There Is No Armageddon

How come we let politicians and those shouting ministers even talk about Armageddon because it is such nonsense poorly hidding its purpose which is clearly to do one thing, stir fear.  There is no sin and guilt and heaven and hell.  We have nothing to fear but our own thoughts.

It is a foggy day here at the coast but my mind seems especially clear.  I can’t help but wonder how come we keep on choosing to fog our own mind up with the thoughts of others (those driven by their egos) who are more confused than we are? Thoughts of fear are not true unless we feed them by living in the future or anchored in the past.  Thoughts of hell are only as true as we let our minds create hell in our own life.  Sin is a word that has no meaning unless we believe the misguided teachings of others.  There is no Armageddon but many keep spreading this idea in the hopes of controlling the masses by trying to make people fear for their soul.  There is no reason to fear for our soul because it is totally free of the kinds of ego thoughts that limit us.

Isn’t it time for us to say, I am done with this nonsense, I am going in search of the truth.  Another person’s truth can never be ours.  The world is really messed up in many ways because we let false thoughts run things into chaos.  False thoughts are not sustainable, neither are false beliefs (most are), nor the use of fear, nor trying to control the masses, nor is corporate rule, nor is the workings of the ego-mind. 

It seems the leadership in our nation’s capital all believe nonsense, live in fear, can’t compromise and are run my egomania.  No wonder a Tea Party has sprung up unfortunately it is just more nonsensical egos filled with blaming and complaining but no real solutions.  Politics is really nothing more than a bunch of thoughts that people drive themselves crazy over. 

We create the reality we live in.  If we don’t like what we see, we need to take responsibility to be agents of conscious change.  There are thoughts that are not real and then there are the inner knowings from our higher nature, which speak to the truth as we can understand it.  These truths come in the quiet stillness of our higher mind not in a shout fest outside an abortion clinic or at the White House.    

In the quiet of this moment, you and I can know our truth and with intention and action we can invite others to find their deeper truths.  The biggest barrier is the ego mind.  Are we ready collectively to move past the ego noise to hear the uplifting peace and wisdom of our soul?



This Is International Peace Day

Today is International Peace Day.  I love peace and wish peace for the world and inner peace for all.

Here is a simple but touching YouTube Video about Peace you might appreciate

I send love and peace to everyone on Earth today.  I love you all.  My heart is filled with compassion for everyone.  My mind if filled with consciousness that I send to each of you in the form of light.  My body radiates health and well-being which I send to you in waves of soothing and healing energy.  My spirit which is eternal and without limits sends you an abundance of all you need to be at peace and happy. 

You are loved.  You are inspired by the light of the unity in all of us.  You are healed by the source within and the Universe.  You are never alone because we are all with you.  You are my brothers and sisters.  You always have what you need and you can open to abundance if you wish to.

In the silence of this moment please accept yourself fully, please open your heart to love, please open your mind to the light of our collective consciousness, please let your mind and body be healed from any limits to your well-being, and please be one with your spirit and let yourself soar.  Your light, your love, your well-being, your spirit make a great positive difference in the world.

Be Peace, Be Balance, Be Harmony, Be Light and Be Love



Moving Towards The Voice Of Sanity Inside

The ocean looks calm this morning and the blue sky is always welcomed here at the Oregon coast.  Lately I have been interested in how do we bring more sanity to the world when so many people are talking crazy?

What I mean by talking crazy includes: those that deny there is global change by our pollution even though almost all the scientist agree; those that want deregulation for business when that is exactly what got us into the mess we are in; those that hate government but then collect their benefits; those that hate people of other religions or other nationalities; those that think we should be in the wars we are in; those that spread fear as if we are all suppose to live that way; those that cheer for executions and letting people die from lack of healthcare; those that insist we believe what they believe; and so much more.

My definition of sanity includes: thinking rationally; being understanding; accepting differences; having compassion for each other; having an open mind; acting for the good of all; realizing we are all connected to each other; being patient; trusting in the innate goodness of each other; choosing to live with hope and courage rather than in fear; being humble; seeking to express more of our potential; building relationships; finding ways to work together; ending all wars and more.

Sanity comes from our heart and our higher mind.  Sanity is when you and I do things guided by our intuitive wisdom with compassion for self and others.  Sanity is loving and listening with a desire to understand.  Sanity is appreciating all that we have and focusing on positive possibilities.  Sanity is caring for each other knowing we are all brothers and sisters.  Sanity is knowing we have a purpose and that has to do with our heart and leaving the world a better place.

How do we shift from the voice inside that is run by the fear agenda of the ego-mind?  How do we move from hate to compassion?  How do we shift from critical judging of others to acceptance?  How do we let our higher nature guide us?  How do we find our way home to the wisdom of our soul?

Now is the time to find within each of us the voice of our soul or spirit, our higher self and pay attention to this deep wisdom and inner knowing.  The loud noises of those living in fear have become so present on the media but they are not who we are.  Living in fear is caused by losing touch with our higher nature.  We who ask questions and seek to express our highest good are the hope.  Let’s find many ways to let our heart shine and our consciousness bring light to the world.

I just returned from my morning walk on the beach and I was drawn again to the image of the ocean of consciousness and each of us being a drop in that ocean.  Because of the ocean of consciousness that resides in our higher nature, we have all the wisdom that we need to be part of the great potential story of our time.  That story is the story of how higher consciousness and compassion became the guiding forces in transforming humanity to a place of balance, harmony and peace.  You and I can be a significant part of that story.  Are you ready to take your next step toward being fully-realized?



