Randidan's Spot

Mind WorX - Multiplicity 10

2012-02-15T08:55:00.000+10:00

THE PYRAMID OF AWARENESS

THE CREATOR exists on the Spiritual Plain at the very top of the pyramid of awareness. It is the only reality, everything below is an illusion, make believe, a dream. The souls come next. They remain on the Spiritual Plane as there is nowhere else to be.

They are extensions of The One Creator, rather than separate entities as in reality, there is no separation. On the Spiritual Plane, our souls remain fully aware of their origins but while their aura is attached to a human body, that aspect of them forgets who they really are, allowing them to experience a physical life to the full.

A life that is full of fun and adventure as well as being educational - for The Creator and the souls at any rate - but eventually, it will be fun for us too. The Creators Wisdom becomes evident when we realize that each and every lifetime, plus all its multiple variations are lived out at the same time on many levels of awareness to gain the maximum benefit.

The Creator, via the extension of the souls has a grander purpose though and that is to eventually unite with our Physical Plane self- to become consciously aware while inhabiting a Physical Plane body - that our soul and the Physical Plane 'self awareness' are one and the same.

What does this mean? Our Physical Plane self is a mixture of the ego (a separate library of records for each particular level of existence) and the soul, who, while attached to a Physical Plane body has purposely drawn the curtain of ignorance on its true origins to allow for the maximum learning experience.

Once the Physical Plane self (us) has reached the stage of being fully evolved and matured, the curtain of ignorance will be lifted allowing the souls to live out human lifetimes from then on whilst remaining fully aware of its Spiritual self.

This is not possible at the moment, for mankind is still too immature. More lifetimes are needed before we have advanced enough to where we are capable of handling the extra spiritual response-ability and be able to cope with a much greater self awareness than at present, but our time is drawing near.

All that stuff's okay but what about us? It's obvious that we are at the bottom of the pyramid, but how is it possible that we can exist on many levels at the same time and have so many physical bodies and egos, yet be aware of only one 'Me?'

And how the heck does all these many, supposedly lengthy, multiple lifetime variations that we have experienced since creation fit into our world of time and space?...

Dan’s Quote: "Relax and let go, we are already where we are striving to be.
_____________We are just not aware of it yet."- Danny Brand

Top photo: The Pyramids of Egypt. From left to right, Menkaure, Khafre and Khufu.

Dan’s Blog is copied to Pictures a'Plenty and to Windows Live as Dan’s Spot which then publicizes it to Yahoo! Updates, Facebook, Linkedin, Messenger Connect and my Randidee Twitter account. Also a copy is posted to Google Blogger as Randidan’s Spot

Mind WorX - Multiplicity 9

2012-02-13T08:09:00.001+10:00

THE HIERARCHY OF ILLUSION

WHEN we look up at the night sky, passed the Milky Way into the space beyond, we are looking at eternity. This infinite space reflects the reality within the mind of The One who created all this, who's abode is the timeless, spaceless, non-dualistic Spiritual Plane.

When we concentrate on the Milky Way itself and the planets, if any are visible, down to the moon, if it has arisen and the silhouette of the trees and mountains set against the night sky, we are looking at the contents of that infinite universe. These are the finite forms within the eternal vision.

Unlike the infinite space beyond, these forms seem separate from each other and appear to be of different sizes. Being finite, they all deteriorate over time, so unlike the universe in which they appear, they had a beginning and one day their existence will end.

The observer of this night time spectacle (you) are a finite part of the contents of this infinite universe, so you too had a beginning and over time, you will deteriorate and eventually your existence will end.

Although this wondrous panorama that you are witnessing appears to be tangible, touchable, real, the infinite universe itself, as well as all its contents is not real, it is only a dream in the mind of The Creator - and like all dreams, an illusion.

The hierarchy of illusion begins with The Creator who imagines He is a soul, who in turn imagines that he inhabits a blob of finite matter (you) on another illusory blob of matter called Earth, on which an imaginary you interacts with other seemingly separate blobs of imaginary matter that are both inanimate as well as animate.

If you look at this hierarchy of illusion backwards you'll see that there is no difference between you, your soul and The Creator - all is the imagination of the One Dreamer, therefore it must be you who is doing the dreaming - it is you who is The Creator of the infinite universe and all its contents in your experience of life.

In truth there is nothing outside of you, the world you are experiencing is nothing but your imagination being projected onto the screen of your mind. There is no duality, no separateness, no others, there is just you having a dream.

In your dream, your soul, as an extension of your true self - The Creator - is the experiencer, the learner, the one with the missions, the one that has an agenda.

It accomplishes this by experiencing the illusion of a physical lifetime through an infinite number of attachments to ego/bodies that masquerade as you, one for each dimensional level that you inhabit.

The person you 'think' you are is only one of your many illusory selves in the dream. Your ego, that separately inhabits all the variations of your illusory Physical Plane body is your Physical Plane self.

Whilst believing you are your ego, you can only experience life on whatever level your present ego awareness inhabits. In other words, you are only experiencing a very small part of your total life experience.
Your soul on the other hand, is experiencing your life in its totality - and yet - it is all a dream....

Dan’s Quote: "You are free to dream whatever lifetime you like - a fun adventure...
_____________or a painful journey - it's up to you."- Danny Brand

Once again, I use the male gender for descriptive purposes, sorry girls.

Top Photo: Milky Way shining above Loch Ard Gorge, in Port Campbell National Park, Victoria, Australia.

Dan’s Blog is copied to Pictures a'Plenty and to Windows Live as Dan’s Spot which then publicizes it to Yahoo! Updates, Facebook, Linkedin, Messenger Connect and my Randidee Twitter account. Also a copy is posted to Google Blogger as Randidan’s Spot

Mind WorX - Multiplicity 8

2012-02-11T08:00:00.000+10:00

UNDERSTANDING THE SYSTEM

FOR US to understand anything at all, it has to be explained dualistically (you and something else in time). On earth, we experience life as finite forms that exist in separation from each other, so any description of something that differs from our normal, conceivable environment must be written in a dualistic language.

The problem is, the infinite universe is not dualistic. It has no beginning and no end. It is not a certain distance high, wide or deep. It didn't have a beginning and it won't have an end. It is eternal. It always has been and it always will be.

The infinite dimensional levels within the universe are also non-dualistic. In truth, they are not within anything, including the universe, but to understand the concept even a little, we must imagine them as being separated in time and space - a different dimensional level with different forms of the one form, with a different version of the one life experience on each.

The same holds true for us. In truth, we are also non-dualistic. There are not billions upon billions of us or any other living form - there is only The One Formless Creator. That statement is meaningless to us while ever we are identified with a dualistic ego and its belief in separateness.

Even more difficult for us to come to grips with is, in this story, there appear to be many versions of us (Physical Plane selves) existing separately on many dimensional levels, living out every variation of our life possible and yet, in truth, we do not exist separately at all and our ego/body is but an illusion.

It is all very confusing I know but anyway, following is my attempt at describing, in dualistic terms, the hierarchy of our existence as told in this story of multiplicity - an existence that must be re-emphasized, is in truth, formless and non-dualistic.

It might also be handy to keep in mind, that in truth, the infinite physical universe that we appear to inhabit and all it supposedly contains is not reality, it is only a dream of The One Creator - and this universe with all its contents that is the dream within the Mind of The Creator has a logical purpose.

The Creator desired to know Himself in form (a perceptual structure) for The Creator had never experienced physical life before, so it was all new leading edge stuff, so to get the most out of that experience, He created extensions, or individuations of Himself known to us as souls that enabled Him to live out multiple experiences of life within Physical Plane bodies.

I have written on this subject before, but not in the context of Multiplicity - So here goes...

Dan’s Quote: "Life is but a dream."- Danny Brand

The Creator is only called Him, as Her or It sounds odd, and for no other reason.
Top photo: 'Finite Forms in an Infinite Universe - Horse Head Nebula in the Constellation Orion, 1500 lights years from Earth.

Mind WorX - Multiplicity 7

2012-02-09T08:30:00.000+10:00

ALL CREATURES GREAT AND SMALL

MANKIND is under the assumption that we are special somehow - God's favourite - but we do not take preference over any other living creature at all. Sure, we are special in the sense that we play an important role in the overall evolution of life - but so does every other living creature.

To enable us humans to play our part, we have been blessed with the greater intelligence, but that is only so once we have matured as a species, (and not before) we can then guide all life in our little corner of the universe successfully through its evolution on towards its ultimate fulfilment as set down by The Creator at the time of creation.

All other living creatures great and small fill just as an important slot in the totality of life. Every living creature switches from one level to another the same as us, as they experience their versions of life. When you swat a fly or squash a bug or insect, they, like us only die on this level.

Animals we slaughter and eat, also only die on this level, on others, they continue to live, for they follow an agenda, the same as we humans do and must live out a full lifetime span. There are souls who are charged by The Creator to supervise the growth and evolution of all living things, whether ape or microbe.

These are young apprentice souls who are charged with the responsibility for the evolution of all species apart from man. One soul has control per each different species, allowing the living creatures of each kind to evolve into the best it can possibly be within its group. It cannot evolve into other species.

The apprentice soul who has control of each species can however graduate up the order as it gains experience and learns the intricacies of inhabiting living things, beginning at the bottom and ending with their graduation to a human body.

The experienced souls who have already climbed the ladder of life from dinosaurs to dung beetles and have inhabited many Physical Plane human bodies since they were created are the ones that attach themselves to those special children I wrote about in an earlier chapter.

Part of the order of creation is to supply animals for food, for we carnivores must eat to survive - even if we become vegetarian, plants are living creatures too - so no matter what we eat, it was once alive. These living consumables survive on other levels allowing them to sustain others on this level while surviving on another.

That is not to say that we humans have a license to indiscriminately kill squash or step on any living creature, for the sake of it. Killing an animal for food or controlling bugs with pesticides is vastly different from killing some living thing, including our own kind just for the pleasure of it.

Cruelty is a primitive animal instinct and has no place in our evolution, so those acts of cruelty are lessons presented to us for learning purposes and if not learnt, our path forward will be compromised and the lesson repeated on different levels and in different incarnations if necessary until the last vestige of cruelty is erased from our minds.

From mankind down to bacteria, we are all together in this wonderfully magical physical universe. Each and every living creature was created for a purpose. We rely on one another to make this story of creation work and if any one of us is missing, the whole of creation is jeopardised...

Dan’s Quote: "A bug is just as important as us humans are..
____________ for the ability of life on earth to flourish."- Danny Brand

Top photo: Multiple Wildebeests. Multiple fish to the right and multiple birds to the left.

Mind WorX - Multiplicity 6

2012-02-07T08:00:00.000+10:00

LIFE GOES ON

WHAT'S the use of worrying, it never was worthwhile? - goes the old song. You are just one of the many versions of your total self. Whatever you decide to do in life, whatever path you take, there is another version of you living out, not only the opposites, but every other choice you could possibly make.

So sit back and relax, let whatever is, be what it is, you are spiritually connected to your totality, you can't do wrong. All alternatives are covered. There is no right way or wrong way, there is only life experience - and you/soul have or will experience both the positives and the negatives of human life on one level or another.

For instance, you may have decided at some time to move to another city, state or country. On this level you may have chosen to move to A instead of B, but on another level you live out the full life of the opposite choice, as if you moved to B instead of A. The alternative lives are lived out each time.

You may have decided to get a job rather than go to college, become a doctor rather than a bricklayer. You may have had thoughts of marrying certain people of the opposite or same sex that you considered attractive, no matter what you have done in life, or who you finally married or not married, every choice is lived out on one level or another.

All variations of your life are experienced to the full by your soul, although you, looking through the eyes of your limited, restricted ego, are only aware of the choices you made here on this one level.

The only problem you have is you are identifying with your 'one level' ego and whilst you are under your ego's spell, you are confined to this particular, narrow dimension of awareness, which comprises only a small part of your totality with all its erroneous opinions, beliefs and judgments that make life seem so serious.

There are many more variations of you, all believing ‘you/they’ are the ego that is restricted to that particular dimensional level. Your narrowed vision of your total reality – on every level – is the cause of all your pain.

By realizing that it is your soul that is in control and you/ego are only one of many small, fairly insignificant parts of your total life experience allows you to not take it all too seriously...

