Art Classical Poetry II

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Art Classical Poetry I

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"The Swan Lake" 500 Words Story III

Prince Siegfried arrives at his 21st birthday celebration on the palace courtyards to find all of the royal families and townspeople dancing and celebrating, while the young girls are anxiously seeking his attention. During the exquisite celebration, his mother gives him crossbow and informs him that because he is of age now, his marriage will be arranged quickly. Hit with the sudden realization of his future responsibilities, he takes his crossbow and makes up to the woods with his hunting buddies.

Getting ahead of the group, Prince Siegfried finds himself a peaceful spot by an enchanted lake where swans gently float across its surface. While Siegfried watches, I spotted the most beautiful swan with a crown on its head. His buddies soon catch up, but he orders them to leave so he can be by himself. As dusk falls, the swan with the crown turns into the most beautiful young woman he has ever seen. Her name is Odette, the Swan Queen. She informs the young prince that an evil sorcerer, Von Rothbart, who so happened to be disguised as Prince Siegfried's mentor, has turned her and the other girls into swans and that the lake was formed by the tears of their parents' weeping. She tells him that the only way the spell could be broken is if a man, pure in heart, pledges his love to her. The Prince, about to confess his love for her, is quickly interrupted by the evil sorcerer. He takes Odette from Prince Siegfried's embrace and commands all of the swan maidens to dance on the lake and its shore so that the prince can not chase them. Prince Siegfried is left alone on the shore of Swan Lake.

The next day at the formal celebration in the Royal Hall, Prince Siegfried is presented with many prospective princesses. Although the princesses are worthy of his attention, I can not stop thinking about Odette. His mother commands him to choose a bride, but he can not. For the mean time, I have met his mother's request by at least dancing with them. While the prince is dancing, trumpets announce the arrival of Von Rothbart. He brings his daughter, Odile, on whom I have cast spell to appear as Odette. The prince is captivated by her beauty as he dances with the imposter. Unbeknownst to Prince Siegfried, the true Odette is watching him from a window. The prince soon confesses his love to Odile, thinking that she is Odette. To Odette's horror, she flees into the night. Prince Siegfried sees the real Odette fleeing from the window and realizes his mistake. Upon his realization, Von Rothbart reveals to the prince the true appearance of his daughter Odile. Prince Siegfried quickly leaves the party and chases after Odette.

Odette has fled back to the lake and joined the rest of the girls in sadness. Prince Siegfried finds them gathered at the shore consoling each other. I have explained to Odette the trickery of Von Rothbart and she grants him her forgiveness. It is not long before when Von Rothbart and Odile appear in their evil, un-human, somewhat bird like forms. Von Rothbart tells the prince that he must stick to his word and marry his daughter. A fight quickly follows. Prince Siegfried tells Von Rothbart that he would rather be with Odette than to Marry Odile. He then takes Odette's hand and together they jump into the lake. The spell is broken and the remaining swans turn back into humans. They quickly drive Von Rothbart and Odile into the water where they, too, drown. The girls watch the spirits of Prince Siegfried and Odette ascend into the heavens above Swan Lake.

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Five Reasons to Push Past your Comfort Zone

If you want to live your purpose, the first thing you should do is leave your comfort zone ...

Although it's, well, comfortable, staying there can squash the dreams of anyone looking to pursue their passion. Especially if you want to succeed independently, choosing comfort over hard work will most certainly land you back in the rat race.

Obviously, it's good to stop once and a while to rest so you do not burn out. Everything has its place and time; but spending too much time resting will effectively prevent you from working hard or succeeding.

The following are five reasons to get out of your comfort zone before it's too late.

1 - Staying comfortable has never gotten anyone from anywhere

This is especially important for independent artists and creators.

If you want to be good enough at your craft for people to support it, you must do it. A lot. Nonstop. It sounds daunting, but if you really enjoy what you do, every second will be worth it.

You'll feel exhausted most of the time, but at least you'll have that energy into something worthy.

At some point, the couch will call your name. Rest will start to sound nice, and you might tell yourself you've earned it by getting as far as you have.

Do not give in. Keep working and improving at your craft, and eventually, you'll be thousands ahead of those who stopped working early every day.

Artist and game developer Lorne Lanning has said that the only people who create truly remarkable things are those who work ridiculously hard every day (and most nights). This is how they create works they know will resonate with people.

If you're willing to push yourself, you can too.

2 - You can discover your gift by leaving your comfort zone

If you're looking for something that can give meaning to your life, the best way to find it is to get up and start searching.

Figure out what ignites that flame in your mind and heart, and instead of settling with the first thing you find, be sure to choose something real, graspable, and meaningful.

Once you have, be careful not to retreat into comfortable territory.

Far from over, the work has just begun ...

