Luck

Loaned into English in the 15th century (probably as a gambling term) from Middle Dutch luc, a shortened form of gheluc (“good fortune”), whence Modern Dutch geluk. Middle Dutch luc, gheluc is paralleled by Middle High German lücke, gelücke (modern German Glück). The word occurs only from the 12th century, apparently first in Rhine Frankish. Perhaps from a Frankish *galukki. The word enters standard Middle High German during the 13th century and spreads to English and Scandinavian in the Late Middle Ages. Its origin seems to have been regional or dialectal, and there were competing German words such as gevelle or schick, or the Latinate fortūne from Latin fortūna. Its etymology is unknown, although there are numerous proposals as to its derivations from a number of roots.

Use as a verb in American English is late (the 1940s), but there was a Middle English verb lukken (“to chance, to happen by good fortune”) in the 15th century.

Wednesday, March 17

"Personal application of that you know brings about those experiences in the lives of individuals that some call “luck” or “chance.” For, when the will to do is ever-present and not faltered by doubts and fears that may arise in the experience of all, then does it build, then does it attract that which builds and builds and IS the constructive force in the experience of all."

― Edgar Cayce (ECRL 416-2)

Lady Luck, Janet Hill

《道德經》第二章

天下皆知美之為美，斯惡已。

皆知善之為善，斯不善已。

故有無相生，難易相成，長短相較，高下相傾，音聲相和，前後相隨。

是以聖人處無為之事，行不言之教；萬物作焉而不辭，生而不有。

為而不恃，功成而弗居。

夫唯弗居，是以不去。

Dào De Jing Chapter 2 ― Arthur Waley

It is because every one under Heaven recognizes beauty as beauty,

That the idea of ugliness exists.

And equally, if every one recognized virtue as virtue,

this would merely create fresh conceptions of wickedness.

For truly, Being and Not-being grow out of one another;

Difficult and easy complete one another.

Long and short test one another;

High and low determine one another.

Pitch and mode give harmony to one another.

Front and back give sequence to one another.

Therefore the Sage relies on actionless activity,

Carries on wordless teaching,

But the myriad creatures are worked upon by him;

He does not disown them.

He rears them, but does not lay claim to them,

Controls them, but does not lean upon them,

Achieves his aim, but does not call attention to what he does;

And for the very reason that he does not call attention to what he does

He is not ejected from the fruition of what he has done.

the Dao of Atheism :

: the Shaman Atheist 2/81

2

Everyone knows what god is -- that is how we know what is not god. Everyone knows what good is -- that is how we know what is not good. This is how being and not-being, experience and non-experience, theism and atheism create each other and are mutually dependent. Light and dark complement each other, long and short-form one another, low and high are relative, sound and tone are harmonies. Wise persons do not judge good or bad do not take action for or against do not disown judgment or action but practice silent teaching. Only together do opposites make a whole. The world is acted upon by even the passive observer, still, nothing is taken and nothing is destroyed. Things are created, actions taken, but no claim is made upon them. Things are controlled but not manipulated for personal gain. Compensation -- verbal or material -- is never the desired goal.

What we like to think of as theological opposites are actually twins to each other, co-dependent upon each other for their mutual definition. The definition of god changes with every age. No definition will suit everyone. Yet every person that experiences god can speak of that experience. Likewise, every person without the experience of God can speak of that non-experience. It is like two people: one who can see light and one who cannot. Neither is inherently better for the experience of light or not. Both can describe their life to each other according to mutual experiences, but it stops at the point of distinguishing light from dark, sunny from cloudy, blue from orange. The seeing person might say that blindness is a disability, yet sight is an impossible experience for the blind person, and no-sight is their natural state of being. Which is better? In making the distinctions, we dissolve the bond between both sides of the issue and force them farther apart. Theism and atheism are inextricably united to each other -- one cannot live without the other. Buddhism as atheism has survived without a theism to complement it, yet types of Buddhism have incorporated theistic elements within it, as have certain branches of Christianity adapted to elements of atheism. Experience, whether theistic or atheistic, cannot be forced. Both sides promote beliefs that they hope will lead to a calculated religious experience, yet neither side claims victory: there is none to gain.

