drcone

drcone

Tuesday, October 5, 2010

Four Ways of Man - Rhondell

A very wise man by the name of Rhondell left us these important observations:

Four Ways of man
1. The Way of the Jungle - Survival of the fittest - killed everything that got in front of him and was about to interfere.
2. The Way of Justice - an eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth - commit no more violence than necessary.
3. The Way of Love or Understanding - The other guy is doing the only thng he can do - I understand that he is doing the only thing he can do....I understand that he is doing what he feels is right, proper and/or justified, with whatever light that person has.
4. The Way of Consciousness or Intelligence - One could be aware of what the purpose was and will to do it - knowing What You Are...Where You Are...What is Going On Here...and What You Can Do. I am in charge of my own inner state.

It is easy to see the first two and occasionally we glimpse moments of number three. And on very rare occasions we see or experience number 4.

Since, for a very long time, the human purpose has been to get something or have something rather than DO something, the first two seemed to be more useful to that end. Look around - it is easy to see. Number three is useful when justifying a behavior to get something or have something. Statements like "I deserve", "worked hard for", "It is my right" come to mind.

Rhondell also suggested that since we are privileged, invited guests to this planet, it would seem appropriate, when one recognizes that one is an invited, privileged guest a certain behavior and attitude might be: to behave as a good guest. Which means to be considerate to the host, rather than behaving in lousy ways. Don't mistreat any of the other guests - after all they were invited too, by the host - who must have wanted them here. It would also be appropriate to be considerate of the estate to which you were invited. In this case the Earth. It would also be appropriate to make a contribution, not to the host because you were invited, but to the party. At least, you could be a pleasant and harmonious guest. And it would be appropriate to say Thank you! for the invitation. And last but not least, to do no harm to the best of your ability.

Give it a whirl. Come from the Way of Consciousness or Intelligence. See what it is like to come from a place of being in charge of your own inner state.

Living In Choice

Monday, October 4, 2010

Mechanical Mind

I presented a workshop this weekend entitled Relationship Strategies. It's core is founded in what Andrea and James Steward of the Inner Code School term, the Human Source Code, the mechanical mind and the six infant strategies for returning to the non-disturbed state. These strategies are powered by the Law of Survival and flight and fight is always the action. This is such a powerful, instinctual, reaction we often don't know we are reacting from this place. We just react - get defensive, attack, or run - shut down, leave etc. And most of us live our lives out of this deteriorating cycle.

The result - we get physically ill or we behave in self-sabotaging ways.

The 6 infant strategies are: The complainer, stander up for rights, pleaser, obeyor/believer, self-improver, and blamer. The sole intention is to return us to a non-disturbed state - which has become our purpose in life. Does this work to that end? Of course not! But, we keep "trying" to make it work. Maybe this time, I will get what I want. I say trying is lying - either you do or you don't. And what's more is the mechanical mind uses imagination to make up stories to justify "why" you are getting not what you want. It just fills in the blanks between what you imagine and the reality of getting what you want ---sooooo--you never get what you want.

This human story has driven our planet and our lives to the point of bifurcation. Either we see the insanity of that story and change it or.........

It has never worked in all of human history to create peace and it never will.

The infant story that has become our adult story certaintly is not Living In Choice

Monday, September 27, 2010

Walking Meditation

Living In Choice Walking Meditation



If you haven't had the opportunity to take a walk and spend some time appreciating the cooler weather, I highly recommend that you give yourself that gift.



Pick a quiet place, a park, a nearby lake, your own backyard, a lovely tree laden neighborhood.



Begin by being still for a moment, closing your eyes and begin taking some deep breaths, grounding yourself with Mother Earth with each one.

Feel her strength beneath your feet, supporting you, providing you with every nutrient you need for health and well being.

Imagine that you are sending a virtual cord of energy from you sacral chakra right down into Her crystaline core center. Notice what color you choose for your connecting cord or cords. Imagine that the Mother Earth is sending back to you, through those cords, her loving energy. Notice how that feels as it travels up the cord and enters your body. Just allow it to flow all through your being.



Take another deep breath, and as you exhale open your eyes and begin your walk, taking time to notice how the sun feels on your skin, the air as it touches your face, the smells that surround you, the color of the sky, the sounds that float on the air. Perhaps the wind is causing the leaves of the trees to russel. Notice the sounds of the insects, the cricket, the locust, the feathered friends, the birds, that sing or chirp, the dogs that bark a greeting. Just allow every sound to soothe your spirit, feeling the warmth and love of Nature to embrace you with every step. Notice how you feel inside. If you notice you feel anxious or tense just breathe into those places exhaling that energy and replacing it with the peace and love of nature that surrounds you.



Continue walking as long as you have time for. Then as you complete your walking meditation take a few moments before going inside to look up toward the sky and let the great expanse of that space fill you will joy, with the vision that there is an incredible universe out there reminding yourself that you are a necessary part of that universe! Take a final deep breath anchoring your experience. Return to normal breathing and your daily activities.

This might also be fun at night focusing on the night sky and the beauty and majesty of the full moon, Venus, and Saturn, the Big dipper and other constellations you may be able to recognize.



Happy meditating

Thursday, September 23, 2010

Saturn

If you look toward the west in the night sky you will see a bright star. Really, it isn't a star at all, it is a planet, the ringed planet, Saturn. Astronomers say it is closer to the earth than it has been in the last 3000 years. It seems to have come at a time when its influence is heightened to assist humanity in clearing long held patterns that no longer serve.

In ancient Greek mythology, Saturn, was known as Cronus from the Greek 'Chronos' meaning Time, child of Ouranos (Father Sky), a tyrannical and despotic ruler. His mother was Gaia (Mother Earth), who persuaded Cronus to overthrow his father. Which he did. And the story continues violently and ends with Zeus, who saved the day, so to speak.

At any rate, Saturn symbolizes the overthrow of tyranny and despotism. The influence of Saturn may serve to place us in our own prison, just as Cronus ended his career as a prisoner in Tartarus, according to Greek mythology. So, Saturn represents our limitations, as well as our ability to or inability to set appropriate boundaries. It seems, as one observes the goings on in the world, that we are in the process of breaking the boundaries set out long ago by the law makers of 5000 years ago. These laws of old have served to repress our instincts, our intuition, our creativity, our mental, emotional, spiritual and physical freedoms. These limitations have shown up in apathy, melancholy, depression, lack, fear, self-doubt, etc.

But, even though, the energetic influence of Saturn on humanity, presents us with restrictions and limitations, it also guides us to maturity by forcing us to work within its framework. It holds over us the tyrannical parental shadow from which we must emerge. And according to the prophetic calendar of the classical Maya, the time has come when we (humanity) have the opportunity to emerge from the shadow of tyranny into the "Golden Age" of Enlightenment.

This process may be experienced as the most difficult of times, especially if you are not inspired by the vocation you have chosen. Saturn may be signaling to you to find your inspiration and follow your dream by breaking out of the chains of the tyrannical "father" within who holds you to the letter of the law of its beliefs.

