Category Archives: friendship

meditation and collective consciousness

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Our world is in a rapid state of becoming, affected by each step and breath we take. What can we do to ensure that it evolves into something wonderful for generations to come?

As we enter a new year full of disappointments and encouraging surprises, here’s something important to bear in mind — and heart.

 

(CLICK on the image of meditation)

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we wish you a merry Christmas …

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and a joyful New Year!

(make a wish and click on an elf …)

😉

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tears of joy

Despite all the depressing, money-making headlines, you can easily find inspiring things happening between people the world over. Here are two distant examples of people giving joy to people. The first took place recently on the edge of the wild Canadian West Coast rain forest, where my youngest brother kept a secret from his beloved for years (that he was planning to propose to her when they finished their new house), and suddenly sprung it on her at the house-warming party in their new waterfront homestead. The second comes from China, where some old friends, forming an international group of musicians, did a free concert tour for the love of simply sharing joy with fellow human beings. In both cases, we discover that our eyes can also leak when the heart is overflowing (not just when it’s empty) …

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You have a nice day, okay?

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empathy

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before the last flicker of hope goes out

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It’s hard to get used to the fact that the older you get, the more often people you know disappear from your life, passing away forever into the unknown. So it’s all the more tragic when someone you love – someone young, beautiful and full of enthusiasm for life – suddenly falls by the wayside, suffering the darkness of an emotional living-death. No one in any society should be left behind, committing social-suicide and losing all hope for fulfillment, unnoticed by anyone. If you happen to know S.D. and notice her sudden absence from Facebook and other, more intimate, social circles, please send her some love – even if indirectly, as a sunbeam of prayer. I’m afraid winter has entered her generous heart, and she no longer sees her way in the world she has known. Maybe she just needs a break …

Hoping for the best,

Ed

(p.s.~ Her birthday is coming up soon)

Another friend, who sometimes called out about her distress with life’s unfairness, also recently left abruptly, but more definitely:

“I must have my ‘Invisible Cape’ on again….. no one sees me…no one hears me… yup, invisible…” (Last Facebook entry of L.P. before she died of a heart attack, age 50, on the 7th of May, 2010)

Love is a powerful river. You can’t stop its flowing.

It will always find its healing way to you … if you let it in.

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Dad has moved on

Eric Saugstad (not to be confused with the other famous viking, Eric the Red) was the name given to a great old soul that I had the honor of being related to. He was my father, and although we spent relatively little time together, all the time my brothers and I spent doing things with him was always quality time.
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Dad was a sensitive and dynamic person with lots of charisma. There was plenty of seeker-spirit in him. His Dad’s dad was a pioneer reverend who brought his flock over one-and-a-half thousand miles to establish a healthy new life in the British Columbian wilderness (in Bella Coola ~ see more below*). And he also had truth-searching genes from his mom, who was not at all satisfied with the spiritual norms of her day, and wasn’t the least bit afraid to share her progressive views. But it’s not always easy being big-hearted, as it often means feeling big hurt. He lost his father when he was small, and his big brother some years later. When he started working as a taxi driver in his late teens, he was shocked to find himself in a society that lived much lower than his high ideals, in which he was forced to drive customers to prostitutes, and always carry a bottle of whisky in the car as payment to corrupt police officers who pulled him over. He started drinking to numb his dismay.
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Apparently he was an excellent violin player, till he broke a finger in his mid-twenties. We never got to hear him play, but he made sure that we all had ample opportunity to express the music in us. My little brothers and I got the best piano teacher in Vancouver in the late-sixties, who was able to unlock our talent. (I completed eight grades in just three-and-a-half years, receiving mention in a newspaper for achieving the highest mark in the city in grade one piano.) Despite the demanding schedule with his successful real-estate company, he made sure that we got to our lessons, all the way over in North Burnaby, every Tuesday evening (whether we had practiced enough or not!)
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Like everyone, Dad had ups and downs in his life. It was great enjoying some of the peak moments with him. A few of the really fun things I remember were: when he returned to us just before Christmas when I was eight (he and Mom had simultaneously decided to quit drinking) after a five year absence; moving up to our fantastic new house in the adventurous, forested North Delta community; getting an island cottage up at Buccaneer Bay, and two boats to travel in; owning the first Citroen Sports Maserati in western Canada; (really cool stuff to fun-loving boys!) and, generally, his happy-go-lucky attitude that helped make a lifelong optimist out of me.
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I know he’s not really gone, but I’ll still miss him. It was very special for me to hear that he smiled when they read him the note that I sent with a bunch of pink roses, just a few hours before he passed away halfway around the world, in Burns Lake:
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“Dear Dad/Grandpa,
There is never good-bye. Life goes on and on, growing and shining in ever new, beautiful ways. We will meet again. You can bet your life on that.
Until then, with lasting love,
Ed, Brigitte & Lincoln”
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Eric Forbes Saugstad
19 October, 1927 ~ 26 March, 2010
survived by his beloved wife and best friend Linda, his children Tia, Karen, Cliff, Edward, Glenn, Allan, Don, and his children by marriage Wayne, Pamela, and Chrissy, and Darlene, Cheryl and Rick, as well as many grandchildren
(predeceased by his son David)
Tribute to Eric:
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one world – one hug

Go ahead and call me a sentimental sap, but my eyes leak every time I come across these simple images of collective human spirit …

… and here:

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today

I’d just like to thank the Universe and all my friends and helpers –  known and unknown – on this germinating day one of a new year on Earth (my birthday). And thanks to you for stopping by. I may never have the privilege of meeting you in person, but I’ve been around long enough to know that the most important and potent exchanges that go on between people happen in the mysterious realm of the heart, well above and beyond formal introduction.

So I sincerely hope you’ll enjoy this day as much as I do.

