INRODUCTION TO THE KYBALION

FLITTER

The Monthly Newsletter of Chrysalis Spiritual Center

825 Mercer’s Fernery Road
DeLand, Florida 32720
Sunday Services from 10 am to 11:30 am each week
Pastor - Skuli Thorhallsson

For more information or counseling phone (386) 478-9201
Email questions or requests to chrysalisgarden@gmail.com
Copy this link to come back to our newsletter http://chrysalispiritualcenter.blogspot.com
(note -- the spelling consists of just one S in the name, not 2. A product of human error)

Chrysalis Spiritual Center is a Swedenborg based congregation that studies non-denominational topics based on the value of certain writings and speech to society as a whole. No denomination is excluded from meeting with us. We welcome all religions and beliefs.

This is August and Skuli is on vacation. Bill and Barry have been producing the services ... but so many people are out of pocket, they have decided to discontinue the Sunday morning service until the Sunday after Labor Day, when Skuli returns. If you are thinking of attending please call Bill  386-490-5966 in advance to make sure there is a meeting scheduled.  

As Above so below, As below so Above. --Kybalion

BOOK BY BOOK

 We are starting right off relaying this information at your request. Bill Blue forwarded the link to a PDF file containing the Kybalion, a book written by Three Initiates in the Hermetic tradition that begins thus:

"The lips of wisdom are closed, except to
the ears of understanding."

Hermes Trismegistus

Dedicated to Hermes Tresmegistus also known as the Great Great and the Master of Masters.

The Three Initiates dedicated The Kybalion to a figure by the name of Hermes Trismegistus whom they credit for this information. But the axioms really describe the intelligence and characteristics of nature, and so the source is nature itself rather than a person. Nevertheless, the figure of Hermes has become closely tied to the work. Who or what was he? Explore the myths, the legends, the stories.

The alleged teacher the magical system known as Hermeticism of which high magic and alchemy are thought to be twin branches. The name Trismegistus means thrice greatest Hermes, and is the title given by the Greeks to the Egyptian god Thoth or Tehuti, a lord of wisdom and learning.

At one time the Greeks thought two gods inseparable. Thoth governed over mystical wisdom, magic, writing and other disciplines and was associated with healing, while Hermes was the personification of universal wisdom and the patron of magic.

Thoth

The myths go further. Both gods are associated with sacred writings. As scribe for the gods, Thoth was credited with all the sacred books. In various Egyptian writings he is called "twice very great" and "five times very great." Hermes is credited with writing 20,000 books by Iamblichus (ca. 250-300 BC), a Neo-platonic Syrian philosopher, and over 36,000 books by Manetho (ca. 300 BC), an Egyptian priest who wrote the history of Egypt in Greek, perhaps for Ptolemy I.

The combined myths of these gods report that both Thoth and Hermes revealed to humankind the healing arts, magic, writing, astrology, science, and philosophy. Thoth wrote the record of the weighing of the souls in the Judgment Hall of Osiris. Hermes led the souls of the dead to Hades.

The English occultist Francis Barrett in Biographia Antiqua wrote that Hermes "communicated the sum of the Abyss, and divine knowledge to all posterity"

According to legend Hermes Trismegistus is said to have provided the wisdom of light in the ancient mysteries of Egypt. "He carried an emerald, upon which was recorded all of philosophy, and the caduceus, the symbol of mystical illumination. Hermes Trismegistus vanquished Typhon, the dragon of ignorance, and mental, moral and physical perversion."

Surviving Hermes Trismegistus is the wisdom of the Hermetica, 42 books that have profoundly influenced the development of Western occultism and magic. A.G.H.

Kybalion has15 chapters with names that will be readily recognized to students of the occult and ancient wisdom.

1. Hermetic Philosopy
2. The Seven Hermetic Principles
3. Mental Transmutation
4. The All
5. The Mental Universe
6. The Divine Paradox
7. The All in All
8. The Planes of Correspondence
9. Vibration
10. Polarity
11. Rhythm
12. Causation
13. Gender
14. Mental Gender
15. Hermetic Axioms

I already found more profundity on the the first page of the Mental Universe Chapter than in many  years of searching and studying for truth. This tome definitely bears examination by anyone who wants to expand wisdom.

 If you are interested in the wisdom of the Kybalion may I recommend Summum.

SUMMUM: Sealed Except to the Open Mind (Kindle Edition)

Very similar to the Kybalion ... but written in a more present tense with modern references and events. It goes into more detail about the task of the follower who truly wants to be absorbed into the Infinite. Explains how creation begins and continues, the duality of reality, the swing of the pendulum, vibrations and gender, the death of universes and rebirth. A must to read.

HA HA  YUK YUK YUK HO HO CHUCKLE CHUCKLE

If you are in California and want to attend one of these camps, here is the information.

TURN YOUR AHA MOMENT INTO A HAHA MOMENT!

YOU'LL USE THESE TECHNIQUES EVERYDAY!