《道德經》

老子的《道德經》the Dào De Jing by Lao Tzu

Translated by Thomas P. Kunesh

Chattanooga, Tennessee

The Shaman Atheist:: the Dao of Atheism critical mass press, Chattanooga TN 1992

1.

The atheism that one can come to by argument is not true atheism.

A definition given to atheism in one age is not the unchanging atheism nor its permanent meaning.

From the original experience of being human atheism arises.

Being the original human experience, it is the parent of all religion.

From theism, we derive the essence of atheism, although, from their names, we see only the conflict.

Both ways of experience have the same origin only different names.

Their mutual identity is the mystery of experience.

And in this mystery is found the doorway to the universe.

道可道，非常道。

名可名，非常名。

無，名天地之始；

有，名萬物之母。

故常無欲，以觀其妙；

常有欲，以觀其徼。

此兩者，同出而異名，同謂之玄。

玄之又玄，衆妙之門。

"There is a new definition of atheism not found among the current orthodox: it is the non-experience of deity. It is not anti-theist, it is supportive of the natural quest for meaning in myth, symbol and practice, and challenges any construct that places itself in the position of worship or unquestioning obedience, whether it be called deity or law. Atheism is substantiated by the experience of no-god, or the lack of experience, not by belief or rational counter-arguments to theism. This definition comes, in part, from Pascal who conceives of a person so made that s/he cannot believe - a person who by nature is experientially limited to atheism. (Pensées, translated by W. F. Trotter, Chicago 1952)

Long before we concern ourselves with the problem of deity's existence or non-existence, we need to ask the fundamental question of epistemology: how do we know what we know? There are several methods that we commonly use to arrive at what we call knowledge, but the most frequent is a communal experience. Yet even communal experience as a source of knowledge is only a barometer of public opinion at the time taken, and ultimately leaves us no closer to the truth of deity's existence or non-existence. Communal rationalism and logic in religion can get us no closer to certainty. Thus we are left without any shared knowledge of the deity's objective reality. Personal experience as a source of knowledge, however, has never been pursued by atheist thinkers. In fact, subjective experience is considered antithetical to atheists who want to prove that deity is objectively false."

― Thomas P. Kunesh

the Dao of Atheism :

: the Shaman Atheist 1/81

1

The atheism that one can come to by argument is not true atheism. A definition is given to atheism in one age is not the unchanging atheism nor its permanent meaning. From the original experience of being human atheism arises. Being the original human experience, it is the parent of all religion. From theism, we derive the essence of atheism, although from their names, we see only the conflict. Both ways of experience have the same origin only different names. Their mutual identity is the mystery of experience. And in this mystery is found the doorway to the universe.

How does a person prove that a god exists? There are the claims of ancient stories that simply say so. After the myths come to the logical arguments from cosmology to ontology to teleology to say that the existence of a god is rational. Others say that there is no proof and that a god's existence must be taken on faith alone. And still, others claim that the proof of a god is in the experience and that they have experienced the existence of a deity or even have a relationship with it. None of it is enough to satisfy the atheist. How do people prove that a god does not exist? The passage of time, which has silently but effectively buried most gods in history, is the most evident proof that not all gods exist in perpetuity nor are all-powerful. Isis and Apollo are now cultural fictions whose reality died with the culture that created them. Arguments against deity often centre around inter-textual contradictions, or the miracles and physical impossibilities claimed as fact in the religious text. Rational proofs against the existence of a deity, such as the argument of evil and psychological hero projection, also exist, together with the arguments based on the historical abuse of religious institutions in contradiction to their religious tenets and the use of religious belief as a means of social control. But none of it is enough to satisfy the atheist. Reason cannot always help. Belief and disbelief exist by themselves, sometimes innately within a person. Some people, like the apostle Thomas, Jesus' twin brother, cannot create mental belief without first-hand sensual experience. The mental doubt exists until physical evidence is demonstrated. Until the experience of deity itself.

1― Arthur Waley

The Way that can be told of is not an Unvarying Way;

The names that can be named are not unvarying names.

It was from the Nameless that Heaven and Earth sprang;

The named is but the mother that rears the ten thousand creatures, each after its kind.

Truly, “Only he that rids himself forever of desire can see the Secret Essences”;

He that has never rid himself of desire can see only the Outcomes.

