Odds and Ends

I found a record of an old synchronicity from 2006, and I'd like to keep them all on this blog.

Synchronicity Journal May 16, 2006

I was reading an article on the internet about teen drug use. The article was about prescription pain killers, to be exact. Teens are now slowing down on smoking and drinking and are instead looking in the medicine cabinets to get high off prescription pain pills. While I was reading this article, my coworker's cell phone rang. It was her husband. She got up from her desk and asked me, "Sophia, does Hydrocodone have Codeine in it?" Apparently he took some Hydrocodone and got sick from it. This is the article I was reading: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/12803776/
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Also, I forgot to write down an amazing synchronicity from last week. It was not only amazing, but quite humorous.

Synchronicity Journal October ?, 2007

My female coworker J. and I were sitting at our cubicles, turned around to face one another. We were talking about plants. I had recently given her a cutting from the pothos that I keep on my desk. I was telling her that a few days ago, our male coworker K. had mentioned that watching for new roots on the cutting would be like watching the clock. As soon as I said his name, midsentence - I kid you not - the door beside our desks opened and in walked K. Immediately we started laughing, and K. looked at us inquisitively. I said, "Speaking of the devil!" All three of us laughed. We had a good time.

And another synchronicity from a week or so ago:

Synchronicity Journal October ?, 2007

My husband and I had been talking about President Kennedy as we were getting dressed to go somewhere. Shortly after, we drove off and as we were stopped at a stop sign in our neighborhood, I glanced over at the yellow fire hydrant to my right. In big raised capital letters it said, "KENNEDY" Elmira, NY.

New Old Dreams Posted

I found another dream journal recently. I've put all the new old dreams on my dream blog. The most recent post on the dream journal blog is a list of all the new old dreams that I've posted.

It's possible that I have more dreams laying around in some box. If I find them, I'll post them, but it might take me a while.

http://sophiasdreams.blogspot.com/

I Know Who You Are

I found a poem tonight that I really like. I don't know who the author is, though I'm guessing it's Rumi or another of the mystic poets. I've been wanting to make audio files for this blog so I finally got together all the freeware I needed to do so. Maybe next year I'll start doing video, but I have to be really bold for that, and I'm not really very bold. That, and I think anyone who posts their own audio or video on their blog must have a really big ego. I don't have a big ego, I just like reading poetry. Over time I'll probably read more and more Zen or mystic poetry for this blog. For now, here's the first. I hope you enjoy it. Just click the play button!

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Click here to visit my podcast blog.

Update, 10/31/07 - Thanks to Mossy for helping me figure out who the author of this poem is. The man's name is Gerald Rhoades, and you can access more of his poetry at: http://onetruename.com/gerald.htm

Are You Conscious?

Friend and fellow blogger Mushtaq Ali from Traceless Warrior writes in his paper, "Conscious and Unconscious Behavior on the Path of Transformation", that most people are not fully conscious in the sense that they are impeded by their own unconscious habits.

"As it happens, not many people are conscious--they have stopped somewhere in the process at one of the points in the process. What is often developed instead are habits--unconscious behaviors or responses--and from this, a habitual nature is created. What this implies is that our choices are limited; our pool of responses available for any particular stimulus are smaller than is intended for a human being. The result is that people tend to be at the effect of their world rather than being the cause and creation of it."

In order to operate at a peak level and to access the higher levels, the three lower levels must be in balance. According to his paper, the three lower centers are the moving center, the heart or emotional center and the head center, some of which dominate a person's being more than others when the three are not in balance. For instance, a person whose mind is constantly in a state of internal dialogue is operating from the head center.

There are certain practices that must be done in order to access the higher centers. Mushtaq hasn't included the practices for accessing the higher heart center in the paper because they must be customized for the student by their teacher, however, a process known as "self-remembering" must be done in order to begin the opening into the higher mind center. He introduces us to a tool known as the Enneagram which, when used properly, can help balance the three lower centers.

If you are on the path of transformation - I think we all are - I highly recommend you read this paper to get a good introduction on how you can be out-of-balance due to your habits, and how you can start the process of living a harmonious life. To read the 12-page paper, click the link below.

Conscious and Unconscious Behavior on the Path of Transformation

If you enjoyed this paper, there is another related paper on the enneagram, also written by Mushtaq, found HERE.

