consciousness

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Why Being Is More Powerful Than Doing

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First a quick summary: You may have noticed that I often revisit ideas. I do that for several reasons:

1.         I have discovered that my own journey towards self-realization benefits from looking at ideas and concepts from variety of perspectives. I suspect that is true for you.

2.         Reminders seem very helpful in these times filled with such distractions.  I am curious what you need to be reminded about as you move towards your highest expression? Please leave comments below.

3.         I find that every time I read something I resonate with, I expand in my awareness; I open to a greater understanding. At this blog I explore timely issues for each of us on a path of awakening. What kinds of ideas resonate with you? Comments welcomed.

I hope you find this summary helpful and a good-lead-in to one of my favorite themes – Being and Doing.

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Why You Were Born At This Time In History

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There is a growing choir of voices that seems to be abuzz about the need for real change. If you have a questioning mind you most likely have joined this choir. Questioning is powerful because it provokes awareness in you.

With awareness you see beyond the surface. You see where old ideas and false beliefs get in the way. You understand the powerful role emotions play in directing the world and your life.

Presently the dominant paradigm is breaking down. The ego-mind based decisions, that for too long have dictated all our systems, are no longer sustainable. More expanded minds and hearts are called for to lead the way.

When 1% of the population collectively understands the need for real change, the ideas about that change begin to spread across the planet. We are presently beyond that 1%.

When 10% of us understand the need for real change, the ideas promoting change become unstoppable. We appear to be nearing that globally.

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How Walking In Peace Will Save You And The Planet

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“When we are able to take one step peacefully and happily, we are working for the cause of peace and happiness for the whole of humankind.” Thich Nhat Hahn

I want to invite you to join me and walk the Earth in peace.

I am sure you have noticed that the world seems uneasy. Each of us walking peacefully is needed. 

You can start by bringing awareness to your body as it moves. Notice your feet touching the floor or ground, feel your spine in action, be aware of your senses sensing. See what happens when you slow down enough to pay attention this way.

You can become mindful of your steps as you walk on the planet, as you approach work, as you move to your computer or reach for your phone, as you shop in the grocery store, as you enter into the room where someone you care about is, as you visit places in your community, as you go from room to room, and as you make your way towards your bed at night.

Each step you take shapes your experience.

You can walk peacefully when:

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The Call

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This is not the time to timidly walk the planet in self-doubt. We as humans have spent too much time holding ourselves back. 

We don’t question our thoughts and beliefs so they run us. What limits us, is not the outside world but the inside limitations we enforce with our thinking.

The ego has dominated the workings of humanity for most of our time on the planet. This ego force - and farce - has been the source of all human suffering. Yet this ego is but an imaginary mind creation set for self-sabotage, routed in the primal mind of fear and survival. It’s the juice of fight or flight.

Still we turn away from the inner knowing that invites us to be free of the thoughts and beliefs that hold us back. It seems we have become attached to the limits we think are ours. We won’t let go of our fears, the ones we don’t deny. They provide us an excuse, a way to explain our lack of commitment to anything other than just getting by. This is a path of mediocrity and we settle for that.

Have you had enough? Are you ready to set yourself free?

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Knock. Knock. Who’s There? Awareness. Awareness Who?

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As a seeker, I have been traveling down this endless path that is ever expanding. I keep hoping for something that clarifies beyond doubt the best ways to be “me” in the world. It hasn’t happen. Has it happened for you?

So I am left with this vast expanding awareness that seems to keep breeding more awareness. 

Can't it be simple?

Maybe, maybe not

Why not?

Well it goes like this:

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Why Living In The Now Is The Most Important Thing You Can Do

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It wasn’t a slap in the face or a shout from the heavens but I knew this message was important for me.  The bright sunny morning walk on the beach was quiet. I was tuned inward. I was breathing and walking mindfully when a clear, quiet message came in via my intuition.

The message said, “Welcome to this moment. Your work at this time is to live fully in the now. Nothing is more important than doing so. All that you will do for the rest of your life will flow from this focus of living in the now.”

Moments later I found a large, beautiful agate that now sits on my desk. My wife calls these stones, ocean stars. Right now as I write this, my agate serves as a reminder that being present is where I need to be.

Why does this matter to you?

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10 Birthday Wishes

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Today is my birthday and I have 10 wishes. As I blow out my many candles I wish for:

  1. That we all find inner peace so we can finally create world peace
  2. That we all open our hearts and let our compassion guide us to a better world
  3. That we all heal from the past and bring our well-being to share with all others
  4. That we all learn to share so abundance flows for everyone
  5. That we evolve enough to think expansively with everyone and future generations in mind
  6. That we live in appreciation for each other and the gift of each day
  7. That we quiet our judging mind and instead find acceptance of self and others
  8. That we all find our way to the creative flow of our purpose
  9. That we learn to live fully in the moment where everything is possible
  10. That we live with the realization that the Earth needs to be as cared for as any member of our family

Wow what a world that would be and what a way to celebrate a birthday being part of making these wishes come true.

Love, Light and Joy to you,

 

 



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Five Unstoppable Forces For Change

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On the path of change it is helpful to keep things as simple as possible.  There are five forces that when called upon can produce powerful results in uncomplicated ways.  These forces are unstoppable because they represent ideas and actions that have the ability to rise above the chaos of life.

Each one is unique in both access and influence. Combining them multiplies the transformative energy they create. If changing the world is something you have a passion for it would serve you well to come into alignment with these forces:

Compassion – the heart is the driving force, the source of courage and passion needed to keep you going when fear strikes or complacency slips in. Compassion is also a powerful healing force both for you the change agent and for those you interact with along the way.  A kind and compassionate heart can bring people together both through listening and through the energy of aliveness an open heart spreads. Having compassion for yourself opens you to having compassion for others and vice versa. Self-love is an essential ingredient if you want to realize your potential. Imagine a world where loving-kindness was the guiding principle.