Dan’s Quote: "We experience the one infinite universe with many forms,
_____________who in reality are only other forms of ourselves."- Danny Brand

Top photo: Multiple Mirrors - 'Solar Power Tower,' Spain

Dan’s Blog is copied to Pictures a'Plenty and to Windows Live as Dan’s Spot which then publicizes it to Yahoo! Updates, Facebook, Linkedin, Messenger Connect and my Randidee Twitter account. Also a copy is posted to Google Blogger as Randidan’s Spot

Mind WorX - Multiplicity 5

2012-02-05T08:04:00.000+10:00

LIFE TO THE FULL Postscript

BEFORE I go on I must clarify what I wrote in 'Life To The Full' when I surmised that we all live 75 or 80 years. It's seems logical that the average person might live to around about that age before their souls agenda has been fulfilled but there are specialist cases that need to be addressed.

Some children are born with maladies that are a part of their life experience. They may eventually be cured or the debility remedied and they will continue to live to a ripe old age as their soul learns and teaches, using the illness or debility as a means to an end.

But sometimes a soul's agenda may only be to complete one or two missions, so will come to the Physical Plane and attach itself to a physical body for a shorter duration. In these specific cases, the Physical Plane body that it inhabits may die young, when the mission is completed successfully.

These special children may still switch between several dimensional levels during their short stay as their soul works on its agenda, they may even die a few times on different levels during their experience before their soul transitions.

These children seem to stand out in the crowd. Maybe these young people will suffer from some disease or deformity - for learning purposes, and to facilitate the death of the body - allowing their soul to transition to the Spiritual Plane earlier than usual.

These children might suffer from Senescence, (premature aging) Multiple sclerosis, Cerebral palsy, Spina bifida or a host of other maladies.

One attribute they all seem to have in common though is that they appear to know that they may die early and most do not fear their own imminent death. Maybe you know children like that.

It appears that their soul has not completely drawn the curtain on the awareness of their true origins so the children intuitively know that they are eternal souls and in reality, they are here for a specific purpose.

They sometimes exhibit an unusual maturity for their age, being much wiser than their fit and healthy contemporaries, even though for some of these kids, their intelligence is locked up in an unresponsive body.

This could well mean that their soul is much closer to the surface awareness of their reality than the average person.

Souls group together in families, sharing and helping each other with their individual agendas. These children will be waiting on the Spiritual Plane to greet the souls who played the part of their parents and loved ones during their short sojourn on the Physical Plane.

It is helpful for the parents of such children to realize that their child purposely entered a physical lifetime to learn very special lessons and as we (souls) are all connected, for the learning benefit of collective humanity - and for the benefit of mankind's evolution.

The mission being successful, their child continues to be healthy and illness free, awaiting them on the Spiritual Plane...

Dan’s Quote: "The soul of a sick child may be an older much more experienced soul.
_____________They are the wise souls that tend to attach themselves to such children
_____________to experience and teach the finer points of human life."- Danny Brand

Top photo: Children in wheelchairs posing for the camera. Middle photo: Children with Senescence. Bottom photo: Children with Jesus.

Dan’s Blog is copied to Pictures a'Plenty and to Windows Live as Dan’s Spot which then publicizes it to Yahoo! Updates, Facebook, Linkedin, Messenger Connect and my Randidee Twitter account. Also a copy is posted to Google Blogger as Randidan’s Spot

Mind WorX - Multiplicity 4

2012-02-03T08:15:00.000+10:00

LIFE TO THE FULL

EVERY human being lives a full life - Everybody! What is a full life? Is it the old three score and ten, or could we now say seventy five or eighty would be a more present day number? It doesn't really matter, for physical time has nothing to do with how long we live.

In 'The Agenda' I wrote that our soul has specific missions it uses to help give its lifetime a focus. When our soul comes to the Physical Plane, each time attaching itself to a physical body for the duration of a lifetime, it explores, experiences and learns all about the human experience.

When our soul's particular agenda has been successfully completed - and not until then, our soul transitions to the Spiritual Plane and our life ends - or more precisely, our Physical Plane body's existence ends.

No one's life ends before that agenda has been completed, No One! Those missions take a long time in our physical universe of time and space to complete, it takes much longer than a month, a year, 20 or 50 years.

Every one's physical life only ends when our soul has finished its work, so seventy five or eighty would be as good a number as any as it now seems the average age. The people who live longer, say ninety, a hundred, or more, are only still here and on this level because their soul's missions are not yet complete.

How can that be I imagine you saying? People die of all ages, babies die, young people die, we can die at any moment. Remember a very important fact in this tale, we are all confined to and thus aware of, only one small, narrow, dimensional level in our full life experience in an infinite number of three dimensional levels.

When somebody dies, they only die on one level. If it happens to be the level that we are aware on, then we will mourn their death if they are near and dear to us, but they themselves (the awareness of self behind their eyeballs) carries on, their awareness of life simply switches to another level. To them, death did not occur.

On the levels where they still exist (on which we also inhabit), we will not be mourning them for they are still hale and hearty. If the death on the previous level was caused by a traffic accident say, on this level they will have had a near miss and we will be patting them on the back, saying, 'You lucky bugger, go buy a lottery ticket' rather than mourning them.

If, on this level, the deceased are babies at the time, say, who have been born prematurely, or with a defect or disease - on other levels they will be born at the right time and be free of defects or disease for they must live the full lifetime span, until their soul has completed all the missions set down for them.

Your child or loved one continues to live, grow and mature on other levels - and on those levels, you are continuing to love and share in their lives as they continue to do with you. It is only on this level that you suffer their loss.

Our suffering is appeased if we could only realize that our loved one's death has only occurred to allow our true self/soul to experience loss that this has happened - and it has only happened on this level. On other levels, they continue to live, love and interact with you.

We have all probably died a few times in this lifetime, as we live in an environment of risk, disease and physical danger, but we are completely unaware of that fact, for our awareness of life simply switches to another level where we are still alive and well. We have no option but to live a full life...

Dan’s Quote: "Our awareness of life is only a small snippet of our totality."- Danny Brand

Top photo: Multiple letter boxes -
'Is there a letter for me' by Wanda Lach, New South Wales, Australia

Mind WorX - Multiplicity 3

2012-02-01T08:53:00.001+10:00

DEJA-VU

EVERYONE of us is living every possible variation of our life. Apart from the life we are living here on this level, on other levels, we are living out the lifetimes of every other decision or choice that we ever have or ever will make.

For instance, not only are you reading these lines right here right now, there are other variations of you reading these same lines right now on other levels. (and I am writing to all of you who are reading) There are also levels where your life has taken a different turn and you are not reading these lines at all.

All those variations of you, whether reading this or not are right here within and surrounding you, experiencing your life that ranges from slightly different, to completely different to the one you are presently aware of and although you are having a seemingly different experience, you are spiritually connected to all variants of yourself.

On these infinite levels with infinite possibilities, we are also living out lifetimes as a result of events that we seem to have no control over, sickness and accidents for instance. On the level that we are on and many others, we survive those incidences, but there are levels where we do not, and we perish.

These events are purposeful for our growth and are also for the benefit of other souls with whom we work in close collaboration with as we help each other out with our different agendas, for on this level, one of their missions maybe to experience the sorrow of losing a loved one, so we help out so to speak.

Our soul may in turn decide that one of our missions is to be on the receiving end and so will suffer or have suffered the loss of loved ones ourselves. These losses only occur on our present level of existence. Be assured, our loved ones carry on living on other levels.

Whilst we, our Physical Plane self are only aware of this one level of existence, our soul or true self, is aware of and experiencing every possible variation of our life lived on every level where we exist.

Although we are unconscious of our life experiences on all levels, a tiny shred of reality sometimes filters through to our subconscious, so we can be subconsciously aware of some of the other experiences in our many lives that occur on other levels where we exist.

When a small piece of that knowledge filters through into our conscious mind, strange memories occur and sometimes out of body experiences such as an awareness of floating above our body when death is imminent.

In this case, we have probably died on that level and those images have inadvertently filtered through to this level where we still exist. We can also see our loved ones on the other side before returning to tell the tale. In these instances a window has momentarily opened into our total reality.

Smaller, less dramatic memories that crop up in our life occasionally we call déjà vu. In reality though, our whole existence is déjà vu...

Dan’s Quote: "How can we take life so seriously if our present perception of life
_____________is only one small version of our total reality."- Danny Brand

Top photo: Multiple Beach Huts. 'The Great Aussie Beach' by David Lee of Western Australia

Mind WorX - Multiplicity 2

2012-01-30T07:44:00.000+10:00

OVERVIEW

FIRSTLY let's look at a summary of our non ending universe with its infinite number of three dimensional levels. In reality, the universe as a whole is timeless and spaceless so these universal levels would not be stacked one on top of the other or side by side, they would all exist in the same place - where we are at the moment, they are all around us - and in us.

We can't detect them of course, it would be rather confusing and pointless if we could. We only experience the one tiny dimensional level that we are aware of inhabiting. It's similar to television and radio waves, the air is full of them and there would only be a confusing garble of sights and sounds if we tuned into all of them at once.

So we tune our television and radio sets to one particular frequency, so we can watch, listen and comprehend. It's the same with our existence - and here it must be emphasized, we do exist on many levels, but we are only tuned into this particular dimensional level, so we can live, experience and comprehend human life.

The one small teensy-weensy part of us that is tuned into this level, (our ego) has been tuned out of the other levels because it would not only be too confusing, but absolutely impossible at our stage of evolution.

The infinite possibilities that exist on those infinite levels are only brought about by the three dimensional 'things or forms' (including us) that exist in time and space within those infinite levels and because it involves 'time and space', these possibilities, when they occur, alter each level slightly.

So although each and every dimension is a copy of the other, differences will occur over time caused by the infinitely possible choices and actions of the finite 'forms' that live and exist on those dimensional levels. These include the choices and decisions made by the living and the consuming, erosion and decomposition of the non living.

Every possibility that has or will occur in the universe continues to exist on one level or another. Just like the television and radio signals that we broadcast out into space, they go on forever.

If we imagine looking back in time at the levels linearly, on some levels the Big Bang is still occurring, on others, the solar system, the earth and life is still evolving, on others, the dinosaurs still roam the earth, on yet others, the world wars are in progress, all the history of the universe is still there.

Also, if we imagine looking linearly at the dimensional levels ahead, on some levels mankind is and has already permanently inhabited the moon, mars and explored the worlds outside our solar system. It is all there recorded in the endless infinite universe.

Consequently, there are dimensional levels before we were born and also levels when we are being born, growing up, maturing, aging and on yet other levels, our human life (Physical Plane body) is and has ended and we are no more, but the infinite levels continue forever.

But what about us and our life personally, you ask?...

Dan’s Quote: "The blinkers of ignorance we wear, that narrows the vision of our reality...
_____________are as large as the universe itself."- Danny Brand

Top photo: The Pillars of Creation in the Eagle Nebula, some 7,000 light years from Earth.

Dan’s Blog is copied to Pictures a'Plenty and to Windows Live as Dan’s Spot which then publicizes it to Yahoo! Updates, Facebook, Linkedin, Messenger Connect and my Randidee Twitter account. Also a copy is posted to Google Blogger as Randidan’s Spot

Mind WorX - Multiplicity 1

2012-01-28T09:34:00.003+10:00

PREFACE

OUR SPACESHIP hovers perilously close to the black hole's event horizon. The gravitational pull is all powerful and if the ship slips over that critical point we are committed - there is no way back. It is prohibiting us from getting close enough to peer down into the vortex and see what's there.

Of course we still could take the plunge but it would be a one way trip - and we would have to be mighty quick to see what's inside for we would be travelling at the speed of light - before we were obliterated.

However there is nothing stopping us from travelling safely and at a much more sedate speed, all we need do is use our imagination. Last time we looked, we witnessed different numbered dimensional universes as we looked up the vortex walls, beginning with a one dimensional universe then a two then our three dimensional universe then a fourth, fifth and so on. Remember? If not, click and scroll back to Black Holes 1

This time we are going to see something slightly different from what we saw last time, for now we are going to imagine what we would see if The Creator had decided that three dimensions was the optimum number.

These universes would have to be infinite in number for although every-'thing' in the physical universe is finite, there is no end to the universe itself. There always has to be another wall on the other side of a wall - ad infinitum. There has to be something beyond the sky. Remember the story about Infinity?

There has to be another universe on the other side of every universe. If these universes are all three dimensional, they would be virtually identical in content, in other words, replicas of each other. (Explained later)

The stars, the planets, the solar system, the earth, the land, the oceans, would all be the same. All living creatures would be identical copies of each other, existing separately/connectedly (unbeknownst to each other) on each and every dimensional level.

