If this blog has been too political lately, please excuse my focus. Politics is getting so cloudy these days with integrity all but a lost component. My intention is to turn my viewfinder from my passion for politics and social change back toward my passion about inner peace and the spread of consciousness. These passions for social change and consciousness have always seemed totally linked in my mind.
Presently the political system seems mired in resistance to change and the same old viewpoints that are so void of any evolution in thinking. This is not working and that is where consciousness comes in as far as I can tell. I may be just as stuck but my continual searching and question makes me think that isn’t the case. Please let me know if you experience me as close-minded or unwilling to explore faulty beliefs I may have.
We need a major paradigm shift or at least really new models of thinking and feeling. Does it seem to you the world in run by an ever-increasing sense of fear? What is all this fear about? Isn’t it a recycling of the same old set of fears? These fears arise from minds that dislike change, that hate to give up control, that like the power they have now and they are willing to say or do whatever it takes to keep things as they are. This willingness to rationalized their dishonesty, their spread of misinformation, their aggressive behavior is run be their egos.
It is my hope that the last vestiges of the rigid past, those who are unconscious and in fear, get lost in the flood of those who are conscious and hopeful. Is that possible or am I overly hopeful?
These times are about stepping past the past, seeking solutions for the now, and long term planning for the good of all of humanity. This planning has to include educating people to move from the brainwashing and blaming of tired beliefs and systems toward being a conscious human being in touch with our own inner peace and higher knowing.
Inner Peace, hope, compassion, kindness and gratitude are all more powerful human states than fear, blame and distrust. Yes lately fear, blame and distrust are dominating the news headlines as if they are the only voices. How often are the voices of hope, compassion and positive solutions even given a chance to be heard?
I see this all at a titanic battle between the open and hopeful minds and hearts vs. closed and fearful minds and hearts. Human evolution however seems to be on the side that which is most flexible and adaptive.
Maybe this wasn’t a very big shift in my focus today. Well there is always tomorrow.
Death Of A Client, What About Her Children?
One of the clients I worked with over the past year was found dead at her home. She recently graduated from the Drug Court and seemed to be heading the right direction. This happens in this work where complications from drugs and alcohol can be deadly. I felt very sad about her going and wish she had reached out for help when things appeared to have turned the wrong way for her. She left two small children and a spouse who was like a third child. Her life has been a struggle for a long time. She is now free of that struggle but her children are not.
Her children are on my mind today because I work with clients every day who came from disrupted homes and they have a hard time navigating through life without parental support. One of the present clients in treatment comes to mind. Even though her mother was there for her she still is having a very hard time feeling ok about herself. As a little girl she felt ugly, fat and stupid she says. As she surfaces from 12 years of using she is discovering that she is a bright person who still doesn’t see the beauty the rest of us see in her. She is struggling even with the support of a mother who cares.
Birth control and sex education seem to be a very important needs these days. There are so many people who have kids that are not able to take care of them because of their addictions and mental health issues. It is so irresponsible of people who are against birth control and education because of some religious beliefs. Those beliefs are just wrong thoughts for those who grow up without supportive parents. Are those who object to birth control and education taking on these abandoned children?
On another note: What is with these people carrying weapons at a health insurance presentation by President Obama and why are they not immediately removed? During Mr. Bush’s reign of errors, if people even had bumper stickers on their cars that where questionable, they were taken from the area. Is the Secret Service doing their job? I am sorry but having an assault weapon seems like a kind of replacement for some kind of inner inadequacy. These people are scary and obvious live in fear of their own thoughts.
Insurance note: Yes we do need a public options, as it is the health insurance and drug companies are going to get even richer from the wallets of us ordinary people. Without a public option there is not a chance for real change. Here are few more references in support of the public option:
http://words-of-power.blogspot.com/2009/08/you-are-not-voice-in-wilderness-you-are.html
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/robert-creamer/three-reasons-why-a-stron_b_261829.html
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/08/18/opinion/18herbert.html?_r=1
http://www.standwithdrdean.com/
Essential Rights For A Sane World
The health insurance debate has got us all stirred up on so many levels so I thought I would share with you ideas that seem essential to a sane world. Please feel free to add in the comment section below what rights you would include.
We have the right to Universal Health Care for everyone. This is the way it is in all other civilized countries. Let the insurance companies sell their car, life, and home insurance. We can trust our government to be more compassionate than profit driven corporations in shaping our health care coverage.
We have the right to prosperity for all. The wealth on the planet must be shared, not held by mostly 5% of the people. This means that everyone can have all that they need and more and the rest can be used for the good of all.
We have the right to clean air and water and a healthy Earth. All pollution for profit must come to an end. This means a plan must be made immediately for that to happen. Corporation’s rights are always secondary to the rights of the planet and the people.
We have the right to a peaceful world. All those who want to fight can go to a deserted island and beat the crap out of each other. That island will be called Ego Island. The weapons industry and all its waste and destruction will be eliminated. The right to have guns is for those who are too afraid to communicate with others. They live in fear not in peace.
We have the right to be free from the tyranny of religion. Religious beliefs do no belong anywhere but in the mind of the believer. Those that are sure they have the only right beliefs are closed minded fools. There are no right beliefs, there are only individuals exploring their relationship with a Higher Power. Consciousness and awareness can be our guide.
We have the right to live a life filled with compassion, kindness and love. The human heart is a beautiful gift to all humanity. In each of us is an endless capacity to love. Those that choose to express love are a beautiful addition to the planet.
We have the right to express, create and be ourselves fully. Those who would judge us are missing out on the fun of being alive. There are no two people on the planet alike, so let tolerance and understanding be guiding principles.
What would you add to this list?
