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LOUNGE GUY'S BLOG
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Last updated:
The Relevant, the Irreverent, and Places in Between |
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8/14/08 A change in perspective. I believe that oil, at least as the product that fuels vehicles, is on the way out. It will still be valuable for other uses like making plastics, but not for automobiles. Cars that run on alternate fuels already exist and will surely replace them. I know...I know... This is not news. But the options are here now (or for some options, almost here) and many are in production. 8/6/08 The most popular music download for July was Les Barricades Mystérieuses, by François Couperin; a lovely piece of music. You can download it here, or visit the Music room. 8/4/08 From an emotional/sentimental perception, the Buddhist idea that "all things must pass" has always been tough for me to deal with. Tonight though, I went and picked up my favorite glass. Made of thick, heavy, transparent orange glass, I've always liked its weight, grip, and odd color. I thought, "One day, you will be gone." After a moment, I smiled; I appreciated that glass more than I ever had before. You could say I loved it. 7/25/08 Here's a brief, personal political history: 7/21/08 Two Approaches to Spirituality: What if they merge? 7/7/08 3 THINGS TODAY (was "MANY THINGS TODAY," but I forget most of them....) 6/26/08 Astrology note Plus: Saturn transits seem to kick in full-strength about one-half a degree after the exact transit point. For example, take a natal Sun at 15º 20' Leo. When transiting Saturn reaches around 15º 50' Leo (30' after exact), that's when you could feel the full energetic impact. 6/17/08 As we dream through life, we may come to a point where we realize that waking up is a good thing to do — perhaps the only thing of real consequence. When we reach this point, it's like realizing you're in a dream and you want to wake up. In a night-time dream when this happens, you usually say in the dream, "This is a dream, I went to wake up" (if it's a bad dream). To wake up in the dream of life is to awaken to joy. Second call: Wake Up! The time is now! 6/16/08 Living a spiritual life can be tough, especially when life itself gets seemingly tough. You have to ask yourself, "Is this situation bad, or am I just giving too much importance to form." If you go with the latter option, you have to have faith in the universe, because "scary" situations demand to be taken seriously. The ego says, "Hey, my survival is at stake here." 6/3/08 Often, "coincidences" happen. For example, this morning I was saying goodbye to a friend. I said, "Smooth sailing, Captain." I've never used the word "captain" with him before. Before he hung up, he said, "By the way, I'm going to see a ship's captain right now. How strange that you said that." 6/2/08 When things get too serious, it's no fun any more. 5/20/08 Here's a real nice music video: Michael Bublé - Everything 4/13/08 Here's a new tune called Dream Angus, a Scottish lullaby. Real nice. (Font is red.) 4/12/08 OK; You are God — infinite in knowing, infinite in love, infinite in peace, eternal in existence. So You decide to create a universe of form. But how do you hide from yourself, to make the game interesting? One way would be to create creatures with brains that function dualistically, so they cannot comprehend "infinite" and "eternal." You would be masked behind a Thought Stream. Of course, You would leave a back door — enlightenment — so there would always be a way out. And You might include evolution, so that as the dream wears on, eventually You would wake up. 4/4/08 Two items today: 3/21/08
"Sitting on a sofa on a Sunday afternoon. 3/20/08 I've been to most brands of churches, temples, etc.. What I see is that religions are basically a form of brainwashing. I'm not debating whether the results are good or bad — each have their positive and negative aspects (although some seem more prone to help humanity than others). They use symbols, "tradition," and myths to create a "reality atmosphere." Believers are supposed to get with the program and assume that what is being presented is not just a picture of reality, but reality itself., 3/7/08 The most popular MP3 download for February was Water Baby, a gentle piece describing a baby's life in the womb. It's not rock 'n roll. It's here, in the Galaxy section, marked with 5 gold stars. Like the rest of the music on that page, it's a free download. 2/7/08 Here is a very big place (everywhere); Now is a very long time (forever). 1/27/08 I've been slacking off the blog... December's uncontested download champ for music was Symphonies of the Planets II. January's winner is still up for grabs. Speaking music, who said Zappa couldn't write bee-bop? Well, probably no one said it. To hear a super bee-bop clip, visit the Music section and download Go Cry on Somebody Else's Shoulder. 12/24/07 HOLIDAY MESSAGE 12/4/07 The most popular music download for November was Sonic Rites Initiation, Initiation III, Step 8. Click here to download (20,444 kb). 