In this non ending universe that has an infinite number of three dimensional universes within it, it seems logical that there would also have to be an infinite number of possibilities spread over those universes.

As was stated, the universe as a whole is infinite but all the 'things' in it, stars, planets earth, rocks, water, gas, living creatures, including us humans are finite, therefore we are all living and existing in three dimensional time and space... within an infinite universe.

So then, everything would be identical on each dimensional level 'except' for the effects of time and space and most importantly, 'except' for the effects of the infinite possibilities that occur on each and every one of these individual dimensional levels. (This will hopefully be explained as we proceed with the story)

Here's something for you to chew over in the meantime - If the physical universe is never ending and contains within it an infinite number of three dimensional universes that have an infinite number of possibilities for their evolution...

It stands to reason then, that logically, on those infinite number of three dimensional universes, there must be an infinite number of exact copies of you, me and everyone else, living separate/connected lifetimes, completely unaware of our own multiplicity...

Dan’s Quote: "It takes imagination to tell fairy stories,
_____________it takes even more to make them sound plausible."- Danny Brand

Top photo courtesy of ussenterprise.junofleet.com

Natures Pecking Order 20

2012-01-26T08:20:00.000+10:00

CHEEP TALK

TIME to leave the birds again, for a little while at least so they can get on with their lives, but before I do, I would like to clear up a few points following the last chapter where I told the story about Chubby being so patient as she waited her turn, while Squeaky squeaked impatiently, which was a bit unfair on Squeaky.

I have found over time that all the butcherbirds, male and female, are very patient and seem to know when it is their turn for a piece of hamburger. Squeaky squeaks to get my attention when he and Chubby first arrive - and then throughout the feeding he will continue to voice his presence, but he still politely waits his turn.

The only difference between him and Chubby is that she eats quietly and is trusting enough to come closer to the trough so to speak than Squeaky. All Squeaky's crew are patient too and only occasionally will one of them intercept a missile aimed at another bird but on the whole they are quite considerate of their offsiders.

Another point I didn't elaborate on is as I have found out, all the singers amongst Squeaky's crew seem to be male, which probably explains Squeaky's vocalizations. The females don't seem to have the need to tell everyone that they are there - Oops! Here we go again.

(Chubby is pictured at my door to the right and Squeaky is pictured in the top photo)

The males sing a beautiful sweet song that is a pleasure to hear as it lilts across the neighbourhood breeze. It must be a male thing for remember Donald, Mum and Dad's chick? He just loved to sing and yet his sister Daisy was never heard to make a peep - or should that be cheep?

Chubby is not mute, for although she doesn't squeak like her partner, she does quietly squeak thankyou every time she flies off after she has had enough, usually taking the last piece of hamburger back to her tree house with her. I am positive that that's what she is doing and it warms my heart to hear it.

She has also been inside my unit. Brucette is in the habit of coming in all the time and will perch up on top of my lounge chair to be hand fed a snack. (as she is doing, pictured left) I sometimes keep some hamburger close to the computer and leave my screen door open for that purpose.

Chubby also wanders inside occasionally although usually she stays on the carpet near the doorway, but one time when I had left the door open for Brucette and I was engrossed in my blog writing, I suddenly felt I was being watched.

I looked up and there was Chubby, happily perched on my cooling fan, not an arms length from my left shoulder and right next to the computer, quietly watching me as I worked. I couldn't believe it.

I slowly reached for the hamburger meat I had set aside for Brucette but Chubby flew back to where she was used to being fed at the doorway, but it was lovely to realize that she was trusting enough to come so far into my abode and then patiently wait until I was ready.

Life is chock-a-block full of wonderful experiences like that...

Dan’s Quote: “Birds are a miracle because they prove to us there is a finer,
_____________simpler state of being which we may strive to attain."- Doug Coupland

Natures Pecking Order 19

2012-01-24T08:36:00.000+10:00

WHICH SEX IS BETTER?

DURING my association with the birds, I have come to a very ego shattering and difficult realization. As I have always tried to write this story truthfully and factually, for the birds sake, for they cannot tell their story themselves, it's time to 'fess up.

The fact is: 'Female birds are gutsier, braver, more daring and more trusting than their male counterparts.' There, I've admitted something than I have known underneath for a long time, but haven't had the guts to admit to myself - or to anyone else - but it is regretfully true.

The same female bravado runs through all the species of birds that visit my balcony railing. Although I never realized it at the time, the first to show her mettle was Chubby the butcherbird. She is the original Squeaky's partner.
( Chubby is pictured right)

While Squeaky was perched on the railing 'squeaking' impatiently to be served, Chubby would be quietly waiting on the floor at my door. When I opened it, she would not move, but wait and then sit either at (or nearly on) my feet or on the door track to be fed. I would literally drop the food into her open mouth.

She would patiently wait her turn while I fed Squeaky and any other birds that arrived in the meantime, no impatient squeaks escaped her beak, no looking with disdain at the other birds, she would simply wait, for she had the trust to know that I would serve her in her turn.

( Brucette is pictured perched on my head to the left)

The same goes for the magpies, the peewees and the noisy miners. There is a 'line in the sand' with all wild birds and if you cross it they will move away.

The female line is fairly close to them. I can get to almost but not quite touch Mum, Brucette, Curi, Chubby and the other female butcherbirds.

The male 'line in the sand' is a fair distance from them, even for Squeaky, who has been visiting the railing from day one and was the reason for writing this story.

Dad's 'line in the sand' has moved further away from him ever since the time of the interloper where I bashed a stick of wood on the guttering scaring the living daylights out of him as well as the interloper.

It's the same with Bruce and Squeaky and the other males who haven't got a name, it is easy to tell what sex they are by how quickly they move away from you when they think you are getting a bit too close.

I have to literally throw the hamburger to the males, where with the females, I just need to toss it, as long as it leaves my hand before it reaches them, they are quite happy.

Brucette and Curi are exceptions to the rule for they are especially trusting and will perch on my lap and eat out of my hand but even then, rules still apply, they can touch me, but I can't touch them. .( Brucette and Curi are pictured on my knee above)

Brucette is jealous I feel, of the privilege she has with me and will actually show off to the other birds by perching on my head (as shown above) or hand as well as my lap if there are other birds being fed.

She will do this particularly if Mum and Dad are there - and God help Curi if she is caught on my lap when Brucette turns up - poor Curi gets the short shrift I can tell you.

Of course this raises another startling and horrible thought - Do the females of our own human species have the same bravado as the feathered variety?

In other words, are females of all species, humans included, more gutsier, braver and more trusting than us males? Are they in fact, better than us?

I believe that maybe the truth, that's what they keep telling us anyway...Bugger!...

Dan’s Quote: “I realized that If I had to choose,
_____________I would rather have birds than airplanes."- Charles Lindbergh

Header photo: Kookaburra Family by Ken Griffiths, New South Wales, Australia

Dan’s Blog is copied to Pictures a'Plenty and to Windows Live as Dan’s Spot which then publicizes it to Yahoo! Updates, Facebook, Linkedin, Messenger Connect and my Randidee Twitter account. Also a copy is posted to Google Blogger as Randidan’s Spot

Natures Pecking Order 18

2012-01-22T07:02:00.000+10:00

HARD BOILED EGGS

THERE they all were, perched on the railing outside my unit, mouths agape in expectation of a free meal. (my unit's to the right with the screen door open) There was Squeaky and his crew, Mum and Dad, plus Bruce and Brucette who were hoovering the concrete for any near misses, as my throwing tends to be a bit off at times.

Suddenly a squawk that sounded like a chicken being strangled broke the peace and quiet, it was coming from the direction of the Old Bird's unit next door. (To the left of mine in the pic.)

I looked around in surprise and there she was at her front door, hands behind her back with an appalled look on her ashened face. 'What the hell's wrong with you I exclaimed.'

She looked at me as if she had just committed an horrendous crime and told me she had been watching me feeding the birds while peeling hard boiled eggs, when she suddenly realized what she was doing - right in front of the birds.

She had embarrassingly hid them behind her back hoping that the birds had not witnessed her desecration of their only means of reproduction.

I was stumped. There were no adequate words that I could utter, so I just blithered incoherently as she hastily beat a retreat into the depths of her unit and away from the judgemental eyes of the birds.

I looked around at the crew and for just a wee moment, felt that they might have indeed been upset, then I quickly came to my senses and with a jolt, suddenly thought to myself, 'I'm as silly as her - well almost, but not quite.'

The birds couldn't have cared less about a few eggs from some lower class common chooks, in fact during the whole time, their eyes never left my throwing hand readying themselves for the next acrobatic leap for a morsel of hamburger as they well knew my reckless aim.

It took quite some time before my neighbour became confident enough to face the world again, the birds especially. She confessed that she now realized just how silly she had been and that birds just haven't got the intelligence to be aware of such things.

But I have a strange suspicion that she will never peel another hardboiled egg outside of her kitchen ever again, but I could be wrong...

Dan’s Quote: “It is not only fine feathers that make fine birds."- Aesop

After we catch up with what the birds are doing, we will return to Black Holes for another look down the vortex, this time to imagine a different scenario.

Natures Pecking Order 17

2012-01-20T08:09:00.000+10:00

CATCHING UP

THE PEACE AND QUIET of the countryside was reinstated during the time of my writing 'The Library' for 'Mind WorX.' The kerfuffle's with the interloper and the poltergeist are now long gone and forgotten - as far as the birds are concerned anyway.

Elvira finished up having one chick that has since fledged, although it hasn't visited the balcony railing for a feed since it has become independent as far as I know.

Elvira's new boyfriend has remained here with her. Unlike his predecessor, he is gentle and rather shy, so only visits the balcony looking for scraps if I am not around. Elvira only visits occasionally now her chick has fledged but she has let herself fall to pieces.

Pictured left, she can only be described as 'unkempt', looking as though she's been put through a tumble dryer. Maybe now she has a hubby, she thinks she doesn't need to keep up the beauty treatment - I've known females like that, haven't you?

Poor old Dad - The stress of his run in with the interloper has left a permanent scar on him and he has grown old and crotchety because of it. You never think about birds growing old but because of my daily interactions with him, I have noticed the decline.

His feathers at the back of his head are turning grey and spindly would you believe and he has a lot of trouble chewing his hamburger - as if he is toothless - Yes I know that sounds stupid, birds don't have teeth, but that's the way he reacts. He bashes each morsel against the concrete with his beak until it's small and pulverised enough to swallow.

I spend most of the time standing like a statue in mid hamburger toss waiting for him to finish. Lucky Mum magpie is still hale and hearty, so if she is there, my tossing hand has something to do while I wait for her husband to eat.

Squeaky and his crew still number around five and they remain regular visitors. Bruce and Brucette have created another dynasty with new chicks. I named them Heckle and Jeckle until I found out Jeckle was a female so I re-christened her 'Jeckelette.'

The noisy miner birds have now become part of the family, frequenting the balcony throughout the day with their noisy but pleasant chirping.

One of them I named 'Curi', short for curious, (no not after Suri Cruise) because she is so curious about all the goings on and ins and outs of life on the balcony that she will squat like a little fluffy ball on the railing as shown in the picture to the left, or on the floor, completely mesmerised with what the other birds or I am up to.

A kookaburra also visits the hamburger stand occasionally, he/she's pictured in the top photo waiting to be served. There are also some lorikeets that visit and the resident pigeons are causing me some angst at the moment, but I'll tell you about that later on, all in all though, things are going along pretty good.

I still have to tell you the funny story about the hard boiled eggs, but I now try to keep my blogs a bit shorter, so that will have to be told next time...

Dan’s Quote: “What a kid I got, I told him about the birds and the bees
_____________and he told me about the butcher and my wife."- Rodney Dangerfield

Mind WorX - The Library 9

2012-01-18T07:13:00.000+10:00

THE MISSING LINK

WRITING my hypothetical story of 'The Library' caused some difficulty when trying to explain what might happen after we walk out of our library and into the light. The fact that we must leave our ego behind was straight forward enough - although still difficult to do - but what do we then become?

For us to suddenly remember we are really a spiritual being (our soul) would not make any sense as our soul has purposely forgotten our origins to make the human adventure more intense and worthwhile, so without our ego identification, there was a gap in the story.