PREREGISTER AND SAVE

Six Week Course $100 preregistration

$20 per class

$5.00 at the door to audit

(Credit Cards Accepted)

Register now by calling (818) 876-0454 CAPERS

Lynn Chaplin-Noe , Broadway Veteran (CABARET, COCO, HELZAPOPPIN, SUGAR, CANTERBURY TALES), has been teaching corporate Comedy Camps since 1985 to "seriously" hilarious results.

COMEDY CAMP games and improvisation exercises help to lift your spirits while shaking loose resistance, old beliefs, negative programming. Communication through comedy has also proven to be an effective positive method in conflict resolution, team dynamics, positive role playing, mediation, motivation by bringing people together and then releasing them into the Law of Laughter! And laughter is healing!

This is one of the projects originated by my sister Rev. Lynn Chaplin-Noe. She also does a counseling program called Soft Landings and a physical fitness program based on spirit, called Happen Dance. 

This week's affirmation from Soft Landings:

Rev. Lynn Chaplin-Noe

      The beauty of grace is that you receive blessings for no reason.  As above, so  
           below. Give to others for no reason. Practice Grace. -Louise Hay

This week Rev. Lynn explores and reveals how we were born to be happy, joyous and even funny.  Come join in the fun. (July 16, 2010)

 YOGA - DANCE - PILATES - TAI CHI - WALKING - BALLET                                 

The book review of Summum has a detailed practice for meditation that includes focusing or pointing your thoughts on one object or location to filter out all the chaos in the thinking mind. There are other considerations such as, clothing, location, position, and other aids to enhance meditation. 

A revelation to me was the Summum suggestion that  following meditation you can release the positive energy flow into the lower vibrations and through your body with exercise. I am assuming that certain exercise would be more effective that others.(I am thinking of the Whirling Dervishes of which Rumi is the most recognized.)

Due to my age I visualize that I can stretch, pose, reach, and turn or twist to effectively utilize the benefits of meditation to my physical life. Dancing would also be very effective. Rev. Lynn teaches a dance method called "HappenDance" that not only brings up the vibration of the body, but also helps in weight loss.

POEM FROM PHYLLIS WHEATLEY                                                              

GOODBYE TO BUDDY

Buddy wearing his Party Animal Scarf

Buddy's story may be read on thecatseyeproject.blogspot.com Buddy took ill and went downhill very quickly last week. After over a year of strange symptoms that he shrugged off (and a clean bill of health from his veterinarian) he became very thirsty, week and thin. At first he looked good because he has always been overweight, but when he keep loosing weight and became weaker he went to see a different vet.

We have to thank Dr. Evers from Value-Vet for his sympathetic and thorough treatment for Buddy. So many tests came back with bad news that we knew that Buddy was about to cross The Rainbow Bridge. He died Friday morning at 9am after 3 days on IV's. Buddy would have been 12 in September.

The night before Buddy passed I heard his tail wag against my bed at night as he always did. Twice I heard the thump, thump, thump and even reached out my hand to touch his nose. I turned on the light and no one was there. Buddy's body was miles away and he was in a coma.

My deepest thanks and appreciation to Bill Blue and Barry Colley. They are going to lay Buddy to rest near the garden at Chrysalis on Wednesday August 4. I know that Buddy will be blessed to be there.

MEDITATION

A person works in a stable.
That person has a Breakthrough.
What does she do?
She returns to work in the stable.

If you have articles for this newsletter please email to chrysalisgarden@gmail.com

SENIORS NEED COMMUNICATION

Seniors Need to Start Texting, Using Facebook.

If there is one clear need of seniors it is to be able to connect with their families. This is true for not just those in nursing homes, but for those in condos hundreds of miles from their closest relatives and former friends. But look…

Among those who go online, around 37 percent of adults above 50 say they use social networking sites like Facebook, according to a survey by AARP. "It connects you with your past. I'm on Facebook,” said Jim Spencer, of Northampton, Mass. Seniors are also connecting with their families via texting on their smartphones. Soon, you might start seeing text messages from grandma: "LOL did u see Jay Leno last
night?"

AT&T workers held free 20-minute sessions in West Los Angeles to demonstrate basic cellphone features to the elderly. Those who signed up in advance got schooled on how to send SMS messages, make phone calls, add and edit contacts and manipulate settings.

Verizon Wireless has held similar training sessions at senior centers. The telecom company also boasts four-dozen hearingaid-compatible cellphones and a line of simple devices with giant buttons. Last month we discussed communication via videoconferencing and promised to look into that issue come this fall. We also
need to address this issue as well.

If you have trouble figuring how to text and IM with your phone or computer, ask a kid to help you. --Nan

From Senior Stuff, the monthly electronic newsletter produced, written and edited by Ron Burgher of DeLand, FL If you want to subscribe to Senior Stuff  ... it's FREE. Email delandseniorstuff@yahoo.com

A CHAMPION LIFE                                                                            

Are You Living a Champion Life?

