The Archetypal Hero

True self-expression makes heroes of us all.

=^.^=

I think there is a hero
hidden in every person.

We all have our right moments...

When this hero inside of ourselves arise
to uphold something good in this world.

The wonderful thing about this
I have found is:



Each time the hero in ourselves arise to save something good,
it arises to save that something good in ourselves first...

That something good in ourselves reflected in the other person
that the hero in ourselves implicitly recognize...

Whether we know it or not, when it arises, within that moment

we act.

In a way, it might be meant
that we save each other,
you see.

Because in a way, we are all heroes.

It just might be the way it is.

- selah -

The question then is this:

This hero spark,
our precious Starshine,
from Whom did we get it?
---<--@

A different kind of different, are you up to it?

The Seed of the Small Self

The mind is a synergy of forces.

Of all of the systems of the human being,
it is the most unitive.



It is first of all, aware -
and this awareness can be measured by its depth;
a measure which is near limitless because
the deeper one delves
to explore one's own human awareness,
the more expansive and infinitely small it becomes.

It realizes in us,
a knowledge of the smallness of the infinite;
that each our fragile seed of being is embraced
by an ocean of nothingness within one's own self -
profoundly terrifying and yet... also deeply comforting
for when the reaches of the mind becomes intimately known
so too does the vast and tranquil reaches of this "emptiness"
slowly open itself to our awareness as "light".

And aware of its being aware - 
in the light that knows that it is - of the Light,
one can sense the "being of the self"
knowing and not knowing - arising, awaking -
in the seed of the self, through the smallest of selves -
come afloat at the surface waters of the mind -
where time and the timeless meet
to become our own person.

At the surface of the timeless waters,
whatever is temporal and limited in ourselves is found,
time and space as it is experienced - at the surface of the deep -
experienced through the mind's sense
of ascending and descending
from a point shining as a sun within the heart,
in the seed of the self, through the smallness of selves -
in order to encounter within one's awareness,
the being arises from within the life of the soul -
so that the formless spirit in ourselves may proceed
to take form in the field of the temporal
and in the plane of the everyday
in the being of the mind.
---<--@

I don't want to be anything other than 

what I've been trying to be lately...

Kindred Spirits

Don't just say something, dear Starshine,
say something because you have something to say.



An idea is multiplied by the sum of those who receive it,
being in truth divided by the whole of those who have come to possess it.

And so something of our spirit becomes - at once and for all time,
both yours and mine - kindred in light.
---<--@

Win or Lose

Don't worry, Manny...

When God knocks you down,
He intends to raise you up.

When God wounds your pride,
He intends to heal your spirit.

When God hands you a defeat,
He intends to teach you...
a new kind of victory.

- selah -

Do not forget, my brother Filipino,
that you will always find in your own nation
an even greater, nobler and more lasting arena
wherein which you may freely devote
your spirit and energy.

We will always be here for you.

For it is not for your fame,
your fortune or your many victories
that you are loved by those who love you:
It is for your kindness, your goodness,
your noble strength of heart, your fierce spirit,
your trust in the glory of the God of greater things,
and your manifest love of the common people.

We love you for your poverty,
your sense of sharing:
your citizenship.

No ring, no limit, no opponent, no arbiter
can take you away from the you being - just you -
so must you endeavor to never forget, brother,
especially now that you were brought low,
what is lasting and what is not. 

For it is here
- at the lowest points in life -
where you can best observe the highest
the sweetest, and the most wondrous places
thy faith in the good God can take you in your life;
it is here where you can best discover
the heights of what is
and what is not.

We love you, Manny:

Win or Lose.
---<--@

The Brightest of Stars

Do you know the absolute magnitude of Polaris, the (present) north star, is -3.64?

Many a time, the brightest of stars isn't exactly the most useful. 

Starshine, be yourself... that is all.

:::Think and Unlock:::

Standing Still

Only in the silence shall you know the words.



Be!

Say nothing for once,
and embrace everything;
forget all thy words and love!

Accept!