The metaphor 'Physical Plane self' coined by Ainslie MacLeod in his article, 'The Transformation' solved the dilemma for me as it placed another imaginary self awareness between our soul awareness and our body awareness. So...

A DESCRIPTION OF OUR PHYSICAL PLANE SELF:

Our Spiritual Soul (True self) inhabits a human body (Physical Plane body) for the duration of a human lifetime to enable the experience of the physical world.

Whilst inhabiting the body our soul has purposely forgotten our true origins so we can more fully experience a human life, thus we become our Physical Plane self (our awareness of who we think we are at the moment, body, name, the intelligence behind our eyes etc).

If our Physical Plane self identifies with the ego, (as we do at the moment) it is similar to being in a stage play. We wear a costume to play a role in the drama but strangely, once we are wearing the costume, we believe we really are the character we are portraying.

If our Physical Plane self does not identify with the ego (the next stage of our evolution) it is similar to us playing the same role in the same drama whilst still remaining aware of who we really are - an actor wearing a costume, playing a part in a play.

When we no longer identify with our ego, our Physical Plane self then becomes what we might call, our egoless body awareness or a self that is aware that it is temporarily the body and name it is inhabiting whilst being fully involved in the role of a human being.

Our Physical Plane self is then much more stable and receptive to being led down avenues of learning for advancement towards our souls ultimate aim of Spiritual/Physical unity.

When we take the costume off at the end of our life's drama, the Physical Plane body will be no more but our Physical Plane self - our awareness of self, or soul awareness - will continue to exist as we awaken from the dream, remembering who we really are.

Looking at it from our limited physical perspective, you could say that ninety percent of our soul remains on the Spiritual Plane leaving just ten percent to inhabit a human body for a lifetime, so even though that ten percent does not remember its true origins, the other ninety percent does.

In this way, our soul can guide us along a predetermined but flexible life path, with intuition (that quiet voice from within) and inspiration to complete the missions our soul has come here to perform.

In truth, our soul remains wholly on the Spiritual Plane for there is nowhere else to go. The ten percent is really only our soul's dream as it plays the role of a Physical Plane self in The Creators Dream of a Physical Universe...

Dan’s Quote: "Discard the illusion, embrace reality and the pain stops."- Danny Brand

Coming next, we catch up with the birds in Nature's Pecking Order.
Top photo: 'View Inside a Wave at Sunset.'

Dan’s Blog is copied to Pictures a'Plenty and to Windows Live as Dan’s Spot which then publicizes it to Yahoo! Updates, Facebook, Linkedin, Messenger Connect and my Randidee Twitter account. Also a copy is posted to Google Blogger as Randidan’s Spot

Mind WorX - The Library 8

2012-01-16T07:54:00.000+10:00

QUICK FIXES

DESPITE our souls mission, which it is happily continuing to do while we wallow around in the unconscious belief that we are separate from our soul, we are missing out on the fun of our life. Thinking that we know best, we have invented myriad quick fixes to feeling good, drugs, alcohol, chocolate, sweets, loveless sex, shopping are just some examples.

Not to say that any of these are bad in and of themselves but we need to become aware that we are using them for that purpose - which in reality is not to gain happiness, peace, joy or any of those things - but pleasure, or to stop boredom by filling in idle times, so it is not necessary that they be dropped altogether.

In fact, to try and stop using a shortcut without understanding our egos need or craving for it, only makes the situation worse, for there is always a cost involved after experiencing a high brought on by a quick fix. We must also suffer the down side, dependency, cravings and addiction with their accompanying withdrawal symptoms.

The belief that we can rely on shortcuts to happiness, joy, rapture, comfort and ecstasy, rather than earn these feelings leads to legions of people who in the middle of great wealth, fame, business acumen etc - are starving spiritually.

Positive emotions experienced without the contrasting experience of negative emotions leads to emptiness and inauthenticity. Conversely, positive feelings that arise from the exercise of learning what is right through the experience of the wrong and then doing what is right rather than from taking a shortcut, is authentic learning.

If we continue to obstinately stick with shortcuts, the situation only worsens over time, preventing us from advancing and if that be the case, at the end of this lifetime's course, we will have failed the exam, obligating us to repeat the same suffering next lifetime until we do pass. (Karma)

That is not cruel by any means, for it is our own soul that is the one who has decided on that specific course so our Physical Plane self can learn and eventually rid itself of the egos influence and re-unite with the soul.

The old saying, 'There but for the Grace of God go I' has special meaning here, for we have all either experienced lives like the shortcutters in previous incarnations, or those lessons in life are still to come.

For our soul is eager to learn the whole gamut of human experiences - in one life or another. Remember, we (the separate person we think we are) are doing the suffering here not our soul. Discard the illusion, embrace reality and the pain stops.

So the next time you are criticizing a drunk, drug addict, sex fiend, shopaholic, or such like, stop for a moment and realize that you were once in their shoes, or God forbid, you still have those shoes to wear...

Dan’s Quote: "Our mission in life is to discard the illusion of the false...
_____________And embrace the reality of the truth."- Danny Brand

Inspiration for 'Quick Fixes' came in part from referencing 'Authentic Happiness' by Martin Seligman..
Top photo: 'Peaceful Autumn' by Karri Klawiter.

Dan’s Blog is copied to Pictures a'Plenty and to Windows Live as Dan’s Spot which then publicizes it to Yahoo! Updates, Facebook, Linkedin, Messenger Connect and my Randidee Twitter account. Also a copy is posted to Google Blogger as Randidan’s Spot

Mind WorX - The Library 7

2012-01-14T10:02:00.000+10:00

THE AGENDA

OUR SOUL has one purpose for living a physical lifetime and that's to evolve. It wants to know what being a human is all about. So it comes to the Physical Plane repeatedly, each time attaching itself to a physical body for the duration of a lifetime to explore, experience and learn all about the human experience.

Our soul has specific missions it uses to help give its lifetime a focus. These missions could be to learn what was not learned in previous lifetimes, or to learn something as yet not experienced, or it could be to teach, where our soul will want to learn about helping other souls complete their life plans.

We all have a combination of missions that our soul decides on before attaching itself to a human body. They’re narrow enough to give life a certain composition, yet broad enough to avoid limiting free will, allowing flexibility as we progress.

Beyond its specific missions for each lifetime, our soul is seeking something much bigger. The grand purpose, if you like, is to unite with our Physical Plane self - to become consciously aware that our soul and the Physical Plane 'self awareness' are one and the same.

In our souls learning experience, it is not just positive feelings we are after, we want to be entitled to our positive feelings. In our souls permanent home on the Spiritual Plane, all there is, is positive feelings. Our soul wants to be able to learn and appreciate them.

We do this on the Physical Plane by contrasting the positive experiences with the negatives. By experiencing the negatives, the pain, sorrow, loss, unhappiness etc of life and overcoming them, we can then feel entitled to and thus appreciate the good things, both in our physical lives and also after we transition back to the Spiritual Plane.

It is through the senses of our Physical Plane body that our soul experiences human life. The mental library of the body holds the records of the past that, apart from the memories needed to negotiate through our daily life, also contain the memories of all the emotions experienced.

These are used for contrast and as we individually learn, conscious awareness of our true purpose grows and as an increasing number of us connects with our goals, it will become easier for others to follow. (A rising tide lifts all boats, as the saying goes.)

Yet strangely, despite our souls mission to fully experience the human condition, while we continue to identify with our ego, we are constantly searching for shortcuts to feeling good...

Dan’s Quote: “Begin to see yourself as a soul with a body,
_____________rather than a body with a soul."- Wayne Dyer

Inspiration for 'The Agenda' came in part from referencing 'The Transformation' by Ainslie MacLeod.
Top photo: 'Fisherman at Point Cartwright' by Sue Thomson, of Brisbane, Queensland, Australia.

Mind WorX - Ego-Riddance

2012-01-12T08:06:00.000+10:00

OUTGROWTH

BEFORE I continue with the concluding chapters of 'The Library', I feel that I must clear up some confusion concerning our ego and the implied notion that, so as to advance along our evolutionary path, we need to get rid of it. That the only way we can walk out of our library and into the light is for our ego to be abolished.

That is far from the truth. The ego plays a very important part in our evolution. For a start, if it were not for the ego, mankind would never have survived our initial steps onto this physical world - and for quite a few millennia after.

It is still serving us today in the same way. The only problem is, we have come to identify ourselves as being our ego - and we are not. The ego really is only a mental storage or library that holds all the data from the past that we need to refer to at times for our body's well being - a mental library that we have inadvertently put a label on and called it me.

But that library is not us, it is a facility. The ego/library needs to stay with us and continue its role. We are now at a stage in our evolution though when we must simply outgrow our identification with the ego, in other words, become aware enough to put it back in its place where it belongs - caring for our body's welfare and survival.

The question asked is, 'If I do not identify with who I think I am then who am I? What then do we become?' We become consciously aware of what we have always been in this lifetime, 'Our Physical Plane self'.

We represent our Soul on the Physical Plane, remember that our Soul is spiritual, it cannot experience a physical life except through the senses of our Physical Plane selves - Us!

This has always been what is, we have just confused our Physical Plane selves with the body's mental memories, that's all. Mankind is now ready to shed that illusion and progress to the next stage.

By outgrowing our ego identification, nothing in our life changes, we are still who we have always been, the only difference being is that we have rid ourselves of an unnecessary burden. We now use the ego/library's facilities for our day to day lives rather than believing we are the ego/library.

After outgrowing the illusion, the only difference will be is that our conscious mind is a bit more conscious of reality and our unconscious mind is not quite so unconscious.

Because of our growing awareness, our Soul will not be so impeded in its intuitive whisperings that help lead us on to complete the agenda that it has set down for us whilst we are here...

Dan’s Quote: "With awareness, the ego is our ally, not our enemy."- Danny Brand

The definition of 'Physical Plane self' could be described as our Soul with amnesia. In reality we are our Eternal Soul experiencing physical life in a human body.
To fully experience life, Our Soul has forgotten its origins whilst in the confines of its Physical Plane self but our Soul also still remains on the Spiritual Plane where it is able to guide us.

Mind WorX - The Library 6

2012-01-10T07:24:00.000+10:00

WHAT YOU ARE MISSING

THE ONLY REASON it is so hard for you to step out of your library and into the new is that you still believe that you are your illusory self (ego) and the last thing in the world your ego/self wants to do is step out of that library, for to do so means the end of the illusion.

Even if you understand academically what you need to do, you will still find it very difficult. Trying only makes it worse, for any effort you use is ego effort, it will hoodwink you if it can by pretending to be a sincere seeker of the light.

'Oh Yes!' The ego/you exclaims, 'I am now awakened and overjoyed at the thought of walking out into the light, to be free at last to live in a world full of joy and peace.' - But only if your past accompanies you. You may think that you could live with that, but wait, what about your pain....

Your ego would continue to be what it always has been, selfish, greedy, cruel and uncaring and if you don't toe the line you will be punished, as you are now, with depression, unhappiness, anger, despair. You would not be free at all but would continue to be at the mercy of your ego as you are now.

In the meantime, your soul, or true self is continuing to do exactly what it came here to the Physical Plane to do, experience a human lifetime and learn. Surprisingly, it has never been inside your library of the past!

'If my soul is my true self, how can that be' you might ask? As your soul is an individuation of the One Creator, you appear to be an individuation of your soul. That is not strictly correct but is rather the illusion of a deluded mind - and you are the deluded one.

You believe in separation - in a separate self. You are not really separate from your soul at all, only your belief in separation makes it appear that way, so while you unconsciously suffer the egos illusion, you are truly deceived.

Your soul has been enjoying your life's adventure ever since you were born. You are the only one missing out. Because of your delusion in thinking you are separate, you suffer the illusion of your ego while your true self continues merrily along.

By having the courage to walk out of your library of the past, leaving your ego behind, will allow you to 'catch up' with your soul/true self and consciously join in this exciting adventure of your lifetime.

It's not the case that you will then cease to be your ego and become your soul - rather with awareness, you will shed the illusion of the ego and reunite with your soul - a unity that you have never really lost - only in your sick and delirious mind.

If you are going to 'catch up', you'll need to know what your souls agenda is for your lifetime, that so far, you have been missing out on...

Dan’s Quote: "We may think the world is full of despair but it isn't, it's full of ego."- Danny Brand

Mind WorX - The Library 5

2012-01-08T07:02:00.000+10:00

AFTERTHOUGHTS

WHAT EXACTLY does it mean to walk out the front door of our library of the past and into the light? It sounds so simple that you might be wondering why it is made out to be such a big thing. So let's look at it more closely and find out why taking those steps will be so hard for you to do.

