The Goldenrod November 2009

The Goldenrod November 2009

My conception of time might be a little different from most people’s. The production of one image, then another image, then another image: that production is the principle of time to me.
In other words, time is the manifestation of the objective world within the soul. – Anthony Damiani



Obstacles to Freedom and Freedom from Obstacles:
Yoga and Beyond
Join us for discussion, meditation, healing, and shared experience with friends on the way, at a seminar led by Avery Solomon on December 5-6. In this gathering, we’ll explore an issue essential to the spiritual path: the balance of effort and non-effort. “No effort is needed to get hold of the Overself, but every effort is needed to get rid of the many impediments to its recognition.” – Paul Brunton
Insights from masters of great traditions bring us a spectrum of practical approaches to meet obstacles and thus allow life to be lived with joy and dignity. You are invited to read in advance: a Pathwork article, paras from Nisargadatta and PB, as well as an outline of Patanjali available online at averysolomon.com.
Saturday: 10 am-5 pm. (Join us for morning meditation at 8 am and breakfast at 9 am.) Saturday evening: dinner, chanting, music and video. Sunday morning, 9:30-11 am: we’ll share and air our responses from the night. Food will be provided for lunch and breakfast. Donations welcome. For information or to register, please contact Avery at aps5@cornell.edu or 607-546-7300. “Have patience with yourself for you are your only obstacle.”

A Celebration of the Heart
Please join us for a “Celebration of the Heart” through music, chanting, whirling and mystical poetry. Through these offerings we hope to create a space where the Divine Love can be evoked and experienced.
We will meet once a month on Monday evenings at 7 pm in the meditation room of the Main Building. Please join us on December 7 and January 11 to begin this joining of heart and mind. For more information, including dates of future meetings, contact Gran Rockett (gran_rockett@yahoo.com) or Micha-El (Alan) Berkowitz (alan@fltg.net), Mahbud Burton (harmony@clarityconnect.com), or Steven Smolen (ssmolen@empacc.net).

Self Inquiry Discussion Group
This group provides an opportunity to meet with others involved in the search for Truth and Self-definition via Self-inquiry. Our meetings consist of informal and open discussion of paths, teachers, techniques, philosophical and spiritual systems, and possible ways and means for expediting the search. The discussions are not academic or theoretical, but rather focus on our own personal experiences as seekers. There is usually also a period of silent meditation at some point during the evening.
If you find yourself drawn to teachers like Sri Nisargadatta Maharaj, Ramana Maharshi, Douglas Harding, Tony Parsons, Franklin Merrell-Wolf, Eckhart Tolle, Adyashanti, and the ancient masters of Zen, Advaita Vedanta, and Christian Mysticism, you may find our meetings very worthwhile. We will be using the book of Robert Adams The Silence of the Heart as an initial guide but any paragraphs, talks or sayings of the self-realized teachers are welcome and will be discussed.
This group will meet at Ahimsa Yoga Center in the Dewitt Mall in Ithaca on Wednesday evenings at 7:30-9:30 pm. For information contact the facilitators: Mark Scorelle at mark.scorelle@gmail.com or Bob Yavits at yavitsr@tc3.edu.
Also, a Meetup Group for the 14850 region is being created. People can subscribe to and get notices of meetings, changes of dates and locations. http://www.meetup.com/Self-Inquiry-Discussion-Group/



Sunday
Egyptian Goddesses (meets twice a month)
We are studying Egyptian Goddesses using Alison Roberts’ book My Heart My Mother: Death and Rebirth in Ancient Egypt as a basis. Contact Barbara at 387-6303.

Katha Upanishad (evening, Tim and Karen Smith’s home) This class is working on the Katha Upanishad, which deals with death and what survives death. We also touch on the beautiful verses of the Bhagavad Gita every third week. Our starting time alternates every other week, and the gathering includes meditation sessions, plus a dish-to-pass supper every other week. To confirm starting time and specifics of class, contact Kira at kiralallas@yahoo.com.

Monday
Astronoesis This class will be “on vacation” until the beginning of 2010. At that time, we will regroup and probably resume discussion of the Intellectual-Principle chapter. If you are interested in attending the class after the holidays, for more information (topic, meeting place/day/time) please contact David Gallagher dgallagher@aol.com, or June Fritchman ifnisworld@yahoo.com/ juneagle@juno.com.

