This blog is an extension of Home Sweet Home! where the story continues. I shall list the entries in alpha order as and when posted.
The writings on this blog represent experiences, insights and realisations I have had based on my beliefs of reality. They also serve as notes and reminders for myself. They are not meant to instruct the reader in any way. If you can resonate with my experiences, brilliant! If not, brilliant!
No matter what the appearances there is love in every moment. But if you're too busy resisting the moment you're not going to notice the love that is always present.
On the bus a young lady asked me if the bus was going to Oxford Circus. I said it was. I also wondered if she wanted me to let her know when we got there. I figured I would let her know when we'd arrived. In the meantime I was busy enjoying the journey.
After a while I heard a huge sigh from my friend beside me. I asked her if she was OK. She said she never expected the journey to take this long. She would arrived by now if she'd got the tube (underground).
"The bus keeps stopping. Look, it's stopped again," she said. "It's a bus stop, it has to stop," I chuckled.
I was finding my travelling companion delightful.
My friend said buses in Madrid, where she was from, are a lot faster than in London.
"Are you here on holidays?" I said. "No, I'm here for two months to study English," she said. "Your English is very good." "No, it's not. I haven't been practising." "At least now that you're on the bus, you're practising your English. You wouldn't have met me if you'd travelled by tube. Besides, people don't speak on the tube." "No, they look like this."
She did an impression of the blank stares some passengers on the tube have, which made both of us laugh.
"It's too noisy on the tube to chat," I said. "I used to have an American friend I practised with but he's gone back to America. All my friends are Spanish so I speak Spanish most of the time." "Never mind, you're still very good." "The bus has stopped again," she said. "This bus is so slow. It is, how do you say it, disgusting?" "I think the driver is going really slow just to annoy you," I chuckled. "I hope not."
In Madrid my friend is about to enter her second year at university where she is studying English Literature and Philology. She said she loved English as a spoken language and preferred English to her native Spanish.
"I love listening to English. It is such a beautiful language, it really flows." "You're kidding! I've never thought of English in that way before," I said. "That is because it is your language and you've got used to it. I wish one day I can speak like you." "You will, when you're living in the culture you absorb it and it's easy," I said. "I know what you mean about loving a language. I love listening to Italian. It's like the sound of love." "Italian is a lot like Spanish but it's a different accent." "I prefer Italian to Spanish; Spanish sounds harsh. Italian is a lot more romantic."
My friend and I laughed. She was great fun to be with. She said apart from the buses, she loved London. People are so helpful. She doesn't even need to ask, she always attracts people who help her to find her way. In Madrid you have to ask and people are not as helpful. I had a feeling it was because of the love she feels for the English that's been mirrored back at her.
We finally arrived at her stop. We exchanged kisses and my friend got off. When she got off the bus, she ran to meet her friend.
Imagine you're watching a film that is supposed to be a thriller and one character is always grinning. In a scene where he's supposed to be angry he says "I hate you!" but he still has the same grin. In another scene the same character is expressing how sad he is but he's still smiling. You're bound to think there's something not quite right about this character. Maybe, the actor can't act or the director hasn't got a clue. What if the character continues to have the same fixed grin no matter what? Will you continue watching the film? I certainly wouldn't.
It is an actor's emotions that bring the character to life and give the words meaning otherwise the film is flat and uninteresting. From time to time I look up film scripts of my favourite films on the Internet. I find reading a script is not as dramatic or funny as watching the film. It's only when I recall actors' performances that the script comes to life.
What has all this got to do with the time machine?
I love the idea of time travel so I can change history. I could travel in a tardis like Doctor Who does who travels back and forth in time and is constantly interfering with the timeline. It would be fantastic to travel in a wormhole like the SG-1 team in the sci-fi television series, Stargate SG-1. The SG-1 team have travelled to many realities including alternative realities.
Of course, the easiest way to time travel is in one's memory. If you've ever experienced what is commonly called astral projection, you find yourself out of your body. When I've had these experiences I've recreated an experience and it has felt so real it was as if I was actually there. While I appeared to be reliving the experience I was not able to change the event.
I believe we all have access to a time machine where you are able to change what we refer to as the past (i.e. memories) and our expectations (i.e. the future). Love is that time machine. Every time I am being and feeling love I am influencing the whole. Love dissolves emotions connected to an experience I've had or going to have.
