ARCANE DRAWINGS IN THE SKY OF ENNA (SICILY)

Posted on by Ettore Grillo

Since I have lived in Enna, I have never seen such mysterious signs in the sky.

My apartment faces west. Therefore, it is natural for me to watch sunset.
Each sunset has its own charm but a few days ago, the fantastic sunset scene, observed by me so many times, took on a mysterious air: The sky was furrowed with strange drawings.

At first, I thought they were flocks of birds. However, I immediately ruled out such a hypothesis because in Sicily we do not have this kind of both sedentary and migratory birds that can gather in such large numbers.

The drawings could have been a kind of chemtrails, but no civilian or military aircraft has ever made such strange and extended swirls in the sky.
So what were those signs? I do not dare to give any interpretation, but I think they were a form of language that conveyed a warning to humans. If any of you readers know more, let me know!

Ettore Grillo, author of these books:

– November 2: The Day of the Dead in Sicily

– A Hidden Sicilian History

– The Vibrations of Words

– Travels of the Mind

http://www.amazon.com/author/ettoregrillo

A KILLER IN A SICILIAN TOMB

Posted on by Ettore Grillo

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I arrived at the tomb of a man who, when he was sixteen years old, killed a boy of his same age with one punch. The killer’s name was Gerlando Sferrazzanetti. He remained in jail for fifteen years. During this time he learned painting. His oil paintings depicted sacred images and traditions of Enna: the procession in honor of Our Lady on July 2, the Good Friday procession, the Church of Valverde, and the like.

Seeing his photo on the altar in his tomb, I had a feeling that he must have been a good man, the murder aside. His feature were gentle and his eyes sweet.

An epitaph had been engraved on his marble niche:

As a rosebud becomes a rose,

And a seed becomes a tree,

So the soul grows and evolves

Up to the last stage, the light of love

This is an excerpt from November 2: The Day of the Dead in Sicily

Ettore Grillo author of these books:

– November 2 The Day of the Dead in Sicily
– A Hidden Sicilian History
– The Vibrations of Words
– Travels of the Mind
http://www.amazon.com/author/ettoregrillo

 

MY REVIEW OF RUNNING TO RESURRECTION BY CLARK BERGE

Posted on by Ettore Grillo

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All great masters teach that the secret to get enlightenment is to live life here and now, neither in the past nor in the future. Running is not different from the walking meditation of the Vietnamese monk Thich Nhat Hanh, on the condition that you are alert and watch yourself while you are walking or running.

A marathon is also a metaphor of life. Clark Berge took part in the Half Moon Bay International Marathon, California, when he was 58 years old. It was hard to complete the marathon, but he finally arrived at the finishing line in time.

What I appreciate a lot in this book is Clark Berge’s homily to the baboons he met while running in South Africa. “There is something beautiful about just being a baboon, just being who you are,” he says to the baboons.

What a difference between a baboon and a man! The former cannot have split personality, while men often show themselves differently from what they are. Don’t you think that being sincere, honest, consistent with oneself, natural, and spontaneous is the real finish line which we should run for?

Ettore Grillo author of these books:

– November 2: The Day of the Dead in Sicily

– A Hidden Sicilian History

– The Vibrations of Words

– Travels of the Mind


http://www.amazon.com/author/ettoregrillo

WALKING ON THE BEACH OF ARAMBOL, GOA (INDIA)

Posted on by Ettore Grillo

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Many people lay down to get a tan or chatted in the bars in the afternoon. Most tourists were Westerners, many of them from Russia. It seemed to me that they were all leading an existence devoid of goals. They chatted, played on the beach, swam, and took pictures. There were two ladies who enjoyed being photographed close to a bull lying on the beach. Sometimes I asked myself if it was me who was the real outcast, someone who persisted in searching for a goal in life, while life actually has no end.

Over the days, I noticed that not everyone who spent their holiday in Goa was devoid of inner content. In the yoga class there were youngsters who looked very learned in the spiritual field. At the break of day the shore swarmed with people doing meditation, yoga, and other spiritual activities. Some played the flute, others the drum. Others did walking meditation, which is a kind of meditation based on watching one’s own steps. Others did laughing meditation, which is obviously based on laughing. From this I inferred that no one on Earth is devoid of spirituality. Everybody has his or her inner world, but it is different from one another.

