As I wrote in my blog yesterday, my commitment is to send an email daily to the President to protest the war in Afghanistan. But I don’t want this blog to just become a protest blog because there is much more to focus on than what is wrong. So some days I will not post the letter itself but account for how many days I have sent a protest letter. Please join me in this effort if you feel so inspired.
Today I wanted to focus on the importance of support from people you can count on. Over the last 3 months three of the graduates of our treatment program have formed a very strong support network with each other and of course with AA. This mini-network is providing lots of support on almost a daily basis for each other. They talk, check-in, and give support. Then they go to meetings together and because of each other their recovery program is going very strongly. This is the benefit of having people you can count on for support.
The support I am emphasizing is mental and emotional support. My work is about providing that support but everyone doesn’t have a counselor they can talk to on a regular basis. Friends and family can provide mental and emotional support if they are: good at listening, encouraging, accepting and compassionate.
Everyone benefits from encouragement and compassionate listening. Unfortunately many people listen impatiently or hardly at all, they are critical and judgmental, and much more about themselves than anyone else. Sometimes does it seems like the world has sped up so much that no one has time to listen or even seems to care.
There are fortunately many who do care and that is why we have friends. Friends who listen, who care, who are kind, who understand, who value us, who encourage and support us are such a gift. Remember those friends, your support network and be sure and remind them this holiday season how much you value their support and friendship.
Now letter # 2:
Dear President Obama, I want to share my support for you for taking on this incredibly difficult job of being president. You are a brave person and an inspiration to myself and many others.
Today I want to respectfully question your decision to send more troops to Afghanistan. This decision seems so wrong to me because it is driven by fear and guided by the false hope for control. The idea of an enemy is about fearing the unknown and human history is filled with the slaughter of others because of such fears.
When will we evolve past this fear and reactivity and seek common ground instead of control. If you don’t alter this pattern who will? How are you being more conscious if you slip into the patterns of the past and not step into the light of positive change?
Please change your mind and work for peace.
Joseph Bernard, Ph.D.
Handel's Messiah Sing-A-Long and A Busy Weekend
The blog was quiet a few days because of a busy weekend, but I have two posts for today. This weekend as a member of the Messiah Choir I am in had three performances. When I wasn’t busy with that I had a fence to build for Pax so he can go outside without supervision and my wife’s parents came for brunch and to hear our choir’s performance. This weekend seemed to last a few minutes and it was over. Do you have weekends like that?
The performances were fun and the reviews from those in the audience were excellent. Singing is such a great stress relief and so uplifting. To sing with about 70 people who all sound so good is pure joy. We have sopranos, altos, tenors and bases and each section is full of energy and enthusiasm. In addition to the orchestra, the four soloists and the choir, the audience sings along so the church was filled with the most amazing music. Handel’s Messiah is a true work of genius that is uplifting because of the music, the words and the energy it stirs in all who participate.
Robert Arentz our director of the choir was suprised by the Mayor of Boulder as the day was dedicated to him by the city. This is his 27th year as the director and he does this from the kindness of his heart. The church was full for the three performances so many people in the community are touched by this sing-a-long.
This weekend was a joyous one and thankfully the next two weekends are longer ones and hopefully more relaxing with Christmas and New Years on the way. I look forward to some good down time for enjoyable reading and to take it easy.
Here are some photos from the Messiah Sing Along:
Please Tell The President We The People Protest The War In Afghanistan.
While working on my post about this busy weekend, I had a flash of realization. Most people in this country are not in support of escalating the war in Afghanistan yet the president and our government is going forward. If seems the people’s voice needs to be heard here. So my flash of an idea was that we all need to write the President and keep writing him until we get out of this mess. There is no good war and anyone that says there is such a thing is gravely mistaken. President Bush lied us into Iraq and that was so not necessary, now President Obama is further digging us into a hole that is a huge money pit and not something we will ever win.
I commit to writing the President on a daily basis to speak for all of us who protest the war in Afghanistan. Would you please join me? Here is my letter today:
Dear President Obama, I am a strong supporter of you and am very hopeful of your presidency.
I do protest your escalation of the war in Afghanistan. I humbly question your rationalization of this as a good war.
Sir there is no such thing as a good war. Our people will die and our country will suffer greatly for this.
Wars are always about ego and control. I highly encourage you to do a deep self-examination here because your heart would never agree to this.
Please be about real change and take our country out of this war.
Joseph Bernard, Ph.D.
President Obama can be reached at: http://www.whitehouse.gov/CONTACT/
Just Say No To Corporate Healthcare Greed
The health insurance debate in Congress is really not a debate but more a process of trying to figure out how to support the corporate pressure of the health insurance, drug, and medical industries so they can still maximize their profits and at the same time to not look like Congress is totally screwing over the people. The people will loose badly in this process if we all don't speak up now. The greed motive will win out big time if we don't demand a single payer system or at least a public option. This is not complicated to figure out if you read what is really going on. The conflicts of interests are staggering in DC at all levels and so slanted toward those seeking more money and power.
