A poem

The Son

I see his reflection upon the face

The water, the trees, the open space

A mirror image, a sun that shines bright

Leading me forth into eternal light

Showing me things he’s drawn in the sand

Guiding me by his invisible hand

Illuminating paths along the mountainside

By his grace I’ve seen how far that I’ve climbed

Giving me vision, a new hope, and a fire

Burning away my wrongful desires

The potter who seeks, I seek him to mold

A new man in me with a future to behold

by Jeremy O’Connor

               

Old Habits Die Hard

Some things are easy to quit.  For example, walking away from a job you hate isn't difficult for most.  I'm sure though that the majority of people would agree giving something up that we feel a strong attachment is no easy task.  The funny thing is that many times those things we need to give up in our lives are in fact the hardest to let go of.  Additionally, those things almost always tend to not be healthy for us. So why do we have unhealthy attachments to things or people?

It seems like we all some sort of vice (dare I say addiction?)...maybe even something as innocent and harmless as a sweet tooth.  But those things we tend to overindulge in... be it alcohol, drugs or an unhealthy relationship don't really bring us any true fulfillment.  They only offer us a temporary sense of satisfaction.  It's easy though to fall back on those things time and again than it is to break them off and establish something new or healthy in its place.  There's an old saying that goes "if you always do what you've always done, you'll always get what you've always gotten."  That statement that carries a lot of weight.  Really, how can we change our tomorrow if we're unwilling to change today?

Oft times we need to hit a bottom, or reach a point a despair that brings about a willingness break an unhealthy, lingering habit.  Other times we just get tired of living in the same old destructive patterns that brings us nothing good in life.  So, it leaves one to ask........how do you break free of the negative things?  Unfortunately, we have these things called memories that tend to entice us back.  We know how that thing made us feel and the temporary pleasure that it brings.  Somehow it always tends to bite us in the end though, doesn't it?  It reminds me of those animal trainers who work with grizzly bears and tigers.  God bless his heart but, Steve Erwin was a little nuts.  As great of a guy as he was, he worked with dangerous animals on a daily basis and it ended up costing him his life.  That might be a bad example for this discussion here but...in reality, it's similar to an addict.  Steve loved he was doing but his passion for it ultimately led to his demise. 

We can become so entrenched in a habit or destructive relationship that it ends up killing us, if not in the physical sense than in the spiritual sense.  When allow those things to rule our lives, we are not in control and we give the control over to something else.  And when we're not in control...we're out of control.  So again, how do we end a habit once and for all?   My belief is that reaching for something higher than ourselves is the best way.  That could mean calling on God, a "higher power" or something that isn't of the natural realm to help us through it.  Too many people think of life in black in white terms, dismissing anything spiritual.  Self-reliance is too often praised but neglected are those things that are soul-seeking in nature.  The fact is that there are many things cannot be explained or fixed with modern science....especially when you're dealing with something that has a strong emotional element to it (as is the case with most addictions). 

The good news is that every day is a new day.  Every day we have a new set of options available to us.  We can decide to do things the same old way we've always done them - or we can choose to turn away from those things and take a higher path.  I guess what it boils down to is that life is a choice...now pick your poison.   

Happy Holidays

Ever get the blues around the holidays?   Fortunately, this Christmas was not a particularly rough one for me as I was in a state other than Illinois ...you know, one of those states where the sun actually stays out for the majority of the day!   The last 2-3 prior years however were not all that pleasant for me.  I think a lot of people have what they call the winter blues or seasonal affective disorder (S.A.D. for short).   The basic cause behind the disorder is a lack of sunlight exposure, where the sufferer experiences feelings of depression and despondency after several dreary days.  I would say that my mood is definitely impacted by the weather.  Not to say that I don't enjoy an occasional rainy day at home watching movies...but I do feel that my mood is noticeably different on days where there's limited sunshine. 

Obviously, not everyone has this problem.  But I wonder why some people are affected this way and others are not?   I know that for most people, the holidays can be very stressful and/or emotional time. Given that fact, I would think that several days of gloomy weather could only help compound the problem.  I do believe that human beings need a certain amount of sunlight to remain healthy and vibrant.  After all, the sun is what gives life to the planet....it provides warmth, generates solar energy and photosynthesis, and it gives us an amount of vitamin D that gets absorbed through the skin and eyes.  All these are necessary to sustain life. 

