Geoff Allen's Journal, June 2002

My Journal

[ June 1st, 2002 '

Today's mantra:
"A man came up to me in the street and asked if there was anyone I'd like to meet."

Annother lovely e-card ... click ... or here for enlarged version ...

- Mindfields

- Strehlow Aborigines

- karma kabs

http://now2000.com/weird/

In this morning;s email :)

Krazy Kwotes :)

Some fallen leaves on the footpath near me ...

Interesting page ... click :)

Also read over an oldie ... click {from the random page}

Some nice photos ... click - Palm Valley looks gorgeous (no pun intended)

Heard an interesting quote this morning on the radio ... click & scroll down to "Begin each day ..."

Hmmm ... that's not quite the quote ... the version I heard said something about the universe ... hmmm ... so, a further search tosses up some interestin sites ...

One of this morning's sites reminds me of yet another old fave ... kids really do say the darndest thinks ...

Blue Flash - looks fun :)

Scribbled this down a couple of daze ago ...

Until we own our own brains
Nothing else really remains
While we look for reasons
We overlook the seasons

[ June 2, 2002 '

Today's mantra: "I'm looking forward to the seven boredoms of my life."

Testing ...

Best humour site of the month? ... click {it arrived in my email this mornin}

... at first glance the listed sites do seem a tad on the 'naughty' side ... :)

Some interesting sites from recent emails ...

The Tibetan Book of Living & Dying by Sogyal Rinpoche

{I have noticed that book in the Dandenong library and I even had a flick through its pages once. Looks like a good read. I also saw a doco about a retreat he conducted in Australia. I think I may still have it on video somewhere or other.}

Jessie the wonder cat :)

The Madness of Adam & Eve - an interesting 'take' on the mystery that is schizophrenia ...

Those VICSERV linx ...

Kundalini Yoga Music

Other sites about yoga & breathing - I saw a great short feature about it the other day ... {set in the gorgeous Snowy Mountains - some great bike tracks too}

Camp Oven recipes - looked yummy on the Leylands show ... :)

Ditto

Another interestin linx page ...

DNA healings

One of yesterday's sites, seems their 'home' page isn't accessible but you can change the last two digits to see different articles ... e.g. click

Another cute page :)

[ June 3, 2002 '

Today's mantra: "People generally pray for whatever they believe will make them happy. Why not just pray for the happiness itself & cut out the middle man."

In a verrrry silly mood as I go online this morning ... click to see some of its manifestations ... :)

Thought for the day:

Mistakes happen accidentally

Then Had another read of the quote on this flyer ... so true ../

And speaking of art ... I snapped this mini-panorama yesterday ...click

- Memory Jiggler

- costa rica dawn chorus (monkeys)

- Abrolhos Islands

- stupid java security tricks

Also this morning ... ah it's probably sufficient elapsed time for this article to be online ... and it is ... one of the perks of belonging to the Melb PC Users group ...

Nature's Songs

Another familiar old page ... I must be suddenly feeling all nostalgic oliver sudden ...

Speaking of nostalgia ... click

Interesting poetry page ... {you might even like to submit your own creations}

Oh yes ... scribbled down a little poem this morning, walking home from the shops ... I'll type it up as soon as I remember 2 grab the piece of paper out of my trouser pocket ...

[ June 4, 2002 '

Today's mantra: "When a man says something, he always wants to say something else."

Down to Mt Martha again ... details 2 follow ...

{Just as soon as I take the scribbled notes out of my trouser poscket - trousers which are the worse for the journey by the way ...}

Interesting snippet in a newspaper I read on the bus about a randy dolphin 'pestering' humans ... so I did a little search

From some email - Kristen's monsters are cute ...

{and she has e-greetings as well}

Some yoga postures ...

One day a man tried to tell me that I'm crazy
And that I should learn to live just like a lady
I said mate, do'nt you worry at all about me
I'm going to jump on a bus and visit the sea

[ June 5, 2002 '

Today's mantra: "This kind of thing is bound to happen (every now & then) in a culture where people's priorities are totally warped."