Walking out of your library of the past means leaving 'your self' behind, or more precisely, the self you think you are. A self that you have grown very attached to over time. You can take the body you are using at the moment and the name you call yourself with you, but what is most difficult is, you must leave the history of you behind.

Your history is who you have been over the course of your lifetime. The story of you that you continually tell yourself in your mind. All of your reminiscing about yourself, all of your wishful thinking about what you want and all those very private thoughts that you keep to yourself and would not dare tell another living soul about.

All of these are memories of who you once were and all of those memories are stored in your library, so when you think about yourself, you are really thinking about who you once were, including your thoughts about your future, which are only old memories of who you once were projected forward.

If you can gather the courage to step out of your library into the light, you won't be able to take any of those memories with you, you won't be able to think about yourself at all for there is no old you anymore, outside of your library walls there is only the ever renewing present moment - The Now.

You are born anew every moment, each now moment is fresh and vibrant. Outside your library everything is forever new. When you look at a rose or a sunset say, there are no memories anymore to compare them with. They have a fresh beauty all of their own and in the instant you drink in their fleeting beauty, it is gone.

It is the same with every person you meet, including loved ones. Outside of the library, there are no longer any records of what they were like yesterday, last year or even a second ago.

You accept them unconditionally as they are in the now moment - and accept them once again in the next moment and the next ....

The same goes for anyone that in your old life in the past, you didn't like. Those memories are gone too, so they too are newly greeted each and every moment and unconditionally accepted by you with no old baggage.

Now, how hard do you think it would be to leave your whole past life behind in your library of the past, in other words, leave your ego behind, taking with you only your body and name?

Pretty hard AY! But I'll tell you something? Your true self is already like that, and always has been....

Dan’s Quote: "We are not blinded by the light of awareness,
_____________we are blinded by the dark of ignorance."- Danny Brand

Note:
When you looked at the sunset in the header photo, did you appreciate its beauty for what it is, or did you grade it by comparing it with all the other sunsets you've seen?
And what about the rose?

Dan’s Blog is copied to Pictures a'Plenty and to Windows Live as Dan’s Spot which then publicizes it to Yahoo! Updates, Facebook, Linkedin, Messenger Connect and my Randidee Twitter account. Also a copy is posted to Google Blogger as Randidan’s Spot

Mind WorX - The Library 4

2012-01-06T08:08:00.000+10:00

SYNOPSIS

WHEN MAN was first created, we were given memory. It was an essential component for the survival of our species. Without it our race would have become extinct within a very short time. To help us survive in a then alien world, we needed to remember the past.

We needed to remember what animal was dangerous and what was good to eat. We needed to remember what plants were nutritious and what were poisonous. We also needed to remember how to protect ourselves from the elements, how to light a fire to keep warm, how to not die from the cold.

This learning phase of trial and error cost the lives of many of our companions who were unlucky enough to make the wrong choices, but because of their sacrifice and our ability to remember and learn from their mistakes, the race of man as a whole, thrived.

This ability to remember the past is still essential for us today for we need to remember how to drive a car, ride a bike, cook a meal and countless other mundane tasks that help us survive in a sometimes harsh and indifferent environment. That was what the mental library of the past was originally created for.

This library was simply a reference for our use. There was no one in charge of this mental library, no librarian, we simply scanned the records ourselves when needed, otherwise we spent our time, (as we are meant to do in the present day) living in and fully experiencing the now moment.

But somewhere along the line, this mental library of the past seemed to acquire a mind of its own - an entity that we now call the ego. The ego does not really exist, it is an illusion of our mind, in reality it is our soul, or true self that has become absorbed and deluded by the library, resulting in us believing that we are the library itself.

Walking out of the library into the light spells the end of the illusion of the ego and while we believe we are the ego, those are very scary and difficult steps for us to take for we mistakenly believe it will be the death of ourselves.

It won't be, in fact it will be our liberation from a lifetime of tyranny, but we can't find that out without taking that first step and once taken, there is no way back, we can't change our mind half way. This 'not knowing for sure' causes all our fears of death and keeps us in our deluded state.

Walking out of our library of the past into the light means the same thing as enlightenment, conscious awareness or awakening. Once we are standing outside of the library, the illusion of the ego is gone forever, the library then resumes its original purpose as a ready reference put at our disposal. A new earth dawns.

We are then able to resume our original purpose for being here, to experience what it is like to be human and we do this best by living in the vibrant and ever renewing present moment....

Dan’s Quote: "A tyrant dominates in the darkness of ignorance,
_____________To end our submission all we need do is turn on the light."- Danny Brand

Note: Header photo is of the Huntington Library, Los Angeles. The middle photo is of the grounds outside of Huntington library and the bottom photo is of the Library of Bhutan.
All photos emphasise the light outside.

Mind WorX - The Library 3

2012-01-04T10:14:00.000+10:00

THE EGO'S DEMISE

OUR EGO, like our body of which it is a disposable part, is finite, it has a use-bye date. At some time or other, we all must experience our physical death. No matter how much we diet, eat healthy and exercise, no matter how much of a fortune we accrue or how many life insurance policies we hold, our ego, with our body must eventually return to the place from whence it came - Mother Earth.

People who have near death experiences often comment that their whole lifetime flashes before their eyes - every memory, every event, every high, every low and every emotion, passes in front of their eyes in fast motion.

What is happening as our physical death approaches is the ego is being forcibly dragged forward from its lair at the back of the library, passed all the shelves that hold the complete records of this particular lifetime from birth onwards, towards the light outside the library.

For those people who have returned from this experience to tell us their tale, their ego has been strong enough to overcome those forces, and freeing itself, has scampered back into the depths of the library and the safety of the past like a frightened rabbit.

Eventually though, our ego must succumb to time and although we may be kicking and screaming all the way to the door, we must finally face the light outside - and for our ego - oblivion.

Our true selves, who are eternal, have experienced the end of myriad lifetimes and so physical death holds no threat to our continuation. For our ego though, death has never been experienced before. To the ego, death is the newest of the new - and the most feared, for it does not survive death, it is a one way street to oblivion - and it knows it.

Whilst ever we believe we are our ego, death will be feared. This might appear callous, but a person who fears change or newness in ordinary day to day life is destined to experience a traumatic ego death, for their ego's extrication from the safe and known confines of its library of the past to the newness outside could be quite a terrifying experience.

Depending on our ego's resistance to death, the duration will vary. The story goes that on the other side, all our loved ones that have transitioned before us will be lovingly waiting to give us a hand to help rid us of our illusion of the ego and hence its terror.

Maybe that is the 'soul' purpose of their attendance at this time, so our transition will not be so frightful, but come what may, eventually our ego will dissolve into nothingness, revealing to us once again who we really are and always have been, reunifying us as our True Eternal Non Physical Self...

Dan’s Quote: "In physical death we simply discard our ego cocoon...
____________to metamorphose as the Spiritual Self we always have been."- Danny Brand

Mind WorX - The Library 2

2012-01-02T08:12:00.000+10:00

THE LIBRARIAN

LET'S TAKE A LOOK at our ego's library as if it was our local library down the road. Outside the library is outside of our mind. We have never been 'Out of our Mind,' consequently, we have never been outside of our library. While we believe we are our ego, we will never take that momentous step.

Why? Outside of our library everything is new, fresh - and scary, scary because it is unknown, we have nothing to reference it against. There are no books about newness. When faced with the unknown, we are made vulnerable. We falsely believe that newness will hurt us or maybe, we won't even exist 'Out There.'

Anything could happen and we wouldn't be prepared to protect ourselves. We cannot defend ourselves against something that we don't know and understand and we can never know or understand newness. Newness is something that has never happened before, obviously, so we would feel very unsafe and insecure.

It's like as if the librarian at our public library believed that reality existed only inside the walls of the library and nothing existed outside of it.

No matter how many times we tell her that there is a wonderfully exciting and safe world out there waiting for her to explore, she hasn't the courage to take that life changing step.

While she has access to all those old books about what happened in the past, she feels safe and secure. If something does occur that she doesn't quite understand, she is not worried for she has her reference library to look it up.

By categorizing it, she can then file it under similar known events that she does understand, or even if a little unusual, she can make it fit so it conforms to what she already knows.

If however, she should dare venture outside of her library where everything is new, she would no longer have her reference books close at hand as a security blanket so to speak and that thought would terrify her. She would feel naked and exposed and in danger.

If our local librarian really was like this, we would think her slightly off her rocker and would quietly pacify her, telling her to stop being so damned silly and explain to her that outside of the library lies a beautiful bright sunshiny world full of love, joy and peace.

Taking her hand we would then try to gently lead her out into the light, but she would recoil in terror and rush madly back into her library, amongst her tried and trusted books of the past.

That sounds like a rather insane scenario but that is exactly how the majority of us live our daily lives. The ego is our mental librarian and, believing we are the ego, we confine ourselves to our library's interior where everything is familiar, safe and most of all - known...

Dan’s Quote: “We appear to be locked in a mental prison,
_____________but if we were brave enough to turn around towards the light,
_____________we would find the door wide open."- Danny Brand

Note: Header - The ancient Library of Alexandria, bottom - The modern day Library of Alexandria.

Mind WorX - The Library 1

2011-12-31T10:07:00.003+10:00

PAST RECORDS

DURING THE WRITING of 'Mind WorX' and also 'Two Worlds' I continually refer to the metaphor, 'The Egos Library of the Past' to help explain my hypothesis of what the inner workings of our habitual mind might be like.

The egos library is like any public library anywhere in the world. As well as individual libraries in each town or city, there is the Capitol Library that holds the records of the district, country and the world as a whole.

Like the public libraries, there is an individual ego library and also a collective ego library.

These libraries, both physical and mental can only hold records of the past. New events, in both types of libraries can only be recorded after the event, once they have become a part of the past.

As memories or world events get older, they are less used so their records are progressively relocated further back in the libraries recesses.

Within each of our individual ego libraries, we hold all of the records of every event, every taste, every smell, every feel, every sight, every sound and every one of our emotional reactions to those events, whether positive or negative, that has occurred since the day we were born.

We find that the older entries that occurred in the earlier parts of our life harder or sometimes impossible to recall, but our ego remembers them all and uses them as a ready reference to enable it to decide what action to take at any given moment when a new event occurs - and anything new is a potential threat to the ego.

Like the physical libraries, there is also a collective library that holds the complete records of mankind since the time of our first emergence on earth. Every event is meticulously recorded and although we can't access those records, the collective ego can.

When anything new takes place in our personal life or in our world, our reaction to it, both individually and collectively, comes from records of how we reacted to similar events in the past.

Because of this, we do not see or recognize any new event for what it is, fresh, vibrant and dynamic, but look at it through the dirty lens of the known.

As our world is run by referencing what happened in the past, I.E. - law suits, A versus B 1897 - This old law worked last year so if we amend it, it must work now etc - the collective ego controls the actions of the populace, based on those records kept in its library of the past.

Again, anything new is a potential threat to the collective ego, so it's reaction, passed on to us and the leaders of our world, is always based on the old safe and known.

How can we all combat these negative forces? By understanding our egos library, inside and out...

Dan’s Quote: “To change our world we need only be daring enough to step out of the old and into the new."- Danny Brand

Note: Header photo, the National Library of Australia in spring.

Mind WorX - Infinity

2011-12-29T08:42:00.000+10:00

THE WALL BEHIND THE WALL

SCIENTISTS on the TV show, 'Who's Afraid of the Big Black Hole' told the story about using their equations to try and unravel the mystery of black holes only to find that no matter what formulae they used, the answer was always infinity and they questioned the reason why that answer kept cropping up.

That was actually the statement that inspired my hypothetical travels into black holes. Why infinity in particular? Was there a reason why that was happening? Was there a message whispering across the dimensions of physical space, hinting to us that the universe is not as it seems.

What exactly is infinity anyway? Infinity is nothing more than a physical measurement. Pictured above, the symbol stands for a number which is so large it cannot be measured. The finite physical universe that we inhabit is unmeasurable thus by definition, infinite.

That sounds like an oxymoron but it isn't really, for behind every finite object or space there must be another object or space...Ad Infinitum.

Also at the end of any numeral whether billion, trillion, whatever, there must be another digit that can be added to it...Ad infinitum!

