me the other night: we both inhaled our creamy Carbonara Pasta at record speed. Pat and I have had these roaring appetites lately for food. We’re pretty sure it’s related to the inner work we’ve been doing. We’ve decided there’s no fun at all in going ‘poof’, so we’ve decided instead to go ‘splat’. Splat like a wodge of fudge falling on the floor on a hot day, splat like a hot peanut butter toast, splat like … Oh,, go on, use your imagination. So, who else is for ‘splat!’?
not me, Bernard, although I like eating fast !! (:
Creamy Carbonara sounds soooo yummy even at 4am. I’m convinced that a beautifully prepared dish or just a plain ole grilled burger is enough to keep me in this dream state.
It could be said that my watching the Food Network undoes all my morning prayer work. (: We must be ever vigiliant! But I’m not worried – HS know how to work around these carnal desires.
I too am a fast eater…what does that say about us a*?
Don’t answer that-I really don’t want to know (:
We’ve got another long weekend coming up for meal planning…4th of July is all about food right? What are your plans? We are going to a friends house on Sunday and actually gonna spend the night…a sleep over-I’m getting excited.
Michele you must be back from your great adventure to Lake Tahoe?
Jean are you back in New York?
What’s grilling in Texas -Tex?
Ninjanun my firecracker friend do stop by and drop a line.
WinWin where is your caravan parked today?
Richard-I’m almost afraid to ask what you are up to (:
Lisi-I know Mexico still feels California belongs to them so maybe all our celebrating is rubbing it in. One nations joy is another one’s forgiveness lesson. I know you won’t take it personally.
Zafu-hope you continue to fly high this weekend.
Leni-Vegas is always having pyrotechnic displays I have no doubt you’ll have multiple venues to choose from. Keep fluttering Blue Butterfly!
Nina-Find us another ship to sail on-I so enjoyed our last voyage!
Lawrence- Hope all the family is together and in great spirits.
Kendal-Now that I know you are in the States I can wish you a Happy Fourth! The Good news about green/wet Washington is that Firework displays must be abundant. We here in Southern California have many restrictions so Young families have to really plan for their kiddies to enjoy spectacular fireworks.
Katrina-Markie just got back from visiting his family in Portland this past weekend. He said the weather was great. Hope your sis is doing ok. Did your son get a job? Hope you can enjoy some 4th of July BBQ-Does your DH grill?
Melody-How’s Chicago doing with Oprah officially off the major networks? I can’t believe I didn’t Tivo her last episodes. Have the fireworks started early with Blagojevich’s guilty verdict? There is alot going on in that town of yours (:
Pam & Cory what are the Fourth of July plans in the plains of Nebraska? Is the weather cooperating?
Bev-Hope all is well with you and yours.What are your summer plans?
Bernard and Pat-Our French connection and fearless leaders thanks again for the Statue of Liberty – she really is a beauty.
And for those I have not mentioned by name- I know there are a few more of you out there- I love you too (:
For those who like that sort of thing, there’s another poem up on the home page.
Bernard – Read your new work. I am struck dumb and nothing further I can say (: (but for those that may be more articulate and wishing to write, it appears that the Comment link under that new Poem is not working, fyi…
Annie, dear – you know me well enough to know that the question would have got an answer (:, and you had to explicitly ask me to not to go there (: – you are a good friend indeed (: — love your effort in love of listing out a personal note to everyone here…the background music that plays as i write this out… “Moon River”, (an instrumental version), seems particularly lovely tonight..
Dear God, I know you did not create this world, but thank you for all the reflections of loveliness that are still brought to me each day.
Amen.
Come laugh with me
Come take my hand
An we did this day become as One
And walked on Heaven’s Path
Through Heaven’s Lawns …
Be reassured at last
Our Ancient Friends shall see us Home
pure beauty that is
pure peace and joy
thank you !!!!!
Annie you are our weaver bringing together our separate threads into one glorious tapestry. It’s a long weekend for us as well but our holiday is July 1. We are once again heading to the mountains and hopefully the mama deer will not be bullying our doberman this year.
Bev wrote:
“We once again head to the mountains
And hopefully the mama deer
Will not be bullying our doberman this year!”
Now that’s cool poetry.
Announcing… (auspicious drumroll, tadum tadum tadum, ratatat ratatat …)
The birth of the “French Center for A Course In Miracles” with its own website (under construction). This will definitely be a first for France – the Course is unheard of over here, and so are ‘spiritual’ organizations of any kind. I’ll post the link as soon as I’ve advanced it a bit.
