A Horse Named Karma

I approached the storm, the clouds are dark, and the air is cold.
No stranger to the darkness I ride along.
Attacked by deceit, wounded with pain
I carry the wrath of others sins for them.

Spears of guilt, threats of fear
strengthen the ego and pride.
Control is the illusion of grandeur,
a veil over the emptiness of despair.

Karma is my horse, and keeps me high above the mud.
I trust in Karma and he carries me safe
Those that fear, those afraid and weak,
loath the sight of Karma as it comes near.

Energy is either growing, or receding.
Death is welcomed by the receding,
growing energy cannot be stopped.
Impenetrable by death the light shines truth.

Truth is the evidence of action.
Trails of trust left by time and will.
Leave reminders that love causes change,
shining light into the darkest storms.

The clouds open for a moment.
When the sun shines the illusion is gone.
The fear is void and suffering ceases.
The weak all hide from themselves.

The wrath I carry is not mine to give.
Karma takes me where it must go.
With no anger I have no enemies
Anger first destructs it's host.

The power of the wrath breeds in fear,
multiplies in anger, and believes love weak.
The wrath I carry is not for my vengeance,
but those that take it, harm only themselves.

Crystals and Metaphysics to me

A set of chakra stones I keep at work. 

I have always found rocks and semi-precious stones fascinating. Every person I know at one point has picked up a rock or crystal and felt some attraction to it.

My first memorable experience was with a large Iron Pyrite crystal I purchased when I was 8 for $1.  I thought it was cool that people thought it was gold.  It felt valuable and similar to what my young mind would imagine as a huge chunk of gold.

Small part of my collection.

I carried that stone around with me, brought it to school to show my friends and kept it on display in my room.  I can still remember the shape of this stone, the large cubed crystals sticking out of it. I remember how it made me feel to this very day.

Whether it is vibrations of the stone, magical powers, or just the soothing color of the yellow it made an impression on me.

Crystals have proven energy.

Crystals have been a subject of research for centuries. The patterned alignment of atoms in various shapes as elements crystallize is still a mystery for the most part.  Every electronic device we use is made up of elements such as gold, quartz, silicone, and aluminum. We use these elements to communicate, heal, calculate, and assist us in our task.

Peizo crystals

Petrified wood I found in AZ.

All those lighters, and gas stove igniters that click click poof.  They operate by Piezoelectricity.  Simply put there is a small piece of quartz crystal with a metallic spring loaded hammer.  When the hammer strikes the quartz a small electric charge is created. This is what ignites the gas.

Clocks

We keep the most accurate time by counting the vibrations of atoms in elements.  Such as the Atomic Clock.

Sugar Crystals

One skeptic told me one time that the only crystal that gives us energy is sugar.  Yes, it does form very shapely crystals and gives us a large burst of energy. So does salt, copper, iron, and many minerals that aid in the smooth operation of our organic bodies.

Uranium

Just another mysterious rock until the 19th century.  It was discovered that very large amount of energy can be emitted by charging and refining this material then exposing two cores to each other.

Sacred Geometry

Throughout history there have been several shapes we find have very mysterious properties. These shapes are caused by the alignment of atoms in elements as they cool, or condense. Why the specific shapes? We have copied nature in our architecture and design.

Old as the Earth

Local serpentine stone from Calaveras CA. 

Rocks have spanned billions of years before we were here. There are rocks all over space, trillions of them. If we re-incarnate after thousands of years we will still see the same patterns, colors, and shapes of the stones. As a re-incarnate point of reference we can find ourselves in touch with pre-life incarnations of our energy.

Amazing Gifts

As my brother pointed out all of the metaphysical properties of all these stones are positive ones. While there is such a thing as too much good, giving a gemstone can only come from the heart. There is no way to give a rock with ill intentions.  Unless of course you use momentum or force.

Zen to me

The definition of Zen escapes most people who are initially inquisitive of Zen ideas. If you look for a definition they will vary greatly. If you look for an explanation you will likely get a cyclic story or ambiguous statement that will seem like anything but an answer.

Zen has been described best to me as a finger pointing toward the moon, but it is neither the finger or the moon.  It is a guide, a path, and morsels of wisdom for the journey.  It is an understanding and recognition of balance. The ability to detach from that which plagues us to better engage it.

Zen is not whimsical or lazy.

Buddha may have been displayed as a fat man, but in reality he was barely 90 lbs. Just as Christians show Jesus being executed at the alter, religions have always promoted their own beliefs while at the same time blaspheming them.

"Before enlightenment - carry water, chop wood.  After enlightenment - chop wood, carry water."

Zen is about practicing everything. Everything you do can always be done better. It is about living in the very moment you are living and applying effort with leverage to work for the best possible outcome in any scenario. Zen is about taking action just as much and it is not. 

Zen is full of paradox and contradictions. Exercises are designed to give thought and insight, while simplifying ideals into actions. Most people view Zen as a very passive belief system.  You will hear some speak of "going with the flow". This is a manner of going about things.  Not wasting time changing things that cannot be different, and recognizing when to act and to do so with ease and without hesitation.

Zen is the end of suffering.

“I teach one thing and one thing only: suffering and the end of suffering.” ~ Buddha

While the translation of this is not exact and obviously Buddha taught many other things the concept remain.  The root of all suffering is resistance to what is.  A Zen mind will accept that everything is perfect.  Everybody you know,  your enemies, birds, clouds, weather, and even dirt is perfect.  Perfect because it cannot be any other way than it is right at this moment.  In order to wish something different you are not accepting of what is.  Since nothing can be different than it is at this moment to feel things should be different is only suffering.

In order to change things you must accept the good and bad of every situation with understanding that the future will never be the same as now and change is progressive and eminent.  So going with the flow is to not waste time and transition through activities like a leaf in a stream.

Suffering with pain

Pain refers to any situation where force is applied with resistance.   Even the slightest pain can torment a soul if the soul tries to escape the pain, rather than accept.

After an American Indian Chiefs tribe was moved to new reservations multiple times he said, "The soul would have no rainbow, if the eyes had no tears."  This statement does not dis allude the idea that pain has been inflicted, but that there is still beauty present in the soul.  In fact the pain inflicted can cause the beauty of that energy to grow, as there will always be a tendency to move away from suffering.