Expanding Awareness = Expanded Capacities

There is so much to become aware about ourselves mentally, emotionally, physically and spiritually.  That would be awareness within.  Then there is awareness about our relationships and our interactions with the world around us.  That would outer awareness.  Awareness makes us more in touch with who we are and what is possible within us.  As we become more aware we naturally express more of who we are.

Let’s look at ways to increase both inner and outer awareness:

Inner awareness falls into four categories, mind, body, emotions and spirit. 

Mind Awareness is: knowing our thoughts, knowing our self-talk, knowing the mind in silence, hearing the inner wisdom and intuitive guidance, observing positive and negative frames of mind and being aware of mental strengths and weaknesses.  To become more aware of the mind there is no better approach than taking the time to listen to the busy mind.  With the listening comes paying attention to thoughts that are supportive and positive and to change messages that are limiting and stuck on “poor me.”  There is also a higher mind, which is more closely related to our spiritual nature.

Body Awareness is: feeling ourselves being in our bodies, noticing the body messages, paying attention to the wisdom of the body, getting to understand the communications that come from the heart, the gut, the hands, the senses, the shoulders, the center etc.  The body doesn’t lie it simply tells you what is going on inside.  Tension, and constriction are messages of concern.  The body needs to be taken care of or it will have less energy and less of an ability to do what you want it to do.  Feeling energized and alive are indicators that we are on the right track.  Sitting or lying in a relaxed position is an excellent way to tune in and find out what the body wants to tell us.

Emotional Awareness is: feeling our feelings and being ok with all feelings.  There are no good or bad feeling, there are just feelings.  To experience how we feel and to acknowledge these feelings as part of who we are is very validating.  If we want to feel ok about ourselves, a great place to start is to appreciate all we feel inside.  The heart is often thought of as the emotional center.  A great place to expand our emotional awareness is to tune into the heart and get to know when it flows or closes.  The body is the container for our emotions so tuning into the mind and the body will often show us the root of what we feel.

Spiritual Awareness is: getting in touch with our spirit, our soul, our higher nature, our divine essence, our wise mind or however we speak of this Source or Force within us.   The spirit in us is infinite and timeless, it knows no boundaries, its resources are limitless, and its wisdom included the collective consciousness of humankind, of the universe and beyond.  The paths to our soul are silence, meditations, and other inner practices that allow us expanded insights clear of the daily dramas of life.  Many great wisdom traditions would say to know our spirit is to know God, Great Spirit, Yahweh, Allah, Divine Mother, Higher Power, Source Energy and other titles for the One True Source of all creation.   In the silent communications with our soul there is oneness with all on the planet extending out to whatever intelligence exist out there across the universe. 

Awareness of the outside world is necessary if we want to effectively communicate with those we relate to; this is especially important with those we are close to and love.  I will explore this in my next post. 

Peace Letter #88

Dear President Obama,

Your speech, at the University of Michigan graduation, was excellent and showed great sight and insight.  The country needs your skills at spreading information and educating us all, since many are confused by false information and are run by their fears and misplaced anger.

If you would put your wisdom and compassion to work on getting us out of war, it would make such a difference and head The United Stated toward a much more positive outcome of peace, which is needed for the good of all of us. 

Joseph Bernard, Ph.D.

Join me and send President Obama emails of support and encourage the end of war and the other dysfunctional ways of government at: http://www.whitehouse.gov/contact



Thank You Very Much Bill Moyers

Last night on PBS was a monumental shift in programming as Bill Moyers did his last show.  Bill Moyers has been a great light for democracy to everyone who has watched this show and heard him speak.  His long career in journalism always was focused on finding and sharing the truth.  The Bill Moyers Journal presented great minds from a wide range of viewpoints with Bill asking the questions that brought out the best in his quests.

Bill Moyer's last show was 30 minutes more than usual and it was packed with excellent guests and ideas including a powerful interview of one of America’s great writers Barry Lopez and Jim Hightower a funny and inspirational leader of the true populist movement in this country. This show always expands the mind and has been a real source for raising consciousness for all those who tune in each week.

Bill’s wisdom and level of excellence in journalism will be greatly missed now that his show comes to an end.

Thank you Bill for enriching my life and all the lives you have touched with this show and please keep spreading your light in these challenging times.

Peace and Joy and thanks for leaning into the light Bill Moyers. 

Now a powerful quote from Barry Lopez's book Artic Dreams:

"How is one to live a moral and compassionate existance when one is fully aware of the blood, the horror inherent in life, when one finds darkness not only in one's culture but within oneself?  If there is a stage at which an individual life becomes truly adult, it must be when one grasps the irony in its unfolding and accepts responsibility for a life lived in the midst of suchparadox.  One must live in the middle of contradiction, because if all contradiction were eliminated at once life would collapse.  There are simply no answers to some great pressing questions.  You continue to live them out, making your life a worthy expression of leaning into the light."

Expanding Capacities Part 6 - Pacing and Accessing Abilities

There are times to shift and times to relax and recover.  This seems clear to me as a therapist watching the journey of people trying to make sense of their lives, understand their stuck places, and discover ways to a more dynamic realization of who they are.  Growth is powerful, energizing and can drain a person as we spend our inner resources on the bumping ride of awakening. 

Sometimes the best thing to do is to simply rest, to take a break from the hectic fast forward and instead have a seat, read a good book, watch a funny moving, listening to uplifting music or ideas, go for a walk, take a nap or find a way to slow down enough to get some sleep.  Life goes by so fast that it is absolutely necessary to step out of the chaos regularly and find what is possible away from the insanity of the non-stop doing.

Getting to our own expanding frontier of possibilities is often about the go of action and the no of slowing down.  There is always more to explore but never enough quiet time.

The following are innate abilities that need to be accessed to help not get overwhelmed by the trials and triumphs of living at the edge:

• The ability to think at a higher level than the ego-mind means you can liberate yourself from your own limits of thoughts and beliefs.
  
• The ability to feel what you feel will guide you toward what is right for you and away from what is not going to work.
• The ability to intuit or know beyond ordinary knowing means you have come to trust the greater knowing within.
• The ability to take charge and responsibility for your life takes you to a higher level of realness and empowers your own creation of reality. 
• The ability to be present to what is going on means you realize the now is the only real place and the true power place to be.
• The ability to take risks and move beyond the familiar breaks old habits and ways and brings excitement and energy.
• The ability to enjoy what you are do or how you are being allows for happiness along the way even when the muck get deep you can image a day at the spa.
• The ability to observe yourself and receive feedback from others will keep the realization of your potential expanding.
• The ability to move into action when needed is necessary to taking your life up the next step in your personal and passionate expression.
• The ability to relax, renew and recharge will get you back into the game of life faster when challenges arise.
• The ability to explore beyond what is ordinary for you, pushing yourself out of the comfort zone, will take your experience of life into new and more expanded realities.
• The ability to seek growth by self-inquiry and awareness will make life an endless lesson of self-realization and keep it all vibrant with the beauty of self-discovery. 

Which abilities are you wanting to develop at this stage in the exploration of who you can become?

