Pantheist Moments

[Eleisawolf]

Hey, all!

I've been big on "moments" lately.

Moments are those things that pull you into the present and remind you that you're alive.

The best way I've found to describe moments, personally, is in talking about music. In every piece of music you like, there are moments that are your favorite parts--the parts that draw you into the piece and that make it interesting to you. Brief passages that catch your attention and ground it firmly in the piece.

Wagner was one of the great artistic developers of those moments. He made each represent a theme in the music, and named them leitmotifs--leading themes. But every piece has them.

Moments often lead you through the music. But they're gone so quickly... still, they catch our attention. And the Pantheist viewpoint, at least in my opinon, is so much about paying attention!

So post your moments here. I'll start off with one that I just experienced. Share your moments of the day, the week, whatever!

Peace

[Eleisawolf]

My moment today was one of the briefest moments I've had in a while, but so surprisingly drawing, it moved me to create this thread.

I'm working at a job I truly dislike at present, and my mind is mired in the busy work I have to do. Today, as I'm sitting here, digging through the swamp, trying to accomplish a couple of tasks, I look up and oh, so briefly see a hawk lazily drifting past the window.

It couldn't have been more than a fraction of a second, but it was long enough to pull me up from my work and get me to think about the bigger picture. My job isn't the end all of existence. My life is. That's the most important thing I have, and the way I make money to support it is just one little aspect.

I smiled to see it.

Please, use this thread and the Sacred Spaces thread to share those moments or those places that remind you of where you are.

I will smile to read them.

Peace:boing:

[peggyelizabeth]

yesterday, I was in the middle of the wrost migraine I've had in years when suddenly, it started to cool off outside and openned up and poured. It's been soooo dry and even my spirit has felt parched, so that rain was such a welcome sight, scent and sound. I'm sure that if I'd been feeling well I'd have danced in the rain, but as it was it reminded me that the migraine too would pass and I would feel replenished.

[Silverfangs]

yesterday, I was in the middle of the wrost migraine I've had in years when suddenly, it started to cool off outside and openned up and poured. It's been soooo dry and even my spirit has felt parched, so that rain was such a welcome sight, scent and sound. I'm sure that if I'd been feeling well I'd have danced in the rain, but as it was it reminded me that the migraine too would pass and I would feel replenished.


Now that you talked about rain, I just remembered how I will always prefer not walking with an umbrella, and reach home totally wet. It is one of those few things that really makes me feel alive, speciall when it is a very windy and rainy day. Walking calmly thinking about everything or nothing, when it rains like hell, while the streets are empty because everyone just runned to a shelter, It's like for brief moments I am alone in the world and the rain is my only friend.

Don't know correctly how to express what I feel and felt. But it is something like that.

Peace!:)

[peggyelizabeth]

Now that you talked about rain, I just remembered how I will always prefer not walking with an umbrella, and reach home totally wet. It is one of those few things that really makes me feel alive, speciall when it is a very windy and rainy day. Walking calmly thinking about everything or nothing, when it rains like hell, while the streets are empty because everyone just runned to a shelter, It's like for brief moments I am alone in the world and the rain is my only friend.

Don't know correctly how to express what I feel and felt. But it is something like that.

Peace!:)

yes! I know that feeling. A heavy rain storm to me is the perfect dicotomy of things. I find calm in a good thunderstorm. Inspiring.

[Windsmith]

yesterday, I was in the middle of the wrost migraine I've had in years when suddenly, it started to cool off outside and openned up and poured. It's been soooo dry and even my spirit has felt parched, so that rain was such a welcome sight, scent and sound. I'm sure that if I'd been feeling well I'd have danced in the rain, but as it was it reminded me that the migraine too would pass and I would feel replenished.Oh, man, that storm was really something, wasn't it? I'd been watching the sky get darker and yellower all day. In my mind I was egging it on: "Come on. Rain. You know you wanna."

Of course, right after it started we discovered that something was incredibly wrong with one of our windows, and water was pouring into our living room. Just the Cosmos' way of saying "You may think of the storm as beautiful and perfect, but it plays by its own rules and doesn't so much care about you."

[Silverfangs]

Another great moment that I miss (only in Autumn and Winter we see more of it happening), is the mixture of soft rain with fog. Walking between trees with the white cloak covering the top and hearing just some few raind drops hit the leaves is just perfect. Oh, and the smell of wet earth and wood... brings peace and relaxation everytime I assist such thing.

My luck is that I don't get usually sick because of coming home wet. Lucky me :)

[Tanya]

I've been rather depressed about my marriage lately, and of course, having those sorts of troubles doesn't mean everything else stops... it just piles on....

So this morning amid all the busy morning work and hurt feelings, I looked over at my familiar...

She was laying in front of the fire like a sphinx with her front legs stretched waaaaaaaaaayyyy out in front of her, her toes spread, her eyes closed.. just taking in the goodness of the fire....

and i found myself thinking... 'yeah.... I gotta do some of that spiritually..... stretch , relax, enjoy the good stuff.." and after that I found I still have a lot of smiles in me.

