Drunk

"You have seen drunkards, with their zigzagging gait reflecting

their moods, which swing from one extreme to another. They laugh,

then they cry; they look blissful, then furious; they fall asleep

under the table or smash everything up. But wine is not actually

the only thing that causes drunkenness. There are thoughts and

feelings that are like wine: jealousy, anger, sensual desires,

and so on. Those who are in the grip of these wines lose

themselves in the mists and vapours of the astral world, their

gait and their judgment both unsteady.

But there also exists a divine inebriation – ecstasy. And that

inebriation does the opposite; it gives clear-sightedness and

illumines consciousness. It is not forbidden to be drunk; God

himself placed this need in human beings. But they must seek

drunkenness above, in beauty, in light, in drinking the pure

water that springs from the peaks of spiritual mountains. Drink

from this water, and you will experience a wonderful kind of

drunkenness, which will give you balance, strength and clarity."

Omraam Mikhaël Aïvanhov

Le niveau de conscience

Plus le niveau de conscience d'un groupe d'individus s'élève, plus il a une répercussion sur l'entourage, l'environnement, la nature. Une telle action peut avoir une incidence sur une communauté, un pays, l'humanité tout entière... Cela dépend des forces mises en oeuvre pour atteindre l'objectif. Plus la conscience est éveillée, plus l'action peut être intense.

O.Manitara

A Woman's Way

A woman's influence is very different from a man's. A man needs to conquer, to vanquish an opponent. Therefore, his victory is often superficial-he may get the other guy to nod his head, but not his heart.

A woman is able to reach inside a man, so he may not even recognize her influence. He feels as though this was his idea all along.

From where does this talent come? Paradoxically, from the woman's union with a man. So too, from the man's union with a woman, he too can learn to fix the world through nurture.

T. Freeman

Two Minds

When the Infinite Light emanated a world, It did so with two minds, two states of consciousness. One mind sees from above to below -- and so, all is insignificant before it. From above to below, there is no world, only One.

The other mind sees from below to above -- and so all of creation is G-dly to it. From below to above, there is a world to point to the Oneness.

At the nexus of these two minds, at the crux of their paradox, there shines the very Essence of the Infinite Light.

The first mind descended into man; the second into woman.

That is why the man has the power to conquer and subdue, but he lacks a sense of the other.

That is why the woman feels the other. She does not conquer, she nurtures. But her light is tightly constrained and so she is full of harsh judgments.

As they bond together, the man sweetens the judgment of the woman and the woman teaches the man to feel the other. And in that union shines the very Essence of the Infinite.

T. Freeman

A Different Peace

True peace is not a forced truce, not a homogenization of differences, not a common ground that abandons our home territories.

True peace is the oneness that sprouts from diversity, from a panorama of colors, strokes and textures. From the harmony of many instruments each playing a unique part, not one overlapping the other's kingdom by even the breadth of a hair. There, in the most delightful beauty of this world, there shines G-d's most profound oneness.

Those who attempt to blur those borders, they are unwittingly destroying the world. Beginning with the crucial border between man and woman -- for this is the beginning of all diversity, the sharpest focus of G-d's oneness, shining intensely upon His precious world.

T. Freeman

Real Ideas

I don't believe in philosophy.

I believe in ideas that change people.

T. Freeman

Beyond Understanding

God knows all before it occurs. More than that: It is His knowledge that brings all events into being.

But we still have free choice.

You claim this is illogical. I ask you: Knowledge of existence before any thought of any thing exists is logical?

When we talk about the Source of All Existence, our principles of logic no longer apply. We don't understand a thing, because there is no understanding.

T. Freeman

How Could It Happen

You ask me, "Why did God allow it to happen?"

You recognize that everything in this world has purpose and meaning. Examine any aspect of His vast Creation, from the cosmos to the workings of the atom and you will see there must be a plan.

And so you ask, where does this fit into the plan? 

How could it?

I can only answer, painfully, God alone knows.

But what I cannot know, I need not know.

I need not know in order to fulfill 

that which my Creator has created me to do.

And that is, to change the world 

so this could never happen again.

T.Freeman

Objective Faith

If your belief system is based upon what makes sense to you, what you find most gratifying and what best accommodates your own self concept --then you will undoubtedly fear intellectual inquiry. At best, your approach will be subjective and bribed.

However, when your faith is based not upon your subjective self, but because this is the reality of your inner soul, a truth to which it is intrinsically bound --then you are not afraid to inquire. There is no apprehension of being proven wrong, only certitude that you shall understand more.

Therefore, only true faith can be truly objective.