When we look up at the sky, especially of a night when the Milky Way is at its most brilliant, we may all have asked the question, 'What is up there at the end of the sky? Is there a wall? If so, what is behind the wall? And what is behind that?' Does it stop somewhere, or does it go on forever? ... Ad Infinitum!

While we are ignorant of what is, (and we all are) we only see the very tip of the iceberg. Everything we observe in this world we believe to be finite - it has a beginning and an end. We see plants grow, blossom and die, we see people being born, age, then die. Astronomers see our stars burning brightly then die.

Because of our narrow vision, we ourselves are resigned to the fact that we are finite, so must eventually die. Our whole viewpoint of life on earth is finite, birth, death, existence, nonexistence, but nothing ever really dies.

We are shown proof of that every day, but we don't really see it. The physical constituents of a dead plant become parts for new plants, our deceased bodies, whether flesh or ashes, returns to Mother Earth to be recycled.

If Earth should ever be blown to smithereens by an asteroid or comet say, the dust and debris of our planet, including the remnants of our bodies would reform into another stellar configuration.

The ingredients of Earth would carry on... Ad Infinitum!

The elements that make up our own body - atoms, molecules etc - have previously been part of many living and non living things during their infinite existence, right back to the stardust of the Big Bang and beyond.

We have only borrowed them. Everything on the Physical Plane is recyclable - infinitely reusable.

Infinity is a measurement of endless time and endless space on the Physical Plane. Conversely, on the Spiritual Plane (that is our true home) where there is no time or space - there is only eternity.

Is it possible that infinity is in reality, the reflection of eternity on the Physical Plane?
Infinity is the only way eternity can be represented in a universe of time and space. Is this why the scientific equations always end with infinity?

Could the singularity at the bottom of a black hole be the intersecting point between the Spiritual and Physical planes?

A black hole is hiding something more than myriad dimensions. If it were possible to look into its maw, right down to the singularity at the bottom, would we be looking at forever?...

Dan’s Quote: "In the physical universe we can go forever..
_____________In the non physical, we exist forever"- Danny Brand

Note:
Coming soon, 'Multiplicity' where we look at the multi-levels in the walls of black holes differently.

Natures Pecking Order 16

2011-12-27T07:47:00.000+10:00

DEATH SENTENCE

THE SKY appeared to be awash with countless noisy black birds that flew over our neighborhood for a day or two after the interloper's reign ended. I couldn't tell if Elvira was one of them for they all looked alike, but I suspected she was the one in front, being chased.

In hindsight, I believe they must have been bachelor currawongs that had come a courting from near and far, but how they had got wind of the fact that there was a newly widowed female up for grabs I will never know. Mother Nature's bush telegraph sure works in mysterious ways.

There were birds flying about everywhere, squawking out their raucous, grating calls to each other but eventually, whatever was happening, happened, the currawongs dispersed and everything settled back down to quietude. I guessed that one of the bachelors had won first prize.

After that, Elvira stopped calling in for food to feed her chicks, or even to feed herself and instead flitted about the treetops with her new mate like a dizzy dithery teenager. I noticed that she had ceased going to her nest altogether, even to check her brood and I wondered how her chicks were fairing.

The nest was too far up in the camphor laurel tree for me to do anything even if I could for I now get a bout of acrophobia at about the height of the seat of a kitchen chair, so forebodingly, I let nature take its course.

Inspecting the nest with binoculars and seeing no more signs of life, I came to the sorry conclusion that the fate of the chicks had been no different than for most other young animal species that loses the father.

For instance, if a lion pride loses the male for any reason, when the lioness takes on a new mate, it will immediately kill all the cubs produced by the last male so as to ensure that only his progeny continues on.

This must have been what had happened to Elvira's chicks. The new boyfriend would never consider rearing some other males offspring, so its first task after consummation of their bond would have been to destroy the interlopers chicks.

I believe I had unwittingly witnessed this when Elvira last visited her nest. She was in company with her new mate, perched together on a nearby branch and I suspect, that was around the time the dirty deed was done.

How Elvira stood by and let this happen is another one of nature's mysteries, but I guess she instinctually understands the natural laws better than I. Now, not only was the schizophrenic interloper dead and gone, so was his progeny and any risk of his craziness being passed on.

At the time I was very apprehensive that this new boyfriend in residence at the currawong lodge might be as crazy as the last one and mayhem would return to our once more peaceful neighborhood.

I had no need to worry though, this new buck was nearly as big and ugly as his predecessor but he turned out to be normal and most importantly peaceful, which proved to me that the interloper was definitely a one off, a few sheep short in the top paddock so to speak.

Life once again settled back down to normalcy, Elvira began to build a new nest and prepare for another go at motherhood and the Bruce family of peewees suddenly got a hankering for hamburgers.

A family of Noisy Miner Birds, who are very cute and daring (one is pictured on my lap at the right) began visiting the hamburger stand --- and there also was an incident concerning hard boiled eggs...

Note: The header picture is of fledgling butcher birds and the young chicks in the nest are actually peewees, the same family as the Bruces.

Dan’s Quote: “Although Mother Nature may appear harsh and uncaring, the only reason
_____________life still exists on Earth is because her rules are followed."- Danny Brand

Natures Pecking Order 15

2011-12-25T08:04:00.001+10:00

NATURE RULES

SILENCE hung heavy in the air as I slumped back in my deckchair and contemplated the events that had just unfolded. It had only been a few short hours since the interloper's demise and I was still in disbelief that it was finally over. Was it true? Had the demon returned to the hell fire and brimstone from whence it came?

There was still no birdsong floating in on the breeze and I wondered to myself if my friends would ever be brave enough to return or would they stay clear just in case the evil black tyrant reappeared to attack and terrorise them once more.

The chop-chop of a rescue helicopter broke the silence as it made for the roof of Nambour Hospital just to the west of my unit block to unload some poor unfortunate patient. Then the rumble of a train added to the cacophony as it approached Nambour Station, an equal distance to the east.

I was lost in my reverie, unaware of anything more than my thoughts and the mechanical sounds that assailed my eardrums when I cast a casual glance ahead and there perched on the railing were three of Squeaky's crew, quietly but intently watching me.

In astonishment and relief I yelled out to the Old Bird next door, 'The little buggers are back!' My yell startled them - and the Old Bird too - but the birds soon settled back with a look that said, 'Well, you big ugly unfeathered bonehead, open up the shop, we're hungry.'

Next door stood there with a contented smile on her face as I served up hamburgers galore to the welcome visitors. Not long after that, Mum and Dad returned (Dad is pictured to the right of Mum) and very quickly things returned to normal - as if their term of exile had never happened.

For awhile, there were a few cautious looks before the birds flew off, but soon they didn't bother, all except for Dad. He suffered the most from the interloper's attacks and for a long time, cast a furtive look over his left shoulder each time he prepared to fly off to his tree house.

He has never really got over it. Added to his trauma was the fact that every time I whacked the roof guttering with the piece of wood to scare off the interloper, Dad was there. His little bird brain could never comprehend that I was doing it to scare his adversary not him, rather, he thought that he was the target.

To this day, he treats me with caution unless I'm standing still or sitting down. All was normal again though, Elvira continued to grab takeaways to feed her chicks and knowing where her nest was, I regularly grabbed my binoculars to take a look at her fast growing babies.

Their little yellow beaks gaped hungrily up to her when she arrived with the tucker, then disappeared below the nests rim to quietly await the next delivery.

But their little lives would now be in jeopardy, for as I was to discover – in our world that follows Mother Nature's rules, 'Chicks without a father were at grave risk'…

Dan’s Quote: “We falsely believe that man creates the law of the land that we live by...
___________When in essence, all life on Earth lives predominately by Nature's law."- Danny Brand

Note: What may the 'ego’s library of the past' really be like inside.
_____Coming soon - Mind WorX takes an imaginary tour.

MERRY CHRISTMAS TO ALL MY READERS

Note:
Dan’s Blog is copied to Pictures a'Plenty and to Windows Live as Dan’s Spot which then publicizes it to Yahoo! Updates, Facebook, Linkedin, Messenger Connect and my Randidee Twitter account. Also a copy is posted to Google Blogger as Randidan’s Spot

Natures Pecking Order 14

2011-12-23T08:05:00.000+10:00

JUST DESSERTS

DAWN'S GOLDEN fingers of light probed seductively into the inner sanctum of my darkened bedroom, wantonly prying and piercing through the cracks in my tightly closed vertical blinds and tantalisingly raising me up from the depths of my night's slumber.

It was mid spring on the beautiful Queensland Sunshine Coast and the warmth caressed me slowly to full arousal. I idly stretched, then satisfyingly scratched my nether parts as I slowly made my way, as was my habit, to the front patio doors. Opening them, I then strolled nonchalantly out onto the balcony to greet the morning sun.

I casually drank in the familiar vista that faced me as I leaned lazily on the railing and began to form a wide and noisy yawn which was interrupted half way through as I noticed something strange in the carport on the other side of the driveway.

'What in the hell is that?' I thought. It looked like a black ball of some sort. I wondered if one of the other tenants had thrown a bit of rubbish towards the bins, missed and couldn't be bothered picking it up. 'Lazy buggers' I said to myself, then suddenly the black ball moved ever so slightly.

It was more of a shuffle, or waddle, like a duck with no feet. This was getting stranger by the minute. I stealthily moved up towards the stairs, keeping a close eye on this alien image. It must have saw me for it moved again, still in a legless shuffle and away towards the back of the carport.

As I got a bit closer, I saw one beady yellow eye peeking out from the black ball looking straight up at me. I crept a little closer and recognition suddenly dawned on me.

'This must be The Interloper' I exclaimed in surprise, to no one in particular, 'but why crouch down in the carport like that?' The nearer I got, the more certain I became. This was indeed, The bloody Interloper.

It glared up at me with a look of abject hatred and loathing, as if I was to blame for the predicament it was in. Although not warranted, there was certainly no love lost between us for I had given it as harder time as I could whenever it attacked Dad or any of the other birds.

Being a typical despot, it was in reality a craven coward that hid behind a false facade of brutality and intimidation. I had found that out, for the only way I could deter it from attack was to bash noisily on the roof guttering with a piece of wood.

This made him flinch and his wings twitch in fear every time I did this and it slunk to a higher and higher branch of the tree giving the birds a slight chance to get away unscathed.

The goose bumps began creeping up my spine as I realized I was a bit scared. 'Big sook' I mumbled to myself, so I decided to leave the bastard alone for awhile and see what happened.

When I reached my front door, I looked back and it had waddled to the back wall of the carport where Elvira was facing him, squawking loudly and dancing about wildly in agitation.

Was she bereft at the thought of losing her mate, or was she saying to him, 'Serves your right you vicious mongrel?' I will never know of course, but soon after that, as I was making my morning coffee, I heard a blood curdling screech coming from the direction of the park, a sound that lasted a good minute or two and made my hair stand on end.

I've never heard the call of a banshee, but I could well imagine that the sound I heard was pretty close to that. Then The Intruder was gone for good. It took quite a while for that fact to sink in, but he has never returned.

What killed him I don't really know, maybe he was poisoned or maybe another bird finally retaliated against his brutality, or then again, maybe it was Elvira herself that rid us (and her) of the tyrant. But Elvira's troubles were not over by any means...

Dan's Quote: "Just desserts are far sweeter for the giver
_____________than they are for the receiver."- Danny Brand

Natures Pecking Order 13

2011-12-21T07:38:00.001+10:00

TYRANNY

DESPAIR cast its dark shadow over the bird population as the evil black winged demon patrolled its domain. With beady yellow eyes it scanned for any hapless feathered intruder that dared trespass into its self proclaimed territory. It had only one mission in life and that was to track, attack, injure and evict any poor unfortunate bird that crossed its imaginary demarcation line.

Size did not matter in the least, for although The Intruder was about the size of a magpie, it tackled much larger birds. There used to be flock of ibis that had settled in the park next door and often scavenged for food in our grounds. They are a shy and gentle, albeit, awkward looking bird whose company we did enjoy.

I well remember one day in particular when, hearing a commotion, I looked across into the park and there was The Intruder attacking an Ibis. It looked so strange to see this nasty little black avenger having a go at this big white placid bird. The Intruder was in attack mode but the poor ibis, not being aggressive by nature, was defenceless against his onslaught.