So I guess that begs the question, why would one choose to live in IL?  Well, there's Chicago.......and good pizza.......and.........?   My family (most of whom all live here) are of course very important to me as well. Unfortunately though, the older I get the less I see of them anyhow. Plus they could certainly come visit me if I were to move to say,  Florida or Arizona right!?  Whatever the case, I think that many times our attitudes and feelings are impacted by our environments.  Moving somewhere else is certainly not going to solve all your problems.  That's a falsehood that many have come to discover.   But it can give you a new perspective on things and life in general.  In the meantime, I guess I'll just have to deal with this damn icy weather....and dream about palm trees and coconuts :-)

Ignorance is Bliss

Doesn't that go without saying?  It's a phrase most of us have heard or used several times throughout our lives.  It was even used in one of my favorite movies, 'The Matrix.'   In a sense, it is somewhat true.  I think that if I were diagnosed with a terminal disease, my preference would be to not know about it and just continue on living life as is.   Maybe that's what so many people avoid going to the doctor...because they're afraid to learn what might be wrong with them?   Knowledge is power, yes...but not if that knowledge brings you anxiety, right!?  If you discovered you had an incurable brain tumor and would die within 3 months, would you rather know or just let nature take it's course?  Not to say that I'm fatalistic but I think I would just prefer to not know about it.   Some people however might want to make the most of those 3 months and do things they wouldn't do otherwise...like go skydiving, visit the Himilayas, or reconnect with an old friend.  Whatever the case may be, I think the "knowing" part of it would always be in the back of my mind so for me that would be somewhat tortuous.

Certainly, there are some things though that we need to be aware of in life.  It's hard to say but I think in general, people prefer not to know things that detract from their rosy perspective of  life and the world around them.  I feel that many times people block out information because they would rather just not think about it.  Let's face it...admitting something is not what you thought it was is extremely difficult.  Like the faithful wife, married for 32 years to the same man that finds out her sweet husband has been having an affair on her.  Or finding out the doctor you've been going to for since you're childhood was just committed of a sex crime. Things like this, unfortunately happen every day. 

The point is that these revelations are hard to swallow.  Nobody wants to admit that they have an incurable disease, that their mate has been cheating on them, or that their trusted doctor could ever commit such a despicable act!  The bottom line is that once you open your eyes to the truth you begin to see.  You begin to see more than just with your eyes, and begin to see with your mind.  I notice so many people distracting themselves with their I-pod, I-pad, or some other accoutrement.   Maybe it's just entertainment or recreation but it's also shutting yourself off to the world around you.  When did we as a society become so obsessed with reality TV, celebrity lifestyles, and pop culture anyway...yet so negligent when it comes to knowledge of what's happening at the highest levels of our government?   We would rather know who won the Bears game than who won the mid-term elections...pretty sad if you ask me.

So I guess I'll sum up my ramblings by saying this --- yes, ignorance is bliss...that is until your reality comes crashing down and you're forced to see the truth. 

Interesting Facts on the Number 33

GENERAL RELIGION, MYSTICISM, AND MYTHOLOGY

Mircea Eliade establishes that there are 33 major religions in the world today in his book, The Eliade Guide to World Religions [Mircea Eliade, Ioan P. Couliano - HarperSanFrancisco, c1991)]. Its format presents 33 extensive "macro-dictionary" articles and a "micro-dictionary" of brief entries and index references. The volume provides an authoritative if brief overview of major religious traditions.
Monotheism began with Egypt's Pharaoh Dynasty of Akhenaten in Amarna, 3,300 years ago.
In the field of Numerology, many systems hold 33 as the highest of the "Master Numbers." It symbolizes "Christ Consciousness," or the ultimate attainment of consciousness. ["Master Numbers" are repdigits that are not "reduced" (33 is not reduced to a "6," as is 42, for example)].
The diamond is associated by some gemologists and numerologists with the "Master Number, 33."
"33" and "22" are patrilineal and matrilineal, respectively, in the history of "shamanism."
The hexagram [a.k.a. "Solomon's Seal" or "Star of David"] can be seen as two superimposed triangles. An effect of this may be to find in the symbol a "33" - two "three-fold" forms, combined. This figure is significant in many of the world's spiritual and mystical traditions, including Hinduism, Buddhism, Judaism, Christendom, and Al-Islam.
The theologian Hippolytus of Rome (c. AD 170-236), in the book Refutation of all Heresies , "tries to discredit the ideas of Gnosticism by tracing their origin to the Greek philosophical systems, which were considered 'pagan' and therefore heretical by the church leaders. In doing so, he not only describes 33 Gnostic systems, but gives to history an outline of the contemporary Greek ideas of astrology, magic, and religious mystery." [See Links: "Gnostic Christianity..."]

