Preparing The Evening Meal
Welcome to the March 10, 2005 weekly edition of the Satya Center newsletter.
Today’s New Moon occurs at 20° Pisces, symbolized in the Sabian system as: “A table set for the evening meal”. The esoteric theme is that of the soul returning home at the end of a cycle of development, reconnecting with the web of inter-related souls who have shared a portion of the long evolutionary journey, and sharing nourishment among the karmically connected group.
This image has special resonance in the context of today’s newsletter, with many stories gathered from around the web to nourish the group of people who read these emails. This is your meal, and I hope you find its dishes nourishing.
Many of the stories gathered this week focus on the impending end of the era of cheap oil, which will create a time of global and individual choice, driven by necessity. We are in the evening time of the age of mass industrialization and consumption.We now approach the culmination of a long spiritual cycle that has been focused on the development of the individual sense of self, and so it is no surprise that we live in an age of self-consciousness, self-centered behavior and rampant individualism.
At this twilight time between the ages, some nations, driven by ego and greed, will choose the path of the war of all against all, the path of resource wars among nations. Some individuals, seeking to enrich themselves at the expense of others, will pursue personal power and seek to dominate their fellows, to the detriment of their own spiritual development.
Others will choose the path of community, the path of voluntary simplicity, mutual nourishment and environmental stewardship. Even now, in many parts of the world, old souls are gathering in this magical twilight time, preparing to share their wealth, preparing to nourish one another with the accumulated treasures of their talents, preparing to forge the social structures that will become models for post-industrial, post-cheap oil communities. This path of sharing freely and connecting deeply with one another will open our awareness to the true nature of our interdependence with others and with our environment. This path of mutual service will thus nourish our bodies, minds and souls.
Let us ponder the words of the sacred Tao Teh Ching:
“Let there be small communities with few inhabitants.
The supply of vessels may be more than enough,
yet no one would use them.
The inhabitants would love living there so dearly
that they would never wish to move to another place.
They may have every kind of vehicle,
but they would not bother to ride them.
They may have powerful weapons,
but they would not resort to using them.
They would return to a simple system of cords and knots
to record their simple events,
as was done in ancient times.
They would be content with plain food, pleased with
simple clothing, satisfied with rustic but cozy homes,
and would cling to their natural way of life.
The neighboring country would be so close at hand
that one could hear its roosters crowing
and its dogs barking along the boundaries.
But, to the end of their days, people would rarely
trespass the territory of another’s life.”
--translated by Hua-Ching Ni
Weekly Meditation: More Is Not Enough -- The Stone Cutter
There was once a stone cutter who was dissatisfied with himself and with his position in life.
One day he passed a wealthy merchant's house. Through the open gateway, he saw many fine possessions and important visitors. "How powerful that merchant must be!" thought the stone cutter. He became very envious and wished that he could be like the merchant.
To his great surprise, he suddenly became the merchant, enjoying more luxuries and power than he had ever imagined, but envied and detested by those less wealthy than himself. Soon a high official passed by, carried in a sedan chair, accompanied by attendants and escorted by soldiers beating gongs. Everyone, no matter how wealthy, had to bow low before the procession. "How powerful that official is!" he thought. "I wish that I could be a high official!"
Then he became a high official, carried in an embroidered sedan chair, feared and hated by the people all around who had to bow down to him as he passed. It was a hot summer day and the official felt very uncomfortable in the sticky sedan chair. He looked up at the sun which shone proudly in the sky, unaffected by his presence. “How powerful the sun is!” , he thought.
“I wish that I could be the sun.”
Then he became the sun, shining fiercely down on everyone, scorching the fields and cursed by the farmers and laborers. But a huge black cloud moved between him and the earth so that his light could no longer shine on everything below. “How powerful that storm cloud is!” he thought.
“I wish I could be a cloud.”
Then he became that cloud, flooding the fields and villages, and shouted at by everyone. But soon he felt that he was being pushed away by some great force and realized it was the wind. “How powerful the wind is!” he thought.
“I wish I could be the wind.”
Then he became the wind, blowing tiles off the roofs of houses, uprooting trees, hated and feared by all below him. But after a while, he ran up against something that would not move, no matter how forcefully he blew up against it. It was a huge, towering stone. “How powerful that stone is!” he thought.
“I wish I could be a stone.”
Then he became the stone, more powerful than anything else on earth. But as he stood there, he heard the sound of a hammer pounding a chisel into solid rock and felt himself being cut away. “What could be more powerful than I, the stone?” he thought. He looked far below him and saw the figure of a stone cutter admiring his work.