Knowing thy unknowing -
to refresh... and to remember...
and to live...

Hope!

Hoping all hopes bravely,
making them one
in thy heart...

Build!

Cherishing not
just the dream itself,
laboring to always dwell
within the dreaming...

Forgive!

Remove
all thy barriers
to the making us one...

   ...a better peace awaits.

Save thyself.
---<--@

Salutation #90

A Filipino is a kind of love and this love binds us together as one nation.

(Citizenship with Fidelity)

I believe in our people

- We, the Philippines -

every ethnic tribe

- that make us -

into one common community;

one lineage of hope,

7,107 islands strong!

And I recognize in myself

and in each of my compatriots,

the strength and the spirit

that bind us together

as one Filipino nation.
---<--@

I shall be obedient

- to my parents -

and faithful

- to my God -

that I may learn to love virtue

and the good of others.

For I shall strive

to be useful to my nation

and shall work hard

to bring honor and joy

to my family,

to my school,

to my teachers

and to my community.
---<--@

I shall always remember

the experiences of our history

that forged for our people,

one common destiny.

And I shall walk - forever -

in this remembrance,

deriving from

the sacred memory

of our heroes,

one common identity.
---<--@

I shall keep true

to my common identity -

it is the reality

upon which

is established

the sacred trust

that binds the lives,

the labors

and the fortunes

of all Filipinos

- together -

into one lineage of hope;

one common citizenry.

And I will honor this

- sacred trust -

and work to fulfill this hope

in myself as a citizen

of our Republic endeavor,

drawing from the same

unyielding strength

that have empowered

the labors

of every Filipino

of every generation.
---<--@

I will cherish and understand

our Republic endeavor -

it is the foundation

of our democratic processes

in the political,

social

and juridical institutions

and representative traditions

that maintain the good order

of our public peace

that shelter

and preserve

the life of our civil society.

And I shall maintain

a constant vigilance

over our democracy,

participating in the labors

that enrich and advance

the peace of our Republic,

seeking every means available,

to pursue the the common good

of our people

and realize

the eternal vision

of our nation

established in our Constitution.

---<--@

I shall be brave

in the defense

of our Republic peace

and preserve

with my honor

and my life,

the truth of our Constitution

and the life of our generations.

And so

I shall embrace - forever -

all of these duties that I owe

to that undying dream

of freedom for myself

and for all Filipinos

being willing to freely

and humanly carry them out,

with much faith in God

and steadfast trust

in our Country,

kindled forever

like a flame in my heart

and in the hearts

of all my Filipino compatriots -
from always to always.
---<--@

Salutation #75

A Nation at peace with its own truth is a Country at one with its own heart.

(The Pursuit of Happiness)

Happiness is not a freedom to do anything.

Happiness is the ability

to consistently do the right thing

in spite of everything.

Therefore,

a happy person is a person

in possession of his or her own freedom.

One who obtains happiness

by striving to live a life

that is truly free.

- selah (pause for thought) -

Now,

a lot of people look for peace

for all peoples have an idea of what happiness is

but only a few know where to begin.

No one can tell you what the truth for you is like

but you can listen to others

to find out where to begin looking

for thy own truth.

For your peace is your own.

But your peace is never meant

to only be yours.

For you are like a star - that -

once aflame must reach out to shine

for other stars across time and distance

- against the Night.

Truly,

the individual is important.

But this importance must exist

within a community that values it.

This is our liberty.

- selah -

Once you are in possession

of the truth in your own heart

- O Beloved of the LORD -

it may only be taken away

by your lack of vigilance.

For no one can dictate to you

what you must will to cherish forever

- in the city within thy own heart -

within those worlds within thyself.

Heaven and earth may only give thee

good counsel and due caution.

So be careful of the false images

that are specifically intended

for the ruin of your dreams

and the overthrow of thy own peace.

For once you are in possession

of thy peace in thy own heart,

it may only be uprooted

(and may God forbid it)

by your freely giving it away.

---<--@

Endless Blue Sky Sunshine

"Change your thoughts and you change your world."

