Ya gotta go with the flo...

Dearest B.,

Often there are days I’m so intrinsically connected with the Universe and the flow of associated energy I wish I were able to bottle it or write down the magic formula so that I might duplicate it at will. Today was one of those days.

I think the reason for the über-connection has to do with a number of disparate factors.

As I mentioned in a letter to D. yesterday, I have been hand sawing several yards of wood I removed from a walk-in closet in my apartment used to create a sauna. Given that I rarely engage in this type of activity, I forget the Zen nature of such. When doing it non-stop for an hour or so, after a point, it truly does become a meditative activity of sorts.

Also, my father was a carpenter and cabinet maker. Therefore, I have a bit of a unique bond and affinity with the activity of sawing. One could say that it’s in my blood. As a result, when I engage in the activity, it’s very primal thing. In a way, it sort of activates a very deep essential part of my being.

What has been the result of having this part of my self being awakened over the past couple of days?

I woke up this morning in what recently seems to be the state du jour for mehorny. I seriously considered sending my one f*ck buddy B. an SMS to inquire as to his availability but didn’t do so as he recently express paranoia about his wife possibly picking up his phone and viewing TXT messages. I instead considered posting an advert on CL for a nooner.

However, not 30 minutes later I heard the all too familiar chirp on the cell phone that alerts me to the fact that I have a TXT message. And who was it? But B. wanting to know if I was home and available, I chuckled and replied to the affirmative but that I needed an hour to get myself and the apartment presentable. We confirmed the time of a 12:30 arrival. But the Universe in true trickster fashion decided to play a cruel joke on both of us. I received a message from him not 10 minutes later informing me that he’d just received a call to come into the office.

Why does the Universe vex me so?

Later in the day I had a moment while I was working on the balcony that can only be described as magical. It was one of those rare moments that give me goose bumps.

I was on my balcony sawing the last few pieces of wood needing to be cut down. To keep myself entertained while sawing, I was plugged into the i-Perd and listening to a podcast of dance music produced by Dutch DJ Tiësto. I was taking a quick break to let my arms rest for a second and about the same time a couple of young women were walking across the parking lot of the apartment buildings behind my building. I heard a clapping and looked down to notice the one young lady was clapping her hands as she was walking along. However, I noticed after several times she stopped clapping and began to talk to her friend, yet I could still hear the clapping sound.

I laughed out loud when I discovered that a clapping sound had been queued up in the mix of music that I was listening to at the exact same moment the young woman below was walking by and clapping her hands in almost perfect unison to the clapping sound I was hearing in the podcast. Chicken skin ensued shortly thereafter for me.

The moments I experienced earlier today exquisitely exemplify the concept of ordinariness as explain by OSHO in the OSHO Zen Tarot. In his book, Tarot in the Spirit of Zen, a companion book to the deck he says about this concept.

“The small things of life have to be transformed by your inner transformation. This I call the religious quality; everything becomes sacred. Taking a bath, making love, eating food, going to sleep—everything becomes sacred.” (pg. 192)

And I would add to that, when everything becomes sacred it in turn strengthens one’s connection with the flow of the Universe.

I almost always feel the need to laugh at myself when I have such moments of being reminded of the simplicity of spiritual connectedness. Being one of those individuals forever feeling the need to over complicate things and needing to believe that some kind of Rube Goldberg machine must be necessary with nearly every activity. It’s great to be reminded by the Universe that it’s truly very simpleeat, breathe, sleep, and have fun.

Along those lines, as of late I have become interested (read that obsessed with Kabbalah). This came about mostly due to my renewed interested in Tarot cards and reading them. By reading the accompanying materials included with a couple of the decks that I’ve recently purchased, the connection between Kabbalah and Tarot was reiterated. So, I picked up a book on Kabbalah last week and have started to read it.

It has been one of those Oprah “Ah ha!” moments for me, as it appears Kabbalah perfectly synthesizes many of the concepts and ideas about spirituality/mysticism/reality that I have come to discover and believe but have never found it formally expressed in written form.

I have truly been blown away with what I’ve read thus far.

The most profound was reading that according  Kabbalists, God’s desire for us is to feel pleasure. It’s our divine birthright and in feeling such pleasure we are closer to God. This idea is a refreshing inverse to the Puritanical Christian mindset which dominates our American culture presently and to which nearly everyone is exposed on a daily basis. God wants us to have fun—go figure.

I look forward to reading more and studying this system at greater depth.

Okay, I need to wrap this up and get on with the rest of the day.

As always sending you much love!

eg
theghotilover@gmail.com
www.theghotiletters.com
@EroGhoti