Did you awaken this morning as a champion -  excited
about this new day bouncing out of bed with arms
lifted high singing a joyous tune? Or did you follow
an old pattern of “oh no what now uugggghhhh….”

The way you start the day set’s the tone and energy
for living the champion life or not.

Now here’s the secret; even if you didn’t get started
as a champion, even if you have rarely lived as a
champion, you CAN change! Awesome!

Living a champion life requires living consciously,
choosing to live the champion life no matter what.
Living consciously in each moment allows you to
make decisions and take action based on what IS, and
not what you wish, or hope. Living consciously gives
you the added plus because your awareness enables
you to make the best choice in any situation.

At anytime during the day you can decide to change
your attitude from non-champion to champion. It is
not easy; it will take effort, especially if you’ve
developed a laissez faire attitude. Here are three tips
to changing your attitude to support a champion life.

First, acknowledge your feelings. Feelings are very
important; they are usually a way of checking in to
see what is out of balance. Being out of balance when
you start this process is really okay and lets you know
you’re on the path to champion living.

Second, make an agreement with yourself to change
the feeling to a champion one. Ask “what can I do
differently to support my new way of being?”
Third, honor your agreement; it might take longer
than you think, stick with it, even if something comes
along to validate the non-champion feeling.

Champions take responsibility for their life, they look
for and expect the positive and create joy from the
inside out. Living the champion life requires that you
become aware and that you live in the moment.

Inez Bracy, BS, MS, CNLP, CGC
Lifestyles Transitions Coach
Connect with her: www.facebook.com/inez.bracy
or www.InezBracy.com

July 2010 Will the “God Particle” Replace God?

Chrysalis Spiritual Center
825 Mercer’s Fernery Road
DeLand, Florida 32720-2310
chrysalisgarden@gmail.com

information or counsel (386) 478-9201

Flitter newsletter is intended to inform for discussion and inspirational purposes only. Articles for Flitter are welcome and may be submitted by email to chrysalisgarden@gmail.com. Illustrations should be in jpg or Photoshop format. We edit all entries for content and spelling. Copyright© 2010-11 Chrysalis Spiritual Center and eraserhead graphics studio If you would like to speak to someone at eraserhead graphics studio email nan@eraserheadgraphics.com or go to www.eraserheadgraphics.com 

VACATION TIME

Skuli and Mary Anne are on vacation and have begun their adventure to Iceland. Tomorrow's program at Chrysalis will be presented by Bill Blue.


THE GOD PARTICLE                                                                                                                 

June 25th, 2010
from: Deepak Chopra web site


If you went to church in the 18th century, you would have heard God described as a celestial clockmaker who had wound up the universe and left it to run itself. Today, the wind-up is the big Bang and the clock’s arts are subatomic particles. But the problem of creating matter out of emptiness remains the same.

How does matter form from the immaterial? What gives particles their mass, and how do they stick together? The physicists at the CERN facility in Europe are busy using the massive- multibillion-dollar Large Hadron Collider to try to answer those questions by hunting for the elusive Higgs boson, the so-called “God particle.”

The search takes place between the visible and the invisible. The hypothetical Higgs boson is a virtual particle, which means it can be coaxed to enter spacetime for the tiniest flash of a millisecond. . It operate at the Planck scale, which is millions of times smaller than the nucleus of an atom.

The excitement over finding the Higgs particle is that physical science will have uncovered the mechanism for how the tangible world arises from the intangible. that’s as close to the divine act of creation as physics can get. Yet there’s an irony in basing the solid physical universe on — nothing. Could this in fact be where materialism destroys itself from within? The Higgs boson may be the key to unlocking the mystery of creation by affirming very different things than materialism dreams of.

Assuming that the particle allows itself to be discovered, the second step is the exploration of the invisible domain. It is literally nothing, and yet everything comes form it. Centuries ago the wisdom traditions of the world compared creation on a small scale to creation on a massive scale. The great sages noted that our minds are nothing, too. Before a thought appears, there is emptiness and silence. And yet once the mind produces its creations, they are potent, meaningful, and coherent.

Creation doesn’t move from the invisible to the visible with random particles like foam on the surface of the sea. they look random in the Large Hadron Collider, but the scientists running the machine, who are themselves part of creation, don’t have bodies that fly apart into a cloud of particles. Rather, our bodies, like the human brain and DNA itself, are exquisitely ordered creations, the farthest thing form random events.

Physical forces cannot explain such exquisite order, much less the meaning we derive from it, which is why God came into being. The god particle delivers the tiniest bits of the clock but not the maker. I don not mean that an actual person in the sky made the universe. Keeping strictly with the scientific worldview, the maker must be impersonal, intelligent, universal, invisible, yet manifest in the visible world. The only viable candidate is consciousness.

The Higgs boson particle represents a tiny stepping stone toward a theory of creation that rests upon consciousness as the primal stuff of the cosmos. Many theorists are already getting there; it’s been several decades since the concept of a self-aware universe has been in play.

