Energy Shapes

My wife and I usually go out for a walk after dinner. Along the way, we always pass by a particular house where invariably a black cat comes (literally) galloping to greet us, roll over on its back at our feet; purring uproariously and, then, getting up to follow us part way down the block.

Actually, at one time, there were two black cats - the one I just described, and another - a larger one - that stayed pretty much in the background, simply observing our daily encounters. On rare occasions, when our usual feline friend happened to be occupied elsewhere, the larger cat would deign to come out of the shadows and grudgingly permit itself to be petted.

The day would come when (suddenly) the smaller cat no longer appeared. Instead, the larger cat would come running up to us exactly as its mate had done. We asked the woman (who was watching us from the porch of the house) what had become of the little cat. She told us that he had been hit by a car and died.

We found this absolutely stunning. I don't know how else one could possibly account for it but, in dying, the smaller cat had apparently transferred its entire personality lock stock and barrel to the larger cat which now continued the antics of its now dead partner precisely to the letter.

In Hinduism, no sharp distinctions can be drawn between gods, men and animals. All these exist in an unbroken line, from the highest down to the lowest. Using Carlos Castaneda's terminology, all are essentially ‘energy shapes’, fractured only by men's minds and egos. No doubt there are other Edens out there where life can flourish. But the physical shape of whatever that life may take is largely irrelevant.
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When, after an intense argument, life threatened to leave the earth, earth laughed and said, "Don't be absurd! Nowhere else will you find my bounty with which to build and power your pathetic little toys.” And life replied, "You're so wrong! Even on the dark side of the moon; even in the outer reaches of space would it be possible for me to find sufficient substance to shape and sculpt. I am infinitely more flexible than you think. I can adapt myself to any condition. I have self-determination and the desire to be. I will go anywhere I want, using whatever means available to give expression to the essence of myself.”