Omega II: Visiting with the Sages
Day 2 - Evening Session - Part 6

by Alisa Joaquin

David turned to Arnold and asked, "Are we having any questions or are we just lecturing?"

And Arnold replied, "It was just open, oh we have a question over here (pointing out among the group)."

The person mentioned that someone was right (I could not hear exactly whom she was talking about) that as humans we have to create our own reality. She then got into mentioning about the native people of the new world (which included all of the Americas) did not know what to make of ships. When they made songs about it, they saw them as flags coming above the horizon."

And David stated, "Yeah, the Incas, I think it was, thought the Portugese, it was the Portugese wasn't it, the Portugese conquistadors and their armor on horses were all one thing, with two heads. One of them with a pretty weird head, you know. Both of them were weird heads. If you get into this kind of metaphorical thought, then maybe it's like when the Incas imagined that, or when the Terra Dos Juagans imagined that, that's what it is. And you have to, like, prove that it isn't. You know we all agree that, well the simple one is like colors. We all agree that trees are green, so they're all green. Anybody who thinks they're not green is, well we call them color blind. But maybe they're really seeing the way it really is. I mean, it isn't any specific way. We've all convinced each other. This goes further that the flower may not even be there, the tree may not even be there, unless we've all invented a universe in which we have these trees and we tell it to each other and teach it. I think there is a lot of things that little kids see the world very differently until they're convinced, no, no you're not supposed to see it that way. It's a mistake, like I think that little kids are born healers, until they're told, no, no, no, you have to go to the doctor, you can't do that. They used to burn people that could do stuff like that."

Another person stood up and asked about the I Ching and how it fits in the practice of Chi Gong.

Arnold answered with, "Well actually the I Ching is like an energetic template for all of these arts whether it's Tai Chi, Chi, Chinese Medicine, or Taoist Meditation practices. Of course the I Ching is based upon yin and yang and some you who aren't familiar with the I Ching, we have these 64 hexigrams that actually manifest, their actually comprised of eight different trigrams that are symbols of how energy manifests itself in the universe. And when they interact together we have these 64 mini scenarios. So when you connect into the I Ching, we can send out our energetic intent to the universe with a question and we get a response back. The I Ching is nothing but another extension of how nature relates. Some people are very gifted to their higher intuition. They are able to receive answers directly. So the I Ching is just another way in which we can learn about the processes of nature and energy and so forth. Again it's all based on the same simple principles of yin and yang."

David added, "On the earth we have the eight directions because there are eight trigrams. It's very Taoistic. They're all natural, the names of natural forces; the Earth, Sky, Water, Wood, etc. And then you put the trigrams together, and they go together eight times so that makes 64. So you get things like Thunder on the Mountain. And then you have a whole commentary by these huge philosophers that go all the way back. Confucius is one of the people who wrote, what do they call that part of the book, the commentary. Because there's things like very short poems, like for or five lines about what these trigrams that add together to a hexagram what it signifies. And then it gets very, this huge long commentary about people over the centuries which I tend to ignore because, you know it's like astrology. I mean there's no doubt that the stars effect us somehow or another. And, well you say, Venus and Mars is in conjunction. And well, you know, Venus is love and Mars is war, that's pretty clear. But then you talk to the astrologer and they'll tell you all kinds of psychological stuff, and you just go, I don't know, Venus and Mars is in conjuction, that's all I needed to know. And that's sort of the way the core of the I Ching is that simple. And I think that's why you made the Nine Psalms (talking to Rob), trying to go one further, because there's this up, this direction (gesturing) is missed. It's all like that (continuing to gesture-more than once I wished I had a video camera, but unfortunately, they are not allowed in the workshops unless the teachers agreed to them). It doesn't say anything about . . ."

Robe then added his own thoughts, but unfortunately his microphone wasn't on and his voice was muffled so I could not hear his answer very well.

David asked Rob if he would answer a question "Did we, can we?"

And Rob Moses replied, "So much of this too is the greatness and opportunity to fail. Through failing, we have to re-assess, redirect, grow, to better ourselves regardless if we have to fade back and punt. Take the pain, whatever the case, the opportunity is so often the greatest opportunity spiritually. You know, if we just go in and nail it every time, you know what I'm saying, how flat it would be as people. Heard Michael Jordan say one time, 'Why are you so great?' "Because I fail more than anybody.' That's a good mouthful coming from a great person who has worked really, really, hard. So much of all this stuff is that, being to grow I tell you, maintain a positive attitude."

It is unfortunate that I could not hear these questions very well. They were muffled. Though I think I have been able to get the gist of them. Another question was put to the panel. The gist seemed to be about belief systems within ourselves. The question was in regards to the potential within. The question was more like "What is me and what is the limitations on my inability to process?" That was not always clear as to what was being asked.

Rob's reply was, "That answer's not easy. Maybe we should just be laughing plankton. I would just go with it. That's a big question, you that process is part . . ."

David said in the background, "Then we get sucked up by whales."

And Rob went on to say, "That's okay, the energy goes on, you know. It still goes. Eventually that decomposes, it evaporates. Someone drinks it later. It becomes a teardrop. It tastes just like the ocean, you know. There's a cycle there. It should be a natural process, but we as people try to make it as unnatural as we can. We struggle with it. I know I struggle with it."

Heidi Singh then brought in her thoughts because someone had asked a question about Buddhism, what is Buddhism from, "I'll give you one answer that my friend said on another occasion. He said, 'Buddhism is like, you're hitting yourself in the head continuously, okay? And you're going 'Man my head hurts.'' Okay? And Buddhism, Buddhist practice, or I would say any practice, I don't care. I don't want to put a label on it, but, you know, just for fun we'll say Buddhism. But it's holding up a mirror, and you go, 'Oh, wow. I'm doing this to myself.' And then you quit doing it. I love that analogy, but I don't know if it makes any sense. It's as simple as that."

Then Rob came in with, "David was talking about how nothing bothers him. I couldn't help thinking about a terd in a punch bowl (and I can't believe Rob said that), type of analogy. (He really got a laugh with that one and kept getting one.) Terd in a punch bowl. It's so many things so disappointing, you know. So long as you're not overly thirsty, you know. You could see the humor. I dig sometimes, you know. kind of chuckling to myself as he said, nothing bothers yeah. I've never seen anything bother this guy. I just for some reason that an old saying, terd in a punch bowl came back to my mind. I don't know why I shared that with you guys. I'm risking a lot (everyone is really laughing at this point, even David. I think at this point people were getting a bit punchy and needed a good laugh.)

And David says, "Thank you for that."

and Rob replies, "Yeah."

And Heidi Singh says in the background, "Well you need shit to make flowers."

And David added, "Out of the mud grows the lotus which I think is poisonous. It always goes one further, or maybe eternally further. Beautiful lotus, have to think about that. It is poisonous of course."

Then a woman mentions that the root was edible.

And David asks, "The roots edible? Doesn't get you high or anything?"

And the woman states, "No, lotus root is an edible food. It's in season all the time."

David asked, "Where do you stalk it?"

Then the woman mentioned, "And that beautiful metaphor is to live life like the lotus flower with your roots in the mud and your head floating above the water, the water being the emotions, facing the heavens."

And David added, "And the hippopotamus knows enough not to eat your head."

End of Day 2 - Evening Session - Part 6

Alisa Joaquin Copyright@2001.
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