All of a sudden the ibis opened its long curved beak and let out a squawk of pain as it was struck by the intruder causing it to fly off in fright. The ibis made a couple of brief visits after that but then they disappeared. That was over three months ago, sadly, to this day there have been no more visits from this meek but amiable bird.

There is also a family of scrub turkeys that have their nest mound beside Petrie Creek that runs through the park. Although they were as large or larger than the ibis, they were just as vulnerable to attack as any other bird, copping a hiding every time they ventured too close to the imaginary boundary, but they remain in residence here, mainly because they have their permanent nest down by the creek.

Not only had the dark curtain of despair fallen across the land but silence also. The resident birds that were so prolific before, were absent from the surrounding trees and the air was devoid of birdsong, except when occasionally the song of a butcher bird or a magpie's warble could be heard floating in on the breeze from far off in the distance as they sang in the treetops safely outside the despots territory.

I often thought, 'How long is this reign of terror going to last?' as it seemed to me - and I imagine the birds must have felt the same way too - that it would never end.

But the day of reckoning was close at hand....

Dan’s Quote: "All a despot of any species needs to be an absolute dictator
_____________ is to be feared by their own kind."- Danny Brand

Note: Dan’s Blog is copied to Pictures a'Plenty and to Windows Live as Dan’s Spot which then publicizes it to Yahoo! Updates, Facebook, Linkedin, Messenger Connect and my Randidee Twitter account. Also a copy is posted to Google Blogger as Randidan’s Spot

Natures Pecking Order 12

2011-12-19T07:09:00.001+10:00

THE INTERLOPER

PEACE ENDED in our friendly neighborhood one morning when Mum and Dad magpie were quietly munching on a hamburger each while I was in dutiful attendance. I had noticed that for the last couple of days something was amiss.

Squeaky's crew were conspicuous by their absence and I wondered if I had done something to offend them. Isn't it crazy that you can feel guilty about something you may have done sometimes, even to a bloody bird.

All of a sudden, out of the blue, a black fighter jet zeroed in on Mum and Dad. Like a flash it dive bombed both of them, sending them hurtling down to the lawn below.

I looked up in astonishment and there perched on the limb of a tree in attack position was what I thought at the time was Elvira, although she hadn't been named then.

(The interloper pictured in attack position.) >>>

It continued its attack until Mum and Dad retreated into the wild blue yonder. I was kicking myself for being friendly with the currawong at the start by feeding it some of my hamburgers and encouraging it.

I wished to have had my time over again so I could chuck something other than a hamburger crumb at it - preferably something a lot heavier and more deadly.

Over the next few days Squeaky and his crew twice managed to land on the guttering and hurriedly gulp down a morsel or two before they were assailed by the interloper and sent on their way.

I didn't spot them or the magpies again while the tyrant was in attack mode, except for Dad who flew the gauntlet one day and defiantly perched on the railing to order a large serving of hamburger. I was never sure whether he was brave or just a dumb bird.

Even with the constant attacks, Dad managed to come a few times although it was plain to see that the interloper was doing him damage with his nasty beak. Mum was no match and after a few attempts, stayed away like the butcherbirds did.

All of the pieces suddenly fell into place and I twigged that it was not Elvira at all that was the villain, it was her schizophrenic boyfriend (pictured left in a very nasty mood) that was raising havoc amongst the birds.

He was a nasty piece of work too. I was relieved in a way that it was not the currawong that I was originally feeding before the dark brown stuff hit the fan.

This was to be proved shortly after the chicks were born, for the female currawong resumed flying to the balcony railing for some take away meals to feed her little ones.

It was then, after realizing that there were in fact two currawongs, (silly me, of course it takes two, doesn't it?) that I named her Elvira and her crazy nut of a boyfriend, The Interloper.

I didn't know how long his despotic tyranny would reign and I dreaded the thought of putting up with this imbecile of a bird for any length of time, for he had ruined the peace and quiet of the neighborhood in one fell swoop.

I am sure that all the birds would be in total agreement with me, but fate was to step in and give us a helping hand...

Dan’s Quote: "Don't judge a crop by the one rotten apple on the tree."- Danny Brand

Mind WorX - Decisions

2011-12-17T13:40:00.000+10:00

WILL I OR WONT I?

RECENTLY I made a wrong decision resulting in my having no internet access for quite a time. (Have you noticed?) During this interval I experienced the unconscious reactions we usually have when we make wrong decisions so, with plenty of free time on my hands, I decided to try and look at this inconvenience in a different way than normal.

If a decision we make is the right one, we take no particular notice of it at all. If the decision is wrong however, we do take notice and after a lot of swearing and cursing, try not to make that same mistake again.

We regret any wrong decisions we make, especially if in hindsight we believe that we should have decided differently, consequently blaming ourselves for our own stupidity.

Typical statements at such times might be, 'Why did this have to happen to me?' 'Why did I make that stupid choice?' 'If only I had let things stay as they were!' 'I wish I could have my time over again!' 'How could I have been such an idiot!'

After screaming out all those above statements, I suddenly realized that a wrong decision had to have been made first, before we could utter such negative statements as those above. Duh! Of course you say, but let me explain...

I was cajoled into a new 12 month internet connection plan with the carrot of an extra 2 Gig. The old plan had sufficient Gigs for me and worked just fine. Internet access was around 95% and I was out of contract, so it was only month to month payments.

I found internet access with the new modem was about 5%. In the attempt to rectify the situation I was continually duck shoved to some 'Techno-Nerd' in India - sound familiar, which eventuated in my new modem being couriered away to be inspected.

The problem was that my service provider went ahead and deactivated my old plan, so now I had no internet access at all until my new modem was repaired and returned. (It now has been 10 days) I began my waiting time by screaming out all those 'typical statements' above - and more - then I looked at my dilemma from another angle.

I realized that, if I had not done what I now regretted doing and stayed with my old and trusted plan, the episode of the new plan and it's shonky modem would never have come to pass so, there would never have been a decision to regret.

If I had not made that wrong decision and kept to the status quo, I would not now be sighing with relief and patting myself on the back in self congratulations because I made the right decision. Deciding wrongly never happened in the first place so no lesson would have been learned.

Most importantly in that scenario, there would always be the thought nagging at the back of my mind that if I had chosen the new plan, the extra 2 Gig and the newer, faster modem would have been the better choice.

To regret any event in life we first have to experience it. We need the wrong decisions just as much, or more so than the right decisions to make our life work.

In fact a wrong decision helps us to learn and grow more than a right decision does, for once the lesson is learnt, we are less likely to make that same mistake again so - a wrong decision is really just a right decision in its infancy.

It is the wrong decisions we make contrasted against the right decisions that allows us to correct the wrong next time a similar situation crops up - and that is an essential lesson for our growth, for without a wrong, we cannot have a right...

Dan’s Quote: "Life is like eating oranges, we can't appreciate their sweetness...
_____________Unless we suck the occasional lemon."- Danny Brand

PS: During the writing of this story, thoughts of anger, frustration and the definite commitment never to deal with this service provider ever, ever again erupted at regular intervals... After all, I'm only human.

Note:
Dan’s Blog is copied to Pictures a'Plenty and to Windows Live as Dan’s Spot which then publicizes it to Yahoo! Updates, Facebook, Linkedin, Messenger Connect and myRandidee Twitter account. Also a copy is posted to Google Blogger as Randidan’s Spot

Natures Pecking Order 11

2011-12-08T05:43:00.000+10:00

THE POLTERGEIST

EVERYBODY, both human and bird, slipped back into a familiar routine, while each day drifted lazily into the next in a peaceful repetition of normality. On this particular day, Bruce and Brucette had just passed us by on their regular patrol, ignoring both myself and the birds as usual and Elvira was conspicuous by her absence.

Squeaky and his crew were on the balcony catching bits of hamburger and stuffing them into their crop like there was no tomorrow. Mum and Dad were perched on the railing, seemingly at peace with the world.

Suddenly one of the butcherbirds on the floor stopped dead in its tracks, then jumped straight up in the air as if avoiding an object that I couldn't see. He started to run as another squeaky jumped up in surprise and also ran out of the way. All the birds were looking with fear at this same invisible but moving spot.

Chubby (pictured right) was further down the floor and she started to run towards the end of the balcony away from me, looking back with apprehension as she ran, but apparently she was overtaken by this 'thing' for she suddenly jumped straight up in the air like she had just been hit by a bolt of lightning.

This invisible 'thing' apparently passed right under her while she was in mid flight for she now looked ahead of her instead of behind. All the birds were on edge and I realized that I had stopped in mid motion half way through tossing a bit of meat.

My mouth was dry and gaping open in surprise as my chin hung on my chest while I thought to myself, 'W.T.F. was that?' As quick as this thing had appeared, it disappeared and immediately the birds resumed feeding or to chill out as if nothing had happened.

It had to have been a poltergeist or something similar. All the birds saw it, even Mum and Dad (but they didn't seem to be too worried about it). The butcher birds though were beside themselves with fright. I was surprised too, even though I couldn't see it, so it took quite awhile for me to get over this eerie event.

The strange thing was that it was invisible to me and yet the birds could see it - shows you how dumb and ignorant human beings really are when it comes to nature - well, this human anyway. The poltergeist was to make regular, but infrequent appearances from then on.

Sometimes it would appear - to the birds, not to me - on the balcony and sometimes out in the next door neighbors yard or in the park. When that happened, all the birds would immediately stop what they were doing and turn to face exactly the same spot where this invisible monster was apparently threatening them.

I was continually at risk of looking ridiculous, being caught frozen in a statue like pose halfway through a throw each time it happened, and when the birds turned back around to face me, they always had this quizzical look that seemed to say, "What do you think you're doing standing there like an idiot? Feed me."

You may think that I am making up this story, but believe me, it really happened - and still happens on occasion. The poltergeist was by all accounts harmless for no bird was eaten up or mysteriously disappeared as far as I know - and I guess it added a bit of flavor to the day's events.

In the meantime, unbeknownst to me, Elvira had finished her nest building and was preparing to go to the next step, laying some eggs and sitting on them, readying for the arrival of her chicks and also, worse luck, the arrival of the 'Interloper' - and the end of peace for quite a while...

Dan’s Quote: "A hen is only an egg's way of making another egg."- Samuel Butler

Natures Pecking Order 10

2011-12-06T09:13:00.000+10:00

ON PATROL WITH THE BRUCE'S

ELVIRA became more confident over time and would sometimes sit a way up from the crew at the very end of the building, perched on the guttering and accept the bits of hamburger that I threw to her. If I was slightly off line with my throw, which was often the case, the missiles were in danger of being intercepted and eaten by the more experienced and crafty butcherbirds.

She came less often when she began to build her nest in the neighbor's camphor laurel tree. I remembered that the currawongs had done this in previous years before the hamburger stand opened and I had any sort of relationship with the birds.

I thought nothing of it at the time and continued to feed the hordes that eagerly waited on the balcony for their fair share of the offerings. If only I had realized then what was to eventuate from that innocent nest building.

Apart from Mum and Dad magpie and the five or so members of Squeaky's crew, there was also another family of birds that had lived around the local neighbourhood, and the block of units especially, since long before I became a resident.

They were the Bruces, (pictured above) a couple of peewees, or magpie/mud larks as they are sometimes called. The husband's name was Bruce (to the right of pic) and his wife, Brucette, (to the left) a strange name but she didn't seem to mind. My neighbor had named them well before I came on the scene, so I take no blame.

In the early stages they had absolutely nothing to do with hamburgers and seemed oblivious of both myself and the lineup of birds waiting for their turn to be served. They would push past the mob and myself as if we didn't exist and patrol the full length of both sides of the building.

Marching along in military fashion, with one eye cocked towards the walls and eaves, they looked for any stray and unfortunate insect or spider that they would then expertly pluck from its hidey-hole.

Once that duty had been regimentally performed, they would then move down to the grounds to patrol the length of the front and back lawns looking for any careless grub or worm that was silly enough to stick its head out.

Over time, as I got to know them both, I found Bruce to be timid and a bit standoffish, he remains wary of me to this day but, as I was to discover later, he turns out to be a dutiful and caring father.

Brucette on the other hand was very friendly and approachable, so much so that she would happily scan the eaves for insects while perched on my lap (as pictured) and would become a trusting and loving customer at the hamburger stand.

They both would play more of a role in the story at a later date - After the encounter with the poltergeist that is....

Note: Catch up on the full story by clicking on the 'Mother Nature' tag below.