Peace Letter #87

Dear President Obama,

Your plate is full with the oil mess, greed driven corporations, immigration issues, a nomination for the Supreme Court and the foaming anger and fear generated by talking heads of the rabid Right.  How do you ever find time to settle enough to sleep?  You are doing a very good job so far.

I would with respect ask that we move our nation away from war soon so we can get back on our feet economically and feel the benefits of peace.

Joseph Bernard, Ph.D.

Join me and send President Obama emails of support and encourage the end of war and the other dysfunctional ways of government at: http://www.whitehouse.gov/contact



“Religion Is Just A Costume Party”

I heard a very respected spiritual teacher make the above statement recently and I both laughed and thought how insightful this statement is.  I grew up going to 12 years of religious schools and was well steeped in the indoctrination of a Catholic belief system.  As I began to think about those learned beliefs I started to sort out what felt right to me, what made sense to me and what did not.  Now I see myself as a deeply spiritual person but not at all religious. 

My question is, why do people align themselves with religious organizations and beliefs and not thoroughly examine them?  There seems to be so much in need of examination about all of life especially the belief systems of others and organizations.  Think tea party religious conservatives, Sarah Palin and those who are looking forward to Armageddon and you know religion is not for the sane of mind.

Back to the title of the post and why it fits so well at defining religion.  The costume party of the Catholic Church is extensive from the Pope, through Cardinals and on down to the priests and nuns who have worn special clothes to separate themselves from others.  Other religions have elaborate costume parties and even the Tibetan Buddhists really put on a costume show.

 

As with costume parties, many religious organizations are all about show (Buddhists seem an exception).  They look and sound good but with just a little exploration you will find an absence of substance.  There are also some valuable practices.  The leaders of these giant corporations called Religions often claim to be directed by God.  How can all these different religions claim to be the only way to God? 

The real truth is that all religious organizations are the invention of human beings, mostly men, who are no more spiritual than you and I.  Most religions are about selling fear, social control, and directing others to believe things that are not true and sometimes plainly ridiculous.  Many modern mega-churches are about the ego of the ministers and about amassing resources and wealth like the Catholic Church.  These organizations do not want people to really explore their spiritual nature because those who seek the truth will soon not have any need for religion.

It may be time to update your beliefs, explore your true values and to search within for the guidance of your higher nature.  No outside organization can do this for you.  Anyone that says they know God and that God speaks through them and wants to tell you right from wrong should be questioned.  The real truth is they are often hiding behind the mask of some false God that resides only in their mind.  Also they cannot know what is best for you because they are not you and most likely have no idea what they are talking about. 

Strip away the baggage left from the costume shows of your life and instead go in search of your own spiritual nature.  There is so much in you yet to be expressed. 

Try this statement on:  “I am a fully realized spiritual person.”



Expanding Capacities Part 5 – 15 Ways To Do It With Aliveness

The work of living is different for each of us.  No two of us share even similar pathways.  Ultimately it is up to you and I to figure out what will work best for us.  There are guides along the way if we are open to being guided, but in the end it falls upon us to make life what we want of it.  As part of the Expanded Capacities series let’s take a look at what are some ways of being that will nurture us and make us feel fully alive on this solo journey:

1.         Each day intend to breathe more deeply, your mind, heart and body will work better with more oxygen.
2.         Remind yourself to be present to what is going on in the moment.  Let go of the past and live in the now where everything is going on.
3.         Let your heart be open at all times. Love is so much more powerful than fear. 
4.         Be real and express your uniqueness.  Be genuine and let go of any need to seek the approval of others. 
5.         Be kind, caring, and compassionate to yourself and everyone you meet.  A truly heart filled person has many friends.
6.         Figure out your unique mission in life and don’t let anything stop you from living it fully and passionately. 
7.         Be creative and explore what wants to be expressed in you and through you.  There is real juice for life in creativity. 
8.         Feel all you feel and let you emotions guide you. Move toward what feels positive and away from what doesn’t.  
9.          Do fun things.  Set as a goal to enjoy more of life everyday.  Having fun and laughing often are great healers and energizers for you and those you share them with. 
10. Take time to relax and quiet your mind.  This silent space is the source of endless intuition and the great wisdom of all humanity.
11.          Feel genuine appreciation for all that you have.  An attitude of gratitude is a powerful magnet for manifesting a wonderful life.
12.          Do practices that make your body feel more alive.  Exercise, stretching, moving, Tai Chi, and yoga, will make you feel alive.
13.          Be generous with your giving.  Give what you love giving. Giving always comes back in wonderful ways.
14.          Find what inspires you and pursue those activities as if your life depends on it.  Be lifted up by life.
15.          Follow your bliss.  Whatever makes you feel alive, energized and happy is worth doing.

Enjoy these 15 ways of doing life that will make you glad to be alive each day.

Peace Letter #86

Dear President Obama,

Please don’t let Congress just act tough when the Goldman Sachs executives are questioned.  Real change has to come from this or it is just drama that hurts all Americans. 

Also there is a National Prayer Day coming soon and it should represent all faiths and ways of praying.  Please replace the very slanted Shirley Dobson as representing what prayer is about.

Also let us all pray for peace.

Joseph Bernard, Ph.D.

Join me and send President Obama emails of support and encourage the end of war and the other dysfunctional ways of government at: http://www.whitehouse.gov/contact

Suggestions About Suggestions

How often do we wander about in the trance of life?  Recently I wrote here about how most of us experience life through the heavily impaired view of our beliefs.  These beliefs were created by the suggestions of many well-intended people who were just trying to tell us about life or set us straight. 

The churches we went to filled us with the suggestions of right and wrong and good and bad most of which should have been questioned but we trusted the authority of those who claimed to know God.   This trusting often left us feeling broken down because we now lived in fear of sin, or hell for just being human.  

Our parents, grandparents and family members filled our young minds with suggestions and we thought they did so out of love but most likely it came from their own suggestions they received when they we young and impressionable.  Oftentimes these passed down family beliefs are filled with incorrect and limited ideas but we went along because we thought it was the right thing to do. 

Then there is the school system too often based on fear of failure and being in control and all the suggestions made by teachers and administrators.  Self-esteem is often shaped by the school experience and too many leave school full of self-doubt all because of suggestions made by peers, and the school staff.

By the time we reach adulthood we have so many other people's ideas and suggestions inside us that we may have lost total touch with what we feel inside.  Feelings let us know when we are right with ourselves or not.  If we constantly get suggestions from others and we feel discounted inside because we have to go against our sense of what is right for us, then we end up filled with uncertainty tainted by the suggestions of others.  This leads to so much self-doubt and to confusion about what we should do and what is right for us. 

All of these accumulated suggestions amount to a pile as big as a mountain or at least a good size hill that we have to shake off and move beyond to leave the limiting trance of life behind.  Breaking up the old heap of family, church, peer, school and work suggestions is a trying task because we have to get clearer than the old false ideas, thoughts and beliefs. 

As a reminder here is the formula for living in the trance of others:

Suggestions + Affirmations = Commitment

If you take in a suggestion like, "I am a bad person for the thoughts I have," when you have these thoughts again and you say over and over you're a bad person for having these thoughts, you are then affirming you as a bad person.  If you affirm your badness enough at some point you full commit to being not ok with who you are.  Suggestions plus repeating those suggestions cement them into your reality.   