Choosing A Life Other Than Fear

Recently I heard a very successful author being interviewed.  She has shared great wisdom in her bestselling books but in the interview she seemed dogmatic and so sure the listener needed to see the world the way she does.  As I listened I found myself uncomfortable at the point where her ego took over.  It is sad to me when the ego’s voice of the raised intensity of sureness takes over a human being. 

If you listen to talk radio the voice of the ego seems to be always blasting it sureness.  Many political pundits are dominated by the ego’s voice.  These voices reflect a world dominated by fear:  fear of other’s ideas and beliefs, fear of the so-called, “enemy”, fear of lack (even with much wealth), fear of being questioned, fear of change, fear of the unknown and more.  These fears turn into: the need to control; anger when they feel out of control; shouting to be heard; rationalizing everything they do; saying whatever it takes to put other ideas down; much critical judging of differing points of view; resistance to question their own thoughts and beliefs; have a exaggerated need to be right; ignoring the rationality of science and logical thinking if it conflicts with their thoughts; and inevitably the closing of the heart and the rigidity of the mind.

The world is a scary place when we let fear dominate our thinking.  However we can choose another way of being in the world:

Quiet the mind

Become acquainted with the silence within

Be mindful of our thoughts

Live in the present

Find reasons to be hopeful

See the beauty around us

Focus on what we appreciate

Fill our minds with positive and inspirational ideas (stop watching the news)

Focus on who and what you love

Spend time in nature

Go for walks and release the day

Do exercise we enjoy

Take time to relax and get the rest we need

Learn contemplative practices like mindfulness, meditation, tai chi, yoga etc

Find more ways to have fun

Be a member of a supportive and positive community

Find ways to express our creativity

Give to others through compassionate acts

Have friends that are encouraging and hopeful

Choose to be happy

When we live by these ideas they change the way we are in the world.  I have been exploring and practicing these ideas myself and with many others for 30 years and I am confident they will enhance a person’s life in many ways. 

Let me know how these ideas work for you.

Note: I am very excited because an idea for a book and its structure came clearly to me over the weekend.  There have been many inspired ideas over the past few years but this book is clearly defined.  This book concept fits well with my planned Guidebooks For Life series.   I am now enthusiastically putting the ideas together so I can start writing the book.  I will share more as I go. 



Can We Afford To Let The Ego Continue To Dominate?

Recently I was reading that Michael Moore has received death threats because he speaks up for what he believes in.  It made me wander what kind of mindset/illness would a person have to have that would cause them to think it was ok to threaten or kill someone because of their point of view.  In the article about Michael Moore he told of the police calling him and saying they had a man in custody that had planed to blow up Michael’s home and maybe his family.  This kind of thinking that it is ok to blow someone up because they have a different point of view to me seems insane.   Isn’t all this killing people who think differently insane? 

It should not surprise us that people kill others over their points of view.  Most wars are rationalized as ideological in nature.  The Crusades supposed “Holy Wars” and since then we have been killing our fellow human beings because they have different beliefs then we do.  This kind of thinking is clearly the workings of the ego-mind.  The ego-mind has the ability to rationalize everything it does.   The ego is obsessed about being in control and right.  So obsessed that it can rationalize murdering people who think differently.

It is way past time for a change.  Here are some questions we all need to consider so we can be part of the solution not part of the problem: 

How are we working as humans to eliminate the ego domination of in our mind?

How come we allow the ego-minds of religion to determine what we should believe in and what is moral and what isn’t?

Do we need to educate people about the dangers of their own thinking?

Does it seem that all the strong opinions on the news are spreading the idea that a mind dominated by the ego is reality and acceptable?

Shouldn’t we question our thoughts if we are get angry at others because they have different thoughts than we do?

Why would it be ok to attack people who think differently?  Can’t we agree to not agree?

How come we fall into classify people as “not ok” just because they belong to another religion, have another skin color, belong to another social class, or have different points of view than the ones we do?

Why is it ok that racism/classism/religionism (maybe not the correct terms here but you know what I mean) are growing more intense?  

How come so many think they are members of the only one true religion?  Doesn’t that sound like the ego at work?

Should religious leader be spreading negativity and hate about other religions?

How come religious ideas have become so present in politics?  What about the separation of church and state?   

Are we a Christian nation?  Who determines that? Aren’t we in fact a nation that stands for religious freedom?

Should leaders be telling the people they lead what to believe?

Should our military be aligning itself to any one religion?

What would be a mature response to those who think differently?  How about listening to other points of view without judging?

Is a mind, that is sure it is right, open or closed?

Why would anyone be personally offended by another person’s beliefs?

Can a person be truly a spiritual if they have a closed mind or a closed heart?

Should we elect people to represent us that are driven by their ego’s?

Isn’t being absolutely sure we are right the working of the ego-mind?

How could we invite people to open up to a inclusive dialogue about all beliefs, about ways to eliminate the dominance of the ego mind in the world?

There is in each of us an ego-mind.  In each of us is the desire to be right, in control and look good (more like looking powerful or being somebody that matters).  Let’s see if we can’t notice in ourselves when the ego-mind is running our show.  Teach those around us to also notice when the ego is getting in the way of our heart, dominating our thinking, pushing people away etc.  If change is going to happen, those of us most awake will have to be the ones that lead the way towards more awakening and more hope for humanity. 



