You’ve probably heard of the movie “2001: A Space Odyssey”, a science fiction epic by Stanley Kubrick that begins with the evolution of the man-ape and ends with an acid trip in outer space. But have you heard of the book? I had it recommended to me by a friend, and reading it had some rather unforeseen consequenses. You know how many spiritual gurus talk about how we are something bigger than this body and mind we normally refer to us “me”? This “something bigger” is often called things like Higher Self, Brahman or God, and the goal of many spiritual students, including myself, is to let go of the false identification with the body/mind and realize that you are this “something bigger”.

Well, the book goes into this big time. The ending, which is mostly a lot of colors in the movie, is among the most mind-blowing fiction I’ve ever read. Afterwards, I felt I understood so much more of what is meant by all this talk about God/Spirit/Higher Self. I also realized, or began to realize, that the only thing keeping us from the experience of God (I’m going to use the word “God” for this from now on), is the ideas, theories and thoughts we project on the world. If we would just be still and listen even for a second, we would hear the sound of God.

It’s like a conversation between two people, where one of them is going “BLAHBLAHBLAHBLAHBLAHBLAHBLAHBLAH”, and the other waits, patiently and lovingly, for his turn to speak. Spiritual Enlightenment is shutting up for a moment, and actually listening to what God has to say.

And so that is what I did, or attempted, the night I finished “2001: A Space Odyssey”. I closed my eyes, and stared, but not for anything visual. I listened, but not for sounds. I waited. And there it was.

Or at least a tiny glimpse, because pretty soon the mind went right back to “BLAHBLAHBLAHBLAHBLAH” again, and so I kind of fell in and out of it for a minute, and then returned to the world of body/mind.

And this is when you wait for a description of this “something bigger”, and I give you the same answer as all those spiritual gurus: it’s undescribable. It’s beyond the minds ability for comprehension. It simply is.

So, thank you, Universe, for this first little glimpse of your greatness. I’m really looking forward to whatever follows. If you’d like to check out “2001: A Space Odyssey” for yourself, I recommend this version, but remember that this is not a complete guide to experiencing the first taste of Spiritual Enlightenment. Probably more important, was the understanding I had gathered from people like Ariel Bravy and the previous lessons learned in life. What the novel did, was tie it all together, adding the incredible imagination and storytelling of Arthur C. Clarke, to really get the point across.

I wish you all a super-exciting 2009!

Technorati Tags: Arthur C. Clarke, Spiritual Enlightenment

Sometimes

you

just

need

to

pause

Technorati Tags: Sigur Ros, Spiritual Enlightenment

Hi there! Exams are over, and so is Christmas, so my posting frequency should increase again now, or so is the plan. I’ve been inspired to travel the world lately, and so, in accordance with the law of attraction, I’ve stumbled upon all kinds of related material. One of the more interesting things to emerge is this guy named Matt. Now, what is so special about Matt? Well, he gets around, and he does a funny dance. Check it out:

All the interesting places the Earth has to offer! For a more in-depth look at some of the wonders Matt came across, check out his “About” page, which contains a video lecture he’s given on what he does, and also includes the rather inspirational story of how he got the chance to do so (more evidence to support that everything really is possible!)

Travelling is such a great feeling of freedom when done right. You have full responsibility, which is an excellent opportunity to discover your own response-ability. I remember being on a trip with my class to Beijing, and enjoying the one day without any planned activities more than all the other days combined. I didn’t visit any tourist attractions, didn’t always end up where I wanted and didn’t have any guides to translate and tell me what stuff was. Instead, me and the friend I was with got scammed by a bicycle cab (apparently, naïve Norwegians are their favorite food), ate at the tiniest restuarant I’ve ever seen, played “Jianzi” with old chinese people and got slightly drunk on chinese beer. The point isn’t what you do, it’s the feeling of total freedom in a foreign world, an exhilaration over your ability to explore at your own pace, the excitement of talking to people with a completely different culture from your own.

Picture from NASA (who else?)