This issue is not about good or bad, or government vs non-government, it is about what is right. Is it right for the profit motive to dictate our medical care? Is it more of a right to have good quality and reasonable medical care then it is to have massive profits for the few major shareholders and executives of these companies? Corporations are not innately bad, they are about making money even if it is not for the good of the nation or its people. This system is set up to make the "haves" have more and the "nots" have less.
Politicians are not bad either, they just need lots of money to stay in power. That is the present nature of the game. So influence money needed for re-election is a reality and real change in our election campaign system is a whole different discussion.
The important argument is not about too much government or too much cost. Those arguments are just corporate/right-wing smoke screen for wanted unchecked capitalism/profits. Anyone that says government can't handle this better than the private sector is ignoring medicare and the rest of our social safety net. If the private sector were in charge there would be no safety net. Conservatism heartlessly calls our nation’s safety net "entitlements", which they look arrogantly down their noses at as unacceptable.
The budget arguments against healthcare reform hold no water because we without hesitation build a huge military/defense program and march off to wars we cannot win and no one ever worries about the budget for that. The money is created to escalate and wage wars with endless billions but we can't afford real healthcare. Don't believe that argument.
Please step out of your comfort zone, get political, ruffle some feathers, demand accountability, speak up, and let our elected officials know what we want. Please do that today. The political will of a thoughtful electorate cannot be denied because it represents a higher truth than the ego driven desire for more power and greed.
The healthcare industries have way too much power because we let them. The time has come to retake our power. It is up to you and I.
Inner Practice #4 Indirect Approach To Be Present
There are many practices that help you and I be present from a variety of traditions. Being present is so valuable that in every spiritual tradition there are methods to help a person be in the now. All these practices could also be called Being Mindful. Here is inner practice #4:
This practice is especially effective when you are busy doing things. The method is simple but not so easy to explain. Begin doing everything with the idea of not doing in directly. So let's say you reach for the morning cup of coffee and instead of going directly to the cup, you put a slight arc in your movement so that you still arrive at the cup with a movement that encourages you to be present. This slight arc in the movement on the way to whatever you are reaching towards is so slight that no one would notice except you and that is the point. Your intention to put the extra movement in your reaching brings you into the moment. You are being mindful.
Other situations you can apply this simple yet profound practice include reaching for: a door handle, toothpaste, the morning paper, your wallet, toward your plate with silverware in your hand, a pan for cooking, salt, a pen, a snack, a notepad, your computer mouse, to turn a light on or off, put your keys in the door, and more. The point is that you are always reaching for things and if you were able to do these activities with awareness, you would be present to what you are doing therefore present to all the possibilities of the now.
This indirect method can be used going for a walk, exercising, and any movements throughout your day. The key is you slightly vary from going directly and that wandering arc brings you fully into the moment. The more you do things with awareness the more positive you feel about yourself and the stronger you feel about your life because you are living in the now where the real action is.
Let me know how well this works for you. I taught this to some of my clients and they found this approach to be very helpful especially the client who makes his living as a cook. He could work very fast even when he used the arcing movement.
Holiday Parties, Sugar, Water, Sing Messiah And Contact With Spirit
Yesterday there was a work Holiday Party with a "white elephant" gift exchange. Where did the white elephant idea come from? Some people leave with junk, how come people bring lousy gifts? Sometimes being compassionate is difficult because I feel empathy for those who got nothing they wanted. Maybe that reactivity is the child in me that has past Christmas unfinished business or I just feel for everyone who looses out?
My energy went very flat after the party from eating too much food and sweet stuff. It was as if the sugar addict in me was allowed to run the show when it usually is reigned in. A few times a year this sugar fiend gets to take over to taste lots of good stuff. Too much dietary seriousness is not much fun. Not enough watching what I eat will leave my body burned out. The sugar and carbohydrate overload at least shrunk my sweet tooth for the rest of the day.
This is when water is such a wonderful cleanser. I can drink lots of water and flush myself out and feel back into balance in a couple of hours. Our bodies are about 80% water and lots of water makes us feel better. Similar to giving your car an oil change, you are going to get more long distance out of your vehicular body when it gets lots of water.
Last night was the last practice for this weekend's three performances of the Messiah. The practice was the first with the orchestra and it was fun when the instruments were not drowning out our voices. When I got home from practice I put a leash on Pax our dog and went for a very vigorous walk uphill to burn some of the days calories. The wind was warm for this time of year and it felt invigorating to move with such intention on a mild winter night.
My topic seems to be a taking me all over in this post. It was late as I wrote and I could feel my energy waning. I decided I needed to finish strong so here is a thought you might find valuable as you wander through your day:
“This is not a time to live without a practice. It is a time when all of us will need the most faithful, self-generating enthusiasm (to be filled with spirit.) . . . . Whether we reach this inner state of recognized divinity through prayer, meditation, dancing, swimming, walking, feeding the hungry or enriching the impoverished is immaterial.” Alice Walker
Eight Super Positive Ways To Enrich Your Life Now And In 2010
How do we break from the unhealthy patterns in our life? I ask that question because we all have some things we do that we know aren't very healthy for us. Old patterns in thinking, eating, judging, anger, emotional denial, self-care, self-talk, exercise or lack of, isolating, self-doubt, blaming and complaining, avoiding what we fear, settling for less, not asking question, putting up with unacceptable behavior, not saying "no" when we need to, and so many other ways we limit ourselves from having the life we want and desire. Is it time yet to examine those behaviors, those ways that never work and bring about significant change in our lives? Maybe little examination is needed but what you do well is waiting to be even better?