Monday School This class is also “on
vacation” until the spring. For information
about this program for children, please
contact Madhurima at ma24@cornell.edu.

Celebration of the Heart (meets monthly,
7:00 pm, Main Building) Through music, chanting, whirling and mystical poetry, we hope to create a space where the Divine Love can be evoked and experienced. Contact Gran at gran_rockett@yahoo.com

Tuesday
Gentle Svaroopa Yoga (5:30 to 7:00 pm, Library) These Svaroopa style Yoga classes are devoted to developing that inner knowing, through poses that open and release your spine. Wear loose-fitting, comfortable clothing. Contact Caroline at 351-1962.

Also on Tuesday
Buddhism (7:30-9:30 pm, Library) We are
now reading from His Holiness the Dalai Lama’s book Advice on Dying. All are welcome. Contact Andrew at vectorart@aol.com or Lou at desarno@htva.net.

Emerging Teachers of the One (7:30 pm, Main Building) We’re reading from I Am That by Nisargadatta Maharaj, going over videos of Nondual teachers from conscious.tv (most recently Jackie O’Keeffe), listening to tapes of John Wheeler and Adyashanti radio broadcast, and to Eckhart Tolle’s monthly webcast. Contact Mark at mark.scorelle@gmail.com.

Wednesday
Plotinus’ Enneads (7:45-10 pm, Library) After about 45 minutes of meditation, we read and discuss sections from the Enneads. We are now reading “Intellectual Objects and the One” (V.5). All are welcome. Contact Herbert at 277-5685.

Self Inquiry Discussion Group (7:30-9:30 pm, in Ithaca) We’re using Robert Adams’ The Silence of the Heart as a guide for our discussion of spiritual paths, teachers, techniques, and systems. The focus is on our own personal experiences as seekers and the evening includes a period of silent meditation. All are welcome. Contact Mark at mark.scorelle@gmail.com.

Thursday
Meditation with Raphael and Discussions
on the Quest (4:15-6:45 pm, Library) We start with a reading as a seed for meditation, and
then discuss our own journeys on the path. All are welcome. Contact Avery at 546-7300 or aps5@cornell.edu.

PB Class (7:15 to 9:30, Library) We begin with meditation, then read and discuss PB’s writings and some of Anthony’s classes on PB. Currently we are reading The Hidden Teaching Beyond Yoga and selections from Volumes 12 and 13 from The Notebooks. We would like to entice new people to join the class and are willing to focus on other areas of PB as the class interest evolves. All are welcome. Contact David Bulkley at 592-6413.


Anthony Damiani
Class Archives
In the WG Library on the bottom shelf of the “magazine bookcase” in the south quadrant are 15 dark-blue-bound books of notes pages Anthony Damiani Class Archives: 1970-1984. There is also one large ring binder “Informational Notebook” containing various database printouts for the classes: audios and transcripts. These volumes are for reference use in the library only (not for circulation).

This project was initiated and overseen by Carol DeAntoni and funded by a gift from The Temple Family Private Foundation. June Fritchman and Ilya Turov entered information on the cataloging sheets for this first phase during the winter and spring of 2009.

These archival notes are a first attempt to establish an outline/archive of classes given by Anthony Damiani at Wisdom’s Goldenrod during the years 1970 - 1984. As those of us who had the privilege to attend these classes are getting older, it is time to think of those whom we hope will come after we are gone who may want to research this legacy of Anthony’s philosophic genius. We hope that this information will be useful to various researchers, database entry, and for those wishing to create a “history” of WG classes.

Except for the undated entries and 1969, 1970, 1971, there is one page per individual date, and if more than one seminar/class/session was held on a given date, for each individual seminar/class/session. The pages stop after AD memorial service in 1984. The cover sheet and the form in each volume should be self-explanatory.


From the Office of
His Holiness the Dalai Lama
“We are happy to learn of your continuing help to Gutso Hospital Foundation in Tibet. Thank you for dedicating the donations in His Holiness’ honor.
“His Holiness just completed a seven-day teaching at the request of a large group of Chinese, mostly from Taiwan and another group from Southeast Asia. He is now getting ready for another extended visit to Japan, Arunachal Pradesh, Italy and Delhi.
“Finally, I am pleased to convey to you His Holiness’ prayers and good wishes to all the members of Wisdom’s Goldenrod.
“Best wishes. Yours sincerely, Tenzin Taklha, Joint Secretary, Office of HH the Dalai Lama”

Audio, Transcripts
and Diagrams
A hard-drive is available that includes the audio of about 600 classes and the transcripts of about 140 classes, along with an informative spreadsheet for $140. These are old classes taught by Anthony.