Chances are slim you'll find what you love by lying in bed all day or find success with a lackluster effort. Once you know what you want to do, try pouring your heart and soul into it for more than just a few hours.

It'll be difficult, but you'll uncover ideas and inspiration you never thought you had.

3 - Once you're out of your comfort zone, you can use your gift to help people

If you work hard at your craft, you will find at least a few ways you can use it to help others.

You can use financial success to help the less fortunate and show that the world is not all cold-hearted. Or, depending on the level of influence you gain along the way, you can raise awareness of important issues in society.

You can also help those who share your passion.

If you paint, for example, you can teach and inspire new artists in your downtime. If you make videos, you can show new creators how to create quality content and build an audience. Or, that extra time you spend on a painting, video, article, or song might give it the depth and power to reach someone who really needs it.

As we covered (and will cover more later), you'll never know what you can do if you do not try.

4 - Leaving your comfort zone brings a sense of accomplishment

This point is not too exciting, but the sense of accomplishment you feel from being dedicated to what you love is far worth the comfort you sacrifice.

It's the best feeling in the world to not just enjoy something, but to live for it. When you start to accomplish things with it, you'll feel like a superhero.

Dedication brings countless rewards, and if you're 100% onboard, your first few successes will drive you to work harder and achieve more. If you're not, your mind will see success as a reason to stop and relax. This would be the beginning of the end.

Instead of letting it make you lazy, let the "high" you feel from your initial accomplishments drive you to chase your passion vigorously.

5 - You'll never know what you can achieve if you stay comfortable

This is like the second point, but it's worth asking:

Would you regret it if you lived your whole life comfortably, never chasing your dreams like an idealistic madman?

This is a tragic reality for many people, who never do what they love because it's hard work or they convince themselves success is impossible.

Being complacent about your potential for accomplishment is just another way of staying comfortable. Do not be complacent or afraid to struggle. Embrace that struggle and let it drive you.

You only have less than a hundred years on Earth.

• Why not fill them with the most meaningful pursuits possible?

• Why do you accept a life handed to you by some CEO who gets rich from the masses' unwillingness to live for themselves?

Instead of living for the American dream - the comfortable choice - follow your dreams. They matter...

Conclusion

If you love what you do, the work will come naturally.

Striving harder and staying far away from your comfort zone will help, and the more you enjoy what you do, the easier it will be to find inspiration and spend long hours honing your craft.

Staying comfortable will most certainly lead to failure, so no matter how much you love that comfortable space that zaps the potential out of its inhabitants, let go of it and let a life of purpose take its place.

Try to motivate yourself when you would rather rest and remember that the point of all this is to do what you love.

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Cathars - The Pure

Around the year 1,150 some strange bearded missionaries appeared on the roads of the Languedoc, in the South of France ... They used to travel in pairs, dressed in black or navy blue, with a rope girdle.

They preached to the humble in the squares and markets, in the villages and in the cities without avoiding the mansions of nobles or merchants.

They spread a message of love, tolerance and freedom and confessed Christians but rejected the church in Rome.

The Cathar doctrine was much more attractive than the Catholic one who constantly threatened the hell for the most insignificant faults. They were more optimistic and tolerant of human weaknesses ... although they also had certain views of reality that could certainly be criticized. The Cathars (katharoi = "pure") were declared heretics ... they were clear about it.

Pope Innocent III negotiated unsuccessfully with them and consequently organized a crusade of twenty thousand horsemen and forty thousand men who concentrated on Lyon. On July 22 of the year 1,209 they decided to put an end to the components of that group that were in Beziers.

They were assailed by a question that they asked the pope's delegate:

How will we know how to differentiate Catholics from heretics among the population? - "Kill them all, God will already recognize their own..."

The massacres continued in many other places until the year 1243. At that time the Cathars took refuge in the strongholds of the region.

Among them the one of MONTSÉGUR became famous, in the department of Ariège (France). A small castle built on the steep Tabo mountain, at an altitude of 1272 meters. An impregnable position, surrounded by precipices.

In March of 1243 the seneschal of Carcassonne, Huges de Arcis, received the order to end with "the head of the dragon". Some ten thousand men besieged Montségur ... in the end he surrendered. Under the conditions of surrender, the members of the heresy were required to abjure their error in a public act.

215 Catharos refused to do so and were burned in the plain that extends at the foot of the mountain. The place where the great pyre rose is known since then as Campo de los Quemados.

The castle of Montségur has become for half a century the symbol of the resistance, passion and death of the faithful Cathars. Today, it constitutes a point of reference for European esoteric thinking and every year, a crowd of people interested in these issues make a pilgrimage to it.

On the day of the Spring Solstice, the first rays of the sun penetrate through a loophole and leave through the opposite side, crossing the castle. Chance or causality? We have already served the mystery ...