HINDUISM:
The Rig Veda apparently describes, "the 33 divinities." There are claimed to be 330 million "Gods of Hinduism." (Dancing With Shiva, Subramuniyaswami) Also, this: [from The Book of Hindu Imagery by Eva Rudy Jansen] "...the early books mention three gods; later there are 33, later still, 3,339 gods 'worshipped Agni.'" "There are '33,333' gods," according to a children's book entitled, INDIA. Alain Danielou, in his book, The Myths and Gods of India, explains: "The number thirty-three is taken as a symbolic expression representing a particular aspect of the [Hindu] pantheon. Actually there can be no limit to the number of the gods. Each aspect of manifestation is a channel through which man can reach the Divine. The number of the Hindu gods is therefore the same as that of the possible aspects of manifestation, created or potential. It is, in later Hinduism, represented by the symbolic number of thirty-three crores (330,000,000)."
The Myth Of Invariance, (The Origin of the Gods, Mathematics, and Music From The Rg Veda to Plato) by Ernest G. McClain, on pg. 69, refers to the Vedic reference to "the Thirty-Three Gods," and suggests that this refers to music, representing a system of intervals shown in a diagram [Chart 13] entitled, "Mandala of the 33 Gods in 60 degrees." (pg. 67)
There are 33 consonants in the Devanagari alphasyllabary (alphabet), most associated with Sanskrit, Hindi, and other related languages.
When the word "OM" is written in Devanagari script as a word (rather than as the composite symbol for the word), the effect is that a 33 appears to the eye, especially for those who do not read Devanagari.
Yoga Sutra 3:33 states: "Through keenly developed intuition, everything can be known."
In Sanskrit jaapa, 1,331 repetitions of the rudra mantra equals one maha-rudra cycle.
Thirukural is an important work of Tamil literature by Saint Thiruvalluvar, which contains 1330 couplets divided into 133 chapters of 10 (7-word) couplets each. In 2000, the government of Tamil Nadu erected a large stone statue of the saint, measuring 133 feet high, representing the 133 chapters of Thirukural.
The Mahatma Gandhi ended his 21-day fast on May 7, 1933.
According to ancient precepts of temple architecture, there will be flag post between the sanctum sanctorum and the main altar (palibeedam) and it will be made of special type of wood covered with brass with thirty-three rings (knots) and shall have a flag with three rows at the top. The thirty-three knots represents the thirty-three bones of the spinal cord. The three rows in the flag represents three stages of the Soul.

BUDDHISM:
"The scriptural reference to female forms of Kuan-yin appears as early as Kumarajiva's recension of Chapter 25 in the Lotus Sutra [which states that] Kuan Yin assumes thirty-three appearances, of which seven are female. The number thirty-three has been associated with Kuan-yin ever since by both devout Chinese and Japanese Buddhists." - Paul, Diana Y. Women in Buddhism - Images of the Feminine in the Mahayana Tradition, © 1979, Univ. of CA Press.
"The Saddharma Pundarika Sutra affirms that, of Avalokiteshvara's 337 earthly incarnations, all were male and all human except for one." - Blofeld, John: Bodhisattva of Compassion, The Mystical Tradition of Kuan Yin © 1977, Shambala Publications.
The story of "KUKURIPA, the maha-siddha" found in the book, MASTERS OF ENCHANTMENT by Keith Dowman, tells of "Gods of the Thirty-Three Sensual Heavens."
In Japan, one of two type of pilgrimages (junrei), is exemplified by the "Pilgrimage to the 33 Holy Places of Kannon in the Western Provinces"...circuits of series of temples or holy places. "The Kamakura Thirty-Three Kannon Pilgrimage of Bando" in Eastern Japan circuits 33 temples Sacred to Kannon, ranging over Tokyo and its neighboring prefectures.
The name of Sanjusangendo Temple in Japan refers to the "33 bays" between the pillars of the long building, which houses 1001 statues of the 1000-armed Kannon Buddhist Goddess, Quan Yin.
According to the Lotus Sutra, Kannon Bodhisattva (Avilokateshvara) has 33 transformations in order to perform his task of salvation.
One legend says that 33 "Arhats" spread Buddhism.
The period of time between the passing of His Holiness, the Sixteenth Karmapa of the Karma Kagyu lineage, until the enthronement of the (current) Seventeenth - a period prophesied by the Fifth Karmapa to be a dark time for Buddhist Dharma - spanned 33 years.
Required to become a Tibetan lama: solitary retreat of at least 3 years, 3 months, 3 days.