You Are The One You Have Been Waiting For
How was your weekend? As usually mine went way too fast, yours probably did also. For some reason my reading has gone up lately as I am reading a number of books at once. I mentioned Joseph Murphy’s book in the previous blog. Another book is We Are The Ones We Have Been Looking For written by Alice Walker. Wow can she write, the introduction of the book as already cookin’. Phrases like: breaking free from the dictatorship of greed, confused by our enslavement to superior cruelty and weaponry, not willing to disappear into our flower gardens or Mercedes Benzes and many more.
I can already tell this writing is for the cause of all of us who share this planet. This is creativity with purpose as its guiding force. Where is this kind of passion and purpose in you and I? I get glimpses of the fire in my belly here at this blog and I am grateful for this opportunity to express while I explore.
We are the ones we have been waiting for, where do you feel that truth of this inside? This truth vibrates clearly in my heart and is obviously in alignment with my spirit. For some reason the next thought that entered my mind was that anyone who claims to be aligned with God/Spirit/Allah etc and supports war or any other form of societal murder is delusional in their beliefs. The Source of the Universe is about life, beauty, compassion and healthy expression.
Another question link to Spirit in my mind is how come women keep getting abused, assaulted and murdered here in this country and around the world as if they a possessions not people. These actions cannot be from anyone who understands the link of the heart to the Great Creative Force. How come no one calls those out those so called men of faith who perpetrate awful human behavior and rationalized it? This seems live another set of illness of the mind caused by deadness in the heart.
Sorry if this all seems so heavy but isn’t it time we faced that facts that we have much awareness and consciousness to spread in the world and to deepen in ourselves. That to be a mindless and misinformed shouter (health insurance debates) does nothing good and instead shows the failure of our education system. Real heart, compassion and true spiritual maturity are so needed today.
I am rededicating myself to be the one I have been waiting for to make a real difference, will you please join me in whatever way moves your heart. Pick up Alice Walker’s book and read long with me and together we will change the world so that it is peaceful, compassionate, joyous and prosperous for all.
Music, Growth and The Workings of The Subconscious Mind
It was a warm Saturday morning but now the clouds have arrived. I am getting ready to go out for my long run and maybe a hat will be needed. I wanted to do a quick post and share a couple of books and thoughts.
I just completed a very interesting and enlightening book about music. It is called The Music Lesson: A Spiritual Search For Growth Through Music by Victor Wooten. According to author/musician Wooten he was an unsuccessful and frustrated musician until this teacher showed up in his life who taught him things about music that permanently changed his perspective and his way of living. Now he is an award winning bass player and his life is so much richer. The ideas of this book have the power to shift the readers knowing to a much higher level. If you are interested in music and personal growth, this book is a must read.
The second book on my radar today is a classic that I just picked up at the new Barnes and Noble store here in Boulder. My wife and I went into the store to check it out. It is huge, inviting and full of interesting books. The book is called, The Power Of The Subconscious Mind by Joseph Murphy. I have read this in the past and some of his other books and I felt it was time for a new lesson from this great metaphysical teacher of the past. Last night and this morning I read through a number of chapters and it felt good to be back home re-exploring materials that I know make so much sense. I find that rereading a book at another time in life can be a whole new experience.
This book is one every person who is interesting in using his/her mind for healing, happiness, peace of mind and prosperity. It is about the conscious mind as the choice maker and the director and the unconscious mind whose job is to make happen what we focus on. If we focus on healing, improving memory, feeling happy, creating more wealth, finding peace and freedom in our lives, the subconscious mind is what makes it come into reality. We could call the subconscious mind the supply sergeant in the storehouse of Infinite Supply. The subconscious will make happen what it is directed to do and it has everything need to succeed.
Enjoy this day and if you are interested, pick up one or both of these books. They will make things in life seem much more interesting.
Are You Listening To What You Know?
Friday has arrived again and it seemed like such a busy week. Last night I was so tired that I almost went to bed instead of sitting here composing my first draft of today’s blog. There is something about taking on a task when I am dragging that gives me a shot of determination. Maybe I am wired this way or maybe it is a learned response to challenging moments?
My suspicion is that this spike in energy is about two things. One is that for years I have pushed myself past the hesitations saying I can’t even let the doubt come up or the questions of whether I want to or not. Instead I make my personal commitments and move forward with an inner focus that keeps me going.
The second is there is something about the creative adventure of writing this blog that always supplies me with what I need to get it done. This getting it done is not an effort, it seems to come easily without struggle. Even if I have no ideas when I sit down, the ideas start to flow as I write as they are doing so right now.
There seems to be a creative, inspirational source within me that kicks into gear when it is needed. That force is well trained because I have called on it many times over the years and almost every day as I write this blog. Yes there are some days the writing is just ok but most come from a place that feels inspired within me. I get excited as I write and see how the sentences appear from the tapping of my fingers on this white Apple keyboard.
These inner resources are in you too. It is not that I am special, it is probably that I am consistent and trusting of what this creative self in me has to say. Maybe you are already fully dialed in to this inner knowing and you completely understand what I am talking about. If not, that creative source is sitting on mute in you waiting for you to turn on the intuitive station. Right now if you just take a few minutes to listen inward you will hear the quiet whisper of an inner knowing that know no limits. This knowing place in you has been there since you entered your body and will exit as you do from this life. Please take the time to become best friends and it will become your most valued relationship. This place of knowing, this higher self, this source of inspiration and light is in you waiting to be explored and expressed.
Let yourself be guided and have a fun weekend.
Dipping Your Toes In The Infinite
After I wrote yesterday's blog, I thought those are great human qualities but I didn't say much about how to explore or develop them. Today I will share some ideas that I have explored, my client's have appreciated, and fellow journeyers in search of a fuller life have shared. It has been my good fortune that I have had some wonderful teachers and resources in my journey of life so I wanted to share a few of these resources pertaining to these qualities:
Finding our way to more fully express ourselves comes from a number of rich traditions. The following are few pathways that will be helpful in your and my journey.
