It was St Johns Catholic Church in Rensselaer NY.

I took a brief look to see if I could find any of the stained glass on google images and didn't see any from this church.

If you go the panels I'm most interested in our in the back of the church on the second floor. You can see them from the pews. Also as you walk into the main church area the first or second panel off to the left has what appears to be a blue mushroom growing from a walkway and it appears to be next to a red mushroom.

If you can get in there and take some pictures I'd love to see some close ups!

Wow, I'll have to check that out. I've always hear about mushrooms in Irish Catholic manuscripts but never thought there might be something like that so close by. I'll have to report back when I get a day off with some pictures

Yes please do! I really wanted to try and get closer to them or take some pictures. They likely are not what I thought they were, but like I said I was at a funeral and couldn't really get close enough to verify or not. That's awesome that you live in Albany... Depending on your age, it's quite possible we know a lot of the same people.

Peace

Me too! Can't wait to see your findings, Psybin. Please share some pics!


Yes, I am. We all are here to testify to this life we live and to our being existent. The I am Principle is all around us and within us each. This was never contested in my ramblings, rather, an attempt was expressed to suggest accessing the spiritual essence therein, intentionally peeking behind the curtain of presumed appearance and conditions of a static reality (perceived via the material senses and mind, if you will). Reality is many things to many people, animals, plants, minerals, gases, liquids and fundamental elements... so it is happening everywhere and is diversified beyond the scope of finite human understanding.

Some wisely suggest an ultimate reality cannot even exist, within the sentient mind conceptually or outside of the self parameters, cosmologically. Hence the ego-death undergone, as the seeker experiencing the Sacred, melts into the Clear Light of the Void and due to the fusion, an understanding blooms even as it loses the confines of a separate witness to the blooming effulgence of Divine Light, as naught truly exists that is not Sacred and within such a still vacuum. Ergo, I am. But despite the gravity of a clearly defined sense of self... I also, am not. Just whose dream is this, anyway?

This is the paradox and the nature of Maya or "illusion". That source of transparency and illumination remains eternally unborn and despite this truth, manifests immanently as the All in All, refracting endlessly within the very same moment dawning. And this is not just an eastern idea, it is wholly universal. In western thought occurring simultaneous with the utterances of Gautama Buddha, Plato describes Socrates bold assertion about the nature of reality and illusion.



Wise ole Socrates. Where then, can any reality be found or any paradigm experienced that is not impermanent and cloaked in the veiled mirage of the subjective comprehension of one's own relative perception? John C. Lily and gibran2 believe that there cannot be a fixed ultimate state of reality, as we understand it in human terms To quote Dr. John, "Each paradigm of reality is superseded by the next, more expanded paradigm and level of reality. It's endless. There is no ultimate state of reality because such a state would by necessity, be ever-changing, limitless and therefore, immeasurable."

Reality is a measurement of what is truly REAL and is tangible to oneself, yet, said "reality" is but a tiny fraction of the total realm of potentiaty, which curiously remains quite ineffable... while it symbiotically, exists on multifarious planes of conscious-awareness and within a seemingly limitless explosion of an infinity of parallel existential possibilities. So, yes I also agree wholly here, reality is real. Just as unreality is unreal. Therefore, to have reality being real, there must also exist the aspect of illusion masquerading as reality. Here is where the dance of semantics come fully into play.

As illusion and reality seem somewhat at odds with one another, you can't feasibly have one without the other. Much like the seamless balance within the dynamic human field of individual consciousness, there is undeniably the presence of a juxtaposition of reason and intuition, the quantifiable known and the Grand Mystery, the relative phenomenon and the deeper movement which eludes our mortal grasp.

And the earlier parable presented about there being an awakening to the interior reality within the exterior reality, this world being the material reality. Within this vibratory field lies the astral, the causal and the indivisible plane of one's epicentrical mind-self. I honestly feel that it is of utmost importance to accept that as we dream-out our own bloom of existence, we also have the innate power to shift our own attention, to change our perception and to perceive of myriads bands of direct knowledge. And while it can come off as negating the concrete concept of the physical plane's solidity... granted, this is no reason to stand so firm to what may well indeed be but a passing dreamscape, that the immersion into the Oneness remains a subjective experience.

Reality is like a mirror. Each of us sees something entirely unique when we glance into the reflection of what we have become conditioned to believe our mortal body is. So we each get a different picture. But on a minute, microscopic level, what exists lies unseen to the self inhabiting the dream-body or our personal, earthly self. We exist on many levels simultaneously and this is proven by science every day in clinical research.