- Norman Vincent Peale

Live your truth responsibly!

Speak it like you mean it.

Share it like you love it.

Keep it like you really care,

gripping it not with your hands,
but embracing it with your heart.

Nurture it as if it were yours
knowing always to be thankful
to the one God of Whose Reality
is the one Truelight you reflect;
the one LORD by Whose desire
you are called to become you.

So strive with courage and heart
despairing not, dear Starshine,
but being always of good cheer -
you are beautiful without effort!

So be like all hope is become;
walk like you're never forgot;
dance like you are truly alive;
sing like the world cares not;
smile like worries have an end;
laugh like each moment is free;
breathe like your prayer begun;
shine like you belonged forever!

By sweet surrender to the Light
be the gold of sunbeams sharp
against the darkness of the Night
flying upon the wings of eagles
into the blue of an endless sky.
---<--@

Ignite

Starshine,

your addiction is to life.

There is nothing worthy
about things that cause harm -
Destruction is only good
if it brings about growth and transformation.

So remember this
when you shall desire to find yourself
when you shall seek to one day be
as stars looking out from yourself
possessed by your own light,
being by the one Beautiful beheld
seeing far into the darkness
of our needful world:
Make no provision in your heart
for evil things: Here, Now.

For there will come a time in your life
when you shall be confused
when you shall cross an imperceptible threshold
into an in-between world -
By the ebb and flow tides of shadow and light,
you shall wander alone with the Alone
and you will be compelled to look for those things
that are meant to be yours
as well as forced to shed away all other things
that should no-wise belong to you.

So listen to good counsel, Beloved of God,
for it is better not to begin weeping
than to weep until the tears that was begun
are all shed away by our weeping together
for before you can shed your own starlight,
our most precious Starshine,
before the love in your heart ignites,
you must first shed away all your tears.
---<--@

20110805

Man is a creature of possibilities. Therefore, know your limits. But do not allow yourself to be defined by them.

Salutation #45

(The Gift)

You know in your heart, dear Starshine,

you belong to something greater than thee!

Now there is a dream that lives in thy every spirit

and this truth in thee gives thy soul its powers of flight.

It is present in all thy reaching out to both heaven and earth

for thy dream is an irreplaceable fragment of a greater dreaming.

You are a person called to the labor of the earth;

a citizen purposed by God for the peace of thy nations;

a promise born into the great dreaming of the exile children of Mankind;

thy soul summoned by Our Creator from the nothingness of the void;

a unique fragment of what once was now reside as a mystery in thy own self.

In thy every heart,

you long for thy own place in time,

in so many ways of expressions unique to each of thee

yet each equally true according to thy reaching out

for that same timeless seeking for answers

to the one question that lay at the very beginning of thy being

beckoning thee unto a memory exceedingly sublime

- neither past, present, nor future -

when the Heavens above thee were one,

and the Earth was at one with its own native Sky.

When the portals of Eternity were open and attentive to thy humanity

and the Throne of the LORD burst forth with a golden radiance

embracing all things everywhere with the splendor of the glory of God.

When the Presence of the LORD was upon the face of the Earth,

ministering freely to all thy worlds, within and without,

calling forth all creatures to God, and fruition, and constant felicity;

blessing all the realms of creation with every abundance and in all truth.

When the Light of the LORD filled thy Earth and Sky,

uniting all living beings, seen and unseen,

into the glorious Peace of the one great belonging of God.

Your happiness is a freedom to search for the answers

to that one longing that lives in thy every heart -

a longing that the LORD has for thee lovingly invested

born of a promise thy Creator has laid at the seat of thy own soul;

a freedom to give shape thy every life's purpose

and a hope to whet thy faith for the things of heaven

to stir thy heart unto a remembrance of God

and in God a remembrance of all things in each thy behalf.

For thy common salutation is Peace

so mean it well for this Peace is of a truth;

a good that is beyond all understanding.

