Tag Archives: Quotes

Einstein on life

Colorized b&w photo – September 1939, Einstein on the beach near his Long Island summer home with friend and local dept store owner David Rothman. They formed a neighborhood string quartet together

Here are some insights from the one and only Albert Einstein. He is most known as a popular scientist who dramatically changed humanity’s engagement with the world. This post illuminates some of his equally amazing insights beyond the science and beyond the physical:

“I didn’t arrive at my understanding of the fundamental laws of the universe through my rational mind.”Concerning matter, we have been all wrong. What we have called matter is energy, whose vibration has been so lowered as to be perceptible to the senses. Matter is spirit reduced to point of visibility.

There is no matter. Time and space are not conditions in which we live, but modes by which we think. Physical concepts are free creations of the human mind, and are not, however it may seem, determined by the external world. Time does not exist – we invented it. Time is what the clock says. The distinction between the past, present and future is only a stubbornly persistent illusion.

I think 99 times and find nothing. I stop thinking, swim in silence, and the truth comes to me. The intellect has little to do on the road to discovery. There comes a leap in consciousness, call it intuition or what you will, the solution comes to you and you don’t know how or why.

A human being experiences himself, his thoughts and feelings as something separated from the rest, a kind of optical delusion of consciousness. This delusion is a kind of prison for us, restricting us to our personal desires and to affection for a few persons nearest to us. Our task must be to free ourselves from this prison by widening our circle of compassion to embrace all living creatures and the whole of nature in its beauty. Our separation from each other is an optical illusion.

When something vibrates, the electrons of the entire universe resonate with it. Everything is connected. The greatest tragedy of human existence is the illusion of separateness.

Reality is merely an illusion, albeit a very persistent one. We are souls dressed up in sacred biochemical garments and our bodies are the instruments through which our souls play their music. When you examine the lives of the most influential people who have ever walked among us, you discover one thread that winds through them all. They have been aligned first with their spiritual nature and only then with their physical selves.

The true value of a human being can be found in the degree to which he has attained liberation from the self. The ancients knew something, which we seem to have forgotten. The more I learn of physics, the more I am drawn to metaphysics. One thing I have learned in a long life: that all our science, measured against reality, is primitive and childlike. We still do not know one thousandth of one percent of what nature has revealed to us. It is entirely possible that behind the perception of our senses, worlds are hidden of which we are unaware.

I’m not an atheist. The problem involved is too vast for our limited minds. We are in the position of a little child entering a huge library filled with books in many languages. The child knows someone must have written those books. The common idea that I am an atheist is based on a big mistake. Anyone who interprets my scientific theories this way, did not understand them.

Everything is determined, every beginning and ending, by forces over which we have no control. It is determined for the insect, as well as for the star. Human beings, vegetables, or cosmic dust, we all dance to a mysterious tune, intoned in the distance by an invisible piper.

The religion of the future will be a cosmic religion. It will transcend a personal God and avoid dogma and theology. Energy cannot be created or destroyed, it can only be changed from one form to another. Everything is energy and that is all there is to it. Match the frequency of the reality you want and you can not help but get that reality. It can be no other way. This is not philosophy. This is physics.

I am happy because I want nothing from anyone. I do not care about money. Decorations, titles or distinctions mean nothing to me. I do not crave praise. I claim credit for nothing. A happy man is too satisfied with the present to dwell too much on the future.”

Hunter S. Thompson

“We are all alone, born alone, die alone, and—in spite of True Romance magazines—we shall all someday look back on our lives and see that, in spite of our company, we were alone the whole way. I do not say lonely—at least, not all the time—but essentially, and finally, alone. This is what makes your self-respect so important, and I don’t see how you can respect yourself if you must look in the hearts and minds of others for your happiness.” ~Hunter Thompson

Book: The Proud Highway

Eclipses by Rudolf Steiner

Below is a little quote from Rudolf Steiner with regard to lunar eclipses. I’ve replaced his words with “subconscious” below, because it’s a more grounded and current interpretation in my view.

“When there is an eclipse of the moon, the man of today merely says: ‘Now the earth comes between the sun and the moon; hence we see the shadow cast upon the moon by the earth.’ That is the physical explanation. But in this case also the old initiate knew that a spiritual reality was behind the physical fact.