2010 sounds like a good year to kick our lives up a notch and go for more of what we have always wanted. What would that life be like? Where would the changes come about? The following are real positive changes we can make that will upgrade your life substantially.
1. Make a commitment to be mindful of you thoughts and your emotions. Mindful means you pay attention and know your thinking and feelings. Your thoughts shape your experience of life and they can inspire you toward success or get in your way. Your emotions are the charge that drives you forward or digs you a hole. If your thoughts clearly support what your want your emotions will give you the energy needed to succeed. Positive thoughts and feeling will pave your way to an amazing life if you commit to being mindful.
2. Stop the mind from judging you, everyone else and all things as either good or bad. Good and bad are just words created by the mind and they don’t really matter. The judging mind is making you and everyone else not ok which simply is not true. A non-judging mind is accepting and understanding. Instead simply ask, is this working for me or not. Move towards what works for you and away from what does not.
3. Put the ego in its place. That place is in a small corner of your mind where it enjoys very little influence. The ego always wants to run the show through fear and obsession about the past and the future. Arrogance in the ego in charge and that means you can’t see anything straight because everything comes through the lenses of looking good, being right, or being in control. You are so much more than your ego so put your heart in charge and things will go well. The opposite of ego is peacefulness and joy in the now.
4. Now, that is where all the action is, so why not be there. Absolutely nothing can happen in the past or the future. It all happens in the present. Make a commitment today to live today, to plan for tomorrow but to live today. There is no other way. In the now there is always love, joy, peace and freedom. Try this out and see if the now is a wonderful present in your life.
5. Make your life about your heart. If you want to do one thing that will feel better than anything else, then love. Love yourself, love others, be kind and caring to all those you meet, and have compassion for all beings. Giving love always gives back. The more you spread love, the more you will receive it. The more compassion you can have for others the more compassion will spread across this planet. Love is the solution to all human problems.
6. Find your peace within. There is no outside way to peace. Peace is always determined from the inside. If you understand that finding your way to peace inside is simply listening quietly and appreciatively to the knowing within, then peacefulness will be yours. Inner peace means the outside world is watched but not absorbed into the silence of your own inner stillness. Let the peace within expand until your peace begins to bring peace wherever you go.
7. There is an aspect of self, which you generally ignore because you forget your higher nature. That self is called the Higher Self or Spirit. This divine source within is always there to show you the way if you care to listen. The guidance comes in the form of intuition, gut instincts, inspiration and clarity beyond the mind. If you pay attention then things will work out in amazing ways. If you ignore then suffering knocks down your door. Today and everyday set some time aside to communicate with your spiritual nature and you will enjoy the effortless of this more conscious way of living.
8. Become an explorer of higher levels of consciousness. Ask questions, seek your own truth, become aware, and awaken to the possibilities within you and everyone. The more conscious you become the better the world will unfold for the good of all. Unconsciousness causes war, damages the planet, and lets greed be the dominating force. Consciousness opens your minds and hearts to realize the magnificence of your nature and the nature of all beings.
These ideas may seem familiar but whatever you do please do not underestimate the impact these ways of being can positively alter your life forever.
What Capacity Are You Wanting To Grow?
Last night I watched an excellent program on the History Channel called, The People Speak based on The People’s History of the United States by Howard Zinn. This program was exceptionally inspirational as it showed many people who have made a difference in this country. When the show is on again please make an effort to watch it. It is well worth watching if you are at all interested in being an agent for change in this country.
I got an early Christmas present, which I plan to make good use of for this blog. It is a compact Nikon CoolPix I can carry with me everywhere I go. I want to have pictures for this blog and I am excited about using this camera to make that happen. I also get to explore photography as another form of creative expression. The camera is a simple point and shoot, just what I need to have some fun with.
What is up for you this week? Are you feeling on top of what you need to get done? Are your holiday preparations ahead or behind? Either way take it easy and enjoy whatever you are up to because life is s wonderful when you take the time to appreciate it. Holidays are meant for fun, relaxation, enjoying the company of others and tuning in to the expansive part of you that is one with the Spiritual Force of the Universe.
Quiet time is part of the holiday spirit, time to contemplate, time to listen inward, time to be in touch with your heart, time to be mindful so your mind is an ally, and time to be grateful for all you have. When you take the time to listen inward, you hear the knowing wisdom and guidance you always have access to in the stillness. This still place of knowing and inner peace is such a great resource if you take the time to explore the silence within. Quiet time is a great gift to give to yourself.
As far as gratitude goes take a heart moment and think about all the people on the planet, many of them have so much less than you do. You have food on your table, a home, a car, television, a computer, roof over your head, a job and decent income, clean water to drink, and so much more you take for granted. Just shinning the light on what you have makes appreciating it easy especially in comparison to others. Enjoy and be thankful and life feels better.