Cheers!

Ed

(hosts of angels created for the occasion by my artist wife!)

🙂

eternal youth

“Still crazy, after all these years.”
-Paul Simon

There lies, in the heart of every person, a seed of youthful enthusiasm. I experienced this at our mega-1970s neighbourhood reunion last weekend, where a couple hundred old friends all got together for the first time in over three decades. No matter how much time seems to glide by under the bridge, or how stiff and ‘mature’ we seem to become, all the heartfelt fun and optimism of our youth linger on inside us, camouflaged like a wide-eyed, baby doe on the edge of a shady forest.

The setting up of this event (and the ongoing Facebook reunion) has been a labour of love for the past eight months. More than an excellent hobby, it has proven to impact my life and those of life-long friends in a way that only reawakened friendships can. The human heart is a mysterious place, full of unexplored depths and heights. It is my belief, after almost thirty years of daily meditation and introspection, that, when enlightened, the heart can take us to our superhuman potential and the indescribable joy that inevitably accompanies that.

Getting together with old friends to reminisce and laugh may seem like a mundane function, but the relatively small waves of love that surface in our hearts are just the peaks of an infinite ocean – and if That can be awakened inside us, then the world will rapidly rise to a whole new level of enjoyment and harmony. There is a specific something in us that, when triggered, links our limited attention to the unlimited field of our spirit. It’s my intention to help beloved old friends, who were as dear to me as family long ago, to come within reach of this inner connection. I sincerely hope that many can feel that now, and will gradually discover all their buried treasure within.

Best wishes,
Ed Saugstad

http://70snorthdelta.wordpress.com/about/

Linc.laugh

inner silence = world peace

On May 9, 2009, an enthusiastic gesture for peace was made in Nicosia, Cyprus, as hundreds of artists and children worldwide had their ambassadors for peace – handmade elephants – displayed on both sides of the dividing-line checkpoint.
The two mayors of the world’s last divided capital embraced in friendship, a gesture showing hope for a future of peace. History was also made by three ‘enemy’ passport holders – students helping with the exhibition – being allowed to cross the island’s severely guarded, temporary internal border! It may not have been the joyful civic tidal wave that eradicated the dreaded Berlin Wall in 1989, but every drop counts when it’s to help quench the thirst for freedom of the innocent generations to come.

Another highlight of the day came as a local shopkeeper near the checkpoint gave the artist organizers access to his wireless Internet service, allowing us, via web-cam, to broadcast live to the international Schengen Peace Foundation conference taking place simultaneously in Luxembourg – from one end of Europe to the other on Europe Day! All the delegates in attendance applauded after seeing and hearing about the efforts being made, by adults and children alike, for the important cause of lasting peace over in Cyprus.
The following day, Mother’s Day, the peace-exhibition was invited to Jerusalem by an Israeli university professor. The elephants-without-borders are on the march!

With a little mutual forgiveness, and respect for the innocent generations to come, this world can become a beautiful home for everyone.

Here’s my video-collage of the event (music courtesy of Matt Malley, former Counting Crows bass player)

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the world is a stage!

If the Armageddon really takes place, please, may all the musical mobflashers be spared!

Love it!

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living synchronicity

morning subeams

Many of us intuitively recognize the subtle connection that exists between all human beings, and with all of nature. This field of awareness has something to do with our minds, but much more to do with our hearts.

I recently chanced upon a subject of discussion with someone, that led to my meeting, for the first time in my life, with two sisters and a brother who I’d never had contact with (fifty years late, but maybe at the exact time it was meant to happen). This took place during a short visit to Canada. A few months later, I made a new friend while in Cyprus. During a lull in an after-dinner conversation, I suddenly started talking about my small ‘miracle’ in Canada to him. It turned out that this man also has a brother who he has never met, and who happens to live in my place of residence, Austria. By ‘chance’, I know the head of personnel at the company that his brother works for, which may lead to the healing meeting of these two separated siblings.

Yesterday, I connected with an old friend via Facebook, who I hadn’t seen in about thirty years. We exchanged a few sentences of enthusiastic, typed dialog in the tiny chat-box. Of all the things he chose to mention in these moments, was the fact that he lives near another old friend who I also hadn’t seen in years. I told him – amazed – that twenty-five minutes before I had just looked up that same person in a public internet search site, and phoned his home to say hi!

I have the feeling that this Power/Universe/Spirit manifests in our lives when we need to experience constructive inner growth and healing. In fact, judging by the many similar experiences I’ve lived and heard about in my travels, these compassionate nudges are becoming more and more frequent in people’s lives. Could we be entering a time when all the invisible beauty inside us shines out, when the collective consciousness of universal love unites us and puts an end to jealousy and aggression?

Things may get temporarily worse before the break-through, but there is no doubt in my mind – and heart – that a sunrise is coming that no generation will ever forget.

(Valentine’s Day, 2009)

heart sunrise

world peace begins in each heart …

Despite the fact that the world family is growing closer and closer together in communication, love and understanding, there are still certain hot-spots on our planet that require patient, collective attention. One such healing wound is called Cyprus. In mid-January, 2009, the voices of a few international artists and enthusiastic children brought cooling balm in the form of ‘Elephants for Peace.’ This was the beginning of a world-tour art/peace project created by German artist and historian, Rose Marie Gnausch, and the Art Initiative Naturalmente RoMa.

My wife and I were honored to be present for this inauguration, to be able to share our creative talents for such a noble cause, and to meet so many local, influential people whose hearts are set on peace for future generations. The next event in Cyprus will be along Ledra Street in Nicosia on both sides of the border – May 9 and 10, for the one year anniversary of this border opening – before the growing exhibition moves on to other countries. Here’s my little film collage of the initial ‘sprouting’ (higher resolution, 480p,  can be selected at the bottom after you start)

if that doesn’t work, go to this address and wait a few minutes for high resolution streaming before playing:

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drummin’ for all the lonely …

When I woke up this morning, this new rhythm was vibrating through me. I would like to dedicate it to all unsung, lonely children and adults out there, waiting to someday be hugged. May the day come soon, when no human being feels unloved.