He knew that when there is an eclipse of the moon, thoughts stream through darkness down upon the earth; and that such thoughts have a closer relationship with the subconscious life than with the conscious life of the human being. The old initiates often made use of a certain simile when speaking to their pupils.

It is, of course, necessary to translate their words into modern language, but this is the gist of what they said: ‘Visionaries and dreamers love to go for rambles by moonlight, when the moon is full. There are, however, certain people who have no wish to receive the good thoughts coming to them from the cosmos, but who, on the contrary, are desirous of getting hold of ‘the subconscious’ (my current interpretation). Such people will choose the moment of a lunar eclipse for their nocturnal wanderings…

Eclipses of the sun and the moon, recurring as they do in the course of every year, may really be looked upon as “safety-valves.”… The lunar eclipse exists for the purpose of allowing the ‘subconscious’ thoughts, which are present in the cosmos, to approach those human beings who are desirous of ‘being aware’ of them. People do not, as a rule, act in full consciousness.’”

enlightenment

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“According to Vedanta, there are only two symptoms of enlightenment, just two indications that a transformation is taking place within you toward a higher consciousness.
The first symptom is that you stop worrying. Things don’t bother you anymore. You become light-hearted and full of joy.
The second symptom is that you encounter more and more meaningful coincidences in your life, more and more synchronicities. And this accelerates to the point where you actually experience the miraculous.”

Daimon

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“The ancient Greek word “Daemon – daimon.” was originally referred to as a lesser deity or guiding spirit. To Plato Πλάτων 426-347.B.C.E, the etymology and origin of this term meant, to be knowing, wise or intelligent or more appropriately to be inspired or motivated by a spiritual Force or Genius. Interestingly, Apollonius of Tyana Ἀπολλώνιος ὁ Τυανεύς. c. 15-100.A.D and Socrates Σωκρᾰ́της. c. 470-399.B.C.E, both claimed to have a daimonion, which was Seen as the “favour of the gods.” literally, a “divine something.”

Socrates often said that this inner voice was born with him and that it frequently warned him against mistakes. As according to Socrates, the Daimon was not an evil spirit or malevolent spirit, but rather a friend, and a counsellor or guardian spirit. Thought to be assigned to each person at their birth. For the Greeks divided daimons into two categories, either being benevolent or malevolent. Intriguingly these spirits are said to resemble that of the jinn or genie of Arab folklore… (( interestingly the word ‘Genius’ is derived from the Arabic term for Genie.)) In today’s terms through psychological understanding, the term daimon – daemon, whether good or bad, has come to represent an elemental force which contains within it an irrepressible drive towards individuation.”

~ Paul Francis Young

Proof of Psychic ability

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Here is a true story proving psychic ability exists and is a real quality that humans possess. Not all psychics are authentic or honorable, but the ABILITY is real 🙂 This has been proven to me over and over again in my practice. I’ve seen and heard things that have no other explanation.

“Psychologist Imants Barušs once tested a medium by asking her to contact the spirit of physicist Richard Feynman and provide answers to specialist questions beyond the medium’s knowledge. Once contact was established, Barušs asked the spirit for the “fine-structure constant,” which is approximately 1/137. The medium answered, “Zero. Eight.” Barušs cut her off, saying that was incorrect. The spirit protested and mentioned something about a capital M. Barušs responded, “There is no capital M.”

A week later, Barušs’ colleague, Julia Mossbridge (capital M), heard of the encounter and shared this quote from Feynman:

“There is a most profound and beautiful question associated with the observed coupling constant, e–the amplitude for a real electron to emit or absorb a real photon. It is a simple number that has been experimentally determined to be close to 0.08542455. (My physicist friends won’t recognize this number, because they like to remember it as the inverse of its square: about 137.03597..)”
Any other physicist might have said 1/137, or 0.00729; but Feynman would have given √0.00729 or .08542455. BOOM.

[Paraphrased from I. Barušs and J. Mossbridge (2017), “Transcendent Mind: Rethinking the Science of Consciousness” (Washington, DC: APA), 193-4.]