Have a great week and I will be back tomorrow.
Peacefully, Mindfully, Compassionately Agitate For Real Change
Last night I watched Bill Moyer’s Journal on PBS and it always gets me stirred up. There is so much that needs our attention as citizens of this nation and the planet. The challenge for me and I am sure you can identify with this; how do we pay attention to what is going on and not get so angry that we do things from an unhealthy place within us. In other words how do we see what is happening and not be overrun by our own emotions and therefore act from hostility rather than from peace and clarity of purpose. Real change to me cannot come about if we are foaming with angry and so upset that we are run by our negative emotions and unable to be mindful enough to do what is for the good of us all.
Let’s explore this idea of our own state of mind and emotions as active participants in the world. It is very hard to not get really upset about our country escalating the war in Afghanistan. If however we loose our inner peace we are not good advocates for a peaceful solution. Peacefully we need to insist that America become a peaceful nation.
The need for real banking and investment reform is essential and yet multi-millions are being poured into Washington DC now to stop that from happening. That could piss a person off especially in these difficult times. We bailed out a lot of these corporations and now they are using their money to stop reform. To feel anger would be healthy as long as we transform that anger into positive action. Positive action is to insist that our elected leaders do something about this mess and quit taking the influence money.
The insurance, drug and medical services industries are set up for one thing and that is profit. If they help people get better that is secondary to their mission. This needs to be reversed. There are also multi-millions being poured into DC to stop any significant reform. Both parties are polluted by these influence funds. This is not acceptable so kindly let you elected officials know that they must represent what is good for all the people not the corporations and the tea party sheeple who follow what they are told to think.
Oops that last line had a little edge to it didn’t it? My work is filled with compassion for those I serve and my co-workers. However, I sometimes find myself lacking in compassion for those that rally against their own best interests because someone has convinced them to do so. People rallying against real healthcare reform are very confused about the truth because they actually believe the misinformation they are feed. I want to say please wake up the ability to question and think on your own beyond any limiting biases and belief systems.
One other thought politicians who say we have to be fiscally responsible when it come to healthcare are the same ones the support the financing of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan which make not financial sense at all unless you represent corporations who profit from war. Ok my mini-rant is over.
That is enough of my point of view, what is yours about the wars we are in, about the need for monetary reform, and about healthcare? Can you keep your heart open to those who make you angry? Are you able to be an advocate for change and not be too upset? Are you able to be mindfully engaged in the process? Are you able to be peaceful inside as you agitate for change? Keep up the good work and remember that us thoughtful and compassionate people are the ones that bring about real change.
Ideas To Awaken A Greater Consciousness
I wanted to share a few follow up thoughts about the yesterday's blog on the inner critic and the judging mind. These thoughts were inspired by Eckhart Tolle's, Practicing The Power Of Now, which I was sharing with my clients today in group. The lights went on for all of us as we questioned and wondered out loud about these ideas.
Ideas we explored:
The ego is the judging mind. The ego judges in hopes of taking control over us. If we feel poorly about ourselves then we are more easily run by our ego's desire to be in charge. We do not want to judge the ego simply recognize it and choose to not let it run us.
The Higher Self is the watcher that sees beyond our inner dialogue. There is an aspect of us that is capable of observing beyond the mind; that can see beyond our thoughts. The watcher is the part of us beyond our mind.
A break in the stream of endless thought is what allows the light of awareness in. If we are always caught up in our thoughts we have little or no self-awareness. If we have breaks in our endless stream of thinking, the light of awareness can open us to our higher knowing.
The goal is to disidentify from the mind and instead to smile at its antics. We are not our thoughts and if we see that we are free to be much more. If we can just watch our thinking and see it without judging then we have the opportunity to be humored by the craziness of our thoughts.
Being in the now is the best way to create freedom from the judging mind. There is no judging in the present moment, there is instead just being. A compassion for self is naturally occurring in the now.
The inner critic is the ego focused on the past. There is no criticism in the now because there is just watching without labeling.
There is a vast amount of knowing beyond the thinking mind. The thinking mind is limited by memory of the past and thoughts about the future. When the thoughts fall away the infinite and intuitive wisdom of self, humanity, and the divine become available.
All judging and negativity arise in us when we loose touch with the now. When we are in the past or future, we fell fear, we reject others, we feel disconnected from ourselves and our fellow humans, we live contracted lives with only glimpses of our potential and the possibilities around us.
Peace, love joy, creativity, beauty, are all naturally occurrences of being in the now. When in the now we don't think peace; we are peace. We don't think joy; we are filled with joy. We don't think love; we experience love. We don't think creativity; creativity flows through us. We don't think beauty; we open to it.
What ideas open you to a higher level of consciousness?