If you want to break up the cement of suggestions you have to stop the repeating of the negative self-talk and then get out a sledge hammer or loving kindness would be better of positive thoughts and dig deep into the core of your beliefs and rebuild your sense of self one positive suggestion at a time.  Self-hypnosis is a good tool for this breaking up of the trance of suggested negative and limiting thought.  This can take much work and patience or you go with the flow downstream and live fully in the now of who you are in the present moment and be completely mindful and create from you higher nature. 

There is more to explore here and the Expanded Capacities series can give you some bigger views of what is possible and techniques that will be helpful.

Expanding Capacities Part 4 – Your True Nature Is Divine

Yesterday in the afternoon I was listening to another of those amazing free podcasts from Sounds True in which Sharon Salzberg, a well-known meditation teacher, was interviewed.  She shared a story that I found very enlightening. 

She was talking to the Dalai Lama a number of years ago and she was sharing with him that many of her mediation students struggle with self-hate and she asked him about how to help them.  He looked puzzled by her question.  His interpreters had to explain to him what self-hate was.  He had never encounter that state of mind nor had his monks attending the meeting.  He saw all of us as having a Buddha nature so how could we have hate for ourselves was his question back to her.

If we all have a Buddha Nature, a Divine Nature, a Christ Nature, a Spiritual Nature, then why do we have self-hate?  This brings up at least several questions here.  One, is our nature essential Divine?  If it is Divine, how come we don’t know it or act accordingly?  What keeps us out of touch with this spiritual nature?

These questions seem clearly tied to our ongoing discussion about exploring the capacities within each of us.  Let’s see if we can answer these questions as a way to show us to what is possible within everyone one of us.   First of all, most religious tradition and all spiritual practices speak of us humans as coming from Divine origin.  Various traditions speak of a Heavenly Father and a Divine Mother, which would make us holy children.  So let’s say we are Divine, Buddha-like, and/or holy by nature.

Somewhere along the way in the Western traditions, we have forgotten or lost our essential divinity.  From a psychological perspective, our higher nature has lost out to condemning belief systems, a harsh inner critic, and judgmental family, school and social structures.  There seems to be built-in an accumulating sense of self-doubt and self-condemnation into our conditioning from a very early age.  These limiting ideas could also be called suggestions (see the previous post) that were repeated often enough to become real in our own minds.  

What can we do about these very limiting ideas of self-hate, our poor sense of self, our self-judging ways?

First make the basic assumption that each and every one of us is Divine, Holy, Buddha-like no matter what the past ideas may be.  Spend at least a few moments every day getting in touch with and appreciating the Christ, Buddha, Great Spirit, Divine Mother, in you.  Let the feelings of holiness and grace within expand.  Feel the joy and love of this your true nature.

With gentle kindness begin to eradicate all negative thoughts, critical self-talk, old limiting beliefs, suggestions and ideas that come up in your mind.  Shrinking the inner critic/condemning judger inside will set you free.  Leaving the past of self-limitation will do wonders for you.

Forgive yourself, let go and move on because ultimately it comes down to you unconsciously accepting the unkind judgments and twisted beliefs of others and then beating yourself up over these ideas.  The now is a wonderful place to reside and is always divine when you are fully present to it.

Finally deeply planted in you are tons of old messages that are not true.  Fill yourself with the light of your heart and the guiding spirit of your divine nature and dissolve all that holds you back and blinds you to your Divine nature.  

These practices will take mindfulness and kindness and will liberate in you a lightness of being that is available to yet untapped resource in you waiting to be realized.

Peace Letter #85

Dear President Obama,

Thank you for meeting and talking with the miners and supporting the working people.  Bank reform is also essential for all of us working people.  Bucking corporate influence is another essential action for us working people.  Ending our occupations overseas are also key to all of us because they are draining our future.

Joseph Bernard, Ph.D.

Join me and send President Obama emails of support and encourage the end of war and the other dysfunctional ways of government at: http://www.whitehouse.gov/contact



Expanding Capacities Part 3 - The Hypnosis Of Our Own Mind

What stops you from changing an aspect of your life? I am looking to find out what is blocking people from changing their life in some way. This could be from losing weight, changing their exercise routine, starting a business, starting a relationship, ending a relationship etc. Question by Steven Aitchison  

I came upon this question from LinkIn a network I am involved in on the Web.  Steven is a well-known blogger in Great Britain and also works in addiction as I do.  Be sure and check out his real great blog.

So the question fit perfectly with some ideas I have been exploring.  Just this morning I was reading a wonderful little book called Hypnotizing Maria by Richard Bach.  This book would be of interest to anyone interested in ending their own suffering by creating the life they want. 

My answer to his question is: That we shape our own experience of life much more so than we imagine.  It begins with our birth or maybe even before.  As we come into the world we get many suggestions from those around us.  We then decide (mostly unconsciously) what suggestions we think are right and affirm them by thinking them over and over again.

The suggestions we make come from our conditioning both from the outside world and then our own affirming by repetition of thought.  So when we suggest to ourselves that: I am too fat, I can't do it, I am afraid, I don't know how to be in a relationship, I don't deserve etc., we plant the seed of suggestion.  The mind first makes the suggestion, then affirms it over and over and then commits to it.  Example: I am too fat, each time I look in the mirror I confirm it and soon I am fully committed to it. 

The power of our suggestions and then our affirmations totally and completely shape our experience of life.  The limits we place on ourselves are like super solid walls that hold us in and keep so much of the possibilities of life out. These walls of suggestion are simply made of the construction of our thoughts.  They are not real.

The really exciting good news is that positive suggestions and affirmations are very powerful.  We can knock down the walls of past suggestions but we first must become conscious/mindful of that we may have over a million (just a guess) suggestions already piled up in us.  If by chance there are any old familiar patterns that are limiting us then there is a good reason to believe that some powerful suggestions have been laid in some serious concrete. 

(I feel like I am so excited about writing this that I may seem all over the place but I will get to the point about how we can get the suggestion train on the right track toward being more of our expanding possibilities than the limits we had in the past placed on us.)

Moving past the old suggestions, which have solidified into rock hard beliefs and limitations involves: one, a clarity and deep understanding that we are the creators of our life experience by the suggestions we make.  This consciousness will expand and with mindful awareness we can begin to see how all the walls have been constructed.  The more we see, the more we take back our lives.

Two, with consciousness we have choice.  The choice is to begin to reprogram ourselves by making new suggestions but they must not be placed onto the top of the banana split of our mind like nuts. (I must be getting hungry.)  The point here is that positive suggestions on top of a million limiting ones will not make much difference.  So what will?  That question is right at my edge of growth so I am exploring it in my life today. 

This is what I am exploring now:  I do self-hypnosis in the morning and at night to go into a deep receptive state and suggest that the suggestions I am making now will replace the earliest of suggestions in my life with the new more empowering ones. I am also writing in a journal my affirmations.  I sometimes feel the weight of the old rock pile of beliefs but lately I feel the lightness expanding.  I will write more soon. 

