Innate Knowledge

A moment of beauty…

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waterfall_7There is something about the beauty & the raw elemental power of a waterfall that captivates the soul.  One of the most powerful – yet simple – experiences of my life was because of a waterfall.

There is a provincial park just fifteen minutes from my house & at this park there is a beautiful beach that is enjoyed all summer long by locals & tourists alike.  The beach is located at the western end of a lake where the water flows into a series of waterfalls that are the source of a river.  The geography is such that one can walk along the granite stones of the shore & out into the water right where the first waterfall starts.  One can then sit down in the water (which is about waist deep) with one’s back to the waterfall.  The rushing water cascades over one’s shoulders filling one’s body with an amazing energy – that raw elemental power of the waterfall.

I try to perform this little ritual at least once a summer (if not more often).  It invigorates me & fills me with a gratitude for everything nature has to offer.  It is beautiful, powerful & meaningful.

What are some of the moments of beauty from your life?  Tell us what natural places are special to you & how they make you feel when you go there.  Leave a comment below & share your own experiences.

In the mean time, if your interested in some music to help you experience some Moments of Beauty, check out a little album I wrote & recorded last year.  You can find it on my Bandcamp site.

Candle’s Moments Of Beauty full length studio album

 

Kindness…

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This is my simple religion. There is no need for temples; no need for complicated philosophy. Our own brain, our own heart is our temple; the philosophy is kindness.

Dalai Lama

Musing…

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Tree Sunshine - JPEG

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

If every thought one thinks thoughtfully fulfills the goals one seeks, how much more powerful would our thoughts truly be? Then does it not make sense to know one’s goals & to keep those goals at the forefront of one’s mind at all times?

An Ancient Allegory About Enlightenment…

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Over 2000 years ago, Plato described reality in terms of an Allegory.  He was keenly aware of how much of what we Believe is simply illusions we Choose to accept.  This wonderful animation perfectly presents his Allegory Of The Cave.

Are there any other Allegories or Parables that have helped you understand life?  If so, I want to hear about them.  Tell me what stories inspired you to look at the world differently.

The Will To Power…

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1 Nietzsche, Friedrich - Portrait, 1860 - GIF

“To be comprehended: That every kind of decay and sickness has continually
helped to form overall value judgments;
that decadence has actually gained
predominance in the value judgments
that have become accepted; that we not
only have to fight against the
consequences of all present misery of
degeneration, but that all previous
decadence is still residual, i. e.,
survives. Such a total aberration of
mankind from its basic instincts, such a
total decadence of value judgments–that is the question mark par
excellence, the real riddle that the
animal “man” poses for the
philosopher.”

From The Will To Power

Friedrich Nietzsche

It is a rather interesting occurrence that I find myself a Nietzschian Nihilist. After all, Friedrich Nietzsche is famous for proclaiming that “God is dead.” He was always quick to point out the problems he had with spirituality. Yet I find, as someone who is a deeply spiritual person, that his atheist and anti-spiritualist philosophy adds a great depth to my own mysticism. Is this a paradox? Or a misunderstanding of Nietzschian philosophy on my part? Perhaps…

Yet, if we put aside this difference in philosophy, there is much to learn from the 19th century’s most misunderstood philosopher. The two central themes of his philosophy are The Will To Power & the idea of the Übermensche (usually translated as “Superman” or “Overman”). Through the Will to Power, Individuals can push themselves above the mediocrity of the normal human existence & live a life of greatness – a life better connected to nature & the universe that surrounds us all. This better life of greater connectedness is what Nietzsche termed the Übermensche.

There is a great selection of Nietzsche’s works on the internet. One place to start is The Internet Archive which houses the Internet’s greatest collection of free media in the hopes of offering “Universal access to all knowledge.” It’s a great resource for any type of research you might undertake. And if you have your own Will to Power, you might use it to help you in becoming an Übermensche!

Leave me a comment below & let me know your thoughts on this topic – or any other that happens to be on your mind.

 

The Top 5 Philosophy Books That Influenced Me

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5. The Republic – Plato

As one of the Father’s of Western Philosophy, Plato has had a massive influence
on our civilization and the way people think. The Republic is probably his best
known work. In the dialectic style, Plato attempts to describe a perfect society
while addressing many of the issues any society would face. The sociology &
politics aside, the part that sticks out the most in my mind is The Allegory Of The
Cave which begins on line 514a of the text. If you are able to see the material
world for what it truly is, it might bear a striking resemblance to Plato’s Cave.
What you can learn from this observation might shock & free you at the same
time.

 

4 Être Et Le Néant (Being & Nothingness) – Jean Paul Satre

Perhaps the greatest existential atheist to have ever lived, Jean Paul Satre was a
man who evoked strong reactions from his readers & from the world as a whole.
His ideas regarding the nature reality and the power of the Individual turned
philosophy on its head. For me, the most important thing I learnt from Satre is
that we are beings who are Free except that we are only constrained by Choice.
It is the understanding of the Power of Choice that will Truly set you Free.

 

3. Meditations – René Descartes

Whenever I think of Descartes, I can’t help but get Monty Python’s The
Philosopher’s Song stuck in my head. You know the one: “René Descartes was a
drunken old fart//’I drink therefor I am’” But I digress… My own epistemology &
understanding of knowledge starts with Descartes. His famous Cogito (mocked
so well by Python & many others) is for me, the foundation of all Epistemology.
This a priori (or self-evident) Truth proves that at the very least, I exist. And from
there, anything is Truly possible…

 

2. The Celestine Prophecy – James Redfield

Though not a Philosophical work, strictly speaking, the life’s philosophy
contained in The Celestine Prophecy will put you on the path of connectedness &
help you reach your goals. The idea of the Celestine is that every day
synchronistic coincidences happen to Individuals. These coincidences are
messages from the universe that, if heeded, will help Individuals along their life’s
path. The trick is, staying connected & following these coincidences to their
ultimate end. This is an endeavour I am still struggling to master.

 

1 Thus Spoke Zarathustra – Friedrich Nietzsche

The great german Nihilist. The often misunderstood philosophical genius &
madman. Nietzsche’s masterpiece is superbly written & complex to its core. The
ideas it presents demand that the reader take up the hammer and strike down
everything – & then run through the forest dancing & singing, living life to its
fullest. It warns of the dangers of the Mob & forces the Individual to reach for
the higher goals in life. As Zarathustra himself says many times: “Man is but a
bridge to the overman.”

 

What are some of the books that have influenced you? Leave me a comment & let me
know. Maybe we can share our Knowledge & help each other cross Zarathustra’s
bridge faster.