Thank you Vivian regarding your article on fidelity you may want to read the book "Fidelity" by the french philosopher Maurice Nedoncelle. A little heavy but deeply insightful. Congratulations on your brave article, though it is not just men that cheat nor do I think this is really an issue of patriarchy. Whatever the case, men and women in our time and age can be a lot happier and healthier if we rethink and reengineer our attitudes and behaviours around sexuality.
Fidelity, like all virtues, is intimate with spirituality. Spirituality is not about the body down here doing its thing and some abstract soul doing its own thing elsewhere. Spirituality is about mind, body, and spirit, about integration and unity, integrity and harmony. The easy way becomes hard, the hard ways becomes easy. Sex is easy. Love is hard but sweet. The human body is powerful and amazing and deserves respect. Where have modesty, trust, compassion, understanding, patience, and true love gone? Why are we not growing up with, living within, and educating our children within the framework of these values?
Read the Article at HuffingtonPost
So many people today seem to be completely out of touch -- there is a reason major religions have been around for a long time and why they all outline norms for healthy sexual conduct and happy, healthy relationships. Draw a little mental map of the world in your mind: Relationships are a key node in the living web of society, Without them there is no community, no family, no friendship, no trust, no love, no healthy, happy real live people like you and I (not abstract avatars or weemees or all these other strange things popping up in the US and Asia)... It is our choice to screw around and screw up, or to get back in touch with the real reality and start healing.
The pain you describe so well in this article --and that so many women and men feel when betrayed or when they betray-- is not some fantasy, it has everything to do with the deeper architecture of who we really are and how this all gets knocked out of whack if we don´t figure out the basic and timeless laws: just as gravity, friction, and related physical forces regulate reality in the physical world, love, compassion, and trust regulate that deeper world we all yearn for.
Sex is so sweet it is easy to forget that everyone pays a price --children, babies, families, friends, and yes, the betrayer who is at the center of it all. Sooner or later infidelity catches up and the offender eventually realizes just what he or she has done, how much pain they have caused, and how embedded that pain is in their own being. But its really not just about cheating. Its also about irresponsible sex, about sex without any consideration for children and families, for physical and moral health, for basic goodness and decency. Sex is great, but aren´t there so many other things that are as great or even greater? Like family, trust, respect, joy, and true love...? Like wholesome, integral wellbeing over narrow, pornographic, planet-destroying, hollywood-flaunting materialism?
It´s time for all of us adults around the world, perhaps especially so in the US, to start thinking more seriously about the consequences of our actions and realizing it is not all about oneself. Hyper-individualism, sex with no rules, hyperporn, the death of modesty... isn´t it all going too far?
sábado, 3 de abril de 2010
Infidelity, Narcissists, Cheaters and Our Culture Which (Almost) Let's Them Get Away with It
Thank you Vivian - you may want to read the book "Fidelity" by the french philosopher Maurice Nedoncelle. A little heavy but deeply insightful. Congratulations on your brave article, though it is not just men that cheat nor do I think this is really an issue of patriarchy. Whatever the case, men and women in our time and age can be a lot happier and healthier if we rethink and reengineer our attitudes and behaviours around sexuality.
Fidelity, like all virtues, is intimate with spirituality. Spirituality is not about the body down here doing its thing and some abstract soul doing its own thing elsewhere. Spirituality is about mind, body, and spirit, about integration and unity, integrity and harmony. The easy way becomes hard, the hard ways becomes easy. Sex is easy. Love is hard but sweet. The human body is powerful and amazing and deserves respect. Where have modesty, trust, compassion, understanding, patience, and true love gone? Why are we not growing up with, living within, and educating our children within the framework of these values?
Read the Article at HuffingtonPost
Fidelity, like all virtues, is intimate with spirituality. Spirituality is not about the body down here doing its thing and some abstract soul doing its own thing elsewhere. Spirituality is about mind, body, and spirit, about integration and unity, integrity and harmony. The easy way becomes hard, the hard ways becomes easy. Sex is easy. Love is hard but sweet. The human body is powerful and amazing and deserves respect. Where have modesty, trust, compassion, understanding, patience, and true love gone? Why are we not growing up with, living within, and educating our children within the framework of these values?
Read the Article at HuffingtonPost
martes, 19 de agosto de 2008
Porque la gente grita
¿PORQUE LA GENTE GRITA ?
"The biggest distance in the universe is the distance
between the head and the heart."
Quoted by Alan Morinis, Mussar (Judaic) Scholar
Un día Meher Baba preguntó a sus mandalies lo siguiente:- ¿Por que la gente se grita cuando están enojados?:
Los hombres pensaron unos momentos:
Porque perdemos la calma - dijo uno - por eso gritamos.-
Pero ¿por qué gritar cuando la otra persona está a tu lado? - preguntó Baba - No es posible hablarle en voz baja? ¿Por qué gritas a una persona cuando estás enojado?