Inner Practice #3 An Act Of Kindness Towards Self
Who is your harshest critic? If you answered yourself, you are mostly likely right. Your inner dialogue is made up of many voices most of which were recorded when you were a child and now is replayed over and over as your inner critic. This internal critic serves no positive purpose unless you feel destroying your self-esteem is helpful. Today's inner practice is for shrinking the inner critic and reducing the never ending judging of self. Here is the three-step process:
First - take time throughout your day, for the next week, to listen inward to how you talk to yourself. Pay particular attention to the inner messages you repeat often. What is the tone of those messages? How judgmental are you toward yourself? Do you judge through your thoughts everything you do as either good or bad? Are you predominately supportive or critical of yourself? How often do you say supportive and encouraging words in your internal dialogue? Are you aware of a deeper channel of self-judging and thinking of yourself as no ok?
Second - once you understand the tone and critical nature of your inner dialogue make a commitment to change the interior landscape of how you talk to yourself. Focus on what you do well. Be supportive of yourself throughout the day. Drop any labeling of good or bad and instead ask yourself is what you are doing working for you or not? Plan out phrases to use: that lift you up; that make you feel positive about yourself; that encourage you to do even better; and that make you feel ok just being who you are. Inner messages of self-love and encouragement are very powerful for making you feel you deserve a wonderful life. If you feel great inside, your life will turn out great.
Third - return back to watching your thoughts and inner dialogue, this time however focus on being mindful of the inner critic and the self-judging and just watch it come up in you. When you become aware of the inner judger you shed light on it, which liberates you from it dominance. Acknowledge the critic within without judging yourself harshly. Instead be grateful for the new level of consciousness you now have that is capable of just watching the critic and not letting it affect you anymore. When you can watch what comes up without judging, you free yourself to be just present to who you are in your daily life. This will feel very liberating. Watching impartially is such a gift to you because your loving heart is liberated to be always be compassionate and your spirit is set free to soar to higher levels of realization.
Remember the inner critic/self-judger is learned and it can be unlearned with focused effort. Be cautious to not judge your inner critic or the inner critic has just snuck in the back door. This criticalness of self is the ego-mind replacing the object watcher. All criticism toward self comes from social/family/educational/religious conditioning and the working of the ego-mind trudging through the past. Be present and simply observe and the inner critic will shrink away to a distant whisper muted by self-awareness and surrounded by the kindness of self-care.
Religion and Spiritual May Not Be Related
The focus for my reading and thinking has been on expanding my spirituality as a way to realize my goal of being more conscious, more loving, more joyous and more at peace. This reading and contemplation also benefits my profession as a therapist working intensely with very challenging clients early in the recovery process. Lately my inner practices have filled me with questions about what is traditionally seen as religion and what is spirituality. I thought I would share some of those questions so that you too might explore them with me.
My questions include:
1 Is there really a heaven or hell or is it the quality of life we create for ourselves? Most people wonder about the afterlife and it is amazing to me that many people consider heaven and hell a reality, do you actually believe that and why?
2 What kind of God would invent an idea of eternal damnation, sounds more like a human invention doesn't it? Do you were about burning in hell forever? If so what would be the purpose of it? Are we that lousy of people to deserve such a fate? If so, how is it we are all sons and daughter of God?
3 Are only people who belong to certain religions saved? What are they saved from if there is no hell? Why would other beliefs not be saved? How come most religions claim to be the one true religion? Who is right?
4 Isn't the bible a story written by men who claim to have been guided by God not a book written by God who used men to write it? How come each minister says his or her interpretation is the right one? If each religion has their own version of the bible, then which one is correct? How can you think that the bible should be followed literally when most of it is a collection of stories and ideas that need to be interpreted?
5 Are ministers any more spiritual than you and I? Aren't ministers more agents of control supporting their religious organizations rather than seeking the truth or helping us explore our spirituality?
6 Isn't the idea of sin a human invention and used to make people feel guilty or unworthy? Does sin really exist? Is guilt any more than a human invention?
7 Religions are full of rules for social conduct, aren't these the rules of society rather than any God? It seems the bible’s words are manipulated to rationalize all the church leaders rules and stated dogma?
8 How come people who claim to be Christian support war? Isn't that against the central teachings of most religions? Aren't all wars based on religious ideas, biases, or the need for control? Were the Crusades truly a holy war?
9 How come people join religions and than don't question the beliefs they are expected to accept? Does being religions mean not thinking critically?
10 What is the benefit of checking your mind and your intuitive wisdom at the door of the church and then blindly following the minister who has no better grasp of reality than you do? Does having faith mean not searching for the truth? Does having faith mean you put all your trust in God and not taking responsibility for your own life?
11 How come many who claim to be religious leaders live in contradiction to their teachings? When they preach one set of beliefs and live in conflict with those beliefs isn’t the hypocrisy? Can ministers just screw up and then ask for forgiveness and go back to claiming a higher relationship with God? How come people then again follow these hypocrites? Where is the living by the values and beliefs they claim authority to teach?
12 Why are there mega churches and who do they benefit the most? The Vatican is full of priceless art and yet people go hungry? How come most mega churches/religions are run exclusively by men?
13 Is there a difference between spirituality and religion? Does religion promote having a personal relationship with God/Source/Spirit or do they define how to act in according with a set of prescribed directives? Spirituality seems more based on deepening a relationship with God/Source/Spirit and yourself?