Someday it will be commonplace to concede that the intangible, immaterial domain of quantum physics is conscious. In that world of virtual particles, non-locality, and indeterminacy, things don’t exist with shape, hardness, or color. Their existence is a fleeting display of tendencies, and the superposition of possibilities. It will be a huge realization for science to recognize that all of these tendencies and qualities are tendencies of consciousness.

The third step to a full comprehension of the universe will be connecting the consciousness, which is the ground of the cosmos, to our individual experience of consciousness. Our ground of existence is the same as the ground state of the universe. This is the message of Vedanta: Atman is Brahman, that individual consciousness fully awakened is the same as the essential nature of the entire cosmos. Somehow our consciousness participates and is integral to the creation of the universe. Sadly, by the time we realize our true creative role, our ignorant actions might have already destroyed our planetary home.

The creative function of consciousness in quantum mechanics was originally outlined in the Copenhagen Interpretation which says that an observer is required in order to collapse the wave function into a single occurrence and produce a measurable outcome. Without a conscious observer, the wave function remains a superposition of eigenstates that are not real in a measurable way.

The Many Worlds theory of quantum mechanics seeks to avoid the need for an observer and the collapse of the wave function by positing enough parallel universes to contain all possible states of the wave function. But in the end, to solve the measurement problem without an observer, they would need a measuring apparatus that is physical yet when analyzed quantum mechanically would not itself be a wave function, or superposition of eigenstates.

The Transactional Interpretation of quantum mechanics describes quantum interactions in terms of a standing wave formed by retarded (forward-in-time) and advanced (backward-in-time) waves. Here it is assumed that the interaction with the measurement device somehow activates the emission of a possibility wave going backward in time. This is a way to avoid the need of an observer, but like the Many Worlds theory it too implies a dualistic universe that takes us outside of the rules of quantum measurement. Again, the equipment that measures the wave function would have to be made out of matter that does not obey quantum physics with the superimposition of possibilities.

A more promising theory of quantum mechanics is David Bohm’s paradigm of Implicate and Explicate Order where primacy is given to wholeness over the parts which include space, time, particles, and quantum states. In this view, the parts unfold from the whole.

Sir Roger Penrose and Stuart Hameroff, PhD. have evolved the Orchestrated objective reduction (Orch OR) and this I find to be the most progressive theory to bridge universal consciousness and individual consciousness. Penrose starts with the position that consciousness is fundamentally non-algorithmic and therefore incapable of being duplicated by a computer or machine. He proposed that consciousness could be explained through quantum theory with a new type of wave function collapse in the brain.

Hameroff’s expertise in the field of neurophysiology provided a likely quantum link in the microtubules in the neurons. Instead of the conventional view is that consciousness emerges from complex computation among brain neurons, they propose that consciousness involves sequences of quantum computations in microtubules inside brain neurons. The quantum computations in the brain are also ripples in fundamental spacetime geometry, the most basic level of the universe.

Penrose suggests that quantum wave function collapse happens by itself above the Planck scale. He postulates that each quantum superposition has its own spacetime curvature and these bits of curved spacetime form a kind of blister in spacetime maintaining superposition. but when it gets larger, gravity’s influence makes it unstable and it collapses. That is the objective reduction or collapse of the wave function into a measurable particle.

This theory approaches the perspective of Vedanta, where Brahman the all inclusive consciousness is the self-interacting dynamic of observer, observed and process of observation. This process of self-interaction gives rise to all diversity and phenomenon while it remains unaffected by it. As science continues to probe the exotic and extreme reaches of physics we can take some comfort that we are actually coming closer to understanding what is most intimate to us, our own consciousness, our self. The tangible springs from the intangible, and that intangible is what we are and what we call God.

BOOK NOOK

This month's book review is a blog review. I recently placed a blog on-line for The Cat's Eye Project and set up a facebook page for the organization. Ramona Whaley is the founder of The Cat's Eye. She loves all animals, but especially cats. Her life's work has brought her recognition as a writer, Peace Corps volunteer, community activist and animal rights activist. Her deep and abiding love of cats inspired her to start a magazine called The Cat's Eye Project.

There are no advertisements in the magazine or backers to defray expenses. Ramona and her friend Jami Baker and Jami's husband Rik Bedeker (who is a photographer) produce the magazine at their own expense about 4 times a year. I teamed up with them and instead of doing page layout and design (and writing) for the magazine I developed a blog to help get the word out to other animal lovers.

Both the magazine and the blog are dedicated to animal assistance. Ramona's goal is to save the lives of healthy cats. She denounces euthanasia (as it is used) and claims it is a shame to kill healthy and somewhat tame and adoptable cats. Humans must learn to respect all life. The life or essence in a cat is just as sacred as that of a human. Those who would hurt animals may also hurt people.