---<--@

Mabuhay po tayong lahat! Peace. Salaam. Shalom. God bless all His nations of the one family of the nations of Mankind.

Everybody have a great weekend!

Heartsong

I AM the unsung song
that lives within a dream;
the seed within a soul.

Every infinite universe
embraced from within
the heart of God.

I am the road
not the destiny,
I am the journey
not the destination,
I am the dreaming
not the dream,
I am the becoming,
not the being,
I am the singing,
not the song,
I am the climb
not the peak,
I am what soars!

I begin with a praise -
I breathe the air,
and cry out loud:
Alleluia to the LORD!

I end with a praise -
I lift my head,
and bow my heart:
Alleluia to the LORD!

I am heartsong.

Virtue of Truthfulness

Now please, here is our challenge for this month - 201108

To the Class of 2011

DREAM BIG DREAMS!

Your nation, dear starshine, is in need of your dreams. So you must dream big!

I kid you not, there is a strain of thinking in Filipino society these days that is so smallish, so restrictive, so constrained, so limited, it predisposes the unwary to a life of penury.

Don't you know you are the equal of any of your contemporaries on the planet? What dreams the youth of our world today are capable of - you are capable of.

So don't sell yourself short. My advice to you is to go and dream those dreams.

Dreams are all about possibilities. They are the "stuff" of yet unborn realities.

If you shall ask me what is this "stuff"?

I shall answer you with a question - "what are your possibilities"?

We are not a material (i.e. unspiritual) people, starshine. Everything you really need is already in yourself.

The plight of many of our poor people here in the Philippines is desperate indeed. But material poverty is no obstacle to the human heart. Many successful Filipinos will attest to that.

The only kind of poverty that truly impoverishes is the spiritual kind. Remember, we are not a material people, starshine.

Everything you really need is already in yourself.

Let go of the thinking that money is the goal of education. Better yet, let go of the thinking that wealth is about money. Money per se is not wealth. Wealth is much larger than money.

Learning itself is wealth. The ability to dream is wealth. Virtue is wealth. Health is wealth. A good friend is wealth. A good family is wealth. A lively faith is wealth. A healthy parish community is wealth. A vibrant and prospering barangay community is wealth. A strong and faithful nation is wealth. There are a lot of things other than money that make one rich indeed and you may add them all to this list.

So do not be restricted by the thinking that money is the ultimate end of your life's labors upon this world.

Let your dreaming be a dream of happiness. Let it be one of sweet release and of joyous realization.

What you believe in your heart, dearest starshine, are like seeds planted in your soul. So it is very important for you to know where these seeds come from and what these seeds are.

Because the souls of the young are fertile ground indeed. You must, especially in your youth, be aware to nurture only those things in yourself that shall lead you to your dreams that you may work sedulously to awaken these dreams in yourself - that you may bring it out into our needful world.

There are things - truths - proper to you. You must seek them and come to an understanding of them that you may come to know who you are as God intended you to be - who you must be and therefore, work to become.

You must become this person, dear starshine, and when you do, your dreams will come true.

Find yourself and the rest will follow.

The real secret to making money is not the desire to make money - it is simply the willingness to be yourself.

Money is a by product of the knowledge that comes with being happy with who you are - mature in your gifts, secure in your faith, steadfast in your hopes, and alive in your love.

It takes a lot of hard work to be happy - but isn't happiness the ultimate aim of all human labor? So why be skimpy?

Go and dream big dreams!Some people study with a view to making big money and end up sad and broken. They think with their minds by excluding their hearts.

There can be great desolation even in the midst of great material wealth. This is a sad fact indeed.

You must not be this way, dear starshine. You must always lead with your mind but think with your heart. For we are not a material people.

Jesus taught, "seek ye first the Kingdom of God and all these things shall be given you besides".

Isn't this the same as to say, "everything you really need is already in yourself"?

Think about it, our precious starshine, and don't forget to pray.

Find yourself, Beloved of God: Believe.

---<--@

Mabuhay ang Pilipinas! God bless the Class of 2011.


Dreamer of Dreams