14 What are the ultimate truths? Can anyone know our truths? Isn't our nature divine already and we are in the process of finding that higher nature?
15 Is God really sitting up in heaven and judging us all day and at some point he sends his son to die for our sins? That doesn't even make sense because how does dying for our sins help us? No one really died for our sins because sins are not real are they? Isn't this the ultimate guilt trip invented by us humans?
16 Are we not all one brotherhood and sisterhood? Isn’t it only thoughts and beliefs that separate us? Maybe religion is getting in the way of us realizing our connection to each other and our higher nature?
These are my questions today about religion and the more I explore these questions the more questions I have. Truth for me is an inside knowing not the outside teachings of another. Sure there have been and are great teachers and it is our work to explore their ideas and figure out which seem right to us.
NOTE: I am trying to post more often in the evening to encourage quiet contemplative mornings.
Laughter Is Healing And A Key Ingredient For A Wonderful Life
Today I went to a presentation through my Boulder County job about humor as the best medicine. Thank you Brad Nieder M.D. who is very funny guy with a great message. There was lots of laughter and an important message about having a sense of humor and not taking things so seriously that we don’t enjoy life. Our lives are meant to be filled with enjoyment, laughter and appreciation. Our attitude and point of view shape our experience. If we remain light, appreciate what is, and find enjoyment in each other, things will go well. If we focus on problems and walk around angry and disappointed then our lives will be feel lousy and uncomfortable.
These ideas are all obvious to us if we take the time to be present to our own thoughts and emotions. If we watch our thoughts, we can make sure they are ones that make our day enjoyable. If we look to laugh and appreciate each other then the days will be positive and happy. If we notice how we feel we can know when a good dose of humor is needed. If we laugh often enough even the most troubling emotions can be dissolved into a smile and a belly laugh.
Disease can be translated into ill at ease, which means not comfortable within. Ill at ease is caused by being too serious, by being overwhelmed by our own disruptive thinking. If we change our thinking and lighten up everything will simply go much better.
People say the holidays are very stressful times. If that is true somewhere, somehow things have gotten out of whack. Gift shopping is meant to be fun or seriousness has taken over. Family gatherings are for enjoyment and the sharing of love or we need to change our thoughts or hire a family therapist for an intervention. None of the complications of life are worth taking too seriously and we need to quit blaming others if things are not going well for us. Put a smile on your face, lighten up, hang out with people that make you laugh, and remake your life emphasizing enjoying and appreciating yourself and others.
Here is list to add more fun this holiday. Apply if needed:
• Go to a Messiah sing-a-long or join others for caroling and sing for the pure joy of it.
• Bake a chocolate and real fruitcake and feed you and others with the love you put into it.
• If there is improvisation comedy in your community go check it out for laughter and to have your heartstrings pulled.
• Bring a plan to pump a lot of fun into your family gathering by playing games, watching something funny, sing songs, act silly, tell stories, share appreciations etc.
• If the family memories are full of nightmares, gather a group of friends and call them your chosen family and enjoy the holiday together.
• Let your heart be open, feel the joy of that and share that love and joy with all those you spend time with. Life flies by too quickly so avoid spending it in ways that are not happy.
• Do a spa or retreat day. Line up some self-care, or a day of silent contemplation. This will benefit your mind, body, emotions and spirit greatly.
• Be thankful for all that comes you way in the form of gifts of love, kindness, caring, thoughtfulness and surprises.
If none of these sound fun then come up with your own ideas. Maybe your holidays are already joyous, that is something to be grateful for this season.
Winter, Food, Politics, Sports and Is It All Perfection?
It is so cold and snowy here and I would rather be back in Santa Barbara walking on a beach and enjoy the mild weather. However I am presently living in Boulder and I am making the very best with what my life as it is. There is a restlessness inside me as if I am in the midst of some kind of major shift but I don’t yet see the results. Do you ever feel things stirring in your life and wonder what will happen next?
There seems to be much stirred on a political level but I am staying away from that arena for the moment because it seems so much needs to change. I did watch a movie called Food Inc and felt very unsettled about the situation of food in our country. There are insanely powerful corporate forces who don’t care about what is good for the people. I found out from that film that in Colorado there is a law that makes it a crime to criticize the Beef Industry. I wonder who that law benefit? Oops I can’t help myself talking some politics and questioning our very unhealthy political system.
My team the Portland Trailblazers has been decimated by injuries that take a lot of the air of hope and success out of this season. Sports don’t matter really but it is a good distraction for me when the real world seems like such a mess. My college football team at Oregon State lost out on Thursday to play in the Rose Bowl. Part of me just watches these disappointments and knows they really are not important in the scheme of things but I still feel for the players and the lost of possibilities. If I could, I would make everyone winners.
Today on my run in the hills I had on Yaktrax which is something I got at the local running store to run in snow and ice and they worked great. They are like tire chains for running shoes. It felt so great running in the beautiful whiteness of nature up a canyon and not worrying about falling on my backside.
