tao1776

This Being Human.... Sometimes, it would appear, that I have an over inflated sense of injustice; or justice. I am forever the champion of the underdog. I want to right every wrong. Ignorance and want needs a champion. So much so, that I often exhaust myself. I also often find myself in opposition to how things are; swimming against the current. I once thought that I knew better. Perhaps I did. Maybe I just lost me way. Remember the yoke being easy and the burden being light? I'm tired. As we face the new year, I would like to leave you with this Taoist parable. Chew on it.... There was a man who was so disturbed by the sight of his own shadow and so displeased with his own footsteps, that he determined to get rid of them both. The method he hit upon was to run away from them. So he got up and ran. But every time he put his foot down there was another step, while his shadow kept up with him without the slightest difficulty. He attributed his failure to the fact that he was not runn...

Several of you are aware that I have three blogs. Two with Blogger and one with Wordpress; http://artisan1865.wordpress.com/ the latter being more of an experiment in trying to issue my Lodge of Masons into the new age. I started to post some of my Taoist/Buddhist and healing attempts on http://theresurgenceoftao1776.blogspot.com/ In the words of the Allman Brothers Band; Sometimes I feel, sometimes I feel, Like I been tied to the whipping post Tied to the whipping post, Tied to the whipping post, Good lord, I feel like I'm dyin. Often, you just have to pick yourself up and dust yourself off and as my friend Michelle says, You just begin again." I've been reading some of the works of Osho as of late. Especially when it comes to Chuang tzu. I have begun to realize (again) that I add complications to things that have no inherent complications. But just to add some balance, there ARE complications. Take Mitt Romney for instance. The Great White Father that used Massachusett...

All the great rivers on reaching the great ocean lose their former names and identities and are reckoned simply as the great ocean.

Recently I had my son install some foam board insulation under the flooring of my mudroom which has been at one time part of the porch outside of the kitchen door. You see, we expanded the kitchen by tearing out the partition that separated it from the small mud room and pantry making for one large entry way in which you could take off your boots and hang your coat. He tore this picture away from the poorly insulated wall. It is from a 1914 newspaper. It is Winston Churchill. The headlines tell of the allied victories taking place in France against the German war machine. Of course this made me think of my father's involvement and eventual p.o.w. status during the second world war. Do we ever stop killing each other and fighting for one cause or one country against another? The answer is, "No." Then I thought of this story from an old Taoist sage; It seems there was a man who came upon a "stinktree" on his property. Looking up to its tangle of leaves and branche...

Ah! The Presidential election is here once again. If we only possessed the power to ride them out on a rail or to tar and feather when they proved themselves worthy of resignation and they refused to do so. When American oil companies are making record profits while fuel and heating costs are crippling middle and poor America, something is wrong. If calls are made for funds to help those that are unable to afford heat, the "Socialist" name calling card is thrown out. Why should those that have, pay for help for those that don't? Its a good question. No one is asking for a free ride; if those at the bottom of the economic trough have to tighten their belt a notch, why is it that those at the top are in need of a few more holes in the belt to accommodate their added girth?

There is no pretense to infallibility in Masonry. It is not for us to dictate to any man what he shall believe. The obligation of the candidate is always to be taken on the sacred book or books of his religion, that he may deem it more solemn and binding; and therefore it was that you were asked of what religion you were. We have no other concern with your religious creed. No one Mason has the right to measure for another, within the walls of a Masonic Temple, the degree of veneration which he shall feel for any Reformer or the Founder of any Religion. We teach a belief in no particular creed, as we teach unbelief in none. Albert Pike A s I have it stated in my profile, I've been baptized into Christianity, energized by Taoism, swallowed up by Buddhism and shit out as what you now see. What has attracted me to the halls of Masonry, besides its long history, one is free to believe in God in whatever way his mind and experience have led or concluded for him. There are many who have...

It has always been my place to extend forgiveness and grace. Roll over Beethoven. My siblings may act as they will. Roll Over. People will act as they may. Roll over. I'm not perfect. Never claimed to be. But you have assumed too much. Or have assumed too little, You are on your own. I will go on without you. If the powers that be, are really the powers that be; then they will have the power to show me the error of my ways. Until then, FUCK OFF!