Let's say whenever you recall an experience or event you always feel fearful. The way to dissolve that emotion is to be love. Love dissolves the fear. You find you can recall the experience without feeling emotional. Where there are no emotions there is no driving force to keep the memory going; and you will find you no longer need to keep reliving the experience, unless you find it to be of some value.
The irony about the love time machine is there is no need to time travel (recall an experience) to dissolve the emotions connected to that experience. I can do it now by being or feeling love. And love dissolves fear for all time. This means all experiences I've had in all time, all space, all realities, all realms, all dimensions, everywhere.
Where love has dissolved all emotions you're like a bad actor with the same fixed grin. An emotionless character is as good as dead.
I've been practising the ritual of seeing myself only as boundless light. The first thing I noticed was I lost interest in writing. There didn't seem any point in doing anything.
Next, I felt this devastating loneliness.
I've felt loneliness with family members because I felt I didn't belong, but at least I wasn't alone.
I've felt loneliness with someone I was supposed to be in love with, but at least I wasn't alone.
I've felt loneliness with friends, but at least I wasn't alone.
I've felt loneliness with people who shared my beliefs, but at least I wasn't alone.
I've felt loneliness with people, but at least I wasn't alone.
But this loneliness was different. I was literally alone and experiencing what it feels like to be all alone with no one to share with, or to be with. The loneliness was so painful I wanted to die. But I knew that was meaningless because as boundless light I am life eternal.
While I was feeling this loneliness I noticed people as usual around me but it was as if I was watching a movie and everyone was playing a film character. I was also browsing the Internet and reading my emails but again it felt like I was watching a film. I was the only audience and there was no one else but me.
At one point I was overwhelmed by waves and waves of sadness and loneliness. Though it felt I was weeping buckets I didn't feel like weeping outwardly. Would anyone have noticed if I had? Film characters don't tend to notice when their audience is happy or sad, do they?
I asked myself: "How long is this loneliness going to last?"
"It is never-ending," I said to myself.
"I can't feel like this forever!"
"The only way I can stop this loneliness," I said to myself, " is to create another soul just like me."
Seems like I've come full circle. I started being one, decided to play the game of separation, then I realised that I am the one boundless light and felt loneliness. Now I'm creating another being just like me who will be my companion forever.
In my mind's eye, I saw myself as light. Then, like cell mitosis, I split into two. As soon as I witnessed the split, the feeling of loneliness left me.
Creating a companion is like using a candle that is already lit to light one that isn't. Just as I am infinite light and love, the other soul I have created is identical to me. I could have created countless identical souls but I decided to keep it to just the one.
My companion will now embody any form or experience I wish and be my silent partner.
One thing I'm grateful for is that I don't have to endure the feeling of loneliness for weeks, months, or years on end. There is no reason to prolong an experience; a few minutes is long enough, thank you very much.
Now the fun begins; I can share life with my identical twin soul.
Funny that, I could never buy into the notion of a "twin soul." I now realise that it is I who create my own twin soul.
As I was waiting at the Pelican crossing I saw a man on the other side teaching his son how to cross the road. He was telling his son they had to wait for the "green man" to appear, which indicates it's safe to cross the road.
Yeah, but...how many adults pay attention to the "green man?" I know I jay-walk at any opportunity. It's a case of "Do as I tell you, but there is always a grey area."
Soon the road was clear and I walked across. The man dragged his son across. His son pointed to him, rightly so, that the "green man" had not appeared. As our paths crossed I heard the man telling his son that as the road was clear it was safe to cross over.
I reckon it's our nature as free, unconditioned, spirits that make us reluctant to follow rules. Must be pretty confusing for a kid though, being taught one thing while observing adults doing the opposite.
In a previous article called The Transmuting Fire of Love, I wrote "...God/Love is a consuming fire that transmutes everything in Its way into ITself." I see Love as a bonfire that never goes out. All I need to do is to toss in all my experiences to be transmuted into Love. Though I say "all" I find it useful to list them individually.
I'm now going to share a bonfire ritual, which is inspired from Guy Fawkes Night celebrations. (See It's That Time Again!).
