Michael's Blog
Follow Up: Posted April 27
(This is a follow up to yesterday's post.) "M" answered my response to him cordially which I did appreciate:
Hello Michael,
Thanks for the reply. I admire you have a tradition
behind you and as long as you are honoring that
tradition all should be blessed.
Best,
M
To which I had no choice but to honestly respond:
I honor all traditions while not blindly following any.
Michael
I respect the sincerity of "M"s comments and his openness.
Discernment: Posted April 26
I received the following e-mail and thought it might be instructive to share it with you along with my response. Unfortunately, vastu has succumbed to the same fanatical dogma as spirituality. Whatever a person has been indoctrinated into becomes their God. If you can design a house that satisfies all the viewpoints to the maximum practical extent, then why not do so? Otherwise you have become just another fanatic.
Hello, This is a question to what tradition of Vaastu you are coming from? I am very new to Vaastu but I know when I see bad Vaastu! I really see the value in such a undertaking but if you are going to do have a "Vaastu community" do it correct! Just because there are pictures of Deities around and lingam does not make it Vaastu. I see this house and it brings tears to my eyes with what the west is doing with the timeless jewell of the Vedic sampradaya. It gives a bad name to Vaastu Vidya when people see this project. What I am trying to say is when I show people what bad Vaastu is I will show them to your site.
Please do not call your community a Vaastu community! This is in no way a personal attack. I just have a love for this Vidya and want to see it represented purely.
Best, "M"
______________________
Hi "M",
If you are a new comer to vastu you have no idea of the wide range of conflicting opinions. The house you see is Maharishi vastu. They say it is the only pure vastu. Mount Soma is based upon Ganapati Sthapati's vastu. However, with Mount Soma I do my best to satisfy as many perspectives as I can with each design (without compromising any) instead of being fanatical about just one. I have studied many many versions over many years. They all disagree about different things and all claim to know it all. I teach people how to discern, not how to become indoctrinated by the sect to which they currently adhere.
warm regards, Michael Mamas
Veda: Posted April 23
The word ‘Vedic’ tends to be associated with a particular culture. However, that is not consistent with its true meaning, nor is it how I use the word. Veda is the underlying essence of existence...all existence...life...nature...ALL that is. It is the source that births and sustains--yet transcends--all cultures. It is the central Sun...the source of all the laws of physics, all the music and rhythms of life. To know it is to know one's self, for it is the central core of all beings.
Don’t Say a Word: Posted April 21
It seems most everyone thinks about manifesting who it is they truly are; bringing their grandeur, their truth, out to the light of day; being an important influence to help change the world for the better. I think that’s great.
I’ve also noticed how uncomfortable people are in sharing what they really think. I guess they are afraid they will hurt somebody’s feelings. It has appalled me to see how some people go through their entire life with some aspect of their personality or their life that is crying out in need of attention, yet no one is willing to call their attention to it. How in the world are you going to manifest your wisdom, your grandeur, your insight if you are afraid to speak out - if you are tiptoeing through life in fear of making waves.
Now, this doesn’t mean you need to be militant, harsh, confrontational, or negative to do this. Somehow, I think it is people’s fear that causes them to lash out whenever they do anticipate making waves. I guess they are assuming there will be conflict and negativity before they even start. So, they approach the interaction in full armor, sword drawn. For goodness sake, find a way of speaking up without breaking all the china in the cupboards!
I’m aware of times when people have witnessed another behaving improperly and simply take the stance of, “I’m not going to take sides. I’m going to remain neutral. I will have no judgments.” If everyone did that, murderers and rapists would run free.
I implore you to find a way of speaking up, yet speaking up constructively. As during the Nazi Holocaust, do not be one of those that kept their mouth shut and pretended like nothing was happening. Admittedly, the Nazi Holocaust is an extreme example. Know that many transgressions are taking place in your life on an ongoing basis. Find a way of dealing with these things instead of burying your head in the stand. A major step in becoming a self-actualized spiritual being, a positive influence in the world, is learning how to bring forth the wisdom that dwells within you.
You do have insight. You know things. You see things about other people of which they have no idea. Find a positive, constructive way of sharing that. It’s not only in what you say or even how you say it, but also timing. Finding the in.