These two things issued from the same mould, but nevertheless are different in name.

This “same mould” we can but call the Mystery,

Or rather the “Darker than any Mystery”,

The Doorway whence issued all Secret Essences.

Rhythm & Tempo

Everything in the universe has a rhythm, everything dances.
― Maya Angelou

As 無 is the invisible dance, beyond ―玄之又玄，衆妙之門，mysterious and mystical, the door to all the wonders。― are there a tempo & a rhythm for and within it or does it only happen at present, like a spontaneous and always renewed, yet unique creation?

Shiva standing on a baby.

That is नटराज Nataraja – the lord of the dance – भगवान शिव Lord Shiva – and the “baby” is actually a demon. भगवान शिव is stomping out evil and preparing the universe for creation.  

शिव Shiva’s dance at तिलई Tillai, the traditional name of चिदंबरम Chidambaram

The essential significance of Shiva’s dance at Tillai (from थिल्लई Thillai trees Exocoeria agallocha of which the milky latex of Excoecaria agallocha, also known as Thillai, milky mangrove, blind-your-eye mangrove and river poison tree, is poisonous), the traditional name of चिदंबरम Chidambaram, can be explained as:

• First, it is seen as the image of his rhythmic play which is the source of all movement within the universe. This is represented by the circular or elliptical frame surrounding the Lord.
• Secondly, the purpose of his dance is to release the souls of all men from the snare of illusion.
• Lastly, the place of the dance, चिदंबरम Chidambaram, which is portrayed as the centre of the universe, is actually within the heart.

To understand the concept of नटराज Nataraja, the idea of dance itself, in Hinduism, must be understood. Like yoga, dance is used to induce trance, ecstasy and the experience of the divine. In India, consequently, dance has flourished side by side with the austerities of meditation (as fasting, absolute introversion etc.). शिव Shiva, therefore, the arch-yogi of the Gods, is necessarily also the Lord of the dance. Dancing is seen as an art in which the artist and the art s/he creates are one the same, thought to evoke the oneness of God and creation.

Songe des dragées & de l'anima

Distribuant une dragée à chacun des quatre jeunes hommes assis, habillés de blanc avec un haut à larges bandes blanches et rouge très clair, comme administrant des hosties (mandorle et amande)

Puis découvrant Anima, aimante et amoureuse, habillée d'une seule jupette écossaise et écrue, Aphrodite à la poitrine dénudée et juvénile.

dragée (plural dragées) A sweet or confection originally used to administer drugs, medicine, etc. (Médecine) Médicament enrobé d'une couche de sucre pour que l'absorption en soit facilitée

1971, Anthony Burgess, M/F (Penguin 2004), page 129:

I opened the cupboard and found a bag of raisins, two empty sauce bottles, a packet of icing sugar, a tube of dragées and a paper packet of candles.

From Old French dragée, dragie, via Latin tragēmata, from Ancient Greek τραγήματα (tragḗmata “dried fruits, sweetmeats” friandise), plural of τράγημα (trágēma).

dragée f (plural dragées) a sweet with almond filling 

• a dragée, a sugar-coated pill
• (historical, firearms, uncountable) swan-shot, small-shot, hail-shot,(Par analogie) Menu plomb dont on se sert pour tirer aux oiseaux 
• (slang, countable) a bullet, a dot
• (Désuet) Muscardine de vers à soie

hostie (plural hosties, obsolete, Catholicism) the consecrated bread or wafer of the Eucharist, host, hostia, from Proto-Indo-European *ǵʰostiyo-, from *ǵʰes- (“hand”)

• sacrifice, offering
• victim, sacrificial animal

Etymology 2

From hostess +‎ -ie (“diminutive suffix”). Noun, hostie (plural hosties, Australia, informal) An air hostess.

Wrapt in Time ― or Not

(To Be or Not To Be)

R.A.M.'s phasing

Time ― like temperature ― is a dividing agent or an analytical instrument, a by-product of the effects of gravity in space.

Essential to a locale and to the setting of circumstances, it is also the hindrance to regaining full consciousness.

Part a physics fact and part a belief that is clung upon ― remanence and reminiscence ― it is ultimately a mental process. As such it can be seen for what it truly is, what purpose it serves and eventually undone.