(The bass is my heel on the floor – heard best through a proper set of speakers – and the rest comes from my fingers on the desk)

with much (needed) love,
Ed

bearhug

a message

a message

As I clasp my hand tightly in yours,
from my heart emerges a solemn wish:
that happiness and wisdom will come freely to you,
and that your knowledge may be bountiful.

Also, hope that the winds of reality may be gentle,
and guide you peacefully through the tides of life –
for you are my brother, and my love for you is infinite.

Ed Saugstad, age fourteen, 1972
(a message to the human race)

Burnsview long ago

(Ed’s cover for the Burnsview Junior High School yearbook, 1972-73, North Delta, Canada)

never a dulllll moment

After arriving back over in Vancouver for a summer holiday, many new amazing things started falling into place….

The fun started with a spontaneous boat ride to the beautiful island resort where I spent my childhood summers. With a couple of brothers and my wife and son, we visited Buccaneer Bay (its real name!) for my first time in thirty-five years. (Captain McTaggart, one of the Greenpeace pioneers, also spent holidays there with his family in their cottage. Celebrities parked their yachts in the bay on their cruises along the coast. The Canadian Prime Minister stopped in once, and we saw John Wayne and his family another time!) It was the first place that I experienced joy. It happened when I was about twelve while climbing the small mountain there, Spyglass Hill, and seeing the breath-taking view of forests, islands and heaven-blue ocean, skies and mountains stretching out to all horizons. I would often take my sleeping-bag down to the white, sandy beach at night and fall asleep in the peaceful solitude, watching the endless, timeless starry heavens. The place hadn’t changed. There were still the same cottages, trees (quite a bit bigger now!), mossy bluffs and fresh, salty breezes – and still no electricity or modern conveniences! We knocked on our old neighbour’s door and found that most of their family was there, including new grandchildren and great-grandchildren. As one of the Hendersons remarked, it was a ‘blast from the past’ meeting again after so long.

During our outing, I happened to mention something to one of my brothers about our childhood and the two sisters and the brother that we never met, as our father had left his first wife and kids to marry our mom, who then gave birth to us. To my great surprise, he told me that two of Dad’s first offspring had managed to contact him a few years back. After discovering the name and hometown of one, I wasted no time in contacting her. She was so thrilled to get a call from me, that she couldn’t sleep the whole night as she had waited her whole life to meet us. We had agreed to meet the following weekend. My wife, Brigitte, and I spent the night in the home of my lost sister and her husband (who is part native Canadian, the great-grandson of a First Nation chief). By the time we left the next day, it felt like a half century of healing had taken place, as the joy and vibrations were very strong. We also spoke on the phone to my other missing siblings, and we’ve planned to get together soon for a big reunion. (As it turns out, my other sister breeds horses, and one of them was in China recently participating in the Olympics!)

We then had a great time the following two days as guests of the local Hindu Temple, which held a festive open-house. A dear friend and professional singer from India, who recently settled in Victoria, was invited to sing. The audience loved him. We also presented a small introduction to Sahaja Yoga, which was also very much appreciated by all.

Along the merry way, I made a point of distributing copies of my new children’s books to families that we passed on planes, ferries and other public places (as well as among our old friends at Buccaneer Bay, feeling somehow that I was sending redeeming vibrations back into my sometimes scary and tragic childhood). The stories, full of loving vibes, are created to help lift the reader toward self-realization. Surprisingly, many adults have also reported getting special, uplifting feelings from these fictional adventures! I hope those hundred or so books – and the many more that may eventually make their ways into the lives and hearts of good souls everywhere – will help in some small way to water the roots of enlightenment in the coming generation.

(p.s. – Did you know that the largest octopuses in the world live in the waters between Vancouver and Victoria, and that you can see whales, dolphins and seals almost every day there? Did you know there are magnificent, natural guardians watching over Vancouver, two mountain peaks with the shapes of lions, as well as the huge rain-forest city park with the shape of an elephant’s – Ganesha’s? – head?)

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To enjoy a few of these magical moments, click on the cruise ship …

sail away into life ...

helping hands

The other morning I went out to our garden for a few moments of meditation before finishing the illustrations for my children’s books. Soon after I sat down on the lawn, I heard scratching sounds coming from inside the metal drain pipe that runs down from the roof. It occurred to me that one of the young birds that recently hatched nearby had somehow managed to get itself trapped in the pipe, and couldn’t fly up to escape. Realizing that it would slowly cook to death once the sun rose, I opened the bottom of the pipe, just below the bend, hoping it would find its way out. A few minutes later I opened my eyes at the sound of frantic wings as the excited bird blasted away into the trees, chirping wildly to its friends about its scary adventure! I’ve never gone out to sit at that particular spot before. How very auspicious.


In a world full of mutual distrust and back-stabbing, it’s an inspiration every time strangers take an opportunity to help each other. I was recently ripped-off by one of those many ‘vanity publishing’ companies out there. (In this case it was Diggory Press, who’s proprietor is being taken to court by many injured writers this summer.) It came as quite a shock to discover that not only was my money up-in-smoke, but that I would not be published in time for my upcoming organized deadlines. Well, as good fortune would have it, my fall was not as hard as it could have been. Through this drama I was lucky to become acquainted with an amiable and enthusiastic educator/writer named Stephen who, with his family, lives on the windswept Atlantic coast of Ireland where he has just started a small but reputable publishing company (CheckPointPress.com). Everything worked out perfectly for me to publish in time, and that with comfortingly transparent, encouraging arrangements.


