Leonhard Roczek – Cello
Herbert Schuch – Piano
Arvo Pärt: Spiegel im Spiegel (1978)
Mozart Week Salzburg 2014
Author: Holger Hubbs
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Spiegel im Spiegel for Cello and Piano (Arvo Pärt)
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Martin Buber: God is experienced through Relationship
The following has been generated by ai â notebooklm.google.com:
“The provided text explores the 20th-century philosophy of Martin Buber, who redefined the divine as an experience found through human connection rather than abstract doctrine. Buber distinguished between the “I-It” relationship, where we treat the world as a collection of objects to be used, and the “I-Thou” encounter, which involves a living presence between two beings. In this framework, God is not a distant entity to be analyzed but the “Eternal Thou” who becomes visible whenever people engage in authentic, transparent dialogue. Modern life often forces individuals into transactional roles, yet Buber argues that true faith is a participation in these deep, relational moments. Ultimately, the source suggests that the divine horizon is touched not through logic, but through the profound act of being fully present with another.”
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Attitude (C. SWINDOLL)
“The longer I live,
the more I realize the impact of attitude on life.
Attitude, to me, is more important than facts.
It is more important than the past, than education, than money, than circumstances, than failures, than successes, than what other people think, say or do.
It is more important than appearance, giftedness or skill.
It will make or break a company… a church… a home.
The remarkable thing is we have a choice every day regarding the attitude we embrace for that day.
We cannot change our past…
we cannot change the fact that people will act in a certain way.
We cannot change the inevitable.
The only thing we can do is play the one string we have, and that is our attitude…
I am convinced that life is 10% what happens to me and 90% how I react to it.
And so it is with you… we are in charge of our Attitudes.”
Holger:
I like Charles’ 10/90% formula.I had my own attempt to become scientific:
“The sense of separation
is 10% faulty thinking
and 90% muscle-memory.”Yes, attitude is fundamental, but who is in charge?
Is there a personal, separate “me” that can change, or is beneficial change the byproduct of a deeper embrace of Being; seeing that we are not who we think we are.
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Soul Funk: AI assisted music?
Holger: I enjoy the music and the lyrics â¤ď¸
1 … NO ONE ELSE HERE
Listen to this song on Youtube
I close the door on the outside
Let the room feel small and bright
No reflection I must fix
Just the way this moment isI’ve been talking over me
With a voice I didn’t need
So I lower every sound
Let the groove come back aroundI feel my weight, I feel my breath
Not a question, not a test
Every thought that wants control
Learns to loosen, let me goI don’t need a clearer sign
I just need to feel in time
With a kick beneath my feet
And the bass that keeps me steadyWhen the rhythm strips it bare
I see myself standing there
Nothing extra, nothing new
Just a truth I can’t move throughThere’s no one else here
Just me and what’s real
No mask left to remove
I’m alone in this grooveYeah, there’s no one else here
No reason to steer
Every breath I choose to keep
Feels honest, feels deepI’ve been counting all the ways
I fell short on better days
Now I count what kept me whole
When I almost lost controlEvery scar I tried to hide
Still keeps perfect time inside
Every pause I learned to fear
Feels like space that brought me hereLet the night stay unafraid
Let the groove hold what I made
If I’m quiet, let it stay
I don’t need to rush awayI look back without defense
Every loss will still make some sense
Not because it turned out fine
But it brought me here on timeI don’t promise more or less
I just promise honesty
Every step I let it land
Feels like home inside my handsThere’s no one else here
No crowd, no fear
Just a rhythm I can trust
Holding what I wasYeah, there’s no one else here
Nothing left unclear
I don’t need to disappear
I’m completely just standing here2 … STANDING IN MY LIGHT
Listen to this song on Youtube
I call my reflection in the window tonight
Didn’t look away, didn’t dim the light
All the little doubts tried calling my name
But I smile back, I’m not the sameEvery step I took left a mark on the floor
I know what I’m worth now, more than before
I’ve been quiet long enough to hear my voice
Now every move I make is a choiceI don’t need permission, I don’t need a sign