Oftentimes, the obstacle is just getting started. Don’t wait until you are sure of the outcome and know exactly what to say. That time never comes. Be willing to put something out as best you can and then adjust accordingly. Tack with it. Feel your way. With that attitude, it can all work out. Share your wisdom, while remembering that humility is the flip side of wisdom. You have so much to offer. Your potential is so exquisite, so divine, and so uniquely you. Don’t hide it away for fear of conflict. Find a way of bringing it out in a manner that others can receive. You can start practicing that right now – today in the office, at lunch, over the phone, or at the store. Work with it, explore it, evolve it over time. No great musician ever picked up his instrument and played it perfectly the very first time.
Relationship 101: Posted April 19
In relationship, more often than not, the other person is not the biggest challenge. They are not the great enemy. Lack of communication is. If you really communicated - if you really, really knew each other's world, the proper course of action would be self evident. Communion means communication.
Left Brain, Right Brain: Posted April 15
I was recently asked about a lecture presentation that is up on the internet: http://www.ted.com/talks/view/id/229. Based upon her experiences after a brain trauma, a woman describes what it is like to function primarily from the right hemisphere of the brain instead of the left.
She seems to believe this is the path to spirituality and a key to life. As you all know from my lectures, spiritual evolution is about integration. It is about integration of all the different aspects of oneself including the right and left brain. How unfortunate it is to believe that spiritual evolution is about dis-integration, segregation, or walling off aspects of one’s being.
I can certainly understand how one may come to that conclusion. The intellect (left brain) is an excellent servant, but very poor master. When it is cut loose and allowed to reign, people can justify anything. Similarly though, if the right brain is cut loose, one can go off on emotional or irrational tangents and justify it because it “feels right.” Spiritual evolution involves integrating the right and left brain.
When the right and left brain function in harmony, our feelings and our intellect dance in unison. Life becomes full. This does not mean that every individual becomes a great scientist and a great artist. People are what they are. Some are scientists by nature; some are artists by nature. However, in both cases, the path of evolution still includes an integration of left and right brain.
How do you behave and function when the left and right lobes of your brain become integrated? It can be difficult to get a sense of what that really looks like, because it does not look like anything in particular. Your personality and predispositions become more consistent with your true nature, whatever that is. It is unique to you. However, one thing is for certain: you don’t alienate an aspect of your being – you integrate all aspects of your being.
The trees are moving: Posted April 5
Ptolemy, an ancient astronomer, lived in Alexandria, Egypt. He worked out a very accurate mathematical model explaining how the Sun and planets revolved around the Earth. Using his model, you can predict with accuracy where the planets will be at some time in the future. This seemed to be a wonderful confirmation that the Earth was the center of our planetary system.
Of course, we know today that this is not correct. It is like sitting in a fast moving train and thinking the tress and landscape are flying by while you are sitting still.
What is less easily accepted is that we are still doing this on many levels all the time. It is true not only of our daily lives but also of our interpretations of scientific facts and spiritual teachings. Perhaps Mark Twain said it best: "First get your facts; then you can distort them at your leisure."
Finding one’s way out of the maze of relative existence is far more challenging than most can even imagine. Everywhere you turn, facts are used to justify and reinforce identities.
The path of evolution is nothing other than the eternal exploration of one question: “How are you doing? Really.
”Mahatma Ghandi: Posted April 4
Recently I received the following lovely note:
"I have a Gandhi poster that pops up on my screen from time to time: 'We
must be the change we want to see in the world.' Don't you think that's what
Mt. Soma offers us? A place to BE the change?"
Gandhi was great and deserves our deep respect. I would humbly offer a
small refinement that I am sure he would agree with:
"We must be the change Mother Nature wants to see in the world."
That is more elusive, even unknowable; yet what we are becoming is more
important to me than what we currently might be. The latter is always a
more evolved state. Attempting to impose even the most well intended
identities upon the world has been our unfortunate history.
Core Offering: Posted April 3
A successful artist once advised: Stick to your core offering:
Mine is:
• No compromising the message of true spirituality for any reason.
• No dogma
• No quick fix.
• No bubble gum
• No emotional hysteria
• No simplistic notions
• No magic tricks
• No hype
• No manipulation
• No Hollywood performances
• No compromise for fame or monetary or any other gain
Only the pure, straight, honest, unadulterated truth.
Tell it like it is with love, compassion and understanding; but without compromise of purity, honesty, integrity, and truth.
Karma: Posted April 2
In the current scheme of karma, China and the USA are destined to war. The ultimate outcome will be an enlightened age. Let us strive to bring about the latter without the former. |
