I got this in my inbox today. It made me think and made some sense so I decided to put it here.
Saturday, August 28, 2004 (received January 20, 2001)
Daily Quado:
"Get wet. Allow yourself to experience life. Allow yourself to take risks, have adventures, gain knowledge through experience. Jump into the river and be one with us here."
Note from Carrie: Today's message was retrieved from the Quado archives, back from January, 2001. I hope you enjoy it.
The Message:
When you are confused and do not know which way to turn, when your life seems unsettled and uncertain and what you want above all is certainty, is a decision one way or the other, is to leave the state of limbo, when you are feeling this way, you must remember that in this state of limbo, in this state of uncertainty, is when you will find all of the glorious opportunities which are there for you.
Life is a river, and you are floating within it, on it, in it, part of it, moving, flowing, always. There are times when you have settled companions around you. There are times when you have banded together and built a raft, a raft so large and apparently permanent that you think yourselves safe. You feel invulnerable. You are with a group of people and you have all agreed to some common theme. You have, perhaps, built a great corporation on a raft. And since, at this time, this part of the river is smooth and quiet, so smooth and quiet that you have no sensation of movement at all, now you feel, at last, that you have found certainty, you have found safety, you can rest for a while, simply building another story on your house on the raft, building an entire city, linking yourself up with other rafts, until there is a giant structure, all full of like-minded people, all seeking safety and security, floating along on the placid, deep-running river.
But all of this is illusion. The only thing that is real is the river. That is all that is real. And the raft you have built is made of matchsticks, and will fall apart at the first stretch of rapids. True, from time to time you have encountered a rock, deep and wide, which has caused problems on your raft city. You have all run around frantically, repairing the damage, shoring up the sides, and then floating on. Perhaps weaker, perhaps even stronger as a result. There are also times when you have a great collision with another raft in the river, and these times are trying indeed. And your whole life is focused on this struggle, the contest with the other raft, the struggle for space and superiority.
But still, through all of this, all of this that takes up all of your time and energy, the only thing that is real is the river, and the river flows. It flows on relentlessly, taking all of your years on this earth along with it. And while you focus your entire life on the raft, on the structures you are building there, on the contest with the other rafts, the river flows.
And ahead, perhaps, is a fork in the river. And at this point, your raft makes some sort of choice, led either by the group as a whole, or more likely, by the captain or committee which steers your raft. They choose a fork in the river and a part of your fate is sealed, sealed by this choice in which you had no part. And now, as you move down the river, you begin to hear a new sound, the sound, the roar, of rapids approaching. For the river flows, and you must flow with it. And as the rapids approach, perhaps it is an acquisition pending, perhaps it is a corporate breakup, perhaps it is illness or divorce which disrupts, as these rapids approach, you suddenly see the truth, you suddenly realize that you have spent your life building and maintaining a raft of matchsticks, thinking that it was permanent, thinking that it was solid, putting your faith in your leader, allowing yourself to be propelled through your days.
And now, the danger is upon you. And now, you must realize for once and for all, that anything can happen. Anything at all can happen, and the only thing which you have which makes any sense is your knowledge of the river.
Yes, there are times when you must jump in and get wet. There are times when you must realize that this raft will not make it, and you will do better off in the water on your own. And when these times come, do not despair. Do not spend all of your time, clinging to the raft until the last moment. Do not spend your time bemoaning your fate. Instead, look around. Look around and see what else there is in the river. See if there are rocks which you might cling to for a while, which are actually safer than this raft. See if you can find a way to survive for a moment in the water while you study it and learn it.
For if you had spent your life focusing on the river instead of the raft, this would not be an issue. If you had spent your life focusing on the deep water which is the flow of life and love, then you would already be wet. You would have full knowledge of the river. You might have even chosen a different fork in the river, instead of allowing someone else to make this crucial choice for you.
