by Daniel Nahmod
Nothing to say, nowhere to go, nothing to do
I have no promises to make, no one to know, nothing to prove
It's a strange sort of existence, somehow it seems so true
The only thing i really know is that I don't know a thing
The only sound that i hear now is the silence when i sing
The only sight my eyes can see is the darkness of my dreams
This is how I'm born to be
Empty.
I know nothing is wrong, nothing is right, all is in all right now
Everything's gone, ambition and fight, no expectations at all
It's a new kind of intention, somehow it seems so right
The only thing i really know is that I don't know a thing
The only sound that i hear now is the silence when i sing
The only sight my eyes can see is the darkness of my dreams
This is how I'm born to be
I'd be perfectly fine if I stayed this way forever
Nothing on my mind, and I've never felt better
The only thing I really know is that I don't know a thing
The only sound that i hear now, is the silence when i sing
the only sight my eyes can see is the darkness of my dreams
This is how I'm born to be
This is how I'm born to be
Empty
_
Monday, June 28, 2010
Sunday, June 20, 2010
You and Yours
Your eyes were the most mischievous I have ever looked into, full of adventure. We had a passion I never even dreamed of having.
And yours I had the pleasure of looking into for hours that night, without saying a word, just holding you. It was one of the most intimate things I have ever experienced.
Your lips were some of the softest that I have ever kissed; there was a synchronicity there that just seemed to come naturally.
And we, we kissed at midnight on New Years Eve after your aged dog ate my box of chocolates. It was my first kiss, and I was terrible. We lasted something like two weeks.
And you, you were the one who took me by the lips and taught me. You were unrelenting.
Your kiss came to my cheek when I was a schoolboy, and immediately afterward I danced around the schoolyard in sheer giddy delight.
And you, you had a heart that matched mine. You knew who you were and you lived it out on a daily basis. i was privileged to be in the picture. You had a beautiful simplicity about you that drew me to you.
You and yours.
And yours I had the pleasure of looking into for hours that night, without saying a word, just holding you. It was one of the most intimate things I have ever experienced.
Your lips were some of the softest that I have ever kissed; there was a synchronicity there that just seemed to come naturally.
And we, we kissed at midnight on New Years Eve after your aged dog ate my box of chocolates. It was my first kiss, and I was terrible. We lasted something like two weeks.
And you, you were the one who took me by the lips and taught me. You were unrelenting.
Your kiss came to my cheek when I was a schoolboy, and immediately afterward I danced around the schoolyard in sheer giddy delight.
And you, you had a heart that matched mine. You knew who you were and you lived it out on a daily basis. i was privileged to be in the picture. You had a beautiful simplicity about you that drew me to you.
You and yours.
Friday, June 18, 2010
Only Visiting This Planet
Lately I've been dousing myself in old Christian rock that I used to listen to growing up. Petra, DeGarmo and Key, Michael W. Smith, and more. Most recently DeGarmo and Key have been on my Blackberry, as I remember lead singer Dana Key who recently passed away. Just today one of D & K's songs "Aliens and Strangers" came on, which contains lyrics like "My closest friends are aliens and strangers, travelers here, living with danger." Later on, Key states that we're just "passing through." This is a common theme in Christian rock. The Grandfather of Christian Rock, the late Larry Norman entitled one of his albums Only Visiting This Planet, and also had a song called U.F.O. which said "He's (Jesus) an Unidentified Flying Object, we will meet him in the sky." All of this suggests that our real home is not this earth but that we should consider Heaven our home. I believe even T-shirts with the phrase "This World Is Not My Home" used to be popular among Christians.
I think that it is unfortunate to place so much emphasis on the afterlife, which no one can definitively prove anyway. Placing our sights on the future, which is undetermined, robs us of being fully present in the here and in the now, which is all that we have. There is also an air of disdain for this world in some of these songs, as if the world is a dirty, sullied place that needs to be conquered. Degarmo and Key has a song called At War With The World. Petra has songs such as Armed and Dangerous and even This Means War.