It is also interesting that the current Pope, the symbolic "Father" of the Catholic Church is being named and may be called as a witness in a law suit filed by a man who was sexually molested in a Catholic School for the deaf. As a Cardinal, the Pope, was in the position to investigate child abuse in Catholic schools, including the one in which the man reports to have been sexually molested.

The tyrannical, despotic father being called to account? Will he be last Pope? Only time will tell. Pardon the pun!

Living In Choice takes work and that work is to know the self!!!!

Wednesday, September 22, 2010

The Mechanical Self

The Mechanical Man or conditioned self reacts to effects. Example: Someone cuts in front of you in line or cuts you off on the highway. The mechanical self reacts by making some obscene gesture, angrily looks at the offender, gets red in the face, chest feels tight, etc.



That is the mechanical man reacting to an effect.



How many of you "live" life that way?



The conditioned mind - the complainer, the blamer, the stander up for rights, the obeyer/believer, the self-improver and the pleaser decide the "life" you are living.



This mind does not think - it reacts - and it reacts the same way every time. That is the reason you get the life you have. If this is all you know - then you cannot think beyond that - infact that is not thinking at all - it is just ruminating the same information again. Day after day - it is the same - because you cannot live beyond what you know, either.



The famous phrase "Know thyself" is an important observation. Because if "I" is asleep and cannot observe "what is going on" then what is going on keeps on going.



"The Work" of life is to wake up and observe "self" to come to know self which allows you to choose a conscious purpose for living each moment. Purpose is not static! It changes with each new moment. Without an awareness of your "state of being" in any given moment there can be no self knowledge.



We, as a species, only have dominion over what we know, or knowledge, and our level of being. Our place in the universe affords us the gift of making a request (a prayer) and the totality of the universe moves to respond to that request.



What you may not know is that the request is governed by level of knowledge and is delivered by level of being. If level of being enters the request from mechanical man/conditioned self who is in love with being a victim or living in lack and who is invested in blaming the "other" because they have it better than they, or holding a secret jealousy, or being lazy - I don't want to do it - I want you to do it for me, etc. then the request is answered from that level of being.



So, every prayer we send out is answered according to the level of knowledge and level of being from which it is sent.



Waking up the Observer so that self can be seen is the work we must all do now in every moment.



What prayer are you sending out?



Living in Choice comes from waking up the observer. The job of the observer is to watch, investigate (shine the light within), question and report the facts to the universe. This is "conscious purpose for living."



Notice what happens

Monday, September 20, 2010

The Essenes and Quantum Physics

The post on 9/12 discussed Steven Hawking's new book and the discussion it is raising about how the Universe works. Hawking and his co-author, Mlodinow, suggest they have proven mathematically that the known universe/galaxies operate in a certain way; and that they have done so without regard for a "greater mind" involved in the process. In other words their calculations did not take into consideration any "intelligence" initiating the movement of the universe. What a great mathematical feat that is! It is also an important tool for us to understand how the universe works.

But, it is the whole story? Probably not!

According to a 3rd Century C.E. Essene document, found by Edmond Bordeaux Szekely in the Secret Archives of the Vatican, entitled "The Essene Book of Moses" which discusses Moses's experience on the top of Mount Sinai where he received from God the "Law" God wished to give to his people. It is a long piece but for purity sake, I will quote it:

"And the lord called unto Moses out of the mountain, saying, Come unto me, for I would Give thee the Law for thy people, which shall be a covenant for the Children of Light."

"And Moses went up unto God. And God spake all these words, saying,
I am the Law, they God, which hath brought thee out from the depth of the bondage of darkness.
Thou shalt have no other Laws before me.
Thou shalt not make unto thee any image of the Law in heaven above or in the earth beneath. I am the invisible Law, without beginning and without end.
Thou shalt not make unto thee false laws, for I am the Law, and the whole Law of all Laws. If thou forsake me, thou shalt be visited by disasters for generation upon generation. (Opps! Guess we missed that Law! Hurricane Katrina, etc.)
If thou keepest my commandments, thou shalt enter the Infinite Garden where stands the Tree of Life in the midst of the Eternal Sea. (The Maya Hunab Ku?)
Thou shalt not violate the Law. The Law is thy God, who shall not hold thee guiltless.
Honor thy Earthly Mother, that thy days may be long upon the land, and honor thy Heavenly Father, that eternal life be thine in the heavens, for the earth and the heavens are given unto thee by the Law, which is thy God.
Thou shalt greet thy Earthly Mother on the morning of the Sabbath (Sat. morning in those days)
Thou shalt greet the Angel of Earth on the second morning (Sunday)
Thou shalt greet the Angel of Life on the third morning. (Monday)
Thou shalt greet the Angel of Joy on the fourth morning. (Tuesday)
Thou shalt greet the Angel of Sun on the fifth morning. (Wed.)
Thou shalt greet the Angel of Water on the sixth morning. (Thursday)
Thou shalt greet the Angel of Air on the seventh morning. (Friday)

All these Angels of the Earthly Mother shalt thou greet, and consecrate thyself to them, that thou mayest enter the Infinite Garden where stand the Tree of Life.

Thou shalt worship thy Heavenly Father on the evening of the Sabbath. (Friday evening)
Thou shalt commune with the Angel of Eternal Life on the second evening. (Sat.)
Thou shalt commune with the Angel of (Creative) Work on the third evening. (Sun)
Thou shalt commune with the Angel of Peace on the fourth evening. (Monday)
Thou shalt commune with the Angel of Power on the fifth evening. (Tue.)
Thou shalt commune with the Angel of Love on the sixth evening. (Wed.)
Thou shalt commune with the Angel of Wisdom on the seventh evening. (Thur.)

All these Angels of the Heavenly father shalt thou commune with, that thy soul may bathe in the Fountain of Light, and enter into the Sea of Eternity.

The Essene's utilized these communions to understand the "workings" of the universe. They understood that each of these Angels were energies or laws that followed the One Law, which was God. Even though they could not comprehend the One Law or "God", in human language, they realized that these communions, which they practiced each morning and each evening just as they had been instructed to do, placed them in a position of creating a life experience that was vital! They were known as the teachers and the healers of the sick because they understood the patterns of the universe and their place in it. They understood the Zarathustrian axiom, "Good Words, Good Feelings, Good Actions" meant congruence in the thinking body, feeling body, and acting body lead to a good life. They moved away from the big cities because they realized they could not successfully live in that way among the corruption, fear, and greed they found there. So they moved to the desert - the Dead Sea and Lake Mariotis in Egypt to build their communities. They were known by the people of the time as (Philo, Josephus) the greatest example of humankind to ever exist on the planet.

Living In Choice is a Choice, after all, but what kind of choice?






Thursday, September 16, 2010

Essenes

I was ordained as an Essene minister in 1999. I have held an Essene material focused spiritual meeting on friday nights since 2000.

Why Essene? I happened to run across a little book entitled The Essene Gospel of Peace by Edmond Bordeaux Szekely in 1996 or 7 and was amazed at this little book which is a translation from Essene documents found in the Secret Archives of the Vatican by the author in 1926.

