They listen to the same songs, They wear the same clothing, They talk on the phone hours and hours, They enjoy morning coffee together, They sync-up.... They.... They.... Coincidently?
When two people fall in love. Ahhh! This world belongs to them, Others are just tenants.
I smile.
Valentine in Hanoi with the chocolate and cats
one of my nephews told me that it’s easy to spot someone falling in love from one’s social media postings; he said the two people will upload the same or almost the same composition of photo or topic; maybe not exactly the same time, there will be patterns emerging
it’s fun to talk to young people; they refresh my bad sights
and make me experiment whether it’s right — I don’t know but yes the patterns are gradually looking clearer
my nephew said “I can help you if you need to do things.”
“you just taught me; it was a great help, dear boy”
Let there be light. Let there be light. Light in heart. Light of heart. Light around heart. Light through heart. Light borrowed. Light lent. Light along this journey. Light journey. Light heart.
this heart feels the lightest when I’m riding my bike, exploring the greenery around the neighborhood
rain, I love you but please pause on just one day so I can either visit the water lilies in the river or tropical flowers in the paths around the reservoir
This love, Beloved, Blooms to shine within and out. Don't discriminate.
how deed is your love?
I love. Yes I do love….
…. but very rarely romantically up to this age (4 times).
Among the rare romantic love, what was the most magical?
It was when I fell in love with a (maybe) gay man.
Don’t judge me; I didn’t know he was a gay. Don’t judge him; it was his choice.
Love is love. It is still worth appreciating. I respect everyone’s choice of life including one’s sexual orientation & gender identity (some of my friends & colleagues are in that group) but I am not a person to be in a romantic relationship with LGBTQ no matter what.
Thank you, Love for the experience. I’m lucky to have a big heart. I believe my heart is even now deeper and more spacious with the magic that has happened to me.
Journey, Beloved, To the line where I started, Timed with acceptance--
some people think when an effort doesn’t result in what is targetted, it means a loss — to me it is not a loss, it is a lesson learnt not to do better to win but to know how to let go more immediately, gracefully with less pain
no, not all can do that earlier — some people are just loving to compete against anyone in their journey not knowing it is a silent journey, they think any lane with others present is called a race
no, not all can do that earlier — some people think they are much more superior that can consider themselves excel in everything not knowing that they silently are left behind by many authentically much better in most aspects of life
”m sure everyone will be able to do it when the time is coming
it doesn’t matter, we’re all children of life
☺️
Note: negating, denying, ignoring: patterns that slow down maturity process
Beshara is a name for the perspective that there is only one unlimited existence, expressing itself infinitely as a gift of love. The potential to realise this truth lies within every human heart. The awakening and realisation of this potential is the aim of this education.
The word Beshara is originally Aramaic, its meaning can be rendered as “good news” or “omen of joy”. It indicates the very positive and valuable effect that any movement towards a more inclusive and harmonious perspective represents.
(https://beshara.org/)
A Brief History of Beshara
In the UK , and the west in general, the 1960’s were a time of great questioning of the established order. Many people began to realise that there was more to life and another way to be than simply continuing in the ways of previous generations. For some this was youthful rebelliousness, others were directly inspired to seek a wider vision based on love and beauty. Most were young, and some were old. What emerged as Beshara was intrinsic to this cultural shift, and over time the Beshara School was established in order to promote the principle of the unity of existence and its cultural implications to all who might benefit.
Instrumental in this process was Bulent Rauf. Born in Istanbul in 1911, Bulent had received a traditional Ottoman education at home, and gone on to receive the best of Western education at Cornell and Yale in the US. His interest in ‘esoteric’ or inner education came from his family on both sides being steeped in the culture of the unity of all existence as propounded by the great mystics of the Middle East, especially Ibn Arabi and Rumi. Arriving in England in the mid 1960’s, Bulent recognised the need for ideas and insights that had been the sole preserve of a few mystics and spiritual masters to become part of an education available to all.
There were others groups meeting in London at this time, including those following Pir Vilayat Inayat Khan (of the Sufi Order in the West) as well as Christian healing groups. Large weekend gatherings were also held under the auspices of Sir George Trevelyan at Attingham Park in Shropshire. It was a time when diverse groups came together and in 1971 a centre was set up at Swyre Farm in Gloucestershire, headed initially by Reshad Feild who had met Bulent Rauf a couple years earlier and was also a representative of Pir Vilayat. A trust with a board of trustees was set up and was initially chaired by Peter Dewey, a trainee priest. The name Beshara appeared after consultations with Bulent Rauf and the trust became the Beshara Trust. Bulent recognised that knowledge would focus the expansiveness of love that would otherwise dissipate as times changed and introduced the study of Ibn ‘Arabi to complement that of Rumi and others. The curriculum of the school had begun to form.