➥ focus 15 ― No-Time ⬄ States of Consciousness and Focus™ Levels

As a result of extensive experiential and brainwave research at The Monroe Institute, a simple system of labels (called Focus Levels) was devised to indicate various states or phases of consciousness. These labels are a means of neutral identification and are used extensively as part of the training process throughout our weekend and week-long experiential programs.

Focus 1 – Normal, everyday waking consciousness.  Completely in phase with physical matter reality.  Also referred to as “C1 Consciousness”.

Focus 10 – The physical body is deeply relaxed while the mind remains conscious, awake and alert. “Mind awake, body asleep.”

Focus 11 – The Access Channel – the ultimate communication channel to all levels of awareness -mental, physical, and emotional.  Opened during each Human Plus® exercise.

Focus 12 – A state of expanded awareness while the body remains deeply relaxed and asleep.

Focus 15 – A state of No-Time. Consciousness is now far removed from physical body signals. Linear time is no longer relevant to experience.

第15卦，Hexagram 15 is named 謙 (qiān), "Humbling".

Other variations include "modesty".

• Its inner (lower) trigram is ☶ (艮 gèn) bound = (山) mountain
• Its outer (upper) trigram is ☷ (坤 kūn) field = (地) earth.

Focus 21 – On the very edge of perception of the time/space continuum. Mind remains fully conscious and active.

Focus 22 – On the border between time/space and non-physical states of being. Comatose.

Focus 23 – The condition in which an individual may find him or herself immediately following physical death.

Focus 24 – The site of non-physical activity generated by simple or primitive religious or cultural beliefs.

Focus 25 – The expression of the major organized religious beliefs in recent human history.

Focus 26 – Here are identified certain areas, few in number, containing the structures and knowledge of various highly individual religious and other beliefs based on direct experience of self.

(Focus Levels 24 to 26 are referred to as the Belief System Territories, and are explored extensively during the Lifeline program)

Focus 27 – The edge of human thought capacity. The site of a way-station (not a terminus) for rest and recovery from the trauma of physical death.

Focus 34/35 – The area of the Gathering. Beings from many other locations within the physical universe are gathered here to witness the upcoming Earth Changes. First mentioned in Bob Monroe’s second book, Far Journeys.

Focus 42 – I-There cluster consciousness.

Focus 49 – Sea of I-There clusters.

言

Ideogram (指事): 言 was created by adding a mark to 舌 to indicate movement of the tongue. This indicates speech where 舌 is a mouth (口) with a tongue sticking out.

言、甲骨文、Oracle bone script

Shuowen erroneously analyzes the glyph as a phono-semantic compound (形聲): phonetic 䇂 + semantic 口 (“mouth”).

Etymology

According to Schuessler (2007: 74) this word is derived from 語 (OC *ŋaʔ, “to speak”) + -n nominal suffix.

In Japanese and Korean (printed forms), the 亠 component on top is written 二 (as found in the Kangxi dictionary: 康煕部首＃149、⾔、康熙：第1146頁，字符1). In traditional/simplified Chinese and Vietnamese, the top component is written 丶. In written Japanese, the top component may be written either 一, 丶 or 丨 (small vertical stroke).

《道德經》第81章

信言不美，美言不信。

善者不辯，辯者不善。

知者不博，博者不知。

聖人不積，既以為人己愈有，既以與人己愈多。

天之道，利而不害；聖人之道，為而不爭。

81 ― James Legge (The manifestation of simplicity)

Sincere words are not fine; fine words are not sincere.

Those who are skilled (in the Dao) do not dispute (about it); the disputatious are not skilled in it.

Those who know (the Dao) are not extensively learned; the extensively learned do not know it.

The sage does not accumulate (for himself).

The more that he expends for others, the more does he possess of his own;

the more that he gives to others, the more does he have himself.

With all the sharpness of the Way of Heaven, it injures not;

with all the doing in the way of the sage he does not strive.

Dao De Jing Chapter 81 ― Herman Ould

Truth has no need for fine words;

Fine words may not be true words.

The man of Tao does not try to convince by argument:

He who argues is not a man of Tao.

Wisdom does not consist in knowing everything;

The know-alls do not know the Tao.

The sage does not hoard. The more he spends himself for others, the more he enriches himself.