Like many of you, I hate the holidays. The only solace I have is my Granddaughters. I went to the store today with Brielle. She wore her Princess Island dress, her crown, her sunglasses and her necklaces. She was beautiful. It is the mystical joy and innocence of the babes that make life so worth it all

Little Sister, As we pass deeper into the dark time of the year, it is no wonder that we find it analogous to that period in our lives when things come to a close and that we often find that our memories consist of the times of warmth and the youth of the year. And to all this, I can only say that it was never my aim to sound harsh or to be dismissive of your attempts to stay in touch with the members of your family. It is always the wish and hopes that family fulfill their roles as the protective clan and nucleus within society. It is more a reflection of my view and not a personal dig towards you. As the matriarch passed on from this world, I found that the attacks against my grace and patience with our older siblings was more than I was willing to accept. It does, I know, sound righteous and perhaps condescending. As if my being contained any grace to be given. Perhaps I should state that my patience had just come to a deafening end. It has nothing to do with forgiveness, I don'...

"The Diamond Cutter Sutra " says 'past mind can't be grasped, present mind can't be grasped, future mind can't be grasped': which mind do you desire to refresh?"

A deep and resonating knot abides deep within my gut. I feel sick, a little lost in some proverbial mud. of grief, of powerlessness; a tear just below the surface. I buried me Mum and me Dad and them and theirs before them. But this feels different. Time, they say, heals all wounds. We all hope so.

(Marie - The Lady - Jon) I was honored on November 17, 2007. You see, my friend was buried, laid to rest. I was a pallbearer. Her calling hours drew over five hundred people, paying their respects and giving their condolences. Her funeral over two hundred; many of whom had to remain outside in the thirty degree weather. You see, my friend was buried, laid to rest. I was a pallbearer. Sometimes we are fortunate to know someone with the ability to love you no matter how much of a schlep you were. Always seeing the best in you. Her ability was as subtle as a spiders web. She could leave you feeling better about yourself and the world. You see, my friend was buried, laid to rest. I was a pallbearer. I was honored.

Many of our friends (The Lady & me) are like us; married for many years, having never experienced divorce. Married in our late teens and early twenties, we grew up as our children were growing up. We saw the mess of the Vietnam war, the fallout of the hippie era, the rise and fall and the continuing rise and fall of the economy with each passing decade. Sometimes life was very, very good. At other times, very, very bad. At age twenty three, I had a full beard and long locks. I then invented the mullet. Hairlines and hemlines; the times; they are always a changing. My wife is not a stranger to me. We know each other's strengths and weaknesses. We often think the same thing at the same time. We are aware of each others dark side or shadow self. We also know the transcendent component of one another. We know that we can both be assholes. It is comforting. In the 2002 movie "About Schmidt" Jack Nicholson plays the title character who finds himself a stranger in a strange ...

On Nov. 6th my long time friend and wife of my friend Jon entered the hospital for her second kidney transplant (see post Nov. 6th). On Wednesday afternoon it was reported that she was making a swift recovery (pix insert) and they believed that she might make it home by next week. Jon called me today to say that she had to re-enter surgery for a clot and had undergone severe pain but the kidney was fully operational and things were looking good again. Tonight, Roger, the husband of the first donor called to tell me that Marie had passed this afternoon. I am so glad that we spoke on the night before her surgery. I wish that I had some comfort to give to Jon. We are all sick. I can't imagine the pain that Jon is feeling. Her passing will be mourned by many. I couldn't imagine being Jon and playing his role at the calling hours or the funeral. I guess that is why they invented shock. This is the only way that some of us will endure these next few months. Marie.....we all loved you...

Other than the fact that Object Permanence is the name of my next band (see album cover) as stated in Wikipedia, Object permanence is the term used to describe the awareness that objects continue to exist even when they are no longer visible. Jean Piaget conducted experiments with infants which led him to conclude that this awareness was typically achieved at eight to nine months of age, during the sensorimotor stage of cognitive development. Such experiments consisted of behavioral tests with infant subjects. The infant would be shown a desirable object or toy, for example, and the toy would then be covered by a blanket or otherwise obscured from view while the infant was watching. Some of the infant subjects would immediately exhibit signs of confusion or dismay. Piaget interpreted these behavioral signs as evidence of a belief that the object had somehow 'vanished' or simply ceased to exist. Piaget concluded that some infants were too young to understand object perma...