Also available are two spiral booklets ($10 each): “Anthony’s Metaphysical Diagrams” (30 AD diagrams and comments) and “An Introduction to Anthony’s Astrological Mandalas.”
A much larger set of 300 AD diagrams is also available on a 1gig USB flash drive ($20).
After production costs, all money goes to WG. If interested, contact Avery at avery@averysolomon.com.


News from Ohio
The Philosopher’s Center members meet weekly on Mondays and have been given a very comfortable meeting room (at no charge) by the Ohio Oncology group. We’re reading The Wisdom of the Overself and supplementing our discussions with relevant quotes from The Notebooks and from notes of Anthony’s comments. We’re currently studying the “Birth of the Universe” chapter.

We’re very pleased that First Community Church, has asked Alan Berkowitz, a.k.a. Micha-El, to be featured in their Spiritual Searcher Program. He and Gran Rockett will be presenting a workshop the weekend of April 9-11, 2010, on “The Inner Temple: From Inner Peace to Outer Change.” Micha-El is a wonderful spokesman for PB’s teachings, connecting them to relevant topics.

Over the last year, we have sponsored several public talks held at First Community Church by Avery Solomon and Micha-El on relevant subjects such as “Karma and Grace.” They have been well attended by people outside our group.

First Community Church has always been very progressive and open to spiritual teachings. In fact, PB was once a mentor to Dr. Roy Burkhart, a senior minister of First Community in the 1950’s. Partly due to the support of the late Dr. Richard (Red) Witter, their Spiritual Searcher Program has been able to bring leading thinkers from all over to the Columbus area, including Brian Swimme, Bishop John Spong, Huston Smith, Matthew Fox, William Sloane Coffin and Scott Peck. The unique program has been operating for 25 years.



Visiting WG
Many outside people were interested in the Center last summer -- we had calls weekly. Right now we are very pleased to have Raul Arenas from Stockholm staying at WG for a few months.
To find out about visiting or staying at Wisdom’s Goldenrod, please contact us at 607-546-7777 or wisdomsgoldenrod@gmail.com.


Coming Up

Mike Conners
Mike Conners from the Truth and Transmission Foundation (TAT) has accepted an invitation to come to WG the weekend of May 7-9, 2010. Contact Mark at mark.scorelle@gmail.com for more information.

Spring Seminars
with Avery Solomon
Saturday through Sunday morning,
March 20- 21: Body and Embodiment: Who lives? Who dies? Embodied being and loss of being. Individual and universal body. Conscious living being.
April 24-25 and June 5-6. Beginning of a series of six seminars.
Look for more information in the spring.


Artists

Yvonne Piburn
There is an exhibit of landscapes and still-lifes by Yvonne Piburn at Leidenfrost Vineyard through the end of November.

Hymn to Water
Helena Cooper’s newest installation consists of her newest photographs being projected. Sera Smolen will accompany the photography on the cello, along with the sounds of water.
The entire installation will bring together the natural sounds, photography, and music into a great hymn to the blessings of water. This will be the debut: December 11, 5:00 - 8:00 pm at Helena Cooper Art Studio, 1002 N. Cayuga St. in Ithaca. (The entrance is on Jay St.)
Giclee photographs from Helena’s new series, “Water in Four Seasons” will also be on display.