I’ve been waiting on me all this timeI’m standing in my light
I feel it shine
No shadows on my mind tonight
I’m standing in my light
Clear and bright
This is me and it feels rightUsed to second guess every word I say
Now I let it roll, let it sway
Every scar tells me I survive
Every beat says I’m aliveI made peace with who I’ve been
I see power in my skin
No more running, no disguise
I trust the fire in my eyesI walk steady, head up high
Not chasing stars, I am the sky
Every breath feels so true
I finally see it through and throughI’m standing in my light
I feel it shine
No shadows on my mind tonight
I’m standing in my light
Strong and bright
This is me and it feels right3 … NOTHING TO PROVE TONIGHT
Listen to this song on Youtube
I used to chase the echo of sound
Every voice telling me to turn around
Now I stand still, feel the ground
I know exactly where I’m foundThe mirror doesn’t feel like a test
Just a quiet, needed rest
I’ve learned my pace, I’ve learned my time
This road is mine, this step is fineI don’t raise my voice, I don’t rush the truth
I let it moveI got nothing to prove tonight
I breathe easy in my own life
No second guesses, no rewrite
I got nothing to prove tonightEvery scar taught me how to stand
Every fall helped me understand
I don’t edit who I am
I let it show just as I amI’ve been hard, I’ve been kind
I’ve been lost inside my mind
Now I trust the space I’m in
Let the quiet pull me inI walk steady, shoulders wide
No fear walking by my side
What I see feels clear and true
Enough just being meI got nothing to prove tonight
I breathe easy in my own life
No second guesses, no rewrite
I got nothing to prove tonight4 … CLEARER THAN YESTERDAY
Listen to this song on Youtube
I woke up feeling lighter than before
Like I finally know what I’m here for
The mirror didn’t ask me who to be
Just smiled back honestlyI used to carry weight, the world in mind
Old fears, old words stuck in time
Now I let them fall behind my feet
Every step feels incomplete, no completeI don’t rush the moment, I don’t fight the flow
I’m exactly where I need to goI’m clearer than yesterday
Strong today
I trust my heart, I trust my way
I’m clearer than yesterday
No delay
I’m here, I’m real, I’m here to stayI hear my name when the silence calls
Not afraid of my rises or my falls
Every lesson carved into my sound
Every truth keeps me grounded nowI don’t hide what I feel inside
I let it move me, let it guide
There’s a rhythm in my spine
It says this life is truly mineI don’t need to prove a thing tonight
I glow steady, not too bright
I walk forward, calm and sure
What I am feels solid, pureI’m clearer than yesterday
Strong today
I trust my heart, I trust my way
I’m clearer than yesterday
No delay
I’m here, I’m real, I’m here to stay5 … AFTER THE NOISE FADES
Listen to this song on Youtube
When the noise finally steps aside
I hear my footsteps inside
Nothing chasing, nothing loud
Just my breath without a crowdI’ve been holding on to days
That already slipped away
Now I loosen up my hands
Let them fall where they landI replay words I didn’t say
Then I let them fade to gray
They don’t need a second life
They don’t need to pay the priceAfter the noise fades
I’m still here
Not afraid to disappear
After the noise fades
I feel clear
Like I’ve been waiting all yearThe quiet doesn’t feel like loss
Just a place to pause
I don’t need to fill the space
I just let it hold my faceEvery sound I used to chase
Left me moving out of place
Now I settle in the low
Let the stillness overflowI don’t need to raise my voice
I don’t need to make the choice
I just need to let it land
Feel the rhythm in my handsAfter the noise fades
I’m still here
Not afraid to disappear
After the noise fades
I feel clear
Like I’ve been waiting all year6 … STANDING WHERE I AM
Listen to this song on Youtube
I don’t need to reach too far
I’m exactly where things are
Every step I second guess
Brought me here, I must confessI’ve been chasing something new
Now I know what’s always true
I don’t need to move to grow
I just need to let it showStanding where I am
I feel the ground
Nothing lost and nothing found
Standing where I am
I hear the sound
Of my heart beating loudThe mirror doesn’t lie to me
Shows me what I need to see
Not the version I became
But the one who knows my nameI’ve been running from the weight
Now I let it sit and wait
Every fear that knew my face
Learns to take its proper placeI don’t promise clarity
I just promise honesty
Every breath I choose to take
Feels more real for my sakeStanding where I am
I feel the ground
Nothing lost and nothing found
Standing where I am
I hear the sound
Of my heart beating loud7 … NOTHING LEFT TO HIDE