Please pray, invoke, cast a spell or have warm thoughts today and in the days ahead for my longtime friend, Marie. She is undergoing her second kidney transplant; the first being unsuccessful. There is no other than success at this stage. Dialysis is no longer an option and her quality of life is severely diminished. I bow in reverence to all and ask for a compassionate universe to shine health and recovery her way. Let all of the love that she has shown to others return to her now. Let her recovery be swift and miraculous. So mote it be...

This Being Human..... The Rules of Being Human You will receive a body. You may like it or hate it, but it will be yours for as long as you live. How you take care of it or fail to take care of it can make an enormous difference in the quality of your life. You will learn lessons. You are enrolled in a full-time, informal school called Life. Each day, you will be presented with opportunities to learn what you need to know. The lessons presented are often completely different from those you think you need. There are no mistakes, only lessons. Growth is a process of trial, error and experimentation. You can learn as much from failure as you can from success. Maybe more. A lesson is repeated until it is learned. A lesson will be presented to you in various forms until you have learned it. When you have learned it (as evidenced by a change in your attitude and ultimately your behavior) then you can go on to the next lesson. Learning lesson...

It would seem that I'm in the minority when it comes to my view of capitalism. It seems that the further right one travels, you find the belief that we, as Americans, are destined to earn as much money as possible in order to provide for ourselves and our own interests in a game of one-upmanship; and to those that can't seem to climb the monetary ladder of success, well, that's the effect of social Darwinism, if you will. As I've always said, those that can do; and those with all of the eggs will do, leaving chicken fodder for those that can't. May the best man win! But remember the golden rule of Darwinism. Only the strong will survive. (Are There No Prisons? Are There No Workhouses?) I have long been a Red Sox fan. Living in Massachusetts makes it a requirement for some. But for me, I have supported the under-dog Red Sox against the high paid, looking to buy the World Series, Yankees. The impossible dream of winning of the World Series has been our carrot on the e...

Have you ever found yourself in so deep that the possibility of a way out seemed impossible? That is how I feel as an American. I believe that on many levels the effect of WWII was a heightened awareness of the intrigue that goes on behind the closed doors of those in political, military and governmental powers. And we thought that we were the only ones! Christ! Will the scheming of man ever end? The U.S. has had a manipulating finger in almost every part of the world. This behavior is not just an American trait. Its been going on forever. But this does not make it right nor justify our actions. There have been those that have called the alarm; and have met with limited success. But how soon we forget. Frequent readers know that I have often quoted Major General Smedley Butler http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Smedley_Butler and his book, "War is a Racket. How about Daniel Elsberg and the Pentagon Papers. The Senate approval of the Iraq War resolution mirrors the Tonkin Gulf resoluti...

The smell of a cow barn is a pleasant experience for some. As you can see, although Brielle is having a great time, I think that one person's pleasure may be an other's pain.That's how it is in life. Perspective. Point of view varies depending on a multiplicity of factors.Our response to the world and to that which we experience relies on our personnel perspective to explain and make meaning or some sense our lives. That is the beauty of awareness; you experience - without trying to attach any perspective upon it. Granted, I am not pleased with the fact that I'm not earning big $$ and that I am no longer the man in charge. But what kind of charge are we really in if it can all change in an instant? I have exhausted myself with job search engines and the amount of change that I have experienced. Since I have tried to rest in what is; mind you, not a sense of laying down and dying, but an active response to flowing with what is...and I've never been happier. I have le...

Well, its that time of year again and I'm a little excited. I'm finding myself excited over the prospects of the Red Sox playoffs and the Patriots kicking ass week to week regardless of the stupid "cheating" charges. The year after the Sox won the World Series, I threw my glove into the rubbish upon learning of Johnny Damon's signing with the Yankees. The Yankees! The team that has bought the playoffs; the trips to the World Series...and every player that would sign for "Mo money." I hate the Yankees. They epitomize everything that is wrong with baseball and everything that stands for "anyone can be bought for a price!" Yay, capitalism - at its finest. May be okay for you - but not for me. But I got over it. I guess. After refusing to watch a single game last year. I got over it. And to make things a little better, the Indians are in it. I loved the Indians throughout the 90's. They built the "Jake." They built a team with no name...