What I am trying to say is that this world is all we have right now, so instead of trying to conquer or overcome it, we should instead embrace it and the things in it. It should also be noted that along with a condemnation for this world, there is usually a partnering disdain for our bodies, which are things that need to be conquered or overcome. What I am saying is that we can trust this world, and Trust that It Is Good. We live in a wonderful world and all we have for sure is this lifetime, so we should enjoy it and also enjoy ourselves. Just as we can trust the world, we can trust our bodies and the things that they tell us. We should wake up each day and bask in the new moments that Life brings us. Also, we should embrace the feelings that our bodies feel, whether they are telling us to relax, slow down, or dance like there's no tomorrow. (I should note that I do think that there's more after this life, but what the afterlife is like, I have no idea, but I trust that it is Good, just as this life is.)
In conclusion, we are not Aliens and Strangers, or Only Visiting This Planet.
We Can Trust This Life. We Can Trust This World. We Can Trust Our Bodies. We Can Just Trust.
I think that it is unfortunate to place so much emphasis on the afterlife, which no one can definitively prove anyway. Placing our sights on the future, which is undetermined, robs us of being fully present in the here and in the now, which is all that we have. There is also an air of disdain for this world in some of these songs, as if the world is a dirty, sullied place that needs to be conquered. Degarmo and Key has a song called At War With The World. Petra has songs such as Armed and Dangerous and even This Means War.
What I am trying to say is that this world is all we have right now, so instead of trying to conquer or overcome it, we should instead embrace it and the things in it. It should also be noted that along with a condemnation for this world, there is usually a partnering disdain for our bodies, which are things that need to be conquered or overcome. What I am saying is that we can trust this world, and Trust that It Is Good. We live in a wonderful world and all we have for sure is this lifetime, so we should enjoy it and also enjoy ourselves. Just as we can trust the world, we can trust our bodies and the things that they tell us. We should wake up each day and bask in the new moments that Life brings us. Also, we should embrace the feelings that our bodies feel, whether they are telling us to relax, slow down, or dance like there's no tomorrow. (I should note that I do think that there's more after this life, but what the afterlife is like, I have no idea, but I trust that it is Good, just as this life is.)
In conclusion, we are not Aliens and Strangers, or Only Visiting This Planet.
We Can Trust This Life. We Can Trust This World. We Can Trust Our Bodies. We Can Just Trust.
Wednesday, June 16, 2010
You Can Trust Yourself
Do you know that you can trust yourself? Maybe you do, maybe you don't. I never used to think that I could trust myself when I was growing up as a fundamentalist Christian. I believed that humankind in their natural state were sinners and that their ways were naturally distorted and bent. It was only through salvation by Jesus that one could be cleansed from this, but still you couldn't trust yourself. You could trust God and Jesus, and perhaps your pastor, but not yourself. We were naturally corrupt, and thankfully had the word of God, the Bible to refer to in all matters.
But today I trust myself.
I trust myself now that I view God as the divine Spirit within whom I live and whom I am an expression of. I trust my feelings, whether they be of love or sadness, anger or pain. I do not try to pray them away or run away from negative emotions. Rather, I sit with them and try to understand why they're there. I am learning to listen to my body. If I am feeling sad, I let myself feel sad. If I feel the need to be held, I get together with a friend who can hold me. If I feel like I want to kiss someone, if I am in a relationship I kiss unabashedly.
We are not bad, we are not untrustworthy.
We Are Good, and We Can Trust Ourselves.
But today I trust myself.
I trust myself now that I view God as the divine Spirit within whom I live and whom I am an expression of. I trust my feelings, whether they be of love or sadness, anger or pain. I do not try to pray them away or run away from negative emotions. Rather, I sit with them and try to understand why they're there. I am learning to listen to my body. If I am feeling sad, I let myself feel sad. If I feel the need to be held, I get together with a friend who can hold me. If I feel like I want to kiss someone, if I am in a relationship I kiss unabashedly.
We are not bad, we are not untrustworthy.
We Are Good, and We Can Trust Ourselves.