Another sunny June day ... can't last but it's nice while it does ... a bit like life on earth, really ...

Perfect weather for some ovedue repairs to the roof ... scraping rust off with a wire brush ... filling tiny hole with plastic putty (to stop them becoming bigger holes) ... hammering a few loose nails ... all great fun ...

Latest Zen Ponderings arrives in my email ... and seeing as how the birthplace of Buddhism is currently a scene of conflict & the prospect of the unspeakable ... he includes a couple of links ...

Zen at war

Just war?

Zen, war & Schrodinger's cat ... sounds intruguing ...

Quote of the day:

"Do you think they're trying to tell me something?"
"If they were, would you listen?"
"Do you always answer a question with a question?"
"Does that bother you?"

From that Gyuto monks newsletter ... click :)

More results

- Mark Twain Hobart

More interesting emails ... school projects about schizophrenia ... times have changed (or have they?) ... I never heard the word schizophrenia until someone told me I had it ... :)

Plus the writing & art that schizophrenia often produces ... and those excerpts from 'The Troubled Mind' ... plus Van Gogh and the likelihood he had it as well ...

Oh yes ... that dream ... I almost forgot ...

I was attending a family picnic & got a bit bored with the proceedings & decided 2 climb a tree. But I soon realised the tree was literally crawling with ants and they were huge and they started biting me & I got really scared. Then I woke up & realised it was just a dream. I was so glad. And then ... I had it interpreted for free & I didn't even ask for an interpretation ...

... if its ok I'd like to give you my interpretation of your dream.
Your subconcious is trying to tell you that although family life is secure and comforting, much like the picnic in your dream, showing unity and fun - you have desires to try something different and ascend to new heights in your life (be it proffessional or private).
But you have fears - the ants represent various little concerns that may bite you when you attempt change. You fear these small (being the operative word) concerns will hinder your success.
Its a great dream, very reflective.
I suggest you step on these little concerns. You are much BIGGER! :)

Ah yes ... but what if I'm a Buddhist & respect all living creatures ... I can't very well just step on some ants ... hmmm ... kinda reminds me of a couple of today's earlier linx ...

Fabulous cropped image from Leunig's Book of Common Prayer ... I read the intro today at Springvale library ... ought to link it 2 a place online where one might purchase such a book ...

Another email also worthy of note ... may save the details for when there's a slow day in this journal ... suffice 2 say, I was very much reminded of aspects of Jim Twyman's book yet again ...

{esp Page 180 ... plus the bit about 'they will think I'm crazy' ... }

[It was basically in response to the secret of how to 'achieve' inner peace ... simply love everyone equally ... and how most people would say that's looney tunes ... as would I for MOST of this current incarnation ...]

... and how very, very few humans ever even contemplate the possibility ... {then again, until very recent times, we used to believe sending a telescope into orbit was quite impossible ...}

Speaking of dreams ... and mental health conferences ... click :)

Hadn't read them in awhile either ...

[ June 6, 2002 '

Today's mantra: "A man likes to turn his own life into a railroad."

www.mbsfestival.com.au - it's on this weekend ... hasn't been all that well advertised but I suppose well enough to catch the eye of this little black duck ... might be just the ticket with very wintry weather forecast ...

Getting back to the scribbles from the Mt Martha walk ...

Ah yes, heard this old favourite on the bus ...

- William Westall sketch (Arthur's Seat)

- Pam Ayres poems

- That Marcus Aurelius quote - add 'interference disloyalty selfishness' to the search (& possibly Bob Carr)

... plus a few mantras which may appear in this journal over the coming months ...

Posted a bit of Jung to that forum

Yes, it had been awhile since visiting that Jung circle ...