Listen to this song on Youtube
I’ve been holding back too long
Keeping quiet, playing strong
Now I let the walls come down
Let my truth make its soundEvery secret that I kept
Every promise that I slept
Now I lay them in the light
Nothing hidden from my sightI got nothing left to hide
I let it all come inside
Every part of who I’ve been
I don’t need to hide my skinI got nothing left to hide
I walk steady, shoulders wide
What you see is what is true
I’m done hiding me from youUsed to edit every word
Make sure nothing could be heard
Now I speak and let it land
Trust the truth inside my handsEvery scar upon my face
Tells a story in its place
I don’t cover, I don’t fade
I just let the marks I madeShow the journey, show the fight
Show the dark and show the light
I don’t need a clean disguise
I just need my honest eyesI got nothing left to hide
I let it all come inside
Every part of who I’ve been
I don’t need to hide my skinI got nothing left to hide
I walk steady, shoulders wide
What you see is what is true
I’m done hiding me from you8 … I’M GOOD RIGHT NOW
Listen to this song on Youtube
I’m not chasing what’s ahead
Not replaying what I said
I’m just here inside this beat
Feeling whole and feeling sweetEvery moment that I spent
Wondering where the meaning went
Now I know it’s always been
Right here underneath my skinI’m good right now
No shadows hanging around
Just a feeling I can trust
I’m exactly where I wasI’m good right now
Heart in sync, no slowing down
I don’t need a different view
I’m comfortable and trueI don’t need to fix a thing
I don’t need to clip my wings
I just need to breathe and stay
Right here in this perfect wayLooking back without regret
Every moment that I met
Was worth a while
Not because it all went smooth
But it taught me how to moveI don’t need a perfect frame
I like me just the same
Every note I let it play
Sounds like me todayI’m good right now
No shadows hanging around
Just a feeling I can trust
I’m exactly where I wasI’m good right now
Heart in sync, no slowing down
I don’t need a different view
I’m comfortable and true9 … COMFORTABLE IN MY SKIN
Listen to this song on Youtube
I used to question every step I take
Wonder which parts of me to fake
Now I move easy, no disguise
I mean myself, I recognizeThe room feels warmer when I breathe
Like everything just lets me be
No need to rush, no need to win
I finally fit the life I’m inI don’t chase the noise outside
I listen to the beat insideI’m comfortable in my skin tonight
No heavy thoughts, no second sight
I stand relaxed, I feel aligned
I’m comfortable in my skin tonightI’ve been shaped by days gone wrong
Still they taught me how to be strong
Every memory, every line
Led me here right on timeI don’t need a different face
I don’t need to change my place
There’s a calm I can’t deny
Feels like home when I’m insideI walk steady, no defense
Every move feels like it makes sense
What I see feels true and kind
I’m at peace inside my mindI’m comfortable in my skin tonight
No heavy thoughts, no second sight
I stand relaxed, I feel aligned
I’m comfortable in my skin tonight10 … I KNOW THIS FEELING
Listen to this song on Youtube
I know this feeling in my chest
Not the worst, not the best
Just the weight I’ve learned to hold
Like a story half untoldI’ve been here before tonight
Same old calm, same old fight
Nothing new to recognize
Just me looking at my eyesI’ve been wrong, I’ve been right
Both kept me awake at night
Now I let them take their turn
I don’t need to always learnEvery step I second guess
Still brought me where I rest
I don’t call it win or lose
It’s just how I moveWhen the groove falls in place
I don’t rush, I don’t race
There’s a truth I don’t explain
Just stayYeah, I know this feeling
Nothing new, nothing healing
Just a rhythm I can trust
Holding me without a fussYeah, I know this feeling
Not dramatic, not appealing
But it stays, and so do I
I don’t ask it whyI’ve been chasing different names
Calling growth a kind of pain
Now I let the moment speak
In a language calm and deepEvery fear that knew my face
Learns to sit, learns its place
I don’t push it out the room
I just let it moveLet the pocket take its time
Let me stand inside the line
If I shake, I shake in tune
Still inside the grooveI look back without a deal
With no excuse, no appeal
Every version I became
Still responds when I say my nameI don’t promise clarity
I just promise honesty
Every breath I let it stay
Feels like truth in its own wayYeah, I know this feeling
No disguise, no concealing
Just a pulse I choose to keep
Running steady underneathYeah, I know this feeling
Nothing lost, nothing needed
If this moment’s all I choose
I’m aligned with this groove -
Words, Thinking & Typos?