Tuesday, June 15, 2010
Coming Back To This Moment
What is it that you need to get back into the present moment? If you're like me, you may spend a lot of your time thinking about the past, whether they be good or bad memories, celebrations or regrets. We are not Here. Or perhaps you are thinking of the future, whether it be in eager anticipation of an upcoming event, or with dis-ease at what may come. What can bring us back Here, where peace is present?
I think it can be different things for different people. Spending a few minutes in prayer or meditation in the morning could do it. If you believe in a personal God, you could bring your concerns and things that you're grateful for before Him. If you view God as more of a spiritual being who lives within you, you could practise focusing on "breathing in God, breathing out God." Or you may just focus on your breath and nothing else, if you can concentrate on it. If not, you could try a certain phrase or Scripture verse that means a lot to you. Examples of this are: "I am a loved and wonderful expression of God in the world," "I am fearfully and wonderfully made," or simply "I am Love."
However you do it, I encourage you to spend as much time as possible in the here, in the now. All worries and anxieties are less in the here and the now and when we focus on God, whomever that may be for us.
Blessings to you today!
Mark Andrew
I think it can be different things for different people. Spending a few minutes in prayer or meditation in the morning could do it. If you believe in a personal God, you could bring your concerns and things that you're grateful for before Him. If you view God as more of a spiritual being who lives within you, you could practise focusing on "breathing in God, breathing out God." Or you may just focus on your breath and nothing else, if you can concentrate on it. If not, you could try a certain phrase or Scripture verse that means a lot to you. Examples of this are: "I am a loved and wonderful expression of God in the world," "I am fearfully and wonderfully made," or simply "I am Love."
However you do it, I encourage you to spend as much time as possible in the here, in the now. All worries and anxieties are less in the here and the now and when we focus on God, whomever that may be for us.
Blessings to you today!
Mark Andrew
Friday, June 4, 2010
A Reminder
Do you know that if you could never do anything ever again, that if you could never be who you think you are ever again, You Would Still Be Wonderful.
There's nothing that you need to say, there's no catching up to do and no one to impress.
You are a Unique and Wonderful Gift To The World. You may not feel like it today, there can be so many things that pull us away from this truth, but you can come back to it again and again. Although it is nice to hear from others, no one needs to tell this to you for it to be true. You're magnificent.
Be Easy On Yourself. Show Loving-Kindness To Yourself, because there is only one You.
There's nothing that you need to say, there's no catching up to do and no one to impress.
You are a Unique and Wonderful Gift To The World. You may not feel like it today, there can be so many things that pull us away from this truth, but you can come back to it again and again. Although it is nice to hear from others, no one needs to tell this to you for it to be true. You're magnificent.
Be Easy On Yourself. Show Loving-Kindness To Yourself, because there is only one You.
You, Me, & Plurality
"Religion cannot stand Spirituality. It cannot abide it. For Spirituality may bring you to a different conclusion than a particular religion - and this no known religion can tolerate.
Religion encourages you to explore the thoughts of others and accept them as your own. Spirituality invites you to toss away the thoughts of others and come up with your own."
Neale Donald Walsch
My last few blog entries have begun with quotes from Walsch that I agree with, but this time I thought I'd post one that I don't necessarily agree with totally.
Firstly, there is his statement that "Spirituality may bring you to a different conclusion than a particular religion - and this no known religion can tolerate."
Frankly, and thankfully, this is no longer true. I have been fortunate in the past 3 years or so to have been introduced to both Unitarian Universalism, and Unity.
For those unfamiliar with Unitarian Universalism, it is a liberal, non-creedal religion. However, it does have a list of 7 Principles and 6 Sources from which they draw upon, one of which is direct experience of that transcending mystery and wonder, affirmed in all cultures, which moves us to a renewal of the spirit and an openness to the forces which create and uphold life; In other words, they recognize and affirm that an individual's personal and direct experience is valid; it matters!
As far as Unity is concerned, while it still utilizes more Christian language and Scripture than you'd find in a Unitarian Universalist church, it acknowledges the individual's journey. While I am now a member of the Unitarian Universalist church in my region, I attended a Unity center for several months. Every Sunday the minister would make a point of welcoming those in attendance with something like this: "We welcome you to Unity. We realize that each person is on their own individual journey and that we are not the only way, but welcome."