Congrats, Bernard – excellent news !! Would love to know more details about how it moves along (although I speak no French – assume the web-site will be in French ?)
ps. Just out of curiosity – does this mean that ACIM has not been translated into French through Ken’s organization ? (I remember somewhere that ACIM is available in 19 languages that Ken/Gloria have worked through supervising the translations of ?)
Oh
Bernard, that is w o n d e r f u l! You are a pioneer! How great for French students to at last have a place where they can hang out and share and learn. I am sure that this will be fruitful for all parts.
I just checked – and the Course is translated into French.
It is recently translated into Norwegian – too – excellent done, and such a relief to read in my mother-language!
{{{Laura}}} – just felt like giving you a big hug – I miss you
CONGRATULATIONS, Bernard! Will look forward to seeing the site.
I arrived back in New York the night before last. It is a hard re-adjustment. I’m sure it will get easier…..the beginning is always the toughest. So I am ‘laying low’ as I sort out all my mixed feelings – what a web!!
Peace,
Jean
{{{Jean}}} Sending loveing thoughts to you.
Way COOL, Bernard.
Congratulations Bernard and all the very best in this exciting project.
Lovely to see you again Jean
Love this Bev :-
“Annie you are our weaver bringing together our separate threads into one glorious tapestry”t
more Texcellence :- “Less Miserable girl” – yay she’s bound to be less miserable if she hangs out with us {winks}
I simply adore that musical. I even began to read the book. It’s a biggie and right in the middle is a very detailed description of the Napoleonic War which i found myself thoroughly enjoying, although i hate battle scenes in movies, and not just enjoying but understanding battle strategy.
I used ta wanna be a soldier when i was a teenager. I wanted so much to join the army and go to Vietnam and fight, and had scorn for my brothers as one by one they were relieved to find they were not called….
love to all xoxoxoox
Great idea, Bernard!! Is Paulo and the Magician in French yet? If you did that, I imagine another entire book would come flying thru your head, both in French and English, probably at the same time.
I recently found your videos of your walk thru your neighborhood. It looked like excellent footage for ‘Fracking awareness’. Sort of like looking at the ego — you just look at the country, ask to look at it with Jesus, and you just never know what kind of mind changing ideas will unfold.
Winnie, I can just see you as a soldier with one of those cute Aussie soldier hats on.
Annie, I just backed up enough and found your note! Quite a feat, my friend. We will be having the 4th of July parade and picnic here in Templeton. It will be hot. Then it’s grilling at the neighbors, our yearly all hands gathering. Fun to catch up on all the summer and vacation plans. Fireworks are ‘legal’ here, with the garden hose on alert, that is.
ah- to all the poetry-challenged ones ( there may be more, lurking) – allow me to air my love for poetry!
I shared Winnie’s and Katrina’s view almost until I was 42 and started my education as an expressive arts therapist. One of the modalities we trained in was poetry-therapy. i LOVED working with finding the exact words for feelings, allowing IT to write, and sensing the space that IT wrote from. In that space, i felt deep healing.Our professor, Margo Fuchs read Rilke for us, and the Danish poet, Paul La Cour – and i felt nourished in a way I had never felt nourished.
The poem can open your perception and invite you to co-create. You are not asked to “understand”, but to follow.
Many of the poetry-disgusteds I know, believe that there is something they are asked to “get”, and that it seem to them that the poet is preaching. They feel stupid. I did to, until Margo opened the door for me. And when i work with clients and poetry, the imagery within the poems can dissolve a blocked heart. Many of clients who have been poetry-challenged as you two 🙂 and have resisted, have found that behind their resistance lived a hidden poet. Oh my those poems that have been written spontaneously.
Now, i love to sit in the morning and read poems loud to myself – I sit in a rush of sweet energy, like beside a fresh running river.
And i am going to invite you into a poem i wrote late at night, from a dream – many years ago. I read it into my little recorder, and allowed the poem to lead. It wrote itself through a very scary dream I had, of my father sitting on a throne in a garden – a stone-image.
14 The old stone god in the garden / 2001
Oh stone-god sitting in the garden –
your throne swallowing you, clutching you
tightly into its stony grip and you sit,
stiffened ,facing the opening of the tunnel
waiting for visitors to exit and enter
into the sunny garden where you sit
your stony hands clutching the armrest,
or is it the chair clutching you –
you are inseparable, sitting from eons of time
oh stone-god of men, whom are you serving?
what purpose are you fulfilling,
what destiny is played out
by sitting in this enchanted garden
where green-ness and air and light
are playing and dancing around your greyness?
what gifts are you offering from your blocked stone-ness?
from your petrified stance?
what are you looking at, with those
stony eyes, watching the tunnel-opening
are you looking for rescuers? wizards
with magical wands, who by their touch
can bring you into life…
or are you waiting to be touched by loving eyes
who will free you from the grip of stone
and change you, perhaps, into dust again
into soft soft dust, played with by
the wind, mingling with the green growth of the garden, going into
Buckwheat and Forget-Me-Not’s
and thus transform yourself from grey to green?
will my loving eyes look upon you and change you?