A recent smiley face ... looks eerily like the enigmatic smile of many statues of Buddha ... :) The scan doesn't quite do it justice but that's okay ... :) CLICK on it to see it massively enlarged ... (like some Buddha statues) ...

Did a little search for that Marcus Aurelius quote ... and it looks like the entire meditations are avaalable for download if you was interested ... click

Another interesting Pink Floyd page

Thought for the day:

In order to experience reality, you must first forget your own name

{and everybody else's as well}

Here's a very cute cartoon I just found ...

Another silly post ... click :)

www.australiannature.com

Saw an absolutely stunning book this avo by David Doubilet called Water Light Time ... and nearly purchased it despite the $100 cost ... well worth it ... gorgeous ... :)

John Liddiard underwater ...

Also Whispering in our hearts

Earth from the Air 365 days is also gorgeous ...

[ June 7, 2002 '

Today's mantra: "We still have no coherent, convincing theory for why human beings turn out the way they do."

From yesterday's meanderings ... can't give an exact link to this page, because it has frames and goes back to the main page for some reason. Some websites are just too fancy, aren't they ... :)

{You could click on 'search' and plug in 'being alone' and look for a filename ending in something like eng00018-02.htm ... or a phrase like 'tremendous ecstasy that nobody is'}

Anyway it was some Osho ... "My grandfather loved me very much, just because of my mischiefs. Even in his old age he was mischievous. He never liked my father or my uncles because they were all against this old man's mischievousness ..."

May pay to plug some of those words into Google at some stage for the full story ...

Also from yesterday ... Another book store ...

The Osho quote doesn't toss up too many results ... only two in fact ...

I suppose if I reduce the no of words ... click

Cute cartoon :)

Another little search sparked by a quote I saw somewhere recently ...

Could add a few of them to my rumi page ... :)

Had anothe peek at that forum ... and one thread about whether women are 'better' than men ... and then I had a glance at the Matrix 5 page ... :)

Yes if you're currently in a female body and yet were male in many previous lifetimes then the question of which gender is 'superior' becomes just a little bit silly ...

More silliness ... click ... the abdominal snowman ... it's funny the things that make us laugh at times ...

Living Museum

Ditto

Museum of the Mind

That animated gif from the gibberish meditation ... also over at zerocatch?? ... http in front of acaciaward.0catch.com/leunig/JustDance.gif

www.enchantedway.com

Freeeeaky ... that Dr Fun page is called 'The iceman cometh' ... then a little while later, I follow a link at the from the stars' site ... and have a look at one of the links on this page ... :)

[ June 8, 2002 '

Today's mantra: "In the beginning, there was no time or space or light or life. Things have changed quite a bit since then. And it was bound to happen sooner or later, wasn't it."

A little trip to the library ...

- Timothy Freke - Ikkyu

- Finola Moorhead

- Jevning physiology of meditation

- zen monk ask horse

- 'Creation Spirituality Dreamtime' by Matthew Fox, Joanna Macy, Veronica Brady, Kevin Treston, Elizabeth Cain, Eddie Kneebone (p. 61-5, 47 ++)

Found this page in a search for Eugene Stockton ...

Lovely shot of my tootsies on Somers beach ... contemplating my existence ... late 2001 ... those were the days ... my friend ... :)

The book by Andrew Newberg looks fascinating too ... with chapter titles like 'Biology of Transcendence' ... 'Photograph of God' ...

One of the works cited leads me here

Here's one interesting result from the above ... click

Speaking of koans ... :)

The Tahune airwalk looks fabulous ...

Another interestin search :)

... one of them has a phrase you don't encounter everyday of your life ... 'remote hypnotic induction of anti-social behavior' ...

One of today's earlier topics ... eventually leads me to this little site ...

Here's another page I found 2day ...

[ June 9, 2002 '

Today's mantra: "I'm not sure if that's human nature or not. Maybe it's simply a conditioned repsonse."

