Saturday, December 31, 2005

Bring on the New Year!

Hi Folks,

In 30 minutes, it will be 2006 for me! (It may have already happened for you, depending on where you live.) I don't know what my New Year's resolutions are yet. I don't know... work out more maybe... finish things I've started (which includes several books I have started but not finished), DIET!!!, do laundry more often instead of letting it pile-up, be more organized... I think there are lots of things about myself that I can change. I know I really need to stay in better touch with my friends. Friends are really important to me. I really could have done more for this blog. I've let it go the past month. We've had such a nice group of friendship here, and I've let it slide. My New Year's resolution (or at least one of them), is to start a forum on this blog so that anyone can talk whenever they want to about almost anything! (Excuse the excess of cheer.... I've had more than my fair share of raspberry Belgian beer. :)

This will be short for now, but I didn't want to let the new year come without my message going out to you all. May you all have a wonderful new year!

I love you guys!

Thursday, December 1, 2005

What is Enlightenment?

I've had a couple people ask me in a previous post what I thought enlightenment is. Instead of responding under the comments, I'll post this here so everyone can see.

I don't know of a direct response to that question, and no, I'm not even going to look the word up in the dictionary, because I feel that enlightenment is very personal and can't be defined by a dictionary.

I think enlightenment is that which fills the void. It is waking up and touching universal consciousness. It is finally not only realizing, but feeling that I am One with everything. I think that no matter how many friends or relatives I have, there is a loneliness that lies deep within, and only enlightenment can take away that loneliness. The loneliness is there as a calling. Its purpose is to lead me toward enlightenment, and the work that must be done to achieve it. I believe that until that longing is gone, I am unenlightened.

I once believed that enlightenment meant getting answers. I thought that with enlightenment came answers to questions such as "Who am I?", "What is my purpose in this life?", "What will happen to my soul when I die?", and so on. Basicially just receiving answers to the most enigmatic questions of all time.

I also believed that once I became enlightened I'd have special powers. I'd be able to have increased abilities, especially in intuition. I'd become suddenly more knowledgeable, more intelligent, more wise. I would be able to talk and walk with spirit guides in another plane. I'd have visions.

But I now believe - even though I haven't attained it yet - that enlightenment is actually a very simple thing. There are no special powers that come with enlightenment. There are no answers. There is just being One and finally being able to be at rest with that.

So, that is what I think enlightenment is. Now, we all have our own definitions of what enlightenment is, and my perception of enlightenment may be all wrong. But whatever it is, I hope someday I can become enlightened.

Now, I'd like to ask all of you something. What do you think enlightenment is?