Hypno Cricket

I won't lie, I am sometimes on the verge of falling asleep at work. (This only happens when I don't have any work to do, I promise!) OK, sometimes I do fall asleep.

Today, with my chin resting on my hand, I managed to sail off into the hypnagogic state. I was not asleep yet, but almost. I had a vision of a lone spasming camelback cricket on a white floor.

Also, I don't know about anyone else, but I see a lot of unknown faces while experiencing hypnagogia.

What do you see?

Skype

Some people have wanted to talk to me on the phone, and I don't just give my phone number away to anyone until I get to know them for a while, and I can't make long distance calls because my telephone service at home does not include long distance. I have a cell phone but it's a prepaid phone only so I can only use it when I absolutely have to.

I've been looking for a way to actually speak with people online using voice, and I have found some software called "Skype" that allows free calls to anyone else with Skype. So, if you want to talk, download it! The only time Skype costs money is when you call a real phone, but if you're just talking to someone else online using Skype, it's free.

In the top right-hand side of my blog you can see my Skype status. It'll let you know if I'm available to talk. If I'm online, all you have to do is click the button and you can call me. But, you have to actually download and install Skype, first!

Just a warning, though. I'm not quite as chatty on the phone as I am on the blog, so don't be surprised if I seem a little nervous. It'll all go away if I get to know you over time.

OK, go for it!

My Desktop

This is what my desktop looks like right now.
I also downloaded a cool aquarium screensaver.
I tag everyone to post your desktop to your blog!

The Role of Reincarnation in Evolution

Driving the car to work this morning I was precariously involved in thought regarding reincarnation and evolution. For a while I've become comfortable with the idea that reincarnation is a force of evolution, in that when a creature dies, it is reborn and placed higher on the chain of beings, i.e. that single cell being dies and becomes a bug that might die and become a bird, that bird becomes a cat, the cat becomes human. In some philosophies the law of karma plays a role in this process. For instance, if a human commits murder, he/she might go in reverse during reincarnation and come back as a dog. (Stick with me here, these are just ideas, even though they may sound strange.) Over time this process has progressed, pushing evolution forward. In the past, it might have been that the Australopithecus afarensis was the most enlightened being, and then the Homo habilis, next the Homo erectus and the Homo sapiens. (Sorry Mr. Chimpanzee!).

Each era our ancestors died, and were born into the next stage of their evolution. For humans, what's next? Are we to be ancestors to residents of another era, another species? Or after our death are we reborn into something that we cannot presently see, like a spirit or body-less soul? Or do we just work our way back into the Brahman goo, signaling the end of evolution on this planet? (Or, maybe we evolve into some alien species, or creature that reside in another dimension!) OK, I'm getting too "out there" for most people's comfort levels, but you get my idea. I'm just curious about what comes after the human, and well, I won't really get to be around to witness that!

If there is no karma, then perhaps we are just randomly born into any creature in our world, or in the universe or multiverse, going backwards and forwards over and over again forevermore, Brahma recycling itself continuously in an everlasting state of change.

I don't know. I'm just thinking... wondering. It's not like I'll stumble on the answer. Not even nonduality can tell me exactly what is going on!

A Spiritual Fact

You can turn off the lamp but you can't turn off the Light.

Blog Changes

I hope you like the new look of my blog. I changed it from a simple two-column blog to three columns. I personally think this is more attractive, instead of having everything on the right side. I got rid of ZoomCloud. Also, I added links on the right side of the blog to allow a reader to subscribe to the blog's feed using either their blog reader or email. I changed the size of the margins, too, to allow everything to fit on a wider page. Earlier last week and this weekend, I added a widget that will easily allow reader to bookmark this blog using their favorite bookmarking service, and I added a Google AdSense ad on the left side of the blog. (Yes, like everyone else, I'm trying to make a living and will optimize my opportunities to do so, along with filling out rebates every month and clipping coupons.) Last but not least, I made the blogger bar at the top of the blog transparent. You cannot see it unless you run your mouse over the top of the blog.

Let me know how you feel about these changes! I've worked on this blog a number of hours today, and as usual I'm not caught up on comments or emails, but I hope to be tomorrow. Thanks for being patient and for commenting and emailing.