Another inspiring traveller is Carsten Jensen. He gets around as well, and although I’m not sure if he can dance funny, he writes about his travels with maturity, honesty and poetic beauty. His book “I Have Seen the World Begin” is a huge source of inspiration, personal lessons and cultural knowledge from distant parts of the world. Although slightly difficult to get your hands on in English, you can find the book here.

So, I hope you’ll find some inspiration for your own travels in these sources. I might take a year off starting next autumn and see some places I’m curious about, so if you have any recommendations, I would be happy if you left a comment (click the top right link, right underneath this post’s headline). Who knows, maybe I’ll bump into you there…

Oh, and merry Christmas!

Technorati Tags: Spiritual Enlightenment, Travels, Where the hell is Matt?

Hello, everyone! I’ve been really busy with my exams in philosophy lately, and haven’t been able to post much. But is that reason enough for more than one month with no mention of anything Icelandic whatsoever? Hell no!

Múm is an Icelandic band that makes their own brand of electronica. Their music is best described by a reviewer from All Music Guide, who stated that it sounds like “Múm is somehow able to commit the fever dreams of sickly children to tape”. Now, I realize that might not sound so nice, but it is.

They’re amazing in concert, this is a band with lots of bubbling, playful energy and no intention to hide it behind an attempt at being cool. I particularly enjoy their first album, “Finally We Are No One”, here is a little taste of that:

Green Grass Of Tunnel

(I really wish I found a better sound quality for that one)

The full album can be found here

So anyway, I can’t wait for the exams to be over. Philosophy is a very intellectually stimulating subject, but they keep trying to solve life’s mysteries with logic and reason, which is tools I find lacking for the task.

Bah, back to the books.

Technorati Tags: Iceland, Múm, Music, Spiritual Enlightenment

Sometimes, we feel that we’re in a moment that is of lesser value. Maybe you’re doing the dishes, or taking the bus, or paying the bills. We feel that the moment is just a means to something else, and not a moment worth paying attention to for itself. But categorizing moments in this manner is a function of our minds, and not a feature of Reality itself. Every moment is a moment in which we are free to exist in the beauty of Creation. You may “have to” do the dishes, but you’re still free to enjoy Existence, free to feel that you are, in this very moment, alive. This state is unconditional, you can access it at all times. And when you do, and you look around, you may find that the moment you’re in was very much worth your attention, anyway.

Image from http://www.buytaert.net

In honor of this state, here is a song by King Crimson: Eyes Wide Open

Technorati Tags: King Crimson, Music, Spiritual Enlightenment, The Now

Imagine a guy living all alone in the wilderness of Alaska.

Now, imagine that this guy spends most of his time hanging out with wild grizzly bears.

Now, add to that fantasy that he has a camera, which he talks to, poses for and films his interactions with the bears with.

If I told you this guy really existed, you might conclude that he is one of two things:

1) Crazy

2) Enlightened

Timothy Treadwell was a nice mixture of both.

The documentary Grizzly Man is made from the footage of Timothy’s own camera, together with interviews with the people that knew him. It explores the Alaskan nature and the lives of the enormous grizzly bears, but even more it explores the nature and life of a very peculiar man. Timothy had trouble with alcohol, trouble with his career and trouble with humanity in general. What saved him was the immense love he had for animals, and this was what drove him to sober up and move out into the wild.

When we see him interacting with the animals, whether it’s a fox or a grizzly bear, we can’t help but be touched by the love, acceptance and sheer wonder this man radiates. It’s his very openness to life that inspires, his excitement of being.

The documentary is done in a very personal way, and is a very honest portrait of a man who was far from perfect, yet able to live with a love that most can only envy him.

You can find it here

Timothy Treadwell died in 2003, aged 46. Eaten by a bear, of course.

Technorati Tags: Grizzly Bears, Movies, Spiritual Enlightenment, Timothy Treadwell

Slow Wave is a weekly internet comic by Jesse Reklaw where people send in their dreams, and he makes a comic of it. This leads to some wonderfully weird stripes, and a rare peekhole into the subconscious.

Given how unpredictable dreams are, the comics range from the funny to the bizarre, sometimes even being rather beautiful. Check it out here!

Technorati Tags: Comics, Slow Wave, Spiritual Enlightenment