Memories of the poem, The Shell

Yesterday, I felt really happy to receive a comment from Marsha about a post I made on April 3, 2011, about a hauntingly lovely poet, The Shell. Marsha also remembered it from learning it in high school.

It begins with:

AND then I pressed the shell
Close to my ear
And listened well,
And straightway like a bell
Came low and clear
The slow, sad murmur of the distant seas,
Whipped by an icy breeze
Upon a shore
Wind-swept and desolate.

It’s by by James Stephens. Do you remember this poem? It has stayed with me over the years.

I thought it would be easy to find a photo among all of my 100s, maybe 1000s, of photos to illustrate this post, but it seems I’ve always taken pictures of the beach either in sunlight or with footprints in the sand, so my beach pictures look cheery and with evidence of humanity. Do you have a photo that evokes the desolate mood of The Shell?

Unity and the Law of Attraction

Over the years, I have been invited to speak for groups that hold their events in Unity churches. Therefore, I have always felt a resonance with Unity. As a result, I feel happy to see that Unity’s philosophy is very similar to the Law of Attraction. For example, in an online article in the Westlake/Bay Village Observer, I read an article that said:

The law of attraction is summed up in Unity’s law of mind action: thoughts held in mind, reproduce after their kind, and out-picture on the screen of life as our experience.

Unity can help you bring on a breakthrough!

An ancient Buddhist chant similar to the Law of Attraction

Since the Law of Attraction says that “Like attracts Like,” the following Buddhist chant addresses the concept by referring to the Mystic Law of Cause and Effect. I learned about this chant on the Thanking the Spoon blog site, which is about Nichiren Buddhism. I like that the Law of Attraction, which seems to be so new because of the Secret movie and book, is actually quite ancient.

Thanking the Spoon says that:

A deeper and more complete concept of the LOA is in fact at the core of the philosophy of Nichiren Daishonin, who in 13^th century Japan first chanted the mantra Nam Myoho Renge Kyo, where the words ‘Myoho Renge’ mean (amongst other things)‘Mystic Law of Cause and Effect’. Nichiren explains: “It is called the Mystic Law because it reveals the principle of the mutually inclusive relationship of a single moment of life and all phenomena.”

OK, what does that mean, you may ask? I love this explanation from the novel The Buddha Geoff and Me, where author Edward Canfor-Dumas eloquently describes this Mystic Law as the “mystical, invisible thread between the churning, inner reality of my life and the great outdoors of the rest of the world.”

The Secret and the Law of Attraction – good stuff but Buddhism says they’re only half the story…

Easter Inspirational Quote

“Easter says you can put truth in a grave but it won’t stay there.” ~ Clarence W. Hall

Karma and the Law of Attraction

Another way that Buddhism differs from the Law of Attraction is that Buddhism includes Karma–that difficulties in this lifetime may be the result of actions and decisions in past lives.  The colorful image below is a 19th century painting showing the 10 avatars or incarnations of Vishnu, one of which was Buddha. Vishnu is the supreme god in the ancient Hindu Vedic sacred texts.

Vishnu with his 10 avatars (incarnations): Fish, Tortoise, Boar, Man-Lion, Dwarf, Rama with the Ax, King Rama, Krishna, Buddha, and Kalkin. Painting from Jaipur, India, 19th century; in the Victoria and Albert Museum, London. This image is in the public domain because its copyright has expired. From Wikipedia Commons

According to the Law of Attraction, as popularized in such books at The Secret by Rhonda S. Byrne and The Key by Joe Vitale, difficulties are supposed to result from wrong thought. If a person sustains positive thoughts and visualizes good results that lead to happiness, the person will attract good things in their life.

Some people say that when the Law of Attraction doesn’t work, it is because the person did not visualize properly, or they did not believe enough, or they were not positive enough. Unfortunately, sometime when people do not get the results they were promised, they feel like they are greater failures than before they tried the Law of Attraction.

On the other hand, Buddhism does not promise quick results. Instead, to quote an excerpt from the Talking Spoon blog site:

In my experience of 28 years as a Buddhist, to become truly and deeply happy is indeed a matter of faith, blood, sweat, patience and tears. Of confronting head-on the harsh realities of daily life and creating value and beauty from them. We call this process ‘Human Revolution’ in Nichiren Buddhism and when you’re changing a really deep aspect of karma (for example mental health, career or relationships) it can feel like every day produces new and bigger obstacles. Nichiren himself said that obstacles are an inevitable sign of progress and that when faced with challenges, “The wise rejoice and the foolish retreat.”