TAOISM
China's Taoist holy mountain, Wudang, is known as the cradle of Taoism. The oldest temple in the ancient Taoist temple complex, Wulongci (Five Dragons Ancestral Temple) represents the commencement of the promotion of Taoism. In 1413, at the peak of its development, Emperor Zhdi of the Ming Dynasty ordered 33 temples to be built within ten years. It was listed by UNESCO as a World Cultural Heritage Site in 1994.

ZOROASTRIANISM:
33 plays an important part in Parsi ritual: Ahura-Mazda created this universe with the power of Yazashne using 33 "steps," also known as 33 Zaothra (Alaats); 33 Alaats (instruments, methods) are used in the Yazashne ceremony, which are divided into four categories: 17 Mineral Kingdom (Jamadat), 8 Vegetation (Nabatat), 4 Animal Kingdom (Hevanat), 4 Elements of Khorshed-Meher (Ravi). The celebration of the Vendidad requires 35 twigs, of which 33 form a bundle.

JUDEO-CHRISTENDOM:
Psalms 1333: "Heenay matov umah nayeem shevet aheem gam yahad" - Oh how good and pleasant it is for brothers and sisters to dwell together in unity and in peace.
King David reigned in Jerusalem for 33 years.
In the English version of GENESIS, GOD is mentioned 33 times.
Jesus Christ is believed to have been either 30 or 33 years old when He died. Many Christians consider the "perfect age" to be 33.
Some believe that Jesus lived 33 lives, the first as Adam of Genesis. (This idea appears in Edgar Cayce's 33 Lives of Jesus.)
Saint Joseph was also 33 years old when he married with the Virgin Mary, according to visions of Mary Agreda.
Constantine declared the practice of crucifixion unlawful in 337 A.D.
From the Bible, in Revelation, there are references suggesting a third (33.3%) of things that will be killed or destroyed. Also, when Lucifer left Heaven, he took a "third" of the angels with him.
The Christ in the Gospels accomplishes 33 miracles of which 24 were cures.
According to the law of Moses, following the circumcision of the foreskin of the child, the mother had to purify her blood. She would not touch anything sacred nor go to the sanctuary until 33 days had passed.
Jacob had 33 children by his first woman, Leah, including his daughter, son and grandsons.
A Rebbe I know has offered some interesting information about the Kabbalistic/Hebrew significance of the number 33: The number 33 signifies "entry into the mystery" or "the secret levels of creation." It is associated with the word, gal, which was used in Psalms in the manner of "asking God to reveal the secrets of the Torah." Also, it suggests "the end of suffering."
Lag B'Omer occurs thirty-three days after the start of Passover. Its name comes from the Hebrew letters lamed and gimmel, which together equal 33, according to gematriah in the Hebrew numerical system. Lag B'Omer is the thirty-third day of the omer count. It is this day that most Jewish people recognize as the end of the mourning period of the Omer. [Because, on the 33rd day of the Omer, Rabbi Akiva's students stopped dying, and he started to reveal the light of the Torah to new students. Also on the 33rd day of the Omer, Rabbi Shimon bar Yochai, the author of the central work of Kabbalah called the Zohar, died. His death is a celebration because on the day of his death he revealed the light of the Torah to his students.]
The "Tree of the Sephiroth" of the Kabbalah has 33 elements, including the whole of it and its constituent parts.
By some accounts, the 66 books of the Bible - 39 in the Old and 27 in the New - were written by 33 different people.
[See also, ...MATH, for "Star of David," "Solomon's Seal," etc.]
Billy Graham has said that the Biblical Eden existed on Earth at the location "between the Tigris and Euphrates rivers in the Middle-East." If the place referred to is where they come closest together, this is at 33°30'N latitude. [See also: "GEOGRAPHY," and "HISTORY"]
33% of the world's religious people are Christian (as of 1/1/2000).
The Vatican recognizes "33 Doctors of the Church." Pope John Paul II proclaimed St. Theresa of Lisieux Doctor of the Church; she became the 33rd person, and the third woman, to be honoured with this title.
The funeral of Pope John Paul II concluded at exactly 12:33pm (Rome time) on April 8, 2005. It was then immediately followed by the Interment.
The Pope at the time decreed 1933 as a Holy Year to Aid World Peace.
Pope Gregory IX created the Inquisition in 1233 to curb heresy, or denial of truths of the Catholic faith. It reached its peak in the 16th Century as it battled the Reformation; its most famous trial was that of Galileo in 1633.
Pope John Paul I had been pope for only 33 days before being found dead (1978).
33 Bishops comprise the Irish Bishops' Conference, the official body of Catholics in Ireland.
The Basilica of saint Peter in Rome counts 33 chapels: 29 in the Basilica itself and 4 in the crypt.
The 2005 "traditional Christmas greeting" was delivered from the Vatican this year in 33 languages including Hebrew, Arabic, Chinese, and Finnish.
In the heart of the Andes, Ayacucho Huamanga, the religious capital of Peru, is "The City of the 33 Churches."
The Rosary of the Precious Blood of Christ has 39 grains. The practice of piety is accomplished by the recitation of 33 Our-Fathers in memory of 33 years of the earthly life of Jesus.
The Anglican Church created its own rosary in the 1980s. It also has 33 beads, remembering the years Christ lived.
The Greek Orthodox "prayer rope" has 33 and other numbers of knots for numerical repetition of prayers.