There is one powerful way to move these qualities forward and that is the clear realization we are all connected. The experience of unity consciousness is so liberating because we no longer have to argue for our separateness and can instead explore our connections to each other. Unity is recognized and realized in the moments when we are quiet and still, when we have slowed down enough to sense this greater reality. This altered state of awakening is made possible by feeling and sensing us as connected to everything around us.
Once walking in the desert with some fellow seekers I melted away to a greater awareness. I felt totally connected to everyone and to all living things on the planet. I could never feel lonely again because I knew that the person I thought I was, was a mere a drop in an entire ocean of our collective consciousness. This sense of unity came from tuning in and away from the speedy world of doing and using mind altering practices to wake up to a greater knowing.
As I have explored, I have come to appreciate the power of being mindful. Mindfulness is much more than a variety of techniques. It is the ability to be fully present to whatever we are doing. Mindfulness can come in the form of eating, walking, washing dishes, reaching for something, brushing our teeth, sitting thoughtfully. and so many more ways of being present to what we are doing.
There is person at work who understands mindfulness as a daily practice and we often can share insights and perspectives that we can't share with anyone else. Mindfulness is something we experience, not something we can just share and people then understand. Nature is a wonderful place to be mindful and often late at night under the stars I feel my ego being replaced by the dark blue heavens of the moment.
Another method that I find very essential to developing these qualities is making contact with our heart. The heart is our center for feelings, our communication hub for compassionate interaction. Love, compassion, kindness, caring, courage and so much more flow from the heart.
My favorite meditation/visualization to be lead through is called, Loving Kindness and it involves opening our heart through visualization to share love with self and then those who are close to us, then our community, and eventually the world. Look up Loving Kindness on Google and you will find lots of resources for this guided meditation also called Metta in Buddhist practice. The way of the open heart is a blessing to all humanity.
There is this silence within that holds infinite wisdom and the collective consciousness of all living things on the planet. Only in silence or the gap between our breaths can we find that doorway into our inner knowing. Silence is the great path from which meditation blossomed. Silence is the mind turned off and the heart in waiting. Knowing of self comes in the silence, knowing of the Divine comes in silence, know of the possibilities of humanity comes in the silence.
Being quiet is a practice that changes over time. Sometimes there is less inner dialogue and gaps of quiet, other times the monkey mind is swinging from trees laughing at our attempts to quiet the endless flow of thoughts. Stillness is a momentary experience of being fully present and that is possible only in this present moment. Sit or walk quietly and see what shows up. Thinking, feeling, sensing or silence is really all there is.
There is a power greater than us or we would have to hold the universe together. This power has been called many names in many traditions to the point of dissolving their meaning. This Holy, Divine, Universal, Creative Force and Source is something unknown but beneficial to make contact with. There is pray, meditation, chanting, song, silence and other avenues of contact. Each of us must find our own way, no one else can really even give us directions.
This Higher Power is aligned in total unity with our Higher Self so touching into our expanding states is a way to communicate. In the movie Bruce Almighty we get one view of who this Higher Source is, it also comes to us in the beauty of spring time, the reading of a sacred text, the momentary awakening of our own true nature, in the ecstasy of devotional song, and so many other moments.
Be well and dip your toes into the infinite.
Ten Human Qualities Worth Exploring
There are qualities in you that would significantly enrich your life. If someone told you that you had powerful qualities within to shape your life as you want it to be, would you find out these qualities and then go about utilizing them. I assume the answer would be, “Yes.”
Well here it is, someone telling you that these qualities within you are powerful forces for shaping the life you desire. These qualities may not be in your awareness at this time or may need further development. The point is to realize these qualities and integrate them into your life in meaningful ways.
Ten qualities within you worth exploring and growing:
Gentleness – The world you and I live in seems to have forgotten this quality at least in the realm of politics. However in the person-to-person realm the gentleness of a person is welcomed. This gentleness is in us if, we learn to quiet ourselves, feel our hearts, and be open to the unity that exist between all of us. Being a gentle person makes the world a better place.
Humility – It use to be a valued way of being in the world. Now humble people get lost in shuffle of hurry, worry and so much arrogance. Humbleness comes from having respect for self, an understanding of our higher knowing, and an open mind. The quiet strength and lack of need to be in control are wonderful attributes of humility.
Boldness – Taking life and living it fully with courage is boldness in action. Not being afraid of “no’s” or rejections as if guided by a greater force for living boldly. Boldness is a fresh and often untried way of exploring who we are and our interplay with others and their rules, beliefs, and expectations. The boisterous force of boldness leaves others in awe and the world a more vibrant place.
Acceptance – This is a way of being with who we are and fully with all those we interact with that shows heart and consciousness. This is freedom from the cultural programming of judging everyone and everything as good or bad. Acceptance is a wonderful gift of giving that begins inward and spreads out into those around us.
Peacemaking – There are too many out there harping about what is wrong and creating worry and fear. The peacemaker is the opposite in search of compassion, understanding and common ground. As a peacemaker we go about listening, communicating and seeking solutions that will put us all at ease. Peace begins in the silence of our own awareness and blossoms out into the world.
Persistence – This is the ability to keep going. Too many people fail because they stop before they get to the finish line. A persistent person only stops when their goal or commitment is achieved. The ability to keep on going against challenging odds, to never quit even when it gets hard to follow through, and reaching the glory of a journey completed with great respect for one’s intentions.