12/3/07 There are two kinds of people in this world: the ones that give you enjoyment and the ones that don't. As humans, our basic reality is that we seek joy and happiness. Therefore, the former kind fulfills us. Enjoyment can be physical — a touch, how someone looks, the sound of his or her voice, the scent — anything sensual. Enjoyment can be emotional, mental, and spiritual as well. 12/3/07 There two new videos in the Visual section, one about animal emotions, the other is a carton slide show about doggies. 11/14/07 OK, there I was: content, eating a fried egg nestled between twin slices of Arnold's Health Nut Bread. Would I allow myself to simply enjoy it? Reading the label was promising enough: "All natural", "no artificial flavors, colors, or preservatives," "no high fructose corn syrup," "no trans fats." 11/2/07 For October's winner of the galactically prestigious Most Downloaded Piece of Music Award (MDPMA) goes (unexpectedly) to Descent into Matter. This piece describes in sound how it may be like for a soul to pass through the dimensional veil and enter into a fetus (to be born). 10/26/07 Experience has conditioned most people to believe and expect that having good news delivered to them every day is not to be expected. I say, "Start expecting good news everyday, and that will certainly improve your chances of receiving it." I quoted myself.... sheesh. 10/23/07 Wow. This month is flying by! Anyway... 10/12/07 Quote of the Month: "We spend our lives preparing for an argument we'll never have with a person we'll never meet whose opinions we could never change." Peter Mehlman in the Huffington Post, Oct. 11. 10/8/07 During the last few months, many things have happened that seem "fated." Do you know what I mean? I moved from old relationships unexpectedly, found new ones equally unexpectedly, and have taken on new responsibilities (equally....). And I hear this from a lot of people. It's as if the earth is this giant chessboard, and someone somewhere is moving the pieces around. 10/7/07 Last months most popular music download was Crystal Raindrops. Listen or download it here. It has the 5 gold stars rating. Also, check out Yoko Ono's IMAGINE PEACE on the front page here. 9/21/07 It's good to be a healer — to relieve the pain or suffering of another. This could be through herbs or other forms of doctoring, through touch, or through using Truth. There are many ways to be a healer, all of them useful, perhaps holy. Healing the body, mind, emotions, and soul. 9/20/07 What is enlightenment? I think it's realizing and embodying who you really are — your spirit. What happens during socialization is that you compromise your true identity so that you can avoid punishment, fit in, or get approval (or whatever else it is we thing we need to survive here). In the process, we become lost, a stranger to ourselves. 9/9/07 "The wind did wind and wound round the wound." 9/9/07 There's a new "Symbols" slide show (Vol. 1) in the Visuals section. It's a Flash presentation. I hope you enjoy it. Volume 2 will be there soon. 9/8/07 I've had the opportunity to know some Born Again Christians. They seem to think that being Saved is like the Lotto, but with a twist. They think (or at least behave as if) that by just buying a ticket means that you win. 8/26/07 If you want to love someone, try to make them happy. 8/19/07 The Truth Shall Set You Free: I knew a woman whose theme was, "Nobody understands me." She'd say it all the time. I told her that maybe she doesn't express herself clearly enough. Maybe speaking up more would help. As time went on, though, I discovered what the real problem was: She was a habitual liar. She'd lie about anything, but her lies would always be convincing. If cornered, she would always come back later with a good reason why she lied. Check out the new ebook, the Emotional Freedom Technique (EFT). The technique has been around for awhile. If you haven't tried it, it may be worth it for you. It can be highly effective in curing many physio-emotional problems. 8/18/07 Although I sometimes have energy in my body that makes me feel frightened and insecure, I realize that:
8/15/07 The Meaning and Purpose of Life: 8/3/07 I've added a new music piece to the Music Section called "Pictures in a Waiting Room." It's a short, introspective piece. If you've ever sat in a waiting room for an appointment, maybe can relate to it. Also in Music, last month's Most Popular Download was "Crystal Raindrops" (marked by 5 stars, for easy location), one of my favorites too. 7/25/07 Human Spiritual Evolution: Can humanity advance? In his recent Rolling Stone interview, musical luminary Bob Dylan said that the human condition is what it is and always shall be. Christianity and most other religions believe this too. They await for The End for salvation. This static vision of humanity has deep roots, planted before Darwin's insight that forms evolve over time. Also, until recently a global vision of a human family hasn't been widely shared: it's been mostly about nations, races, and creeds, all of which have exclusive "them-us" natures. There is a growing movement though that sees humanity as a dynamic entity, dynamic in the sense that it can evolve spiritually and physically. It doesn't take much of a leap of faith to see that forms evolve — and human beings are one of them — and that we are not at the end of the evolutionary line (unless we become extinct....) Spiritually, individuals mature, so why can't the species as a whole? In history, the anti-war movement has never swelled to such great numbers. People are