No Karma, Just Enjoy and Express

It happened after I woke up in the morning and allowed myself to turn inward to see if I was available for a journey outside my body.  Quickly I left the resting body and went to a place where the feelings of peace and an expanded state were present.  After the part of me, away from my body, realized I was in an altered state there was a resource in the form of a voice made available to me.  Any questions that I had, responses came back without hesitation.  When I asked what was the source of this voice, I was told it could be defined as the collective consciousness or viewed as my higher Self aligned with the wisdom of the universe.   Higher Self or collective consciousness were presented as one in the same. 

With the voice offering answers, I began to ask lots of questions.  (If you know me at all, you know asking questions in one of my strengths.)   I wanted to know if we are here to learn lessons and become a better person?  The response was we are here to enjoy life as a human being and to express who we are as fully as we can.  The lesson part is not our purpose but may happen as we pursue our fullest expression.  There is no transmigration of the soul through lifetimes because each lifetime is unique.  However, in a lifetime, we may connect to the past, present or future journey of others through the collective consciousness. 

Each person is totally unique and the spark of life in each of us is part of the ocean of consciousness that exists in oneness.  In other words, the life force in us has no karma, is not determined by the past, and is totally free to express itself free from any judging of any so-called God force.  The voice clearly stated that there is no judging God, that is a human invention as are all religions.  These ideas of a judging God (beginning early in human life with Santa and “naughty or nice’) and religions (filled with judgment of self and others) are invented by humans for self-regulation but serve no greater purpose and in fact are not necessary. There is no such God the way religions would have us believe.  There is however a very enlightened intelligence not in any physical form we could identify with that could be said to be  the source and guide force of the universe.  We can make contact with that Intelligence only through our inner channels of silence and other contemplative practices.  There is each of us the full ability to choose a way of living that we enjoy and that expresses our uniqueness.  Every person is infinitely unique.  Happiness is available to everyone.

As I write this I am wanted to state that these ideas in the post are responses to my questions, not ideas I came up with.  I am becoming a more conscious human being but these ideas have come from a wiser source then myself.    

The truth is that we all come from the same collective life force/ consciousness.  We are not here to live up to any belief systems but to be ourselves.  We don’t have to suffer if we allow ourselves to step into the bigger picture of what is possible in us.  All the stories and drama we get caught up in are unnecessary because we don’t need to use them to make us better human beings.  We can be as free and happy, as we want to be.  We can choose to live life any way we want to because there is no destiny or greater plan or judging force.  It is up to us.

As I got up and moved around after this mind expanding experience I noticed that I was feeling outside of my ordinary limited sense of self.  I took Pax and we walked on the beach and for a while I sat on a log and enjoyed feeling connected to everything around me.  This connection is the true state of our relationship with the world.

These ideas may cause reactions in us and that is ok because they may disrupt belief systems and ideas we hold on to.  Maybe it is time to more closely exam how we are choosing to live our life and what we think is true?

This passage way through the ocean at very low tide makes me think of journeying to places outside of the ordinary.



Patience, Exploring And Trying To Explain the Unexplainable

Seems like I have been wandering about in my writing lately and it may be a reflection of the uncertainty I have been feeling.  I want to go out into the world and spread love and compassion but I lack clarity on an intuitive level of what that looks like.   I want to write a series of guidebooks but it doesn’t feel like quite the right time.  I wonder if I am dragging my feet or trying to be patient with myself and the process?  Sometimes I just don’t know for sure and that is ok.  I will just be with what is until I know it is time to move in some direction. 

I just finished a really tasty blackberry crumble my wife made a short time ago.  I love tasty food and a tasty life.  I have come to respect that I need variety, new challenges, to go in different directions, to be spontaneous, to be authentic, to be engaged in purposeful work, and a big dose of freedom.  What do you need to create the life you want? 

As I write I appreciate that I have come to value and respect my own sense of what is right for me.  I have been raised in the belief that we should do life by a certain set of values but I tossed most of them out and went in search of what works for me.  To live according to the rules of others is to live in compromise to our own truth.  I cannot do that, I have to listen inward and be guided by what I know to be my values, my guidelines.  This may seem self-centered and the truth is this point of view is centered in my Self (higher nature) not the fearful ramblings of my insecure self.   The approval seeking of my small self has given away to the knowing ways of my wiser Self.  I am thankful for this process of inner transformation.   Although far from complete I live and sleep in greater peace than ever before.   

Lastly today I want to share an experience I had on my run in the forest yesterday.  I have been practices an inner insight method I learned from a insightful teacher named John Sherman (with his permission I will share more about this technique in the future.)  On the run I found myself separating from my body and becoming a witnessing presence.   As I climbed upward I was breathing hard realized that was my body but not me.  I could see myself as a body in motion, as a mind taking in what I was doing and appreciating the beauty of the forest around me.   This watchful me is my higher state of being.

Watchful me is an interesting description of the part of me that is not my body, not my personality, not my thoughts or my feelings.  In this watchful state, there is a full participation in what is going on but there is no “I.”  Let me explain that.  The “I” is most often the ego, the identity with personality and body but that is not who we are.  You and I are much more, we are seeds of the infinite, divine in nature, able to fully experience the human life but not be caught up in it. (For an interesting experiment, notice every time you say "I" and see who the "I" is who is speaking.)  To write about this is challenging but I have more to share that may be even harder to explain.     



Opening To A Broader Perspective

We can all use a broader perspective because we have our blind spots, our limiting beliefs, things we need to be more aware of, feelings to understand, new human discoveries to explore, recent insights to integrate and more.   A broader perspective means we are able to grow, be more successful, have more meaningful relationships, become a more conscious human being, give more to the world because of more inner resources, and in general be a more self-realized human being.  A closed mind, a guarded point of view, an ego-driven sureness that we are right and others are wrong all add up to a narrow perspective that leaves us out of touch with what new insights and wisdom can arrive in the now.