[Silverfangs]

I've been rather depressed about my marriage lately, and of course, having those sorts of troubles doesn't mean everything else stops... it just piles on....

So this morning amid all the busy morning work and hurt feelings, I looked over at my familiar...

She was laying in front of the fire like a sphinx with her front legs stretched waaaaaaaaaayyyy out in front of her, her toes spread, her eyes closed.. just taking in the goodness of the fire....

and i found myself thinking... 'yeah.... I gotta do some of that spiritually..... stretch , relax, enjoy the good stuff.." and after that I found I still have a lot of smiles in me.

And they will just keep popping out. You just need to know how to make them reveal themselves.
Even when passing through blue moments, there is always something to cheer us. And most of the times, it's the simple things that have more effects on ourselves.

[peggyelizabeth]

Oh, man, that storm was really something, wasn't it? I'd been watching the sky get darker and yellower all day. In my mind I was egging it on: "Come on. Rain. You know you wanna."

Of course, right after it started we discovered that something was incredibly wrong with one of our windows, and water was pouring into our living room. Just the Cosmos' way of saying "You may think of the storm as beautiful and perfect, but it plays by its own rules and doesn't so much care about you."


yeah, it was a great storm.
hope your livingroom has dried out! I can imagine the mess that would have made.

[ravenscape]

This is a moment that I used to experience frequently when I lived in the south. In SF area of California, there are different moments, but this one - no, we don't experience it.

In the late summer and autumn, after the sun has gone down and twilight begins to settle, the sky turns an amazing shade of dark turquoise, that shades darker upwards toward indigo. Soemtimes, a planet is visible, but the stars are drowned out by the remaining daylight in the atmosphere before the earth rotates far enough to put the sun well and truly out of mind.

That rich, deep shade of turquoise, with trees and other nearby objects sharply sillouetted black tries to put the lie to the onrushing shortening of days. A month or two later, twilight falls so early, and is over so quickly, there's seldom time to even notice that in-between time of neither daylight nor night.

In California, we have a paler, less intense twilight and the shading of the sky is not nearly so dramatic.

[River]

Ok, my moments are probably a wee bit less spiritual, but I always feel amazing when I'm waiting. Whether in the car, waiting to get somewhere, or waiting for a pot of water to boil or anything else. I like those moments because I have an excuse to not do anything else. I can sit on the counter in the kitchen and not worry that I should be doing my math homework because I have to stop and wait for the water to boil. It gives me an excuse to do nothing but think. I even like waiting in doctors/dentists waiting rooms.

[Windsmith]

Ok, my moments are probably a wee bit less spiritual, but I always feel amazing when I'm waiting. Whether in the car, waiting to get somewhere, or waiting for a pot of water to boil or anything else. I like those moments because I have an excuse to not do anything else. I can sit on the counter in the kitchen and not worry that I should be doing my math homework because I have to stop and wait for the water to boil. It gives me an excuse to do nothing but think. I even like waiting in doctors/dentists waiting rooms.You're right, River - those are great moments!

I had a moment just last night, but it was one of those that has to be over before you realize you were in it. My wife and I went into our back yard to pick raspberries. Picking raspberries requires a lot of concentration, especially in late evening when the sunlight is fading. The berries like to hide under the leaves, and a lot of the ones that look ready for harvesting aren't, and watch out for those thorns! I heard a noise; I looked up; suddenly I realized that for the past 5 minutes I had been completely absorbed in berry-picking - fully present in that activity. I hadn't even been thinking about picking raspberries; I was just picking them. It was an amazing sensation, but, like I said, unfortunately I didn't realize just how amazing it had been until I was snapped out of it.

[Earthy]

Not so long ago, i was walking through a field which is surrounded by bushes and Trees.It was a lovely sunny day and i stopped to admire some of the trees...and for a brief moment it was as if the world had stopped, and i could feel the absolute connected-ness to everything.It was a wonderful experience.

[Eleisawolf]

Lately, my moment has come when I sit quietly with my dog or my cat, just experiencing their open and vulnerable way of being. They are nothing artificial... nothing projected. They are only what they are, and I treasure the moments that I can share that feeling with them...

Peace

[Silverfangs]

Lately, my moment has come when I sit quietly with my dog or my cat, just experiencing their open and vulnerable way of being. They are nothing artificial... nothing projected. They are only what they are, and I treasure the moments that I can share that feeling with them...

Peace

Sometimes I also stare at my old dog or pet him. Don't know why but now that is at the end of is life I've been trying to connect more to him. He looks so relaxed and calm, and at the same time crazy and playful. I wish I had that energy when I become as old as he:hahugh: .. When I feel sad or alone in the house I always talk/look/play or lay down beside him. He helps me getting relaxed.

[Kylie]

Last night I was meditating on my deck. I was staring at the brick sidewalk going around our house; I don't know what it was, but it was the deepest meditation I've ever been in.