Be well and suggest only what you really want to realize. 



Part 2 – Expanding By Letting Go

It is Friday already, where has this week gone.  The days seem so full and there is so much we want to do or accomplish or get through, when does a person just take it easy and enjoy?  Who has time for exploring personal interests or work on a self-improvement program?  The good news is that effort is not the main ingredient to expanding your capacities, nor is filling you day with more activities. 

Sometimes it feels like life is just focused on doing more and having more.  Yet neither the doing nor the having is how we tap into the greater unexplored depth of who we are.  Rather the process is taking a break from so much doing even if it is for only moments throughout the day.  This expansion of who we are is not about acquiring more of us but instead dropping the baggage of old stuck ideas and limiting beliefs we have been carrying around for too long. 

Let's explore these ideas of taking a break from doing and leaving the old limits behind.  First the human obsession about doing is much more the need of the ego.  Slow down, step back once in awhile and just notice what forces within are driving us too hard.  Are these forces about enjoying life, about expressing ourselves in creative and energizing ways or are they about looking good, about being in control or having more things? 

The outside longings are not important especially compared to the inner desires for meaningfulness and happiness.  The easier and more fun path is one of being more fully who we are in whatever we do, work, relationships, leisure time etc.  This can be as easy as following whatever brings us into an experience of joy or bliss.

Secondly the old ideas, stories, beliefs, teachings of others, and early decisions about life are not reality and in fact often far from it.   These are like walls the mind has built to contain us with the ego as the architect.  They serve as protection against the fears of our own mind also as barriers to a greater expression of who we are.  These walls appear solid and important but they can change in a moment of insight or awareness.  Yes we are the jailor if our minds have become rigid or closed in any way.

The opposite of the jailor role is someone who sets us free.  This someone is the wisdom of an inquiring mind and an understanding seeking heart.  There are no walls anymore because we have dissolved them into the moment of consciousness.  As we expand ourselves, we see more, we feel more, we are open to experiencing and receiving more.

Try these three ideas this weekend:

1. Imagine an open place like along the ocean or out on the plains, on a ridge, in a ball field, or sitting in the spaciousness of a quiet mind and feel the breeze of life as it flows around you and through you.  There are no boundaries.
2. Sit or walk somewhere free of distraction and become acquainted with yourself.  It is best just to kindly observe what you feel, see and experience as avenues into self-awareness.
3. Do at least several things out of the ordinary for you.  Break your morning routine, eat different foods, see a silly movie, do something for the heck of it, or whatever will shake up the familiar.

What do you see about yourself?  How do you hold you back?  If you felt no discomfort then you might be playing it safe or you may have found a opening to a higher expression of yourself.  Remember life is an experiment and a comedy not a scripted drama.

Peace Letter #85

Dear President Obama,

We are not in need of new and better weapons systems, we are in need of new a better ways of communications and compassionate action.  What is needed is an evolution of the heart and mind not technology if we want a peaceful world.

Let’s focus our resources not on War but on the human capacities and the hope that generates.

Joseph Bernard, Ph.D.

Join me and send President Obama emails of support and encourage the end of war and the other dysfunctional ways of government at: http://www.whitehouse.gov/contact



Happy Earth Day - Appreciating Our Beautiful Planet

Tomorrow I will return to my Expanded Capacities series but today is Earth Day. I wanted to share my appreciation for this beautiful tiny speck of planet we call home as it floats across a vast universe.

Here is what I appreciate about the Earth:

It provides an atmosphere to protect us

It provides us with water to drink and shower

It provides soil to grow food

It provides air to breathe

It provides the basic materials to make all we need

It provides so much beauty for us to appreciate

It provides oceans to sail

It provides rivers to navigate

It provides mountains to hike

It provides warmth from the sun

It provides seasons to experience

It provides rain to water the garden

It provides us with a place to call home

It provides shelter for other living creatures

It provides fuel to supply our needs

It provides grass to take a nap on

It provides land to build a home on

It provides a place for the exploration of love

It provides a location for growing human intelligence and exploring human potential

It provides a home for the human spirit to be realized

What do you appreciate about our planet?  Are you concerned about the way it is treated?  There are many non-governmental agencies dedicated to looking out for our planet Earth.  Find one that interests you and get involved:

Sierra Club  

The Nature Conservancy

The Pachamama Alliance 

Greenpeace

Friends of the Earth 

These are just a few I trust.  I have been a supporter of the Pachamama Alliance because of the consciousness of their work.  The others are also excellent organizations.   Also the work of Robert Kennedy Jr. as an advocate for the environment is exceptional.

Check out this article: 7 Things You Can Do For Earth Day That Actually Matter 

Please show kindness to the Earth today by getting involved.

Peace Letter #84

Dear President Obama,

As you know today is Earth Day.  Thank you for doing your best to look out for our planet.  We as a nation are getting better but there is still much to do.

War is terribly destructive to the planet and it’s people.  Please take us out of all wars as soon as you can.  

Joseph Bernard, Ph.D.

Join me and send President Obama emails of support and encourage the end of war and the other dysfunctional ways of government at: http://www.whitehouse.gov/contact



So Much Is Going On Yet Who Is Working For Peace

Lately I have been very focused on ways to expand what we think we are capable of realizing in our lives. The past few posts have been about this topic so I thought I needed a little variety just to let my readers know I have not gone off the deep end of fascination about the human potential.  Although frankly I could write about these ideas for a long time and never run out of interest for this topic.  So let me wander elsewhere today for the sake of noticing what else is going on. 

As you know there is much else to comment on including: the media driven obsessive fears about Al Qaeda and socialism; that there are still people who actually believe what Rush Limbaugh says; that the natural unrest of the planet indicated by the volcanoes in Iceland and earthquakes in Tibet (wrongly called China by the news outlets) may be something we should pay attention to?  And there is more.

My recent visit to the Apple store reminded me how much I appreciate their gadgets, no wonder they have so many loyal customers.  Still there is more happenings in the news to comment about including: Then there is the eye-popping profits of Goldman Sachs who seem heartless and driven by greed; the moronic comments by so-called holy leaders of the Catholic Church; the attempts of many nations to censor what appears on Google; and the overall good job by President Obama even in the face of fierce opposition.  Yes I could comment on any of these events/situations but they all seem like the stuff of life we can get lost in. 

What seems most important to me is Peace.  As you have noticed I continue to write the president in support of his efforts for the really tough job he has and to request that he pull the US of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.  I now have written the President over 80 times requesting a move toward peace which to me is so essential for the future of this nation and humanity in general. 

War is about human egos and for too long we have let our male ego needs dominate the way we relate to other countries.  This old way is so primitive and shows no evolution except in weapons systems.  Now we have the bombs to blow us all up over and over again and we still have no strategies for peace.  This makes no sense unless we are in the arms business because by all indicators we certainly are not in the business of peace. 

War is always about power, greed, control and who profits the most.  The wars we are in now are not about keeping us safe.  That story of protection in the media uses fear to rationalize the horrors of war.  When we entered these countries we did so with the plan to stay; not to keep us safe or to protect the people of those nations. 