What would a broad perspective include?  That question got me thinking and here is what I came up with:

Global consciousness – This is the realization of the unity of all of us on this planet.   We are one.  We share so much more commonality than we are different.  Earth is a small planet in a vast universe.  We are much more a planetary family then all the artificial boundaries we have created.  In the realization of the unity is great freedom to explore what we can create together.

Higher Nature - If we take the time to go inward and see who we are, we would come in touch with our Higher Self, our soul, our spirit or whatever we would call it.  This aspect of who we are is infinite and eternal; it is one with the Creative Force/Source of the universe.   The more we explore our higher nature the higher will be our human expression.

Impartial Witness Self – There is an aspect of us that is the non-judging watcher.  It is the capacity to step back and see that we are not our personality or ego but in fact much more.  This observer in us is part of our higher nature and is totally available to us now if we go inward.  This Impartial Self can provide us with all the wisdom, insights and awareness we need to keep growing for a lifetime.

Beyond Boundaries – We humans have created so many boundaries including: religious, nationalistic, political, social, and others most of which are rigid and narrowly defining.  These are just ideas we give meaning to but don’t really exist other then as thoughts.  The astronauts discovered when they orbited the Earth that there are no boundaries.  All deeper truths of religions are variations of similar themes and do not have to be boundaries from a broader perspective.

Beyond Beliefs – Beliefs are just ideas we become attached to and are mostly unwilling to examine.  Beyond beliefs is an open every expanding possibility.  Questions always provide new insights and take us beyond the beliefs learned from others toward our own truth.

Creative Beings – Each of us has the ability to be creative in endless ways.  There never has been found a limit to human creativity.  Being creative is one of the most alive ways to live as a human being.  If we create our heart sings and often times our creation makes the hearts of others sing.

Spiritual Beings – We are truly spiritual beings having a human experience.  The human part of us gets caught up in the dramas of life but that isn’t who we are.  We can experience ourselves as free beings hanging out in bodies enjoying the journey of being human.  We each have endless potential and possibilities waiting to be purposefully expressed in our own unique way. 

Infinite Heart – There is no limit to how much we can love.  We can have compassion for everyone and act with kindness to all we meet.  We can love, love, love and love some more and have more to give.  When we love we feel most alive and closes to our divine nature. 

How else can we be broader in our perspective? 



From 9/11 To Peace

Today is the 10^th anniversary of 9/11 and it is time to redirect the course of this nation after that terrible day.  The previous president saw the attacks on 9/11 as a reason to go to war.  Since that time we as a government can’t seem to get enough war.  Iraq, Afghanistan, Libya and who knows what is going on that is kept in the dark.  The cost of these wars is budget busting, the lost of life unacceptable, the focus of our resources damaging in so many ways, the behavior of war-making so unenlightened, and if there are benefits he can only be for those who profit from them.  

This need to be in wars our government is obsessed about is the work of the primitive, ego-driven mindset of control, power and win.    Update: no one wins a war everyone in the war looses so much.  Those that say we have to win these wars have no sense of compassion for all the loss that takes place.   The way of war is obsolete because it is wrong at so many levels including at the level of us being spiritual beings.  Spiritual beings do not kill each other; they practice peace and compassion.

The killing of the bad guys is from the cowboy days of TV.  This is our government involved in killing other human beings for oil, for power, and for profit.  Haven’t we grown past that mentality yet?  What will it take for us to evolve enough to move toward cooperation and the realization that we are all part of the Earth family? 

I encourage everyone who cares about peace to find a way to get involved in making that happen.  There is a new peace intention project/experiment that wants people to get involved.  Check that out here: 

There is an 11-11-11 at 11:11 peace and effort check that out here: http://www.peaceplus2011.com/

There are also many other programs that have been working for peace for years.  Please find a program you can feel good about and get involved.  Also for each of us to start an inner program of peace would be helpful.  If you find that you are not peaceful much of the time then maybe it is time to make some changes from the inside and raise your energy to positively affect others.  I offer a free guide to Inner Peace here at my site that I wrote and know it will be very beneficial.  Look under free stuff above and download the guide. 

You and I can make a difference.  Are you ready for the challenge of claiming your own power through more compassion and higher consciousness?



The Master Soul: 50 Ways To Explore

The idea of soul mastery came from Hilda Charlton in her consciousness-expanding book called Saints Alive.  This idea of the potential of you and I having a master soul has me wondering about what the qualities of a master soul are and how can we bring that about?  I suspect that we all come equipped with a master soul we just need to make contact with it and learn to express this mastery. 

The qualities of the master soul would most likely include: being centered, free of judging and being critical, open hearted and compassionate, guided by wise mind, seeking consciousness, patient, peaceful, present, joyous, awake and aware, appreciator of beauty, unity consciousness and more.  Taking the idea of opening to the mastery and wisdom of our soul I thought I would share with you ways to open. 

