Tuesday July 31st 2012 LOVE TO YOU ALL

Sorry for the poor quality of the photo of todays painting. It is now eleven am and I must get on with this day. (the writing below was written before I have just added this painting above!) got to go.


Its not unusual these last few days for the weather to be dull and wet. This inspires me to be cheerful.
I just phoned my sons up and I will be driving around to their house and taking them swimming in Stevenage at 12.30! As it has just gone ten in the morning, it just occurred to me that being on a water
meter it wasnt perhaps the best thing for me to have a full hot bath earlier, but then I didnt know I was going swimming. Makes sense to do this stuff. Otherwise I would end up as one of those sad statistics, like the people that get run over and are wearing dirty underwear!
Not me. Kimble the nimble. People smile and laugh. When they see me they cheer, now I dont drink beer, or wine. I am so lucky, my medication is free, and its destroying the hep B. Boy I am glad to be me. All I am is a producer of art and stuff. Trying to share love and cheer up trees, people and bumble bees.  Here is some work in progress, which I hope that you will enjoy. Also some photos of me which really are just of my physical face. Not really me, but its what a lot of people cant see past!

    I like about the photo above. Being able to see a reflection in my contact lenses of me taking the picture. Reflections are ongoing!

Today my brothers and sisters is the day to celebrate the life of St Ignatius Loyola 1491-1556

  He came from the Basque country in the north of Spain. Crippled by a wound
  in 1521 he had no romances of chivalry to read and turned to a life of Christ
  and lives of the saints instead. His change of direction took shape in Spiritual
  Exercises based on his experiences in retreat at Manresa, near Monserrat. These
  he gave to the companions who joined him while he was a mature student at
  Paris in 1530-4, and came to be founder members of the Society of Jesus when
  this developed later, in Rome between 1539 and 1541.

                  The Exercises contain:
Rules for the discernment of spirits; for in some degree perceiving and knowing the various motions excited in the soul; the good, that they may be rejected.
  In the case of those who are making progress from good to better, the good angel touches the soul gently, lightly, sweetly, as a drop of water entering into a sponge; and the evil spirit touches it sharply, and with noise and disturbance, like a drop of water falling on a rock. In the case of those who go from bad to worse, the contrary happens; and the reason for this difference is the disposition of the soul, according as it is contrary they enter in silence, as into their own house, through the open doors.

  Rules for thinking with the Church include:     


Although it is very true that no one can be saved without being predestined, we must speak with great circumspection on this matter, for fear that, giving too much to grace, we should appear to destroy man`s free will and the merit of good works; or that giving too much to free will, we should weaken the power and efficacy of grace.

  The final prayer at the end is:


Take, Lord, and receive my entire liberty, my memory, my understanding and my whole will. All that I am, all that I have, you have given me, and I give it back again to be at your disposal, according to your good pleasure. Give me only your love and your grace; with them I am rich enough.

                     ********************************************************************
My brothers and sisters, and also those who have yet to become realized to the unity of true Love, when we go with the flow things seem to come about at the right time and place, without our ego interfering.
It doesnt matter if we call the power, `Holy Spirit`, or Tao. Om and Amen I say and chant, letting the sound of enlightenment and acceptance be part of me and letting me be part of all. Going beyond this physical plane and universe. Joy, Love and intrinsic healing to you all. Your loving brother Peter.

Todays Reality supplemental: Wilberforce 1759-1833

Good day my brothers and sisters. Its coming up to six in the morning. Harry my youngest son is still in bed and so I have the ideal opportunity to construct a blog. For those of you who noticed that there wasnt one yesterday, the reason was quality dad and son time. Harry, who is all of twelve years old, discovered the comedy series `Friends` and so we had a ten hour `Friends festival`.
Yesterday was the day which we should have perhaps been celebrating the life of William Wilberforce
1759-1833

  He was a member of Parliament for Yorkshire from 1796 to 1825 and played a prominent part in            
 agitation against the slave trade. In 1797, when he had been a converted Evangelical for twelve years,
 he wrote his Practical View of the prevailing religious system of professed Christians in the higher              
 and middle classes in the country, contrasting with real Christianity.
Take the case of young men of condition, brought up by what we have termed nominal Christians. When children, they are carried to church, and thence they become acquainted with such parts of Scriptures as are contained in the Public Services. If their parents preserve still more of the customs of better times, they are taught their catechism, and furnished with a little further religious knowledge. After a while, they go from under the eye of their parents; they enter the world, and move forward on the path of life, wherever it may be, which has been assigned to them. They yield to the temptations which assail them, and become, more or less, dissipated and licentious. At last they neglect to look into their Bible, they do not enlarge the sphere of their religious acquisitions; they do not even endeavour, by reflection or study, to mature their knowledge, or to turn into rational conviction the opinions which in their childhood they had taken on trust.
  They travel perhaps into foreign countries; a proceeding which naturally tends to weaken their nursery prejudice in favour of the religion in which they were bred, and by removing them from all means of public worship, to relax their practical habits of religion. They return home, and commonly are either hurried round in the vortex of dissipation, or engage with the ardour of youthful minds in some public or professional pursuit.