awakening to the idea that a good economy is neither capitalist nor socialist, but could be based on the principle of fulfilling everyone on as many levels as possible. A high "per capita income" is not the best economic goal; a holistic approach is better not only to fill people's needs, but to advance the race, as well. 7/24/07 One way to determine the value of an idea, action, cause, or movement is to ask, "How does this help humanity? How does this harm humanity?" Often, the question is unconsciously framed as, "Is this good for me?" or "Is this good for my group?" and we act on that. This is normal human behavior. It will not, however, lead to evolutionary solutions, unless (by chance or design) "What's good for me" is good for humanity. It could be argued that because I am part of the whole, if it's good for me, it's good for the whole. In the pure sense, that's true. However, some ideas about "what is good for me" are distorted. For example, in the 1990's, the notion that "Greed is good" became fashionable, especially by ambitious corporate types. When carried out to it's logical conclusion, though, that idea is divisive and destructive to the whole. 7/23/07 Wow. From what I've gathered, many people are going through big-time changes — not necessarily pleasant, but probably for the better. It feels like a big shake up. On another note, I think the purpose of being alive, at least the most fundamental reason, is to be aware that we are alive: not just the unconscious response, "Of course I'm alive,..." but rather experiencing life moment to moment. I think that the closer we are like this, the clearer our path becomes for our specific purpose of life. What are we here to do? 7/11/07 Two things are worth mentioning — one personal, one philosophical. On the personal level, my youngest daughter went to a "Beach Weekend" with a church group. She had just dumper her two-timing boyfriend. I couldn't object to her going, although she was socially vulnerable. When she came home, she was acting oddly. She said, "I'm really happy!," forcing it. I thought at first that she was saying that she had a great time at the beach. But there was more. She would tap her fingers together, roll her eyes, shoot glances at me. With each gesture I would say, "I don't know what that means." And this kept up for a while. She had something to say, but she wasn't comfortable saying it. So I said, "Well, talk to me when you feel comfortable," and I went in and laid down to read. She followed me in, sat down on the bed, and said, "I'm a Christian." I said, "What?" She repeated, "I'm a Christian." I said, "Oh." She proceeded to tell me how during the church meeting she "cried in public for the first time since I was four." She had a great emotional release. This, of course, is a good thing. She said that she didn't believe "whales were the first creatures created," implying that she wasn't going to believe the illogical stuff of the Bible. I said, "So, you're a rational Christian." She thought about that for a moment and then said, "Yes, that sounds good." She is happy for now though, and that's the important thing. She had wanted to put a "Darwin Fish" on her car. You know those fish symbols Christians stick on their cars; well, a Darwin Fish is one of those with little legs and feet. Today, I asked here if that was still going to happen. She changed the subject. In the past, we would sit around the table for dinner, and her mom and sister would drop little ditties like, "It's wonderful to be saved," implying that my daughter and I weren't. We would glance at each other as if to say, "Sheesh, how condescending!" At those moments I would think that they should be saved from being saved. That's my ego at work, of course.... Where's the Free Will? Free will can't effect the past; well, if it can, I don't know. I've tried a few "past changing techniques," but I'm not convinced. Free Will can't effect the future. Why is that? Because the future never gets here. You go to bed at night and when you wake up, it's not the future; it's Now. So by default, Free Will doesn't effect the future, because the future doesn't exist. The past doesn't exist either, except as memory. ("Well, what about dinosaur bones?" We see them in the Now as well.) I guess the point is the familiar one: time-wise, only the Now exists. So, that leaves only the question, "Do we have Free Will in the present?" The present "is what it is." As such, nothing can be done to change it. I mentioned this example before: Say the bath tub water is running. You want it not running. In that moment, it is running. Period. Free Will cannot change the moment. However, you can initiate a process to turn off the water. Every "Now" of the way, though, is fixed. I admit, dealing with this paradox is not intuitive, but the reasoning is sound. Free Will is ideas that we act on. I imagine a better way to function — or more aligned with reality — is to be present and allow spirit to act through you. The Lightlounge Most Popular Music Download last month was "Transmutation." Download or listen to a copy by clicking the title or visiting the "Music" section: Transmutation is easy to spot because five gold stars are lined up by it. I've also added a music review about the new CD eMotive. Find it in the Reviews section. |
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