In his introduction to the text, Szekely says this about the 3rd Century text from its original Aramaic, "They sent out healers. And one these was Jesus, the Essene. He walked among the sick and the troubled, and he brought them the knowledge they needed to cure themselves. Some who followed him wrote down what passed between him and those who suffered and were heavy-laden. The Elders of the Brotherhood made poetry of the words, and made unforgettable the story of the Healer of Men, the Good Shepherd. And when the time came at last for the Brothers to leave the desert and go to another place, the scrolls stayed behind as buried sentinels, as forgotten guardians of enternal living truth.

A dark age began, a time of savagery, of barbarism, of book-burning, of superstition and worship of empty idols. The gentle Jesus was lost forever in the image of a crucified God; the Essene brothers hid their teachings in the minds of the few who could preserve them for their descendants, and the Scrolls of Healing lay neglected beneath the shifting shadows of the desert..." - The Discovery of the Essene Gospel of Peace, by Edmond Bordeaux Szekely

Dr. Szekely was newly graduated from high school in France when he was invited to come to the Vatican and study. The discovery of these ancient Essene documents changed the course of his life.

In 1928 he founded the International Biogenic society with Nobel Prize-winning author, Romain Rolland. Szekely was a well-known philogist in Sanscrit, Aramaic, Greek and Latin. He spoke ten modern languages. He is the author of more than 80 books published in many countries on philosophy and ancient cultures. His work is carried on by the International Biogenic Society headed by his successor, his widow, Norma Nilsson Bordeax Szekely. You can write for a descriptive catalogue of his works to I.B.S. Internacional, P.O. Box 849, Nelson, B.C., Canada VIL 6A5

There are many paths to Living In Choice they all begin with Peace!

Tuesday, September 14, 2010

Tzolkin day 7 Chuen (Monkey)

The current Maya Great Cycle began Aug. 11, 3114 BCE and will end Dec. 21, 2012.
There have elapsed 1,871,591 Kin of that Great Cycle and there are 409 Kin remaining in the cycle. The Tzolkin day today is 7 Chuen. According to the Maya,, the number 7, a Galactic tone, is the number of reflection. It stands as a mirror to divide light and dark and reflects all that is and that which is not. It is associated with the source of creation and the flow of divine will. The number seven has a keen sense of ethics, the foundation of purpose for current and future goals.

The Sacred Sun Sign coupling with the Galactic tone of 7 today is Chuen and was known by the Maya as the weaver of time. People born under this galactic tone and sacred sun sign have particular patterns of behavior and personality characterics. Monkey takes ideas and threads or vines and weaves them into the fabric of our reality. New patterns or inventions are also woven into our lives by Monkey. Monkey is amiable, intelligent, generous and is a jack of all trades. Monkey's innocent curiosity leads to artistic expression and constructive solutions. They can be highly respected merchants or speakers. They love being 'on stage', practical jokes and they crave attention. They may even play the fool to get attention. They have a short attention span and find it difficult to stay focused on anything long enough to master it.

Today is a good day to begin anything new. So, take advantage of the energies flowing into us from the galaxy and the sun start that new project today.

Live in Choice - start today.

Sunday, September 12, 2010

Steven Hawking, Leonard Mlodinow, Deepak Chopra

I was fortunate enough to be able to meet Deepak Chopra at his friday evening talk at the Oklahoma Civic Center. His talk was on Happiness and he discussed current research he was involved in with Gallop Poll to determine levels of happiness and what seems to generate happiness for people in different areas of life. You can see the results of the poll on Deepak's website www.deepakchopra.com

I also watched Larry King Live friday night as he interviewed Steven Hawking and his coauthor of their most recent book entitled The Grand Design. I have not read the book yet, but intend to go out today and purchase it. According to Hawking and Mlodinow, their purpose in the book is to reveal what can be proved, scientifically, about how the Universe operates. Because God cannot be reduced to a mathetical equation, their intention seemed to be to research what in the universe could be proved through mathetical equation, quantum physics, and geometry as the foundation for their conclusions. Interesting subject, this.

The late Edmond Bordeau Szekely, in the introduction to his work, The Essene Gospel of Peace Book Two: The Unknown Books of the Essenes, had this to say, "There are three paths leading to Truth. The first path is the path of the consciousness, the second that of nature, and the third is the accumulated experience of past generations, which we receive in the shape of the great masterpieces of all ages. From time immemorial, man and humanity have followed all three paths."

The three paths, he says, are The path of consciosness, The path of nature and the path of the wisdom, knowledge and experience acquired by the great thinkers of all ages and transmitted to us in the form of great teachings, the great sacred books or scriptures of universal literature. He says the Essenes understood this and therefore, approached the Truth in this threefold manner. Otherwise, Truth would not be allsided, but skewed to the single path utilized. Each path must harmonize with the other for a totality of understanding to emerge.

He determined that the Great Mystics of all time considered the path of consciousness to be the most immediate reality for us all and that consciousness is the key to understanding the universe. They determined, he relates, that consiousness is not only in us but is us! These same mystics discovered that the "laws of human consciousness contain an aspect not found in the laws governing the material universe."

This aspect can be seen, he says, in "a certain dynamic unity" that exists in our consciousness, where one is at the same time many. We can have many simultaneously different thoughts, ideas, associations, images, memories and intuitions that occupy our consciousness in a split second, and yet he says, "...all this multiplicity will still constitute only a single dynamic unity."

Because of this, he says, "....the laws of mathematics, which are valid for the material universe and are a key to its understanding, will not be valid in the field of consciousness, a realm where two and two do not necessarily make four. The mystics also found that measurements of space, time and weight, universally valid in nature and throughout the material universe, are not applicable to the consciusness, where sometimes a few seconds seem like hours, or hours like a minute."

Human consciousness, you may have discovered for yourself, as the mystics determined does not exist in space and time. It cannot be measured. You may have also noticed that your own consciousness is the most immediate and inmost reality for your experience of life. It is also the most immediate source of energy, harmony and knowledge for each of us. We are the most accurate source of information concerning our lives. No one can know what is happening inside us better than we can.

But, says Szekely, that there are dangers with all three paths. He says the danger for the mystic is that they create for themselves an ivory tower, removed from the reality of life itself. The path of nature, the realm of science, followed by the scientist, "...like the mystic, sometimes falls into exaggerations..." and finally fails to explain with full satisfaction any solution to our questions of existence, life and the universe.

The problem in utilizing the third path, that of universal knowledge and wisdom found in the great literature, art, and teachings handed down to us lies in the different methods utilized to understand them. The way of the theologian and organized religion, says Szekely, "is to consider each text literally . . . resulting from a long process of petrification, by which truths are inevitably transformed into dogmas."

The danger of this, says Szekely, is the theologian "...runs into many endless contradictions and complications, and he reaches a conclusion as far removed from the truth as that of the scientific interperter of these texts who rejects them as entirely valueless and without validity." He also says there is another danger inherent in this path and that is ".... to believe, as do certain symbolists, that these books have no more than a symbolic content and are nothing more than parables. With their own particular way of exaggeration these symbolists make thousands of different and quite contradictory interpretations of these great texts."

