Enlightenment is intimacy with all things

Holiness is an infinite compassion for others

I love the Palestinian people.

I love the Israeli people.

I love Muslims.

I love Jews.

I love Islam.

I love Judaism.

I love life.

I love celebrating life.

I love everyone being able to live the life they choose.

I love justice, freedom, safety, material security, and equality of opportunity for all people.

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GRIEF AND RAGE

What should we do with our grief and anger? With the intolerable sadness and rage we feel about the world's horrors?

Right now, I choose to feel them all the way down to the bottom of the feelings. I enter fully into the presence of the grief and rage.

And I ask them to be my teachers.

I invite them to show me what I personally might do to respond constructively to the conditions that rouse grief and rage.

First instruction: Remember that the grief and rage originate in my love for the world. They are righteous responses to my yearning for an abatement of suffering and expansion of opportunities for justice and liberation.

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Educating myself about the history behind these horrific events is one way I choose to respond to my grief and rage.

Compassionate research. Objective curiosity. Wounded seeking. Yearning to see the biggest truth possible.

Proposed bottom-line spiritual philosophy: For any one of us, our life is rooted in the principle that whatever hurts other people hurts us; that injustices experienced by others are also injustices experienced by us.

None of us can truly be free and fulfilled unless we work toward the goal of ensuring everyone is free and fulfilled.

These are not vague abstract ideals. They’re the central source of our soul's code and how we organize our beliefs, emotions, and actions.

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According to 16th-century Kabbalist, Rabbi Isaac Luria, the idea of "enlightenment" was not some individual personal goal to escape mortal limitations and gain knowledge, but a group process by humans to assist the Divine in bringing creation into alignment with the original plan—i.e., "on earth as it is in heaven.”

—Martha Jablonski Jones

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Should we imagine that "enlightenment" is a perfect and permanent realization of ultimate truth?

Is it a possession we can own?

Once we have acquired it, are we forever guaranteed to understand the nature of reality at the deepest levels?

My guess is that there's no such thing as this kind of "enlightenment."

Here's a version of "enlightenment" that appeals to me: a visceral sensation of feeling close to all living things, buoyed by an ever-renewing empathy.

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"Enlightenment is intimacy with all things."

—13th-century Buddhist priest and writer Dōgen Zenji

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"Holiness is an infinite compassion for others," wrote author and activist Olive Schreiner.

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"The soul is awakened through service," said author Erica Jong.

I agree. I say the quest to align one's personal life with the highest good is at least as much about being in service to others and to the earth as it is about attaining a transcendent level of awareness or making pious displays of devotion to a deity or ideal.

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The words above are a paraphrase of a poetic interpretation of Pirkei Avot 2:16 (an ancient Jewish text), which is also commenting on the Book of Micah 6:8.

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CLARIFYING RESPONSES

Crisis may offer us the opportunity to rethink what's important to us and recommit ourselves to what's most essential.

Here are clarifying questions we can ask ourselves in response to the tragedy in the Middle East:

1. What are our highest ideals? How can we express those high ideals in practical ways?

2. How can we deepen our understanding of what’s going on in the world—and not simply fall back on what we have felt and thought before?

3. How can we more vividly feel the interconnectedness of all life?

4. How can we expand our vision of the best possible future for humanity and the world? How can we practically embody our vision of paradise-on-earth?

5. How can we use our unique gifts to make the world a better place? What's our special way of contributing to greater social justice?

6. How might our personal lives become channels for divine love?

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HUMANITARIAN AID

Th links below provide information about reliable charities and organizations you can donate to, if you’re seeking to financially assist those affected by the Middle East tragedy.

https://tinyurl.com/HumanitarianAidReal

https://tinyurl.com/HumanitarianAidNow

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REVENGE

The emotion that drives the plot of many TV shows and movies is REVENGE. It seems to be a key element in much of modern storytelling.

REVENGE is also a prime factor driving politics.

In these two areas of human activity, the desire for REVENGE is normalized. It's barely even questioned.

I also see the desire for REVENGE at work in the lives of individuals who entertain fantasies of hurting those who have done them wrong—though it seems to arise at a lower rate than it does in storytelling and politics.

I understand that the desire for REVENGE is one of a wide array of feelings that humans experience. I can't and won't say that it should never be felt and never expressed.

But I long ago took a personal pledge never to indulge my own revenge fantasies—never to honor them or give them a place in my life.

That doesn't mean I ignore or demean my righteous ANGER. In fact, I hold an honored place in my psyche for my rage against the injustices of the world, against the ongoing destruction of nature, against bigotry, militarism, misogyny, plutocracy, and transphobia.

So, yes: For me, righteous, constructive, effective, compassionate anger. But never revenge.