You and I who pay attention are not fooled by what is going on there.  The question is how long are we willing to stand on the sidelines and watch this war nonsense continue?  Peace is the only answer so isn't it time me move past the old destructive ways and enter into a period of constructive progressive change for the good of all of us?

Peace Letter #83

Dear President Obama,

Let’s be honest, war is about control and power not about saving people or keeping us safe.  We are not, nor have we been, endangered by the people in Iraq or Afghanistan.  We are there to stay for strategic purposes.  This nation and others for too long have been in the business of war not in the business of peace.  When will the higher ways of compassion and consciousness win out over the ego needs of those who want more power? 

Please Mr. President be the guiding light to the higher human expression of peace.  

Joseph Bernard, Ph.D.

Join me and send President Obama emails of support and encourage the end of war and the other dysfunctional ways of government at: http://www.whitehouse.gov/contact



Expanding Capacities Part 1 – Stepping Quietly Into What Is Possible

Yesterday's 32 capacities are very possibly only the beginning of what the potential is within us.  Years ago I read a mind expansive book called, The Autobiography of a Yogi by Yogananda and it talked about the many powers (siddhi's) yogis acquired through their practices.  This book was fascinating because it talked about people who could do amazing things that most of us would not think possible. 

In athletics, in martial arts, in healing arts and elsewhere there are practices/disciplines that can alter what we might think is reality.  The little novel Illusions by Richard Bach is another book worth stopping by your local used bookstore or library to get.  Illusions is a story about the human capacity being stretched beyond the ordinary.   This topic of human capacities is so interesting because there is so much in us that is not yet tapped into and most of us sense that potential wanting to be explored and expressed.

So you might ask, where do we begin?  The answer is to begin within.  Nothing needs to be acquired or purchased.  No special diets are required, no feats of strength will be needed, no heroic courage is necessary, and no mind-bending skills are essential.  You are already fully equipped for this journey.  

The way of the breath, mindfulness and self-inquiry is good place to start: 

Sit quietly,

Experience your breath more fully than ever before,

Feel yourself expand and contract, open and close,

Allow the relaxation to come naturally from the soothing energy of the breath,

Feel the life force flowing through you,

Enjoy the pleasure of feeling such aliveness,

Open to the peace, love and happiness in the now,

Simply watch what comes up,

Gently quiet the inner critic / the judging mind,

Be mindful of the thoughts, the feelings and sensations,

Inquire into your nature as a human being,

Appreciate all you are, all you experience,

Just be in awareness for the sake of awareness,

Be present to fully appreciate you in the now,

Go with the flow and see where the river of life and consciousness take you.

Peace Letter #82

Dear President Obama,

There were many people armed with guns in Washington DC recently at a gun rally that is made up of dangerously angry misguided people who all seem obsessed about socialism.  These people seem to have lost their capacity for critical thinking.  The media talking heads on the Right who stir these people up with their lies and misinformation are pushing this nation away from compassion and fairness towards intolerance and hate.  Please have someone at a safe distance explain to them that you will not let hate run this country.

Please also move away from the angry act of war and bring our nation toward peace.

Joseph Bernard, Ph.D.

Join me and send President Obama emails of support and encourage the end of war and the other dysfunctional ways of government at: http://www.whitehouse.gov/contact



32 Expanded Capacities Waiting In You Today

Today’s post is a very enhance version of past one and it felt as if some greater force was flowing through my fingers as I wrote.   I feel blessed to have these ideas come so energized with inspiration, so full of wisdom and the joy of living fully.  This post is all about what is possible within you and I; the potential of capacities and an invitation to expand who we are so we can experience the realization of our unique expression.  

The following is a list of expanded capacities just waiting to be expressed in all of us.  Please place this list (please feel free to copy it and place it in a word document so you can print it)  where it can serve as a reminder that there is so much in you waiting to be realized:

1. That each of us has an unlimited potential.  This idea is about unlimited, endless, ready to be explored and expressed potential in every one of us.  Time to go exploring.
2. That our thinking when focused on the positive can make our life a joy to live.  Positive, optimistic and hopeful thinking works so well that it will turn our life into one of filled with peace of mind and happiness.
3. That there is no limit to the creativity within us.  There has never been found a limit to human creativity; look around and see all that has been created by us humans.  What creative genius is waiting in you?
4. That within us is the collective wisdom and consciousness of the whole human race.  To say you don’t know is not accurate because if you quiet down and patiently listen inward all human understanding is made available.
5. That we were all created in the likeness of the Infinite Source, The Divine, God, Higher Power.  Our divine nature makes everything possible for us if we open up to who we fully are.
6. That we have within us the capacity to heal all illness.  Our immune system is flawless if we keep open and relaxed.  Healing takes place when we live with total appreciation of our heart and spirit.
7. That the words and ideas in you and I are inspirational as the words and ideas in Martin Luther King.  Tune into the wisdom of ideas and words that flow through you and awaken the world in your own way.
8. That our capacity to love is so expansive that we could love every living thing on the planet and still have more love to give.  Ponder this capacity to love and find ways each day to share more compassion, kindness and caring.
9. That our breath if deepened can take us into advanced states of relaxation and higher consciousness.  The breath is our built-in link to our Divine nature.  Take a moment now and breathe with awareness and feel the opening that is waiting.
10. That our ability to visualize can actually shape our world and manifest our desires.  Within each of us is a flat screen in which we can see what we want, imagine it, feel it and make it happen.
11. That our energy centers called chakras have the capacity to enrich our lives in many more ways.  These centers are life forces that have capacities waiting to be realized.  Close your eyes and discover these points at the base of your spine, middle of the pelvis, at your center (navel), heart, throat, third eye and crown (top of head).
12. That our spirit is our life force and this force existed before our birth and will continue forever after our life ends.  Taking some time to build a relationship with your spirit will transform you life.
13. That our body is an incredible creation that can sense emotions, digest food, activate our immune system, feel the lunar influence, think complex thoughts and so much more all while dancing across the floor, painting a picture, laughing out loud or whatever we are up to.  Join in the full appreciation of all you are and celebrate life each day.
14. That we can feel emotions that expand us or cause us to contract almost every moment.  Feel what we feel and expand into what feels loving and joyous and move away from fear, anger and other forms of contraction.
15. That we can choose to be about as happy as we want to be.  If happiness is a choice and it appears to be, what choices do we need to make to live a happy and fulfilled life?  
16. That if we learn to follow our bliss, our lives will be a joy to live and an inspiration to others.  When we feel bliss we are on track for creating the most amazing life.  Bliss is feedback that in the moment we are just where we need to be.
17. That our capacity for listening can help us have compassion for the suffering of others.  Listening is a wonderful gift to give to others especially those who are struggling.  Compassion is the heart in action.
18. That in each of us is an intuitive guiding force that can always show us the way to love, peace and happiness.  When we listen to and act according to our intuitive knowing our life is wonderful, when we ignore our intuition, suffering often occurs.
19. That in the silence of the moment all is made available to us that we could ever need.  Yes in the now what happens is that hope, joy, peace, love, inspiration and freedom arise to meet our greatest desires.
20. That a sense of gratitude for how wonderful of a life we have will create more for us to be grateful for.  Gratitude and appreciation are magnetic forces attracting more for us to appreciate.
21. That to know your Higher Self will set you free to fully express all that you are.  Our Higher Self is infinite in its capacities to create, manifest, and realize our Divine nature.  Sit quietly and have a conversation with Higher Nature,
22. That each of us has a unique purpose that has the power to change the planet.  This purpose is transformative both to our lives and to all we touch.  Think, Gandhi, MLK, Buddha, Abraham Lincoln, Nelson Mandela and other transforming heroes and realize this resides in us.
23. That every person has within him or her the light of inspiration that can shine out across the Earth.  Look into the mirror and see the light in your eyes.  That light needs to shine out in the world for the good of all humanity.
24. That living in the moment opens endless opportunities to create the life you want.  There is only this moment and in this moment are infinite possibilities.  What is that we want to manifest?
25. That giving to others always makes us feel better.  Next time something makes us feel poorly, find someone who needs our kindness and caring and give to them and feel the positive flow that happens in that giving. 
26. That within each of us is the ability to allow whatever we want to come into our lives.  Allowing is a powerful state of mind that goes beyond any past limitations of thought or conditioning.  Allow the flow and it will be there. 
27. That reading books with expansive ideas can invite the best in us to come out into the world.  Reading, listening to, and watching inspirational ideas can ignite us to become bright lights shining across the planet.
28. That a creative design, a wonderful painting, a thoughtful poem or an inspirational song can show us how much we have inside of us waiting to be expressed.  Following the guidance of our creative urges will awaken the best in us and inspire others to do the same.
29. That today is filled with everything you need to be a happy, loving and an inspired human being.  Living today means leaving the past in the past and the future in planning stages.  Now is the only place where the pot of gold of prosperity, success, happiness and love exist.
30. That abundance of what you want and desire is available to you.  All is made possible through our force of intention and desire.  To desire is to seek our highest expression and a positive link to the Source of all creation. 
31. That the feeling of relief can be so liberating.  Relief is when we move past the drama of our lives into the liberating feeling of what is possible within us.  Let you mind and emotions flow toward the sensation of relief when you want to take yourself higher.
32. That we are all one.  Unity Consciousness is another term for oneness.  We are all interrelated and what we do does matter to all of us.  Living in peace, joy and love makes it possible in every living being on this glorious planet Earth.