People from all over the world, including many from the USA, gravitated to Swyre Farm and began to receive an education in the unity of existence. After a couple of years it was felt that there was a need for more concentrated study in order for the principles of unity to become firmly established. Consequently a ruined house was discovered abandoned in the Scottish Borders. This was partly renovated and the Beshara School of Intensive Esoteric Education was established at Chisholme House in the Scottish Borders in 1975. Since that time, hundreds of students have come from all over the world to spend time at Chisholme, as students or working as volunteers.
In 1976 a greater number of applicants for courses than Chisholme could accommodate meant that it was necessary to move to a larger place . Sherborne House in Gloucestershire, close to Swyre Farm and the previous home of courses run by J.G. Bennett, was ideal for this purpose. The Trust had enjoyed a close relationship with J.G. Bennett who, had given a series of talks to students at Swyre Farm from 1972 to 1974, which appeared as Intimations by Beshara Publications.
One of J.G. Bennett’s students, Diane Cilento, who is more famous for being an Academy Award nominated actress, established links with Beshara and went on to found a Beshara School in Queensland, Australia. Many Australians attended courses there, and came over to Chisholme for further studies in the 1970s and 80s.
It was during the first course at Sherborne that Grenville Collins and Bulent Rauf saw the need for an academic society to encourage wider translation and dissemination of Ibn ‘Arabi’s ideas. A notice was posted recruiting members, a committee formed and the The Muhyiddin Ibn ‘Arabi Society was born.
At the same time a further ‘second’ course was developed that would focus on conversation, self responsibility and a deeper development of spiritual ‘taste’ that is intrinsic to inner education. The first such course was held at Chisholme House in 1978, after an extensive period of renovation, and for many years two six month courses ran in parallel.
Swyre Farm was sold in 1978, due to financial pressures, and the Beshara Trust concentrated its activities in the converted stables at Sherborne for many years and later at Frilford Grange in Oxfordshire, where it operated from 1988 until 1990. This was a time when eminent scientists and educationalists came to lecture regularly, and the Beshara Magazine flourished. Following the sale of Frilford and the closure of the Beshara Magazine, due to financial pressures (again!) , the focus of the Beshara School was at The Chisholme Institute, though courses also continued to be held in Australia, the United States and Israel as well as new courses in Indonesia
After Bulent Rauf died in 1987, Peter Young took over as principal of the Beshara School at Chisholme and continued to run courses for nearly 30 years before retiring in 2015. During this time the house and grounds were renovated and further courses developed.
Today, a number of independent groups and charitable organizations set up by long-term students of the Beshara School continue to offer courses and study groups in many locations worldwide.
The Beshara Trust runs courses and talks in the UK including the annual Beshara Lecture, which was started in 2011. The Trust hosts this website and encourages all affiliate organisations that choose to come under the name Beshara – which means ‘Good News’.
Dwellers, Beloved We are in this space, searching What's known yet unknown; Or, what's unknown in fact known By a searcher who's been searched.
love is in the center of my searching in which I’ve been dwelling in this space with the sun, the moon and the stars
I’ve been searching myself who’s sitting patiently, radiantly knowing that I am longed for by the lover
thank you for the love that you’ve given to me through all those around me: human beings, non humane things and those unseen but sensed, and those unseen and not sensed
Doubt and trust, my love, Between which I wait for you To sing a love song.
While knowing makes me clearly decide what to do, believing keeps me walking even when it’s pitch black or blinding bright.
Believing is not about taking something with evidences. Believing is taking things for granted as there is no choice while I should keep on. As long as evidence is not yet well presented, it’s believing, not knowing.
What do I believe most in life? That there is only one able to help me, the one I often call beloved, my love, dear love, you. Yet I’m shaken now & then by what’s called doubt. Doubt moves the graphic of trust up & down which is normal as said by a master “the faith is up & down”.
