Videos hosted by Michael Erlewine

I took this photo early yesterday morning. As you can see, flowers don't beat around the bush; they sure let it all hang out. And what a message they present, whatever we could agree that is. Flowers speak to me and quite naturally. The more I wake up to life, the more everything is some kind of an oracle, is telling me something.

An oracle is a way for the universe to speak directly to us, or perhaps better put, an oracle is some device that actually allows us to receive and listen to the music of the mind. There are all kinds of oracles. The more aware we become, the more direction we can perceive around us bearing messages. And by direction, I don't mean like someone telling me what to do. It is more gentle than that.

It is a little like my little granddaughter Emma, who is eighteen-months old. She comes into my office, takes my two hands in her two tiny hands, pulls on them and says "up." She wants me to get up. She then, with one little hand, grabs my index finger and walks me to wherever she wants me to go, usually out to the kitchen.

The funny thing is that when we get to the kitchen, Emma doesn't let go. She just hangs on to my finger, and I mean "hangs on." Her grip requires two hands for me to break her grip, should I want to.

Oracles are like that. They lead or guide us. We are subtly pointed in this direction or that. As we become more aware, we can sense natural direction and learn to go with the flow. It's so easy.

In European occultism, this is sometimes called getting "on your contacts." We suddenly link into the inner communication of the mind and the universe that is always there and something is communicated to us. We get the message. We are on our contacts.

In the blizzard of facts and lists whirling around me these days, as I ready the move to Florida of my business and tie up all the loose ends, my mind is not exactly as tranquil as it might be. Those inner truths are not exactly percolating to the surface as they might or even as they usually do. This is a great challenge to awareness and good dharma practice. When things are calm, mind practice is easy. When we are upset by events, for better or for worse, that is the time to measure our practice.

This has been a good lesson on how important it is for me to relax and have some time to listen to my inner voice each day and not have it overridden by the static noise of my own hectic busyness. I guess that is what being a couch potato in front of the TV (or whatever) is for many of us, a chance to let go and allow whatever inside us wants out to come up in the mind. I know I do this every day.

We may read a book, play a video game, take a walk, or all three. For me it usually is kicking back and watching a movie or part of a movie. As I have commented before, watching a movie anymore is no longer just about the plotline, the content of the movie.

There is a little slight-of-hand going on here, some simple misdirection. Yes, I am watching this movie, often from beginning to end. But no, my mind is not all about the plot. That is the misdirection. What really is happening beyond and behind the movie plot is that I am observing and monitoring my mindstream as it comes up. I am getting on my contacts and hooking into the mind itself.

You all know just what I am pointing at here because we all do it to in some form or another, and would probably go crazy if you could not. We can call it a diversion, a misdirection, relaxation, or whatever, but the bottom-line is we are refreshed when we hook up with our inner nature, however that is brought about. We all have our oracles.