AL-ISLAM:
Of the 99 Beautiful Names of Allah, Number 33 is al-Azim, the Supreme Glory, the Most Grand.
Koran - 033.033: "And stay quietly in your homes and make not a dazzling display, like that of the former times of ignorance; and establish regular prayer, and give regular charity; and obey Allah and His Messenger. And Allah only wishes to remove all abomination from you, ye members of the family, and to make you pure and spotless."
Islamic prayer beads, subhah, mesbehah, or tasbih (used like rosary or mala), are in two forms (at least): 33 beads, total, divided into 3 groups of 11; and, 99 beads in 3 groups of 33 or, two strings of 33 plus one of 34. Many prayers work in groups of 11, 33 and other numbers, typically honoring the "99 Names of Allah [God]" in Al-Islam [11x3=33; 3x33=99].
In Al-Islam, 33 angels carry the praise of man to heaven; sacred litanies make mention of 33 tasbih, 33 tahmid, 33 takbir.

SUFISM:
Sufis employ various numbers of repetitions of sacred phrases, or wazifas, an important one of which is 33. [From the book, Spiritual Dance and Walk, by Samuel L. Lewis (founder of "Dances of Universal Peace,") we find this passage, on pages 46, 47: "The Spiritual Walk is connected with esoteric training and development. It may be begun in the Buddhist fashion by simply counting the breaths, a fixed number, or a certain number. Or it may be done in the Sufi fashion which is not too different, except there are accepted cycles like 4, 10, 14, 20, 33, 100 or 101, etc."]
In her unpublished book, The Divine Dance (1933), Ruth St. Denis wrote of her vision of a future dance for life and peace. Her work is partly the source of the current Sufi Ruhaniat International, and also the Dances of Universal Peace.

SIKHISM:
The printed version of the Adi Granth, which in its current form comes to 1430 pages, is divided into 33 sections.