In uncertainty, do I still believe of salvation? Yes, I believe in salvation as I don’t know if it is happening or not. At the same time I make space for doubt so I’m humanely questioning myself whether I’m doing well in clarifying the ways. There’s something I miss when in doubt & the space in which I miss always gives me hope, a feel of falling in love with something that I believe will drop wisdom to the heart.
How beautiful the collaboration of belief & doubt is! It ignites love. Love is an eternal flame that sparkles dancing depending on how trust & doubt tango. Without the existence of both, love will look like a marble slab: cold, hard, mute; while a flame: warm, soft, dynamic.
I know in order to keep love & wisdom rekindling as long as I live, I’ve got to believe in the one I often call beloved, my love, dear love or you that sometimes resides so deep in Him or Me.
What a rant!
at that age (below 30) I believed that all were good with lil doubt and as a result I was cheated, lied to but at the same time I gained kindness, endurance and silence
now? kindness, carefree, clarity as these 3 are most needed to live a human being’s life lightly and genuinely
If and if, dear love The silence breaks, I will fly With true adventure.
if I am to choose an animal to be my daemon, I’ll always choose a cat
I don’t know why; I used to live with a cat in my small home in Indonesia before moving to Singapore, as my job was 75% traveling, I could not bring Bob with me and so my mother took care of him — one year later, he died
I still want a cat some day 💕
if I am to choose what animal I’m to be, it would not be a cat though
maybe dolphin so I can live in the depth of water while playfully jump to the air
me with a plastic of water — when I was a girl, I loved playing with water so much; almost everyday I put water in a plastic bag and pinched the surface so the plastic became spiky
Eyes closed, Beloved Blind her for love far away. Tell her to go home.
today I’m called to go back home to my own heart full of love — love is blind taking me too far away from where I should be
I always think love is beautiful even when it’s so preoccupied with one object so alien for me, that way love lovingly and softly wakes me up after some time “Rike, time to go home, this might be someone else’s place, not yours”
with unsteady steps I had to accept that all the info is confirmed that I need to go home
to where I should be:
my dear heart full of love singing truly about who I am and who will be my home outside my own home
let me take care of this loving heart and calmly step on the love path, truly, genuinely, naturally….
keep singing love, dear self; there is nothing more beautiful than being natural, genuine, kind and true
I read Vex King’s “No One Taught Us About Love”. With 302 pages it didn’t feel heavy, yet did give me a lot of space to contemplate.
There are five parts of this book.
Part 1: The Nature of Love
Part 2: First Connections
Part 3: Cultivating Healthy Bonds
Part 4: The Realities of Relationships
Part 5: Letting Go with Grace
I enjoyed reading this book because aside that the main topic is love, it felt like reviewing my own perspectives of love. For perspectives aligned, I feel the author’s vibe; those not aligned, so far I don’t plan to make alignment with his. I always sprinkle a pinch of criticality when reading or listening to others; like me, they’re not flawless. Or, at least his and my understanding of life and love depart from different backgrounds and interactions.
So much to share but here is some:
“Self-love isn’t selfish. When misused, self-love becomes an excuse to fulfil cravings and boost our self-image without considering how our actions might impact others and the world around us. For example…. like telling yourself ‘I’m worth it!’ As justification to buy the overpriced shoes you can’t actually afford when you really need new tyres for the car”. (aligned)
Be your partner’s cheerleaders (partiallyaligned, I will be loyal supporters but not cheerleaders who have to be acrobatic in public; it might be his diction is not my take; but I understand.)
Love isn’t transactional. (aligned but honestly I can feel drained if loving without reciprocity; transaction isn’t a taboo as long as it is wisely managed & not always about material things)
Enjoy the “hazy” voice of mine reading several paragaraphs for you. Not a native speaker: few words were mispronounced. 😁
I love you, Beloved. And, you don't have to love me. It's never a transaction That's tangible. Loves, even not repaid, Is energy That nurtures life growth Through silent rejection or Respectful reciprocity.
This heart, Beloved Lives a limited timeline. It can't wait too long.
I believe you can guess which one is today’s star: “sambel goreng kentang hati sapi” 💕
deep frying the Brastagi potato
heart that gives a kick!
the hardest work today after work
in Singapore it’s called “Indonesia potato”, in Indonesia we call in “Brastagi potato” aka “kentang Brastagi”; it won’t break when deep fried not like other types of Australian and American ones
I'm water, my love Living with the soil and air Burnt by this blue fire.