So yes, regardless of the personal earthly self's total obviousness of the microscopic, atomic and sub-atomic states inside of themselves, collective being is what we are, meanwhile we are fundamentally the very surface part of the miracle of our own existential paradigm... And on it's own terms, it too is real. Essentially, the mirror is "reality" for everything and yet, it is not the same for everything. Thus, "illusion" shadows the known and this hardly makes one lose appreciation for the play of nature and the dance of the cosmos. It only heightens, wihtou limiting it, the interconnection that everything inherently shares, being a reflection of the singularity of the whole.


Agreed. We still spend a considerable part of our experience maintaining our material shells and throughout this process, the eternal resides therein. We eat, sleep, clean ourselves, feed our emotions, educate ourselves, procreate and work hard to earn our living. Why so? Because it's natural and simply happens automatically, unfolding in waves, sprouting rhythmically within the universal pulse. Sure, survival is both instinctual and a leaning process but upon entering the vortexial fulcrum of the whiteout experience, all is seen as Brahman. This oneness makes every relative phenomenon also That. Atman is Brahman and internal harmony is the only way to be buoyant within this ever expanding field of direct immersion, the eclipsing of the observer and the observed.

This is the crux of Gnosis, to my small understanding... getting lost in the merging or the "enlightenment". Emptiness in fullness is emptiness, ad infinitum. We are blessed to so touch the place where all distinctions vanish and God or The Unified Field, hums along resplendently. Ideally, we then become what Sakyamuni implored of us, being lights unto ourselves. Here in the blinding power of the light, there is no true individualized self. 'Tis beyond the mesmerizing phantom of impermanence and/or Mayic illusion. It cannot be divided, as it is pure Sacred Being. Only the separate self was the illusion.

Lord Buddha spoke of Anatman or no truly separate, isolated self. Everything is interconnected. It was just a dream. Chang Tzu reiterated this parable about dreaming. Thus, the scope is simply expanded and exponentially so. But in practical terms we don't walk into rush hour traffic or put our bare hands into the flame. Our journey is one of balanced integration. Thus finite houses the infinite. It's bones are eternal. Samadhi reveals that they are one and the same. We are quintessentially all the same energy. There is no real other. And admittedly, without returning to the individuated frequency of oneself, the direct knowledge of this experience is also remains unknowable and most unreal (illusory), for without duality present nothing makes any sense, right?

So we rise into the blinding source of all that is and are erased by the journey. Thus, we are reborn to a clear remembrance of always having been ONE, of having been the very cause and the effect of choosing to be conscious of existing. We create "reality" with every thought, feeling and action. Witness and witnessed fuse into a euphoric silence. At least it appears as so from my windowsill, effulgently shimmering frequencies of Divine light, pouring into all that exists but never being caught for long within the web of becoming, the game of manifestation. Retaining the absolute freedom and substantiating everything else simultaneously.

Mystical experiences only nurture the balance betwixt the mortal and the immortal aspects of oneself. This may be a dream but despite its' inherent impermanence, the infinite shows a trace of joy from the sheer merging, the keen attunement to this moment, the only moment there has been, now exists and will ever be. It's really good to be here now. Awakening to this timeless constant, itself constantly changing into something new, forevermore free of any bondage or clinging to self suffering. Instead of Namaste, let me just say that you folks totally rock!!!

^ Good read

Maya, illusion, can be seen from a variety of angles.

Sure this reality isn't an illusion.. until you actually get down past the molecular level and you can see subatomic particles (BTW there are no particles) dance in and out of existence..

But more importantly particles are simply not real. Electrons, protons, neutrons, photons, etc have what is called a rest mass and not an actual mass. Trouble is electrons, photons, neutrons, protons, etc are NEVER at rest. No one has ever reached absolute zero (My old physical chemistry teacher worked on this issue though) and quite frankly things get pretty crazy as you get really close to absolute zero like all atoms start behaving the same like some sort of proto-particle or something.

I'm trying to find the physics paper that called for the end of particles as in truth particles are really only special eigenstates of the wave equations. Special in that when the wave equation is solved for zero the fields apparently localize to a given point. However you can never measure both velocity and location at the same time.. particles are never motionless and thus have no actual mass.

Found the old link.. This was to be published in the American Journal of Physics.. Not sure if it ever was or not, but the paper is still an interesting read and something that I have alway's suspected and actually agree with. Particles are illusory which makes..well it makes this reality an illusion... But only an illusion from the frame of reference of materialism. To Jamie's point try as I might to see this as an illusion if I don't pay my mortgage I'll be living on the street .. and the winters are cold were I live.. No amount of philosophical pandering will change how brutal it would be to be homeless...

Full Text:
http://arxiv.org/pdf/1204.4616.pdf

Thanks so much for the link!!!