FREEMASONRY:
The 33rd degree is the highest degree within the Ancient and Accepted Scottish Rite. (Indeed, "The Supreme Symbol" is a double-headed eagle with an illumined triangle balanced on its crown, with a "33" emblazoned within.)
33 members compose the Council of the Order of the Great Orient of France.
Aleister Crowley was a 33rd Degree Mason

Taken from http://home.earthlink.net/~acb_33/33facts2.html

Change of Seasons

I've always had a penchant for the fall.  Maybe it's the smell of burning leaves in the air...along with the cool breeze and the changing colors of the leaves.   Many people say spring time is representative of rebirth, a fresh time that rises out of dark days of winter.  But to me fall represents a time of cleansing...letting go, if you will.  It's a time when trees shed all of their leaves and go into an empty state for the next few months.  In Buddhist or eastern thought, the emptying of the cup (or your mind) allows one to let go and reflect.  This is the purpose of meditation.  In my martial arts class, we always begin the first 5 minutes with a deep-breathing exercise.  It basically involves sitting indian-style on the floor with your eyes 3/4 shut, taking in slow, deep breaths through the nose...holding it, and exhaling through the mouth.  The purpose of the exercise is to empty your mind of the days thoughts / stresses and to essentially "reset" yourself  mentally.   This is how I look at the fall time as...a time to reflect on the past and stock of where you are at in life.  

In today's fast paced world, I think that people in our society don't do this enough.  Although we all have numerous responsibilities that eat up our day (i.e. work, school, kids, etc.) I think it is important to look at where you've been the past year or two and get a idea of where your are headed.  It's easy to get stuck in the same old patterns year after year.  I'm can personally attest to that fact.  But I believe that you can't expect your life to change unless you are willing to make some changes. 

Soon fall will be over and winter will arrive.  The seasons are inevitable in nature; and in my mind this relates to the human condition.  Our lives have seasons...times of happiness, and times of sorrow.  I guess if life never changed, people wouldn't grow nearly as much.  We'd probably all be stuck with the mental maturity of an early 20's something.   Unfortunately, experiencing pain and suffering causes us to change more than happiness.   If you're anything like me, sometimes having a wrench thrown in your perfect world stirs up some motivation and creativity.  Sad but true.

One things' for certain...nothing stays the same forever.  Then again, wouldn't that get boring?

The Meaning of Life

What does it all mean....this thing we call life?   At some point in time we are born into this earth, and then eventually we take our final breathe and cease to exist.   In between there are a series of events which occur that we participate in called "life."  Some would say these events are random and yet others would suggest that fate and destiny play their part.   Still others would say that God has a role in determining what happens to us, who we meet, etc.   Although I tend to follow the religious view that life has some purpose other than just accumulating and acquiring material things...I do see how the randomness and inequality in life that would beg one to question God's existence.

Obviously we won't all live the American Dream.  Some of us never graduated college...some of us were born into abusive households in poverty-stricken areas....and many of us will never be happily married with 2.5 kids and a house with the white picket fence.   But then again, who ever said life was fair?  If life is in fact random and natural selection has it's way, then I would suppose that the stronger, more intelligent humans would survive and prosper.  Of course, as humans we're a little higher on the food chain though and there are other determining factors that play into it besides who's the strongest and the fastest.   Money, family structure, education, race, physical attractiveness.....these are all things we're handed in life that we have no choice over.   But what about other factors such as motivation and drive?   You do have those individuals who rise out of poverty --- or those who overcome their physical disability and become overachievers.    You could then come to the supposition that one's lot in life is not solely determined by the cards you were dealt at birth.  

When you boil it all down, the only conclusion I can draw from it all is that life is a series of choices and sometimes random events.  Many times those choices prove to be the wrong ones ...and sometimes they prove to be right.   The outcome is never guaranteed though.   Life is not fair.... never has been and never will be.  Those that carry the fictional view that one day we will all day be equal and everything will be balanced on a socio-econmic scale haven't studied history.   If you're looking for government to solve all your problems, you've got your eggs in the wrong basket.  Absolute power will corrupt absolutely.   There will always be your Kim-Jong Il's and your Amahdinejad's ...or someone looking to take over the world.    You cannot eradicate selfish, power-hungry, evil individuals.   Somehow they always end up creeping their way back into our society.   The best you can do is live your life and treat others how you would like to be treated.   If we all followed the Golden Rule, this world would be a lot better place to live.