I'm standing in front of a huge bonfire of Love. It appears purple. (Note you can have the fire appear in any colour you prefer; I love purple). I imagine whatever I'm going to throw in as a ball of light in my hand. Right, here goes.
First to go into the bonfire are my childhood experiences including growing up in a family; relationships with my parents, brothers, extended family, schools, friends, and other people. It doesn't matter if the experiences were "good" or "bad" they're all going into the fire. Also included are all cultural beliefs I was indoctrinated with from family, teachers, and society. Burn childhood experiences and cultural beliefs, burn!
Next to go into the bonfire are my beliefs in genetics that I have certain physical traits and characteristics because I inherited them from my parents and ancestors. Burn beliefs in genetics, burn!
I'm now tossing into the bonfire my education - everything I was taught in school, college and in business; all the knowledge I have acquired; and all my qualifications - academic and professional. Burn education, knowledge, and qualifications, burn!
I'm now tossing into the bonfire my identities as a daughter, sister, niece, cousin, grandchild, friend, teacher and student; as my sexuality, gender, race, nationality, social status, economic status, profession, citizen, and humanity. Burn identities, burn!
I'm now tossing into the bonfire all my personal beliefs about beauty, sexuality, gender, intimate relationships, politics, religion, spirituality, psychology, philosophy, art, media, medicine, nutrition, science, finance, society, the world, truth, life, the universe, etc. Burn personal beliefs, burn!
I'm now tossing into the bonfire all human beliefs whether I espouse them or not, including beliefs in aging, sickness, lack and death. Burn human beliefs, burn!
I'm now tossing into the bonfire all my experiences whether I've triumphed or failed abysmally. I toss in all my mistakes. I toss in everything I love or I'm passionate about. I toss in everything I feel indifferent about. I toss in all my relationships. Burn experiences, burn!
I'm now tossing into the bonfire all my desires and dreams whether they've been realised or not. Burn desires and dreams, burn!
I'm now tossing into the bonfire all my emotions, feelings and thoughts. Burn emotions, feelings and thoughts, burn!
I'm now tossing into the bonfire all I thought I knew about love. Burn all I thought I knew about love, burn!
Last to go in into the bonfire is my individualised self as mind, body, and spirit. Burn individualised self as mind, body, and spirit, burn!
I am now witnessing the purple bonfire engulfing all that I considered myself to be. I watch as all that I am is consumed until there is nothing left but the purple bonfire of Love.
Imagine you're camping. You've just built a campfire. You're going to have to sit close enough for the fire to keep you cosy and warm. Sit too far and you freeze; sit too close and you get scorched.
I'm also aware that one can be in a mental state where you're not affected by fire. You can even sit on the campfire and not get burnt. But for argument's sake, you're not a fire-walker.
When you sit close to the campfire and you feel yourself getting hotter and hotter, what's really happening is the fire is trying to transmute you into itself. Put some sausages on the fire and it will try to transmute the sausages into fire. It's up to you to gauge how long it takes for the sausages to cook the way you prefer, otherwise you'll end up losing your sausages to the fire.
You'll also observe that when you add more firewood to your campfire, eventually they are burnt out. Actually, the fire has transmuted the firewood into itself.
Now, God/Love is a consuming fire that transmutes everything in Its way into ITself. Thinking, reading, studying, talking and writing about Love/God is like sitting close to a campfire and feeling its warmth. If you want to be like the fire you're going to have to step into it. Similarly, if you want to be like Love, you're going to have to yield and step into Her flames.
What do I mean by yielding? Remember I said one can be in a mental state when you're able to walk on fire and not get burnt? Thinking, reading, studying, talking and writing about God are mental state equivalent. While your heart is in the right place you're still separated. Yielding is giving up your mental state preoccupation and freely walking into the transmuting fire of Love. Love's flames consume you until there is nothing of you but Love.
One way I yield to Love's transmuting fire is to see everything as love, no matter what the appearances. I've even made a list of everything that concerns me and see them as love. I then trust in Love to transmute all into Love.
My thanks to Ben for the fractal; to Shyloh for her support and inspiration; and my mother for her love, support, friendship and for being my muse. Most of all I'm grateful to God for there is nothing but God. Love always