Two plebs and a load of garbage - a strange story

Big Pleb and Little Pleb were brothers. They lived in a town like any other town, quite ordinary, with nothing much out of the ordinary happening, for most of the time. The thing was, Little Pleb wasn't really all that ordinary. He didn't join in all the petty squabbles that went on amongst the other plebs and he pretty much kept himself to himself. He was content just the way he was.

Little Pleb was not like all the other plebs

Naturally, this didn't go down very well amongst the family of plebs. He was considered rather strange and ‘backward,’ especially by his big brother, who was quite a bit bigger than him. He took Little Plebs behaviour as a personal attack against himself. In fact, Big Pleb would get extremely annoyed at Little Pleb when he didn't follow the crowd or conform to the unwritten ‘rules’ of Pleb town.

“One day,” said Big Pleb to himself, “I am going to teach my little brother a lesson he will never forget. It will be a lesson so powerful that he will want nothing else other than to be like me and all the other plebs. He will beg me to help him and he will look upon me with respect, just as a little brother should look upon his elder and better!” Big Pleb felt very happy inside as he contemplated this. It even made him smile benevolently at Little Pleb who was trotting along peacefully beside him, little suspecting what his big brother had in store.

I'm going to teach him a lesson he'll never forget!

The day arrived when the thoughts of Big Pleb finally came into being. It happened quite spontaneously, with no premeditated action, as they walked side by side along a perfectly normal street, on a perfectly normal day. Little Pleb was being his usual irritating self (in the opinion of Big Pleb), refusing to engage in an animated ‘rant’ the elder brother was having with himself about one of the other members of the ‘clan.’

His lack of response annoyed Big Pleb far more than it ever had in the past. He was so incensed he turned upon Little Pleb. He picked him up, turned him upside down, and deposited him face down in a rather large barrel of garbage. Then he stood back with smug satisfaction as he watched Little Pleb wriggle and wriggle to set himself free. “There, that’ll teach you not to be like the rest of us,” he said. “When you come to your senses, and beg me for forgiveness, I shall set you free.”

Little Pleb gave up the struggle

Little Pleb couldn't hear a word that was being said. He was, after all, buried face down in a rather deep barrel of garbage! And for a while he did struggle. He thrashed about as far as he could, trying to right his upturned body, but to no avail. In the end he gave up.

He became aware, instead, of his new surroundings, noticing all the details using his five senses. He couldn't see very much as it was quite dark, but he could make out pieces of rotten vegetable and the odd twig or leaf. 

It was his sense of smell that was most prominent – an earthy, pungent aroma penetrated his nostrils; so strong and powerful he could almost taste it. He felt his abdominal muscles tighten in sympathy as they involuntarily forced him to wretch. This was not a very helpful action as it made him open his mouth!

After a while he became used to the stench, as well as the taste, and his sense of touch came in to play. He could feel the slippery movement of tiny worms upon his skin, insects skirting beneath his hands, and something considerably larger, more intimidating, than anything he had sensed so far.

He spotted a long, ropey tail...

Out of the corner of his eye he spotted a long, ropey tail. It vanished as soon as he’d recognised it, only to re-appear right in front of his eyes, in the form of a very large, imposing, grey rat. Rat was as shocked as Little Pleb. Time stood still as they both assessed the potential threat in the other, neither one of them moving a muscle.

Then rat did a very strange thing. Instead of nibbling away at his nose, as Little Pleb expected it to do, he sat upright on his haunches, brought his two front paws together in prayer position, and gazed benevolently into the eyes of Little Pleb. His nose and whiskers moved softly with each breath he took.

Little Pleb, as you would expect, was absolutely dumbfounded!  However, after he had gotten over his surprise, and as rat hadn't altered his position, Little Pleb responded by gazing, in a non-threatening manner, into rats eyes. After a short period of time another very strange thing happened.

Little Pleb falls into the cosmos

As Little Pleb continued to reflect upon, what he realised were, the most benevolent features he had ever set eyes upon, he found himself falling into rats eyes. As he fell he felt himself disappear, the entire universe opening up before him.

He had, quite literally, fallen into the cosmos! His awareness expanded to include direct knowing of the magnificence of all life, everywhere. He encountered star systems within our own galaxy and beyond then creatures within and upon our very own planet. He knew planets, asteroids and constellations; devas within the subtle realms of nature; angelic light beings; the wisdom of the cosmos was laid bare at his feet; and above all, he knew all this magnificence, all this wisdom and Truth, was INSIDE him. He had fallen into the eyes of rat and met himself.