Consciousness – the ability to rise above the chaos and see the truth of the moment is why consciousness is so important. Higher Consciousness is the light of wisdom that guides you through the darkness of self-doubt. Consciousness is about awareness and insight into your expansive nature and the possibilities of every human being. Your highest consciousness is accessed through silence, through stepping away from the noise of ordinary thought, by going around the needs of the ego-mind, and instead sitting in the quiet stillness that resonates with your spirit. The collective consciousness of all humanity is available to you in the silence of the now.

Connection – the reality is that as human beings you and I and the rest share many more commonalities than differences. When you connect with the common ground of others together you are all much more powerful. Connection means spending time with others with an open mind and an accepting heart. Imagine a world were you shared your greatest dreams and hopes and found many others who share similar ideas of what they wanted in life. Then those people helped you realize your dreams and hopes and you helped them realize theirs. At the atomic, spiritual and consciousness level you are one with everyone. Find that place of oneness within and meet others there.

Creativity – many of the biggest forces for change come from inspired words, uplifting images and the human being ability to imagine something greater.  This is creativity in action. You can uplift yourself and others by expressing your creative urges. There has never been found a limit to creativity. So if you are already a creative person there is much more to explore and if you are not yet creative, that is creative expression waiting for you right now. Imagine writing a poem, song or story that lifts others up. Maybe a creative conversation will transform a relationship or a creative act of kindness with help someone going through difficult times.  You are a creative being waiting to be more full expressed. When you join with other creative people together you can produce fireworks of inspiration. 

Collaboration – the most effective way to usher in change is to have people work together. Collaboration beats competition every time when it comes to shifting cultures, expanding possibilities, encouraging the evolution urges within us. What would happen if the people of the world got together and went in search of solutions for all the world problems? Would you doubt their ability to succeed if they worked collaboratively? You can being like-minded people together or people of different points of view and together see what solutions you can discover for common problems.  The best thing about collaboration is that you work with other people you get to experience the oneness of connection, you get to feel compassion for each other, you get to encourage creativity, and you get to help each other be more conscious.

Working together with open hearts, expansive minds, in connection to each other, expressing your creativity in collaboration will change the world in amazing ways.



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A Light Went On – Now What?

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The signs were there. Messages kept popping up all over. My blinders needed to be removed. I sensed a shift but too often I held to the familiar. It was like the message was saying, “Come to the light,” but I kept just putting my toe in the ocean when the entire ocean of consciousness was calling me.

My next step to the calling was to say, “Yeah what do you want.” You know with the tone of “you are bothering me.” I was actually somewhat flippant to this inner voice because my mind was thinking this voice is always yakking at me. That mind was the ego-mind that doesn’t like any intrusions on its reign of control.

“All right already, what is it now,” was my next barrier to the light that was poking at me. I was still being run by the ego at the helm. Then I began to listen and the higher mind said ok this is where we connect with the infinite and eternal, this is the soul’s source making itself available. Just a minute I thought, what are YOU doing hanging out with me - my ego-mind in self-doubt reappears. Then I (of my higher nature) allowed the words to come in more deeply. In the now of quiet contemplation I thought I am having a moment of awakening. This was a very reassuring insight.

Then I went off to sleep with the thought that I can live in connection with Spirit, the intelligent creative force of the Universe. This idea brought a great sense of hope for me.

Next thing I need to share is that I have great difficulty with the word God even though I wrote an entire book about God (coming out soon). The word God has been misused in so many ways that I almost can’t say it. I think of wars in the name of God, arrogant leaders using God as their reason for acting the way they do, religious extremists who kill in the name of God, TV evangelist who become rich using God’s name, people who think God’s on their side in a football game, worse of all are the many who claim to do God’s work but fill their days with their ego agendas, and on and on and on. So many have done terrible things in the name of God.  So I won’t use God here but this connection I am making certainly feels Divine in its nature.

When I woke up this morning, the sense of this great energy filled me with light. I let myself sink into the place of just being receptive. I got clear guidance that I was being asked to join with Spirit in all aspects of my life. Asked I guess because of free will or because I had been so reluctant.

How do I now integrate this higher level of Spirit realization? I am clearly guided by this inner voice even as I write in this moment. I will benefit most by being in the now, being mindful of the present moment. Even in noticing this next breath I am present to this greater knowing. Now I have the opportunity to listen, practice, and expand into the full realization that I am Spirit poured into human form.

As I come back the next day to edit this I realize this awakening will mean that I have to figure out how to be in the world and not caught up in it; how to interact with and express Spirit as I go about the ways of daily living? This is much more complicated than I had hoped. As I have read in the stories of awakened individuals, insight and light can be powerful but integrating them into life can take years.  In daily practice, I find my mind often so preoccupied that I am not even in contact with my higher nature or any voice of Spirit.

I now feel like this is what happens, I have been blessed, through 30 years of inner practices, with many deep moments of insight, unity consciousness, expanded awareness and then I tend to push these moments of light back out of my view so I can return to the groove of the familiar. This has made me rich in insights but poor in integration. I am working with how to stay present to my higher knowing, be as fully here and now as I can be in each moment.

What also is true is that my ego-mind is fighting these new possibilities because it knows the end of its rule is near. Not the ego of “boy I am somebody” but the ego of “you don’t know what is going on so do what you know.” This is the urge to move into the safety of the groove of the familiar.

More as I learn more.