The Dream of the Good
Anna Prim Bornstein has been working with a team in Sweden to develop a simple school-based program for fostering inner and outer peace called “The Dream of the Good.” The methodology includes stillness, peaceful touch (simple massage), contemplative movement (qigong and yoga) and reflection (students sit in a circle and use a talking stick.)
Anna gave a training course at WG in August and those attending learned three of the methods (stillness, peaceful touch and life talk) and were certified to teach them to teachers.
Kids of all ages today are so stressed, constantly being bombarded by stimulation from the outside so that they lose contact with themselves as a subject. Many young people view themselves merely as objects, as if they saw themselves in a mirror. This gives rise to many different neurotic disturbances, according to many researchers and psychologists.
The Dream of the Good, was created to counter this development, and to give students a chance to touch base within themselves. After many years of successful pilot programs, mostly in Sweden, it is starting to be introduced internationally.
The original team decided to create a permanent program focused on stillness that could be integrated into the curriculum. Anna wrote a book, The Dream of the Good, and made six films to go with it, working with Jim Wine of The Peace Appeal Foundation, The films include interviews with His Holiness the Dalai Lama. Throughout the years, His Holiness has been kept informed about the work, and he has blessed it many times. Also, The Dream has for many years been a pilot project within the Peace Appeal Foundation, an international organization created by a group of Nobel Peace Laureates.
At first they worked only with high schools, then discovered that the methods, with small adjustments, worked on all levels, even preschool.
Several scientific research studies have been made, showing significant improvements in just eight weeks. Results from controlled before-and-after studies show fewer emotional problems, less stress, improved peer relations and well being at school. A Norwegian study shows an improved ability to react with peace and non-violence in provoking situations; the students felt more empathy and developed group harmony with less aggression.
Any help or information you may have that would help them gain access to schools and school systems would be much appreciated. For more information see the Webpage: www.dreamofthegood.org.

Remembering Anthony
A couple of simple gatherings were held in October to commemorate the 25th anniversary of Anthony’s death.
In preparation for this event, a list of questions was generated including: If the rest of the world could know only one thing that you know about Anthony, what would you want that to be? If a biography was written about Anthony, what do you think would absolutely have to be included? What drew you to Anthony? How are you living differently today than you might be if you hadn’t crossed paths with him? What are you most grateful for?
Although the event has passed, we’d still love to hear what you might be willing to share. If you’d like to tell some story or stories about any of these things, or something along these lines, write it down (or record your story in an audio format) and send it to WG, or email wisdomsgoldenrod@gmail.com.

Karma and Grace
In October, Avery Solomon led a seminar “Karma and Grace: Practices for Living, Loving and Dying.” The theme raised questions: How does practice lead to enlightenment? How does Karma work for us? How can we invite Grace? How to be in the world but not of the world?

Fireman’s Fair
Every shift had enough people and folks seemed on the whole to be having a pretty good time. The late Saturday shift was the only one seriously dampened by the weather. A fairly heavy rainstorm made for many fewer than hoped-for attendance. Folks hung on for the fireworks, which many found quite impressive. We were cleaned up and gone by midnight or so. Quite a few unannounced pies turned up through the three days. With that, in addition to June’s marathon pie making and the slow late shift, we actually had pies left over. That meant we had enough to give a pie to three of the fair organizers and one to Joe Dell, who grows the corn we’ve been serving all these years. We earned about $2500 for the fire department and Mike Hicks, head of the Fire Department, again said how much they all appreciate us.

Michael Hall
Michael Hall’s Teaching Day in September focused on the work of Paul Brunton. People came from near and far to hear Michael’s teaching. We’d like to thank Gudren Schlief, Cindy Stillman, and Greg Kramer for their help in putting on this event.

Money/Meeting
The Annual Meeting was held on Sunday November 8. After reports on classes, buildings and grounds, and so on, we discussed the future of WG in general terms, and then looked at the budget.
Members and friends should know that donations and dues were down last year and we ended up spending about $6000 more than we took in.

Dreamwork
Robert Bosnak gave a workshop in September entitled “Embodied Imagination” and gave a talk with Jill Fischer on a new method of dreamwork that is done in pairs. This method is presented in their forthcoming book Swapping Dreams.
Robert Bosnak offers workshops using his pioneering method of Embodied Dreamwork to re-enter dreams, deepen our experience of the images and integrate them into a body-based composite. His annual visit to the Ithaca area is an exciting event for lovers of the world of deep imagination.