Let us meditate on remembering our origins and the images of our ancestors who worshiped all of God's creation as a part of him. Imagine your soul joined in a circle with all souls who have gone before and will go ahead. Imagine the unity of one God and one Love. Include the natural earth in that vision and bless all of nature with peace and dignity. While we are in the meditative mood, let us pray for the release of the threat to all the animals in the path of the deadly oil spill in our beautiful Gulf of Mexico. Let Earth be Clean and Pure and bubbling with crystal springs and sparkling waves in our streams and oceans.

Please go to http://thecatseyeproject.blogspot.com and read our articles.

DeLand Fall Festival Of The Arts

Art Lovers, there is now a web site for the DeLand Fall Festival of the Arts. Go to
www.delandfallfestival.com. The web site was created by Trophy Factory Plus owner Brad Strickland. If you want to see the blog go to http://fallfestivalofthearts.blogspot.com

I created the blog for them.

MEDITATION

Consider the divine spirit in the human soul.

This spirit is not easily satisfied.

It storms the firmament

and scales the heavens

trying to reach the Spirit that drives the heavens.

Because of this energy

everything in the world grows green,

flourishes,

and busts into leaf.

But the spirit is never satisfied.

It presses on

deeper and deeper into the vortex

further and further into the whirlpool

the primary source

In which the spirit has its origin.

This spirit seeks to be

broken through by God.

              God leads this spirit

into a desert

into the wilderness and solitude of the divinity

where God is pure unity

and where God gushes up within himself.

from Meditations --  with Meister Eckhart

"The path is beautiful and pleasant and joyful and familiar."

AFFIRMATION

I am one with Thee,

Oh Thou infinite One.

I am where Thou art.

I am what Thou art.

I am because Thou art.

NEWS FROM THE GARDEN

The Okra is growing so fast that Barry can't pick it all. If you love Okra please go to the garden and pick some. Remember, if it grows too big it gets woody and tough to eat. 

Hear is a genuine Cajun Okra recipe.

1 to 1.5 cups of okra (whole with ends trimmed off, or slice crosswise)

Okra cooking tip: A lot of people complain that the slick moisture inside the okra is unpalatable. If you really want to remove most of it ... rinse cut or trimmed okra in VERY HOT water in a colander.

6 strips of lean bacon

1 large Vidalia onion diced

1 Tbl spoon of sun dried tomato diced - or tomato paste - or half cup diced fresh tomato

1/2 cup green bell pepper diced

Fry bacon crisp and remove to a paper towel. Pour off excess bacon drippings and saute the okra until is looks a little soft. Add onions, bell pepper and tomato. Stir over medium heat and reduce heat to let the ingredients simmer about 5 to 8 minutes. If it is dry add some chicken or vegetable stock. For seasoning add to taste: salt, pepper, red pepper flakes, cayenne pepper or Cajun seasoning, pinch of powdered garlic. Vegans use a vegetable oil and leave off the bacon.

Serve over hot rice and sprinkle crumbled bacon on top.

This is a recipe I learned from a real Cajun cook in S. Mississippi.

 HEALING 

Healing Energy Wand
from Daily Om web site

You may have been hearing that advanced technology products will be coming to us in the healing field. Our Healing Energy Wand is one of those products which harnesses Source energy to heal our bodies of pain and other maladies. We have all tried here at the Daily OM offices and are addicted to this wand. At first we were skeptical, but the results can’t be denied. 

To use the wand, simply wave it over your body in a circular motion over the area you wish to have healed. You may feel a warming or buzzing sensation and you may feel an overall blissed out feeling. Try the wand on your sick or injured pets, or on your food and drink before you consume it. If you are an energy worker, this can be a great tool to add into your practice. There are no rules on how to use it, allow your intuition to be your guide. 

In scientific terms the wand works by the use of technically-engineered minerals that are structurally bonded and energized using a proprietary fusion technology and placed into the wand. A frequency is developed that is in line with our body’s frequency thus bringing about change in our cells. The Healing Energy Wand is about 5.5" in length and comes packaged in a sleeve. Cost is $145.95

Click here for more
Gift of the Week 4-30-2010

POSTER FOR PERFORMANCE BY DANIEL BERKMAN

My nephew, Daniel Berkman is one of the performers in this event. If you are in CA you might want to catch it. (Nan)

 

THE NEW EARTH - JUNE 2010

GOD THINKS
GOD MOVES
GOD WALKS
GOD SPEAKS
GOD LOVES

BOOK NOOK 

The New Earth - Awakening to Your Life's Purpose - author Eckhart Tolle, the #1 New York Times bestselling author of The Power of Now ISBN 978-0-452-28996-3

An excellent book loaded with information to help anyone cut his way through the jungle of life. Written somewhat in the shadow-style of Swedenborg, it employs repetition of basic concepts of the ego of man and declares that we are in a dysfunctional reality defined by insanity and attachment to objects and ideas.