In the eyes of a rat he had met himself

Little Pleb filled with wonder. How could it be a mere rat could reveal all of this to him? Although he didn't really believe it, he had been taught human beings were by far the superior species? How could it be?

You see, just as Little Pleb was no ordinary pleb, rat was no ordinary rat. This particular rat was ‘YODA – RAT,’ a very distant cousin of the famous Yoda who taught Luke Skywalker how to use the force. He had appeared before Little Pleb because the time was right and Little Pleb was open to receive. When two far from ordinary beings come together in mutual respect and acceptance then extra-ordinary happenings are able to take place.

Reverent appreciation...

Appreciating, with reverence, the gift he had bestowed, Little Pleb’s heart swelled with love for this humble creature. And as his heart swelled another strange thing happened – his physical body started to move. Slowly but surely it began to rotate. Before long, instead of being upside down in the garbage, he was the right way up; his head sticking out the top of the barrel.

Meanwhile, outside the barrel, Big Pleb was getting rather concerned. There had been no movement from his little brother for quite some time, and, although he got very irritated by him being different, he still loved him and would not wish him any real harm. Big Pleb thought he had killed his little brother!

Just as he was, in blind panic, about to release him, Big Pleb noticed the compost begin to move. He thought his eyes must be deceiving him for, instead of staring at a pair of upturned legs, his eyes rested upon the smiling face of his brother.

He knew his brother loved him

His immediate reaction was relief. Then he looked again. Little Pleb was different. He emanated a soft gentle light and he could feel deep in his heart how much his little brother loved and respected him. He could feel his gratitude.

You see when Little Pleb emerged from the garbage and laid eyes upon his brother, he felt so much love and appreciation for the gift he had given him, his heart almost burst. If Big Pleb hadn't deposited him in the compost he would never have encountered Yoda-rat and, most importantly, he would never have met himself. There is nothing else that could be worthy of such appreciation.

Big Pleb lifted his little brother from the barrel and they both shared the longest hug that anyone had ever had. They walked away, arms about each other, back to Pleb town.

All the other plebs were at first puzzled, then amazed, at the change between the two brothers.  On sultry summer evenings Little Pleb would tell the story of how the generosity of his big brother enabled him to meet a very unusual rodent in a barrel of garbage.

Before long, as the story spread, the energy of the town began to transform. One by one the plebs aspired to be like Little Pleb (who was now affectionately known as Yoda-pleb) and his elder brother; they wanted to be light, they wanted to KNOW.

Yoda-pleb’s great friend and mentor smiled..... as he ate the garbage.

Quiescence - What is freedom, and is it all its cracked up to be?

Quiescence

Sacred Space

Continuing the journey begun in part one, we reflect upon the essence of three cards holding the same seed image as their base (Quiescence, In Lak’ech and Sacred Space); when you look at these cards you can see, without much deliberation, that they each hold the essence of each other, they look and feel similar.

Vesica Piscis

Sacred geometry is a useful foundation to use when contemplating a card, image or seed thought etc. These simple structures provide a ‘single pointed focus’ for the lower mind to engage with. Thus occupied, it is open to receive impressions from the realms of Soul and Spirit, without interference or analysis.

I begin my contemplation with the three cards using the vesica piscis geometry as the map (the card is placed in the ‘eyeball’). In Lak’ech is the one at the forefront of my mind as I surrender to the process.

“As my softened gaze settles on the image I am drawn to the centre. Deep within the watery cave I see not one, but two figures. One, as before, a tranquil pregnant woman, the other, less developed, has a child-like quality. It appears to be asleep, resting deep within the womb like space, not yet born. It rests, knowing in the fullness of time it will awake and be known. 

In Lak'ech

A strange juxtaposition occurs; I allow the mystery within the image to reveal its secrets. The child, although appearing to be separate, is inside the mother. Her downward gaze looks towards her belly, to the child in the lower part of the image.

As viewers, we are granted a rare privilege of seeing inside the womb of the mother, to know the child as it is; pure and undefiled. A gift of Grace enables us to know how mother and child are one, seen through an image which portrays them as being separate.

The space holding the child is heart shaped. It feels sacred, a space where love is the only nutrient required to nurture its delicate and unfolding consciousness. How can it fail to be a light in the world when it is birthed through such humble beginnings?

As my contemplation draws to a close a word flashes across my mind, almost too fast for me to hear it; ‘twins.’ This is rapidly

In Lak'ech

followed by two more – ‘soul mates.’ The flower of understanding responds to the clear light of inner seeing. Deep within my heart I know my true soul mate, for which I have searched through aeons of time, lies not outside, but within. It is none other than my own heart.”