We human sure know how to create wonderful inventions. We are very creative and resourceful when it comes to inventing/designing what we need. On a practical level we seem to be able to access unlimited ideas. On a political level we seem unable to see what we need and do what is necessary to bring about the most essential and need changes. Why is it so hard to stop fighting wars, to stop being driven by greed, and to live according to the real values of love, compassion, caring, kindness, acceptance, awareness, generosity, understanding, honesty, and hope?
I am trying to understand the spiritual concept that everything is perfect as it is. It is possible to see the perfection in the moment, in even the most troubled souls but our systems seem so lacking in perfection. In being mindful daily I hope to gain a greater understanding.
As the second week of December begins, I hope you have lots of inspiration and peace of mind.
Are You Part Of Forces For Ego Or Consciousness?
In the midst of unpacking boxes, mindful practices, the expansion of consciousness on the planet, healthcare debates in Senate where greed is winning, the escalation of the insanity of war in Afghanistan, Global climate change and financial systems breakdown, I feel confused. I suspect you do also? From where I stand I see two major forces seeking to influence the future of humanity. These two forces are the ego-mind and the expansion of human consciousness.
The ego-mind manifests as the force of greed, power, and control. These forces appear as the military, police and prison complex, corporate dominance, many in Washington DC, voters who refuse to pay taxes for any government, the Taliban, the Radical Christian Right, and all other systems, groups and individuals who want to dominate and control for the sake of power and money. The results of these forces include: the bankruptcy of many local and state governments; the near total collapse of the financial system due to the grossly under regulated free commerce; war in Iraq and Afghanistan; Enron, Halliburton, AIG, Blackwater, every health insurance company and many other corporate nightmares; Rush, Focus on The Family, Hannerty, Beck, Palin etc.; and the sheeple of the world who think and do as they are told. Their world of unchecked capitalism, greed and hunger for power has almost wiped out the middle class.
The forces for raising consciousness are small groups and individuals seeking to awaken as a way to explore and express their higher nature and bring peace and compassion to the planet and all living things who reside here. There are many people who speak and represent these forces and they include the Dalai Lama, Eckhart Tolle, Deepak Chopra, Thich Nhat Hahn, many spiritual teachers, writers, and practioners, and each of us willing to question our own thinking and seeking to be more aware, conscious and caring human beings. These forces represent the hope of humanity because they encourage the positive potential and invite the awakening of our spiritual and compassionate possibilities. The people of consciousness realize the unity of all and want to live that higher reality.
The force of the ego want to win and the force of consciousness seek to be expressed for the good of all. The ego has dominated human existence until now and the results have been endless war, destruction, and pollution. If consciousness expands enough the results will be peace, understanding, compassion and a healthy planet for all.
Which forces do you align with? If you read this blog regularly you understand the value of consciousness. Many of the forces that are part of the ego-minds creation have some inherent beneficial qualities. The rise of consciousness is not about rejection of all forms but the integration of those that work and the reduction of those that do not. What changes would you make in our present social structures for the benefit of all humanity and for future generations?
Habit And Familiar Or Change And Reinvigoration?
It is very cold here in Boulder with a low of 1 degree Fahrenheit forecast for tonight. This weather makes working out difficult since I usually like to run or bike. Today I lifted at the gym but I can't get myself to do the aerobic machines because it seems so numbing to bike or run in place. I don't understand people using those machines on a warm sunny day but they are just as busy as they were today. How come we do so many things that are run by habit, that are numbing, that are the opposite of spontaneous expression?
Since the move I have been thinking about how I can change up my routines now that we live in a new place and a new part of town. There is either going up of down when you leave my house. I was thinking I want to reinvigorate my exercise program, find some new areas of study and creative expression, and ways to provoke new awareness and raise my consciousness. There is yet no plan but I will come up with one before the New Year.
Muscles grow stronger with new ways of moving them and pushing them. The same is true of the heart. The more I expand the strength of my compassion the stronger I will be at showing up to help others. The more I stretch my flexibility of body and mind the more I will be able to flow with the challenges of life. The greater the endurance of spirit, the more hope I will experience in making a difference by writing, sharing ideas and helping others. My body, mind, heart and spirit will all benefit from my willingness to push, to reexamine, to question, to keep on going, to course correct, to grow stronger, to commit to exploring my potential in as many ways as possible.
Is it ok to do what is familiar? Of course it is. The catch is when the familiar turns into habit, into unconscious action then something within gets lost. Change is essential and you and I live in every changing times, which are just exactly what we need.
How will you redo yourself in the next year to produce a new and improved version of yourself? What old ways need to be replaced by new ways? How can you become a more aware and conscious human being? What do you need to challenge in yourself?
Have a good first weekend of December and take some time this month to reprioritize your life to make it even better and to encourage the best in you.
Stop The War In Afghanistan By Finding Inner Peace
While I’ve been moving I have been out of touch with the news, which I didn’t miss. I however know about President Obama’s plan to commit more troops to Afghanistan and to escalate the war there. This seems like a huge mistake and I believe the president has been very poorly advised on this war by the military and other so called experts who have the audacity to call dead soldiers collateral damage. This is all about ego’s desire for power and control, to win. How can anyone think of war as winning? All the loss of life over the battle of egos is a huge tragedy. There are no winners in war. When will this kind of thinking about war as a rational strategy come to an end; are we capable of evolving past this limited and unconscious viewpoint. Let’s all hope so.