I just wanted to share these small events to encourage other eager birds like me to keep watch for the helping hand just around the next hard corner.

Lulu

(p.s.- Something else: Do you usually remember what you just dreamed if you wake up suddenly? I don’t normally remember, but this morning I heard this in deep sleep: ‘There’s a way of waking up in time.’ Then I opened my eyes. Then my alarm rang. There’s a lot that we still have to learn about ourselves.)


the coolest Happening

I’ve just had the grefelicitationsat and amazing privilege to attend an unprecedented event in the center joy danceof India. On the 2008 spring equinox, just as fellow-human beings all over the world coincidentally enjoyed their annual religious celebrations ~ which happened to fall on the same day this year ~ I found myself surrounded by thousands of joyful faces out in an
ancient, rural landscape, all drawn together for one of mankind’s most universal of celebrations: a birthday party! And this was indeed a very special birthday party, as it marked the eighty-fifth year of a universally benevolent person who has become loved and respected throughout he world for her ongoing efforts to integrate humanity: H. H. Shri Mataji Nirmala Devi.
The rustic living conditions and flower dancethe atmospheredecorations of mutual affection seemed to bring out the real insides of the countless doctors, students, lawyers, artists, accountants, social-workers, secretaries and all the other international visitors gathered there to honor the highest that we know: the spirit of unconditional love put into practice.
As if called together by Mahatma Gandhi to his ashram (located nearby), we, of all religious backgrounds, came enthusiastically to participate in something that would sincerely unite us above our trivial, mundane concerns. The cooling, dramatic winds, rain and lightning that manifested there, most uncharacteristic for this time of year, inspired awe in the heart of the beholder.
The moving felicitations for Shri Mataji ~ known affectionately the world over as ‘Mother’ ~ featured messages of acknowledgment and honor from many dignitaries, including the U.S. president and his wife, and universal sunsetthe prime minister of Canada.
I came away from that timeless moment of joyful music and celebration with the feeling that we are, after all, naught but small children involved in our games ~ and that the house of our Parents has yet to reveal all the glory and wonder in store for us … one family under one roof.
Vibrating Landscape

and you think YOU’RE having a bad day (1)

Like Friends

pure desire

pure desire
There once was a child
Who played with a ball
And thought of the children
With no ball at all:
He picked up that ball
And gave it a kiss
And for every poor child
A ball he did wish.
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There once was a child
Who looked at the sky
And seeing the dirt there
She started to cry:
She reached out her arms
Hugged sky to her heart
And prayed that the people
Stop sending up dark.
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There once was a child
Who dreamed in the night
That God is inside us
With comfort and light,
And when the time comes
For the Mother to rise
All the problems will end
In the love from our eyes.
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– e.s.
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beyond ego pumpering

Did you know that you have a built-in Jeeves – a compassionate and intelligent butler who can gently lift you out of any tangle? By Jove – by Jeeves – you do indeed! It’s been rumored that we are using only a fraction of our brain power. Some think that by pumping and pampering (pumpering) of the ego, we can ascend to greater heights of skill in dealing with life. This line of thought leads to a solid dead-end. The only way to unleash that vast potential is to activate a specific energy at the base of the spine, whose purpose it is to rise up and open the pearly gate at the apex of the brain, thus connecting said brain to the power that created it. The more this energy is strengthened through appropriate meditation, the more this connection is expanded, and the more our brain is enlightened. In fact, our whole nervous system then becomes increasingly aware of subtler phenomena, and the dignified genius in us generously supplies answers to life’s many complications. You don’t have to be Bertie Wooster to have access to the ideal solver-of-problems. You become your own indispensable, wise best friend.

You: “Jeeves! What on earth am I to do about this incessant mental rambling?”

Your-Own-Inner-Jeeves: “Sir?” (or “Madam?”)

“This unsolicited, unproductive thinking, Jeeves! Is there no stopping it? Is humanity to be driven off the brink of its remaining sanity by this relentless inner train?”

“There is a simple way to ascend comfortably above these disturbing trains of thought, Sir.”

“Well, out with it, Jeeves! What is this satisfying, cerebral secret that you’ve been withholding from the waiting world?”

“The answer is simultaneously simple and profound, Sir, and readily available to anyone, from any walk of life – it sleeps in each of us at the base of the spine.”

“Do you mean to insinuate, Jeeves, that my Aunt Agatha, among others, is presently sitting on the solution to mankind’s greatest problem?”

“Indeed, Sir. In fact, no single person on the planet is exempt from this common trait. Os sacrum, or hieron osteon, the ‘sacred bone’, was so named by the early Greek mystics because of the enlightening energy coiled there, necessary to connect the individual awareness to the all-pervading power that created us.”

“And you have proof that this benevolent something can free us from the noise within, thereby lifting the willing subject into a sort of golden, wise halo of silence?”

“Indeed, Sir. It is a purely natural phenomena which occurs spontaneously when this Kundalini energy awakens due to contact with the subtlest of universal vibrations, manifested, causing her to gently rise up the spine to the fontanel, thus opening the door to collective consciousness. This evolutionary breakthrough was available to very few in the past, but it seems that we have all reached an important threshold which allows anyone to ‘dance liberated into the light’, as the poet so aptly put it.”

“So you’re saying that the moment I make the magic wish to ascend beyond my miserable, human bonds, I’ll be ready to pass by a smiling cherubim radiating these fine vibes that will inevitably cause my being to lift off like a Nasa space-shuttle at the end of count down?”

“The experience is somewhat subtler than that, but you have the gist of the matter, Sir. It is the promised yoga, that is, union. May I demonstrate?”