About THINKING by Kat
Reposted from “Empty Shells” on Substack.com
I was raised by a professor and a teacher. I went to an âeliteâ international school. I studied law and philosophy. I completely identified with what I believed was my ability to think.
Thinking was mandatory: no thinking, no result.
Everything needed an intellectual approach, by default.But I was incredibly lucky to eventually find out that thinking about things does nothing. It is pointless. And instead of turning me into an incapable idiot as I feared, all it did was uncover peace.
Itâs not like thereâs nothing left to think about.
Itâs that thinking doesnât do anything and thereâs no one in control of it anyway.Thoughts are about an imaginary future or past, things not under control, or fictional separate agents. The body doesnât function because of thinking. Interactions are smoother without thinking. Speaking, writing, and other pursuits only flow while ignoring thoughts. Pleasure and joy are ruined by thinking, as we all know âŚ
Even planning, reasoning, calculating ⌠do we have to think about them for them to happen?
Things happen and donât happen despite voluminous thinking, just look around.
Thoughts are empty shells. And so is the thinker.
Where is this thinker we simply assume exists?I canât remember why I cared so much about thinking.
I prefer peace now.   Â
About Words (by Ralph)
On 28 Jan 2026, at 5:09, Ralph wrote:
- “Be mindful when it comes to your words. A string of some that don’t mean much to you, may stick with someone else for a lifetime.” -Rachel Wolchin
- “Be careful with your words. Once they are said, they can be only forgiven, not forgotten.” -Unknown
- “Words are free. It’s how you use them that may cost you.” -KushandWizdom
- “Raise your words, not your voice. It is rain that grows flowers, not thunder.” -Rumi
- “âŚBut the human tongue is a beast that few can master. It strains constantly to break out of its cage, and if it is not tamed, it will run wild and cause you grief.” -Unknown
- “The secret of being boring is to say everything.” -Voltaire
- “One kind word can change someone’s entire day.” -Unknown
- “Handle them carefully, for words have more power than atom bombs.” -Pearl Strachan Hurd
- “Words have energy and power with the ability to help, to heal, to hinder, to hurt, to harm, to humiliate, and to humble.” -Yehuda Berg
- “My task, which I am trying to achieve is, by the power of the written word, to make you hear, to make you feel–it is, before all, to make you see.” -Joseph Conrad
- “Kind words can be short and easy to speak, but their echoes are truly endless.” -Mother Teresa
- “The tongue has no bones, but is strong enough to break a heart. So be careful with your words.” -Unknown
- “Be careful what you say. You can say something hurtful in ten seconds, but ten years later, the wounds are still there.”
- “All I need is a sheet of paper and something to write with, and then I can turn the world upside down.” -Friedrich Nietzsche
- “Don’t mix bad words with your bad mood. You’ll have many opportunities to change a mood, but you’ll never get the opportunity to replace the words you spoke.” -Unknown
- “Don’t ever diminish the power of words. Words move hearts and hearts move limbs.” -Hamza Yusuf
- “Words are seeds that do more than blow around. They land in our hearts and not the ground. Be careful what you plant and careful what you say. You might have to eat what you planted one day.” -Unknown
- “Words have no power to impress the mind without the exquisite horror of their reality.” -Edgar Allan Poe
- “A broken bone can heal, but the wound a word opens can fester forever.” -Jessamyn West
- “Good words are worth much, and cost little.” -George Herbert
- “Your words have power. Speak words that are kind, loving, positive, uplifting, encouraging, and life-giving.” -Unknown
- “Kind words are a creative force, a power that concurs in the building up of all that is good, and energy that showers blessings upon the world.” -Lawrence G. Lovasik
- “No matter what anybody tells you, words and ideas can change the world.” -John Keating
- “The best word shakers were the ones who understood the true power of words. They were the ones who could climb the highest.” -Markus Zusak
- “Speech has power. Words do not fade. What starts out as a sound, ends in a deed.” -Abraham Joshua Herschel
- “If we understood the power of our thoughts, we would guard them more closely. If we understood the awesome power of our words, we would prefer silence to almost anything negative. In our thoughts and words, we create our own weaknesses and our own strengths. Our limitations and joys begin in our hearts. We can always replace negative with positive.” -Betty Eadie
   Â
Funny typos
On 1 Feb 2026, at 6:06, Ralph wrote:
CHURCH BULLETINS
Thank God for church ladies with typewriters. These sentences, with their typos or slips of tongue, actually appeared in church bulletins or were announced in church services:The sermon this morning: âJesus Walks on Water.â The sermon tonight: âSearching for Jesus.â
Ladies, donât forget the rummage sale. Itâs a chance to get rid of those things not worth keeping around the house. Donât forget to bring your husbands.
