BigSkyDiamond

And most instructive of all, are the natural consequences which flow as a result of speech and actions.

yes, and they are set for the harmony of the group, for the health, peace, and well-being of the community also known as "plays well with others"

there is greater clarity, when "opinion" is not conflataed with "truth"

Brazilian Valdir Segato died July 26, 2022 on his 55th birthday. His Hulk-like appearance was caused by injecting himself with Synthol oil. The results were cosmetic and did not make him stronger. Health risks of Synthol injections are: nerve damage, pulmonary oil microembolism, occlusion of the pulmonary artery, myocardial infarction, cerebral stroke, and infectious complications. "Apparent cause of death was heart attack."

how fortunate you are! that sounds idyllic

growing up in the Blue Ridge Mountains, and playing in the woods pretty much every day, i remember learning at a very young age (6) to recognize and avoid the three poisonous snakes (rattlesnake, copperhead, water moccasin) we played in the creek pretty much every day too. And that black snake was not harmful. We were taught to freeze whenever we saw any snake, identify it, alert anyone else nearby, and to slowly back away.

I remember when i visited Peru a few decades ago, how important towns or areas were laid out in the shape and form of a sacred animal, including key buildings corresponding with power centers in the anatomy of the animal . Cusco was laid out in the shape of a puma (with the temple Sachsayhuaman built in the head of the puma). And the Machu Picchu complex was laid out in the shape of a condor with spread wings. This took my breath away, then and now.

Thank you. I will now review further the parts of Iona where I spent the most time, and felt the greatest affinity

I had not ever thought of mapping physical sites with the Tree of Life. For the map shown below, with people at say village of Baile Mor and the Abbey, would the upper parts of the tree then be towards Colmuba's Bay and the Quarry, at the bottom of this map (southern tip of the island)? I am trying to visualize it. Then I can try and match where the small cave was that i liked so much.

going fishing, then going to eat fried fillet, sweet iced tea with mint

The elements listed in the phrase above in bold, are familiar to me, except for sponsorship. I have not yeard of that, what is it and what does it involve? Also any recommended resources so that I can learn more on this. Thank you.

polarity thinking, polarized thinking in daily life is not intrinsic nor is it inherent. it is a choice. and it is problematic. Humans in daily life can choose to not engage in polarized thinking. Polarized thinking is a cognitive distortion. "Cognitive distortions are ways that we distort reality in our thoughts, making it out to be worse than it needs to be or truly is. Polarized thinking limits our perspectives, causes unnecessary stress, and hinders personal growth." source, article "Thinking in Extremes: A Guide to Overcoming Polarized Thinking"

I would be interested to hear more about Iona and this site mentioned. I visited Iona about 27 years ago and it felt signficiant but I was never quite sure how or in what way. I remember crawling inside a small cave at low tide and lying inside there for awhile, it felt wonderful. And I loved all the pink granite.

non-duality goes beyond both light and dark. it is before any polarity. polarized thinking is unbalanced, just as mood swings are unbalanced. black and white thinking is problematic.

with me or without it is such a relief to be free of it all

"judge not lest ye be judged" is in pretty much every holy book, for a reason for instance in the Pali canon: "Therefore, Ānanda, do not be judgmental regarding people. Do not pass judgment on people. Those who pass judgment on people harm themselves.". — Migasālā Sutta [AN 6:44] translated from the Pāli by Bhikkhu Bodhi

if you are asking the questions, since you are asking the questions, then there is a part of you that is ready

What is this; and why is it something to be avoided; and how does a person know if they are going down that path? Thank you.

a level of spiritual progress is indicated, when someone is able to step away from stances that are condemning and judgmental.

if someone puts forth destruction ("kill" "blast") through actions, intention, thoughts, words then that is what returns upon them this sounds like a recipe for putting self in harm's way

a related question, for anyone: how do you discern if someone is enlightened

my rule of thumb is that if someone claims to be enlightened, then they are not

i avoid using "spirit" altogether because it has too many secular meanings, and it is redolent of "ghosts" and the astral plane. i avoid using "soul" because it is for me too imprecise. so i tend to be wordier and more specific along the lines of "the part of the human that is infinte and non-physical" (in contrast to the human body which is physical and finite. "the part of you that existed before the body was born, and exists after the body dies" "spark of the Divine" "not bound by space or time or form" "immortal" and "eternal" are sometimes used, but at the level of the Divine spark, and at the level of the Divine, there is no time, so "living forever" does not really apply. good thread topic, you are asking good questions. looking forward to reading more.

Spirit and soul, what is it and what differentiates them? it depends on the tradition.

different traditions define "soul" in various ways.