"my true soul mate is none other than my own heart"

At this point it might be worth looking a little more deeply into the meaning of ‘In Lak’ech.’ On the card it states ‘Mayan greeting - I am another you,’ similar to ‘Namaste’ from the Indian tradition. However, it is far more than a greeting. ‘In Lak’ech’ is a moral code, a way of life, and more specifically it is a code of the heart; it signifies oneness, unity.

Marrying this with the understanding gained from contemplating our cards we can see how, in our daily life, we may move from separation to unity. 

We have found that Sacred Space is the soul mate of Quiescence, each two halves of the same coin, reflections of the same whole, whilst In Lak’ech IS the whole; it offers a way to live in wholeness each moment of our life.

Its alignment quality, ‘right relationship’ speaks for itself. It begins in our own hearts, nowhere else. When we are aligned and complete within ourselves we naturally transfer this sense of wholeness to our interactions within everyday life.

All the cards mentioned so far, together with the fourth ray ideal (all three cards are connected to the Fourth Ray of Harmony through Conflict), “the love of unity must dominate,” have led us to this point of clarity. There is only one card left to be considered – Freedom. Let us contemplate some more and see whether or not it has any relevance.

“’Quiescence’ is the image I take to accompany me on my journey into the ‘eye’ of the vesica piscis. I am instantly still as I quietly rest in this great womb of creation that gives birth to all forms. I travel far into the watery space within the sacred cave. I continue swimming, no particular destination in mind, I simply swim. And explore. I feel as a child, joy bubbling silently inside, as I view this watery world with new eyes.

Freedom

I realise, without even knowing, I have swum into another card. I am no longer resting safe within the womb-like space. I am deep within another watery world, the vast, oceanic world of the dolphin; I have swum into ‘Freedom.'

A fountain of joy bursts forth as I continue to explore with renewed vigour. The magnificence of the cosmos opens up before me, a magical playground filled with sparkles and giant cosmic entities. 

I ‘swim’ through stars, I dance through waves, I play with strange beings from other lands; it is ‘an adventure sublime’ and I glow with radiant joy, such as is only truly experienced through child-like wonder. “

The journey in its entirety is described admirably in the card's associated poem, ‘Freedom.’

On the threshold of a dream she stands

Her feet as an anchor rest deep in the sand

As her eyes fill with longing and seek distant shore

She hears a sweet sound, tries hard to recall

Crash of the waves, birds flying high?

Or perhaps it’s the sea as it touches the sky?

‘Listen, listen… feel the vibration

Open your heart and accept invitation

For wisdom abounds in alien sound

With senses of light you see your salvation’

Come, come Little One, come play with me

Leave feet on the shore, as one we’ll explore

We’ll swim through the seas and sail amongst stars

Beings we will greet as worlds become ours

By angles and spirals, through space and through time

Many realms we’ll explore; an adventure sublime

So, fear not, Little One… Will you come?  Will you play?

Will you enter the mystery, leave all for this day?

From loneliness, through aloneness, to isolated unity, culminating in ultimate freedom of expression, have we travelled; all from the selection of a single card. Taking the time to pause and reflect has produced the ultimate reward. I am able to experience all of these states, moving fluidly between one and the other, without becoming stuck or attached to any one of them.

“Wherever I go, whoever I am with, I take ‘me’ with me. There is no other, nothing else. Just me. I am always ‘home’ and recognising this, in simply being me, is freedom from the trappings of the three worlds.” 

Related blogs:

Quiescence - How do we move from separation to unity consciousness?

A Stranger in a Strange Land

Quiescence - How do we move from separation to unity?

This blog is inspired through contemplation of the card 'Quiescence' from Stillness Speaks. Finding it easier to assimilate words and factual information through image, I created a picture summing up the essence of its qualities, in this instance using a heart to gather all the facets together. Now I can reflect upon my chosen card from a position of wholeness.

“‘At rest,’ this is the sense I feel when I muse upon the meaning of the title ‘quiescence.’ It fills me, allowing me to sink deeper and deeper into who I am, whoever that may be. I have arrived, there is nothing to do, nowhere to go, for all has been done. I am home, here on planet earth, may be for the very first time. I can rest. At last.

The image adds credence to all I have sensed from the word. I see a figure, pregnant, expectant, resting deep within a watery cave. She gazes with quiet acceptance towards her belly. All around, the cave holds her with familiar ordinance. She is naked and vulnerable and yet there is courage in her presence. The cave, deep within the earth is not cold and dank as would be expected. It is warm, welcoming, and emanates a soft multi-coloured light. It is a space where I can rest, may be until time itself ceases to exist...

