Wednesday, October 2, 2002

Fractal Response

A fine person, and gentle soul, Joe Wentland wrote me this wonderful letter in response to my fractal post of 9/30/02.

"This was actually a great moment of awareness when I discovered fractals. I had turned away from religion and had a very analytical and scientific mind. I also had an innate awareness of the Zen nature of the world.... an inner sense of the TAO. I had trouble managing these seemingly opposite directions of myself. Like two rays moving out in opposite directions.

When I first saw fractals I recognized them from visual experiences I had on mushrooms. These were the things I was seeing when I had my eyes closed while tripping. It was here that the two rays joined to form the great circle. I could finally understand the Zen nature of the universe as a mathematical formula and embrace both arms of my experience.

Fractals require the iteration of an equation.... repeating the calculations over and over. The concept was formed in the early 1900's, but it wasn't until the invention of the computer that mathematicians had the ability to run the process enough times to create the data required to "see" the patterns.

I see cell division as God's way of iterating the equation. Following the DNA equation, cells divide again and again until the fractal is produced... whether it be tree, or flower, or human being.... we are fractals. For me this is a peek at the TAO... the way of the universe. It is a thing that goes deep into my being that words can only begin to express. When I contemplate it I can travel into the depths of the universe. My understanding of it may be the greatest source of joy in my life."

-Joe Wentland

7:14:34 PM    

Destiny

"To realize one's destiny, is a person's only real obligation".

-Paulo Coehlo

To which I might add:

Many are called, but few are chosen....because
Few choose themselves......

5:21:12 PM    

The Call

I am in the process of creating categories and lists of 'highly recommended' books. This is from one of them, The Call, by David Spangler. The quote is complete, it speaks for itself.

"The fact that you are an incarnation is itself a gift both to you and from you to the earth, and you are here because the earth has called to you. The earth has called to you at this time in its history because it wants souls who can expand their powers of lovingness and compassion, souls who can begin to look beyond certain fixed and habitual positions, certain traditional perspectives, and say, 'Is there more' ? The earth needs people who can say, 'Yes, there is more.' Not just more in the way of knowledge or inventions or wisdom or revelations, but more compassion, more gentleness and sweetness, more caring, more love, more valuing of one another. That is your mission, and it is of the highest, for it is nothing other than the mission of manifesting the spirit of the Beloved in your life."

- David Spangler, excerpt from The Call, published by Riverhead Books.

2:27:00 PM