“Demo away, Jeeves! I have cast my wish into the fountain of hope. What do I stand to lose?”

“What indeed, Sir? Place your hands, palms upwards, comfortably on your lap. You may close your eyes, and sincerely, in your heart, ask the universal Mother for your Self-realization.”

“Ask the what for my what?”

“Addressing this Kundalini energy, Sir, simply request that you may know your true, universal nature. I will expedite the process by lifting my open hand parallel to your spine to a point above your head. This will help the Kundalini to rise in response to the familiar vibrations.”

“As I’ve always conjectured, Jeeves — so you are an angel!”

“No more so than any other Self-realized person, Sir. Are you feeling anything yet?”

“I am. My goodness, you know? I really am . . . This is even better than whiskey, Jeeves. Have I lived all these years without knowing joy? I feel, well, I feel as light as a feather, as focused as a hawk, and . . . what is all this breezy coolness? It’s pouring out of my hands, and the top of my head feels like a fountain! May I open my eyes, or will it all fade like a beautiful dream on waking?”

“You may open your eyes, Sir, and I can assure you that it will not fade away. These are the Vibrations of which I spoke. They are the powerful Breath of Life which have been referred to throughout history in various cultures and religions as the Chi, Ki, Chaitanya, Prana, Ruach, Ruh, Pneuma and Spiritus, as well as the Wind of the Holy Spirit.”

“This is marvelous! Only a laughing, well-fed baby cuddling at its mother’s warm breast could know how I’m presently feeling! Who was it that rejoiced about the coming Age, calling every breeze sacred incense, Jeeves?”

“That would be Lionel Johnson in Vita Venturi Saeculi, Sir. ‘Let green woods wave thee welcome, and blue seas laugh welcome, and each breeze be sacred incense round thee: peace appear through crystal atmosphere, impassioned, perdurable, omnipotent; given by God, not lent, foretaste of Heaven, ere Heaven be all in all, come to the vexed world’s call!’

“That’s the one! Yes, I’m gushing with goodness – woods and waters – maybe a bit like those bliss-sharing Kalpa-thingy trees in the Indian proverb!”

“You must be referring to the passage from the Gyaneshwari, Sir: ‘Such men/women are the moving forests of Kalpataru trees. They are mines of wish-granting living jewels. They are vocal oceans of nectar.’ It is but one early description of realized souls, Sir.”

“All this enlightening has made me thirsty, Jeeves. Would you be so kind?”

“Certainly, Sir. Would you like your usual whiskey and soda?”

“Not today — I don’t want to come down. Bring me pure water. This new connection can use some meditative nurturing. I think someone has just answered my prayers.”

‘Holy mother, hear my prayer, somehow I know you’re still there. Send me please some peace of mind; take away this pain.’

“Shakespeare?”

“Eric Clapton, Sir.”

“Thank you, Jeeves.”

“The pleasure is all mine, Sir.”

 

Hear us, hear us, hear us, sweet Age to Come! Our hearts prepare thy home :-) L.J.

if you’re not having fun, you may have a short-circuit somewhere in your inner-net*. . . .

One Family

Hum-dee-dum, tra-la, tra-la . . .
Now, where were we – oh, my gosh! Is it so late already? Almost eight years passed the twentieth century? How time does fly when you’re having fun.

When I was young, I earnestly believed that a pandemic of fun could save mankind. Funny – now that I think of it – I still do, although my outlook has become somewhat more refined. The youthful images of reckless abandon have been replaced by a majestic movie in which every person shines with a child’s countenance, bubbling with the champagne of wise innocence. In this age of global communication and friendship across all borders (let’s just ignore the racists, fundamentalists, fed-up-ists, megamerger-swallowtheworld-industrialist-capitalists and political-power-activists for the moment) we find the ideal setting for the kindergarten birthday party utopia, where care is no longer an ulcer-giving demon in the back of the mind, but a magical, benevolent whim that spontaneously brings luck to others. By ‘fun’, I’m of course referring to the stuff that shines from the pearl of joy, not its wannabe, temporary copy that sometimes emits from the fickle happiness/unhappiness coin. (More on that somewhere below: Just scroll down this site to investigate.)

Mount Saugstad (2908 meters)

Things were a lot different back in the days of my great-grandfather, Reverend Christian Saugstad. Not only were those guys bereft of Internet, I don’t think even fun had been invented yet! Imagine leading your followers over one-and-a-half thousand rugged miles to a new, puritan home in the wilderness (from Minnesota to British Columbia). That was hard work back in 1894; no jumbojet-getaway! But I’m sure they experienced something resembling fun after the men spent the first fall and winter on the freezing coast chopping trees, shoveling snow and building log cabins, and then all their wives and children ferried up from the capital in the spring thaw. Well, I guess if reincarnation is the norm, we all bin there; dun that. I ain’t sayin’ that the plastic smell of computers is more inspiring to collective understanding and integration than a five hundred year old cedar rainforest, but the invention of mass-communication terminals and networks have brought us a long way in appreciating each other. Old Rev. C. didn’t even want his people to marry non-Norwegians, not to mention Muslims, Hindus or Jews (although they did somehow manage to get in among the more enlightened aboriginals). first Bella Coola settlersHis son, my grandfather the sea captain, was more evolved in this respect. He brought home his bride from Devon after WW1, Norwegian or no. Why, she wasn’t even a conformed Christian. Surviving witnesses in the old Vancouver neighbourhood may still recall the public argument she had one day across the picket fence with Mr. Bible-Thumper next door, insisting that reincarnation of human beings is a natural and inevitable process (“and-you-can-jolly-well-put-that-in-your-pipe-and-smoke-it!”). And that was well before the New Age Revolution began in the sixties. Um . . . Grandma’s reincarnation> Devon> Sea captain> Indians> the old Rev.> . . . ah, yes – the Internet: It’s obvious to me, after twenty-five years of daily personal subjective, and international objective experience in Sahaja Yoga, that this new level of global communication is a result of an accelerated inner process of collective consciousness. Naturally, these deep, evolutionary, spiritually powerful, expanding awareness thingies do tend to find ways of manifesting appropriate tools, so it’s no wonder that super-fast, super-portable, super-affordable gadgets and systems have sprouted into common use for the greater goodness of getting everyone universally chummy. I’m also convinced (und ich wuerde meinen rechten Arm darauf verwetten) that as soon as all this evil and bullying and perversion and smug complacency has been played out, that wave of – yes, in your face – LOVE is going to wash over the stage, and we’ll be in for one hell-of-a (oops), I mean, one wonderful show!
You may sayyy I’m a dreamer, but I’m not the only one . . . And whatever desire you hold on to, is the direction you move toward. It seems we’re shifting into a whole new mode*.

