The tug-of-war that pulls you between the past and the future...the swing of the pendulum that carries you into the light, then back into the dark...is best handled as a Dance.  If you are tired of the Old Self--the self-abusive one who can't let go of Toxins--and are eager for the New Self--the glowing one who is free of Toxins, then chances are you strive for change.  However, during this change, you will probably swing awhile--going back and forth between the two sides, back and forth between the two selves. 

The Desirable-You will disappear under the Vices of the Familiar-You, if  the Familiar-You hangs onto Pity.  Watch your thoughts and listen to your comments.  If they are whiny, lift them.  Go easy on the complaining, and strive for a view of complete and total love.

Instead of self-pity and frustration at the digressions, think of the pendulum between the Desirable and the Familiar as a Dance, a rocking dance created for you.  You can fight the shifting pendulum, or you can surf the shifting penulum, and dance to its rhythm.  

The Flow moves as it moves...the rhythm of the universe does what it does. 

If you are a person of superior Will, you can stop the pendulum from swinging so widely...stop the extreme shifting...back and forth between the two opposing forces that snap you like a little yo-yo.

But if you are an ordinary person who craves pleasure and numbing--as most of us are--then your pendulum could glide between the past and the present for years. 

It is wise to allow the Shift to carry you--gracefully, from one side to the other, as if it is dancing you.

As you learn to accept the Dance, the weaker side will no longer have a pull, and the pendulum will gravitate to the center. 

There, it will pulsate softly, keeping your rhythm alive.

Pain,

Pleasure,

Numb.

Pain, 

Pleasure,

Numb.

It begins with Pain-birth pain-for the sake of life on earth.

After the nearly unbearable throb of agony, while exploding out of the womb, we almost immediately get thrown into Pleasure. 

Our need for nourishment is also our strive for pleasure-our hunger that if left unanswered, will gnaw and create another pain.  To avoid more Pain, we find our second sensation, that which is Pleasure.

As the hunger increases, and our stomachs grind, we flood the uncomfortable sensation with milk...the sucking, the swallowing and absorbing of nourishment becomes our first known pleasure-rid thyself of pain by filling the mouth and slurping the contents down the throat.  Comfort that tummy!

Can you imagine where this is going?

Keeping our mouths and bellies full is the way to pleasure, and all mammals innately crave the comfort of pleasure.  With warmth, satiation, and fullness-and minimal thought for where the next meal is coming-we learn to take feeding for granted.

Ordinary eating for survival becomes our most immediate connection to pleasure, and if our pain is perceived as only moments away, eating-or anything that resembles eating, anything oral-becomes our fixation. 

What happens after we fill up on a satiating meal?  We physically retire, slow down, sit for awhile, or fall asleep.

And what happens when we fall asleep? 

We go numb.  Though we can still feel, and our dreams are often full of powerful sensations, we are technically numb to our lives.  Our physical bodies cease to exist for while. 

It is as if we go Numb.

So, in the nature of things, first we experience Pain by being birthed, then we experience Pleasure by being fed, then we experience Numb by falling to sleep.

And there it is folks!  The initiation of life on earth:     

Pain, Pleasure, Numb.

When we awaken in the morning, many of us experience pain, as if being birthed to a new day.

We immediately dive into Pleasure by feeding ourselves any number of vices and oral comforts. 

Once we have reasonably filled ourselves for the moment, we blindly go into a state of Numb.

As the moments pass, we sense-as if we are riding a spinning wheel-that our very existence is a constant spin of Pain, Pleasure and Numb. 

For this three-way cycle that rules us, we must learn meditation.  It is only when we still the mind, respect the feelings, and free the imagination that the cycle of Pain-Pleasure-Numb lets us go.

When one comes to earth to put Spirit into Body for the sake of Life, one loses sight of the spirit.  It is an interesting trade-off; to experience life in the flesh we forget what the spirit is. 

We forget our spiritual selves for the sake of pleasure in the material realm, and tend to become abusive to the vessels that carry us.  Our bodies can only stand so much pleasure.  Though experiencing pleasure is a fine thing to do, it is, also, a potentially dangerous thing to do.

We have all felt the allure of going out of our heads, shoveling things down our throats as fast as our mouths can suck them down, and then asking ourselves what in the hell are we doing?

"OH!  We're having fun..." we say.  And because of all that "fun", we wake up the next day feeling like absolute shit!

Take care, gentle creatures, for when we temporarily forget who we are within, the one inside who knows us and our virtues begin to stagnate. 

Virtue is the force that creates pathways for the spiritual being. 

When we are born into life on earth to experience the sensation of having Virtues within the muscles and blood, we forget to bring the Virtues with us.  So, while in the flesh we must relearn what it means to have virtue...to rediscover what it means to be strong, brave, loving, patient, and devoted.  

This challenge to become responsible enough to relearn the virtues every, waking moment is why we place our spirits into a body.  We live in a very sensual, physical world, which allures  us into mindless addiction to pleasure.  This addiction can be in conflict with our desires to find and relearn the virtues.

Good luck to us all! 
Ignore those cravings and get to work on...what was that, again??????

When we feel anger inside a network of muscles, blood, tendons, and nerve endings, it is a profound sensation.  It is much more effective to feel anger in the body, than it is to feel it in the imagination; and when it's ignited within the body, Anger can motivate a person into Change. 

When love flows through these same physical pathways...the nerves, muscles, tendons, and bloodlines...the sensation is stupendous, healing us from the damage created by Anger. 

It is a very powerful energy, this realm of the physical sensations, the touch, taste, smell, and  breath of the air in the body.

So, what am I getting at?  The body is extremely important; as long as we've got one, we need to make use of it.

Exercising, stretching, and eating proper nutrients are the most basic methods for relearning the virtues. 

Creating a powerful body through physically working the muscles...forcing the blood to pump profusely, and always roaming outdoors for walks, jogs, bikes, and oxygen...is the best way for becoming spiritual. 

The body is the secret...that is, in the body its truth is subdued.  The body secretly holds an infinite number of locks within its pores, and its breathing skin.  The breathing lungs are the key to these microscopic locks opening.  

If you regularly challenge your physical balance by surfing, skating, horseback riding, skiing, and dancing, you will not only build beautiful healthy muscles, but your bones will strengthen, your skin will radiate, and you will become like a magnet.

The key is the body.  Treat it like a temple, and you will reign like a temple.  Relearning your virtues will become natural, and with your magnetism, you will lead others into the light.

Virtue is the Force that creates the pathways for a spiritual being.  These pathways of virtue are bridges that unite our lives to a Purpose, much the way music is a bridge that leads God to the humans.

Like Music, Virtue is sacred.  If there is a heaven, beyond our imagination of one, it must forever pulsate with the sounds of songs, and the heros of virtue.

Step into a world of timeless grace--love endeavors for the heart--and mind bogglings.

Open to a transformation
 by way of words.

And let the music play.

The Proverbs of Pith:
http://sunthoughts2007.com

The Sage Essays:
http://sunthoughts2007.com/the_essays

The Lessons:
http://sunthoughts2007.com/the_lessons

There is no shift
it is what we have always
been