IS THIS YOUR GIFT TO ME?
to make me aware of the power
my loving gaze has over your form –
the love that can recognize the longing and help it
to be born again in a
blade of grass and
a daffodil
Oh stone image – not so important from where
you came, where you attached yourself to
stone and immobility
(yes, your fear, your fear
holds you within this structure)
not so important from where you came, but
to see where you are NOW –
to really see through the stone to
the diamond of longing
perhaps, dear god, TIME has played with you –
frozen time,
-has perpetuated your longing embedded
in fear, and made it stronger!
so it at last can meet my loving gaze, recognizing
my eyes
as your own, released from the illusion of
time and separation
BEING now, merging, exploring
the moist soil
being eaten by worms
being the worm, wriggling in
the soft dirt, penetrating it
learning its secrets
eating the dirt, giving it air
and space and growing-power
being close to seeds
(speaking to them)
feeling the longing within the seeds, the
MUST MUST MUST GROW
growing into the Fullness
of your Being
stretching your leafy veins
drinking the moist down into
the roots, where the nourishing
light whispers
to the worms of other worlds:
ALL IS ONE
Where is Stone, where is
Longing,
if not here
Longing is
eye is
being is
stone
un-stoned
Home
fullness of Being meeting Itself
Winnie – thanks!
#135 – I dreamed about you and Zafu last night…
And of course, my little icon from “les mis” (cause-ette)
was there, too. Sweeping the floors.
Why I dream about this Village is beyond me!
I never dreamed about the Monastery.
I don’t even dream about my own life.
See y’all tonight – I guess I really dreamed a dream!
Ahhh the stirrings of words and emotions and all things said and unsaid.
I can’t imagine many people wake up in the morning and are ready to dive in head first to all these deep stirring feelings and emotions. I feel like I just did a high dive with A half twist -summersault -open pike-perfect entry dive. (not sure if that is even possible- just threw in every dive term I could think of) (:
Thanks dear Nina for allowing me to join in on that free fall thru the garden of your dreamscape.
Today I have decided that all is well with the world. I will go do what I have to do (choices made long ago) and do it to the best of my ability. I have a strong feeling that my input or judgements about anything will make no difference today. I’m considering to extend the concept for the entire weekend ~ a freebe wknd if you will.
Hugs all Around
Annie
Well, I can be divided myself on the poetry issue. I don’t know why, I just write it from time to time. But reading it’s another matter. Some poetry I find very moving, and other stuff doesn’t do anything for me at all. I can relate to Winnie and Katrina in this sense.
Nina thanks for your thoughts. I know that creating with words is a great pleasure for me and i think that everyone should try it. Great, great therapy. I can see that in your fabulous poem. There’s something about having an unarticulated feeling and then seeing what words just bubble up to fit that, then seeing if it resonates, crossing it out, starting again, seeing what else comes up, going deeper, quieter, getting past the think and mentalizing, seeing how difficult it is to turn off the mind and just tune in to something else, putting it away, coming back to it, and seeing that things have shifted. It’s all great fun. Words. Symbols of symbols, signifying… something.
So great to see back, live and kicking, Annie!
Katrina, you really intrigued me with your thought. You implied that perhaps another book will only come once Paulo is in French – at least that’s how I read it. That’s so strange because I know there’s another book waiting to come out (I have two nearly finished novels and two non-fiction works underway) but it’s just not happening. The translation project has been on for a while but it’s extremely slow. Yet I know it’s important for everything I want to do here in France. Soooo… perhaps your intuition is absolutely right. I’ll see if I can put more time into the translation.
Bernard, I didn’t mean timply that another book would ONLY come once Paulo is in French. I was thinking that it would be neat to have a french version available for the new website. But I suppose it would be possible that everyone in France reads english, too . . . But in translating one set of impressions, it seems only natural that more thoughts and ideas would pour into the stream of consciousness. And you have such a gifted stream.
I love that you and so many here in our village speak in poems, a safe and warm place to share thoughts and symbols that apply to what so few out-villagers would ever even understand the connections. Creative freedom, with loving appreciation from the crew. Then, Winnie & me pipe up with our true confessions.