When the television dial was much smaller and cable television was just beginning to branch out into our communities, the water cooler topic was often about last night's episode of M*A*S*H* or some other such sitcom. "Did you see so and so on Saturday Night live? Did you hear on the news that Robert Plant's son Karac died? Did you watch 60 minutes lat night?" Now, with the variety of television shows to be found through the modern marvel of cable, satellite and whatever, there are only a handful of shows that people discuss at work or while out socializing. There is so much on that it often seems that everyone is watching something different. It seems that only those of the baby boomer generation still watch the news. Sure, there are Soprano watchers (or were) Desperate Housewives, and watchers of Greys' Anatomy and such. But there are also some shows of depth and wisdom to be found on PBS or MSNBC, Discovery and The History Channel, just to name a few. I co...

I've always spoken of music as something that is alive. Ever evolving, changing and reflective of the times that we find ourselves in. I find it difficult to understand why someone would hold onto a moment in time. Like holding a certain riff or lyric or chorus and repeating it over and over. There is really great music to be heard and experienced through the eyes and ears of each generation. Even "Rap" has its place. Although much of that I agree, is in the crapper. I am so sick of the over abundance of "classic rock" stations in our area. I am a great and avid fan of Jimi. No one has heard Jimi as I have heard Jimi. CSN&Y. Grand Funk in their hey day. New Riders, to Alice to Poco. Great shit. But chewing the same ol' burger day after day can wear the teeth down. Never mind what it does to the taste buds. Perhaps as well as many of you do, I live in a place that is surrounded by musical talent. From Boston to Worcester. Northampton to Marlboro. From Kee...

I'm feeling a wee anxious today. Perhaps it was the two large coffees that I had for breakfast. I'm not sure. My mind does think that I'm on a long slow descent into economic hell. The "Little Hottie" never made it to a single show. She only needs a carb. I found a brand new one for $75. That's a steal! I just don't have it. Things ARE that tight. I am the designated payee for my eldest son who is on disability due to Bi Polar disorder. I am the Trustee for my brother in law and I have to collect and send his rent out for him each month or he spends it. He is a big hearted guy with an IQ of 76. Someone has to look out for him. My oldest daughter has moved home with my lovely granddaughter and the house always looks like a bomb went off. My only source of transportation is a 2000 F- 150. The clutch is going and she's beginning to misfire. New plugs - all tight. Dunno! My daughter's car is need of (see post 8/30/07)...... ...

We have two Autumn fair family traditions. One old and one new. The new one, that began three years ago, was attending the regional Garlic Festival. Cool place. Cool stuff. http://www.garlicandarts.org/

I often think that people try to separate their lives into two categories; their every day side and their spiritual side. In fact, I do believe that we are spiritual beings having a human experience as opposed to the other way around. But I do have some friends via blogger that are interested in sharing their every day experience and hold their spiritual experience close to the vest. And I am fine with that. I don't question it. I don't seek to proselytize or convince anyone according to my experience. In point of fact, if you come knocking, I may ignore you for some time until I know that you are indeed seeking something of my spiritual experience; limited as it is. I am, in point of fact an idiot. And I am at peace with that. To quote an earlier blog post from This Being Human.... "In High School, I had general math studies. Although I don't remember anyone taking such a course, I would suspect that algebra and calculus was available to those that were college bound ...

Whereas it hasn't rained here for several weeks, the rain made a tremendous comeback with thunderous applause and a spectacular light show. I left my truck windows open and the Ford cab made for passable rain gauge. I'd say that we had at least two inches of rain according to what I found on my cab's floor. I speculate that since the truck had two, we must have had at least double that in the two hour storm. Four inches is much less than what many states have seen during the summer but it is more than what we usually see. There were reports of trees down and large hail. Campers at the State park were injured by a tree falling across their site. I sat on the porch with my pipe loosely swirling smoke towards the sky blue ceiling as it found its way towards the rainy sky. I watched my icecubes roll over in the pursuit of melting in my economy scotch. I had to back up tight against the house to avoid getting wet. I thought of the many summer days now long past when me and the k...

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HEY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! IF I win...you lame blogger arses.....those that have taken moments of their precious time to read/comment/e-mail me......you're all going to have an all expense paid (plus) trip to NEW ENGLAND (better than the original) to Eat, Drink and Be Merry. I will make it work. And YES, Cape ....you WILL be there!