Today we celebrate our own freedom! The freedom from brands. Interesting that. Many people will say
that they are individuals and not following the herd mentality! What about `brand` loyalty. Designer labels. Its all hogwash. But the sun is shining and so lets make sure we are not stuck in a rut today and having to go along with what the media and fashion say! Blessings peace and love be with us all today.
Your brother Peter
 

What Do You See In The Clouds?

Good day to you all, my brothers and sisters.

                           WHAT DO YOU SEE IN THE CLOUDS

  Behold, He cometh with clouds. Rev. 1;7.
  In the bible clouds are always connected with God. Clouds are those sorrows or sufferings or providences, within or without our personal lives, which seem to dispute the rule of God. It is by those very clouds that the Spirit of God is teaching us how to walk by faith. If there were no clouds, we should have no faith. `With clouds are but the dust of our Fathers feet.` The clouds are a sign that He is there. What a revelation it is to know that sorrow and bereavement and suffering are the clouds that come along with God! God cannot come near without clouds, He does not come in clear shining.
  It is not true to say that God wants to teach us something in our trails; through every cloud He brings, He wants us to unlearn something. God`s purpose in the clout is to simplify our belief until our relationship to Him is exactly that of a child-God and my own soul, other people are shadows. Until other people become shadows, clouds and darkness will be mine every now and again. Is the relationship between myself and God getting simpler than ever it has been:
  There is a connection between the strange providences of God and what we know of Him, and we have to learn to interpret the mysteries of life in the light of our knowledge of God. Unless we can look in the darkest, blackest fact full in the face without damaging God`s character, we do not yet know Him.
  "They feared as they entered the cloud. . . ." Is there anyone "save Jesus only" in you cloud" If so, it will get darker; you must get to the place where there is "no one any more save Jesus only."
 Oswald Chambers.


Tales from the TAO
The student came to the master and said, "Please help me to quiet my mind." The master answered,"bring me your mind and I promise I will help you." The student stood there for a moment and then said, "But Master, I cannot seem to find it." "Ah," replied the master, "then I already quieted it."
                                                                                                                        TRADITIONAL

 Photos of my painting

                                                      This is a bit tame!

                        Shout for joy

Okay folks. As I will often say, try to have a good day. Know that you are loved and pass it on. (my blog as well!) Feel free to alter or use my images in any way as there is not copyright, but that may not go with other peoples writing which I have copied to share with you. This you do on your own, as did I.  Your brother, Peter.      

Photo Supplement to Saturdays Post.

                                          Above photo taken from inside my flat. Beneath taken outside!

                                                                                           
                                                                                                  FIN

Saturday 28th July Blessings and Love to all.

Below are photos of a picture painted yesterday. I do hope that you like it and I have faith you will be charitable about my work and spread it to others.

After Obedience-What?

  And straightway He constrained His disciples to get into the ship, and to go to the other side. . . . Mark 6:45-52.

  We are apt to imagine that if Jesus Christ constrains us, and we obey Him, He will lead us to great success. We must never put our dreams of success as God`s purpose for us; His purpose may be exactly the opposite. We have an idea that God is leading us to a particular end, a desired goal; He is not. The question of getting to a particular end is a mere incident. What we call the process, God calls the end.

  What is my dream of God`s purpose? His purpose is that I depend on Him and on His power now. If I can stay in the middle of the turmoil calm and unperplexed, that is the end of the purpose of God. God is not working towards a particular finish; His end is the process-that I see Him walking on the waves, no shore in sight, no success, no goal, just the absolute certainty that it is all right because I see Him walking on the sea. It is the process, not the end, which is glorifying to God.

  God`s training is for now, not presently. His purpose is for this minute, not for something in the future. We have nothing to do with the afterwards of obedience; we get wrong when we think of the afterwards. What men call training and preparation, God calls the end.

  God`s end is to enable me to see that He can walk on the chaos of my life just now. If we have a further end in view, we do not pay sufficient attention to the immediate present; but if we realize that obedience is the end, then each moment as it comes is precious.

The above has been so helpful in getting me more centred on Jesus Christ. He said, "I am the way, the truth and the life." It also says in the bible, `Those who claim to live in Him should walk as Jesus did.`

I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. This is also biblical and so I can be sure that for me, Christ consciousness is the right path to follow.