T. Freeman

Better Than the Sun

Some would like to be like the sun, aloof from this world. Whatever material matters they accomplish during their stay occur as if by chance, with no real involvement of their own.

Others become entirely wrapped up in all the fetters and chains of life. They suffer its scars and bruises, delight in its offerings, thirst for its rewards and tremble at its pain.

True tzaddikim emulate their Creator. To them, every detail of life has meaning and purpose--every step is a decision, every move is deliberate. And yet, they remain above it all.

What is their secret?

They remember they are not the body, but the soul.

T.Freeman

There is obviously a connection between thought and action

"There is obviously a connection between thought and action:
anyone who has an idea will hope to realize it. But the strongest
connection is between feeling and action. When you experience
love or anger, why does the feeling make its way immediately to
the physical plane? Whether you intend to or not, you make
gestures which correspond to the feeling. If you love someone,
you are instinctively inclined to smile at them, stroke them and
hug them. If you are annoyed with them, it’s all you can do not
to glare at them or hit them.
Every feeling is expressed via specific gestures. And the
reverse is also true: if you look amazed, you will end up really
feeling it; pretend to be disgusted, and you will also be it.
Just as feelings automatically lead to certain gestures, so
gestures lead to corresponding feelings. These are laws you
should be aware of, so you can put them to use in everyday life."

Omraam Mikhaël Aïvanhov

Gravity

No one has ever seen, touched or measured a particle or a wave of gravity. Furthermore, the very notion of gravity is mystifying: masses light years apart with nothing between them, affecting each other's movements!

Yet we all accept there must be a cause behind the phenomena we observe, so we call this elusive force "gravity."

So too, there is a cause behind existence. That Cause may be even more elusive, but the reality of its existence is at least as inescapable and empirically evident.

T. Freeman

Good Citizens

"Destroy Man's desire to sin" our sages tell us, "and you would destroy the world."

Not that anyone needs to sin. But one who lacks the desire to sin is not a citizen of this world. And without citizens, who will effect lasting change?

T.Freeman

Two Are One

Many people, without realizing, end up with two gods:

One god is an impersonal, all-encompassing, transcendent force.

But then, at times of trouble, they cry out to another, personal god, with whom they have an intimate relationship.

Our faith is all about knowing that these two are one. The same God who is beyond all things, He is the same one who hears your cries and counts your tears. The same God who is the force behind all existence and transcends even that, He is the same God who cares about what is cooking in your kitchen and how you treat your fellow human being.

God cannot be defined, even as transcendent. He is beyond all things and within them at once.

T. Freeman

The Dream

You build a dream house.

You start with a dream. The dream becomes a plan. The plan becomes a lot of dirty work. The dirty work becomes a house. If you are successful, it is the house of your dreams.

Dream, plan, dirty work, success. Why is this the fundamental strategy of all human endeavor? Because it is the story of the universe.

Those who can feel the dream, those who can read the plan, they see we are now at the finishing touches.

T.Freeman

Getting Ahead with Failure

  There is only one thing that can put you further ahead than success, and that is surviving failure.

When you are successful, you are whole and complete. That is wonderful, but you cannot break out beyond your own universe.

When you fail, you are broken. You look at the pieces of yourself lying on the ground and say, "This is worthless."

Now you can escape. The shell is broken, the shell of a created being. Now you can grow to join the Infinite.

T. Freeman

Disinterestedness

"Disinterestedness is not the most widespread of virtues where

humans are concerned. Even when they give something away or give

generous speeches, there is nearly always a hidden motive. Of

course, no gesture, feeling or thought can truly be absolutely

disinterested. Even love of God is motivated by self-interest.

Those who love God know they will gain light, freedom and eternal

life, so their love contains an element of self-interest. But in

changing its objective, this interest has moved to another level,

for light, freedom and eternal life are divine acquisitions.

So this is the direction we must go in: we must conquer the

lower interest, which tends only to satisfy the instincts and

desires, and find a higher interest: the need to grow, to become

nobler, more godlike. But this too has an element of

self-interest – whatever we do, we act in our own interest."

Omraam Mikhaël Aïvanhov

"People say, ‘I am my own master; no one has the right to impose their will on me.

"People say, ‘I am my own master; no one has the right to impose
their will on me.’ Poor things, are they really in control? (When
I say ‘they’, I am referring to their divine self.) Well, no, you
can’t be certain. Others have taken their place – chaotic, dark
forces, passions they allow to rage within. Meanwhile, their true
self is like a prisoner cooped up in some dungeon, fed on crusts
of bread and a little water. They suffer and are miserable.
So many people think themselves free and powerful! And maybe for
a while at least they succeed in imposing themselves on those
around them, or even on a whole country, but their freedom and
their power are only apparent ones. Inside them there is anarchy,
and this inner anarchy is much more serious and dangerous than
political or social anarchy. Prisons, clinics and psychiatric
hospitals are full of it. How long will this go on? Until those
who are conscious and vigilant are able to restore the divine
principle as their inner authority."