Surrender – This means to give up the ego-mind’s journey of dominance and control. The higher path is one of giving in to what is wiser, to the knowing of a greater force, the letting go of the delusions of our own power, and to instead welcome in the Great Source of Creation. We can surrender to our higher self and be free to live unbounded by any lesser forces.
Passion – This is to live with a charge of emotions that can drive us to the greatest human heights. To have a passionate purpose would mean to live each day with the intention of being who we are as fully and completely as we can for the betterment of all of us here on Mother Earth. Passion is the fruit of the heart juicy with possibilities and ripe for success.
Ambition – To be our best, to live as only we can live, to create only what we alone are here to do, to walk on the stage of life and give a command performance that leaves everyone in buzzing silence. This desire to live and be fully our highest expression has the power to change humanity profoundly. This however is not the journey of the ego but a higher calling from within called our personal destiny.
Giving – This is the heart in action, this is the path of kindness and the way of a caring human being. Giving means to reach out to others in ways that free of our own agenda. The ways of giving comes from the highest human expression of love. Giving always feels great both in the giving and the receiving that comes from giving. The light of giving is so needed now, please share your light as often as you can.
Which ones are you acquainted with and which ones would you like to grow in you?
The Dark Side Appears Without Objective Thought
These angry people who show up at the health care town meetings are disrupting the opportunity to have real discussions. Is anger really a constructive force for change? Maybe the angry ones don't want change or they are listening too much to those who programming them on what to think? How come so much of what gets said in anger sounds like Republican talking points? Are the Limbaugh, Beck, O'Reilly, Coulter and more the faces and voices of the Republican Party dark side? Where is objective thought and how come we get lied to so much and many can’t sort that out?
We all have parts of us that go unexpressed and sometimes those unexpressed emotions come out in the form of anger, hate, abuse, and sexual and drug acting out. Does this sound familiar from the news headlines? The dark side is simply those parts of us that we try to deny, ignore or push away. Most of these powerful and energetic forces are natural. The trouble happens when instead of acknowledging these inner forces; we try to stuff them or enter into denial they even exist. This denial causes the emotional forces to grow more disruptive inside even though they are not allowed to see the light of day. This disruption too often cannot be contained and then what happens are those that rail against sexuality, immorality and infidelity find themselves caught with their pants down. This happens often in the repression of conservative movements. Think recent politicians and religious leaders who preached one point of view and were found to be going against their stated values.
Repressed thinking causes dark side emotions to leak into behavior that is often the opposite of what we say we believe in. Let me state that in another way. What we protest most loudly about is often an issue inside. These inner issues are not examined with any objectivity so they fester and grow.
These unexamined ideas push to the back of the bus cause discontent and aberrant behavior. Their acting out does not make these people bad, as a matter of fact let's drop all judgments of "good or bad" and instead be more objective. Most beliefs, which drive this acting out, are just ideas that we are holding onto and in fact we need to let them go.
Our judging others and ourselves as "good or bad" is based on a faulty set of beliefs that we were all schooled in. There is not "good or bad" there are just thoughts and every one of those thoughts need to be examined. Unexamined thoughts too often turn into beliefs, which can often turn into disruptive inner forces caused by our own self-limiting thought processes.
Excuse all this wordy exploration but isn't it time we take control of our own thinking? Should we just accept the thoughts and beliefs of those that claim to be in the know or should we instead seek our own counsel? Can anyone else tell you what your truth is? Can anyone else really tell you who God is? Can anyone else tell you what your inner most thoughts and feelings should be? Is the use of fear to manipulate working on you? Has religious institutions thought up/created the ideas of sin, guilty, morality, the ten commandments and more just to make people feel lousy about who they are so they can be controlled? Isn't the Christian cross that towers over most communities in this country the ultimate human guilt?
I am on a roll and I better stop before I get some of those repressives headed in my direction. Please excuse me if I have offended you. That was not my purpose; instead I hoped to wake up your questioning mind and your compassionate heart.
Yes! Yes! Yes! To The Public Option
This is my social activism for the week as it has been the past month or so. Our people in Washington DC are caving into the pressures of the healthcare/insurance/drug/medical industry. These corporations do not want any real change because they are making a killing (sorry for the use of that word but it fits here) on the backs of most of us. The public option is essential to bring real competition to the healthcare industry.
There is little or no beneficial competition in this industry except who is making the most money. These profit machines are all in agreement things are going great for the management and major investors of these corporations. If you were a major investor in any of these companies, you would not want change either. There is way too much profit to be made for their benefit at great cost to the average person.
This is not about socialized medicine; this is about doing what is right. The spin doctors that call it socialized are trying to instill the fear of government in us. If our government was doing a good job, health care for all would have been in existence long ago as it is in Europe and in many other countries. It is not here in the US because so far the merchants of fear have won the battle. This is not about big government this is about compassion in government, the very thing the very rich business types oppose because it means less money for them.
If there is any socialism going on it is the government programs that keeps making the richer richer; paying off bad investments for banks and investment firms; and subsidizing oil companies and factory farms. That is a kind of profitism for the rich by having the government do everything they can to support the status quo. This makes no sense unless your money talks in government and it obviously does.
If the common citizen opposes universal health care in this country then they have fallen for the fear argument of the rich corporate misinformation campaigns, which there are many. Government is not the problem; it is the people who have the major influence that are the problem. It is time to wake up from the faulty information and the not-thought-out beliefs.
Come on people kick the brain into gear and read the facts and stop listening to the raving talk show/opinion people who are totally in the pocket of big money as is Fox News the network whose viewers are fed misinformation daily. We were all given a brain to sort out the truth, isn’t it time we used them for the good of all? We were all given a heart to have compassion for each other and to look out for what is best for the people. Is you mind working, is your heart open? Are you run by the fear generated by the fear mongers or are you awake enough to sort out the truth?
