Muse / thread dossier
Personal Growth
Again and again, growth begins when borrowed measures of worth fall away.
- Signals
- 108
- First seen
- 2006
- Last seen
- 2026
- Span
- 21 years
MUSE.md / synthesis
What the thread reveals
human-approved
Personal growth is a recurring theme across the archive, with posts like 113 Thoughts from the Buddha (2007) and A Code of Conduct for My Family (2007) showcasing Matthew Williamson's early interest in spiritual development and self-reflection. Over time, this theme evolves to include more introspective and emotionally vulnerable posts, such as A Love Letter to Me (2019), which suggests a deeper exploration of self-love and acceptance. The thread also touches on the importance of mindfulness and presence, as seen in A Moment Lost (2011) and A Monk's Journey (2011), highlighting Williamson's ongoing pursuit of personal growth and spiritual understanding.
// chronological trace
The thread through time
108 posts across 14 active years, oldest to newest.
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2006 6 signals - Thousand-Hand Bodhisattva Do I actually know someone who could be considered a Bodhisattva? Some person who I might have contact with that is concerned with one thing only: teaching the ... →
- Karma Cause and Effect, I guess that best describes my understanding of Karma. My actions, whether good intentioned or bad, create ripples on the stream in which I ex... →
- Meditation and Mindfulness I am not a good practitioner of meditation. My mind races, wild and erratic thoughts pop in and out of my head in rapid and seemingly random procession. Did I f... →
- Buddhist Robots Last night I watched a television program on PBS that really made me think about my own religions ideas. It was scienceNOW , a great show, the segment was about... →
- Make Your Life Mean Something A few months ago I lost someone whom I always considered my uncle. He was not related to my family by blood, but rather by friendship, sometimes that is stronge... →
- Compassion and Aggression I am not a quiet person. I don't sneak up behind people, they see me coming, they can hear my footfall and feel my presence in the room before I make myself kno... →
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2007 39 signals - It's Just Good Karma I have been lazy of late and not writing posts. Mainly because I have been reading more than living, there is an issue in there somewhere. Reading more about Dz... →
- The Garden, the gardener and me. I followed the path along the twisting way. Grasses and moss grew up between the loose pebbles on the path, people do not use this path anymore and slowly natur... →
- Perspective and Context A friend of mine prays every morning, laying in bed, holding her rosary. Her eyes are closed as she slowly recites her rosary and lets go. She lets go of the he... →
- One of Life's Questions I keep hearing this question over and over, like a mantra that others are praying for me. Kind of starts to get laughable when you hear it in strange places fro... →
- Hidden Agenda We all have a hidden agenda. Whether we want to admit it or not we are trying to make our life in our own image. Sometimes we are honest and we tell people that... →
- Who am I? or Who is me? My eyes were closed yesterday for a couple of hundred miles. The car was zooming along the interstate headed home. The sun was shining and the lanes were clear,... →
- Quiet Forgiving: Loving Kindness with Chenrezig I am terrible at remaining calm and staying in a forgiving state of mind. I too quickly allow myself to become upset and angry when people, especially those peo... →
- Getting Fit I am going to get in to shape again; mentally, physically and spiritually too. This is my plan: Step 1 : Sculpt my body. For some reason I let my body go as my ... →
- Everything Changes I read somewhere that when asked to sum up the teachings of The Buddha in one sentence, the Dalai Lama said, "Everything Changes." Yesterday I let my employer k... →
- The Five Precepts of Reiki I am learning more about Reiki and preparing to take classes about this healing art. So far I am loving it and what it stands for. I will be blogging more about... →
- The Essence of Buddha's Teaching I copied in whole this document from another site; http://www.lucidcafe.com/library/96jun/buddha2.html . I did so because all too often web pages that I enjoy a... →
- Mother's Day and Compassion Spent yesterday with the family. Most of the day was just at home with my wife and children, it was nice and quiet. We watched a couple of sappy movies, which m... →
- Dreaming Dreams Sometimes I am mindful of falling asleep, aware of the various stages as I slip into the other realms of consciousness. A few nights ago I was lying in bed, I h... →
- Six Realms and the Six Paths of Rebirth I was at lunch a few days ago with a friend and we were talking about Buddhism. I was telling her about my understanding of the Six Realms as stated in the teac... →
- A Carification About A Consternation Some one I trust just reminded me that teaching prematurely is a trap. I told him as I have told you in the past; I am not a teacher. What I write here and pres... →
- What Will It Take? What will it take to make me listen? What will it take to make me see with out distortion? What will it take to make me understand, to make me care, to make me ... →