In the coming weeks I will put together a program to help you realize these capacities waiting in you.  Please join me and together we will turn the lights on in our eyes, expand our hearts, use our minds for the betterment of all, and liberate our spirits to soar to our highest and most expansive expression.

Expanding Capacities: A Series – Introduction

There has been a lot of excitement flowing through me lately since the talk I heard on Monday at our Public Health meeting.   I mentioned Chet Sisk (Google him for lots of info) and the inspirational talk he gave.  His talked reminded/validating that my work on expanding possibilities in the client we serve is the right direction and does make a difference.  He used the term “expanded capacities” and it got me thinking that I want to do a series here at my blog about expanding our capacities.  I have written about this idea in a number of ways over the past couple of years.  I will now review and further explore ways to expand what is possible within us and latter put together an e-book so you can have in more readily available.

Let’ begin with some basic ideas:

• The greatest limits to our lives today are the stories, ideas, and beliefs in our mind.  We can change those thoughts and enrich our lives.
• Our mind is much more than our thoughts.  Beyond the 50,000 to 60,000 thoughts per day is a capacity to observe and know our higher nature.
• We shape our experience of life.  When something happens, it is what we think about it that causes us to feel and act.  If we change our thoughts we change our experience.
• Our feelings are neither good nor bad they are responses to our thoughts and feedback about what we are doing.  If we are feeling positive than we are on track; if we are feeling negative we are off track. 
• There is in every one of us a Higher Self/Spirit that has no limits of time, energy or capacities and is waiting to show us the way to more happiness, success and the life we desire.
• Love and compassion are the greatest healing force of the universe.  All the world problems can be resolved by opening our hearts.
• Most of the stories of World’s Religions are often very limiting stories and not about our spiritual nature.  The better way to engage with our spirit is in our own silence.
• Each of us has a purpose and that purpose can be found in the heart and living it will make a positive difference in the world.
• There is so much to explore about our own nature and potential. The best way to explore is with an open mind and heart and a willingness to step out of our comfort zone.
• The way to higher expression is to push beyond the ordinary boundaries of thoughts, habits, and the familiar out into the extraordinary of life long learning, contemplation and risk taking out on the edge.
• In summary, real freedom and happiness comes from knowing our thoughts, acknowledging our feelings, caring for our bodies/health and communicating with our spirit.

These are a few of the themes I want to explore with you and others to come.  There are a variety of methods to do this exploration.  I will share a number of the methods I have explored and other methods I know to be beneficial.  Come join me as together we expand out capacities and enrich our lives and all those we come in contact with.    

Peace Letter #81

Dear President Obama,

Thank you for standing up to the GOP about financial reform and also for whatever part you played in encouraging the charges against Goldman Sachs.  This is essential work and absolutely necessary for protecting the people of this nation.  I often feel the forces of greed and power within our nation are much more dangerous than the small bands of religious fanatics around the world.

Please put most of your focus and our resources right at home and end the wars we are in because they are hurting us more than helping anyone.

Joseph Bernard, Ph.D.

Join me and send President Obama emails of support and encourage the end of war and the other dysfunctional ways of government at: http://www.whitehouse.gov/contact



Finding Balance, In Search Of Center

Have you ever walked across a narrow path where your balance seemed very important, maybe along a cliff or on a board across a stream?  Have you ever had to walk the line between waiting patiently and jumping into action?  Have you ever strained to ease up rather than push forward?  Balance is being comfortable in a variety of circumstances and never losing your center.  Balance is the awareness of thoughts and emotions and tasting the variety and yet never giving in to the impulses of indulgence.  Balance is witnessing with the observer mind yet being fully submerged in the now of the experience.

How does one get to this place where one is both witness and participant quiet walking along the balance beam high above the temptations of life yet dipping into them like a strawberry in chocolate?  To find balance explore these different viewpoints:

• First stand erect with your head stretching into the clouds and your feel rooted into the earth.  Feel as you rock gently forward and back and sideways to sideways.  When you arrive at the center of all this movement you are experiencing balance.
• Next locate your center from toes to head and experiment moving from that center.  Move toward something and away from something.  Stretch for a book on a high self or pick a spring flower from the garden.  Where is your balance point?
• Now find your emotional balance point.  When should feelings be felt and how much should you feel?  All feelings are ok and if you watch them they will come up and shortly move on to other feelings.  Emotional balance is to watch what you feel and still be in charge. 
• Follow that up with finding the center of your mind.  Are you about what was or what will be?  Is there a past or future any other place than the mind?  The mind’s center exists in the now, alert to the possibilities present.  Can you find that present moment in your thoughts?
• Where is your social center?  Time with self and time with others.  When too much time is spent alone craving for contact arrives.  When too much time is spent with others longing for peaceful moments arise.   
• Lastly and possibly most important is finding your spiritual balance.  Are you walking in the air of fantasy or stuck in the muck of daily life?  What lifts you up to a higher realm of nature?  Is balance in spirit much more you as a spiritual being having a human experience as opposed to you being a human having a spiritual experience?