So, I have related the above to remind you that living in choice means to look at all things, all information one must allsidedly explore to find the Truth.

And just from the conversations I heard on Larry King Live, even though Hawking and Mlodinow may have answered questions we have not heretofore had answers to, we are; however, it seems, not one step closer to defining consciousness, the reason for our existence, the purpose of life or the origins of the universe. Because theirs is the path of nature or science.

Perhaps as I read the book, I may change my mind, who knows.

Thursday, September 9, 2010

IChing 58/4

I read the IChing every day for spiritual inspiration and clarity. This one came up yesterday and is reflective of my previous post.

Judgment - Even the thought of bias must be overcome if enlightened decisions are to be made.

Innocence - Even the thought of independent action must be rejected if true security is to be found.

Awareness - Even the thought of ego-led behavior must be overcome before joy can be derived from a growth in awareness.

Emotion - Even the thought of acting in a selfish way mst be overcome before happiness can be found.

Creativity - Even the thought of being pretentious must be overcome before true creativity can be found.

Communication - Even the idea of forcing an opinion must be overcome if there is to be genuine open dialogue.

Ambition - Even the thought of selfish ambition must be overcome before worth-while goals can be achieved.

Service - Even the thought of self-importance must be overcome if a task is to be completed properly.

Nurture - Even the thought of over-protectiveness must be overcome if care is to be of value.

Economy - Even the thought of recklessness must be overcome if real economic growth is to be achieved.
Neutrality - The smallest doubt being able to undermine sincerity.
Reason - It is necessary to overcome even the thought of being clever if real understanding is the goal.

This is from the book I Ching for Everyone by Myles Seabrook

I find the I Ching a great tool for daily use.

Sunday, September 5, 2010

Selfishness

While I was working with a client, the subject of "selfish" came up and she asked me, "What is the definition of selfishness" and I found myself responding "All the negative, self-pitying, self-doubting, self-sabotaging energy you expend". Her mouth dropped open and she exclaimed, "Wow!, that makes so much sense, but tell me more." I continued to explain that when we spend our time and energy in those destructive ways our energy is not available for service either to ourselves or others. Using our energy in judging others or ourselves is to squander our birthright, so to speak, because our power lies in the inherent energy of love that lives within us. When we use that energy for other purposes, we are being selfish. In other words we are using our energy for destructive purposes; therefore, we become a drain, not only using our own energy in self-destructive ways but also sucking positive energy from others rather than sharing our positive, life supporting, creative energy with them.



An example of this might be: You find yourself angry or resentful or you suspect you are being undermined by someone. You make up some story that seems to indicate to you or prove to you that your story is true. Then you call the person or text them or shoot off an email with the accusation only to discover that the story was not only not true but only a figment of your imagination. But by that time the damage has been done. Feelings are hurt and the relationship suffers. This whole process is an act of selfishness. You want to justify your imagined hurt or supposed hurt by making up a story and picking, perceiving and provoking the evidence in your own imagination and then send out the accusation convinced you are justified in the act.



The reality is the story is imagined to fit your own mis-perception of self imagined as truth. Look at all the time and energy you have spent on this folly, when that same energy might have been used to be in service creating a loving energy within that flows out into the world utilized as creative energy. Which, by the way, is well spent because it comes back to you in the same way. Lovingly!



Just watch the news reports and you will see this foolery being played out in almost every story. This person said this and this person did that and hours and hours of "investigation" are utilized to discover the "truth". How selfish this all is. It sells, it gets ratings, it's entertainment. That is the telling part. It sells - greed comes to mind. It is no where more evident than in the "reality" shows. Self-indulgent, selfish use of energy is rampant around the globe-- it is the "victim" and "perpetrator" -- the opposite ends of the continuum. Without the perpetrator there can be no victim. That energy keeps the suffering, the refusal to hold oneself accountable for personal use of energy going. The planetary mind made up of the thoughts of everyone on the planet is filled with prepetrator-victim energy. It seems to be the excuse for every suffering.

I think is was the Dalai Lama or was it Buddhism that says something to the effect that to have too many thoughts is a source of suffering or something like that. When our minds whirl in what I call "the buzzsaw mind" we are not thinking but just ruminating over the same old story, the same old hurt, the same old unrealized dream. Neither the hurt nor the dream can be resolved nor realized in this manner. This is "selfish" use of thought energy. It is also important to remember that thoughts are things that effect other things.



Is this living in choice? No, of course it isn't. And perhaps that is the payoff. The reward. I no longer can be held accountable for my reaction to what I perceive the other has done to me or what I have done to myself or to them. "I have "earned" the "right" to live in self-pity, lack, and suffering", just may be the justification that that reaction is right and proper.



We never do anything that we do not think is "right, proper, and justified" in any given moment given what we think we know in that moment. That is the reason regret is so overrated. So, rather than surviving in self-pity for what might have been or could have been - seeing that in that moment you did the very best you could with what you knew at the time is enough. It is enough because that is all you knew to do at the time. Now, perhaps, you can see something different and that means you see something else is right, justified, and proper today. See how that works out and keep moving to the next moment of wisdom - follow it and see where it takes you.



.

Thursday, August 26, 2010

Waking up to Living In Choice

With the Planetary wake-up call of the summer with the continuing effect of Pluto's transit through Capricorn, which began back in 2008 and will continue until 2023, reflecting to us the consequences of our having trusted that governments had our back, so to speak. The reality of this planetary influence has highlighted the predicament we have found ourselves in - Katrina being a precursor to this - that we cannot sustain that which is unsustainable. We see it again with the floods currently happening in Pakistan. Today officials are asking 500,000 more Pakistanis to leave their homes because of new flooding.

The reality, we don't have much choice in this intensity except in our attitudes and choices in face of these Earth shifts. We can work toward a new sense of compassion for those in need, we can take the time to be present to our own feelings about what is happening not only in the world but also in our own lives. We can just love each other more- we can find within ourselves the best part of our natures and use these experiences for our individual healing of that which has been unethical for so long.

This is a time for personal accountability to do the work of healing and clearing and consciousness is supporting us in that process. If we see ourselves as victims of it then we have missed the opportunity for growth.

Remember what we see out in the world is just a reflections of what we are holding within.

Wednesday, August 4, 2010

Life goes on

Living in choice during challenging times like the death of a parent, at least for me, called for a more focused effort to stay present to each moment. I found myself wanting to run away, avoid, resist, be angry, get caught up in something other than the moment. When I noticed I was not living in choice, I reminded myself to breathe through my heart while I thought about the beauty of life as I was taught in HeartMath, causing a return to coherence in my heart rhythm. As my heart rate slowed and balanced, I found I could be present to my Mothers labored breathing as she fought to hold on to life.

In her last 6 months of life, following a stroke that paralyzed her ability to eat, walk, speak plainly, engage in activities, I was amazed at her ability to be pleasant to her caretakers, appreciating their efforts to make her comfortable. They loved her and she loved them back. She asked little of my sister and I, but was always happy to see us and always said "I love you."