The Secret and the Law of Attraction–good stuff but Buddhism says they’re only half the story…

Now, that sounds encouraging! And, it also makes sense–that it would take more than a positive thought and visualization to change long-standing beliefs, especially those carried forward from previous lives.

Buddhism and the Law of Attraction

Gautama Buddha in Sarnath Museum (Dhammajak Mutra), India. Wikipedia Commons

Nichiren Buddhism was founded by Nicheren Daishonin, the son of a lowly fisherman, in 1220. This form of Buddhism is based on the Lotus Sutra, developed by the first Buddha, Siddhartha Gautama, in India 3,000 years ago.

The principles of Nichiren Buddha are similar to the Law of Attraction, in that:

“…the events (good and bad) that we attract into our lives reflect our inner reality.”

The Secret and the Law of Attraction – good stuff but Buddhism says they’re only half the story…

However, an online article at the Thanking the Spoon blog site adds:

“Nichiren Buddhism includes other people’s happiness as well as your own.”

The Secret and the Law of Attraction – good stuff but Buddhism says they’re only half the story…

Well, well, well, that’s a new twist on the Law of Attraction, which recently gained prominence in many products associated with the widely popular The Secret. The book and movie show you how to gain health and wealth using the Law of Attraction, but, maybe I missed it, I don’t remember seeing anything about the happiness of others.

Nature Spirits, Druids and Cymatics

With spring officially here, you might find this video entitled, “Nature Spirits and Spring,” by David Griffiths interesting and somewhat appropriate. I initially became interested in it, because of the reference to nature spirits, but I didn’t find anything in this video about fairies and the devas expounded in the books of northern Scotland’s spiritual community Findhorn. However, I kept watching this rather long 15-minute video because it mentioned the Druids, the classical priesthood of the British Isles, who some say are responsible for the mystical stone circle of Stonehenge.

To tell you the truth, I was also intrigued because of the accent of the narrator of the video, who I assume is its director/cameraman/editor, and also his reference to strange-sounding places. As the credits rolled by, I discovered acknowledgements to instructors at Coleg Harlech, which is an educational institution for mature adults in Wales. Well, that’ s interesting! So, here is a video made by David Griffiths, who I assume made the video to fulfill an assignment at Coleg Harlech.

I like that by watching the video, I am connected with sincere people of a little-known British culture from across the ocean. The only other experience I’ve had with Wales and Welsh people was during a visit to London when it began to rain and my husband and I ducked into a nearby pub. A couple of young women joined us at our table. They said they were from Wales. I asked them what was Wales like. They replied, “A lot of sheep crossing the road.”

As it turned out, the most interesting part of the video for me, was the hill that reminded me of Silbury Hill, which is close to Stonehenge. Unfortunately, I could not understand the name of this, this video hill, which, I suspect, has a Welsh name. In any case, the most intriguing image is that this hill is hollow inside and has a stone doorway as an entrance.

You might be wondering what “Cymatics” is, since the word is in the title of this blog post. The video also refers to and has video snippets illustrating Cymatics which is the study of the affect of visible sound on objects. Mr. Griffiths has used some delightful music in the background from some familiar groups of the 70s and 80s plus “Y Tylwyth Teg of Gwynedd” who, I guess, is a friend at the college.

Dream Interpretation Crossing a Bridge

Dream interpretation Crossing a Bridge! Have you ever had a dream about crossing a bridge? If so, please share it.

Public Domain Photo from Pixabay

I recently had a dream about crossing a bridge. Therefore, I began looking for online sources of: Dream Interpretation: Crossing a Bridge. I’m happy to say that I found a few. Following, please find a few dream interpretations of this symbol. I’ve included links to the original article under the excerpt. In some cases, the original article also includes a sample “crossing a bridge” dream interpretation.

In summary, I’d say that my understanding of this symbol: Crossing a Bridge, is that it signifies a time in your life when you’re contemplating or have made a decision to make a change in your life. These tend to be large changes, such as quitting a job, rather than smaller decisions such as choosing one outfit over another.

Having the courage to make discoveries

Having the courage to make discoveries from Christopher Columbus. If anyone should know about having the courage to make discoveries, it would be Columbus. He headed out into the ocean during a time when people thought the earth was flat. Indeed, no one had yet circumnavigated the globe. Yet, he headed out in the unknown.

40-day prayers: Remember, don’t tell anyone what you’re praying

Remember, even though you’re tempted to confide in a dear friend or loved one and tell them what your 40-day prayer is, the Law of Attraction works better when you keep what you’re praying about to yourself.

You don’t want the other person’s negative comments or beliefs to interfere with your intention. This applies to both of the 40-day prayers in Have Your Heart’s Desire: Tools for a Wealthier, Healthier, Happier Life.