Here are my over 50 ways to bring out mastery in your soul:

• Stop for brief moments throughout your day and tune inward toward your soul, higher nature
• Listen to your intuition and be guided by that
• Notice and appreciate the beauty around you and touch in with the soul while doing that
• Breathe deeply and make contact with your higher nature often
• Slow down and appreciate the moment and  how wonderful life is
• Slow down and appreciate the gift you are to the world
• Step into nature and feel the expansiveness of it and of your own nature 
• On a clear night join in the family of the universe by imagining that the whole Milky Way is part of you
• Tap into the unity consciousness of all beings and feel part of it
• Stand by the ocean and see yourself as a drop joining into the ocean of consciousness
• Have fun and feel your soul dance along
• Be creative and experience the spirit within expressing itself
• Become aware of your infinite and eternal nature
• Slow down enough to go beyond the personality and ego and sense the impartial observer in you
• Live fully in the moment and watch the love, peace and happiness that naturally arises
• Read something inspirational and allow it to take you way out into thoughts and ideas that you have never had before
• Each day find some way to explore and express more of your potential
• Find the music in your soul and express it in song, poetry, music or whatever way you are called to do
• Have compassion for others and feel how you make contact with your highest nature in doing so
• Let the child in you play and experience your more essential self
• Find how to make contact with your wise mind, which is free of the ego and free to expand endlessly
• Spread love throughout your day and experience how it expands you
• Be the expression of a fully realized being filled with light and love
• Look into your eyes and see your light, then turn that light out into the world
• Let the flow happen through writing, building relationships, and living with passion
• Find your purpose and play it boldly as if the world planet is dependent on it
• Feel what you feel and be accepting of all that you are
• Care for your body in ways that make it feel alive
• Live in your body as if it is a temple of the divine
• Quiet the mind often so that you can hear the wisdom of your spirit
• Leave old beliefs on the scrap heap and free yourself to live fully
• Find your inner peace so that you can spread peace out into the world
• Locate your center and keep on returning to it when you fall into reactivity or obsessive thought 
• Take on a broader perspective so that you can keep on expanding
• Spend time going under the noise of you mind and explore the river of knowing
• Find the place in you that does not exist in self-identity
• Live in the world not concerned about the approval of others
• Let your self-protection down and live with greater transparency
• Tune inward and notice what/who causes you to contract and what/who invites you to expand
• Let your soul guide you toward taking yourself lightly
• Find out what makes up your thought up self and what makes up your Higher Self
• Listen to your self-talk and change what isn’t insightful, supportive, and encouraging
• Practice trusting yourself and your own sense of what to do
• Find what values mean most to you and live by them
• Develop your ability to look at yourself and the world impartially with a kind heart
• Use expansive brainstorming as a way to loosen up the mind when it gets narrow and ego driven
• Practice being kind every day and feel your soul smile
• Open to the idea of deserving the life you want as a reflection of your spiritual nature
• Go in search of your own truth and continual seek clarity within
• See yourself as part of a much large process than the workings of your own mind
• Move toward cooperation and building relationships by seeing the divine nature of all you meet

Let me know what you would add to this list. 



Five Human Stuck Points and Five Ways Out

When I spend time reading all the inspirational spiritual writing on the Web I become much more hopeful than I do when I checkout the political news.  It seems that the narrow minded, misguided, so called religious people grab all the headlines while us spiritual and compassionate types all work away quietly.  Maybe that is the way it has to be?

Yesterday I had an interview for a job in another town about 40 minutes away and it went well.  I feel ready to move back into action but am unsure how much I want to go back to working for an organization.  I am a free spirit and struggle with the confines of a job.  I know I want to be out in the world as a speaker, teacher, consultant, and workshop and retreat leader and I have to make that happen.  Fortunately my wife is good at making things happen on a business level.  My skills are helping people grow and express the potential of their mind, heart and spirit. 

This going back out into the world got me thinking about how I can best serve others and what does really bring about true change?  It seems obvious to me that conscious change is needed and necessary or too much fear and anger will dominate the way the human family relates to each other.

There are several serious stuck places that we all can fall into that need the light of higher consciousness:

1.  Many people are too sure they are right and they want to control others who look at the world differently.

2.  Many people have closed their minds and have stopped questioning their own thoughts.

3.  Many people have closed their hearts and feel distant and depressed.

4.  Many people would rather blame others then look at what they can do to make the world a better place.

5.  Many people have become angry because they live in worry and fear and feel powerless.

These 5 stuck places many people find themselves in are the product of their own mind.  The ego-mind to be more precise is the cause of much self-caused suffering.  Maybe it is time that the higher mind be the guiding force.

Here are 5 thinking changes that will offset the self-imposed suffering of these five stuck places.

1.  The ego’s need to be right causes much suffering, destroys relationships, and is a source of many of the world’s problems.  In truth we can only really know what is true for us.  Therefore, we have to allow each person to find their own truth and give up trying to make them fall in line with what we think.  Reminder: Thoughts are not real, they are just words we give meaning to in our own head.  Beliefs are thoughts we hold onto but they are no more real. 

2.  Someone said a closed mind is like a parachute, useless unless open.  How can anyone be so sure that they close their mind to other ideas and points of view?  If we don’t question our own thoughts we can limit our life is so many ways.  Another truth is that: many of our thoughts were taught to us by others, who may have been totally wrong or misunderstood.  An open mind has infinite possibilities. 

3.  Closed hearts are a huge loss to humanity.  Those that have closed down their hearts lack compassion for self and others.  This mostly unconscious decision to close the heart can be remade today.  We can chose to live in the world with an open heart.  If we have blocked our heart to anyone or any situation it affects our ability to feel love for even those we care most about.  Time to let the past go and live to love today.

4.  Blame is such an easy out because then we don’t have to take responsibility for what our part is in the problems of the world.  All the problems of the world come back to us, we are the government, we are the ones that need to be right, we are the ones that judge others as not ok, we are the ones that become rigid and inflexible.  An open mind is always flexible, learning, exploring, and seeking to understand.  Taking responsibility is very empowering.