She chose to live in choice at every breath - even to not take the next one.

She was a great teacher and role model and I will miss her physical presence, but I know she was ready for what comes next.

Thursday, July 15, 2010

The Conscious Convergence

"The Conscious Convergence, July 17-18, is for those that are willing to set the intention to create unity consciousness in the ninth wave of the Mayan Calendar!" Carl Calleman



This weekend we all have an opportunity to intend the manifestation for all humanity unity consciousness. Go to http://www.calleman.com/articles/ninth_wave.htm for a full explanation of unity consciousness and why is it not only important, but imperative, that all humanity join in intending unity consciousness now.



We have been predicting for many years the important shift in consciousness that this time, now, holds for humanity. Well, now is here and it is time to take action.



Please, join humanity this weekend in ceremonial action to consciously intend unity consciousness. People all over the globe are creating ceremonies of the four direction to align with the Global World Tree, the dissiminator of consciousness. Calleman says, "Unity consciousness is not something that can hapen against the will of human beings. Expecially at the highest levels of evolution, such as the ninth, it can only happen through human beings that choose to serve as co-creators." "I believe however, that as the Hopi are saying, "we are the ones that we have been waiting for." If we make the commitment to do so we can co-cocreate unity consciousness with the ninth wave."

Tuesday, July 13, 2010

Grief

Years ago, in my Masters program, I studied death and dying - the great work of Elizabeth Kubler Ross and others. But it was a study and not an experience. I understood the words and applied them to earlier experiences with the death of my grandparents, brother, and numerous aunts and uncles and cousins. But even the closeness of those relationships and the lack of connection to my own emotional life made those events ones of trauma or even shock - eventually suppressed into the deeper recesses of my mind. With time and maturity and yes, even a little wisdom, I was much more able to be present in a loving and gentle way during the process of my father's dying two years ago. At times it took every fiber of my being to be present with him in his process rather than going into my own resistance to it.



Now, I am going through that process with my Mother. She was a vibrant 88 year old living alone in Jan. of this year. On Jan. 17th that all changed with a stroke paralyzing her left side and swallow reflex. She was aware and cognitively able to make the decision to put in a feeding tube. That is no longer working and is causing her more pain and suffering. So, the feeding is no longer an option and so her death is imminent - within the next couple of weeks.



Another opportunity to live through the process of being present to my Mother's process of leaving this world for the next experience in her journey. I can tell you that when I think about what her leaving means to me and what it brings up for me, I lose contact with being with her in a loving way. Even through my tears and sadness, if I keep my focus on the fact that "this is her process - not mine" I can be more lovingly present. I understand her process affects me in numerous ways. I know in the days to come I will want to pick up the phone to call her to share something that happened or a story I heard and realize half way through the reaching, I can no longer reach her that way.



I have had experiences where I know that my Dad was with me in spirit. He let me know through different ways - the smell of coffee (his favorite drink) when there wasn't any coffee brewing in the house. I have learned to "listen" for his presence and I know that I will have that same experience with Mom after she has left this physical world.



They have been powerful forces in my life, loving me and guiding me, in all ways. Some more effective than others and it has taken me many years to see that their efforts were always with love and in love even when it did not seem so to me.



I honor them both for all that they were and have been in all the years of my life. They have taught me to be strong when I needed to be and vulnerable when it served me more effectively. My Mother's belief in me - always telling me "You can do anything you put your mind to", supported me in my efforts to be more - as a human being able to be of service in ways I might never have been.

Friday, July 9, 2010

Mayan Tolzkin date 5 Kan (Seed)

The Tolzkin or the day calendar, called the Sacred Calendar by the Mayans in conjuction with the Tun Calendar or Galactic Calendar, was the central calendar for daily use. They understood that each day is influenced by galactic energies influenced by the The Tree of Life or Hunab ku in their language. They knew if they aligned with the prevaling energies each day, it was easier to accomplish their aim.

The energy of today, based on the Tolkin is 5 Kan or Seed, meaning that today is a good day for beginning new projects. It is a day of fertility and growth. It is a good day to break free of old patterns and beliefs. The energy of today is driven by the awareness of a need to change. It is a good day to take risks and try something new. It is an excellent day to spend in contemplating your intentions toward creating your dreams, or projects.

Take time to make new contacts - network or reconnect with those you have been meaning to call for a while and haven't.

This is not a good day to put things off or to spend time in apathy or feelings of insecurity or stagnation. Remember no one will do it for you.

Today is the day to take action.

Thursday, July 8, 2010

Re-creation of the Global Tree of Life

July is filled with opportunity to set in motion intentions and energies that propel you into the coming consciousness of Unity and co-creation. A consciousness that has never been experienced by any previous human.

On July 17 and 18, a time referred to as the Conscious Convergence by Dr. Carl Calleman (author of The Purposeful Universe, The Mayan Calendar Code, etc.) and others who are asking people all over the globe to assist in recreating the energy of the Tree of Life. To quote Calleman, " Ancient traditions of our planet almost universally looked upon the four geographical directions as Sacred. The origin of this sacredness of the direction is that they, since the beginning of time, have played a rode in the ongoing creation of our planet and its evolution of consciousness. Naturally then, many peoples all over the world have performed ceremonies to honor these four directions. The four directions were thought to be associated with different spiritual qualities and so were often each symbolized by a guardian angel as described, for instance, in the Book of Revelation. From many traditions, such as the Mayan, it is also clear that the four (and sometimes six, if "above and below" is included) directions emanate from the Tree of Life. The Tree of Life is the most widespread of all ancient myths, and it was seen as the center of the four directions."

For the full article about Conscious Convergence copy the url below to your address bar.

http://www.calleman.com/content/articles/Recreation_GlobalTreeOfLife.htm
http://www.calleman.com/content/articles/Recreation_GlobalTreeOfLife.htm

Monday, July 5, 2010

Nature

Living In Choice is a synergy of living energies flowing together in loving attendance.

The American Poet, Ralph Waldo Emmerson (1802-1882), beautifully described Nature in this excerpt from an address to his Divinity School.

"A more secret, sweet, and overpowering beauty appears to man when his heart and mind open to the sentiment of virtue. Thus he is instructed in what is above him. He learns that his being is without bound; that to the good, to the perfect, he is born, low as he now lies in evil and weakness. That which he venerates is still his own, though he has not realized it yet. He ought. He knows the sense of that grand word, though his analysis fails to render account of it. When in innocency or when by intellectual perception he attains to say, - "I love the Right; Truth is beautiful within and without for evermore. Virtue, I am thine; save me; use me; thee will I serve, day and night, in great, in small, that I may be not virtuous, but virtue"; then is the end of creation answered, and God is well pleased.

It is well to remember WE are not separate and apart from Nature - but are inseparable from it. She is in us and we in her!

Friday, July 2, 2010

I have been away

I apologize for not having posted in a while. My Mom, 89 and paralyzed because of a stroke, has been in the hospital with pneumonia and I have been preoccupied with that.