The Metaphysical Chart
In this year’s Astronoesis Summer Studies over Labor Day weekend we explored the Astronoesis section “The One: Symbolization.” There were slide shows and provocative discussions; we read the text and went through the associated diagrams. We explored the components of the metaphysical chart /astrological mandala, the One-Only as first house, the Dyad, and the Triad, and Fourfold. There seemed to be special interest in the circle itself and also the fourfold, whether the four quadrants or rings of the metaphysical chart, or the nested fourfolds.
The evening sessions dovetailed with the daytime presentations. Herbert Shapiro presented his original paper “Symbol and the One” and Lenny Silver presented his exquisite star movies and his paper “Why 360?” (Both are now on the WG website). A panel consisting of Harriet Eisman, Linda Ruth, Herbert Shapiro, and Michael Wakoff exchanged ideas on the topic “Why the Metaphysical Chart?”
Most sessions were facilitated by members of the Astronoesis class: Greg Kramer, David Gallagher, and June Fritchman. MaryAnn Flory led the evening meditations, and Karim Mattar audio-recorded the sessions (available on the WG website). Thanks to everyone who came -- and thanks to Anthony himself for his kindness and insight.
The Summer Studies ’08 theme was “Number” and the following paper was written for that occasion.


Thoughts on Number by Herbert Shapiro

We are, we are told, Eternal born Soul. One integrally, and Real essentially, we enter here, into a world of magnitude and extension, mind and body. At first, we are ignorant of our natural place, then, incrementally perhaps, we shake off some of the forgetful sleep of non-remembrance and the confusion it brings. We then look around and begin to see. This world, we realize has gifted us place. This mind body, to be sure in this view a descent, is also a gifted place. We, now living in the world, have come to see, that we are ‘from’ that Real, and with a kind of intuitive certainty of the possibility of actual order and beauty, it behooves us to put right the disorders we find here; human society struggling as it does, as do we. As we begin to know, the quest to right and order the world can -- if it does -- become a quest to right and order ourselves. We turn, orienting in that righting, toward what is good for us, perhaps at first. If understanding furthers toward what is good in itself, then we can perhaps, see good for more than just self. The righting and the finding are, in this view, part of our inborn birthright. The Good, our good, our unity, what can even be called the God within, our essential nature, is imprinted on us by deep spiritual conception. Pure intelligence formed with our very Soul, includes Soul’s life and vision, powers, love, remembrance, capacity, sciences, arts and all order of structure that will become our life. That there is a reasoned science that helps lead toward the truths so promised, a science so conceived that leads to deeper intellection, knowledge by identity and more (means hither to unknown) is information passed to us by the wise of the past.
From ancient Egypt and Asia Minor to Greece, from Orpheus, Hermes, Zoroaster and the Magi, through Pythagoras, and Plato to Plotinus (where we stop for this consideration) a wisdom knowledge and science of number has been passed down to us, containing real, vital information about us and the world in which we live. The philosophies of these teachers are already arcane and no longer understood by modern consciousness. These philosophies contain within them the esoteric understanding that the world we live in is resident in a divinity that is One, the source of all; a Unity of divine Being, Idea, principle and powers. Further, the world thus understood, is an organized instantiation of Ideas, Powers, and immaterial Intelligences that form and regulate the world. These ancient philosophers assert that we can begin to grasp these ideas as mathematical intelligence: number; in various levels, as symbolized, in pattern, and processes to form geometries of existence as the world, - and subjectively, as the deep intellectual and moral structure of our own minds.
Plotinus’ The Enneads is inspired by and are commentary on Plato. Platonic science understands the world as Objective Idea, born of and rooted in the Good or the One. The Ideas, or Forms, manifest, structure, sustain and guide the Universe. The Ideas, the deep universal intelligences are Real, Eternal and are with Power. How the Ideas are in the One, how they come out of the One, how they structure existence, how they are structured as such, are some of the problems that the ancient philosophies see fit to address and try to answer. In the Platonic/Plotinian view the Forms are Number. The deep Intelligences, are not simply symbolized by Number, they are Number and more. The problem of how the unified, simply whole One gives rise to the multiple Forms themselves, and how the Forms unfold in and as a variegated universe is a fundamental problem for any philosophy engaged in trying to understand the world and man’s place in it. It is sought to be solved in this view, through understanding the world ‘Here’ and the world ‘There’ as Mathematical Ideas of number and it’s various expressions.