5.  Fear is a product of a closed mind and heart.  Fear is the opposite of love.  If we are filled with worry and fear, we need to find ways to open our heart.  Another cause for worry and fear is that we live in the past and future and not in the now.  Living in the now is free of fear.  You can only plan for tomorrow, today.  The past is gone and today you can make whatever better.  Powerless is not true unless you think you are.  The mind has infinite power and possibilities unless we limit it. 

What would you add to these rethinking tips?  What has worked for you?



Five Ways Of Being A Light For The World

It has been 30 days since I have settled into my new home and I feel rested and inspired and ready to move into action, ready to be out in the world again.  The benefit of taking time to care for my own mental health is that it allows me to come back into my center.   Working with an open heart leaves me vulnerable to the trauma and suffering of the people I help even though I work extensively on running that energy out of me.  This challenging energy can knock a person off center.  However in my work, compassion is the key but compassion means being open in the heart for another in search of understanding.  I feel as if I have discharged most of the past heaviness and now feel the light of having an open heart. 

Today I want to write about how to open to the light within.  The source of the light within you and I is eternal and infinite and we can access it through insight and understanding.  I want to help expand your understanding and invite new insights in you.  First the understanding is about the realization that you are one with the Infinite Source of the universe.  Many people call this source God but I tend to avoid that term because so often this word God is used so falsely and out of some kind of need to feed the ego’s desire to be important.  A vital understanding is  that you are created in the likeness of the Source filled with the infinite light and potential of the Source.  You and I if we choose to can move into the light and express our potential in an endless number of ways. 

Here are 5 ways to make contact with your own light, open to insight, and begin to express what is possible with you:

The Source – you came into this life choosing to move toward the light even if you may not remember that decision to do so.  Now it is your purpose to fully live the light within you.  Your unique expression of that light is up to you.  Your task is to commit to connecting with Source in whatever way works for you.  Others have lots of ideas but you need to find your own way.  Silence is a very powerful doorway into your Infinite nature.

The Light – This light within you may feel like inspiration, love, energy, purposeful action, an intuitive knowing, creative expression, and other ways that make you feel more alive.  Living in the light means expressing yourself both as a being of light and as inspired by the light.  Find where light is made available to you in your life.  Look into the mirror and see that light in your eyes and remember your divine nature.

Love – Loving, having compassion, being kind, and caring are all parts of your divine nature.  When you express love in whatever ways you do, you are tapping into the Source.  You have within your heart and infinite supply of love.  Only you limit your expression of love.  You have the capacity to love everyone on the planet and still have more love to give. When your heart is open, you are living in the light and spreading light out into the world.  If you seem unsure what to do ask yourself this: “How can I express more love in my life?” 

Being – You are not here to do; you are here to be.  To “be” means to live in the moment fully present to who you are and what is possible.  Being is the only true way to live in the light.  Yes action is part of your expression but it is most powerful when you are centered in your beingness.  When you do things guided by memories of the past or fear of the future, you miss being in the now.  Remember you are a spiritual being having a human experience.  Be fully present and be open and light will be there.

Higher Self – You have two basic selves.  One self is run by the ego-mind and it is about survival and doing.  The other Self is one with the Source and it is about being.  The Higher Self could be called your soul or your spirit.  The Self can serve your divine expression as a compassionate witness to your life and as a guide to what is possible within you.  If you make contact with your Self throughout your day, you will always be guided to your fullest expression. 

There are many ways to be and express your light waiting for you to discover.   Life is an amazing experiment of moving toward the light, living in the light, and expressing the light.  Be a light to the world.

Four Methods For Quieting The Mind And Preparing To Sleep

This weekend visiting with my dad I learned that he has a very difficult time sleeping because he cannot shutoff his busy mind.  The noisy mind is a struggle for most of us and so I thought I would share with you some simple methods for slowing and quieting the mind.  These simple methods will take practice because bringing peace to the mind is not easy.  

If you take the time to explore these methods you will benefit in several ways: you will go to sleep more easily; you will have more energy for your life; you will be more at peace with yourself, and you will experience more freedom and happiness.  Here are the methods:

Breathing With Awareness – this practice is the simplest but powerful in altering your state of mind in a positive way.   Breathing with awareness is simply paying attention to your breath so that the noise of life and the mind go into the background.  As you focus your attention on the cycle of the breath including the inhale, space, exhale, space, you place all the horry/worry/chaos of the mind quietly behind the watching of the breath.  The space between the inhale and exhale is a quiet moment of transition from breathing in to breathing out and from breathing out to breathing in.  Watching this full cycle of the breath naturally begins to slow you down.  If you take ten minutes to do this practice, you and your mind will be more relaxed.

Breathing With Sound – another simple practice is to tune into the sounds around you.  This is an especially wonderful practice out in nature where the sounds like birds, a breeze, the ocean, or a stream all naturally cause a relaxation response.  However any sounds will do including your breathing or heartbeat, traffic passing by, the noise of a refrigerator, people talking next door and others sounds in your world.  If you listen to the sounds and have them as your focus, then soon you will find yourself slowing down and being more fully present.   A quiet and calm mind is much more resourceful than a busy and chaotic mind.  If you do this outdoors in a natural setting you will get the additional benefit of the healing energy of nature.