I ask these questions of myself too. I can feel the fear of an unknown future. I can feel fear of a body that is getting older and feeling more fragile. I can feel the fear yet I choose instead to seek out the truth, to search for what is the best solutions for us all not what will make the most money. This is an unquestionable truth: when profits drive what you do, both compassion and truth take a second seat to the almighty dollar.
There is much information but you already know in your heart what is right so leave the fear mongering and misinformation behind and give your elected representatives in DC a call or stop by this week at their local office. Tell them that the public option is essential and you want them to take a strong and clear stand for real healthcare reform that must include a public option and healthcare for everyone in this country.
Don't forget to have a good week, activism will feel good, keeping your heart open will feel good, and having an open mind will feed good.
Religion: The Opiate Of The Masses
Lately I have been thinking about religion and wondering why so many people shut off their rational thinking and join up? One of the Marx brothers either Karl or Groucho said. “religion is the opium of the people”. Actually I know it wasn’t Groucho who said this but his sense of humor would appreciate the folly of religious beliefs.
Are you like me, closely acquainted with a number of true believers and do you wonder what happened to their questioning mind when it comes their church going and the beliefs that go with those activities? Most of what religions teach us to believe makes little or no sense. These nonsensical beliefs go all the way out to the belief in a literal translation of the Bible.
Are you kidding me that the Earth and all of life were created in a week, the Adam and Eve story, the Animals on the Ark, and on and on of stories which are metaphorical at best. These are stories not the news accounting for what happened. I can see how people get that confused if you watch Fox News which is often just stories made up in the ego mind of this opinion for entertainment network, which calls itself news. Maybe it is that those in Religions are encouraged to watch Fox to keep them confused and out of their mind? Oops! I got a little off track there.
As an addiction counselor I know a little about opiates and their ability to drive people into rationalizing all kinds of behavior. If you have every watched an addict destroy his/her life over drugs or alcohol, you know the power of mind to make sense out of what makes no sense at all. This is very similar to religion and what they expect its followers to believe. Believing the minister, priest, rabbi, or mullah’s interpretation of a book of stories and then you are to live according to what he tells you, is the basis for almost religion.
Yes there are some religions who encourage thinking and they are more of a spiritual community. If however any church uses the Bible as their primary source, they are not based on using the mind. Instead the Bible (seems true of Qur’an also) based churches are run by the interpretation of people who seem to totally lack any spiritual qualities and are more like social control agents herding the masses that follow them down some made up path. Those who are part of the herded masses are what are referred to as Sheeple.
Spirituality and Religion seem to rarely cross paths. Spirituality is an individual investigation into the higher aspects within us and a search for a greater understanding of whatever higher knowing is beyond us. Religion is a set of beliefs given too the followers from questionable sources and people are too believe and act as others tell them to do. Does this definition fit your understanding?
This is not met to offend anyone but instead an invitation to explore questions about the way we think and what we believe.
Note later on Saturday: I finally had an opportunity to read the local paper (The Daily Camera) and here was an editoral that seemed directly in line with what I had wrote this morning. The article is titled: The United Stated of Idiocy.
August Is For Fun and For Peaceful Action
It is Friday and the month of August is now a week old. This is a wonderful time of year for enjoying life. August is a vacation month for many. In Europe many cities empty out as people head off to enjoy their favorite places for rest and recovery. In America our national politicians go home, our psychiatrist/psychologist take a break from listening and go to conferences and spend time doing their own forms of R&R.
It is the time to do what you have meant to do all summer. If you have a garden, you are enjoying the benefits of the fruits, vegetables and herbs that have arrived. Maybe you even have a family picnic like my wife and I do this weekend. We are bringing some fun stuff to do to make the whole experience more enjoyable. Fun is on the agenda this month for me, is it for you?
In addition to fun, I also feel I must keep active in my promotion for peace both inner and for the world. On my peace agenda are: inner peace through developing the "watcher" in you; national peace by supporting real change in health care; and World peace through compassionate action.
Peace is full time job both internally and worldwide and it can come about by having fun, speaking up, being kind, seeking to understand, supporting positive and constructive action and even by sitting quietly.
There are anti-peace groups out there fighting to disrupt the discourse of democracy by bashing anyone who thinks differently than they do. In this case they are fighting for the rights of the health care industry to make profits even if it costs the majority of the people dearly. These anti-change groups seems more like the work of sheeple doing what they are told, than the workings of rational and compassion human beings. See this link for more information.
To find out more about what others in the world think of universal health care all you have to do is ask people in countries that have it. They all speak to how grateful they are to have this total coverage health care and this brings a real peace of mind to many. I was curious about what people outside the U.S. thought about the battle waging in our country with the health care industry who is spending millions to keep things as they are. Here is an article from a well-researched writer who isn’t caught up in our debate.
Then in my readings to learn more, from elsewhere in the world, I came upon an article about the drug side of the health care industry and I was appalled by what I read. Is there no shame, or sense of self-respect, or compassion, or any higher values in what the drug industry is doing?
Yes it is time we let our representatives know that health care for all is our right not the prerogative of those who only care about profits.
I will write more about other peaceful activities including developing the watcher and taking compassionate action in the days ahead.
Have a good weekend and don’t forget to have lots of fun.
Are We Authors Of Our Own Story?
Midweek ended yesterday and now we are heading toward the weekend. You know that already but do you find in comforting that the weekend is near. I do and it got me wondering why? During the week I am involved in meaningful work counseling others and enjoy the company of my co-workers. My work is not stressful although my clients who in early recovery are often very challenging. Sometimes I have too much time on my hands and other times it seems I can't keep up but it all feels ok.