Science, understood here as Reasoning on the Real, uses symbol as its medium of meaning. Number is most effective symbol. When we seek to relate by representing one order to another, or even parts of this order, in meaning terms, we symbolize. In symbols, equivalences either real or devised are used. Language, music, writing, drawing, arts, the sciences use number or its products in their symbolizing. Number as symbolic of itself, is peculiar in that the numbers we use as symbols are close to and continuous with what is symbolized. The unseen world of the Real, ‘There’, and the world of the sensible, ‘Here’, are capable of intersecting through number, intimate through closeness with their origin. The world as shown forth, sprung from principle, is the most natural of symbols to represent that principial world. It is number in its symbol forms that give accounting of this world, its parts, and hopefully its source. We are well aware, that there is almost no experience in this world without number or its products. Number being in fact the unifying concept of what we call forms in substance, life ‘Here”.
Anthony’s work is a sophisticated Symbolic representation of this mathematics, of both Plato’s and Plotinus’ deep philosophic work. The astounding nature of the Astrological Charts and their capacity for disclosing the workings of the Cosmos ever thrill the imagination and enlighten. Anthony unfolded a world view that permits us to schematize, and aspire to start to make sense of what the Platonic masters were trying to impart: How a Transcendent Unity becomes a multifaceted universe containing all that we know of the objective visible world and to begin to articulate an understanding of the principles that structure the world.
For Plato, and this is the cause that Plotinus takes up, the Ideas, of and in The One, are most real, not visible, and are knowable by a deep intelligence beyond Reason. They are the causes of the structured orderings of the phenomenal world in all its processes. Their powers are the structuring, and are in the structuring. The Arithmetization of the Forms, is Plato’s attempt to ‘save’ phenomena, balancing as he does between chaos of sheer multiplicity and a static sense of motionless Eternal Being. For Plato echoing the Pythagorean view, number and its geometrics – circles, lines, angles, triangles, squares, are not simply quantity and measure, but carry the qualitative intelligence of the invisible transcendent Form-Ideas or, Essential or pre-Essential Number. Phenomena and any human mind apprehending the phenomena, are the products of the Form/Numbers. As such to the extent that we, as human Souls, participate in this numbered world, morality and knowledge are possible. Life itself is possible because of the power of the forms and their unfoldment.
“On Number”, begins with the supposition that our suffering equates with multiplicity. For us this is our grasping of the multiplicity of the unlimited infinity of non- being. Now, as we have become manifold, we have forgotten ourselves and tend toward the multiple, toward extension and magnitude (inherent existence if you will). We live this way, extended out from ourselves. As such we suffer. To the extent that we retain ourselves, our unity, our simplicity, to the extent we remain in ourselves, suffering ends. This return to the unified, to Essence, is possible, as we are part of the Cosmos. Knowledge, evolution and development are now possible. We are educated by the Universe and by our participation in it. The Mathematical forms in mind and those in the world are both sourced from the same transcendent Forms. This sourcing, at once makes possible any knowledge in and of the world, but, closer still speaks to a capacity for intimacy with the inner being of the world.
It is not quite expected at the outset, however the intuition tantalizes, that a timeless order, belonging to the Unity and Being of the universe, the Divinity, becomes available through the Mathematical Forms and our training in them.
A door opens in to this real world, through number.
Science as such now, postulates no principial level of number. It seeks through and uses mathematics to try to find a unifying idea to incorporate all. Unified field understanding, becomes an attempt, here to grasp there. For science, there is no there to be grasped. A problem. The inversion of the intuition precludes the end. General relativity speaking of the vast, quantum mechanics of the small, speak different languages. Through this kind of science we cannot find the one language we intuitively know is there, the deep coherence. Perhaps we have not thought deeply enough. The mathematics have not come to the fore. But whatever this unified theory will be, it will not bring that sense of universal sympathy, the non-dual basis of our life, the ground of our astrological existence. This preexistent Unity, Forms, Ideas, Number, in non-dual relation, permits us to live in a world that is ordered.
Our evolution is our ordering in a world amenable to order. The Good Truth and Beauty of the Absolute conceived this way is now available to us. We just have to be still.




If we use an analogy:
you have the lights on, you see the pole.
I shut the lights off, you say you see nothing.

Seeing goes on in both cases.
In one case you see nothing,
in the other case you see the pole.
But seeing itself, in the analogy I’m using,
seeing corresponds to
transcendental insight.

Reality can’t disappear
just because appearances disappear.
Insight always remains. It’s always there. -- Anthony Damiani