The more he fives, the more he gains.

For the Tao of Heaven penetrates all things but harms none.

This, too, is the Tao of the Sage, who acts without contending.

81― Arthur Waley

True words are not fine-sounding;

Fine-sounding words are not true.

The good man does not prove by argument;

Then he who proves by argument is not good.

True wisdom is different from much learning;

Much learning means little wisdom.

The Sage has no need to hoard;

When his own last scrap has been used up on behalf of others,

Lo, he has more than before!

When his own last scrap has been used up in giving to others,

Lo, his stock is even greater than before!

For heaven's way is to sharpen without cutting,

And Sage's way is to act without striving.

The four loves

The four fundamental forces that describe every interaction in nature.

From walking on the street to launching a rocket into space to sticking a magnet on your refrigerator, physical forces are acting all around us. But all the forces that we experience every day (and many that we do not realize we so experience) can be whittled down to just four fundamental forces:

• Gravity. 
• The weak force. 
• Electromagnetism. 
• The strong force. 

These are called the four fundamental forces of nature, and they govern everything that happens in the universe.

The four loves

1. στοργή • (storgḗ) – empathy bond; love, affection; especially of parents and children
2. φῐλῐ́ᾱ • (philíā) – friend bond; regarded as the natural force which unites discordant elements and movements, as νεῖκος (neîkos) keeps them apart
3. ἔρως • (érōs) – romantic love; love, desire
4. ᾰ̓γᾰ́πη • (agápē) –  love, affection, esteem; goodwill, benevolence, unconditional "God" love.

John William Godward  (1861–1922): The Old, Old Story

κυκεών, kykeȏn; from κυκάω, "to stir, to mix"

Henryk Siemiradzki (1843–1902): Phryne at the Festival of Poseidon (Poseidonia) in Eleusis, Fryne na święcie Posejdona

Numerous scholars have proposed that the power of the Eleusinian Mysteries came from the kykeon's functioning as an entheogen or psychedelic agent. The use of potions or philtres for magical or religious purposes was relatively common in Greece and the ancient world. The initiates, sensitized by their fast and prepared by preceding ceremonies (see set and setting), may have been propelled by the effects of a powerful psychoactive potion into revelatory mind states with profound spiritual and intellectual ramifications. In opposition to this idea, other pointedly sceptical scholars note the lack of any solid evidence and stress the collective rather than individual character of initiation into the Mysteries. Indirect evidence in support of the entheogenic theory is that in 415 BC Athenian aristocrat Alcibiades was condemned partly because he took part in an "Eleusinian mystery" in a private house.
Many psychoactive agents have been proposed as the significant element of kykeon, though without consensus or conclusive evidence. These include the ergot, a fungal parasite of the barley or rye grain, which contains the alkaloids ergotamine, a precursor to LSD, and ergonovine. However, modern attempts to prepare a kykeon using ergot-parasitized barley have yielded inconclusive results, though Alexander Shulgin and Ann Shulgin describe both ergonovine and LSA to be known to produce LSD-like effects.
The discovery of fragments of Ergot (fungi containing LSD-like psychedelic alkaloids) in a temple dedicated to the two Eleusinian Goddesses excavated at the Mas Castellar site (Girona, Spain) provided legitimacy for this theory. Ergot fragments were found inside a vase and within the dental calculus of a 25-year-old man, providing evidence of Ergot being consumed. This finding seems to support the hypothesis of ergot as an ingredient of the Eleusinian kykeon.
Psychoactive mushrooms are another candidate. Terence McKenna speculated that the mysteries were focused around a variety of Psilocybe. Other entheogenic fungi, such as Amanita muscaria, have also been suggested. A recent hypothesis suggests that the ancient Egyptians cultivated Psilocybe cubensis on barley and associated it with the deity Osiris.
Another candidate for the psychoactive drug is an opioid derived from the poppy. The cult of the goddess Demeter may have brought the poppy from Crete to Eleusis; it is certain that opium was produced in Crete.
Another theory is that the psychoactive agent in kykeon is DMT, which occurs in many wild plants of the Mediterranean, including Phalaris and/or Acacia. To be active orally (like in ayahuasca) it must be combined with a monoamine oxidase inhibitor such as Syrian Rue (Peganum harmala), which grows throughout the Mediterranean.
Alternatively, J. Nigro Sansonese (1994), using the mythography supplied by Mylonas, hypothesizes that the Mysteries of Eleusis were a series of practical initiations into trance involving proprioception of the human nervous system induced by breath control (similar to samyama in yoga). Sansonese speculates that the kisté, a box holding sacred objects opened by the hierophant, is actually an esoteric reference to the initiate's skull, within which is seen a sacred light and are heard sacred sounds but only after instruction in trance practice. Similarly, the seed-filled chambers of a pomegranate, a fruit associated with the founding of the cult, esoterically describe proprioception of the initiate's heart during trance.