Karma

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Gertrude Abercrombie’s “The Stroll” (1943). Credit Credit Oil on fiberboard, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of the Gertrude Abercrombie Trust

“Karma is not properly understood.
All of us have karma to work out. Karma is what we earn during our living. It is often thought of as some sort of equalizing force between good and evil. For example, it is wrongly believed that if one does a good thing a good thing will happen to them. Likewise, if one were to do an evil thing. It is often confused as an overbearing mother that spanks a badly-behaved child, and the things which lead to “bad karma” are often confused by the concept of sins.
About sins, I just have one thing to say about them in the Christian sense of the word. You are not punished for your sins: You are punished BY them. If you engage in activities which are alien to your own True Will and purpose, expect some blow-back. It is no more difficult to understand than that.
A person’s karma is equal to a person’s work in the world. In fact, Karma Yoga is the yoga of action. Nothing more. But Karma Yoga will only provide partial fulfillment. It is a means to an end, but not the end itself. In the Order of Thelemic Knights, we perform three yogas simultaneously. We have had to Westernize these in order to make them possible to reap benefits from them in our every day lives. They are, what we consider to be, the Grand Trifecta: Karma Yoga, Jnana Yoga, and Bhakti Yoga.
The first, Karma Yoga has already been explained. This is the yoga that we perform in order to make ripples in the universe in accordance to our individual Wills.
Jnana Yoga is the path of knowledge, or if you prefer, self-realization. Not to be confused with Raja Yoga which IS an end unto itself, and the purpose of all the other yogas.
Bhakti Yoga is the path of service and devotion, usually to a God or deity. In the Thelemic sense this translates into devotion toward ones Holy Guardian Angel.
The goal of these yogas is to achieve a method by which to practice Raja Yoga, which is considered “The Royal Yoga,” since it leads to the Ultimate Union. In modern days it has been defined rather profanely. For more on Raja Yoga and how it can be achieved, we recommend the Hatha Yoga Pradipika.
So, what does this have to do with mountains? They are our karma. These are mountains we must climb. Things that must be achieved to restore balance. In Christianity, the term in “we all have our cross to bear” is used to convey their paradigm. For Thelemic Knights we refer to these obstacles as campaigns, but it is really all the same thing. I am using the term mountains today because it has no religious connotation.
Here is what I have learned about climbing mountains. Sometimes, when climbing a mountain that seems insurmountable it may be easier to climb in the dark. This is a way to trick oneself into making the journey less difficult, since we cannot see the plateau in the dark, we are unable to see how far we must go. It is frightening and uncomfortable, but I promise you that if you are indeed doing the Work, you will not be alone in that darkness.
Also, there will be others climbing those mountains at the same time as you, for varying reasons specific to their own karma. Help one another. No one says you must climb these mountains alone, and perhaps helping some one might help you both reach that mountain top, especially if it is part of your karma to do so.

If things get unbearably difficult remember this: every journey has an end. You will eventually reach your goal, but there will always be another mountain.”

By Gerald del Campo
May 6, 2019

Women of Age and Wisdom

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“Women get more beautiful as they grow older. Not less.
Female youth is only prized in modern culture because it doesn’t represent as much of a threat spiritually to anyone who is frightened of divine feminine power.
As women grow and mature, they call in stronger forces of sacred feminine wisdom. They vibrate with the creative power of their stories.
They are more of a force to be reckoned with.
They see more, know more, feel more. They put up with a lot less bullshit.
When women are trained into thinking there is something fundamentally wrong with getting older, and are coerced into spending money, energy and power investing in ‘slowing the signs of ageing’, an enormous vault of divine love is lost.
Just think what would happen if all the women in the world started loving themselves even more with every year that passed.
Perhaps a total revolution would occur.~”
~Yogesh Kumar

New Year’s Tarot Ritual

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Here’s a wonderful ritual you can try tonight, that will give you insight on what will happen to you in 2019! Just pull out the Major Arcana and the Aces, shuffle three times, cut three times, and use your intuition to choose a card!