(Stay tuned for further fun ‘n’ fascinating features . . .)

Now, I really must get back to my wood chopping. (I do find it fun!)

our Austrian blackberries

(And I truly do admire the seeking spirit of my fore-fathers/mothers, including my own parents, whose appetites for shared goodness and truth, in times of such pervading spiritual darkness, have been encouraging.)

out back in the Vienna Woods

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~click on the gigantic stump to experience more~BellaCoola 1800s.

meditation: a new, hope-filled beginning

There are a lot of concepts about meditation. But for those who’ve experienced the real thing, it’s obvious that meditation is the state in which all limited concepts are exposed for what they are, and a new kind of insight becomes the norm.

Meditation is the state of thoughtless-awareness reached when the human attention rises above the mental turmoil to perceive everything as it really is, above thoughts. This state allows one to experience in a direct, actual way, without the filter of conditionings and projections. That may sound over-simplified and unlikely, but it is in fact a very natural, essential evolution of our consciousness.

Even after twenty-five years of daily moments of meditation, I’m still often surprised and delighted by my personal experiences, which sometimes come unexpectedly and in new, varied ways. One becomes aware of the subtle ‘vibrations’ that emit from persons, places, things or occurrences. The other day I sat behind a mother playing with her laughing baby on a public bus. My mind was filled with clear silence, and my body became light, joy-filled and pleasantly cool. In contrast, as I later strolled along the sidewalk and passed two angry motorists exchanging hot words over a minor accident, I experienced a short but vivid wave of heat, tension and noise inside. On such occasions, I usually take a moment to direct the very subtle, cool vibrations, that indicate and can even activate a deeply healthy and constructive state, into the fray, so to speak. This can be done with a simple implementation of the attention, or by using the hands. Once, when confronted by a raging clerk who had grown impatient with my innocent questions, I simply asked her to hold out her hands, palms up, to see what she feels. Taken aback by my request, she spontaneously complied and shortly replied that she felt waves of heat pouring out of them. I put my hand above hers, mentioning that we all have a special energy in the sacrum bone at the base of the spine, which easily rises at contact with certain cool, subtle vibrations, clearing stubborn obstacles to our well-being. MeditatingSuddenly, her hands emitted a soft, cool breeze, and her tense face broke into a lovely smile. She then felt the same cool wind coming out of the top of her head, indicating that this energy, kundalini, had risen up the spine to the fontanel. We were mutually grateful for this wonderful moment, which had bonded us in a way previously unknown and unreachable to average human beings.

In the simple practice of Sahaja Yoga meditation, which I and my family have enjoyed daily for over a quarter century, a natural process unfolds within the body, expanding the normally dwarfed human awareness. This is easily verifiable by anyone with an honest inclination to feel truth – and I don’t mean emotionally. Once the human nervous system is enlightened, it’s possible to literally feel the difference between goodness and harmfulness, constructiveness and destructiveness. It’s the closed, biased circuit of our personal thought processes that keeps us in the shell of insecurity and ignorance. The benefits I’ve experienced and seen would (and inevitably will) fill a book. I find it shameful – indeed tragic – that a handful of malicious persons invest their time in defaming this unprecedented, universal gift, thereby misleading earnest seekers. It’s an old story, I guess. History is full of the scars from dark hearts which couldn’t stand the light – individuals who cleverly don the robes of would-be righteousness. It’s always been easier to rally under the banners of hatred and suspicion, than to proudly plant the flags of common goodness. At last we’re able to equip ourselves with the inner tools to perceive reality and establish clarity. Now that we all stand on the threshold of a beautiful, new opportunity, I sincerely hope that you will recognize the difference when your moment comes.

Brahmapuri

You can try, just now.
Open your hands, palms upward, and ask quietly in your heart
for your Self-realization.
You can close your eyes or else look at the picture above this text.
Within a few seconds you should feel something in your hands
and on top of your head.
Take a few moments to enjoy this change.
This is the beginning.

Rainbow

girls are crazy!

Take That Back!

Girls are crazy,
They’re always so lazy.
They walk around logs
And hate big bull-frogs.

They think boys are brats
Because they like rats,
And bring home dead snakes,
And make some mistakes.

In school they chatter,
The teacher’s no matter.
They try to look wise,
And watch you like spies.

The older you grow
The more you will know:
Girls are crazy!

– award winning poem by Eddie Saugstad, 1968, age 11/grade 6

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. . . At least, that’s what I thought about the snobby or flirty creatures in my eleventh year. I did grow to respect (some of) them. I remember a couple of instances in my youth when I found that a girl looked up to me as a supportive brother figure. It gave me an unaccustomed dignified feeling inside. I still enjoy similar relationships to this day, and find them a relief and stabilizing factor in a world of promiscuous addiction.