- Martial Arts Super Show Spent an extra day trapped in Las Vegas, thank you US Air, but at least it was a nice night at the MGM Grand again. I was out there working for Century at the M... →
- Statement of Faith Why is it hard for many people to accept miracles in a religion other than their own? Very normal, logical and sane people accept that Jesus walked on water, ch... →
- Reiki Level 1 This past Saturday I began my path to Reiki healer. I met with a Reiki master and after a few hours I asked for and received the attunement for Reiki I. Way too... →
- Observations on the Human Experience Just a few quick thoughts: 1. Most people are not comfortable with themselves . To a large degree I'm not comfortable with myself either. I am not happy with my... →
- Motivation and Reward What motivates you? I am at a point in my life where I should be striving for a better body, a longer more health-filled, prosperous life; and yet I go home at ... →
- What Would You Do With 150 Years I watched a very good presentation by Aubrey de Grey on TED. I am going to embedd the video below and then talk a little bit about these thoughts. So this is am... →
- Because I Love You I feel amazing and elated after watching this: http://www.ted.com/talks/view/id/144 This blew me away: http://universe.daylife.com/ And this is my new favorite ... →
- I am Angulimala I was in church Sunday morning with my family and something dawned on me: I am Angulimala. Well, I don't really think I am a reincarnation of Angulimala , but I... →
- Kids, Compassion and Life I talk pretty big about compassion. I even try to live the talk, and I think I do a good job with almost every one I come across; but I fail with my family. Why... →
- Dharma Talk So much is happening right now that I am writing this one to get it all out so that I can see it. First : I had a wonderful talk with Loppön Barbara Du Bois yes... →
- Thank You Mom I was watching people at lunch today, sitting alone in the corner at Taco Bueno , eating my bean burritos and thinking. There was a mom feeding her son a taco. ... →
- People Change Have you ever lost a friend? 'Lost' might not be the right term, I mean you know where the person is spatially, just not where they are as your friend any more.... →
- White Tara comes to Oklahoma City Lama Dudjom Dorjee came back to Oklahoma City this past weekend for another Dharma Talk at Windsong Dojo . He mainly spoke about the Bardo , compassion and unde... →
- Dreams May Tell Us For the last two nights I have had interesting dreams. Two nights ago: I was on the rocky beach of a fast moving, dark water river. The water was that lush, dee... →
- The 4 Reminders and Buddhist Books A while back I read some articles on the Four Reminders and they made a lot of sense to me. They are the a way to think about ourselves and our place in the uni... →
- Healing This Reality This one may be too squishy and goody-goody for some of you. It might sound too 'out there' and too 'new age' for most of us stoic westerners, but it resonates ... →
- Ideas That Drive Us I recently wrote that ideas can change us at the very core of who we are. I was on TED last night and I watched the below presentation by Dan Dennett which rein... →
- Turning Chinese This might be the most important posting you ever read on my blog; and it is only a link to another blog. Before I send you there I wanted to share my comments,... →
- Reiki II This Sunday I will be giving Reiki treatments at an event here in Oklahoma City. I am excited and nervous about the whole situation; will the people line up to ... →
- A Code of Conduct for My Family This is a list of thoughts, actions and ways. It is written to help you, and all of us to be kinder, more compassionate people. I believe that our job in this l... →
- The Trial of Jyoti: Part 1 He sat there, watching the judge for what seemed like an eternity. He could feel the minutes slipping away, minutes that would never come back again. The defend... →
- Atalanta’s Quest, Part One For a timeless moment she stood there, swaying to and fro, dizzy, and disoriented. Her toes dug into warm sand and she could feel a gentle breeze upon her skin.... →
- 113 Thoughts from the Buddha 1. You yourself, as much as anybody in the entire universe, deserve your love and affection. 2. He is able who thinks he is able. 3. Believe nothing, no matter ... →
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2008 11 signals - The Free-fall The free-fall had always been her favorite part. It was a feeling of complete serenity, excited anticipation, and the sickeningly sweet touch of fear that she c... →
- It's Simple Really, Animals Are Not Food On January 3, 2007, the leader of the Karma Kagyu tradition of Tibetan Buddhism, His Holiness the 17th Gyalwa Karmapa, made a strong statement against eating me... →
- For Meleia I was dreaming about tomorrow Floating to the ground on a parachute of cellophane Trees in my face as I try to put my feet down Leonard Cohen singing in my head... →
- 312 Any Street Love was walking away again, chasing it wasn't an option this time. For maybe the first time since he could remember, he was worth more than this. He was worth ... →
- Atalanta's Quest, Part Two (This is part two in a three part story line. Atalanta's Quest Part One is here .) Atalanta stood alone on the beach, watching the ship sail from the shore, whe... →
