CHANGING SANCTUARY
Back from Norway and feeling the same old regret for not taking the plunge and moving over there for good, my heart leaps with awe and astonishment at what awaits me. Among things piled up in my mailbox over a month, I find two books by Matthew Remski. I don't know Matthew, but for some reason he seems to know me. A card accompanies Syrinx and Systole, and yoga 2.0: shamanic echoes, which says: “To a mentor, plus inspiration from afar.” Over the years, I've grown accustomed to people seeing me as some kind of a teacher, or some kind of an “esoteric genius,” or other such things related to some form of transmission. True, I have funny interests. And yet, for my part, I'm suspicious of instructing. More often than not the act of instructing is misunderstood. And I leave teaching “positive change” to the host of self-helpers who blissfully remain ignorant of both change and positiveness. For, what form does change assume in relation to what we know, how we are, and what we are willing to acknowledge about our nature? What conditions change, and what does it mean to be positive? That you have to take it all in good stride? Like hell you do. That would require a whole lot of seeing, and seeing is not what we're doing, in spite of the visual culture we live in. Seeing requires time and the recognition of light. Ours and others'. So, what do we really see?
Cognitive psychology of the 'you can fix it' kind never invites us to see anything, only to asses the so-called situation, and then change it. So you change the situation and lose sight of yourself. Nice going. Next step: self-deception. I believe in light, and the nature of light is to enlighten. And the beauty of light is that it comes without forcing. When you see the light, you also see the balance between your intelligence and your acts of kindness. You let it all stream through you, and that is all. Of course, since this theory is so simple, there's no money in it. Hence we don't get to hear about light on TV or other channels promoting happiness. Emanating light is not about petting each other on our backs and instructing each other on how well we're doing and how fantastic we are.
Writes Matthew in the yoga book: “When you open your mouth to speak, nature throws her voice outwards, through you. The land moves your hands. The weather moves your feet. Your point of view is singular yet comprehensive, because the world itself is looking out through your eyes. When something arises to be done, there is no question about whether it should be done. How it should be done arises naturally as you begin to do it” (29). So, no forcing. If a wall is impenetrable, leave it unchallenged. It the world is dense and dull, leave it to its devise. I also read these lines from Syrinx and Systole: “Inquiry begins with the harshest consonants (ts and cts, and dental ds) but opens into a palatal ds and lingering ns: What exactly don't I understand?” There are these 3: liberty, self-sufficiency, and frankness. Anything else is nonsense. These 3 require the kind of self-knowledge that exceeds the cynic's lot. If there's a task we want to preoccupy ourselves with, then it is this one: let us read more poetry. The words of the poets carry heavy light with them, and this light beams far and bounces into our sanctuaries. Matthew Remski, thank you.
Cognitive psychology of the 'you can fix it' kind never invites us to see anything, only to asses the so-called situation, and then change it. So you change the situation and lose sight of yourself. Nice going. Next step: self-deception. I believe in light, and the nature of light is to enlighten. And the beauty of light is that it comes without forcing. When you see the light, you also see the balance between your intelligence and your acts of kindness. You let it all stream through you, and that is all. Of course, since this theory is so simple, there's no money in it. Hence we don't get to hear about light on TV or other channels promoting happiness. Emanating light is not about petting each other on our backs and instructing each other on how well we're doing and how fantastic we are.
Writes Matthew in the yoga book: “When you open your mouth to speak, nature throws her voice outwards, through you. The land moves your hands. The weather moves your feet. Your point of view is singular yet comprehensive, because the world itself is looking out through your eyes. When something arises to be done, there is no question about whether it should be done. How it should be done arises naturally as you begin to do it” (29). So, no forcing. If a wall is impenetrable, leave it unchallenged. It the world is dense and dull, leave it to its devise. I also read these lines from Syrinx and Systole: “Inquiry begins with the harshest consonants (ts and cts, and dental ds) but opens into a palatal ds and lingering ns: What exactly don't I understand?” There are these 3: liberty, self-sufficiency, and frankness. Anything else is nonsense. These 3 require the kind of self-knowledge that exceeds the cynic's lot. If there's a task we want to preoccupy ourselves with, then it is this one: let us read more poetry. The words of the poets carry heavy light with them, and this light beams far and bounces into our sanctuaries. Matthew Remski, thank you.
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