About "Almawasi"
About the Name, Title,
Purpose and Vision of this Blog
Purpose and Vision of this Blog
The (domain) name: Almawasi is a compound quechua-spanish word which means "home of the soul" from "Alma" - spanish for soul and "Wasi", quechua for home. This word emerged in seeking for a short, relatively easy to use domain name and term which would reflect the essence of what this blog strives to achieve
Title and Purpose: The title and purpose of this online space is to contribute to, and connect with, others who are profoundly aware of, and committed to the importance of Moral and Spiritual Development as central to survival, transformation, growth, and well-being for all living beings, human as well as others, in the 21st century.
Vision: In particular, I hope to establish connections, patterns, and practices over time which will narrow the gap between Moral and Spiritual Development on the one side and the more standard notion of "Development" as it has been used most extensively since the end of World War II on the other. After mroe than 25 years analyzing, meditating, and working from different angles and professional roles to uinderstand the challenges of "development" and "underdevelopment" it has become increasingly evident, as I imagine it has to many, that the focus on economic, financial and material development, without or with too little attention to moral and spiritual development, is not contributing enough to positive transformation - or even worse, in many cases & ways, it is even causing greater damage than harm. We cannot, must not, and should no longer avoid seeking to systematically understand and bring together the best of our understanding of the material and immaterial worlds as a central component in contributing to development.
Spiritual Intelligence in Judaism
Skills and Abilities – The Ten Sefirot or Divine Reflections
There are ten Sefirot or Divine reflections that encompass the various competencies and practices that make up Spiritual Intelligence. Below you will find a brief description of each Sefirah and the related competencies and practices.
Chachmah is Intuitive Wisdom, the flash of insight that allows us to focus on and envision a particular aspect of reality. Chachmah is the source of our sense of awe and wonder, not yet transformed into language. Openness and awareness lead to the cultivation of a Sense of Awe and Wonder regarding creation, to self-knowledge and to a basic intuitive BELIEF in God as the Source of All. Competencies include moment to moment awareness and using intuition as a source of wisdom.
The counterpart to Chachmah is Binah or Reasoned Understanding. Binah is the process of drawing out, expanding, analyzing and synthesizing the insights gained through chachmah/intuition in order to clarify the meaning and specific details of our insights. Competencies include expressing a concept of G-d, identifying and prioritizing sources of power, value, and meaning in life, and cultivating a sense of wonder. Meditation and journal writing are helpful in this process.
When we integrate and balance Chachmah and Binah we are able to enter a state of Da'at or knowledge - fully knowing the object of our attention. Da'at encompasses appreciation of insight, understanding of details, and awareness of our immediate experience and functioning. Da’at, as the human reflection of the Divine Will, expresses our sense of purpose and meaning in life. Competencies include mindfulness and intentional living. Practices include Hitbodedut - reflective inner directed mediation and prayer, Mindfulness meditation, use of holy language.
The sefirah of Hesed (love) represents the unbounded flow of divine love and energy. It flows from our continuous awareness of gratitude for all of life. Competencies include the ability to express and receive love, compasssion, and gratitude, openness to one’s own feelings. Meditation to develop hesed focuses on developing this trait in one’s own life and situation, and on connecting Hesed and Da’at- / one’s purpose in life.
The counterpart of Hesed is Gevurah (might, restraint), which represents restriction, control and focus. Literally, Gevurah refers to might, strength and power, especially in the sense of control. When expressed in a positive way Gevurah manifests as justice, judgment or on a personal level as self-control. It’s purpose is to focus the energy of Hesed. Competencies include self-discipline, personal responsibility, and ability to monitor and evaluate one’s own behavior. Practices include making a personal, moral self assessment, confessing our wrongs, learning the techniques of emotional intelligence, e.g., problem solving, managing feelings, clear communication.
When Hesed and Gevurah are optimally balanced the result is the affirming and healing energy of Tiferet. Unbalanced, the energy of Tiferet becomes chaos (as in addiction). Tiferet is often translated as beauty, but we must understand this beauty in the spiritual sense of compassion and forgiveness. Competencies include healing through Forgiveness of self and others, the ability to express compassion and exercise accountability, letting go of anger while maintaining safe interpersonal boundaries and limits. Tiferet is developed along with continued awareness of Hesed and Gevurah and the tension between those two qualities. Meditation, prayer and self-reflection nurture Tiferet.