Observing And Labeling – The third practice is a more traditional one that comes from a meditation practice.  In this method you sit quietly and observe what thoughts, feelings and sensations come up within you.  You watch what is going in inside for the purpose of being mindful and to practice not being attached to your thoughts and feelings.  This practice is about noticing what is going on inside of your mind and your body and labeling these activities as thinking, feeling, or sensing.  So as a thought comes up you label it as a thought and return to following your breath.  The same happens if you experience a feeling, you label it as a feeling and return to following the breath.  If you experience a sensation like a smell or twitch, you label it as sensing and again return to watching the breath as it flows in and out of you.  Labeling without attachment to what is happening in you is a very liberating practice because you do not have to change anything, you simple acknowledge what is true in the moment.  In the moment is a deep river of peace and harmony.

Grounding Breath – This fourth practice is more physical and is especially helpful for anxious bodies, restless legs and the need for the body to feel more balanced.  If you have past trauma in your body this method will assist you in releasing it.  In this practice you stand up and bring your focus to your breath.  As you exhale you flex downwards (1-2 inches) at your knees as if to release energy from your body into the ground.  On the inhale you stretch back upwards but not enough to lock the knee as if you are breathing in the healing energy of the Earth.   The slight movement of relaxing downward and then rising upward is done in coordination with a slow paced breath.  This method does balance your energy by releasing what needs to be released and by drawing inward energy that will be soothing and healing to you.  This is an really excellent 10 minute practice before you lie down to go to sleep if you notice that your body needs to be more in balance or harmonious. 

These practices all have been powerful for me and for many others and are a natural way to help you relax and more easily go to sleep at night.  They can be done before you go to bed (after brushing teeth and whatever else you do just before you lay down) or in bed except for the grounding practice.  When you train the mind to do these practices it gets better at them and soon it just takes a few minutes to get in the groove of watching the breath and relaxing the mind. 

If you have questions please email me at josephteach@hotmail.com.  Sleep well and be at peace. 



Now Over 1500 Posts

I just realized I have recently past 1500 posts here at my blog.  I am very grateful to the Source of all this inspiration whatever it may be.  Since I began this blog in February 2008, there has been a steady stream of light flowing through me and my fingers as I have mindfully explored life.  I am much richer from the experience of writing this.  My hope it that you the reader have benefited as much and I have.  This blog will continue its almost daily activity until the flow of inspiration comes to an end. 

Thank you for stopping by and sharing this journey of exploring life with me.  Love, peace, happiness to each of you.  

Loss Hurts and Compassion Heals

Two nights ago I heard about the death of a recent client that had been doing well in her recovery.  She had a relapse (not uncommon) and began drinking a couple of weeks ago.  It seems she most likely drank herself to death.  She was full of such light when she was sober.  She touched people by just being who she was.  Somewhere inside however was someone who could not recover from some misguided childhood ideas that she was not ok.  This is a very sad loss for all of us that had such great hope for her.  May she find peace and come back again to share her light.

The sadness I feel is also for all who grow up feeling not ok because of the life they grew up in.  There is no blame just curiosity about how anyone can plant the idea in a child’s mind that they are anything less then wonderful.  All parents and teachers have very challenging work but please do not ever put self-doubt into any little person’s mind.  Schools that teach kids and fail them are really the failure not the children.  Parent’s who project their own issues onto their children hurt them more then they are aware enough to understand.  

Compassion is always a better place to put our energy rather than criticism.  If someone struggles they need more love not a person tell them they are not ok.  Even the best intended people sometimes say things and act in certain ways that are critical or judging.  These mistakes if a person is mindful can be repaired with love and kindness. 

If the ego-mind is involved however being critical and judging is all part of what it does, in some way trying to control or offset its own self-doubt.  It seems very important to me that we take the time to sense how we are doing and see our affects on others and make sure an open heart and compassion is present in our interactions with all beings.   

How are you doing with being compassionate with your interactions with others?  Please if you catch yourself being less then open hearted and supportive; kindly redirect yourself to the ways of compassion.  Being kind with self is a good way to get started.



Compassion Is A Great Antidote To Trauma

I listened to a talk by James Doty on YouTube this morning about compassion and it got me thinking about the work I had been doing with addicts for the past three and a half years.  Dr. Doty said something about a minute of compassion has the potential to transform a life both for the giver and the receiver.  I know this to be true. 

Most of the clients I worked with came from significant trauma.  My bias is they most would not be addicts if they had not been traumatized.  Addiction for them was self-medication to try and reduce the inner pain they felt.  

In my work I listened to the stories of my clients with compassion.  I gave them compassionate support and taught them how to have compassion for themselves and their feelings.  I invited each person to be mindfully compassionate with the workings of their own mind.  This allowed the clients to feel safe enough to begin to explore new ways of being with themselves and their past.  This is what together we called “change from the inside out.” 

Trauma remains in a person’s body and psyche until compassion finds its way deep into the painful vibrations from the past.  When the caring, kindness, and compassion of others and self grow within, trauma is able to begin to release.  This release is like a relaxing back into parts of self that had closed down or remained guarded.  When parts of self are reclaimed then healing can take place.  I saw this happen all the time with the people I worked with as each person began to look more alive and they began to speak about a new life for themselves.

I too was touched by being the giver of compassion both because it enriched my life and because I also became the receiver of their gratitude and caring.  Helping a person has a way of continually giving back. 

Until I saw the video I had not clearly labeled compassion as the key ingredient but of course it was.  If compassion can help heal the most traumatized, imagine what it can do for you and I if we have compassion for the places in us that are stuck or in need of some kindness.



We Are All One On This Planet

Last night around 10pm Bobbi, Pax and I went out across the street to the ocean and sat on a bench (Pax sat on the ground not that interested) and looked up at the stars.  The night was very clear and it seemed as if the Milky Way was close enough to touch.  The darkness here at night away from any city makes the stars so bright and clear.