This is an excerpt from A Hidden Sicilian History by Ettore Grillo
Ettore Grillo, author of these books:
– A Hidden Sicilian History
– The Vibrations of Words
-Travels of the Mind
http://www.amazon.com/author/ettoregrillo

 

THE SEARCH FOR GOD

Posted on by Ettore Grillo

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“How did you search for God? Did you follow a precise plan? From where did you start? And now, after so many years, have you come to a conclusion?”
“Your question is really interesting!” he said, smiling in such a way that I couldn’t make out whether he was kidding me or not. “If God exists, he is infinite. Humans, with their limited minds, can never see or understand God unless he wants to show himself to them. When I look at the sky on a starry night, I feel like a speck of dust in comparison with the universe. Is it possible to understand the infinite, boundless universe? Of course not. Remember! You can invest billions of euros in the search for God, but you will waste your money. Sometimes a poor person can overtake you in such a quest. Do you remember the widow’s mite I just mentioned? Therefore, I didn’t plan or invest money in my search for God. I thought God would benevolently show me the right way to follow to meet him. Perhaps he could appear to me in my daily life, through situations, nature, and people I met. Actually, everything comes from God.”
“Quite often, Uncle Salvatore, things happen apart from God’s will. We believe that fortunes, misfortunes, and happenings come from God, but they just happen. The ancient
Romans used to say homo faber fortunae suae, man is the maker of his fortune. The thought that God is behind daily life is wrong. Our reasoning and fears bring God into existence. He doesn’t exist outside us. Whenever we try to prove God’s existence, we make a gap between the logical sphere and the ontological one. That is, through our mind and reasoning, we create an entity whom we give the name God.”…

…“While searching for God, I turned off my thinking mind. I tried to access my being that feels life’s music. I realized that my intellect was not enough to understand God. I had to put aside philosophy. By logic we can’t reach God. To be with God means that we live the mystery and miracle, which are nonlogical. Music, art, and literature don’t proceed logically. They just come from inspiration. I am convinced that something intangible and mysterious happens when one composes a piece of music, paints a picture, or writes a poem.
Perhaps the inspired artists are close to God more than we may think. However, if you can’t prove the existence of God or his presence behind the events of life, you can’t prove the contrary either. You can’t rule out that God manifests himself through those whom we come across in our daily life. Starting from this basis, I have been following the stream of life in my quest. Maybe life itself will make me meet God, I thought.”

This is an excerpt from The Vibrations of Words – second edition- by Ettore Grillo
Ettore Grillo author of these books:
– A Hidden Sicilian History
– The Vibrations of Words
-Travels of the Mind
http://www.amazon.com/author/ettoregrillo

THE VIBRATIONS OF WORDS

Posted on by Ettore Grillo

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Author Expounds on Highly Praised Visionary Novel

‘The Vibrations of Words: Second Edition’
Good Vibrations Mean Good Things

This is the second edition of Ettore Grillo’s The Vibrations of Words. A Goodreads reviewer wrote of his first edition: “The content of this book opened my mind to a new level. I don’t quite remember how I stumbled upon this book, but I am forever grateful that I did, because it left me feeling differently in my heart, and with a different mindset. I would recommend this book to anyone that enjoys books on spirituality, religion, and self-development.”

This autobiographical story offers a journey through music, theater, meditation, Judaism, esotericism, and rare religious practices. It explains how the vibrations of words can influence body and mind: Good words produce favorable situations and a happy life; bad and harmful words cause bad situations.

When an old man relates his life story to his nephew, he tells how his travels to India and Israel shaped his thinking. In India, he learned that music and mantra vibrations have healing powers. In Israel, he discovered the core of the vibrations of words, in that positive and negative vibrations depended on the quality of words.

About the Author: Ettore Grillo is a retired criminal attorney from Enna, Sicily, who spends his time writing and traveling. The author’s previous books are Travels of the Mind, A Hidden Sicilian History, and The Vibrations of Words. See his blog at ettoregrillo.wordpress.com.

The second edition of this book continues the theory that vibrations found in everyday life can influence us for good or bad. We are thrilled to announce its release,” said Robert Fletcher, CEO of Strategic Book Publishing and Rights Agency.

