Transformation Mechanics?

[Xmac]

I'm constantly amazed at how I can encounter inspired wisdom and the level of resonance with it may be around a seven or eight on a scale from one to ten (ten being the highest resonance). Then later, in either meditation, contemplation or self-inquiry, the same words come to me in relationship to, or in context of, my life and they send a shock wave of light right through me. And these could be words I've heard many times before.

This just underscores for me how words, no matter how much they come from a centered knowing and are infused with insight, are only marginally useful until they are grounded into experience: they become realized, living entities that generate movement. That is when there can be no scale to measure their power or resonance because they're really not words anymore.

[Zoe Girl]

BTW, I wanted to say I have read this several times but I just haven't known what to respond. I have had this with the pithy sayings that my parents often said as we were growing up that now make sense. Also with many spiritual moments, it is not REAL until you experience it. I say sometimes that I do not have belief, I have experience.

[Xmac]

Zoe,
I get into that a bit myself: looking around for a response. It's interesting this compulsion to reply, answer, elaborate, add to, etc.

As to your last sentence, do you have beliefs about your experience?

[Zoe Girl]

Hmm, I am careful to let the belief not overwhelm the experience if that makes sense. I think I take the too hard line about belief in Buddhism sometimes. So many years ago (like 30) I realized that a lot of people can use belief in bad ways. I then knew others who had strong beliefs that were very good people and all their beliefs were different. I spent some time thinking about belief in terms of comfort and harm. A good belief is one that provides comfort but does not create more harm. With harm I also mean harm to the person holding the belief, such as a belief that seriously limits their potential in life or makes them so limited they are not taking care of themselves. (my only example is when I have seen strict gender role couples and one person is not able to do their role anymore like managing the money and the whole family just doesn't adapt). In that way it is easy for me to have friends that range from Mormon and Catholic to athiest. For myself I have some beliefs but the strongest of what I have is a belief that is then experienced. I think I still have some beliefs that i have not or may never experience that are related to experience. So I don't have any lovely memories of past lives where I was a famous person but I have a belief based on some experiences that lives and consciousness is not strictly limited to one individual lifetime.

Okay I just thought that out as i was writing so it may be jumbled. I do have a belief that if the opportunity arises I could be a good spiritual teacher.

[redfox]

Body felt, lived experience is very powerful.

[Gardenarian]

A few weeks ago I had a powerful moment of enlightenment. I realized that I have always visualized life as a sort of staircase - I'm always struggling up to make it to the next landing. For example, getting through college. Yay! Then get back on the staircase, finish grad school. Yay! get back on... for infinity.

I suddenly visualized my life as an ocean. I could swim around and investigate different places. Some places I might want to swim deep, spend a lot of time and examine all the riches. Other places I might just sort of float over. And there are some places that I don't need to visit again.

Anyhow, I'm sure I've read this metaphor, or similar ones, hundreds of times, but it was the coming to me as my own, fully-developed notion that blew me away. I felt this incredible sense of release: I can stop climbing! I can just do what I do! And that feeling has stuck with me in the following weeks.

I read a lot of philosophy, which no doubt inspires my thought, but yes - the power of the image being born in my own mind was, as you say, transformative.