From Lon Duquette:

“NEW YEARS EVE TAROT
At stroke of Midnight close thine eyes,
And Dream and Wish and Fantasize,
What thou wouldst most sincerely prize
This coming year…Then visualize.
Now pick a Card and thou shalt see
A catalyst that is the Key
To things that will transformeth thee,
If thou wouldst heed its wise decree.
0
The Fool
A pure buffoon skips towards his doom,
An abyss of profound uncertainties.
It takes a Fool to seed that womb
With all possible possibilities.
Innocence is the catalyst
The Fool’s decree is clear.
By purity of heart you’ll be transformed
To greet the coming year.
I
The Magician
The Magician is a crafty boy,
He’ll cause your mind to boggle.
He can’t create, he can’t destroy,
But boy! Can that guy juggle.
Dexterity is the catalyst.
The Magician’s decree is clear.
By craft and skill you’ll be transformed
To greet the coming year.
II
The High Priestess
Twixt dark and light a maid serene
Weaves spells of fascination.
Spinning moonlight veils from strands of dream
To conceal your initiation.
The female is the catalyst.
The High Priestess’ decree is clear.
By virginity’s power you’ll be transformed
To greet the coming year.
III
The Empress
The Empress sits before the door
Of a garden in full bloom,
At once a chaste wife, and a whore,
All life within her womb.
Beauty is the catalyst.
The Empress’ decree is clear.
By sweet romance you’ll be transformed
To greet the coming year.
IV
The Emperor
A warrior king the Emperor he,
His empire firm established.
Dictating all within his see,
His enemies killed or banished.
Domination is the catalyst.
The Emperor’s decree is clear.
By Ambition you’ll be transformed
To greet the coming year.
V
The Hierophant
A Holy Man who hears and heeds
The voice of God within him.
Sweet mystery’s Priest who dares to lead
The souls of men and women.
The voice of your soul is the catalyst
The Hierophant’s decree is clear.
Through inspiration you’ll be transformed
To greet the coming year.
VI
The Lovers
Upon the woman man looks with lust,
But the Angel is her true lover.
The man imagines what he must,
But it’s a God who makes love to her.
A marriage is the catalyst
The Lover’s decree is clear.
By a union you’ll be transformed
To greet the coming year.
VII
The Chariot
The Holy Grail, a Victorious Knight,
Serving neither Evil nor Good,
His chariot is the mystic Shrine
Of the cup of Holy Blood.
Victory is the catalyst.
Charioteer’s decree is clear.
In triumph you’ll be transformed
To greet the coming year.
VIII
Strength
To hold the lion’s jaws apart
Great bravado is must.
But stronger still than strength of heart
Is good old-fashioned lust.
Courage is the catalyst.
Strength’s decree is clear.
By passion you’ll be transformed
To greet the coming year.
IX
The Hermit
The Hermit shuns the world of wealth
On mountain top he stands.
He hides himself within himself
But gives his light to Man.
Solitude is the catalyst.
The Hermit’s decree is clear.
In silence you’ll be transformed
To greet the coming year.
X
The Wheel of Fortune
Upon the rim fight creatures three
And fortune’s wheel keeps spinning.
Feeling, Thought and Ecstasy
Eternal loss and winning.
Amusement is the catalyst.
Fortune’s decree is clear.
By having fun you’ll be transformed
To greet the coming year.
XI
Justice
Goddess Justice sits with poise
And wields the scales and sword.
Avoid extremes, don’t rock the boat
Balance is its own reward.
Equilibrium’s the catalyst
Justice’s decree is clear.
At gravity’s point you’ll be transformed
To greet the coming year.
XII
The Hanged Man
A martyred man suspended tight,
Crucified or drowned.
Truth mirrors Truth and Light mirrors Light
Even when you’re upside down.
Reversal is the catalyst.
The Hanged Man’s decree is clear.
Through sacrifice you’ll be transformed
To greet the coming year.
XIII
Death
Sometimes the Death card really means death,
Sometimes…. but very seldom.
It brings the end of unbearable stress
When any change is welcome.
A grand finale is the catalyst.
Death’s decree is clear.
Through inevitable change you’ll be transformed
To greet the coming year.
XIV
Temperance
The Angel Temperance evokes a mist
Of steam from magick born,
Of water and fire most subtly mixed
With light the rainbow forms.
Union of opposites is the catalyst.
Temperance’s decree is clear.
By alchemy you’ll be transformed