Some handy info about nuts

From this morning's emails ... an interestin little 'movie' ... click {it takes a few mins to load, so practice patience}

There's loads of interestin stuff to be found at Pete's site ... :)

... like this one ... {for example} ... and his slide show abt consciousness ...

Thought for the day:

Words really don't mean a thing

{or 'don't really'}

Cropped from leunig13 ... cute little scene ... :)

Interesting video

Quote of the day: click {Hugh Prather - I think I've seen his work on the web or in a book somewhere or other ...}

And I can vouch for that quote 100% ... nobody who's ever walked in such a way would dispute it one iota ...

Here's a bit of zen {from that search of 'zen monk ask horse'}

This page is worth a read too ... :)

[ June 10, 2002 '

Today's mantra: "I am the biological equivalent of a madman."

From yesterday ...

Stillness Meditation

Teaching

www.outbacktv.com.au

Incredible photo of an iceberg in my email this morn ... must rememeber 2 upload it sometime ... if I don't, just send me an email and I'll send it 2 you ... :)

Okay, here it is ...

Hmmm ... that outbacktv link seems dead ... temporarily? ... click

Ola Cohn - a name I hadn't heard before yesterday avo ...

Remember 2 upload this one ... drawn recently ... whilst really FLYIN ... :)

Another interesting & varied quotes collection ...

Oooh ... that iceberg image maybe a fake ... click

But these aren't ...

Another explanation of that image

[ June 11 & 12, 2002 '

Today's mantra: "I like to do lopsided things."

- Ben-Ami Scharfstein 'The Sound of the One Hand'

- zukav accept complex soul

In this month's 'SHINE' ... some Daily moments of Zen :)

Some interesting site names in that lot!

Oh yes, I had another little jaunt down 2 Mt Martha - a very 'atmospheric' day and if/when I get a better camera I must perch myself on Oliver's Hill about an hour before sunset ... the view across the bay if the sun & clouds are in JUST the right alignment ... anyways, I did take a few little snaps ... click ...

Lemme see ... what else did I scribble down on the bus ... well, the first song I heard got me thinking about that Zimbabwean proverb I read a couple of days ago ...

... oh yes, speaking of singing/chanting, I opened up a booklet that I've had 4 a while ... & read this interesting section ... hmmm, none of those hits seem to be precisely what the little booklet says ... click

www.eckankar.org.au

Oh yes ... those shots of the mural ... next time I go back there I must get one of the 'eye' sculpture - tough 2 describe but it has an 'eye' perched on top of a 6 foot 'pole' and each side of the pole has ceramics/mosaics ... including some Chinese caligraphy ... very effective ... :)

A handy little book 2 carry around with you ... :)

Another song I heard on the bus later in the day had some interesting lyrics ... :)

More thoughts on koans

Some sunsets

The outback on a starry night ...

Followed a few of the 'Aussie' links from this site ... {& their links pages ... & their links pages ... you know what I'm like ...}

Kermie's Page

Emma's Australia

Spiritual Potpourri Collection

... & a couple of others along the way ... plus some webrings ...

[ June 13, 2002 '

June 13 -

Today's mantra: "One day a man said something to his wife & then he said something else to his kids."

- Swati Chopra

- strangler fig pollination (wasp)

One final note from that Mt Martha trip ... from some vantage points on the cliffs, one can see the city of Melbourne with its skyscrapers ... it looks like an island ... kinda reminds me of a couple of verses of the poem I wrote about William Ricketts Sanctuary, when viewing the city from a similar distance and even more elevation ... that was also a cloudy day ... :)

... and if I ever do get a better camera ... a panorama from those clifftops would be an excellent choice ... {the city skyscrapers are far enough away to be unlikely to show up all that clearly on a digital image but human eyes can distinguish them}

Thought for the day:

It is better to say nothing than to remove all doubt

Hey ... I suppose I could add an image of one of Bill's sculptures to the top of that poem page ... :)

www.jordahlphoto.com

Shakespearian Insult generator