I send 4th of July greetings to you all. Have a safe and joyful holiday.

Viewed from the perspective of astrology and the Mayan Callendar system, we are in for quite a ride for the rest of the summer and into the fall. This is a time of clearing up any unethical beliefs, behaviors, or systems in place. Consciousness is supporting this as are planetary alignments. Check out any good astrology site on the web to keep updated about coming astronomical alignments and their meaning for you personally.

Now is the time for personal accountability. Stop blaming those around you and look within for answers to your complaints. Dig deep. The oil spill in the gulf is just a metaphor for the sludge and toxic waste hidden in our unconscious minds that has been "drilled" into and is now flooding the subconscious so fast it cannot suppress it any longer. It is out in the open now for all to see. The ego/survival mind cannot control it. Denial, projection, blame are totally ineffectual.

Wednesday, June 16, 2010

What am I? Who am I?

It seems, that before we can ever know ourselves, we must answer these two questions.

In fact, Yasuhiko Genku Kimura, (The University of Science and Philosophy) says that, "These are the fundamental questions of life which all conscious, intelligent beings must answer in order to live a life that is worthy of a conscious being." But he also says that it is not possible to find the answer to these question from any traditional "....rational, reductionistic, analytical manner, but only in a holistic, universal, kosmic manner through a deeply-felt experiential knowing or "innerstanding" of who you are."



In order to live in choice these answers must be found, otherwise, one is living out of conditioning and survival. Creativity and authenticity go hand in hand. Kimura says the "...,key to creativity or geniushood is to know who and what you are in the language of light through an authentic deeply-felt experiential knowing or innerstanding."



Paradoxically, we must first recognize that we ARE the expression of the purpose of the universe. That we are as Kimura says, "...a singular kosmic destiny" In other words, it is in knowing ourselves in this way that we will also know the "anthropocosmic wholeness which is the universe" according to Kimura.

Until we come to this innerstanding we are simply "imitation human beings".

Tuesday, June 15, 2010

Sixteenfold Compassion of Buddha cont.

Because he saw them afraid of birth, old age and death, yet still pursuing the works that lead to birth, old age and death,
for this reason he was moved to compassion.
Because he saw them consumed by the fires of pain and sorrow, yet knowing not where to seek the still waters of Samadhi,
For this he was moved to compassion.
Because he saw them living in an evil time, subjected to tyrannous kings and sufering many ills, yet heedlessly following after pleasure,
For this he was moved to compassion.
Because he saw them living in a time of wars, wounding and killing one another; and knew that for the riotous hatred that had flourished in their hearts they were doomed to pay an endless retribution,
For this he was moved to compassion.
Because many born at the time of his incarnation had heard him preach the Holy Law, yet could not received it,
For this he was moved to compassion.
Because some had great riches which they could not bear to give away,
For this he was moved to compassion.
Because he saw the men of the world plowing their fields, sowing the seed, trafficking, huckstering, buying and selling: and at the end winning nothing but bitterness,
For this he was moved to compassion.
Because he saw men cease to do good,
For this he was moved to compassion.
Because he saw men learn to do evil,
For this he was moved to compassion.

Friday, June 11, 2010

The Sixteenfold Compassion

Over 2500 years ago, Buddha saw the destructive effects of negative thinking and as a result he vividly described what he saw as the self-induced suffering of humankind in his immortal Sixteenfold Compassion:

My children,

The Enlightened One, because he saw Mankind drowning in the Great Sea of Birth, Death and Sorrow, and longed to save them,
For this he was moved to compassion.
Because he saw the men of the world straying in palse paths, and none to guide them,
For this he was moved to compassion.
Because he saw that they lay wallowing in the mire of the Five Lusts, in dissolute abandonment,
For this he was moved to compassion.
Because he saw them still fettered to their wealth and their possessions, knowing not how to cast them aside,
For this he was moved to compassion.
Because he saw them doing evil(deviation from the Law) with hand, heart, and tongue, and may times receiving the bitter fruits of sin (deviation from the Law), yet ever yielding to their desires,
For this he was moved to compassion.
Because he saw that they slaked the thirst of the Five Lusts as it were, with brackish water,
For this he was moved to compassion.
Becaused he saw that though they longed for happiness, they made for themselves no karma of happiness; and though they hated pain, yet willingly made for themselves a karma of pain: and though they coveted the joys of heaven, would not follow his commandments on earth,
For this he was moved to compassion.

(the insertion of "deviation from the law" is mine) Sin means to miss the mark - an archery term.

The balance to follow-keep watching and reading.

Thursday, June 10, 2010

World Order

Inherent in living in choice is understanding the world order and that includes the foundations of our sciences which underlie choices concerning our health, economy, ecology, financial aims, decisions of governments and the like.

Here are some theories to explore and decide for yourself the truth:
Darwins Theory of Evolution
The role of the centriole in the biological organization of humans
The true meaning of the Mayan Calendar and what it is showing us about evolution

Here is a great read: The Purposeful Universe - How Quantum Theory and Mayan Cosmology Explain the Origin and Evolution of Life by Carl Johan Calleman, Ph.D.

Friday, June 4, 2010

Rights

I chose the name Living In Choice for this blog, my newsletter and my business to remind, not only myself, but others that in the final analysis, choice is the only "right" we have.



We fight for our right to be free, to vote, to work, to educate, to have a quality of healthcare, a quality of life. We even say "I have the right" to speak up - to voice my opinion - even if that opinion is harmful to another - people do that all the time. We say we have the right to make any accusation whether it is founded in reality or not. The problem is we believe our own thoughts and think they are true and further, that everyone else should believe it as well.



Upon investigation it is easy to see that there is not one single "right" that cannot be taken away. There are people on this planet who do not have the right to vote, or to speak, or to have healthcare, or even a decent place to live, or clean water to drink, or food to eat, or clothes to wear. And I could go on to include the right to live - speaking of women in some countries - minorities in others, homosexuals in others, children in others.



That is the reason choice is so important. You can choose each moment, even to the moment of death, how you respond in that moment. You can choose to die in fear or in grace.



Where we have taken a mistaken road is when we make the choice not to choose.



We can choose whether we want offshore drilling or not. If we investigate the consequence of that action, taking into consideration the impact a spill has on the environment, and the the present situation, a gusher constantly pumping hundreds of thousands of barrels of crude into the environment every day - and now we are seeing the consequence we set ourselves up for - without asking the question - "Is our life support - the environment - the ecosystem - more important than money?" Obviously, none of or few of us gave that any serious thought and if you did perhaps you felt you didn't have any power to change it.



To fight something is to give it more power.



Choosing a direction of peaceful coexistence is another thing altogether - and that means with everything - including the planet that is our home, its rivers, lakes, oceans, air, soil and the surrounding stratosphere.



Choose what is really valuable to you - dig deep, look at all the options and choose.