Here’s a nice article by – at the risk of sounding cliche, but meaning it from the heart – a wise sister:

Does male-female friendship exist?
That is one of the questions that preoccupies the pretty heads of the western society in the last centuries. . . .

friends

(By the way, the indignant little girl with the exclamation mark is my wife.)

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prisoners of thought

Baby Angel

I was visiting friends the other day. Their daughter, who I know since babyhood, just graduated from high school. She is now tall and smart, but just as much a free-spirited child as she always was. She has always nurtured her spiritual ascent, meditating regularly to enjoy the daily inner clearing and centering effect that this inbuilt connection, this sahaja yoga, has on her. Her classmates never showed any particular interest in her. But on the last day of classes, she was approached by the other girls who had been shocked to hear that she was not going with them on the graduation field trip. She was moved to tears when they started crying with dismay at the prospect of never seeing her again. They probably didn’t know themselves why they were so overwhelmed with emotion at this loss. The subtle vibrations that emit from such a person, like a comforting, familiar fragrance, sooth the energy centers and channels in others. This is not a theory, but a well documented phenomena which has been occurring with increasing frequency. I remember when another born-realized toddler made friends with an elderly lady on a return flight from India. Leaning against her knees, he sweetly smiled up into her face, radiating joy and thoughtless awareness. Then he played nearby, sometimes involving her in his games. By the end of the journey, the woman was beside herself with mirth. As they wheeled her from the plane, she was heard to exclaim, “I don’t know what has come over me. I feel so good!”

Such is the nature of the higher state we are approaching – a state of boundless benevolence that benefits everyone, regardless of race, age or social class. Its range of influence is limited by only one factor: human free will. A person with an honest and humble desire to attain freedom from blinding conditionings and misleading ambitions – one who feels, or at least hopes, that there is something more to life than what we’ve known so far – is destined to attain this treasure. It’s easy to reach, but sometimes a challenge to maintain in this chaotic world. At work and school we have to engage our brains in mundane, and often frustrating, routine. And the landslides of thoughts that bury our attention don’t vanish of their own accord when we come home to rest*. This key to freedom from random mental chatter is only ours to use when it once rises from its hiding place at the base of the spine to open the highest door at the top of the head. With minimal daily effort of the newly enlightened attention, you can permanently escape the burdens of the past and future, and settle into the playful present. If this is such a universal principal, why don’t we learn it in school and practice it in the workplace, you might justly ask. This knowledge and technique is now being implemented in many such institutions, but you know what they said about the early inventions of radio and television (and the later innovation of Apple digital devices): amazing, but will they ever be accepted into common use? Sometimes we humans stick to the old familiar and try to ignore the improvements we could embrace. May the essential joy and inner peace become the familiar that we get hooked on, leaving behind the dead-weight and noise that holds us down. Absolute freedom is just a breath away.

(*In sleep we can step out of this mental traffic, but the third state, that of meditation, is by far more deeply nurturing and liberating, in a permanent way.)

Vibrations Flow From Sahasrara

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the bully and the ghost

The Earth where we live is a very old place.
She has seen many things come and go.
From the left to the right, and right to the left,
The people have moved, fast and slow.

Here is a story about someone who’s left,
And someone who went very right.
And how, when they met, everything for them changed
And they came to the center of Light…

There once was a boy called Billy the Bull
Who walked with his nose in the air.
And when someone tried to show him their love,
He said that, “I really don’t care!”

But deep down inside Billy cared very much
And he wanted to show that he cared;
But when he was small he was hurt and abused,
And now he was angry and scared.

Every time big, bad Billy went out in the world
To find someone small to pick on,
He hid in his heart a big ocean of love,
And wished that the hate was all gone.

One lonely night, as he lay in his bed,
Billy felt he’s the worst in the world.
And as he sat up to shout out his shame,
He saw the small shape of a girl.

“What – who are you?” asked the boy in the dark.
But the little white shape hid and cried,
Till he walked ‘cross the room and sat on the floor
And told her to sit by his side.

There in the dark, on the cold bedroom floor,
Sat the bully and the white fairy.
Billy was trying to stay calm and strong,
But really he found her quite scary.

“You need not fear me”, came her quivering voice,
I’m a soul who has gone from this Earth.
When I was alive I was treated so bad
That I left, for I had little worth.”

And as she moved o’er, as if to fly off,
Billy begged her to stay and cheer up.
“Just because you were hurt, it’s no reason to die.
Why didn’t you fight and bear up?”

“You think it is better to fight like a fool?”
Asked the shimmering shape by his side.
“It is better to run and hide from the world,
Than show off your hate and false pride.”

“What do you mean? Running off is for fools!”
But before he could say any more
The room filled with golden, grand, sunny, warm Light,
And the children were filled with great awe!

Before them, a Boy with an elephant’s head
And the crown and the jewels of a king,
Stood smiling and shining like sun on a stream
With joy and sweet love o’erflowing.

“Take not to heart, all the pain that you’ve lived.
The dark ages of fear are to end.
For, coming to Earth, is the Mother’s sweet Realm.
All the wounds and dark thoughts, She will mend!”

“Little sister, fly up now and wait till you’re called.
A dear family is waiting for you.
You’ll come back, a baby in loving, warm arms
In a world with hearts clear and true!”

“And my brother, you’ve also been lonely too long.
Come with me and I’ll show you the times
That are coming to Earth, when innocence shines,
And all heart-songs, together, will rhyme!”

And up they did fly through great, wondrous dreams,
Till the whole world was laughing with joy.
Then down Billy bounced, into his soft bed,
Where he cuddled his favorite of toys.

When he awoke, with the sun in his eyes,
He looked out to see the new world.
Deep in his heart he saw, for the first time,
New hope shine for each boy and girl.