Reconciliation of eRos & LoGos

• ἔρως • (érōs)
• λόγος • (lógos)

There is an ancient heartbreak living in the centre of each of us, between two unrequited lovers we shall call Eros and Logos. These divine counterparts have been separated for so long that they barely remember they belong to one another. Though impossible to imagine, because they are like night and day, the whole world is waiting for their sacred reunion. If only we could introduce them, they might remember. They might finally fall in love again, as destiny intended in a holy union of opposites within.

With her beguiling beauty, Eros will possess us. She is a singer and a dreamer, whose elements are mystery, magic, and earth. Her voice is not pretty nor is it sweet, but rather scorched with honesty. And when she sings, the ache of being alive rattles and resonates deep in our bones. It is with her raw passion that she pushes blood into an idea, and makes it dance. Her home is in the wild, and she speaks the language of all untamed beings. She is the animal body, both fierce and graceful, who moves with the rhythm and sway of the soul.

Logos is a powerful emperor who rules the sky kingdom, a place vaster than anyone has ever seen. He is a brilliant mathematician whose elements are reason, law, and matter. He has devoted his life to logical inquiry, in search of absolute truth, and is a master of creating order from nothing. He builds complex systems and then he governs them with incontestable law. He likes to be alone in his tower of books, where he loses himself in theories and plans. He prefers others to speak rationally, if at all, and provide evidence for the worthiness of their position.

The truth is that Eros and Logos belong to one another, but for as long as any of us can remember, they have been estranged.

It all began when Logos discovered what he called “irrefutable truth” a method of deduction that could explain the whole universe. Driven by the power of his dominion over nature, Logos began to dismantle the mysteries Eros served, exposing them for puzzles of constituent elements that he believed they were.

Captivated by his charisma, everyone followed Logos’ rule. Eros was sent, along with the magicians and the night-walkers, poets and reveller, to live underground where she could no longer influence people with her dark, moist longing for the holy in nature.

~Toko-pa Turner / Belonging

In Carl Gustav Jung's analytical psychology, the counterpart to eros is logos, a Greek term for the principle of rationality. Carl Jung considers logos to be a masculine principle, while eros is a feminine principle. According to C.G. Jung:

"Woman's psychology is founded on the principle of Eros, the great binder and loosener, whereas from ancient times the ruling principle ascribed to man is Logos. The concept of Eros could be expressed in modern terms as psychic relatedness, and that of Logos as objective interest."

― Carl Jung, “Woman in Europe” (1927), in Collected Works vol. 10, paragraph 255; reprinted in Aspects of the Feminine, Princeton University Press, 1982, p. 65, ISBN 0-7100-9522-8.

This gendering of eros and logos is a consequence of C. G. Jung's theory of the anima/animus syzygy of the human psyche. Syzygy (from Late Latin sȳzygia “conjunction”, from Ancient Greek συζυγία suzugía, “yoke; union”. This word was recognized as English in 1847 in its astronomical meaning) refers to the split between male and female. According to C. G. Jung, this split is recapitulated in the unconscious mind by means of "contrasexual" (opposite-gendered) elements called the anima (in men) and the animus (in women). Thus men have an unconscious feminine principle, the "anima", which is characterized by feminine eros. The work of individuation for men involves becoming conscious of the anima and learning to accept it as one's own, which entails accepting eros. This is necessary in order to see beyond the projections that initially blind the conscious ego. "Taking back the projections" is a major task in the work of individuation, which involves owning and subjectivizing unconscious forces which are initially regarded as alien.