And who knows, maybe I can give it a try. This morning I thought of putting together a toolbox to go try and write one, and in my head I saw a steel toolbox with the metal divider/handle, and thought I’d need one of those hand drills, and a hammer, and maybe a little hacksaw, some nails? Ya’ see the problem here? It seems like a density issue with me. I’m thinking I need to draw it out before I write it. Oh, now I recognize this — the need to draw out the design of a program before I wrote the code. I only like the designing, I never liked the writing, old knarly hands and joints don’t like the typing, and the words were just mechanics (the coding), but the design could fly.
New post on the home page, folks. Lighter reading, I think.
He said, “This is your life. The most magnificent creation surrounds you at every moment of the day. And yet you can only find the pebble in your shoe to look at. Every thought, every emotion, every reaction you have every day is the pebble in your shoe. It keeps your attention focused on what is not real and true. Every conflict, every upset and fear, this is the stone. It feels like the thing bothering you, the most important thing in your life, yet it is nothing.”
– – –
As if reading my thoughts, Pierre said, “The pain is always something else. What is it? You are missing Love, that is all. Now you think that Love does not want you, but it’s not true. Look at this sunset. It is here for you just as for everyone.”
oh wow Bernard. I love it. From Paolo and Zeth to Bernard and Pierre. I love the polarities of the business-stressed modern time man to Presence, and love love love the silence around the words of Pierre. I long to have this book in my hands and read it through – and am SO happy that you are writing it.
so so happy
Nina
Yup! I like it also. Any approximate publish date? BTW I still find Paulo handy,this last month I’ve been doing random openings and reading a few pages helps keep things “moving”.
WOW!
Shhh…… be vewy quiet ……..
{tippy-toes in stockinged-feet around Nina’s poem which i am sure is wonderful, to join Katrina in the workshop on the edge of the Village. The poets, artists and wise ponderers pause for just a moment in their deep and earnest conversations as they hear the distant hammering and sawing, then they smilingly resume business of the day]
Hell yeah i’d look good in a “digger’s” hat Katrina… omg you are allowed to have fireworks ? i remember when i was a kid we were allowed to have fireworks to celebrate Guy Fawkes day – loved it so much..but then they banned it {pouts}
Independence day is about becoming independent from England right ? Well if i was American, i wouldn’t want to celebrate that. They say when the queen dies, that Australia will become a republic, well not that i give a hoot about politics but i love having a queen and princesses and stuff, so if that happens, i’m gonna be poutin’ big time !
cool – Tex that you dreamt about us…. my dream fairies have all but abandoned me……although the other night i vaguely remember dreaming how annoyed i was with my children. I kept trying to smack them and then getting so frustrated because my smacks, being dream smacks, simply lacked any kind of force, not that i knew i was dreaming..
OMG – hold the presses…. the sky looks absolutely beautiful… it’s the first magnificent sunrise i have seen in about a month….oh where’s a bloody poet when ya need em ! !
I am at this perfect little spot called Toogoolawah on the outskirts of a little country town… There are no amenities or power or anything – dont care… Besides these kinds of places are usually not frequented by anyone and i just love solitude so much…..
The colours of the sunrise are lifting my spirits and and bringing out the green of the grass and the soft blue of the hills….and i needed my spirits to be lifted….. [ wanders over to the Village Square]
Katrina, I just got from your message that I have to get my butt into gear and start to work again on that translation, which is always good advice. It just seems like it’ll never get done because it’s so long, and there’s so much else to do. It’s a good long term project. People in French definitely do not read English, I’m afraid. Loved your thoughts about the toolbox, they really made me smile.
Pam, approximate publish date for the new book, between next year and 2020. Is that being a little too imprecise? So glad Paulo is still sticking around to be helpful.
Winnie, ‘.oh where’s a bloody poet when ya need em ! !’ So funny! Will have to look up Toogoolawah on Google maps. Any galas out there? Love them birds. You’ll have to explain to everyone what a Kookaburra is.
galahs ? i’m looking at one right now…. oh wait that’s the mirror… Seriously i saw 3 of them sitting around having a chat on the very spot i am camped, just this morning….
p.s. Don’t bother looking up Toogoolah … it’s on the eastern side of the Great Dividing Range…. have had to lay low for a while { like Brer Rabbit}
love ya Bernie
darling Winnie
this is a poem
galahs ? i’m looking at one right now….
oh wait that’s the mirror…
The colours of the sunrise are lifting my spirits
and bringing out the green of the grass
and the soft blue of the hills…
.and i needed my spirits to be lifted
(you just lifted mine, Gahla mia)