Taking a personal and invasive theme Tolle examines the causes of life-pain, and delves into the causes of unhappiness. Simply stating - he maintains that your position in life is the result of your perception and application of ideas both inherited and created since birth. Ideas or thoughts can be individualized, part of a tribal or national memory, gender focused, racial, from the drama of life or a phase or temporary role that you may be playing. Thoughts, positive or negative, are absorbed by the unconscious and acted upon to create your personal world.

The unconscious believes everything it is told and does not question the truth or veracity of the thought. If you think you are beautiful or skillful the unconscious believes it and creates the atmosphere to experience your beauty. The same process follows thoughts that you are evil, or wretched.

Over all The New Earth is a guide to the joy of Being and a definition of who you really are and why you are experiencing Being. Some exercises in thought are offered to increase mental and spiritual fitness and lead the reader to revealing her  Inner Purpose and Awakening to consciousness of The New Earth.

-nss-

In the Land of Dreams

 A CD of native American Flute Music, Gentle Dreams and Sounds of Nature. Artist John Huling leads us from the world of attachments to the world of adoration. He moves through the sounds of nature and turns the wings of an eagle to notes and tones of beauty, the babbling streams become rhythms of the beating heart of nature.

Ten pieces on the CD draw inspiration from the American Desert Southwest, Pacific Northwest, Central Plains and Eastern Woodlands. John Huling's music takes the listener on a meditative inner journey for the spirit. Native American flute and gentle drumming with a beautiful array of nature sounds, including: thunderstorms, brooks and birds make up this excellent collection of music - from North America ... "In the Land of Dreams"

Distributed by Four Winds Trading Company at 800-456-5444. or visit the web site at www. fourwinds-trading.com. Other recordings by John Huling are: Lost Oceans, Desert Plateaus, Canyon Spirit, Jelly Music. Produced by Red Feather.

-nss_

MEDITATION

Music: the breathing of statues. Perhaps:

the silence of paintings. Language where language ends. Time

that goes downward in the direction of hearts that wear out.

Feeling---for whom? Place where feeling is

transformed...into what? A countryside we can hear.

Music: you stranger, You feeling space, growing

away from us. The deepest thing in us, that, rising above us, forces its way out...

a holy goodbye:

when the innermost point in us stands

outside, as amazing space, as the other

side of the air:

pure,

immense,

not for us to live in now.

-- Rainer Maria Rilke translated by Robert Bly

IN THE GARDEN                                                         

Blessed by sunshine, afternoon rain, delicate planning and loving tending ... the garden at Chrysalis is producing truth and beauty. Barry will take you on a tour revealing the variety of vegetables, fruits, and flowers that have found a home there. He will also share the harvest and give free advice and encouragement to those who want to go "organic"

Nasturtiums, marigolds, Alamanda, squash, beans, peppers ... the list goes on. What a beautiful addition to the Chrysalis Spiritual Center this is! We are grateful for the love and attention the garden receives from Barry, Bill and whomever is there to turn the soil.

-nss-
BAMBOO ARTS                                                                 

“For men in a state of freedom had thatch for their shelter, while slavery dwells beneath marble and gold.”~ Seneca from Letters from a Stoic

For a complete viewing of the activities at Bamboo Arts Yoga Center go to http://www.bambooartscenter.com

SHINTO RELIGION  WAY OF THE GODS 

                      

Shinto  or kami-no-michi is the indigenous spirituality of Japan and the Japanese people. It is best conceived of as a set of practices, carried out diligently to establish a connection between present day Japan and its ancient past. Shinto practices were first recorded and codified in the written historical records of the Kojiki and Nihon Shoki in the 7th and 8th century. Still, these earliest Japanese writings do not refer to a unified "Shinto religion", but rather to disorganized folklore, history, and mythology. Shinto today is a term that applies to public shrines suited to various purposes such as war memorials, harvest festivals, romance, and historical monuments, as well as various sectarian organizations. Practitioners express their diverse beliefs through a standard language and practice, adopting a similar style in dress and ritual, dating from around the time of the Nara and Heian Periods.

The word Shinto ("Way of the Gods") was adopted from the written Chinese, combining two kanji: "shinto", meaning kami; and "to" , or "do" meaning a philosophical path or study (originally from the Chinese word tao). Kami are defined in English as "spirits", "essences" or "deities", that are associated with many understood formats; in some cases being human-like, in others being animistic, and others being associated with more abstract "natural" forces in the world (mountains, rivers, lightning, wind, waves, trees, rocks). Kami and people are not separate; they exist within the same world and share its interrelated complexity.

There are currently 119 million official practitioners of Shinto in Japan, although a person who practices any manner of Shinto rituals may be so counted. The vast majority of Japanese people who take part in Shinto rituals also practice Buddhist ancestor worship. However, unlike many monotheistic religious practices, Shinto and Buddhism typically do not require professing faith to be a believer or a practitioner, and as such it is difficult to query for exact figures based on self-identification of belief within Japan. Due to the syncretic nature of Shinto and Buddhism, most "life" events are handled by Shinto and "death" or "afterlife" events are handled by Buddhism—for example, it is typical in Japan to register or celebrate a birth at a Shinto shrine, while funeral arrangements are generally dictated by Buddhist tradition—although the division is not exclusive.