"By now it should be possible to obtain consensus on at least one issue: Are the fundamental constituents fields or particles? As this paper shows, experiment and theory imply unbounded fields, not bounded particles, are fundamental. This is especially clear for relativistic systems, implying it's also true of non-relativistic systems."

Nice to see that science and spirituality are on the same page. So cool that exoteric rational humanitarian efforts find the esoteric truth eluded to by reclusive ascetics, ecstatic mystics and wise sages, who by serenely searching for a deeper reality at play, discovering the unified field, then themselves become eternally blooming sources of their own light.

Quantum physics leads to the discovery of what was once considered the purely metaphysical. I hold faith that our understanding of the encounter with the inner light will soon be verified through pragmatic experiment and procedure, despite it's penchant for remaining ineffably mysterious. Yet it can be done if the focus is keenly developed, if we become so attuned and deeply centered as to become still, tranquil, empty and essentially enlightened. I like to call it meditation.

So, when Gautama Buddha was approaching his mortal end, he said, "Appo Deepa Bhava" अप्पो दीपा भव "Be a light unto yourselves." Some translations into the English language suggest this wording, "Let your Self act as a lamp" or more literally, "Be a lamp unto yourselves." The full proclamation Sakyamuni spoke was more or less, something like this:

"Be a lamp unto yourself, be a refuge to yourself. Take yourself to no external refuge. Hold fast to the Truth as a lamp; hold fast to the Truth as a refuge. Look not for a refuge in anyone beside yourself. And those, Ananda, who either now or after I am dead shall be a lamp unto themselves, who take themselves to no external refuge, but holding fast to the Truth as their lamp, and holding fast to the Truth as their refuge, shall not look for refuge to anyone beside themselves, it is they who shall reach the highest goal."

Mahaparinibbana Sutta

Just how psychedelics play a viral role in all of this is KEY for each psychonaut to find out for themselves, which is a voyage no one can take for us, save each of us alone. Even master souls like the Buddha, Christ or Shankaracharya cannot do it for us. Still, they are fine and inspiring examples for us to emulate. Not to copy or imitate them, but to learn from their wealth of wisdom. Same goes for the Sacred Medicines and their entheogenic teachings. May your journey within be most illuminating!

The proof is already there for anyone willing to walk the path and see for themselves.

You know In some ways I really don't care what science has to say about it...as if science is going to somehow verify or debunk the experiences we have had. LOL What is more important to me is to help facilitate the experience in other people and to help break down the barriers and normalize talk of these things.

But honestly this is a tricky beast as well. It's really not as simple as taking a large dose. That doesn't alway's work. But I sincerely believe the experiences can be conditioned..and when the stage (set of mind) is right the experience will unfolds naturally.. I'm thinking of Paramahansa Yogananda and his years of training before drinking the divine tea prepared by Babaji.

So I think anyone willing to engage in a practice of sincere meditation until such time that they can hold their mind on a single point of focus for a several minutes. (Really a LOT harder than most people imagine). And then when that person has achieved a quite inner state then 20mgs of DMT is sufficient to verify the inner white light... The only white light I had from DMT/CHANGA was exactly like this. I was meditating for a very long while before hitting the CHANGA... nothing could have ever braced me for it...but because my mind was still and not moving. The visions started with color and then just literally unraveled into the most magnificent inner light imaginable. I felt like I was there for a very long while. When I came back down I was on the other side of the room in prayer position (I was initially sitting half lotus) with tears streaming down my face. That single experience will trump any sort of science explanation. I mean it was real. Real as this computer I'm typing on...hell perhaps more real. It was unequivocally real. And Honestly anyone not willing to take the experience simply doesn't have a valid opinion in my mind.

Now I still think there are entire strata or layers of consciousness that these compound evoke that should also be included..

My primary question for other scientists (material oriented scientists).. if my eye's are closed then where is the light I'm seeing? And further more how am I seeing with my eye's closed... Calling it imagination is just a label and doesn't add or subtract anything from the profundity.

Light, as we currently understand it, essentially doesn't even exist in this reality. It has literally zero mass. From the vantage point of light there is never a distance. When light Leaves A headed to B it arrives the exact moment it leaves. Light is everywhere and yet nowhere (no mass).

So again my question for the scientific community that wants to debunk this all as make believe is to address exactly and specifically what the inner light of dreams and visions is. Light DOES NOT EXIST IN THE PHYSICAL UNIVERSE.. and yet we can eat some shrooms and quite clearly see an inner light inside our minds.. no sun, no lamp, no fire. Light is spiritual by every conceivable measure. It defies every law of the physical universe.. and apparently it is the chief of police for the galactic speeding unit.