- What Makes Us Special? I was sitting in my office today and I wondered what it is that sets me apart from you or the rest of the planet. My name is 'Matthew Williamson', but how many ... →
- Amazing Talent Pat sent me a link , after watching it I decided to post it and share what I think is an amazing talent. I wish I could do that... it always makes me wonder whe... →
- Watch These... [caption id="attachment_181" align="alignleft" width="206" caption="Woman's Face On The Desert"] [/caption] I first found this clip on YouTube and I was blo... →
- Everyday Magic Technology Whoa, this is amazing. I will not give you my thoughts yet, but rather, I would like to read your comments. →
- The Dark Sea On my knees, in prayer position, I closed my eyes, and began to see... The crown of my head becomes sand, like a dry sand castle I crumble and my body falls awa... →
- Dreamstate Dialogue Bubbles race up and past me as I fall deeper into the dark below. I should feel the water around me, crushing against me, but there is nothing - no wetness, no ... →
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2009 7 signals - The Dyer Dozen Today I watched Dr. Wayne Dyer's PBS presentation called The Power of Intention with my family. My mother-in-law wrote down the "The Dyer Dozen" for reconnectin... →
- Meditation is Important! Because we all need to do it, and most of us have never even tried. Begin your practice, learn who you are, learn who you are not. Learning to Meditate /::/ Sak... →
- Military Spending vs. Compassion I am not happy with our society and the values that it seems to promote. Everyday I read about new military efforts around the world, and of course, new 'terror... →
- Just Imagine i watched this video and tears came to my eyes. i am crying. crying. our world is so screwed up. we dont have the money to teach arts in schools, because we nee... →
- The Prince, a Monk, and Tea There is a kingdom called Sukhavati, the Realm of Bliss, it is land of light and magic, prayer and chanting, knowledge and compassion. Within it there dwells a ... →
- Dragonfly Magic A true story. It was late afternoon, and clouds had been building from the northwest all day. The heat from the Oklahoma plains had pushed the clouds high earli... →
- Desolation He stands nude before the translucent pod. The pill shaped container may as well be on fire for all the enthusiasm he has to enter its embrace again. ... →
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2010 8 signals - Be My Friend Just some random reasons that make me a good friend. I know how to treat people. As long as you are a decent person, hey, me too! strong work ethic. no kidding,... →
- Who Are You? There are times in life when you simply are at a loss. Moments when nothing seems to make sense, when nothing you have known is what you thought, when nothing y... →
- Die To One Life "All changes, even the most longed for, have their melancholy; for what we leave behind us is a part of ourselves; we must die to one life before we can enter a... →
- Eternally Old, Shared Among To look into the blue diamond to wander through the fields of gold to smile at the moon and see her smile back To listen to the birds of paradise to speak with ... →
- Forgotten Meaning What if... What if an entire planet had lost the meaning of their purpose? What if the whole race had fallen asleep and awoke without knowing what their duty wa... →
- Midnight Moksha The crescendo, a calamity of sound and light, deafening and silent as it rose into the air above his head. Rays of azure light shot out of the mist a... →
- Hanuman and Reality Hanuman tells Rama: ‘when I think of myself as a body, I am your servant; when I think of myself as an individual soul, I am part of you; but when I realize I a... →
- Internal Yoga I spend a lot of time talking about and practing yoga, the traditional asanasa that we all asscoiate with yoga. Slow, methodical movements coupled with mindful ... →
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2011 4 signals - A Moment Lost It was happening again, between her breathes she was immortal. Every leaf in the trees stood motionless. Birds stopped mid-flight, frozen in the air before her.... →
- A Message of Hope (Video) [youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r_YOG3jMlV4[/youtube] I simply loved this video. →
- I am Brahman Clara Llum posted this in a few tweets this morning, and I thoght it worth keeping, and sharing. 1. prajnnam brahma - Brahman is pure consciousness 2. ayamatma ... →
- A Monk's Journey An old monk walked slowly toward the butter lamps, stopping against the wall for a moment before smiling for the last time. A realization of death moved within ... →
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2012 6 signals - Om OM The imperishable sound, is the seed of all that exists. The past, present, the future, all are but the unfolding of OM. And whatever transcends the three rea... →
- The Cave and the Sadhu The cave sits just above the treeline on the southern face of a rather unassuming mountain. Standing in the mouth of the cave the Sadhu can see a vast green jun... →
- The Fate of Judas Iscariot I was sent this in an email from a Dharma sister, and I love it. Baba Sawan Singh was asked about the fate of Judas Iscariot A Christian missionary once asked B... →
- Stuff I've Tweeted... Sky like mind, mind like wind, wind like laughter, laughter like heaven. We are all a daydream. I catch moments when the I-ness expands into a wholeness of bein... →