– Ed Saugstad

two drops of simple, practical advice

The two most crippling attitudes in our so-called advanced culture are guilt and un-forgiveness. These are the two sides, one dark and the other glaring, of an unlucky coin. The more guilty and insecure we feel, the more we try to justify our existence through unnecessary aggressiveness. On returning home to Vancouver after fifteen years in Vienna, I was surprised to discover how many old friends had completely stopped talking to certain family members because of some minor disagreement between them. When a sliver of inferiority is imbedded deep inside of someone, it’s impossible to maintain the flow of love that would normally generate in the heart. (The internal energy center in a human being that is directly handicapped by guilty feelings, the left vishuddhi chakra, is located just above the heart.) This is how most marriages shatter. When your own unconscious image of yourself is that of a kicked dog, it’s difficult to feel the goodness in others. Once the raging motor of ego kicks in (right agnya chakra), the chances of slipping back into a natural state of benevolence are not likely. Wouldn’t it be great to have a button to push, that would shift your machine back into a smooth gear? You have one.

There is a benevolent, motherly energy in each of us that, once awakened, nurtures the intricate affairs of our subtle insides. With the simplest sincere wish to know ones true self, combined with the slightest contact with the subtlest vibrations, the subatomic building blocks of Creation which can be felt via the human nervous system as a cool breeze, one can instantly reach the state in which we are linked to the all-pervading power that will constantly recharge our worn batteries. You change from a closed, stagnant system, to a plugged-in instrument with all the same valuable attributes as that unlimited Source. This is the first button. Then you get a whole range of active keys and switches that were previously only dormant.Merry Mary Meditate

One of these keys is that which selects a healthy, constructive self-image. Normally, an affirmation or prayer is something spoken (with good intentions) into a disconnected phone. After self-realization, you have your own, personal connection to the inexhaustible reservoir whose nature it is to answer promptly and fix without cost – more efficient and user-friendly than the best on-line device! I’ve been married for twenty-one years, and sometimes I’d like to give my wife a brain transplant when she’s disagreeing with me. Sometimes we walk away angry. But, with a childishly simple correction of the vibrational imbalance, fun and humor can be instantly restored. (And when I’m driving, there are moments in the line of fire of an aggressive motorist when I wish I had a James Bond car that fires rockets. But, with a wave of the hand and a gentle re-orientation of the attention, the cool, calming balance washes in, dispelling the fiery illusion.) It’s very easy to decode subtle obstacles to well-being with an enlightened nervous system. As soon as the inner festive tree-lights are turned on, all your beautiful decorations are discovered. It only takes a few minutes a day of regular meditation to feel and learn how to use all the inherent tools that are built in. The key that removes unnecessary feelings of guilt has many options, and can lift you out of countless complex dead-ends. The same with the switch that deals with your sometimes naughty Mr. Ego. These methods are possible because the hands and the attention become powerful instruments that are capable of directing these vibrations to correct any troublesome problem. Sounds too easy? When you’ve tasted the juice of thoughtless-awareness, a fruit like no other, you’ll never go back to cheap soft-drinks. Just try it and see what happens after you’re connected. The difference will overwhelm you.

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steady to the center

Over forty summers ago, at the neither-here-nor-there age of fourteen, I picked up my bongos, stuck out my thumb, and followed the long-haired trail of freedom through Western Canada. My middle-class traveling companions and I ended up in the middle of a hippy community in a public park in central British Columbia. Brick WallOne sultry evening, a long, cool black man showed up introducing himself as John Lee Hooker’s brother – they were in town for an upcoming concert. He took out his guitar and played to the awestruck gathering. Unfortunately, I sat down nearby and pounded on my bongos. Despite the gentleman’s encouraging smiles in my direction, my wine-drenched mind just wouldn’t allow me to keep pace. (The following morning, an acutely annoyed banjo-playing hippy, who had also tried accompanying the star guest in the park, threw a beer bottle at me when I picked up my bongos to tap along.) This was my early introduction to a liberal, but not entirely liberating, life-style. I went in and out of hippy circles over the following decade, eventually cutting off my freak-flag (long hair) and escaping out of alcohol and drug abuse. (When my fourteen-year-old son recently put his hand on my shoulder and declared, ‘wouldn’t it be great if we could go back to the sixties!’ I couldn’t keep my lip and eyebrows from curling in honest resentment to the sentiment.)

I didn’t become a corporate executive, military commander or gambling-empire tycoon (I prefer working with my hands – wood is nice), but the wild ways of the beautiful children of nature also didn’t draw my allegiance. It’s funny how life’s many complications actually come out of two simple mistakes: right turns, and left turns. Did you know that your governing nervous system is made up of a distinct left and a right side? I say governing, because we’re normally victims of our pendular moods – domination of the left and right sides of our brain (ego and superego). There’s also something very important and little understood called the para-sympathetic, which automatically animates the various functions of the body. After self-realization, this benevolent caretaker glides in, like a first-class customer service, to make life more fulfilling. From this point on, you become your own *manager, gravitating always to the optimum *center, for maximum efficiency and enjoyment. (*not to be confused with corporate manager, and political center!)

Just to set the record straight: Hippies and other social drop-outs are not always left-sided; and public leaders are not always right-sided. I’ve seen ambitious hippies playing a marathon world-domination board-game, which made me glad that they didn’t really hold the reigns of power; and I’ve met a couple of military officers (Russian and Indian) who write poetry and pray for world peace.

(Here in Austria, there are some pretty intense vibrational elements from the two extremes, from Nazi attitudes to Freud and Catholic ghosts.)

metal peace

birthday!

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Thanks for being born!

Here’s a little birthday present for you . . .

birthday mousie

… click on the Birthday mousie for your birthday greeting

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… or on the Christmas mousie for Christmas greetings

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christmas mousie

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