Netzach (literally victory) is both dominance and energized engagement. Netzach is living and acting out the full expression of one’s love and identity in the context of family and community. It is a positive, energized self-assertion; the ability to live with happiness and zeal. The energized engagement of Netzach can be directed into the willfulness of rebellion and addiction or the will power of leadership. Competencies include the ability to change and improve one’s behavior so that one acts in accordance with one’s Da’at and expresses Hesed. Practices include mental rehearsal of positive behavior, personal affirmations, doing favors for self and others, expressing love by doing random acts of loving kindness (gemilut hasadim).
Hod (literally "glory" or “splendor”) is best understood as empathy or the ability to be present with humility and dignity. Hod represents the ability to act in dignified accordance with God’s will and with your own understanding of your spiritual ethics and values. Hod energy is reflected in loyalty to one’s principles and one’s Higher Power. Hod focuses the energy of Netzach just as Gevurah focuses and limits Hesed. Without the energy of Hod, the energy of Netzach might lead to inconsistency, impulsivity & or even promiscuity. Competencies include the ability to repudiate temptation, empathy, self-restraint and self-control regarding speech and behavior, demonstrating commitment to one’s values in daily actions, using one’s understanding (Da’at) and Torah (ethical path) as a guide and resource for making personal, business and ethical decisions and behavior.
Yesod is the sefirah of creativity, transformation and connection. Literally meaning ‘foundation,’ Yesod signifies loyalty, connection and communication. Balancing the abundant flow of Hesed and Netzach energies with the focusing power of Gevurah and Hod, Yesod represents a loving, energized, dignified and optimally effective ordering of one’s behavior. Yesod also refers to creativity and sexuality, the most intimate human connection. Competencies include bringing God, love and dignity into one’s life, and establishing and nurturing interpersonal relationships. Yesod practices, integrating awareness, mindfulness, blessing and right action, include expressing one’s response to awareness of the holy through verbal blessing of eating, breathing, study, and all one's actions; social action, building relationships based on compassion, limits, positive deeds, and commitment.
Malchut is the
Copyright: © 2008 Rabbi Yaacov J. Kravitz, ED.D., Center for Spiritual Intelligence Inc.
Source: http://www.spiritualintelligence.com/abilities.html
The Power of One
ONE
One song can spark a moment, One flower can wake the dream.
One tree can start a forest, One bird can herald spring.
One smile begins a friendship, One handclasp lifts a soul.
One star can guide a ship at sea, One word can frame the goal.
One vote can change a nation, One sunbeam lights a room.
One candle wipes out darkness, One laugh will conquer gloom.
One step must start each journey, One word must start each prayer.
One hope will raise our spirits, One touch can show you care.
One voice can speak with wisdom, One life can make the difference,
You see, its up to you!
The Path of Love
The Path of Love
Hazrat Inayat Khan
India, early 20th century
I have loved in life
and I have been loved.
I have drunk the bowl of poison
from the hands of love as nectar,
and have been raised above life's joy and sorrow.
My heart, aflame in love,
set afire every heart that came in touch with it.
My heart has been rent
and joined again;
My heart has been broken
and again made whole;
My heart has been wounded
and healed again;
A thousand deaths my heart has died,
and thanks be to love,
it lives yet.
I went through hell and saw there love's raging fire,
and I entered heaven illumined with the light of love.
I wept in love
and made all weep with me;
I mourned in love
and pierced the hearts of men;
And when my fiery glance fell on the rocks,
the rocks burst forth as volcanoes.
The whole world sank in the flood
caused by my one tear;
With my deep sigh the earth trembled,
and when I cried aloud the name of my beloved,
I shook the throne of God in heaven.
I bowed my head low in humility,
and on my knees I begged of love,
"Disclose to me, I pray thee, O love, thy secret."
She took me gently by my arms and lifted me above the earth,
and spoke softly in my ear,
"My dear one,
thou thyself art love, art lover, and thyself art the beloved
whom thou hast adored."
and on my knees I begged of love,
"Disclose to me, I pray thee, O love, thy secret."
She took me gently by my arms and lifted me above the earth,
and spoke softly in my ear,
"My dear one,
thou thyself art love, art lover, and thyself art the beloved
whom thou hast adored."
Source:
On the "Path of Love" Towards the Divine: A Journey with Muslim Mystics
Omid Safi, Colgate University
The Journal of Scriptural Reasoning, Number 3.2, August 2003
On the "Path of Love" Towards the Divine: A Journey with Muslim Mystics
Omid Safi, Colgate University
The Journal of Scriptural Reasoning, Number 3.2, August 2003
© 2003, Society for Scriptural Reasoning
http://etext.virginia.edu/journals/ssr/issues/volume3/number2/ssr03-02-e04.html
http://etext.virginia.edu/journals/ssr/issues/volume3/number2/ssr03-02-e04.html
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