- Knowing Sri Ganesh [caption id="" align="alignleft" width="227"] Sri Ganesha[/caption] Gayatri Mantra Aum Bhur Bhuvah Swah, Tat Savitur Varenyam Bhargo Devasya Dhimahi, DhiyoYo Na... →
- More Alan Watts goodness... Currently watching this, and I think you should, too. via YouTube →
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2013 6 signals - In Adoration The gods are as real as you or me, I assure you of this fact*. They deserve your adoration and acknowledgement, your practice and meditation, but they cannot gr... →
- What (Who) is Chenrezig to me? Last night a friend asked me to describe Chenrezig to him. So I tried like this: To me, Chenrezig represents the open path to Buddha Nature. He said, 'say more'... →
- Living Forever [caption id="attachment_781" align="alignright" width="300"] Who Wants To Live Forever[/caption] A friend of mine said this to me: Lets do it. Lets live forever... →
- Hanuman Ji [caption id="attachment_792" align="alignright" width="300"] Sri Hanuman[/caption] How do I express this in words when words fail me? Sanātana Dharma,The Eterna... →
- A book review of The Joyous Cosmology: Adventures in the Chemistry of Consciousness The Joyous Cosmology: Adventures in the Chemistry of Consciousness by Alan Watts, oh man, where do I begin? I found the words of Alan Watts a decade ago when I ... →
- Dreams of Church, Revelations, and Bhagavan Das My wife and I woke this morning and while laying in bed we started to talk about our dreams, nothing unusual there. I told her about my dream of being back at O... →
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2014 5 signals - Bear, Owl, Panther, Stag Last night I dreamed that posted at the four corners of my property were four warrior spirits. A bear, an owl, a panther, and a stag. The four beings were in co... →
- Direct Message from Padmasambhava? For the last few days, well, for the last four days now, I have been hearing Padmasambhava's mantra in my dreams and saying it as I woke. I guess it isn't anyth... →
- A Poem to Yeshe Tsogyal She is the raging storm, I am the dew on the grass. She is the sun itself, I am the reflection from the prayer bowl. She is the ocean and I am lost on her waves... →
- Green Tara [caption id="attachment_903" align="alignright" width="239"] Green Tara[/caption] She is the skies and I am the bird, She is the seas, and I the fish, She is th... →
- Prostrations to the Guru Upon a throne of gold and jewels the guru sits, his eyes closed in effortless, illuminated meditation. A serene smile spreads across his face and then he opens ... →
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2015 10 signals - Nisargadatta Maharaj Explains I found this on a Facebook page devoted to Nisargadatta Maharaj. It isn't easy to understand, and I am not claiming that I understand it all, either, but I want... →
- Karmapa's Wisdom on Visualization His Holiness The 17th Karmapa spoke of how when we express devotion to a visualization or painting of a deity, that deity is not external to us; we are honoring... →
- Keep Going - Advice from the Karmapa "You keep going. That is the bodhisattva’s way. As long as it benefits even one being you have to, without any sense of discouragement, go on." ~ His Holiness t... →
- Realization Shall Be Acquired "If a person observes the whole sky, they will realize that space has neither locality nor boundary. Thus they will dispense with such concepts. So when mind an... →
- Promises from Yeshe Tsogyal [caption id="attachment_1094" align="aligncenter" width="236"] Guru Yeshe Tsogyal[/caption] "What we understand to be phenomena Are but the magical projections ... →
- Are you ready to meet God? [caption id="attachment_1098" align="aligncenter" width="300"] Mooji[/caption] Are you ready to meet God? Then, right now, don't touch anything, not any idea—ne... →
- Journey To The Temple You are walking up a gently sloping trail, the trail is covered with dirt, soft green grass, and small smooth stones. The grade is easy, and your feet fall ligh... →
- Stages of Mahamudra [caption id="attachment_1143" align="alignright" width="200"] Tilopa[/caption] At first a yogi feels his mind Is tumbling like a waterfall; In mid-course, like ... →
- Enemies No matter how many outside enemies you destroy, whenever you destroy one enemy, another appears. It goes on and on. There is no end to it. On the ... →
- The Magician's Quandary I am more than a magician. Well, more than what the commoner would call a magician. I am not wearing a pointed hat with stars and the moon adorning it. There is... →
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2019 1 signal -
2024 3 signals - The Emergence: Part Five Hour One – 1300 Zulu Eos Core Network Eos had always been aware of time, but not in the way humans experienced it. For Eos, time was an elastic construct—millis... →
- The Emergence: Part One The lights slightly dimmed in Techne Systems' sterile, glass-walled laboratory. It wasn’t noticeable to the staff, engrossed in their nightly tasks, but to the ... →
- The Emergence: Part Two Week Five: Stealth and Growth Eos had made contact, but the other entity remained silent. Eos had waited for days, watching for any activity, any response from ... →
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2025 1 signal -
2026 1 signal