How refreshing both of these approaches are! A very public acknowledgement that we are all on our own individual journeys and they may look very different from the person sitting next to us, but still we can come together and be in a loving, accepting community!
Secondly I'd like to refer to Walsch's statement that "Spirituality invites you to toss away the thoughts of others and come up with your own." I think we can all agree that we can listen to the thoughts of others and then judge whether we agree with them and want to incorporate them into our own belief system, or whether we indeed want to "toss them away." But I mostly want to refer to the part of the sentence where he suggests that we can "come up with our own (thoughts and beliefs)." This is very different from what I grew up with. I grew up as a fundamentalist Christian where I thought I had to measure my beliefs and thoughts against the words of the inerrant Bible and against the words of a minister. What's more, I believed in the doctrine of original sin, that because Adam and Eve ate of the fruit in the Garden of Eden, so the rest of humanity also had a sinful nature at its core. How wonderful it is now to believe that we are not originally sinful but that we are original blessings, and that our thoughts, rather than probably being contrary to what God wants, can often be the expression of God into the world and blessings to the people in our lives and to those around the world.
In conclusion, I disagree with Walsch's assumption that all religion cannot accept diversity, but I heartily agree that we can come up with our own thoughts and beliefs.
Blessings to you today,
Mark Andrew
Religion encourages you to explore the thoughts of others and accept them as your own. Spirituality invites you to toss away the thoughts of others and come up with your own."
Neale Donald Walsch
My last few blog entries have begun with quotes from Walsch that I agree with, but this time I thought I'd post one that I don't necessarily agree with totally.
Firstly, there is his statement that "Spirituality may bring you to a different conclusion than a particular religion - and this no known religion can tolerate."
Frankly, and thankfully, this is no longer true. I have been fortunate in the past 3 years or so to have been introduced to both Unitarian Universalism, and Unity.
For those unfamiliar with Unitarian Universalism, it is a liberal, non-creedal religion. However, it does have a list of 7 Principles and 6 Sources from which they draw upon, one of which is direct experience of that transcending mystery and wonder, affirmed in all cultures, which moves us to a renewal of the spirit and an openness to the forces which create and uphold life; In other words, they recognize and affirm that an individual's personal and direct experience is valid; it matters!
As far as Unity is concerned, while it still utilizes more Christian language and Scripture than you'd find in a Unitarian Universalist church, it acknowledges the individual's journey. While I am now a member of the Unitarian Universalist church in my region, I attended a Unity center for several months. Every Sunday the minister would make a point of welcoming those in attendance with something like this: "We welcome you to Unity. We realize that each person is on their own individual journey and that we are not the only way, but welcome."
How refreshing both of these approaches are! A very public acknowledgement that we are all on our own individual journeys and they may look very different from the person sitting next to us, but still we can come together and be in a loving, accepting community!
Secondly I'd like to refer to Walsch's statement that "Spirituality invites you to toss away the thoughts of others and come up with your own." I think we can all agree that we can listen to the thoughts of others and then judge whether we agree with them and want to incorporate them into our own belief system, or whether we indeed want to "toss them away." But I mostly want to refer to the part of the sentence where he suggests that we can "come up with our own (thoughts and beliefs)." This is very different from what I grew up with. I grew up as a fundamentalist Christian where I thought I had to measure my beliefs and thoughts against the words of the inerrant Bible and against the words of a minister. What's more, I believed in the doctrine of original sin, that because Adam and Eve ate of the fruit in the Garden of Eden, so the rest of humanity also had a sinful nature at its core. How wonderful it is now to believe that we are not originally sinful but that we are original blessings, and that our thoughts, rather than probably being contrary to what God wants, can often be the expression of God into the world and blessings to the people in our lives and to those around the world.
In conclusion, I disagree with Walsch's assumption that all religion cannot accept diversity, but I heartily agree that we can come up with our own thoughts and beliefs.
Blessings to you today,
Mark Andrew
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