My urge is to blame but if I go more deeply inward I must take responsibility for my part: for not speaking up enough; for not being peaceful enough inside; for not being conscious enough to make a real difference. I can’t blame Obama or Congress because they represent the people and if the people don’t insist on their way, then we get into messes like this. We must all wake up enough to bring about real change because ultimately we are responsible.
So what can you and I do? Here are three ways we can start immediately to make a difference:
1. Make a commitment today to be fully awake to our own thoughts and emotions throughout our day. If we become mindful and conscious human being the world will naturally become peaceful and war will disappear.
2. Make a commitment to contact our elected officials regularly. Each of us needs to speak up more about what we know is right by listening to the guidance of our heart. War cannot exist where people have true compassion for each other.
3. Make a commitment to become more peaceful inside through a regular practice of mindfulness, meditation, prayer, contemplation, sitting in silence or whatever works to bring a sense of inner peace. As peace spreads within so to will it spread in the world.
Yes each one of can make a difference. It has always been that a few well intended people have brought about real change.
I Am Back Today
The Cable Guy is suppose to get our computers access to the Web today. I have been missing writing and so busy moving stuff that I haven't posted much lately. That all changes and I will return to posting 6 days per weeks today if all works out well.
I hope you have a peaceful and mindful day.
Joseph
Even Simple Practice Enlightens The World
Moving is such hard work. I couldn’t stand any longer so I decided to sit down and write a draft of blog post tonight for tomorrow. Although I have been very busy doing there has been time to be mindful. When doing repetitive activities there are opportunities to be fully present to what I am doing.
The technique I use most often involves paying attention to my feet as they move about in what seems like an endless flow of activities. The feet are farthest part of the body from the ever busy and noisy mind. When I sense my feet it naturally quiets my mind. I choose one foot to concentrate on and it seems to work very well and encouraging me to be mindful.
This brings to question, why would I want to be mindful when doing busy work? My answer at least for myself is that it has great benefits including: keeps me in a positive frame of mind, keeps me alert to what I am doing, helps settle me down and be efficient in my organization, and guides me toward more awareness. These are helpful benefits for my entire life.
There are also advantages to being mindful beyond my self. When mindful I get along better with my partner and those I interact with, which benefits us all. When any of us are mindful in what we are doing we bring consciousness to our activities. This consciousness expands outward and more people become more conscious. The more consciousness we all have the better the world is and peace and compassion naturally arise.
Take the time to do whatever you do mindfully, consciously, with awareness and your practice will spread around the planet and soon the whole world will awaken from the slumber of unconsciousness that has been so detrimental to humanity and the planet. Each step you and I take can make a difference.
Thanksgiving Is Such A Good Idea.
This holiday is one that I value more than any other because it is such an important reminder. It reminds me to be thankful for all that I have and all the blessings that flow through my life. What are you thankful for? Who or what do you take for granted and need to remember to be grateful for?
Here is my list of what I am thankful for today:
• My work that gives me meaning and a place to practice compassion
• My wife who is spunky and a loving partner
• My dog Pax who teaches me about living fully in moment
• The peacekeepers of the world
• The food on my table
• The farmers who grow our food
• Those who get the food to the market
• Those who are involved in the compassionate work of helping others
• Those who keep us safe
• President Obama who was handed a big mess and is trying to make things better
• The people I work with who are all dedicated and compassionate professionals
• My voice which allows me to teach and sing
• Those that are working to take care of our planet
• Those who work to keep our air clean and our water drinkable
• Those who work as a healing professional
• Those that come up with new and more sustainable process and products
• Those who look out for the people’s interests of Washington DC
• To corporations that are guided by ethics and try to do good in the world while doing no harm
• To NGO’s dedicated to make a positive difference
• To our elected officials who are doing their best to keep our country moving forward
• To the teachers on the planet that are spreading enlightenment and raising consciousness
• To the writers that inspire us
• To the bloggers who are writing with the purpose of leaving the world a better place
• To my clients who become aware and change their lives
• To my clients who struggle but keep working at it
• To all those who care enough to reach out to others
• To all the people who take the time to listen with an open heart
• To all the trees that keep our air clean
• To the sun that keeps us warm
• To the oceans that give us moisture
• To each breath and each day that I am alive
• To my biological family and my family of friends
• To my legs that allow me to run and bike and so much more
• To the inspiration that flows through me each day
• To the readers of my Blog
• To all fellow seekers in search of higher consciousness
• To the Creative Force of the Universe
Note: Over the next week I will take some time off for the holiday and for moving to a new home. My blogging will be infrequent but my mind and heart will never wander from the hope that you find more and more to be thankful for in your life.
Happy Thanksgiving To You
Political note: If you are against the escalation of the war in Afghanistan call or email the President today. If you support real healthcare reform contact all your elected representatives today. If we got out of the mess in Iraq and Afghanistan we could easily afford and provided real healthcare for all.