Can there be balance among these different aspects of self?  Yes it is important to find balance between mind, body, emotions, social and spiritual?  Too much time spent focused on any one aspect will throw off the balance.   Take some time over the next few days to explore these ideas and see what you will discover.  When centered and balanced, you will feel at peace and just where you need to be.

Me-Centered Vs We-Centered

Are we living in a me-centered world or a we-centered world?  You and I are probably a combination of both and there is good reason to be.  If we care about ourselves and also care about others; we can live in the balance of caring for self and looking out for others.  This compassion for self and others is a very healthy quality and important in the world we live in today.

Most people are me-centered to some degree because they see taking care of themselves as important.  They know that if they don't care of themselves no one else is likely to.  They want what they want and sometime loose sight of what others need.  Self-care and self-love are very important qualities to be a well round human being.  Those that miss out on self-love often find themselves trying to make up for it by surrounding themselves with what they want.  This usually doesn't work because being ok with oneself happens within.  What works better is caring for self, which enhances our ability to reach out beyond our own needs. 

There are also people who care little about self and define their lives by their giving.  These people may dedicate their lives to caring for the needs of others (people, animals, plants etc).  The quality of their giving however may be less if they do not at least have an open heart to themselves.  We-centered people are inclusive and often think about the bigger picture like people who are hungry in other parts of the world.  The unhealthy end of the “we” people is that they don't do a good job of self-care and sometimes fall into blaming others for the ills of the world.

It seems like there are almost as many combinations of me-centered and we-centered people as there are people in the world.  Some types seem to stand out as representing me or we. 

There are those are obviously more "me" focused: politicians, celebrities, CEO's, radio talk show opinionators, etc.  There are others who work at animal shelters or homeless shelters, in education or human services who focus on caring for others who tend to be more “we” oriented.  There are the tea bagger’s political groups who focus on “me” as if it is the “we” that are doing them wrong. They don’t seem able to see a bigger picture. There is also those who suffer quietly and are stuck in the small world of a closed heart and refuse to open to the “we.”

Seems I am rambling along here and I know there is a point or two I want to make.  The first point is that there is no right or wrong, good or bad in this “me vs. we” debate.  This is just a spectrum of human possibilities.  If you are interested in finding where you are at on the spectrum do some self-inquiry and observe your interactions with yourself and the world around you.

Me. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . We

Be careful not to become judgmental towards self because that would mean less self-awareness and move you away from your kind heart. You may find that your edge for growth may be towards more self-care (me) or moving in the direction of more compassion (we) for the rest of the world

The balance point for each of us is different but it resides some where in the middle. 

Self-care = More Compassion for Others. 

Loving Me = More Open to We

Peace Letter #80

Dear President Obama,

Financial reform is a great focus for your administration and so needed.  Just one example: if so many of the wealthy corporations didn’t get such tax shelters, social security would be flush for generations.  Also all the financial gambling with all these near secret angles has left us in a mess.  Please work to protect us all.

Also don’t forget the War effort is a financial disaster at every level so let’s get out of the mess we are in.

Joseph Bernard, Ph.D.

Join me and send President Obama emails of support and encourage the end of war and the other dysfunctional ways of government at: http://www.whitehouse.gov/contact



The Pope Has Lost His Moral Center

There has been some headlines lately that caught my interest.  I went to 12 years of Catholic Schools and never heard of or witnessed any abuse of children.  I left this church not long after adulthood because it seemed like a more a mega corporation than something that could help nurture my soul.  My intuitive sense of not wanting to be associated with this authoritarian organization now seems more right than ever.  

The child sexual abuse that has come forward lately speaks of authority not being questioned and the neglect of children by those who didn't stop any further abuse from happening.  The pope's role in any cover-up has put protecting The Church over innocent children. That says to me there is no spiritual center to this organization.  Sure there are deeply spiritual nuns and priests who do good work but the organization called the Roman Catholic Church is a disaster when it comes to caring about the most vulnerable.

It is time for a major re-evaluation of this corporation by its members as to why they want to be members. The local communities of parishes may be meeting needs of its members but is there really need for a pope and a cardinals and a hierarchy of authority when it cannot even protect its followers from the illness of its abusive priests? 

I questioning why anyone would give money to this organization if they are not capable of doing no harm? How come this abuse has gone on so long?  There had to be a cover-up and how come those covering up have not been charged?  Shouldn't the pope be charged if he protected the organization and not the children? What would happen if other nations brought charges and he could not travel outside the Vatican without the fear of being extradited?  This would put into question the whole idea of this hierarchy of control that is not serving the people but it's own ego's need to remain in power.  

This nonsense of The Church being more important than the people is the same problems we have with many corporations.  How is it that we let this continue?  CEO's get bonuses after running their companies into the ground and the pope gets to act like some kind of moral authority when he lacks compassion for children and cares more about his organization then what is right.  Is this ok with you?  

If I were an active member of The Church, I would look elsewhere to get my spiritual support because I would feel they do not care enough to protect children.  Where along the way have the higher values gotten lost and the organization became more important?

The idea of infallibility of the pope has always been an odd and unbelievable teaching of the Catholic Church but this makes a mockery of such a teaching.  It seems one must question much of its teachings and dogma if they have hidden the truth to cover themselves from taking responsibility for the abuse by priests and the neglect by those in places of authority who didn't stop this mess long ago.

Here are some things that come to mind:    

• Always be weary of big organizations that care more about power than people.  
• Never quit using our minds to question the dogma and beliefs of those who say they represent God but are actually far from spiritual.
• Any organization that calls itself the one true religion is too blind to itself and dangerous to the rest of us.
• As an outsider looking in, I now see priests/ministers are actually more social control agents rather than guides to the spiritual realm.  
• It seems most organized religions need to be questioned to their core because they do not serve any God that I can see except maybe the God of the Ego.  
• Avoid any Bible toting folks who are trying to save you because they are obviously lost in the confusion of a their own thoughts. 
• Finally: God has no religion.  

Expanding Our Capacities

I work for my county’s Public Health department and yesterday we had over 160 staff members come together from our various departments and spend the day talking about our mission and plans for the future.  We also had a motivational speaker named Chet Sisk who works with the homeless by teaching them a life skills course, which includes quantum physics.  Instead of talking about finding a home or work he believes their lives will remain the same unless they expand their capacities. 

This idea of expanded capacities is what I base my treatment program on and like Chet, I see very positive results when we help people break their cycles by expanding what they think is possible.  This expanded possibility is in each of us; it can be called awareness, consciousness, having an open mind, and is about moving beyond habits and old ideas and more. 

When anyone gets stuck and seems unable to move forward it is often because our mind is limiting us.  It is now time to expand our capacity.  For the homeless and addicts if they can’t imagine a better life for themselves than they will not be able to change.  For the ordinary Joes like myself, when we get stuck it is because we are deep into a groove of habit or spinning in a rat wheel of old stinking thinking.  If we are not growing and expanding our capacity, we are flat lining and soon to be headed downward into the numbness of dull brain and protected heart. 