Lastly just hearing someone say it's your visual cortex doesn't do it either. I want an exact answer to were the light arises from and to what sees the light. I get it the visual cortex is involved.. so what. My tv is involved in the cable signal as well... If they want to continue with the reductionist approach then I want to know exactly which cluster of neurons is involved...No I want to know which neuron.. NOPE. I want to know which g coupled protein is interacting with the DMT at the precise location that the light arises....oh did I mention light doesn't have a location in the typical since..it's fucking everywhere. Remember the speed of light is only relative to an outside OBSERVER. Even if you get to 99.999999999999999% the speed of light... Even if you do that a photon will still pass you at C. That defies ever physical notion we have... and it's been proven. We actually have to change the clocks on satellites because of the speed they are moving..otherwise they get out of sync with ground based clocks..

So yeah other than science helping to destigmafy these compounds I'm genuinely uninterested in what the 'experts' have to say about it.

Exactly. ^


The study of material science is a trap, a hole that keeps getting deeper and deeper the more ''progress'' is made. Most scientists put all their faith in Science to give all the answers, which amounts to way too much emphasis on the external, and ''as one door opens, another closes''. To some degree or another we have all sacrificed our experience of the unity, and become lost in the external, limiting ourselves with a body, thoughts, emotions, habits.... But there are those of us who have realized the trap, and are switching direction, focusing inside, the only ''place'' where we have access to the unity.

EDIT:I dont want it come across that I think science is useless. On the contrary. I find it to very useful in helping me to create analogies and metaphors for inner states of being, and for many other things. Science can be helpful if used correctly, and is most necessary for us, but only up to a certain point, because as we are trapped in the ''darkness'', the illusion, one needs to use the illusion against the illusion until enough awareness of the inner light is brought about.

I just think people are deluding themselves if they put too much emphasis on science as being able to discover the absolute reality.

Yeah man. I agree. And don't get me wrong. I love science and am quite thankful for it. But when it comes to looking at big questions like.. Maybe matter isn't primary? Well all of science is built on the premise that matter is primary... But it seems just as likely that consciousness is primary. I mean the universe has manifested both matter and consciousness right? So if science rejects the founding principle by default then how can science ever actually be expected to arrive at an answer that makes sense?

What a great thread! I have often thought of the quote below when I hear 'Be a light unto yourself'.

"There are two ways of spreading light; to be the candle or the mirror that reflects it."
~Edith Wharton

..well so much has been said in this most enjoyable thread..thank you! Rising Spirit, joedirt, jamie and everyone..
i'll close with something relating to what DmnStr8 demonstrated..


.. this was more of a 'zen koan' than a literal statement..for the record..
and was aimed more at 'neo-advaitains' and 'neo-buddhists' who use slogans without direct experience..

..to throw a few dimes in, but really a lot has been expressed well in this thread

- Maya is neither real nor not real - this is the general Advaita Vedantan perspective..

'Be a light unto yourselves.' - here the light is singular..here Vedanta and Buddhism agree..

..to quote the Tripura Rahaysa (an advaita and shaktism work) -

"Though She is the undivided whole, the universe manifests in all its variety in Her, being reflected as it were, in a self-luminous mirror. The reflection cannot be apart from the mirror and is therefore one with it. "

peace to you all..

ॐ

Love is the Light.
Love you already have.
Love you already are.
Despite the darkness within you.
The shadows of your own projections.
Love is always there in your heart.
Clear your mind to clear your heart.
Clear your heart to see the truth.
Truth that was covered by your own darkness.
That shadow you have placed upon yourself.
That shadow which makes you miserable and weak.
That shadow made of pure suffering.
The suffering which is born through identification with pain.
Pain which is constant part of life and quality of change.
Change which is necessary for Life to be in constant motion.
Motion which brings you all the beauty in travel through out the space.
The beauty that you love the most in Life.
Life the only thing that you truly have, love and are.
Life which is Beauty, so Life is Beautiful in Love.
Be aware of that but most of all be happy.
Be happy because Love and Happiness is your true nature in pure presence of being.

What a beauty...



love, now, I am is all there is.


tseuq

On time:
There aren't enough breaths in this incarnation to represent the totality of all incarnations.
There are, however, just enough breaths in this incarnation to represent itself.

On birth:
There aren't enough interactions in this incarnation to satisfy restless thoughts.
There is, however, one interaction in this incarnation that satisfies itself.

On death:
There aren't enough ticks of the clock in this incarnation to achieve even the simplest goal.
There are, however, just enough ticks of the clock in this incarnation for the simplest goal to achieve itself.

On love:
There aren't enough beats of the heart in this incarnation to share with all.
There requires, however, only one beat of the heart in this incarnation to be received by all.

reading one buddha after another.
this master or the next.
you have a lot more helping you than you know.
nothing is a distraction.