Someone suggested to Buddha once that his teachings seemed very self-centred, that they were all about improving the self and not very much about helping others. Buddha replied,

“How can one person stuck in the mud be helped by another, also stuck in the mud?”

There are no gurus here, and no sages either. Perhaps our mutual wisdom amounts to not so much more than realising, “Hey! I’m stuck in the mud!”

Now, unless you’re a pig, or a hippopotamus, and enjoy being in the mud, that realisation is an excellent one. Because now, at least, we know we’re stuck in the mud.

And how can one person stuck in the mud be helped by another, also stuck in the mud?

Encouragement. And by acknowledging that being stuck in the mud isn’t such a lonely place, or even all that unusual. And, maybe, we share a few tips on how to get out of the predicament — a few helpful insights — so that, perhaps, we can all help each other out of the mud. Maybe all that makes it seem a bit easier.

I know you’ve done that for me.

Love & light…

I bow in thanks.

=) I know it’s a little subtle, but what I’m saying in the final paragraphs is we’re all butterflies. The caterpillar is a state of mind — for some of us, it’s the ego that convinces us we’re unable to fly. But the butterfly is the state of your spirit, and all you need to fly is quiet yourself, quiet your ego, sense your true being. The wings are there, already.

No transformation necessary.

Maybe I’m just the guy you ran across who gets to remind you of that.

I’m not sure it’s everyone’s place to write, or sing, or speak, but you can, Antoinette, and when you do you bring a little more light into the world, a little more vision… a little less silence.

……you have become the butterfly and your soulflight gives wings to other silent souls……

Namaste.

What is true… rather the question I think is what is pure? These things are given up by the earth itself. The kaleidoscope of light that bursts across the sky or the heavy smell of the earth underfoot or the heartwrenching silence of a winter blizzard. Anything that is true is found in these things. Never in the mind of a fallible creature like man.

Silence. Funny thing about silence. Only when we find ourselves surrounded by it, immersed in it, can we hear. There are times when the silence allows us to hear ourselves, our own voice (which is so often foreign to us). And then when the silence descends even over our inner voice, it allows us to hear… the earth and all her seductive and wise whisperings… all things true and pure.

Wish I could admit to sensing you, but alas, my eyes view life and others through lightly autistic tinted glasses….but therefore understand very well silence, withdrawal, vestiges of self, just being, as opposed to speaking. And understand the laws of Tao, of balance, of opposites taking turns to play in our experience. What is full, must empy. What is empty must refill…..

” but these words I wrenched free from the silence imposed upon it.” …..Oh I just LOVE the way you put that! I can feel it ….and feeling something leads to understanding it.

Thank you for yielding to the Flow….it brings light….each time anew.

I wonder how much of me you sense, Antoinette. [smile]

Though, for me, ‘truth‘ and ‘true‘ are not synonymous. Truth is what we create when we try to put what is true into words. More than a little of Lao Tse’s touch flows through this poem, and so, the truth that can be told is not the eternally true. I am most wary whenever someone uses the word truth, or claims to speak for it.

And, no, Peter. This poem is mine. There was a flow, as Antoinette perceives, but these words I wrenched free from the silence imposed upon it.

There’s a song that’s been in my head all day… a response of sorts to this poem …and a blog post percolating from that.

Another poem that came to you, nearly whole?

Have you noticed how Self Flows, even when self is better off silent?

I am delighted by all the insightful comments … we are blessed with several wise participants…a number that is now increased by one.

Your thoughts about pain and fear are very much like my own. Terror is an extreme fear, and underlying it I am beginning to sense a deep and bitter pain. Something I fear I will need to experience if I’m to move on.

lol — well, yes, after you’ve convinced your feet to take one or two steps checking the landscape and seeking insight, assistance and collaboration from others … all excellent ideas.

btw, I mention your “Learning to Fly” post on our facebook page… I wonder if the Tom Petty song came across your mind at all while you were writing it?…