 So what should we do to keep expanding our capacity and inviting that in those around us?  The following 10 ways are ones I know to be very helpful in keeping our growth ongoing:

1. Keep learning new things, pay attention to where your interests are and follow them.  There always seems to be guidance waiting when you are open to learning.
2. Find out where the energy of inspiration flows for you.  Is it reading books and articles, watching videos, listening to music or podcasts, having conversations with friends?  Go with what makes you feel alive.
3. Get together with a group of peers and form a study group; that way you can learn from the interests and passions of others.   Book clubs can be inspirational this way.
4. Seek out the guidance of others who have something to offer that can raise your insights or motivate your growth.
5. Attend conferences, workshops, presentations, or retreats that would be uplifting to you.
6. Take some time each day to involve yourself in self-inquiry, contemplation or other expansive practices.  Silence is so powerful because there is much to be explored and understood within each of us.
7. Allow your creative impulses to take you on a journey of self-expression.  The more you express yourself the more you expand your capacity.  You need to be you.
8. Venture out often from the comfort zone of your life, explore new places and cultures, volunteer, break old habits, make new friends, discuss with those who have different viewpoints.
9. When stuck go in search of guidance from a teacher, mentor, or coach; this is someone who can invite and encourage a fuller expression of you.
10. Find your connection to your Higher Power, Spirit, or Divine Source and request to be guided while being committed to listening carefully to the direction that will come your way.

These are what work best for myself and others.  What would you add to this list?  There is no better day to give some of these a try than today.

Peace Letter #79

Dear President Obama,

It may be time to question the military experts because they only see ways to wage war not ways to find peace.  They are blinded by the ego’s need for control. 

We the people are not benefiting from this war in any way because this is not about keeping us safe.  This is about our old imperialistic ways.  Please move to bring peace to where we now cause war. 

Joseph Bernard, Ph.D.

Join me and send President Obama emails of support and encourage the end of war and the other dysfunctional ways of government at: http://www.whitehouse.gov/contact



Crime, Punishment, Control and A Greater Guidance

There is an early meeting in the morning so I am posting Sunday evening.  Many of the clients I work with have felonies and have a difficult time finding work.  Many of these felonies are drug/alcohol related and once on their records they limit many possibilities.  If these people paid for their crime by doing time how come they keep getting punished? 

One of the clients I worked with recently move to another state to explore a heart connection with a woman he had been friends with when he was much younger.  The reconnection went very well and she helped him find a job and he went to work and did a good job until it was found out that he had a felony in his past.  Someone had sent out a letter to expose his past.  I guess they figured he hadn’t suffered enough. 

My client then lost his job, his woman friend lost her management job for recommending him and the general manager that hired him may loose his.   So now he has paid for his crime again and someone he loves pays for his crime and someone he works for may also pay for his crime.   What is wrong with this scenario?  

How come in this country we are so set on punishment?  Does punishing people really rehabilitate them?  Does putting people in jail make them better people?  Is firing someone who recommended another person fair?  How come it is ok to punish people without questioning if that is a good idea?  It seems that punishment is about shaming another, about trying to put them in their place, or trying to control them.  What gives people the right to pass judgment over others?  How come in a work environment in the private sector that employees and even management can be fired at the whim of whoever is in charge?  Do these people who are fired have any rights in the private sector?

These questions seem important to ask because too many people end up having their lives thrown into chaos by being fired for “the good of the company.”  It is as if the company matters more than the individual.  Is that ok with you?  Are we ponds to those in authority and to the corporate mindset?  Isn’t this about control and in this case taking the livelihood away from decent people to show who is in control?

There is so much to question about the way things are and this areas of past felonies and workers’ right’ are part of an old “crime and punishment” model that seems straight out the limited thinking of the past century.  This model is heartless and closed minded.   Isn’t it time the heart is brought back into the decisions made about other people’s lives?  When will we evolve past this heartlessness and seeing punishment as the only method of intervention for those that behave in ways others don’t want them to behave?

Another viewpoint for my client and his partner is that there is obviously something else for them to be doing than working for heartless companies who really don’t care about them.   The guiding forces of the Universe work in mysterious ways.   The events of the past few days certainly have the markings of some kind of abrupt shift that they need to pay attention to and explored at a deeper level.  It seems to me it is time for some quiet contemplation and no movement forward until they are clearly guided to do so.

May there be peace and a deeper knowing for all those who suffer under the heartless decisions of those who like to exhibit control. 



What Shifts In Evolutionary Consciousness Do You Want?

Lately people seem tired and restless.  Is it that way in your world?  I feel myself in those states recently and yet I also wonder how much is this in kind of a collective weariness reflective of the times we live in?  What is your sense about this restlessness?  Maybe we are on the cusp of some huge shift and are feeling the energy of that evolutionary bump that is on its way?  I think of a tsunami and how before it hits the land it pulls all the water out; like sucking us dry? 

If there is a shift coming where do you imagine it will show up.  Will the planet be altered?  Will we leap forward as a species and what will that look like?  It seems we would all benefit from a number of major shifts in consciousness.  The following are some that come to mind:

• A shift towards more compassion for each other would be indicative of an evolving heart
• The full realization that we are all connected to each other in a vast web across many levels of awareness
• A movement toward individual spiritual awakening and away from organized religions
• The expansion of global village where nationality will be less important
• Total healthcare for all run by compassionate organizations not for profits corporations
• The evolution of the corporate influence back to where it belongs as a minor player in government policy
• The further understanding and activation of the brain/mind capacities, which is potential in waiting
• The realization of the importance of all the relationships we find ourselves part of whether family, work, friends, community and globally
• That we are all much more similar than different and that working together will make the world better for all of us
• That ideological differences are just thoughts and if we change our thoughts we are can join together as one
• That all beings deserve a life in which their basic needs are assured including a home, income, healthcare, love and the hope for a better future
• Education lasts for a lifetime and that education needs to be a priority to empower all the people to be informed and understanding citizens of the planet
• Better health is available to all if everyone gets the opportunities to learn about eating for wellness, benefits of exercise, and the ways to maximize healthy mind, body and emotions
• A healthy political process comes about when people learn to put their egos aside for the benefit of humanity
• When kindness, generosity and prosperity comes to all through the realization that there is no longer a need for greed
• That power and control is placed on the back burner of human endeavor so that the people work together to benefit all

What would you add to this list?  Yes many of these ideas represent the highest of human capacities and there is no reason they cannot be realized in the next generation or two.  Remember when 10% of the people get clear and focused on what is right for humanity an unstoppable wave of influence touches us all.   

Peace Letter #78

Dear President Obama,

I so much appreciate your work to reduce nuclear weapons.  Signing the agreement with Russia was great.  It seems like such a long time since anyone did anything positive in this arena.  Thank you.

Now please do your best to get us out of any wars.  They are the old ways and we need new more conscious ways in the 21^st Century.

Joseph Bernard, Ph.D.

Join me and send President Obama emails of support and encourage the end of war and the other dysfunctional ways of government at: http://www.whitehouse.gov/contact