In essence, C. G. Jung's concept of eros is not dissimilar to the Platonic one. Eros is ultimately the desire for wholeness, and although it may initially take the form of passionate love, it is more truly a desire for "psychic relatedness", a desire for interconnection and interaction with other sentient beings. However, C. G. Jung was inconsistent, and he did sometimes use the word "eros" as a shorthand to designate sexuality.

Conformity, Envy or Empathy & Love

Any locale is to be interpreted for what it is: not real, not making true sense.

All the locale experiences are just that, scenarii to be acted upon, then, closed.

Games all, out of which some are "Jeux interdits", the dialogue of war & peace.

Yet through not engaging the apparent realness of such circumstances can I find peace while wars are raging.

I should remain utterly focused on the true nature of the Self.

Card from the Osho Zen Tarot

《道德經》第80章

小國寡民。使有什伯之器而不用；使民重死而不遠徙。

雖有舟輿，無所乘之，雖有甲兵，無所陳之。

使民復結繩而用之，甘其食，美其服，安其居，樂其俗。

鄰國相望，雞犬之聲相聞，民至老死，不相往來。

― James Legge (Standing alone)

In a little state with a small population, I would so order it, that, though there were individuals with the abilities of ten or a hundred men, there should be no employment of them; I would make the people while looking on death as a grievous thing, yet not remove elsewhere (to avoid it).

Though they had boats and carriages, they should have no occasion to ride in them; though they had buff coats and sharp weapons, they should have no occasion to don or use them.

I would make the people return to the use of knotted cords (instead of the written characters).

They should think their (coarse) food sweet; their (plain) clothes beautiful; their (poor) dwellings places of rest; and their common (simple) ways sources of enjoyment.

There should be a neighbouring state within sight, and the voices of the fowls and dogs should be heard all the way from it to us, but I would make the people to old age, even to death, not have any intercourse with it.

Dào De Jing Chapter 80 — Herman Ould

Picture my little country with its few inhabitants.

Maybe there are contraptions in it for reducing labour to a tenth, a hundredth, but why should they be used?

I would have my people take death seriously and not go abroad to seek it, though they are ready enough to die twice over to defend their homes.

Maybe there are boats and carriages in my little country, but why should people travel in them?

Maybe there are weapons and armour, but these are kept in the background, unused.

I would let my people jog their memories with knotted cords and not depend on writing.

I would have them satisfied with their food; their clothing should be pleasant; their homes comfortable; and they would take delight in the performance of the daily round.

The neighbouring country might be so near that my people would hear the cocks crow and the dogs bark over there, but old age might come and even death itself, and yet my people would have felt no need to cross the border.

80 ― Arthur Waley

Given a small country with few inhabitants,

He could bring it about that through

There should be among the people contrivances requiring ten times,

A hundred times less labour, they would not use them.

He could bring it about that the people would be ready

To lay down their lives and lay them down again in defence of their homes,

Rather than emigrate.

There might still be boats and carriage,

But no one would go in them;

There might still be weapons of war,

But no one would drill with them.

He could bring it about that

“The people should have no use for any form of writing save knotted ropes,

Should be contented with their food, pleased with their clothing,

Satisfied with their homes,

Should take pleasure in their rustic tasks.

The next place might be so near at hand

That one could hear the cocks crowing in it, the dogs barking;

But the people would grow old and die without ever having been there”.

Connecting the Major Arcana & Major Sephirot

Sephirot	Name	Zen Major Arcana
		Path 1	Path 2
0	–	The Master
1	Kether	X – Change	XXI – Completion
2	Hokhmah	IX – Aloneness	XX – Beyond Illusion
3	Binah	VIII – Courage	XIX – Innocence
(4)	Da’at	VII – Awareness	XVIII – Past Lives
4 (5)	Hesod	VI – The Lovers	XVII – Silence
5 (6)	Geburah	V – No-Thingness	XVI – Thunderbolt
6 (7)	Tiphereth	IV – The Rebel	XV – Conditioning
7 (8)	Netzach	III – Creativity	XIV – Integration
8 (9)	Hod	II – Inner Voice	XIII – Transformation
9 (10)	Yesod	I – Existence	XII – New Vision
10 (11)	Malkuth	0 – The Fool	XI – Breakthrough