To me clarity is more important than belief. With belief I might grab in the dark, to some level of darkness I might be frantically euphoric or falling into abyss of confusion. With clarity I can appropriately choose what I need to do & when further blessed, to do it appropriately.
Clarity is gained through many ways, as many as the heart in life. I myself like to think I clarify myself about myself based on how 4 nature elements (water, air, soil & fire) purify themselves.
There are few ways to gain clarity/purity in each but I’d like to talk about one for each.
Water naturally flows to clean itself; flowing to filter what’s in through its movement against all odds (stones, holes, debris, etc). By filtering for clarity it means I need to pass by at the same time to let go a lot of things in life to be clear (& clean). Like river, I receive materials from various sources that possibly contain unnecessary or unfavourable matters & I need to choose which to stay & which to get rid of. Flowing is leaving some behind & taking necessary some ahead. I’ve let go a lot of memories & people.
Air circulates what’s in. By circulating for clarity it means I should not stop sharing. The more I share (material, knowledge, vibes, etc), the more I find clarity in life. Like air, this person needs to vent, too. I tell stories, write, rant, talk, argue, discuss to verify information accuracy.
Soil decomposes what’s in. It breaks things into minuscule or even atomic pieces & blend all in one environment. Like soil, I don’t mind dealing with rotten and/or damaged things (ideas, gossips, accusation, prejudice, etc). Sometimes I swallow the worst leftover. Rubbish can turn to gold! Is it possible artist here? (Not the artist in Bahasa Indonesia’s artis, it is the seniman)
Fire heats to purify itself. Like blue fire I sometimes feel of having the most life energy (oxygen) & the motivation (high temperature). I clarify by motivating myself & others. I often don’t need external voice to motivate myself. I can be rather stubborn against change: sometimes only my will can change my ways. Learning from own mistakes is good: getting burnt 😁
Clarification leaves waste (emotions) so I need to deal with it by treating them well.
Note:
I’m more water than fire. I’m more soil than than air. I’m more air than fire. I’m more water than soil. 😊
This idea is original but murky; might not work for you. Find your own way to be clear about yourself.
I've grown flowers and big trees In my heart. There's a pond with small fish playful and harmless; Water lilies and lotuses dancing and entertaining. You send breeze, she sings happily. You send rain, she drinks sufficiently. You send storm, she cries sadly. You send snow, she freezes deadly. Whatever you send, she feels blessed abundantly, so much loved.
This morning she said to me that If you send yourself, she'll live forever.
pond near the dining room in D’Omah Jogja — breakfast feels slow with the waiters’ giving us more time to choose the ala carte menu, and meaningful with the long waiting time that diners can have more time to calmly chat in the morning
Pernahkah kau diam Dari hari-harimu yang bising, Yang terus ambil kendali, Yang terus mau terdahulu, Yang melucuti pejalan sunyi, Yang membuat hati lain tenggelam, Yang mencabuti akar harapan, Yang mengeringkan daun semi, Yang perlahan dijauhi kelembutan diri?
Diamlah Sampai hening. Diamlah Sampai ramai pun jadi hening. Sehari tiada cukup. Seminggu terlalu pendek. Sebulan belum berarti. Setahun baru kau buka pintu terluar. Semuda usiamu, Setua leluhur terdahulumu.
Diam Hening
apa artinya waktumu tanpa hening? hanya bunyi tik-tik atau tik-tok — hanya suara dalam konteks tanpa makna yang benar-benar membangunkan dirimu sendiri
Life is just like that. It is round, square, triangle Seen from three angles.
Life is just like that. Like what? Like what I’ve never thought but I can handle it by letting go. I thank Gusti Allah for making me a human being so I can experience being human who lives as an ordinary person, maybe less than ordinary 🤐
It is everyday lessons come and go. Some challenging, some lighter. Some are leveled up or completed, in fact some are repeated. Repetition of lessons means that a human being fails to accept what is favourable to now here and to let go of what is not favourable for the soiritual journey to achieve clarity about being human. I’m one of this that’s why I learn from all of you. ☺️
As much as I want no repetition of mistakes though I will accept life as it is, still with kindness. Kindness to whom? To myself and to others although being kind to myself might be a delayed kindness to others — it doesn’t matter, it is just about time or perception.
Photo: Yes, I will always be seen half or less than half by those who see themselves partially: either good or evil, not even a sweet arrangement of those two.
rike jokanan 
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