Sunday, May 30, 2010

Entropy

Entropy, simply put, is a measure of the amount of randomness or chaos in a system. It was Ilya Prigogine, (Russian born Belgian theoretical Chemist) that noticed, while working in the area of Thermodynamics, that there were many things in the universe that did not follow the second law of thermodynamics which says in essence: eventually all things break down and wear out. And yet life itself, evolving over time and space demonstrates just the opposite. It was Prigogine who discovered the answer to this paradox: "that order arises not in spite of entropy, but because of it!" (Prigogine received the Nobel Prize in Chemistry in 1977 for his contribution to nonequilibrium thermodynamics and in particular the theory of dissipative structures.)



It is obvious when considering Prigogine's conclusions, that the evolution of consciousness, (seemingly a system that demonstrates the opposite of the second law of thermodynamics), as it is expressing right now, [through its current expression of ethics (according to Calleman)] is demonstrating the process of dissipating current structures. Clearly, current breakdown or dissipation is underway in our economic, religious, political, healthcare, and educational systems.


Prigogine demonstrated through his research that this breakdown culminates in what he termed a "bifurcation" point- a place where the slightest nudge completely shuts down the system.

Bifurcation means to split or divide into two branches - and at that point humanity will have a decision to make - a moment of truth will be at hand. Prigogine's research indicates that at the bifurcation point the system either totally breaks down and ceases to exist as any kind of ordered system or it spontaneously reorders itself in an entirely new way.

I wonder if the current oil gushing into the gulf and the ultimate affect it will have on, not only the ecosystem of the planet, but also the economic system, will be our bifurcation point. Will it be the straw that broke the camels back. Will it lead us to the crossroads - a moment of truth - where we will have the opportunity to decide our futures.

The Mayan Calendrical System indicates humanity is now in the 6th night of the 8th Level of the evolution of consciousness in a 9 level system. Right now we are at the bottom of the 6th night just about to turn toward the 7th day which begins Nov. 3, 2010. July 17, the date of the Harmonic Convergence, will initiate energy that could very well begin the collapse of the current socio-economic system (Carl Calleman-
http://www.carlcalleman.com/ ).

If Prigogine's research is correct, consciousness is unmistakably evolving and humanity is approaching, not an end, but a beginning of a new world. It is an exciting time to be here - to have the opportunity to participate in a spontaneously reordering into a new system.

That is not to say there won't be disruptions that will be unpleasant and even disturbing for a time. It is imperative to remember that destruction precedes creation. If you take the time to really look around, taking off the mask of fear and conditioning - one can recognize all the seeming insanity is in reality a demonstration of the collapsing of unethical and outmoded structures.

If you have the vision to see through the fear, the hype of the media, the conditioning of survival, you may be able to see beyond the bifurcation point to the spontaneously newly ordered world that lies ahead.

Get ready for the ride of your life!


Saturday, May 29, 2010

Happy Memorial Day

This quote from the Dalai Lama, "The family is the most fundamental unit in society. If it is ruled by peace and human values, then not only will parents live happily and free of tension, but their children and grandchildren will too, and even generations after that." Daily Advice From the Heart

Take this time to enjoy family and friends - time to laugh and play together.

Monday, May 24, 2010

Mayan Calendar

I am a student of the Mayan Calendar because it is the only unambiguous timeline left to us. There is no other document, artifact, or writing of any form that gives us a timeline of where we have been, where we are now, and where we are going. The Mayan system of calendars was designed to record the evolution of consciousness over a period of 16.4 billion years which the Maya divided into 9 consecutive levels of 13 time periods or kingdoms, each 20 times shorter than the previous cycle, each built upon the other. There is not just one calendar, as we think of calendars, but the Maya had many calendars utilized for tracking differents aspects of energy wave forms. The Tzolkin or day calendar, a 260 day calendar, coupled with the Tun calendar or galactic calendar - 360 days- were not physical calendars. In other words, they were not recording any relationship between two physical objects as our Gregorian Calendar does.


The Tzolkin, referred to as Harmonic Module, by Jose` Arguelles (The Mayan Factor) compares it to the IChing in that the Tzolkin "is a system for revealing information relating to a deeper or larger purpose." Mayan researchers are convinced the Tzolkin is synchronized with the "galactic code". This code seems to govern or generate information affecting the operations of the light cycle which defines resonant frequency ranges of radiant energy, says Arguelles. This includes electricity, heat, light, and radio waves that "inform the self-generative functions of all phenomena, organic or inorganic."


What does that mean for you?


To answer that question lets look at how the Maya used it. The Maya developed a "map" of this energy using 13 numbers and 20 "gods" or day names indicating an archetypal representation of the galactic energy available on any given day. An example of this is the deer, jaguar, or dog. When a Mayan child was born, it was given the day name for that day on the Tzolkin. They realized the energy of a particular day could be utilized to their benefit. In other words, harmonizing their energy/intention with the galactic energy prevalent each day enhanced their lives. This understanding of the cycles of energies emanating from the cosmos could be utilized for their personal empowerment was the basis of the structure of their daily lives.


They utilized this information to plan their daily activities. If the energy of a particular day was conducive to rest and reflection they utilized the day in that way. If the energy of a particular day supported taking care of one's property, then they utilized it in that way.


The Tun and Tzolkin Calendars made one complete revolution in 52 cycles or approximately 52 years. At the end of that cycle they understood that every possibility of creation for that period had occured and so they cancelled all debt, put out the fires in preparation for the next cycle.


It is evident from the information left to us that they were aware of much larger cycles of galactic waves of time and their effect upon life on this planet. How they knew that information did not come down to us - at least we have not discovered that information yet.


living in Choice, as I hope this little snippet of information about the Mayan way of life indicates, includes the necessity for an awareness of the universe and our place in it. It may seem that life is just a series of random events, but the reality is, as shown by the Maya, there is and has always been a cosmic plan and humanity is a part of that plan. According to the Maya the evolving plan is almost complete. Humanity has reached the final period of preparation for truly living in choice as co-creators.



Humanity is now at a crossroads of civilization. We can either move backward to the destruction of ourselves and the planet or we can go forward toward spiritual understanding and the greatest civilization we have ever seen on planet earth.

Friday, May 21, 2010

Humanity's conquest for life

One of my favorite authors, Edmond Bordeaux Szekely, died in 1979 after a long life of lifting people all over the globe to a higher level of conscious awareness. His passion for living simply in harmony with natural and cosmic laws rewarded him with an abundant life, which he spent sharing his wisdom through teaching amidst the living example of his life. He wrote 80 books, he called them his "children", through which he shared the allsided truths left humanity by the extraordinary Essenes of the first century before the Common Era and the 1st and 2nd centuries CE. His "children" are available from I.B.S. Internacional, Box 849, Nelson, B.C. Canada V1L 6A5. Dr. Szekely's widow, Norma or Swallow, as she refers to herself, continues to follow the simple but extraordinary way of the Essenes and is the conservator of Dr. Szekely's books. She lives without the computer, the telephone, or other techno gagets. She writes letters with pen and paper as humanity has been doing for thousands of years. She lives quietly and beautifully in her chosen part of the world.