Ok is an interesting word for lack of commitment. I feel positive about what I do yet enjoy my time away from what I do more. Or is that just in my head? Hum? I am uncertain about this question. Maybe I am always dissatisfied with working a job, with someone owning 40 hours of my week? Maybe this work is more stressful than I realize and that is getting too me. Maybe I like my freedom to create my day so the weekend stands out for me. Maybe part of me realizes this is all a drama/dream and I want to rewrite my part?
Do you ever find yourself asking these questions about what you are doing and why? Life is very interesting and sometimes I wonder how much ability we have to change the story? My suspicion is that we have more ability to change our story than we presently realize.
This is why I think we are the authors of our own story:
We have our ability to think, our thinking can problem solve and be proactive; it can blame and complain and feel helpless; it can be negative and feel hopeless; it can be positive and feel hopeful; it can space out and basically ignore the realities of life until they take can't be ignore anymore; it can set an intention, make a plan of action and bring about the change it wants to make happen; it can drown in alcohol or get blurry over drugs and completely checkout; and/or it can become mindful and act from a place of awareness and consciousness.
We have a heart that is both a pump and our contact point with the world and ourselves. This heart of ours when open can spread love, kindness and compassion endlessly without limits. This heart can close down, protect and live in fear. This heart can be courageous, bold and take on a purpose that will alter our lives and sometimes the entire human race. This heart is able to understand the most difficult of situations and the most joyous moments and remain open to keep on going in ways that are inspirational. This heart when turned on self can accept us even at our worst and encourage and support us to realize our best.
We have a body built to last that will accompany us on this journey. This body has an on board in immune system that will keep us well if we just do our part. This body has endless energy, feels a rich array of emotions, can do amazing feats of strength, run fast, sit quietly, express love, push us onward even when we don't have anything left, can sing loudly, can do scary acts, can taste or make delicious food, can hug those in need and so much more.
We have a spirit, higher self, an inner knowing that always knows what is best for us. This spirit is tapped into the collective consciousness and wisdom of all human knowing since the beginning life here on this planet. This higher self is there guiding us even when we ignore what we know is the right way to go. This inner knowing/intuitive is in each moment on standby awaiting for us to listen inward. This spirit wants us to soar in life and will cheerfully serve as an editor to any story we have going or are considering recomposing. This place in us that knows is directly wired into the Source Energy of the Universe and wants to move all resources needed to assist us in creating the life we want.
What do you think about how much you are in charge of your story? Are you rewriting now? What new direction are you thinking about writing into your script next? Is this the real never-ending story? Please feel free to share your thoughts and ideas.
Embracing All Your Emotions
In addiction recovery and in life one of the real sabotages of success is unrealized/unexpressed emotion. Emotions ignored or denied can lead to relapse, can cause the buildup of resentment, can cause eruptions of anger, can suppress the immune system, can cause a slow numbing of the whole life experience. Unexpressed emotions cause tension in the body and depression. So how come you and I tend to hold things in rather than acknowledge and express them.
One reason is that we feel others will reject us for the feeling the way we do. Needing approval too often equals suppression of feelings.
A second reason is that we aren’t aware of what we are feeling. Often our emotions are under our radar because we pay so little attention to what we feel.
A third reason is we live in our heads and are so in survival mode that we fear everything including what is going on inside. The rationalizing mind often leads us away from the heart.
A fourth reason is that no one every told us how to deal with how we feel. Parents, schools, churches instead teach us to deny what we are feeling. This denial is all about keeping us under control.
A fifth reason is the ego often wants us to be in denial of our emotions because the ego likes us being unaware and it in the drivers seat. Acknowledging how we feel makes us more real and less in need of feeding our ego.
The sixth reason is that our unexpressed emotions have become an enemy in our minds. The unknown is too often feared. Feelings are not to be feared but explored.
The seventh reason is that most of us constantly judge ourselves and how we feel. There is no objective observer just a harsh self-critic.
The eight reason is that we prefer to ignore what is uncomfortable, thinking that avoidance works. What we ignore often sneaks up on us in unhealthy ways.
There are more than eight reasons we avoid how we feel but these should get us thinking about why emotions tend to be something that most stay away from for most of their lives.
Let me suggest some healthier options than avoidance and denial:
• Each day take time acknowledge what you are feeling throughout your day
• Stop denying and instead admit to what you are feelings as a way to personal freedom
• Embrace your emotions as if they are a gift and appreciate yourself being alive
• Appreciate emotions as indicators as to how your life is going, if you feel lousy you are off track, and if you feel good you are on track
• Breathe with what you are feeling and observe the cycle of feelings rising and falling in you
• Feelings come and go on their own if you just let them, sometime all you need to do is take some long slow breaths
• Every acknowledged feeling is freed up to not inhabit your body in the form of tension
• Make a commitment to be ok with whatever you feel, emotions are neither good nor bad
• Each day be sure and share all the feelings of love, compassion, caring and kindness you feel
• Enjoy your life by feeling all you feel especially the joy of being alive to you as a feeling human being
Our emotions are what make us human so please just feel what you feel and be grateful to your open heart.
The Benefits of Guidance
I recently got an email from one of the spiritual teachers I have come to value greatly. John Sherman's wisdom is a unique brand of his own journey and the wisdom of the East. In his newsletter was a request for financial assistance, which he and his wife were in need of so that they could continue their important work. As is the case with all true spiritual teachers, he never requires any money for his teachings. He relies totally on donations.
His donations have not met his needs. What he has to offer is an exceptional perspective that everyone needs to hear and would benefit from if they want to enrich their life experience. If you want to find out more about his teaching check out his site where you can read what he has written and watch videos. I am confident you will be inspired so please make a donation so that his teachings will continue to be spread out into the world. Real wisdom is so needed in these uncertain and challenging times.