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The Kingdom of Shambhala

In Tibetan Buddhist tradition, Shambhala (or Shambala) is a mystical kingdom hidden somewhere beyond the snow peaks of the Himalayas. It is mentioned in various ancient texts including the Kalachakra and the ancient texts of the Zhang Zhung culture which pre-dated Tibetan Buddhism in western Tibet. The Bon scriptures speak of a closely-related land called Olmolungring.

Shambhala in the Buddhist Kalachakra Teachings

Buddha prophesized that all who received the Kalachakra empowerment would take rebirth in its mandala of consciousness. 

The Kingdom of Shambhala takes a central place in the Kalachakra teachings. Shambhala (Tib. bde ’byung) is a Sanskrit term meaning place of peace/tranquility/happiness. Shakyamuni Buddha is said to have taught the Kalachakra tantra on request of King Suchandra, also the teachings are said to be preserved there. Shambhala is said to be a society where all the inhabitants are enlightened, centered around a capital city called Kalapa. War and injustice are said to be unknown there, and it is said to be peopled by beautiful women and men dwelling in magnificent abodes. 

Shambhala is ruled over by the Kulika or Kalki (Tib. Ridgen) King, a benevolent monarch who upholds the integrity of the Kalachakra tantra. Religious scholars believe that this figure developed out of the myth of the Hindu conqueror Kalki, a similar personage. The Kalachakra prophesizes that when the world declines into war and greed, and all is lost, the twenty fifty Kalika king will emerge from Shambhala with a huge army to vanquish the corrupt world rulers and usher in a worldwide Golden Age. Some scholars put this date at 2424 AD. 

As with many concepts in Vajrayana Buddhism, the idea of Shambhala is said to have an ’outer,’ ’inner,’ and ’secret’ meaning. The outer meaning understands Shambhala to exist as a physical place, although only individuals with the appropriate karma can reach it and experience it as such. There are various ideas about where this society is located, but it is often placed in central Asia, north of Tibet. The inner and secret meanings refer to more subtle understandings of what Shambhala represents, and are generally passed on orally. 

Western Fascination with Shambhala 

During the nineteenth century, Theosophical Society founder H.P. Blavatsky alluded to the Shambhala myth, giving it currency for Western occult enthusiasts. Later esoteric writers further emphasized and elaborated on the concept of a hidden land inhabited by a hidden mystic brotherhood whose members labor for the good of humanity.

The myths of Shambhala were part of the inspiration for the tale of Shangri-La told in the popular book Lost Horizon, and thus some people even refer to Shambhala improperly as if it were a Shangri-La. Shambhala’s location and nature remains a subject of much dispute, and several traditions have arisen as to where it is, or will be, including those that emphasize it as a non-physical realm that one can approach only through the mind.

Ancient Zhang Zhung texts identify Shambhala with the Sutlej Valley in Himachal Pradesh. Mongolians identify Shambala with certain valleys of southern Siberia. Beginning in the 1960s, various occult writers have sought to explain the evil of Nazism by suggesting Adolf Hitler tapped into the malevolent forces of Shambhala when he sent Ahnenerbe researchers to Tibet to measure Tibetan skulls as part of his master race justifications. Also known that Josef Stalin organized an expedition to find Shambala. 

Western Esoteric Traditions 

Madame Blavatsky, who claimed to be in contact with a Great White Lodge of Himalayan Adepts, mentions Shambhala in several places without giving it especially great emphasis. (The Mahatmas, we are told, are also active around Shigatse and Luxor.) Blavatsky’s Shambhala, like the headquarters of the Great White Lodge, is a physical location on our earth, albeit one which can only be penetrated by a worthy aspirant.

Later esoteric writers like Alice Bailey (the Arcane School) and the Roerichs (Agni Yoga) do emphasize Shambhala. Bailey transformed it into a kind of extradimensional or spiritual reality. The Roerichs see its existence as both spiritual and physical. 

Related "hidden land" speculations surrounding the underground kingdom of Agartha led some early twentieth-century occultists to view Shambhala as a source of rather negative manipulation by an evil (or amoral) conspiracy. Nevertheless, the predominant theme is one of light and hope, as evidenced by James Redfield’s and Chogyam Trungpa Rinpoche’s respective books by that name. 

In Neo-Nazi mysticism, Shambhala is sometimes supposed to be the place to which Adolf Hitler fled after the fall of the Third Reich. Hitler was known to have an interest in the myth of Shambhala and in "eastern mysticism" generally, from which he appropriated the swastika. 

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"The Eye" Poetry VII

The bright blessed day, the dark sacred night,

No Evil shall escape my sight,

Now I have only one doubt left,

Which of the twain was God?

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