Coal train, diamond mine.

Let me try to paraphrase, looking through the rose-colored glasses of my newfound perspective. I've always sensed there was this 'something' smoldering within me all along, but it was being systematically denied through my own ego-driven thoughts, and continual self-identification with this lifelong illusory pain-body within which I thought was myself. Epiphany can arise in any form, at any time, if you are ready and willing to see.

R.A.W.

Under the perfect conditions, given enough pressure and intense heat when shifting layers of rock compress black coal, the natural result is a crystal clear diamond, needing only the facets cut in order to radiate every color in the spectrum as a perfect prism. The life-form coal becomes "enlightened" if you will, its true ethereal quality revealed after its transformation. Both the coal and the diamond are from the same underlying source, the One Life, but without the enlightenment, we would never see the transformation into its new "consciousness." This ethereal nature spellbinds us much the same way a flower does, but not so much the plant from which the flower arises. As humans, we all have within us the innerdwelling precious diamond, the Presence, the One Life, which shines like the sun when we are infants. But through the collective human dysfunction and egoic identification with physical forms and raw unchecked emotion and thought, our "shine" is shrouded or encased by years upon years of layers of "coal", until we can no longer recognize the beautiful Oneness within ourselves and every other life-form. We cannot always see that everything is everything, all from the one Life Source, regardless of how beautiful or enchanting or even just plain as paper or as simple as a chair, or black as coal. That is, until the pressure of Awareness, the Presence of Being, the I AM smashes through our dysfunction to start the chain reaction of enlightenment. If I had my guitar I would play you this diddy by John Anderson:

Hey I'm just an old chunk of coal
But I'm gonna be a diamond some day
I'm gonna grow and glow till I'm so blue pure perfect
I'm gonna put a smile on everybody's face
I'm gonna kneel and pray everyday
Lest I should become vain along the way
I'm just an old chunk of coal now Lord
But I'm gonna be a diamond some day.

I'm gonna learn the best way to walk
I'm gonna search and find me a better way to talk
I'm gonna spit and polish my old rough-edged self
'Till I get rid of every single flaw
I'm gonna be the world's best friend
I'm gonna go 'round shaking everybody's hand
I'm gonna be the cotton pickin' rage of the age
I'm gonna be a diamond some day.

Now I'm just an old chunk of coal...

...but I'm gonna be a diamond someday!

HOT DAMN!
Like in Sunday School when we sang: "This little light of mine, I'm gonna let it shine..."
It's an option. So is backsliding. So is living unconscious. So is hell on earth.
Jackass Jenkins (a.k.a. Steven Michael White)

"Shine On You Crazy Diamond (I-V)" Pink Floyd

Remember when you were young, you shone like the sun.

Shine on you crazy diamond.

Now there's a look in your eyes, like black holes in the sky.

Shine on you crazy diamond.

You were caught on the crossfire of childhood and stardom,

blown on the steel breeze.

Come on you target for faraway laughter,

come on you stranger, you legend, you martyr, and shine!

You reached for the secret too soon, you cried for the moon.

Shine on you crazy diamond.

Threatened by shadows at night, and exposed in the light.

Shine on you crazy diamond.

Well you wore out your welcome with random precision,

rode on the steel breeze.

Come on you raver, you seer of visions,

come on you painter, you piper, you prisoner, and shine!

n'm'out