The peacemaking meeting scheduled for today has been canceled due to a conflict.
Remember in prayer the many who are sick of our community.
For those of you who have children and donât know it, we have a nursery downstairs.
Next Thursday there will be tryouts for the choir. They need all the help they can get.
Barbara remains in the hospital and needs blood donors for more transfusions. She is also having trouble sleeping and requests tapes of Pastor Jackâs sermons.
The Rector will preach his farewell message after which the choir will sing: âBreak Forth Into Joy.â
A rice-and-bean supper will be held on Tuesday evening in the church hall. Music will follow.
At the evening service tonight, the sermon topic will be âWhat Is Hell?â Come early and listen to our choir practice.
The church will host an evening of fine dining, super entertainment and gracious hostility.
Potluck supper Sunday at 5:00 PM–prayer and medication to follow.
The ladies of the Church have cast off clothing of every kind. They may be seen in the basement on Friday afternoon.
This evening at 7 PM there will be hymn-singing in the park across from the Church. So bring a blanket and come prepared to sin.
Ladies Bible Study will be held Thursday morning at 10 AM. All ladies are invited to lunch in the Fellowship Hall after the B.S. is done.
Low Self Esteem Support Group will meet Thursday at 7 PM. Please use the back door.
The eighth-graders will be presenting Shakespeareâs Hamlet in the Church basement Friday at 7 PM. The congregation is invited to attend this great tragedy.
The rosebud on the altar this morning is to announce the birth of David Alan Belzer, the sin of Rev. and Mrs. Julius Belzer.
This afternoon there will be a meeting in the south and north ends of the church. Children will be baptized at both ends.
Tuesday at 4 p.m. there will be an ice cream social. All ladies giving milk will please come early.
Wednesday, the Ladies Liturgy Society will meet. Mrs. Jones will sing âPut Me In My Little Bedâ accompanied by the pastor.
Thursday at 5:00 p.m. there will be a meeting of the Little Mothers Club. All wishing to become little mothers, please see the minister in his study.
This being Easter Sunday, we will ask Mrs. Lewis to come forward and lay an egg on the altar.
The Associate Minister unveiled the churchâs new tithing campaign slogan last Sunday: âI Upped My Pledge–Up Yoursâ
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My Dutch Woman
I have nothing to protect,
I am not afraid to be hurt.I am not this body-mind called Holger,
yet beyond doubt, I AM!My happiness and fulfillment
is not dependent on circumstances.Inner space â peace from the mind â come by grace; are priceless gifts, our birthright.
The me-belief, the hunger to be someone, was the veil hiding in plain sight what I was longing for.
Meeting and loving my Dutch Woman is not added from outside, but a maturity and ripeness beyond words.
It is wonderful to share,
for the benefit of all,
which includes myself.Love,
HolgerPS: One day… MatingDepartment.com, just for fun.
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Memory
Thank you Ralph!
Memory comes up in the form of thoughts and images in the present moment like any other thought activity. So memory is a form of thought. Memories are present thoughts that arise and pass in present-moment awareness. Practically speaking, memory seems to be a function that ties together, coordinates and recalls former thoughts. It appears to store concepts and images and bring them forth. Conditioned beliefs, such as the notion of being a separate self and all the related identifications, survive in memory. Without memory, they have no substance, no continuity, no real existence. So, in a sense, you can say that all our problems are due to the capacity of memory. All of our beliefs, points of view and assumptions appear to be stored there. Furthermore, the reference point of a fixed âIâ, thinker or self only resides in memory.