Kami is the Japanese word for the spirits, natural forces, or essence in the Shinto faith. Although the word is sometimes translated as "god" or "deity," some Shinto scholars argue that such a translation can cause a misunderstanding of the term (Ono, 1962). Kami's wide variety of usage can be compared to the Sanskrit Deva and the Hebrew Elohim, which also refer to God, gods, angels and spirits. In some instances, such as Izanagi-no-Mikoto and Izanami-no-Mikoto, kami are personified deities, similar to the gods of ancient Greece or Rome. In other cases, such as those concerning the phenomenon of natural emanation, the spirits dwelling in trees, or forces of nature, translating "kami" exclusively as "god" or "deity" would be a gross mischaracterization. In this respect it is more similar to the Roman concept of the numen or spirit.

Kami are the central objects of worship for the Shinto faith. Shinto began as the various ancient animistic traditional spirituality of Japan, and only became an institutionalized spirituality much later as a result of efforts to separate out influences of other religions brought into Japan from abroad. As a result, the nature of what can be called kami is very broad and encompasses many different concepts and phenomena.

Some of the objects or phenomena designated as kami are qualities of growth, fertility, and production; natural phenomena like wind and thunder; natural objects like the sun, mountains, rivers, trees, and rocks; some animals; and ancestral spirits. Included within the designation of ancestral spirits are spirits of the ancestors of the Imperial House of Japan, but also ancestors of noble families as well as the spirits of the ancestors of all people.

There are other spirits designated as kami as well. For example, the guardian spirits of the land, occupations, and skills; spirits of Japanese heroes, men of outstanding deeds or virtues, and those who have contributed to civilization, culture and human welfare; those who have died for the state or the community (See: Yasukuni Shrine); and the pitiable dead. Not only spirits superior to man can be considered kami, but also spirits that are considered pitiable or weak have been considered kami in Shinto.

The concept of kami has been changed and refined since ancient times, although anything that was considered to be kami by ancient people will still be considered kami in "modern" Shinto (modern in that Shinto has been formalized as a unified religion under the influence of foreign religions like Buddhism). Even within modern Shinto, there are no clearly defined criteria for what should or should not be worshipped as kami. The difference between modern Shinto and the ancient animistic religions is mainly a refinement of the kami-concept, rather than a difference in definitions.

In the ancient animistic religions, kami were understood as simply the divine forces of nature. Worshippers in ancient Japan revered creations of nature which exhibited a particular beauty and power such as waterfalls, mountains, boulders, animals, trees, grasses and even rice paddies. They strongly believed the spirits or resident kami deserved respect.

Although the ancient designations are still adhered to, in modern Shinto many priests also consider kami to be anthropomorphic spirits, with nobility and authority. These include such mythological figures as Amaterasu Omikami, the sun goddess of the Shinto pantheon. Although these kami can be considered deities, they are not necessarily considered omnipotent or omniscient, and like the Greek Gods, they had flawed personalities and were quite capable of ignoble acts. In the myths of Amaterasu, for example, she could see the events of the human world. She also had to use divination rituals to see the future.

Traditionally, kami possess two souls, one gentle (nigi-mitama) and the other assertive (ara-mitama). This powerful form of kami was also divided into amatsu-kami ("the heavenly deities") and kunitsu-kami ("the gods of the earthly realm"). A deity would behave differently according to which soul was in control at a given time. In many ways, this was representative of nature's sudden changes and would explain why there were kami for every meteorological event: snowfall, rain, typhoons, floods, lightning and volcanoes.

The ancestors of a particular family can also be worshipped as kami. In this sense, these kami were worshipped not because of their godly powers, but because of a distinct quality or value. These kami were regional and many shrines (hokora) have been built in their honour. In many cases, people who once lived can thus be deified as gods; an example of this is Tenjin, who was Sugawara no Michizane (845-903) in life.

Ceremonies are long and complex. In some temples, it takes ten years for the priests to learn them. The priesthood was traditionally hereditary. One temple has drawn its priests from the same four families for over a hundred generations. Not uncommonly, the clergy may be priestesses. The priests may be assisted by miko, young unmarried women dressed in white kimono. Neither priests nor priestesses live as ascetics; it is common for them to be married, and they are not traditionally expected to meditate. Rather, they are considered specialists in the arts of maintaining the connection between the kami and the people.

Notable kami

Amaterasu Omikami, the sun goddess

Hachiman, the god of war

Sarutahiko Okami, kami of earth

Tsukuyomi, the moon god

Susanoo-no-mikoto, the sea and storms god

Inari Okami, god of foxes

Kotoamatsukami, the primary kami trinity

Izanagi-no-Mikoto, the first man

Izanami-no-Mikoto, the first woman

Omoikane, the deity of wisdom

 Information on Shinto religion was found on Wikipedia. www.wikipedia.com a free resource for information on almost any subject. Readers are invited to edit and add to information on Wikipedia, making it a truly universal source of information. Since sources of data cannot be confirmed at accurate you should investigate any ideas or information you find on a wiki.

