Hello everybody,

I’m not sure if I’m posting in the correct section, my apologies in advance if this is so. I have only just signed up.

I fortunate enough to meet Bruce when he gave a talk at the Nexus conference in Australia some six or seven years ago. I remember talking with him outside the building during a break while he had a cigarette. Although we spoke about experiences and numerous other things, one thing he said stuck in my mind over all the years since, it was on the subject of work.

".. really, what is work? But just a means to live here while we learn and become aware to explore ourselves and the afterlife?"

I'm not sure how many of you can relate to this but it has taken me all these years to re-align my reasons for working with this understanding. It seems some understandings take quite some time to integrate into my total self, as understanding something feels quite different to living it.

With much Love, thank you Bruce.

late at night 5 days ago I was lazing in front of my open fire when it started raining outside. Listening to the rain an analogy came to mind. For those interested I'll share it with you, please let me know what you think.

Life is wild, raw and full of energy, like a drop of water thrown around in a hurricane rising from the South Atlantic Ocean.
One drop may feel almost helpless having been born only moments before in a flash of light and wild fury.
One drop may feel almost overwhelmed amongst the chaos and will undoubtedly be shattered amidst the maelstrom.
One drop may feel ripped and torn by harsh winds and annihilated by all the other countless drops.
One drop could lose its identity for certain amongst a chaos that would seem never ending. Perhaps only if a drop of water amidst a hurricane was aware of such things.

But if that drop was aware, if it knew, it may also begin to understand.
One drop may begin to realize that every time it was violently broken apart, it would merge with other drops to become new, ever changing with each twist and turn, growing.
One drop may begin to feel an echo as it changed, formed and reformed of where it once came.
One drop may begin to realize that it was not just a single drop, but one in the same as every other.
One drop may even begin realize as it saw the rising ocean that it was part of something so much bigger.
One drop may even realize right at the moment of being reaccepted by the ocean unconditionally that it was not just a single drop of water, but a wild raging hurricane, full of life and energy.

Much Love to all,

Joshua.

Dear Joshua,

I very much like your analogy. While as a whole there is so much power, as a drop, one of many. Also, important to our understanding, is that no two drops are in the same place at the same time. Makes perfect sense, in that we all have unique experiences, different perspectives, different beliefs and "truths". That is as important as the whole picture.

Love, Carolyn

Hi Joshua,

What I highlight in your analogy is that when awareness comes into play, all becomes different. It is the awareness owned by a part of the greater and it's relationships to it, and even the transcendence of the borders between the inside and outside, the change of the parts, which again is changing awareness.

I admit, in the first part you started seeing non-aware material parts. Therefore, without own awareness, they exclusively would exist as parts in your view, in the interaction of your observance and what you see, the observed. As pure elemental beings, raindrops, they are neither parts nor a whole. So, your awareness was needed even to give a picture of unawareness.

While reading your analogy, I thought, as a Doors listener, of "Riders On The Storm". And, maybe this is a picture you would like? To be not the pure storm, nor pure raindrops in the storm, but riders. We must follow the storm's force, but we can be aware of it, comment it, think about it, enjoy it, hate it.

Another thought came up when I read your citation of Bruce. I could point it out differently: "Have we just come down to only gaze up?" Maybe. One's for certain, it's a different perspective.

Hmm, just my bunch of associations!
Spooky

Thanks to everyone who replied to my post!

Wow, I think its fascinating how people relate to things differently. Spooky, yes for me that’s how I see it too, awareness for me is the key to my own understanding. I love your analogy of "Riders On The Storm", quite fitting for me!

Starstream, yes! I feel too that we are all essentially the same, sure like raindrops we have our differences on a molecular level, but they're still raindrops we don’t see them as any different.

We all have the title of "Human".

But there are differences! Carolyn, what you say feels true for me. No two drops are in the same place at the same time. We do all have unique experiences, different perspectives, different beliefs and "Truths". We only have to think about the dog killer to see this is so.

So how can a person feel at "oneness"? That’s a great question ParanoidAndriod! While I can't answer for anyone else, I can answer for myself.

I feel at "one" because I understand within myself that everything, absolutely everything from the dog killer to the Saint, is God. For me feeling at "one" is exactly that. I know that I can't make anyone feel at one with me, I am the only person I have full control over.

There are two quotes that come to mind frequently when I think about that feeling of "oneness".

Be the difference you want to see in the world.
- Gandhi

Since everything in life is but an experience,
perfect in being what it is; having nothing to do with good or bad,
acceptance or rejection, one may well burst out in laughter.
- Long Chen Pa

My Love to all

Joshua

Joshua, welcome! so glad u told us something that sticks in your mind and effects you years later, growing and becoming like a road sign to follow.

just sharing one of the things Bruce said in his book which effected me much the same way as u explain.

it was to see "something not there." in terms of goopy thought systems which we need not suffer. I believe it has to do with the ability to focus our attention on producing reality, rather than swimming in reality and being tossed there.
a lot of what I'm thinking is already in your post about the drops. having focus, like attention setting, I mean intention setting, is a project of interesting proportion! welcome again. hope you stay! hugs, alysia
and I don't think we thank Bruce enough here, but maybe I'm too emotional. I think his books will be noticed more and more as time goes on.

I got in a car with a young driver last night in my dreams and woke thinking it was you PA. I tried to talk to you but u were angry and would not answer me. I tried to kid you out of your mood, but it didn't work so I am going to let u be dear one.

just remember, we come here to figure it out the best we can. it takes time, thats what a life is for, time. in your own way u will do it all by yourself. wishing you everything to come your way.
love, alysia