Ettore Grillo author of these books:
– A Hidden Sicilian History
– The Vibrations of Words
– Travels of the Mind
http://www.amazon.com/author/ettoregrillo

ARIADNE’S THREAD

Posted on by Ettore Grillo

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“Minos, the king of Crete, appointed the architect Daedalus to build a labyrinth to hold the Minotaur, a creature half man and half bull that fed on human flesh. Daedalus and his son, Icarus, made a structure full of blind alleys, rooms, and narrow streets. The building was so intricate that even Daedalus and his son were trapped there.
“Theseus, the son of King Aegeus, decided to put an end to the sacrifice of young Athenians that were sent to Crete to feed the Minotaur every year. The hero landed in Crete. He was determined to kill the monster. But, how to get out of the labyrinth after killing the Minotaur? Ariadne, the daughter of King Minos, fell in love with Theseus. She handed him a ball of wool. While Theseus was going through the labyrinth holding one end of the thread in his hand, Ariadne stood at the entrance of the labyrinth and reeled the thread off the ball of wool. At last, Theseus killed the Minotaur. By following Ariadne’s thread, he found his way back out.”
“How fantastic this myth is! Actually, all the Greek myths hide a meaning inside. Somebody calls the Greek myths the psychology of the ancient. Do you know what the myth of Theseus, Ariadne, and the Minotaur symbolizes?”
“Yes, our teacher told us everything about the myth. The labyrinth symbolizes human life on earth. The labyrinth is an open space with no doors or gates. The Minotaur could get out of it and break free, but it didn’t because it was prey to instinct and ignorance, which prevented him from following the right way out.
“We humans are not different from the Minotaur. Like it we are dominated by instinct and ignorance. Just as it happened to that monster, we can’t get out of the labyrinth of worldly, instinctive life. According to the myth, we can’t succeed without Ariadne’s thread, which is a symbol. It means that we need a guide capable of setting us free from instinct, ignorance, and error. Thanks to Ariadne’s thread, we can get out of the state of animals.”
“What’s your thread of Ariadne, Benedetto?”
“My Ariadne’s thread is love and friendship. Without my friends and my lover, I can’t feel like a human. And for you, Uncle Salvatore, what’s your thread of Ariadne?”
“My thread of Ariadne is the vibrations of words. Erez taught me how to behave in life. If I don’t abide by his eighth precept, I’m not different from the Minotaur. Erez made me understand the vibrations of words. Good words are like Ariadne’s thread that guides us out of the labyrinth of instinct. If you backbite somebody, your bad words will come back to you like an echo. They will poison your mind and soul, and then you won’t be able to see things as they are. Good words are at the basis of spiritual life.”
“Everyone has his own thread of Ariadne. But he has to find his thread inside himself.”

This is an excerpt from The Vibrations of Words – second edition- by Ettore Grillo

Ettore Grillo author of these books:
– A Hidden Sicilian History
– The Vibrations of Words
-Travels of the Mind
http://www.amazon.com/author/ettoregrillo

 

 

WHAT IS AN EPHEMERA

Posted on by Ettore Grillo

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Ephemera, also called mayfly is an insect whose life lasts only one day. It is born at dawn and at sunset it dies.
What would you do if your life lasted as long as a mayfly? How would you like to spend your day of life on earth?
I am not the right person to advise people about how to live their lives; I can only say what I do. I, ephemera in the universe, spend my life by striving to discover whether at sunset I’ll die forever or a new dawn will rise beyond the darkness of the night. This is my life, and all my travels are marked by this kind of spiritual quest.

Ettore Grillo author of these books:
– A Hidden Sicilian History
– The Vibrations of Words
-Travels of the Mind
http://www.amazon.com/author/ettoregrillo

PASSION SUNDAY IN ENNA

Posted on by Ettore Grillo

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In my hometown, the processions of Holy Week are ingrained in townspeople’s DNA.
On Palm Sunday the wooden statue of Jesus is carried on a litter in procession by the brethren who belong to the Confraternity of Passion, from the Church of San Leonardo to the cathedral.
The town band and the townspeople follow the statue. While I was in the procession I had a look at those around me. Some women who had been attractive one time, now had their faces seamed with wrinkles. An old friend of mine whom I had not seen for a long time came close to me and we walked together for a little while. He told me that he had undergone two difficult surgical operations, but now he was in a good condition. I also saw a woman who had a bad reputation. Although she was a doctor, she was considered by everybody a rude and malevolent woman. There were also young people with a jaunty air. Everybody followed the procession as if they were going with the current of a river. At the end we arrived at the cathedral. The procession was over and I returned home to write something about what I had seen.
Ettore Grillo author of these books:

– November 2: The Day of the Dead in Sicily

– A Hidden Sicilian History

– The Vibrations of Words

-Travels of the Mind

http://www.amazon.com/author/ettoregrillo