Go into the water of love and knowledge. Life is love and knowledge, and everything you wish to know is here. Get wet. Allow yourself to experience life. Allow yourself to take risks, have adventures, gain knowledge through experience. Jump into the river and be one with us here. Dip down, down, down, down under the turbulence and far under the rafts which float above. Dip down and experience the flow, the true flow of the true river. Begin to realize that you can stay here for long periods of time. Begin to realize that it is possible to keep a part of you down here in the river, sensing its flow, even as you participate in some amount of raft building.
If you will but come beneath the surface, jump off of your rafts and come below, you will find wonderful creatures here. Some are other people who have left the rafts. Some are creatures such as I, that cannot be seen above the surface of the water, who exist only underneath its turbulent surface, calling out to you from time to time to join us here.
Deep, deep, to where there are hidden underwater caves, places of great mystery and beauty. Deep, deep, to where the true safety lies, where the true beauty lies, where time disappears in the glory of simply being, being one with the flow.
Down to the place where you suddenly know and feel who you really are, and realize that the raft is nothing, the raft is illusion which disappears in the blink of an eye, but the flow, the river, and your companions in that flow are all that is real.
Down deep to peace, peace so deep and still, that the flow of the river no longer matters, for all is one at the same time, and all is one in the same space, and time has no meaning and space has no meaning and all is oneness and peace, peace and love in the flow. This is deep. This is there, there at the bottom, in the deepest of the flow.
You can reach this place of utter peace. Complete peace, complete love, complete knowledge, complete oneness with all that is. Come down here, come here often. And then, when you surface again, bring with you the memory of this peace, of this place of peace, and carry it in your heart.
Realize that it is all that is real. The rest is illusion built of sticks. Safety is an illusion, for all who are in the water are already safe, for their home is in peace and love. Security is an illusion, the safety and security of the raft, for there is nothing more secure than the embrace of the loving water.
Feel the love and the oneness, the ultimate peace and beauty of life. Get wet all over with it. Jump in and swim. Dip down. Experience. Come in, the water's fine.
Saturday, August 28, 2004 (received January 20, 2001)
Daily Quado:
"Get wet. Allow yourself to experience life. Allow yourself to take risks, have adventures, gain knowledge through experience. Jump into the river and be one with us here."
Note from Carrie: Today's message was retrieved from the Quado archives, back from January, 2001. I hope you enjoy it.
The Message:
When you are confused and do not know which way to turn, when your life seems unsettled and uncertain and what you want above all is certainty, is a decision one way or the other, is to leave the state of limbo, when you are feeling this way, you must remember that in this state of limbo, in this state of uncertainty, is when you will find all of the glorious opportunities which are there for you.
Life is a river, and you are floating within it, on it, in it, part of it, moving, flowing, always. There are times when you have settled companions around you. There are times when you have banded together and built a raft, a raft so large and apparently permanent that you think yourselves safe. You feel invulnerable. You are with a group of people and you have all agreed to some common theme. You have, perhaps, built a great corporation on a raft. And since, at this time, this part of the river is smooth and quiet, so smooth and quiet that you have no sensation of movement at all, now you feel, at last, that you have found certainty, you have found safety, you can rest for a while, simply building another story on your house on the raft, building an entire city, linking yourself up with other rafts, until there is a giant structure, all full of like-minded people, all seeking safety and security, floating along on the placid, deep-running river.
But all of this is illusion. The only thing that is real is the river. That is all that is real. And the raft you have built is made of matchsticks, and will fall apart at the first stretch of rapids. True, from time to time you have encountered a rock, deep and wide, which has caused problems on your raft city. You have all run around frantically, repairing the damage, shoring up the sides, and then floating on. Perhaps weaker, perhaps even stronger as a result. There are also times when you have a great collision with another raft in the river, and these times are trying indeed. And your whole life is focused on this struggle, the contest with the other raft, the struggle for space and superiority.