Next newsletter we visit the Greek Gods on Mount Olympus

The Monthly Newsletter of Chrysalis Spiritual Center
825 Mercer’s Fernery Road
DeLand, Florida 32720
Sunday Services from 10 am to 11:30 am each week
Pastor - Skuli Thorhallsson

sthorallsson@gmail.com

For more information or counseling phone (386) 734-9257
Email questions or requests to chrysalisgarden@gmail.com
Copy this link to come back to our newsletter http://chrysalispiritualcenter.blogspot.com
(note -- the spelling consists of just one S in the name, not 2. A product of human error)

Chrysalis Spiritual Center is a Swedenborg based congregation that studies non-denominational topics based on the value of certain writings and speech to society as a whole. No denomination is excluded from meeting with us. We welcome all religions and beliefs.

Please address prayer requests and requests for counseling to 386-734-9257

NOTICE NATIVE AMERICAN PATH - VISION CAMPS

From: Hawk
To: hawk@thunderstaffing.com
Sent: Mon, May 24, 2010 5:08:11 PM
Subject: 4 Events Lead By Hawk - Check them out

Medicine Wheel Camp

June 14 – 16,2010

Led by; D. Hawk Moon MA, MBA, PhD

In the mountains just outside of San Diego in Dulzura, CA.

It has been said while some camps are a mile wide and only an inch deep, this camp is an inch wide and a mile deep.

Led by International trainer/speaker, author, award winning radio show host and self help expert D. "Hawk" Moon

From day one we will travel to the deep recesses going all the way back to your birth, finding your past problems, pains, addictions and blockages, to rid you of what’s holding you back. We will show you how to rewrite your history by finding your other truth.

We will install the 7 principle fundamentals that will cement the foundation that you need to succeed in building a full, balanced, happy and fruitful life.

This (just expanded) three day camp is only $ 550 for tent or RV camping or $ 625 for a room. All meals are included and prepared by the Monks at Madre Grande Monastery.

This course was a two day camp and it was said to be one of the most powerful courses people had ever taken and now that it has been expanded to a three day course, this camp is a must for anyone wanting to improve their life. Act now as space is limited.

Vision Camp

June 17-20, 2010

At

Madre Grande Monastery & Retreat in Dulzura CA

In the Hills just outside of San Diego.

If you want to take your life to the next level of growth then you’ll want to sign up. Vision Camp is for those that want to be sure they are taking their lives in the right direction. 

There’s nothing worse that working hard and putting your time into moving into a particular direction, only to find it was the wrong choice to make. Vision Camp will give you the teaching’s, tools and time to make sure your making the right choice for your life’s path. We ask that each person sign up in two’s, one going on Vision and one supporter. 

The person going on Vision will gain the clarity for their life’s path.

The supporter not only get’s a healing of their own, but they learn what it means to support someone on a higher level than ever before. 

If you cannot find someone in your life to be your supporter in this endeavor let us know and we will find a supporter for you. Or perhaps you just want the healing and want to know what it actually means to support someone, and then you can sign up as a supporter.

It has been said this is a more intense growth of understanding than many have experienced in their life before.

Many indigenous cultures have a way to seek vision for their future as well as those around them. Why not learn and partake in a process that’s been helping people for over 5,000 years.


Call today as space is limited
(951) 609-1415

For seeking Vision the cost is $510 USD that includes a meal before you go out and one when you come back. Those seeking Vision fast during their process.

For Supporters the cost is $350 that includes board, meals and trainings.

Call Thunder Today to Reserve Your Spot
(951) 609-1415

This Inipi (sweat lodge) will be during our Vision Camp on June 19,2010

 Come and enjoy the energy. The cost is only $60, this also cover the fee's for Madre Grande. Once you have confirmed I will send you the map and details. Come play with us in the 264 acre retreat in the mountains just outside San Diego.

Spiritual Sage Retreat

July 29 – Aug 1, 2010

Spend 4 days with Daniel “Hawk” Moon at Madre Grande Monastery understanding how to find the spiritual level in all walks of your life.

Find out why having a spiritual foundation is so important.

Find out why being connected to spirit makes for a happier you.

Find out why having an understanding of spirit makes relationships better.

Find out why having truth and spirit in your life make so much since in your communication.

Find out why just understanding a spiritual path or following a religion is still missing the boat.

Find out why having an understanding of spirit will change your next 7 generations.

This 4 day retreat will be filled with a deep level of spiritual growth that will touch all areas of your life.

If you are ready for your next level of understanding and wonder why other people seem to have peace and happiness even in bad situations, then you will want to sign up for this camp.

You get 4 days and 3 nights with meals and courses included for the low price of $600 USD.