Omraam Mikhaël Aïvanhov

Tout se passe toujours d'abord dans les mondes invisibles

Tout se passe toujours d'abord dans les mondes invisibles avant d'apparaître dans les mondes visibles. Quand tu vois une chose, c'est qu'elle est déjà faite. Si tu vois de l'eau couler, c'est qu'elle coulait avant que tu ne la voies. Il est dit dans la Bible que Moïse a frappé un rocher de sa baguette et que l'eau a jailli, mais Moïse n'a pas créé l'eau. Avec une baguette de sourcier, il a simplement repéré un courant d'eau qui était caché et l'a montré : il a montré ce qui était caché. L'eau était déjà là. Rien ne peut apparaître qui n'existe déjà. Quand tu parles, tu fais apparaître un monde qui était caché. Il y a toujours deux mondes : le visible et l'invisible.

O. Manitara

Detoured Good

Sometimes it happens that you set out to do something with the best of intentions-and you end up with what appears the opposite.

Know with absolute certainty-because this is a tradition of our sages-that if your true intent is good, then from it only good can emerge.

Perhaps not the good you intended-or care for-but good nevertheless.

T. Freeman

Infinite Opportunity

Every moment,

every human activity

is an opportunity to connect with the Infinite.

Every act can be an uplifting of the soul.

It is only your will that may stand in the way.

But as soon as you wish,

you are connected.

T.Freeman

Multiple Reflections

Go out on a clear night and see the moon reflected in the water of a lake. Then see the very same moon reflected in a pond, in a teacup, in a single drop of water.

So the same essential Truth is reflected within each person who studies it, from a small child to a great sage.

T.Freeman (adapted)

Start Simple

If you want to understand something to its depths, first approach it with the mind of a five-year-old.

Ask the innocent and obvious questions and make things clear and simple. Through that clarity, you will perceive the depths.

T. Freeman

Related to Wonder

We open our eyes and we stand in wonder at this world,
but we do not stand on the outside with gaping mouths.

This wonder, it is our father.
We are its child.
It is our God and we are its people.

T.Freeman

You may not see the reason for them, but those thoughts and feelings cannot be coming to you by chance

"Someone comes and confides in me that they are visited by

unsettling thoughts and feelings, and they don’t understand why.

The way they see it, it doesn’t make sense; it is not in their

nature to have such thoughts and feelings; they are quite out of

character and not related to their usual concerns! I say, ‘Are

you sure? You may not see the reason for them, but those thoughts

and feelings cannot be coming to you by chance. In some way or

another you have provided the conditions for them; you have put

the food out for them.’

If you put a bowl of milk on your windowsill, don’t be surprised

if all the cats in the district turn up. If you just chase them

away, it won’t help; remove the bowl of milk instead. Otherwise,

the cats will say to you, ‘What are you complaining about? You

attracted us with the milk.’ Do you feel invaded by particular

negative states? Start by asking yourself what you have done to

attract them, for you most certainly did."

Omraam Mikhaël Aïvanhov

Les pierres sont les gardiennes de la mémoire

Les pierres sont les gardiennes de la mémoire, de l'avenir. C'est la pierre en toi qui te dit qui tu es, c'est elle qui a gardé ta mémoire. Ce que tu es aujourd'hui, quelqu'un l'a jadis écrit sur une pierre. Mais les hommes ont perdu la mémoire : ils ne savent plus parler avec la Mère, avec les animaux, avec les étoiles ni même avec eux-mêmes. Dans l'Antiquité, les hommes savaient par¬ler avec les Dieux et avec la nature. Ils avaient ce savoir parce que la mémoire se transmettait d'âge en âge.

O.Manitara

Que les hommes s'ouvrent à la grande réalité

Que les hommes s'ouvrent à la grande réalité pour percevoir que tout, absolument tout, est vivant. 'Vivant' n'est pas un mot, un concept, une chimère mais une réalité absolue qui s'exprime dans plusieurs mondes. Que leurs yeux se posent sur le beau, le vivant et le vrai. S'ils regardent ce qui s'éteint, leur vie s'éteindra et plus rien en eux ne pourra capter, entendre, comprendre tous les appels, les messages qui leur sont envoyés par leurs frères d'âme à travers les arbres, les fleurs, l'eau, l'air, la terre, les animaux, les pierres, le feu et toute la beauté du monde et des mondes.

O.Manitara