It is interesting to me that a great teacher like John struggles to make it. It seems like our priorities have gotten misplaced and our spiritual needs too often take a back seat to the stories we tell ourselves about what will make us feel better. These stories are usually focused on the outside world with hopes of feeling better on the inside. This is faulty thinking and based on the conditioned mindset of us here in America. This conditioning seems to have as themes: "the one with the most toys wins," or I can buy my way out of the pain I feel in my heart.
The benefits of consumer therapy are greatly over exaggerated. Sure we want the basics of healthy food and a place to live and income enough to pay bills and enjoy life. Some of us want more to share and to support causes that matter to us. The basic question here is: what will nurture my heart and open me to realize my highest and more purposeful expression?
Guidance is what is often needed along the way and counselors, personal coaches, and spiritual teachers are valued assets if we could only realize that all love, joy, peace, and freedom begin from the inside and spread out. Find somebody who has helped you or can guide you further along the journey of life and be generous in giving support. They may be the one that helps set you free enough to fully realize your dreams and fully express your potential.
Promotional note: I do providing by phone and email, at a very reasonable rate, counseling and coaching for you who are interested in being more mindful, conscious, peaceful, healthy, compassionate and free to realize your purpose and potential.
Health Care note: Keith Olbermann says it with passion about how our elected officials are owned by the health care industry. Please let your Congressional Representatives know they were elected to represent you not the profit interests of the health care corporations.
Drop The Expectation And Have Fun Instead
Yesterday we went to the Boulder County Fair with the anticipation I had inside of me like the fairs I went to as a kid. I grew up in Clackamas County in Oregon and those fairs were really fun and interesting. There were lots of animals and exhibits and enjoyable things to do. So I thought the Boulder Fair would be the same fun. This fair is much smaller, stuff to do is much less, and the animal section was small with only chickens, ducks, turkeys and goats. Where the heck was the cows, sheep, pigs, horses etc? We found out that they may come later.
Sometimes the past just seems more interesting because of fond memories and the excitement of a child. I was excited but then we saw everything in such a short time and my wife and I said is this all there? Do you every go to something with lots of anticipation and then have it fall way short of what you were hoping for? Yes so do I.
Expectations have their positive and not so positive side. The best expectations are ones that work out great and things seem as good or better than you had hoped. The worst fall flat and leave you wondering what went happened.
Who do you think we have the highest expectations for in our lives? Yes you are right, the highest expectations you have are for yourself. Let’s talk about the expectations you have for those you care about and for yourself.
First let’s start with this idea: lighten up and make sure your expectations are realistic towards yourself. Unrealistic expectation set you up to be disappointed and feel negative about yourself. That does not work. Having a positive intention for what you want in your life is great but lay off the heavy handed expectations that are just set ups for failure. Be kind and go for what you want and also be compassionate towards everything you do.
Secondly, the expectations you have of others can also be equally troubling. It is best to remove all expectations and instead be encouraging and supportive of who they are and what they want to do with their lives. Anything more intense is a set up for failure. The primary reason you get disappointed with those you love is that you set expectations which they can’t live up to and often times they had no intention of living according to what you expect. They have not even said they are willing to try and live up to what you expect but you expect it anyway. This is a recipe for relationship disaster. Relationship success is more about unconditional love and support not expectations.
So in summation, drop your expectations and instead focus on being grateful for who you are and for the beauty and brilliance of those you love. Your life will just feel so much better if you do. Have a fun and rewarding week.
Thank You StumbleUpon and What Happened To Higher Values in DC
July was a wonderful month for my blog. Thanks to StumbleUpon.com, I had over 30,000 visitors to this site. If you haven’t signed up for StumbleUpon.com to explore all the great sites to match your interests you are missing out on a excellent opportunity.
Today I wanted to talk about conflict of interest because it plays a very large role in our lives through government. Conflict of interest means that there are special interests have extensive influence where that influence is highly questionable and unethical. This not having any conflict of interests was in the past a highly regarded value that was considered important but this value has been almost totally disregarded in Washington DC. Here are some examples of that total disregard for the conflict of interest value:
George Bush II came from the oil business and gave oil companies free reign in running up profits and they got subsidized at the same time. This lack of regulation and rampant profit making was compliments of the Bush family and their being in bed with the oil companies.
Dick Cheney was the former CEO of Halliburton and when he was Vice President Halliburton got billions of dollars of no-bid contracts compliments of his office as VP and his tie to the company.
Senator Baucus of Montana is completed tied to the insurance industry through top aides and campaign contributions and he is in charge of the Senate hearings on health care reform. His bias is bought.
President Obama has had 37 visits from executives of the insurance industry at the White House. That is way too much conflict of interest happening. How many citizens groups or advocates for the public options have been to the White House?
Big Money means big influence, we have been subsidizing tobacco, oil, mega farms, and others all because of money influence which is a conflict of interest. This is wrong and there would be all the health care funds needed if there wasn’t so much of our money going to those that already have lots of money.
Isn’t it time for government to come clean, to remove all the special interest influences so that Washington DC can again be the government of the people?
Have a great August weekend.
Awakening From The Dream State Called Life
This has seemed like a long month for some reason maybe it was a long time between paychecks that slowed the time down. Usually summer months fly by too fast but the summer here has been very wet which is kind of unheard of here at the foot of the Rockies. The cacti are looking confused and everything is green and over watered in an area that is usually brown and dry. Maybe it’s climate change, I can’t think of another reason?
Lately I have been exploring a concept I have been reading about that says we are always dreaming. Whether asleep or up and doing our day, it is all a dream. The Buddha was called the Awakened One because he realized the human dream and awoke to be full present.