Quiescence

The seed thought is strange. It appears at first to be the complete antithesis of all I sense, of where I am, in this moment. Having arrived at a place of non-action surely any kind of ‘action’ would negate this, even if it is tinged with the colour of wisdom? ‘Wisdom in Action,’ I sit with this for a while longer. But then even non-action is action. There is great wisdom in choosing this course of ‘action,’ for it allows all to unfold without interference. Maybe the seed thought is not so strange after all?

‘Isolated unity,’ again this brings a sense of peace, of being at rest and complete where I am, right now. I have never felt so isolated and yet so ‘at One’ with all. I am content. Complete. Again I rest. I wait, I breathe. I rest, until ‘I’ am no more... ”

Intuitive Understanding
Quiescence, by virtue of its inherent image qualities and alignment with isolation, also links to five other cards. 

These have been placed upon the hexagram, using sacred geometry this time, as a basis for experiencing the underlying integral energies. 

The seed thoughts from ‘Phone Home’ and ‘Alien Nation’ make a good introduction to this section as, together with ‘Quiescence’s’ Soul alignment quality – ‘Isolated Unity’ - hold vital clues into synthesising the reading as whole.

“Alone he stands the star born

Isolation, loneliness companions of old”

“Wisdom abounds in alien sound

Surrender all fear and touch the profound”

Phone Home

And so within these four lines we have the essence of all the cards, rays and chakras found within our research above; ‘isolated unity’ being the crowning glory. 

Loneliness, aloneness, and isolated unity are very close bed fellows, clearly depicting a state of being on one’s own in one form or another, but let’s take a closer look and see how it applies to our, moment by moment, daily life. 

Loneliness – consciousness and, most importantly identification, is focused entirely on the separated self. Thoughts, emotions and physical body are the sum total of the awareness and most often there is not even an acknowledgement of the sub-conscious behavioural patterns responsible for the emotional state. Everything is as a result of external circumstances and it is to these, in one form or another, that relief is sought from emotional pain.

Alien Nation

Aloneness – identification is still with the separated self. However, in this instance there is awareness. 

Behavioural patterns are familiar and responsibility is taken for the emotional state with necessary steps being taken to ‘be’ with whatever ‘is’ in the moment; the focus and resolution is largely within. 

Conscious awareness is expanded to include knowing of a higher self or Soul. Acceptance of isolation is present together with a sense of inner peace. Aloneness may also be a conscious choice.

Isolated Unity – there is an important distinction between this level of awareness and the previous two; identification is with the Soul. It is the physical body that appears to be separated or alone but the being who inhabits this body is wholly and completely centred in unity. The consciousness state is changeless whether the ‘being’ stands alone or in a crowd.

Each of these states may fluctuate from one to the other, particularly the first two. It is a process of letting go and accepting; in time the wounded child comes to accept itself as it is, without needing to escape or ‘fix,’ even though this may at times be painful. As highlighted within the text, the method of realising one way of being over another lies in identification. 

Do you identify with the wounded child or the Soul? If it is the latter then there cannot be any sense of separation or polarised consciousness; the Soul, by its very nature, is unity.

How do we move from a position of separation to unity? There are two clues offered within our journey so far:

“Surrender all fear and touch the profound,” (Alien Nation)

“The love of unity must dominate” (Ray 4 seed thought).

In short, let go, align, unify. Simple, or is it easier said than done? Perhaps the other card connections, Sacred Space, In Lak’ech and Freedom, may help? 

continued here

Related blogs:

Quiescence - What is freedom, and is it all its cracked up to be?

A Stranger in a Strange Land

Time to Let Go...

Reflections on reality..... is truth really all it is cracked up to be?



Sweet Surrender

How often has it been stated, particularly in new age circles, how important it is to be ‘true to oneself,’ to live an authentic life according to the river of truth that flows through you at any one moment in time, and to standby that truth no matter what the cost to those in receipt of it?

But what if that truth isn’t quite what it appears to be? What if, instead of being a wholesome reflection of reality, it is a very well-disguised non-truth, or even a lie?

Let’s have a closer look at some ‘truths’ around relationships, particularly those between a parent and child, and find out some more.

Relationships, especially marriage are made up of arguments and reconciliations – scoring as many points as you can from each other along the way.

 

• Children should be seen and not heard. It is important this understanding be carried through into adult life as the parent always knows what is best for the child regardless of age.
• Entering into a meaningful relationship or marriage means all other relationships/friendships and interests must be set aside.
• The relationship/marriage is the most important nothing else matters, including one’s own children.
• Children are born to be controlled and moulded according to parental will or beliefs. If they do not conform they are not approved of.
• Criticism is the best way to help a child mature into a responsible adult.
• Love is something that should be kept to oneself not outwardly demonstrated.
• Feelings are not important. Hugs are reserved for the ‘good.’
• A parent’s responsibility is to always see the worst outcome for the child and then they won’t be disappointed if it all goes wrong.
• Joy is to be curtailed whenever possible as it will only lead to disappointment when the bubble bursts.