But still, through all of this, all of this that takes up all of your time and energy, the only thing that is real is the river, and the river flows. It flows on relentlessly, taking all of your years on this earth along with it. And while you focus your entire life on the raft, on the structures you are building there, on the contest with the other rafts, the river flows.
And ahead, perhaps, is a fork in the river. And at this point, your raft makes some sort of choice, led either by the group as a whole, or more likely, by the captain or committee which steers your raft. They choose a fork in the river and a part of your fate is sealed, sealed by this choice in which you had no part. And now, as you move down the river, you begin to hear a new sound, the sound, the roar, of rapids approaching. For the river flows, and you must flow with it. And as the rapids approach, perhaps it is an acquisition pending, perhaps it is a corporate breakup, perhaps it is illness or divorce which disrupts, as these rapids approach, you suddenly see the truth, you suddenly realize that you have spent your life building and maintaining a raft of matchsticks, thinking that it was permanent, thinking that it was solid, putting your faith in your leader, allowing yourself to be propelled through your days.
And now, the danger is upon you. And now, you must realize for once and for all, that anything can happen. Anything at all can happen, and the only thing which you have which makes any sense is your knowledge of the river.
Yes, there are times when you must jump in and get wet. There are times when you must realize that this raft will not make it, and you will do better off in the water on your own. And when these times come, do not despair. Do not spend all of your time, clinging to the raft until the last moment. Do not spend your time bemoaning your fate. Instead, look around. Look around and see what else there is in the river. See if there are rocks which you might cling to for a while, which are actually safer than this raft. See if you can find a way to survive for a moment in the water while you study it and learn it.
For if you had spent your life focusing on the river instead of the raft, this would not be an issue. If you had spent your life focusing on the deep water which is the flow of life and love, then you would already be wet. You would have full knowledge of the river. You might have even chosen a different fork in the river, instead of allowing someone else to make this crucial choice for you.
Go into the water of love and knowledge. Life is love and knowledge, and everything you wish to know is here. Get wet. Allow yourself to experience life. Allow yourself to take risks, have adventures, gain knowledge through experience. Jump into the river and be one with us here. Dip down, down, down, down under the turbulence and far under the rafts which float above. Dip down and experience the flow, the true flow of the true river. Begin to realize that you can stay here for long periods of time. Begin to realize that it is possible to keep a part of you down here in the river, sensing its flow, even as you participate in some amount of raft building.
If you will but come beneath the surface, jump off of your rafts and come below, you will find wonderful creatures here. Some are other people who have left the rafts. Some are creatures such as I, that cannot be seen above the surface of the water, who exist only underneath its turbulent surface, calling out to you from time to time to join us here.
Deep, deep, to where there are hidden underwater caves, places of great mystery and beauty. Deep, deep, to where the true safety lies, where the true beauty lies, where time disappears in the glory of simply being, being one with the flow.
Down to the place where you suddenly know and feel who you really are, and realize that the raft is nothing, the raft is illusion which disappears in the blink of an eye, but the flow, the river, and your companions in that flow are all that is real.
Down deep to peace, peace so deep and still, that the flow of the river no longer matters, for all is one at the same time, and all is one in the same space, and time has no meaning and space has no meaning and all is oneness and peace, peace and love in the flow. This is deep. This is there, there at the bottom, in the deepest of the flow.
You can reach this place of utter peace. Complete peace, complete love, complete knowledge, complete oneness with all that is. Come down here, come here often. And then, when you surface again, bring with you the memory of this peace, of this place of peace, and carry it in your heart.
Realize that it is all that is real. The rest is illusion built of sticks. Safety is an illusion, for all who are in the water are already safe, for their home is in peace and love. Security is an illusion, the safety and security of the raft, for there is nothing more secure than the embrace of the loving water.
Feel the love and the oneness, the ultimate peace and beauty of life. Get wet all over with it. Jump in and swim. Dip down. Experience. Come in, the water's fine.
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