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EXTENDED VERSION OF THE BODHISATTVA VOW

Our happiness, potency, and spiritual skill are impossible and hollow unless we are in service to others. With this in mind, I propose an extension of the Bodhisattva’s Vow.

The Bodhisattva Vow: “My own personal quest for illumination is incomplete, and my own personal enlightenment is meaningless, unless I am also devoted to easing the suffering of others.”

I suggest we take this Vow a step further and say, “My quest for illumination is incomplete, and my enlightenment meaningless, unless I am also devoted to the goals of easing the suffering of others and helping them experience joy and pleasure and liberation and meaningfulness.”

A cornerstone of this Extended Version of the Bodhisattva’s Vow is that we are committed to providing the fundamental needs of all human beings—their food, shelter, medical care, money—so they have the ability to cultivate joy and pleasure and liberation and abundance.

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MALEFIC ECSTASY

"Malefic ecstasy" is the feeling of perverse pleasure that some people get as they think about and dwell on and talk about horrific futures and demoralizing events. It's also known as "exultant malaise" and "blissful pessimism."

These days, the media that report the news are even more obsessed than usual on feeding these emotions. They are even less likely to report on the ways the world is also a glorious place full of wonders and successes. I just went to the CNN website and drank in more malefic ecstasy than they have doled out in a long time.

Before I go further, I will say this: Yes, the world is full of horrible events! What could be more stupendously disturbing than what's unfolding right now in the Middle East? We need to fully acknowledge and feel the suffering. No hiding from it. No ignoring it. To run away from knowing it leads to its own kind of illness.

At the same time, the world right now is also filled with glorious wonders and successes—as it always is. To hide and ignore that stuff is also dishonest and dangerous.

To immerse ourselves ONLY in the grief and anger does not aid us in our ability to respond constructively to our grief and anger. We need to have ongoing visceral exposure to the beauty of the world. We need to deeply feel and honor our love for the world.

In this spirit, I would ask news outlets to raise their level of reporting on the world's glories from the current 5% to at least 15%.

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ONE BREATH

Not Christian or Jew or Muslim, not Hindu, Buddhist, Sufi, or Zen.

Not any religion or cultural system.

I belong to the Beloved, and know the two worlds as one.

Listen to these lyrics here: “Only Breath”: https://tinyurl.com/454zd8ex

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Two more songs to feel into during this painful moment:

Thich Nhat Hanh's "The Great Bell Chant (The End of Suffering)”: https://tinyurl.com/5n9xr3ur

Koolulam — One Day: https://tinyurl.com/yux332ts

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FREE WILL ASTROLOGY

Week of October 26

© Copyright 2023  Rob Brezsny

SCORPIO (Oct. 23-Nov. 21): Scorpio author Ófeigur Sigurðsson writes, "You should never do what’s expected of you; there’s always another path through life than the one before you." I wouldn't recommend his approach to any other zodiac sign but Scorpio. And I would only advocate it for maybe 40 percent of Scorpios 10 percent of the time. The coming weeks will be one of those 10-percent times. So if you are among the 40 percent who would thrive on this demanding but potentially exhilarating counsel, get ready to be as original and imaginative in living your life as you have ever been. Halloween costume suggestion: unicorn, dragon, or phoenix.

SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21): Only two items appear more often in the world's landfills than disposable diapers. They seem to be among the least ecologically sound products. Or maybe not. Japanese researchers at the University of Kitakyushu have made building materials out of them in combination with gravel, sand, and cement. (Read more: tinyurl.com/BetterWaste). In the spirit of this potentially glorious alchemical transmutation, and in accordance with astrological omens, I encourage you to ruminate on how you might convert wasted stuff into usable valuables in your own sphere. Halloween costume suggestion: A janitor or maid wearing a gold crown and pearls.

CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19): Of all the ideas propounded by major religions, the saddest is the Christian assertion that all of us are born sinful—that we come into this world with a corruption that renders us fundamentally flawed: tainted, soiled, guilty, foul. I reject this stupid nonsense. In my spiritual philosophy, we are all born gorgeous, loving geniuses. Tough experiences may diminish our radiance and make it a challenge to be our best, but we never lose the gorgeous, loving genius at our core. In accordance with astrological mandates, your task in the coming weeks is to get into close touch with this pure source. Halloween costume suggestion: your gorgeous, loving genius.

AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18): According to my meticulous analysis of the astrological omens, you now have a sacred right to expand your ego at least one full size. Even two sizes will probably be fine. Your guardian angel is lobbying for you to strut and swagger, and so are your muses, your ancestors, and God Herself. I hope you will overcome any shyness you feel about expressing your talents, your intelligence, and your unique understanding of the world. Halloween costume suggestion: a charming braggart, charismatic egomaniac, or beautiful narcissist.

PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20): "The secret for harvesting the greatest fruitfulness and enjoyment is to live dangerously!" Philosopher Friedrich Nietzsche said that. "Build your cities on the slopes of Vesuvius!" he added. "Send your ships into uncharted seas!" As for you in the coming weeks, Pisces, I don’t recommend you live dangerously, but I do suggest you live adventurously. Surpass your limits, if you dare! Transcend your expectations and explore the frontiers. Those activities will be a good use of your life energy and are likely to be rewarded. Halloween costume suggestions: daredevil, swashbuckler, gambler, fortune-hunter, or knight-errant.

ARIES (March 21-April 19): Shadow work is a psychological practice that has been deeply healing for me. It involves exploring the dark places in my soul and being in intimate contact with my unripe and wounded aspects. Engaging in this hard labor ensures that my less beautiful qualities never take control of me and never spill out into toxic interactions with people. I bring this up, Aries, because the coming weeks will be a favorable time for you to do shadow work. Halloween costume suggestion: Be your shadow, demon, or unripe self.

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SUPPORT

If you would like to support my work,

please consider

buying my new book Astrology Is Real

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TAURUS (April 20-May 20): The country where I live, the US, has banned over 2,500 books in recent years. I'm appalled by the ignorance that fuels this idiotic despotism. But there has been an amusing consequence, which I am pleased to report: Banning the books has sometimes hiked their sales. Gender Queer by Maia Kolbabe had a 130 percent increase. Art Spiegelman's Maus I and Maus II jumped 50 percent. Let this scenario serve as an inspirational metaphor for you in the coming weeks. If any person or institution tries to repress, deny, or resist you, do what you're doing even bigger and better. Use their opposition as a power boost. Halloween costume suggestion: rebel, dissident, or protestor.

GEMINI (May 21-June 20): Do you ever feel you are treated unfairly at your job? Is your workplace sometimes detrimental to your health? Is it possible that a few small changes could add up to a big improvement in how you feel while you're earning a living? There's rarely a perfect moment to address these concerns, but the coming weeks will be a more favorable time than usual. If you decide to seek shifts, devise a strategy that's as foolproof as possible. Resolve to be calm, poised, and unflusterable. Halloween costume suggestion: a worker doing your ideal job

CANCER (June 21-July 22): Cancerian comedian Dave Barry says that as he grows older, he looks forward to "continued immaturity." That sentiment is probably based on the fact that his humor is often juvenile and silly. (I like it, though!) I'm guessing it's also because he aspires to remain youthful and innocent and surprisable as he ages. I mention this, fellow Cancerian, because the coming weeks will be an excellent time to celebrate and honor the parts of you that are still blooming but not yet in full blossom. Be grateful you have not become a jaded know-it-all. Would you consider revisiting joys you loved as a child and teenager? Halloween costume suggestion: your younger self.

LEO (July 23-Aug. 22): Horseshoes have symbolized good luck in many cultures. A common usage is to hang them over front doors. But there’s disagreement about the best way to generate the good fortune. Some people say the open end of the horseshoe should point upward, since that collects the luck. Others insist it’s best for the horseshoe to point down, as that showers luck on those who enter and leave the house. If you experiment with this fun myth, I advise you to point the open end up. It’s time for you to gather blessings, help, and fortuity. Halloween costume accessories: good luck charms like a four-leaf clover, acorn, cat’s eye gemstone, ankh, dragon, laughing Buddha, Ganesh statue, and horseshoe.

VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22): There would be no life on earth if it weren’t for the sun. Our home star’s energy is the central force at work in the creation and sustenance of all humans, animals, and plants. Yet we must be sure not to get extravagant amounts of our good thing. An overabundance of solar heat and radiance can cause failed crops, dehydration, droughts, skin cancer, and wildfires. Are other factors at work in your sphere that are also nourishing in moderate amounts but unhealthy in excess? And do you know when just right becomes too much? Now is a favorable time to ruminate on these matters. Halloween costume suggestion: Goldilocks, Lady Justice with her scales, or a body suit adorned with a giant yin and yang symbol.

LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 22): The earliest known human settlement is Göbekli Tepe, in what's now the country of Turkey. When archaeologists first excavated it in 1994, they realized it was built over 11,000 years ago. This was shocking news, since it dramatically contradicted previous estimates of how long people have lived in villages. I'm predicting a comparable shift in your understanding of your own past, Libra. The full effect may not be apparent for months, but there will be interesting jolts soon. Halloween costume suggestion: archaeologist, time traveler, or yourself in a past life.

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