Dr. Szekely wrote the following in his posthumously (1994) published book, Toward the Conquest of the Inner Cosmos, " The greatest question at present is whether humanity has in truth reached a stage in its evolution at which its spirituality can crystallize into action. Or will this spirituality, as it develops into action and meets with matter, do as always in the past and retreat into matter and come to terms with it? In the light of historical perspective, the most probable solution is that now as heretofore there will be compromise: a step, large or small, will be taken toward the liberation of the spiritual."



As consciousness evolves and with it our own conscious awareness of the unity of all things, how do we resolve the worldview of duality - the separation of matter and the spiritual?



"Ah! Therein lies the rub" as Shakespeare said.

Thursday, May 20, 2010

Ashem Vohu

The first encyclopedia of human kind, the Zend Avesta of Zarathustra, predates ancient Egypt, China or India. And the Zend Avesta is itself, a recounting of previous ancient traditions. The early heliolithic teachings were pictures or pictographs - physiograms and ideograms often representing a greater intensity of their reality than can be found in expressions of todays reality through the written word. Zarathustra used pictographs to explain what words could not - the Creation of the Universe. He used the word "ASHA" which means "the cosmic order" as a representation of the creation of the Universe and all of its component parts. We are talking 8 to 10 thousand years ago. Amazing.



The ancient Sumerians, followers of Zarathustra, used this greeting, "Ashem Vohu" when meeting each other. Ashem Vohu means "the Cosmic Order is the best of all things."



They understood that with this greeting they were reinforcing their belief with each other that the universe is not a capricious universe, rather it is a universe where everything is in balance, harmony, and that to the extent that each of them/us cooperate with it only strengthens the balance and harmony. In other words, humanity/us are an intrinsic part of Asha - the Cosmic Order.



For today, ask yourself if you are in harmony with Asha? Are your thoughts, feelings, and actions filled with peace and harmony? And if not take a moment to STOP! And breathe to find within yourself a moment of peace and harmony. Check in with your body and see what it going on in there.

Wednesday, May 19, 2010

Hypnotic trance

The Law of Survival, the most powerful law governing humankind, is the driving force of the pain/pleasure principle with which humanity is hypnotised. Whether that is hypnotised with tweeting, or blogging, or what brand of clothes to buy- we seem to be waiting for the next installment. Now is missed with the obsession for the next thing. Here are some quotes that express this same idea:

P.D. Ouspensky, In Search of the Miraculous, "In the ordinary waking state...man does not see the real world...He lives in hypnotic sleep..."To awaken" for man means to be "dehypnotized."

Sanai of Afghanistan, 1130 CE, Humanity is asleep, concerned only with what is useless, living in a wrong world."

Hubert Benoit, Zen scholar, "Our conscious thinking has all the characteristics of a dream....The representation that it gives us of the world is illusory.

A Course in Miracles, "Everything you see is the result of your thoughts. There is no exception to this fact."

Monday, May 17, 2010

The beginning

My inspiration to blog came from my desire to find a way to have an avenue to connect with people who are working to build a foundation for a world order based not in materialism, but in an all sided perspective of living that includes life. It is easy to see, if one takes the time to stop and look, that the current prevailing paradigm does not support a quality of living, but is actually destroying it. Materialism has become a substitute for "life", which means that if you don't have money you don't have life - at least any quality of living. We are all conditioned to make money so we can purchase all the things that have become the symbol of "life", there is precious time left for being present to relationships. This must stop! And the only way it will is if each of us chooses a different path.






My desire is that this blog will open a dialogue leading to creative ways for living simply. The allsided truth is that living materialistically has never provided quality of life for everyone in the 5000 years + that humanity has been focused in that way. I don't think we can get there in a moment, in just one decision, but rather with many decisions intentioned to move in a direction of optimal living.






What choices are you making right now to live optimally?






There is an ancient Principle espoused by the Essenes of the 1st and 2nd century C.E. called the Principle of Optimum that says, "The best form of all human activities is that form which secures the best results with the minimum sacrifice and the least expenditure of time, labor and money."






The Principle of Optimum leads to its companion principle of every-sidedness because the principle of optimum has its greatest value when it is applied universally to everything.






This means the optimal form of the state of humanity is health and longevity. It also means that every thing in life has an optimal form - optimal diet, exercise, breath, and so forth. We can start on this new path by just noticing the things around us and make them better up to their optimal form. Is your room cleaned optimally, or your bathroom, or the refrigerator? How about your car or is your closet organized optimally? Those are great places to start. As you make those choices notice how it feels inside as you bring those aspects of everyday living up to their optimal state.






I am suggesting you do those things with a sense of enthusiam and excitement and as you go through the activity take the opportunity to be present in your body - fully aware of your breath, your heart beat, the flow of blood through your veins, how it feels to be in conscious contact with your surroundings - wherever you happen to be in the moment.






Are you able to build from within a feeling of gratitude and joy as you notice how good it feels to have an organized dresser drawer or closet or how great the bathroom smells after you have cleaned it. Or you have taken time to wake up early to make coffee for yourself and as it is brewing notice it fragrance and as you pour yourself a cup you walk out on the patio, the balcony or in the backyard where you can hear the singing of the birds, or the smell of the wet grass, or the laughter of a nearby neighbor carried to you on the wind.






This personal experience is for me an example of living: I was sitting on my patio today enjoying the warmth of the sun, the brilliant red of the roses in bloom in the nearby flowerbed, there were robins in a nearby tree singing, the air was fresh and crisp following the rains of yesterday. Those were the facts that were present around me. I loved just being with each of those senses as I brought them into my awareness fully experiencing them.



Now, that was living and it cost me nothing to be present to it. In fact, I gained a sense of peace and joy! I felt safe and connected to a greater source of energy that filled me up - that calmed my spirit and inspired me to hum a random tune. I was happy.






Contrarily, When I get caught up in the mundane - "what if-ing" - my experience of life deteriorates into worry, fear and inadequacy. My thoughts go to how can I make this better -trying figure it out. Thoughts like, "Maybe if I work harder and longer" float up. But, that is the merry-go-round - the hypnotic trance between pain and pleasure - that seems never to end. The result deterioration of mood, health and relationship with myself and others.






That says something about our choices or that we feel we have no choice. It isn't a foundation - a world view - that lends itself to living in wonderful, creative ways. It is about making money, the bottom line, buy more, build more. We have been good at that - and technology - that keeps us distracted from what is alive around us. Even this blog could become a distraction from life - from spending time with those I love and who love me, if I let it.






I hear those around me complaining about healthcare, politicians, financial institutions, religions who should be doing this or that to make our lives better, but it is obvious to me that relying on others - governments, politicians, religions, educators, corporations, to do it for us will never happen.






So, lets start an individual movement - a collective committment to finding ways to live that includes all the states of being that are missing now - joy, happiness, integrity, congruence, peace, love . . .





To get some new ideas about what you can do check out these websites from some of the people who have inspired me to think in new ways:



Barbara Marx Hubbard http://www.humanityascending.com/, Colin Tipping, http://www.radicalforgiveness.com/ ; Ervin Laszlo, http://www.ervinlaszlo.com/ ; Andrea and James Steward, http://www.humansourcecode.com/


drcone