As you look around at people, it is easy to see how many are living dream like under the influence of drugs and alcohol, workaholism, habits, hurry and worry, fear, resentments, blaming and complaining, obsessive behaviors, sports/food/shopping fanaticism, and many more dysfunctional responses to life. This is about we humans trying to adapt to what is not working. Living under the influence in a numb dreamlike state seems like what life is about for many and certainly what they learned from their upbringing.
As life goes on more and more people slide under the influence of medications to deal with pain and an unresponsive immune systems. This slide happens too often because the work needed to be healthy takes effort and discipline. And for other reasons people checkout although most will never know because they too show the affects of a numbing life.
All of this may sound a bit dreary. I am sorry if that seems the case to you, but there is hope. First we must take the time to expand our awareness and explore the dream we are living. This exploration might actually cause us to awaken. The Buddha’s awakening was a human evolutionary step. For us to awaken could be less of a challenge because of the Buddha and the many since him who have also awakened.
You have in you the ability, genetic road map, and the collective consciousness to full awaken. For your awakening there are many practices that can work and a teacher may be all you need. However before you go off somewhere in search of guidance, let me suggest a simple phrase to explore that I suggested a few days ago. The phrase is, “I AM” and what I have found out about the way it works is quite simple. Just repeating the phrase throughout the day as you do your life, will anchor you into the deeper reality of you beyond the dream. If you are willing to explore this simple tool of awakening, you will alter your life forever.
Please share with the world what you discover.
The Status Quo Is A Powerful Force
Congress is about to take their summer recess and they are not moving forward on the issue of health care. This issue has not been acted on because the status quo is a powerful force. Habits, old ways, patterns, and keeping it the same are easier to maintain, where making changes takes more effort. Congress is made up of predominantly white males who want to keep their power and be re-elected. Therefore they don not want to offend their funding sources (insurance companies and other rich corporations) by upsetting the apple cart of privilege, and influence. That is understandable but not acceptable. The same is true for most of us. We prefer the ways things are, the familiar path, the easier and more affluent course.
Breaking from the status quo can be very challenging. The familiar is enticing. The rewards of the present system are numerous for those at the trough of abundance. Maybe our ways are working for us, yet we feel that our values have muddied with a loss of focus. The muddy ethics of government always seem in need of further repair, as is the way of the political process. Things tend to stay as they are because it takes more energy to change them and the uncertainty of something different can be overwhelming.
The health care debate is uncomfortable for everyone. Most want to move on and leave things more predictable. Profits for the insurance companies are thriving but good reasonable priced care is not. Some say the system is working ok, let's leave it as it easy. Others are loosing everything over their medical bills and they know the system is broken. Even supplemental coverage is failing.
Life does the same thing to us. We want people around us to be like we think they should be. We want our bodies to work just like they always have. We want to know what to expect. We get uncomfortable around change, yet it is inevitable and that makes many feel anxious. Let's not go there is the tendency and the hope is the challenges will disappear or nicely resolve themselves. They won't.
There is much to figure out and it is complicated by highly charge emotions, beliefs and much misinformation spread to cloud the debate. What is clear is change is needed and real alternatives to the present system are essential. Health care in this nation now only works well for the healthy and wealthy. It is not working for the majority of people.
It is time for us all to get out of our comfort zones and express our concerns and support real change. Real change involves moving away from an only for profit driven system to one where good quality of care is available to all. The fear mongering about government run is way off base here because private owned is doing well for only the shareholders not for those in real need. This is not right.
Now that Congress is in recess, they should be back home, so go to their offices and let them know what is on your mind. This is not the time to hide out in your comfort zone of the familiar. Now is the time to weather the rough waters of moving out of the ordinary into doing what is right, standing up, being heard, making a difference. Are you ready to take a stand for yourself, your family and your nations? Active citizens are needed today.
One last thought: When the people are engaged and informed, change is always for the positive.
Five Powerful Ways For Growing Your Positive Self
Lately I have been writing about the dangers of indulging in negativity because it can be so costly to peace of mind and will sabotage having the life you desire. So today I want to write about ways to grow the positive side of who you are. It all begins with awareness. The following are 5 powerful ways to be a more aware and positive person:
1. Be fully in your body. The body is the home of your heart and your emotions. If you open your heart and feel your emotions, you will grow a very positive sense of self and the world. Let your heart be the guiding force and compassion be the way you are in the world. As you wake up each morning fill your heart with light and spread that light wherever you go.
2. Take back control from of your mind. Your mind is now run by past memories, social conditioning, future worries, and your ego. A healthy mind is peaceful, non-judging, receptive, open, aware and fully present. Practices like mindfulness, meditation and other consciousness raising techniques are powerful tools for a positive mind. Enter the stillness of your inner peace each day.
3. Develop a relationship with your Higher Self. There is an infinitely wise part of each of us that is also in full alignment with the Creative Force of the Universe. This Higher Self is also known as Spirit, Soul, Intuition and other names in various wisdom traditions. Silence is a great doorway to your Self. The Higher Self always vibrates positively. Each day do the simple affirmation/mantra, “I Am” with awareness as often as you can.
4. Relax, take it easy, let go, forgive, have fun, and be playful. You cannot develop a positive sense of self or the world if you take yourself and the world too seriously. Lighten up and enjoy the many beautiful and fun aspects of life. Make spreading joy a daily practice.
5. Appreciate all you can each day. Living in gratitude will brighten everything around you. There are only the blessing and lessons of life so there is always a reason to celebrate life in all forms, from all viewpoints, and with the joy of pure appreciation. Keeping a gratitude journal is a powerful way to expand your success in life.
Each of these ways will create a bigger and greater sense of who you are and the endless possibilities awaiting you. Why not go for the fullest expression of who you are and light up the world with all you have to offer?