And then a rabbit ran past and scared me. I jumped out of my meditation and started laughing hysterically. It made me think about cause and effect. I don't know what the rabbit was thinking about or running from, but it affected me. A lot of things I think about and run from, etc. probably affect others too!
It was great. (=

[Novembers River]

I have these moments when I'm on my back deck, looking at the tree tops in the alley behind my house, and feeling the breeze on my face. Especially during the autumn season.

There's something about the soft wind touching me that reminds me of my connection with the world and with the divine.

[Windsmith]

I've been having pantheist moments all this week. When I first wake up in the morning, the moon is perfectly framed in our bedroom skylight. I first noticed it last week when it was almost full, and have taken a minute to stop and observe it every morning since. Having that daily awareness of the moon, watching it wane, has been a real gift for me.

[Silverfangs]

This week I got a very peaceful moment while walking on the street. As I passed an old abandoned building and some pidgeons started to fly trought it to the top, it was like the time froze and I standed there gazing at them, in total silence... and then when they disappeared, the city went back to the normal chaos.





( By the way... I'm back to the forum ;))

[Amber]

I love to feel connected to my pets, and I have my own little kitten at the moment who lives in my bedroom. =) I love to cuddle and stroke her all the time, but recently I've noticed that she hasn't been purring at all. I don't like this, because when I'm stroking her it's like she's just sitting there for my benefit, instead of her enjoyment. But the other day I was absent mindedly stroking her and she started purring really loudly. It was such a happy and relaxing sound that I just sat there not thinking about anything for a little while. But then the phone rang and she ran off.

[TygerTyger]

Yesterday evening I was on the way home from work. The sun was beginning to set but the heavy cloud that had obscured it for most of the day appeared to be breaking up. The clouds in the West began to turn a rich purple whilst above the road the visible sky was a striking blue. Rain began to fall, not heavy as during the rest of the day, but enough to make turning the wipers on a good idea.

As I turned East I saw a complete rainbow! A beautiful golden sunlight bathed the urban landscape. Looking in the mirror I could see the amazing sky behind me; it was surreal. I t was also a moment that reminded me that we are surrounded by miracles but so often too busy to see them.

[RavenStars]

I've always gotten my wider connection when I can see the horizon, free of houses and even trees. I'm a desert brat, the world just isn't right without distant mountains and unobstructed views. It's something I feed on. I too have seen some sunsets recently with clouds that just opened up my heart to the wonder of the natural world. The clouds mean rain—Yeah!—which is very, very important to our area. So my mind is happy, too.

We've also had some vicious storms that put whole towns without power for over a week. I sit in my studio and listen to the trees thrashing madly. I take down my wind chimes. What's going to happen is going to happen, I tell myself. It's hard not to be afraid. But there's a sense of wonder in that, too. I certainly am grateful for the roof over my head!

[spiral]

I just remembered something that happened a few years ago that I thought was pretty amazing. I was in the car with my dad driving and this flock of ducks (is flock the right word?) suddenly appeared to the side of the road. They flew off but one of them got kind of separated from the rest and panicked, flying back and forth right in front of our car and the one next to us, I was terrified he was going to get hit. And all of a sudden the rest of the ducks circled round, swooped down in front of the cars to surround the duck and sort of collected him as they flew past. They rescued him, it was amazing to see :) especially when you've been raised to see animals as sort of automated machines who have only instincts for food and mating.

[Eleisawolf]

Sometimes I also stare at my old dog or pet him. Don't know why but now that is at the end of is life I've been trying to connect more to him. He looks so relaxed and calm, and at the same time crazy and playful. I wish I had that energy when I become as old as he:hahugh: .. When I feel sad or alone in the house I always talk/look/play or lay down beside him. He helps me getting relaxed.

Along these lines... when my cat was dying this winter, it was amazing to connect to the grace with which she did so. Animals don't know they have grace, but for us they do. Seeing her gentle way of accepting how she felt and doing the best she could do until her last moments was sobering but inspiring. Death is a moment I hope to be very present for, aware of, connected to--whether mine or anyone else's I happen to be with at that time.

Peace

[Windsmith]

I just remembered something that happened a few years ago that I thought was pretty amazing. I was in the car with my dad driving and this flock of ducks (is flock the right word?) suddenly appeared to the side of the road. They flew off but one of them got kind of separated from the rest and panicked, flying back and forth right in front of our car and the one next to us, I was terrified he was going to get hit. And all of a sudden the rest of the ducks circled round, swooped down in front of the cars to surround the duck and sort of collected him as they flew past. They rescued him, it was amazing to see :) especially when you've been raised to see animals as sort of automated machines who have only instincts for food and mating.Oh, man, that's awesome! Puts me in mind of the time a family of ducks waddled across a fairly busy road while I was driving home from work. Watching everyone slow down and wait patiently while the mamma duck led her babies across the street gave me great hope for the future.