Wow, that is a bold statement. Made it without much thinking. Thinking can get in the way of right judgement, as the ego throws in self doubt. We can off course knock that on the head right away by destroying the ego. The ego is what separates us from God and others. 

Even if others, or even at times we, have doubts in the existence of God, we should realize that this is deception from the world. This world is finite and also people who follow only worldly things are not able to comprehend anything else but what they know. Those of us that walk to the beat of a different drum have to constantly beware not to fall instep with those walking the material path. This path must by its very nature have an end, as our human bodies will give out one day.

Till tomorrow I pray that you will enjoy being loved by the God who created all from love and little old me who He also created to love you and paint for you.  My sons if here would say dad, thats enough. God doesn't and we definitely dont want you to sing for the bloggers. 

Apparently my singing is so bad there would be calls to ban my website. I dont believe that, do you? 

I know you probably have never heard me sing, but trust me, its okay. When I sing not only people like it, but even dogs have been known to sing along. 

Have a good weekend my brothers and sisters and know that you are loved. Your brother Peter.     

 I saved the best photo till last. Thats as I dont drink wine,but water! What? This doesnt make much sense. Unless its reference to the wine at the wedding where Jesus turned water into wine. 

Mostly todays art!

                                         In these you may realize the camera has with purpose
                                         been moved. If you didnt, them now you should. If
                                         still you dont, maybe you are right. Camera still and
                                         painting moves. Me still and universe moves! I pray
                                         and you are moved.  

                                          Around it goes. Peace and love to you beloved.
                                           Yours bro Peter

Fish on Friday: THE WAY TO KNOW

Good day to you all, my brothers and sisters. Blessings and love to you and all beings.

THE WAY TO KNOW

  If any man will do His will, he shall know of the doctrine . . . John 7:17

  The golden rule for understanding spirituality is not intellect, but obedience. If a man wants scientific knowledge, intellectual curiosity is his guide; but if he wants insight into what Jesus Christ teaches, he can only get it by obedience. If things are dark to me, then I may be sure there is something I will not do. Intellectual darkness comes through ignorance; spiritual darkness comes because of something I do not intend to obey.

  No man ever receives a word from God without instantly being put to the test over it. We disobey and then wonder why we don`t go on spiritually. `If when you come to the alter,` said Jesus, `there you remember your brother hath ought against you . . . don`t say another word to me, but first go and put that thing right.` The teaching of Jesus hits us where we live. We cannot stand as humbugs before Him for one second. He educates us down to the scruple. The Spirit of God unearths the spirit of self-vindication; He makes us sensitive to things we never thought of before.

  When Jesus brings a thing home by His word, don`t shirk it. If you do, you will become a religious humbug. Watch the things you shrug your shoulders over, and you will know why you do not go on spiritually. First go - at the risk of being thought fanatical you must obey what God tells you.

The above has helped me with coming to terms with both a large spiritual question and a small personal irritation. The personal one first. Yesterday morning and on previous occasions I have been put out when driving and my mother wants me to go a route other than the one I had planned. So now I resolved this, by thinking a) It says in the Bible to honour ones mother and father. b) At the wedding when Jesus knew the guests had already drunk enough wine and had said so, still when his mother told him they had run out of wine, did he tell his mum they had already drunk enough. Nope, he said, `Mother I cannot deny you and he changed the water into wine! So I must try harder out of respect for my mother to realize that when ever earthly possible, I ought to try to fulfill her requests. I will make an  

exception when to do so would endanger them or others. Not that my mum is going to ask me to drive the wrong way down the motorway with my eyes closed. 

The large spiritual question has to do with dark matter. The scientists believe that the universe has lots of dark matter which we are unable to detect, but we believe is there. What I think this is, or may be, is the power of God which cannot be detected by our worldly devices, either scientific or rational understanding!  We can call this power, `Cosmic energy` and it can only be endowed upon us from God, or gained though much prayer and meditation. Cosmic energy, is essential to maintain a healthy and happy life. To obtain knowledge leading to the expansion of our consciousness. Sleep is unconscious meditation. Meditation is conscious sleep. In sleep we get limited energy. In meditation, or prayer we get abundant energy. We need this energy to open the doors of perception into our sixth sense and beyond. Meditation is nothing but a journey of our consciousness towards the true self. As the psalm says, `be still and know that I am God.` In meditation we stop body and mind as much as we can at the time and let that which is without work on that which is within.

In meditation or prayer we need no external master or guru. Our master is within. (Christ consciousness.) Our breath is our guru.

                 *****************************************************************

Here is some of the art I painted yesterday.

   

The above may be a bit too dark for most people, though not perhaps for St John of the Cross and me. We call it `The dark night of the soul.`

                                             This is, clearing the self of thought and feeling.

   

Above is the the same picture as the top one, but more enlightened! The day after the dark night. What!