Memory as a thing in itself is hard to pin down. It is like the concept of âthe mindâ. Where is âthe mindâ? There are thoughts passing through awareness, but where is âthe mindâ apart from that? It is the same with memory. We posit such a function or entity, but where is it apart from the presently arising thoughts? It just so happens that we label some presently occurring thoughts as memories. Then we assume a past to which those memories refer. In this way, a whole conceptual world is spun up in thoughts. But they are all occurring here and now in present awareness. It is castles in air being constructed in thought. In a moment, we are conceiving of a past time, a past world, a past entity that was in that world, a memory to hold all that and ourselves as some of kind being present in the middle of all of it. But take a deeper look and see what is going on. In present awareness, present thoughts are appearing and disappearing. It is all purely conceptual, purely imagined. Time, the external world and the separate entity are all posited in thought. They are taken as real, but are not actually present as substantial things in themselves.
This is easy to see in the case of a dream. You fall into a dream state. In that dream state, you have a discussion with a friend about something you did together five years ago (in the dream). A normal conversation occurs and you and your dream friend discuss various events that happened. Appropriate memories appear to corroborate everything. When you wake up you look back and see that it was all fabricated in the mind in the moment of dreaming. There was no past at all. Not to mention that there were no real dream characters either! It was all appearances taken as real. However, awareness stands beyond, free and untouched. It is not even in the dream. The dream is in it. It suffers no limitations occurring in the dream. The awareness itself is no limited appearance in the dream. It is not any particular entity or object in the dream. It is the same with our present awareness in this apparent waking state.
Conventionally, you can say that the mind creates the notion of a substantial, independent self and that this belief is sustained in memory. There is no harm in that as far as it goes. But the truth is that it is all simply present thoughts. And there is no separate thinker or âmeâ to be found.
Your actual identity is that space-like, utterly free awareness itself. All self-centered thoughts are baseless, as there is no one to whom they apply. See this clearly and there is really nothing else needed. It is the heart of the matter. Seeing this, suffering, doubt, seeking and personal problems vanish entirely.
Holger:
“Before Abraham was I am.”
“I am with you always.”
âI have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.â
“The world” is thoughts, feelings, perceptions.
“Who do you say I am?”What are you?
The answer is not in the mind, is not in the realm of thinking (this world). â¤ď¸
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Kat: This aging face
From Katrijn Van Oudheusden.
The event
Iâm at the hairdresser, looking at this face with all its sagging bits that I swear werenât there the last time I was here. I notice that no matter how I tilt my head or stretch my features, those bits stubbornly remain right there, literally in my face. The hairdresser notices, smiles knowingly, and tells me to hold still while she works on the part of my appearance she can alter.
The interpretation
The body is quite obviously aging. It seems to have accelerated lately, approaching 50. There are so many beliefs around aging. Here are two you might recognize â and it can be interesting to add your own:
- Staying healthy while aging is due to how well you took care of yourself. Health aging is your achievement, unhealthy aging is your own damn fault.
- The worst aspect of aging is when you become dependent on others. This must be delayed or ideally avoided at all costs.
Of course, these beliefs cause unease or even suffering. But hereâs the frustrating bit: we believe weâre not supposed to have these beliefs!
Because weâre spiritually advanced enough to know weâre not the body, right? And we know that aging is part of life, not something to try to avoid or manage. And if we were truly awake weâd no longer care about bodily things and just rest in the peace of pure awareness all the time âŚ
The inquiry â please pause at every point to check if itâs true
- Is it a problem that these beliefs appear, or is the problem that we think they shouldnât?
- Do you control what you believe? Belief simply means a thought is currently accepted as true. Please look carefully. Donât continue until the answer is clear from your own experience.
- So if we say, donât believe your thoughts, or question your beliefs â who is going to make that happen? It could happen. It does happen. But is anyone in control of it happening?
- Believing something, for 5 seconds or 50 years, is spontaneous. You have no say in the matter.
- No one has control over what they believe. Imagine if we all knew and lived this!
- Then can our beliefs in any way define us?
- What knows all beliefs as they come and go? Stop and recognize that.
- Is that ever changed or affected by beliefs?
- Could this unaffected, ever-present knowing be what we are?
Stay in the seeing and be free.
Kat.
If you have feedback or if thereâs a situation you want me to write an inquiry about, just reply to this email.
