Welcome to the Hearth

Welcome to the Hearth

Wednesday, April 15, 2009

Waiting for life to rez.....


Another reflection on my experiences exploring Second Life has yielded some interesting insights. I am learning a lot about the reality of computer simulation. Second Life is a fairly realistic representation of how things look to us in real life. When you first step into the Avatar's persona and appear in Second life things begin to rez. This is a term that means that the visual resolution of the 3 D world starts coming into clarity. It can take a few seconds to do this. While it is all coming clear your primary self watching the computer screen sees big grey blocks that then eventually rez into your clothes, your horse, trees, ponds, the ocean and so on. It can sometimes be a surreal moment.

It occurred to me that this is like the "caterpiller soup" I referred to in the last post. We are beginning to experience such profound changes, or profound need for changes that we are all standing around waiting for things to rez so we can see where we are and then decide what move to make next.

I find this analogy helpful and comforting, in a way. Since it always rezes the way it is suppose to, in the end, there is no need to panic or become undone. We can trust that the One who created this game we are in right now has some built in codes that are working in the background to unfold our experience into the adventure we expected when we signed up for this gig. We get to make choices as to how we experience our adventure, we have some awesome guides to help us and it is always going to be interesting. But, we can't be sleep walking through it if we want to make the most of things.

Saturday, April 11, 2009

Caterpillar Soup!



When the little caterpillar has consumed all the world around him and nearly destroyed his environment, he's feeling quite ill and feels he's under attack from something deep within that begins to emerge and show itself in his body and being. Imaginal cells begin to appear in his system and proliferate. His immune system starts a program of attack to remedy the situation. The "medical experts"around him prescribe every manner of pill and procedure to help him. Momentarily it crosses his mind that pirates may be involved, stealing all he values from under his nose! Call out the military, then, might be the solution, but, no, those pesky little imaginal disks seem never ending and bringing with them disturbing ideas like radical change. Soon, though, another idea comes forth: "rest, I must stop and rest from all this activity." "Mercy, sweet mercy," he mutters, as he crawls into his little downy sleeping bag. Moving down deep into an incredible chaotic soup, Caterpillar soup, he waits and sleeps for the last time.....

Wednesday, April 1, 2009

Riding The Night Mare to Freedom

Horsemaker Soulstar and Rhiannon in Second Life

This past couple of months have been a roller coaster ride for America, some would even call it a nightmare! We all have experienced nightmares, both the kind associated with dreaming and the kind in our life that happen during our waking moments. Lately I've been thinking more about the purpose of nightmares.

Ever since I started making the clay horses in earnest in my studio I have watched a new understanding unfold about the connection women and horses seem to have. It seems that the Celtic Wisdom figure, Rhiannon has played a role in Humankind's journey. It is said that she rides through the evening sky on the Night Mare bringing prophecy and wisdom to the dreamer. Many of us know that if we do not face our worst nightmares we will never be free. The more we avoid facing them, the more they persue and haunt us.

At the moment, it has never seemed clearer to me that the reality we think we live in, seems to be coming apart at the seams, it is failing, disintegrating, imploding. Have you ever seen so many businesses and organizations that seemed just a few years ago to be solid and now are going bankrupt? What is going on here? We can't put off facing the fact that the world around us is different. Though we may want to avoid this seeming mess all around us, we can't. It requires a change of consciousness because we can't solve these problems by using the same level of thinking that created them. (Seems to me Einstein came up with that thought back in the day.)

So what are we to do? I have found that my experiences in Second Life, something I have mentioned before in another post, have given me some new insights about all of this. In order to function in Second Life, you have to be willing to suspend your normal perspective and watch from a different vantage point. In so doing, I have realized that my mind and thoughts are what is really creating what is happening outside of me. The only way I can change the world outside of me is to change it from the inside first. No amount of stimulas plan or bank bailout will change things for the better until each one of us changes this game, first on the inside. We each know someone who is losing a job, or,is sick with a life threatening illness or, is at the very least, discouraged, confused or angry.We may ask ourselves how we can help and the answer is that it is an inside job for each of us. The first step is to realize that no matter what our outside package looks like, the Consciousness who created the experience we are now having is magnificent and is a creative genius. I am not referring to God here. (That's a whole other story!) I am talking about you and me Consciousness. Yes, even the bozo on the bus or the annoying neighbor next door. We are all awesome expressions of one flawless force. The nightmare we are riding together is a great opportunity to finally discover this truth, but we may have to suspend our normal perceptions to see it. I think this present time is a Golden Opportunity to know a greater freedom from the life of slavery to some pretty big illusions we have been living with on this planet for so long.
 
As my day dawns this morning I am curious to see what I can create today from the opportunities that present themselves. Saddle up with me and let's see where this Night Mare is going. Just remember, the reins are in our hands.