To greet the coming year.
XV
The Devil
Bad sees bad, good sees good.
Ignorance is the greatest evil.
The ignorant just look at God
And see nothing but the Devil.
Temptation is the catalyst.
The Devil’s decree is clear.
Transmute a vice — you’ll be transformed
To greet the coming year.
XVI
The Tower
The House of God, a Tower high
By God’s own hand is blasted.
But the world would stop, all life would die
If forever had it lasted.
Destruction is the catalyst.
The Tower’s decree is clear.
By war and danger you’ll be transformed
To greet the coming year.
XVII
The Star
Every man and woman is a star
Most glorious and resplendent.
Would each of us know who we are
Self radiant and Independent.
Hope is the catalyst
The Star’s decree is clear.
By your inner light you’ll be transformed
To greet the coming year.
XVIII
The Moon
She’s constant inconstancy,
Her glamour ever changing.
The Moon’s allure is never sure,
Eternal wax and waning.
Illusion is the catalyst.
The Moon’s decree is clear.
By seeing through it you’ll be transformed
To greet the coming year.
IX
The Sun
Lord of all terrestrial life
Your rays we daily cherish.
Source of liberty, source of light
Without whom all would perish.
Self-image is the catalyst.
The Sun’s decree is clear.
By shamelessness you’ll be transformed
To greet the coming year.
XX
Judgement
Apocalypse comes regularly
We may as well learn to face it.
The world breaks down periodically
It’s just easier to replace it.
Resolution is the catalyst.
Judgment’s decree is clear.
Make a decision and you’ll be transformed
To greet the coming year.
XXI
The World
Amidst the stars a dancer whirls
To the music of creation.
Each turn transforms a World fulfilled,
Into a World of expectation.
Patience is the catalyst.
The World’s decree is clear.
With year and time you’ll be transformed
To greet the coming year.
Legend for blank card:
[Card with your own face on it]
XXIII
The Screw-up
The Screw-up stands where he shouldn’t stand,
Says things he shouldn’t say.
Lets opportunities slip through his hands,
And screws up every day.
Incompetence is the catalyst.
The Screw-up’s decree is clear.
By blundering you’ll be transformed
To greet the coming year.
ACE OF WANDS
The Ace of Wands, the Soul’s True Will,
The purpose for your existence.
Discover your Will and you shall kill
The source of all resistance.
Your True Will is the catalyst.
Ace of Wands’ decree is clear.
By self-control you’ll be transformed
To greet the coming year.
ACE OF CUPS
The Ace of Cups is love for sure.
Perhaps a wound from Cupid,
Or Platonic Love that’s for more pure,
But you’ll still act just as stupid.
Love is the catalyst.
Ace of Cups’ decree is clear.
With loving heart you’ll be transformed
To greet the coming year.
ACE OF SWORDS
The Ace of Swords is power invoked,
Authority and discrimination.
A deadly tool when you’re provoked,
Dread source of consternation.
Contention is the catalyst.
Ace of Swords’ decree is clear.
Through altercation you’ll be transformed
To greet the coming year.
ACE OF DISKS
Ace of Disks, the Physical Plane,
It’s what you think is real.
It’s real like rocks, it’s real like pain,
What you see, hear, taste and feel.
Property is the catalyst.
Ace of Disks’ decree is clear.
By money you’ll be transformed
To greet the coming year.

 

Hell and back

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“Lost” by Charles Bukowski

they say that hell is crowded, yet,
when you’re in hell,
you always seem to be alone.
& you can’t tell anyone when you’re in hell
or they’ll think you’re crazy
& being crazy is being in hell
& being sane is hellish too.

those who escape hell, however,
never talk about it
& nothing much bothers them after that.
I mean, things like missing a meal,
going to jail, wrecking your car,
or even the idea of death itself.

when you ask them,
“how are things?”
they’ll always answer, “fine, just fine…”

once you’ve been to hell and back,
that’s enough
it’s the greatest satisfaction known to man.

once you’ve been to hell and back,
you don’t look behind you when the floor creaks
and the sun is always up at midnight
and things like the eyes of mice
or an abandoned tire in a vacant lot
can make you smile
once you’ve been to hell and back.

“Lost” by Charles Bukowski, from Burning in Water, Drowning in Flame