NONE of these statements are true..... they are merely BELIEFS

Nevertheless they have shaped my reality for a huge chunk of my life. They have nested quietly in the dark recesses of my sub-conscious mind, shaping my reality, generating behavioural responses and sabotaging relationships without my even knowing what was going on.

For most people beliefs held within their deepest psyche will never see the light of day. They live their lives blinded by a ‘truth’ driven by an instinct to survive at all costs. Years of soul searching, stripping back layer upon layer of protective sheaths, has enabled my core beliefs to stand naked in the clear light of day. They are now known and can be seen clearly for what they are.

Time to let go........

It is obvious to see truth in the above instance as being a non-truth, but what of the following?



Joy

“When I turn within to explore the space from which my heart takes form. I find there is no form, there is no heart. There is simply vast empty space, a void that holds the entirety of my existence, all existence.

 

It is a giant, joyful wave that carries me from one moment to the next embracing all in its path. All my wants, desires, needs, feelings, thoughts dissolve into this vast ocean of consummate wholeness.

And there is smiling inside. I am not even sure whether it is I who is smiling. It seems to arise quite spontaneously for no apparent reason.

Others have noticed and observe ‘you look like the cat that got the cream’. Well, I am the cat who got the cream but there is no cream. Nothing external gives rise to this incredible joy that bubbles silently within...

...And in a moment of profound, silent awareness a question is born, a thought-form cast from within the great void upon the mirror of my mind: ‘Why am I here?’

It hangs suspended, like a water droplet, apparently frozen in time, seeking substance until time itself releases it once more unto the void. For a while it rests within the great ocean of infinite possibilities until the next wave throws it once more onto the surface of my mind, ‘Why am I here?’

Lazy tendrils of enquiry seek dark recess in my concrete mind for an answer, even finding some resolution. Once again I let go, the droplet having no more substance is again released. All is still…

Inside Out

…another thought, larger and more substantial than before, arises. It holds within it a story, a story of creation.

“Great Spirit, whilst resting in absolute totality of being, as pure awareness, gave birth to a thought: ‘how would it be if I did not know myself?’

In that moment, with the issue of this simple thought, the world of duality, the world as we know it, was born…”

Now I had two thought bubbles to ponder upon. They hung together in suspended animation as if the pause button had been pressed on my mind. Two tiny droplets held within an even greater bubble of awareness.

 

Before long I realised one held resolution for the other. In unison they merged to become far more than the sum of their two parts. They were yin and yang, divine mother and divine father, enjoining in sacred union that the blessed child of infinite understanding be born to illuminate the far reaches of my mind and the immeasurable depths of my heart…

…I am here to experience duality and the deeper my experience, the more I sink into this realm of separation, the closer I am to the original question posed by Great Spirit. I am in immanent proximity to that first moment of creation.

 

Experience and question unite and consciously I participate in duality, allowing myself to sink deeper and deeper into form without being identified with it. A wondrous alchemical transformation takes place. In the clear light of my illuminate mind, in the infinite bounds of my heart, I AM Great Spirit experiencing duality through me. This is why I am here. It really is that simple.” Extracted from the book ‘Visions of Reality: Art of Synthesis’ by Barbara Rose

Another belief?

Time to let go........

 “Through space and time have I travelled to see past and future merge into this present moment, where absolute clarity of mind is the all-embracing wisdom of my heart. The notion of ‘other’ being simply thought to transform.

I see how many parts compose the labyrinth that is my small self, how separate and isolate they are in their multiplicity, and how, within a single moment of awareness, they may dissolve into one great river of joyous simplicity; the Self.

Cultivating awareness of this ‘Self’ enables Soul purpose to be made visible and when I surrender, when I step aside, all barriers dissolve and in the stillness of each moment it flows, as a steady stream, to enrich the content of my days with reverent appreciation.

As Above, So Below

As threads of light weave their way through the tapestry that is my life, an image slowly begins to take form…

 

Shimmering in vibrant, radiant, diamond clear light, against the background of my days… it is the totality of all my experiences: meetings and partings, sorrow and joy, happiness and despair, fear and love... All I have ever known in countless existences since beginning of time…

 

...It carries the heartbeat of the universe, one glorious note to echo the entirety of existence. The vibration of absolute perfection… AUM....”

 

Another belief?  What do you think?