Dan’s Quote: ""Don't cry because it's over, smile because it happened."- Dr. Suess

Dan’s Blog is copied to Pictures a'Plenty and to Windows Live as Dan’s Spot which then publicizes it to Yahoo! Updates, Facebook, Linkedin, Messenger Connect and myRandidee Twitter account. Also a copy is posted to Google Blogger as Randidan’s Spot

Natures Pecking Order 9

2011-12-04T06:52:00.000+10:00

THE VISITORS

EVERYTHING in the neighbourhood settled back down to normal once Donald and Daisy had gone. Both Mum and Dad seemed to really chill out and Squeaky and his crew were happy and content once more, for they were no longer hassled at snack time. Yes, life at the hamburger stand really did return to the peacefulness that it was before - well.... for a short while anyway!

If you are wondering what happened to Daisy, (pictured on the right) although I never knew when she actually flew the coup, she disappeared at around the same time as Donald did, so maybe she went with him and is up there now on top of the mountain range, completely ignoring him and his singing like she did while they were here on the balcony.

Being female, I surmised that Mum had something to do with it, so maybe it was Mum that booted Daisy out of their tree house and she knew it would be a useless exercise flying down to the hamburger stand for one last snack.

I guess Donald could have been forewarned of his impending dismissal when Daisy got the shunt, but just couldn't resist one last quack for another bite of hamburger... and the faint hope of course that Dad would relent and let him stay.

Months later a magpie flew in from the trees where it had apparently been watching us for a time and landed on the balcony railing. It looked slightly familiar, although it was a fully grown bird, it still had the grey feathers of a juvenile.

It seemed to know me and the 'Old Bird' next door, it had a bite or two of hamburger and appeared to know it's way around, which finally convinced me that I knew who it was, but it's presence was only fleeting for just then, Mum arrived for a snack, saw the intruder and with alacrity, gave it the old heave-ho.

The visitor was never seen again. I suspect that it was Daisy hoping to stay for awhile, or become a regular diner once again. Maybe Donald sent her to see if the coast was clear for both of them to return, but alas, that was not to be. Mum and Dad were definitely not welcoming any guests in their territory.

Around about that time, another visitor arrived on the scene. This bird was timid and watched intently from afar as the regular birds were fed.

It got a taste of hamburger when I tossed it far enough away to be retrieved with safety. We were to get to know it very well in the times ahead.

The bird was a female currawong (pictured to the left, sitting on the railing after she got used to the hamburger stand) that later on was named 'Elvira' because of her mysterious yellow eyes and black feathers, a bit like a witch.

It turned out eventually that she wasn't to be a problem in the neighbourhood - it was her crazy schizophrenic boyfriend that was to become a problem and cause havoc for the rest of the birds...and me.

But I jump ahead of myself - before the peace was ruined, we have to meet the Bruces...and the poltergeist....

Note: To catch up on previous chapters of Nature's Pecking Order click on the 'Mother Nature' tag at the bottom of the blog.

Dan’s Quote: "A welcome visitor never comes empty handed, no matter how short the stay
____________ but leaves a lasting memory to warm your soul."- Danny Brand

Mind WorX - Black Holes 5

2011-12-02T09:06:00.001+10:00

QUESTIONS

ASTROPHYSICISTS are forever searching for missing matter in the universe. They question why there is a certain amount of mass missing that should be there to make the universe work the way it does. They have fancy names like dark matter or dark energy, anti matter etc, I'm sure you've heard about it, but where and what it is they don't really know.

The need for extra dark or invisible matter, is inferred from gravitational effects on visible matter and was originally hypothesized to account for discrepancies between the mass of galaxies and the entire universe as we know and understand it, based on the mass of the visible luminous matter these objects contain.

What if that anomaly could be accounted for by factoring in the extra mass contained in a multi dimensional universe - a mass that is invisible and as impossible for us three dimensionals to detect as the inside of a black hole, but is an essential component for the total mass of the multi dimensional universe?

Is the mass held in the other dimensions the 'missing matter' that our scientists are so eagerly looking for, a quest that is pointless when it is realized that not only is the said matter invisible to detection by three dimensional means, but also the existence of the other dimensional universes themselves. The simple understanding of that fact would be the answer to missing matter.

There are many questions that arise when we attempt to reason why things are the way they are, especially when they are not within our three dimensional range of understanding. There is nothing wrong with that, the universe was created for that very purpose - to learn and experience. We need though, to be inspired to think outside of the norm.

Mankind's major discoveries have all been inspired - a new thought bubbles and bursts through the hard shell of conditioned thought - and something new is invented or understood. This new wave of thought usually comes out of the blue in a flash of inspiration rather than brought about deliberately.

For scientists to understand black holes or any of the universe's anomalies, they must get out of their habitual ways and think differently, then like opening a window to the breeze, the answer may come in - and yet it may not, but at least it has a chance if the window is open - it has no hope if it is closed...

Dan’s Quote: "The answer to every question is waiting quietly within....
_____________For when we are inspired enough to listen and understand."- Danny Brand

Mind WorX - Black Holes 4

2011-11-30T07:33:00.001+10:00

TOGETHERNESS

WHEN the universe was created, (whether actually or in a dream makes no difference) that universe was created multi dimensional. Human beings occupy only a small part of that universe. A universe that contains many other dimensions inhabited by many other, different and diverse living organisms.

We can never meet, or share our science, or understand anything about each other, nor even know that the others exist. What we can do though is to accept ourselves for what we are, (three dimensional) and not to continue bashing our heads up against the wall trying to solve an enigma that can never be solved in three dimensional terms.

We must also understand another humbling fact.

We are not the be all and end all of the universe, we occupy only a small slot in the fabric of space that happens in our case to be three dimensional. Many others occupy other slots in the One Multi Dimensional Universe, living their lives, believing that they are all that is. They are, but only in their particular dimension - the same as us.

Here in this universe we can only comprehend things three dimensionally, in time and space, so whatever is outside of us has to be either above, below, back, front, either side of us or a combination of those to be understood, but in reality, the other dimensional universes are not below us or above us at all.

They are with us. In reality there is no time and space. WE, are all here now. All the other dimensions, as invisible to us as we are to them, co-exist with us in this one illusory space that we inhabit as part of the fabric of creation, occupying the same reality right here, right now.

The physical universe and its multi dimensions are all an illusion, the dream of the One Universal Intelligence. We are all here together, now, sharing the one dream, experiencing myriad, different aspects of the one timeless, spaceless, infinite physical universe.

The unconditional acceptance of what we are and our inability to solve all the mysteries of the universe or create a 'Theory of Everything' can help guide us into spiritual maturity.

Who knows if in our never ending experiences of physical lifetimes, we have been, or eventually will be, born into all those other dimensional worlds, to live diverse lives, adding flavour to our true self's overall, physical learning experience.

Also who's to know if the singularity at the bottom of the black hole may really be a tantalising peephole into eternity, the place where we all come from, no matter which dimension we hail from and to which we all return after each sampling of a physical lifetime.

We will be able to answer that question once our present stint in the physical universe ends...

Dan’s Quote: "Our Oneness is far more extensive than we realize."- Danny Brand

Note:
Dan’s Blog is copied to Pictures a'Plenty and to Windows Live as Dan’s Spot which then publicizes it to Yahoo! Updates, Facebook, Linkedin, Messenger Connect and myRandidee Twitter account. Also a copy is posted to Google Blogger as Randidan’s Spot

Mind WorX - Black Holes 3

2011-11-28T06:41:00.002+10:00

MULTI DIMENSIONS

LET US look at a black hole the way we looked at the story of creation - from another angle. Theoretically, black holes are everywhere in our universe with the more massive black holes at the centre of each galaxy, so to simplify it, let's narrow our research down to the one at the centre of our own Milky Way Galaxy.

Theoretical Science says that the black hole at the centre of our galaxy is some 4 million times more massive than our sun. At the top of the black hole lies our three dimensional universe, at the bottom, the singularity, (infinity, which is timeless, therefore non-dimensional).

Let's pretend to peer down into the depths of a black hole without restricting ourselves with three dimensional thinking. From the point of singularity at the bottom, we mentally look up the vortex of the black hole towards the surface, which in our case is three dimensional space.

If we allow our imagination to run wild for a moment and surmise that somewhere above the bottom singularity, (non-dimensional) at some point on the vortex, there is a slot that contains a One Dimensional Universe.

Then, what if further up the vortex, we come to a slot that contains a Two Dimensional Universe - each one complete in itself, the same as our universe is with galaxies, stars and planets populated by living creatures that are either one or two dimensional, depending at what level they inhabit.

The inhabitants of a one dimensional world would believe that their universe was all there is and would be completely unaware of the two dimensionals and us three dimensionals above them.

As far as they would be aware, the top of the black hole is in their universe. Any scientific theories that they used to try and understand black holes would be restricted to one dimensional thinking.

The inhabitants of a two dimensional world would believe that their universe was all there is and would be completely unaware of the one dimensionals below them and us three dimensionals above them.

As far as they would be aware, the top of the black hole is in their universe. Any scientific theories that they used to try and understand black holes would be restricted to two dimensional thinking.

The inhabitants of our three dimensional world believe that our universe is all there is and are completely unaware of the one dimensionals and the two dimensionals below us.

As far we are aware, the top of the black hole is in our universe. All of our scientific theories that attempt to explain a black hole are restricted to three dimensional thinking.

Are but!... It does not end there. Who says that the black hole stops at our universe? Only we do. What if the vortex continues on to a fourth dimensional slot and then a fifth dimensional slot, and then a sixth dimensional slot ad infinitum!

All the inhabitants of all dimensions of this multi-universe would be living their lives, experiencing all the ups and downs of their particular world, (as we do ours) completely oblivious as we are, that other dimensional universes exist.

Would we then be so unique or would we really be just one part of something magnificently spectacular, sharing this multi-dimensional universe with many varied and diverse others who are just as special to lifes experience as we?...

Dan’s Quote: "Our universe is but one dimension
____________in a multi-dimensional universe."- Danny Brand

Mind WorX - Black Holes 2

2011-11-26T08:48:00.001+10:00

THEORIES

BEFORE we begin, I need to give you a quick and rough background on the physical properties of black holes as far as scientific theory goes, so you can better understand the drift of my story. We can then try to imagine what black holes might be if we look at them without thinking three dimensionally.

Roughly, a black hole is the result of an exploding star that is many times more massive than our sun. It's gravity caves in on itself, compressing the remaining matter to such a degree that a teaspoon of it could weigh many billions of tonnes.

A black hole's escape velocity (the speed at which we would need to reach to escape the star's gravity) is more than the speed of light, so even light cannot escape, hence the name, black hole. In theory they are out there everywhere, but because of this fact they cannot be seen.

The Earths escape velocity on the other hand is a mere 11.186 km/s. (about 25,000 m.p.h.) This is the speed a spaceship has to reach before it can escape earth's gravity and go the Moon, Mars and beyond.

For the large objects - planets, stars and our universe in general, we have Einstein's theory of relativity - three dimensional science. For the small objects - atoms and smaller particles, we have Quantum Mechanics - three dimensional physics.

Both theories pretty well explain our three dimensional universe, so why can't black holes be explained? They are not three dimensional, that's why.

Scientific theory postulates that a black hole is a cone shape that as far as they believe at the moment has the top of the cone in our three dimensional space, then narrows down in a vortex to a bottom point something like a whirlpool. It is important to remember this fact for later reading.

This bottom point is infinitesimally small where gravity is absolute and space and time come to what has been described as a singularity (time and space are the same thing).

Mathematical formulas and equations come up short, even when combined, in trying to explain a black hole. This is the point at which the theory of relativity and quantum mechanics fails to work.

Why? Because a black hole is not just three dimensional but multi-dimensional. It cannot be explained by using the narrow, limited thinking of three dimensional science. In other words, while we inhabit our particular universe, we will never produce a 'Theory of Everything.'

For 'Everything' in Creation is far more involved and far, far greater and more magnificent than just the tiny little three dimensional corner of the universe that we inhabit.

So what then might a black hole be and what good does it do us to know anyway?...

Dan’s Quote: "To believe that we are unique in the scheme of things
_____________is the height of ignorance and pomposity."- Danny Brand

Note:
Dan’s Blog is copied to Pictures a'Plenty and to Windows Live as Dan’s Spot which then publicizes it to Yahoo! Updates, Facebook, Linkedin, Messenger Connect and myRandidee Twitter account. Also a copy is posted to Google Blogger as Randidan’s Spot