In my recent exploration of higher realms I have had a few very powerful experiences.  Each day I have been traveling through out-of-body experiences and going to really interesting places.  One I would like to share was when I left my body and experienced myself expanding and expanding until I felt as if the Earth and myself were one.  In this moment of realizing global consciousness I was filled with energy and excited by the insight that yes the planet is a living organism and I am at one with it.  We are all one with this beautiful ocean covered life form. 

This living planet although huge to all of us who live here, is in fact not much bigger than a small rock compared to the rest of the universe.  How is it that we humans get so over inflated about ourselves when in the true scheme of the universe we are totally insignificant?  The humility of really contemplating our insignificance is a great reminder to relax and let things go in our life because they really don’t matter. 

What causes us so much suffering is that we don’t let things go.   Instead we go over and over again how we have been wronged or how we are not ok or whatever the mind obsesses about.  This self-inflicted suffering is not necessary.

In global consciousness, we are all one, together, sharing so much more than we have differences.  What we do in our daily lives affect the whole because we are connected.  If we are kind, loving, and compassionate those vibrations spread to all.  If we are open we can give and receive from each other.  If we care enough to consider our actions then everyone benefits.  If we find our own way to peace others feel the waves of that in their lives. 

Yes we are all connected at a very deep level and to think differently means the mind is closed down to see the reality of a much greater truth.  Each of us on this planet is part of the family of humanity on a planet called Earth, in a solar system somewhere in the Milky Way.  So much more common than different is the truth and that common ground offers a great hope for the human race.

Global oneness will be another part of the theme of my work as it evolves into the greatest of understandings.  You and I and everyone not matter our beliefs or points of view are brothers and sisters and together we can make the world a reflection of that truth.

Why Not Have Compassion For Those Who Suffer From Natural Disasters?

It is my hope that everyone impacted by the storm on the East Coast get the help and support they need.  I have to say something about the heartless political types that say hurricanes and earthquakes are messages from God.  This sounds like the consciousness of beginning Sunday school class.  Frankly I prefer to be led by people who think expansively not run by a guilt filled agenda of some narrow point of view.  These same politicos are often against federal aid to those hurt by the disasters.  I wonder if they missed the Sunday school class about compassion for each other.  Our nation and we the people are very compassionate and those that are not would not make good leaders. 

I find myself wondering why all this nonsensical opinion of the ego-mind gets so much press?  It is almost like the agenda of the corporate media is to normalize crazy thinking and to highlight the ego?  It seems like most people would get really tired of having to listen to people who seem so self-important and closed in their minds and hearts?

There is no question in my mind that you and I have to be the forces for positive change guided by the wisdom of expansive thinking and the compassion of an open heart.  The old ways of ego-driven agendas are not sustainable because they lack the deeper knowing of consciousness that can only arise in the present.  Ideas frozen in the past cannot be the guiding wisdom for the future because they do not incorporate what we can learn by shared conversation and a larger global consciousness.  (I will write more about global consciousness and my experience with it soon.)

Please let us all take the time to have compassion for those that seem so unaware and are run by a fear-based agenda.  It most be a very painful way to live in the world.  Imagine the inner stories they must have to keep alive to even be okay with how they experience themselves and the world. 

There is an easier way.  We can stop all the need to be right and in control and instead slow down enough to appreciate the moment.  We can go in search of our heart and find more ways to love.  We can open up to new ideas, to knowing our higher nature, and to being at peace with ourselves.      



Can Politics Be Informed By Higher Consciousness?

Today on my run I explored a trail nearby and followed a sign to sign to a huge Sitka Spruce that was 15 feet wide and close to 200 feet tall.  The tree is around 500 years old.  I would sure love to tap into what this tree knows about the wisdom of nature and the universe.

There has been so much going on politically in the news that I find it very hard not to comment on many things because it all seems full of nonsense, dominated of the ego-mind, so lacking in compassion for fellow humankind, and little or not evidence of true wisdom and higher consciousness.  I keep thinking what can I do to make a difference?  If I go more political that seems like it will end up just a discussion with like-minded people who have open minds and little or no affect on those that are already sure they are right and everyone else is wrong.   I can tell you clearly I don’t have the answers but I am 100% confident that more love and compassion, more seeking the truth and higher consciousness will make things better.  What do you think?

My work of spreading love and light, compassion and consciousness needs to make contact with those who are open and ready to expand.  I want to spread love and light with clarity and the passionate energy that will assist others to awaken more to their own inner knowing and the kindness of their heart.   How to reach those that are closed has to avoid politics and religious beliefs but instead explore what can be felt and known as truth. 

Watching the mind is the kind of agenda free practice that I think is universally helpful and not threatening.  Feeling the energy of our heart and the emotions that flow through also can be done in a neutral way.  As I write this I realize that anything done with neutrality will work better of course.  Dropping all energy of conviction and pushing for change and instead welcoming a joint effort in exploration seems more powerful and much less ego driven. 

Another step toward clarity is what this picture makes me think of.

I am writing this to kind of sort out what I am doing next.  Just in the last day or so I have felt the desire to start getting more focused and move into action.  I am sure greater clarity is needed but that will come. Have a good day.



Consciousness Equal Self-Esteem

“Your sense of self is determined by where you are focusing your consciousness.” This quote is by Michael Singer in The Untethered Soul which I now think is one of the most enlightening books I have ever read.   Your sense of self deeply affects how you experience your life.

If you have a poor or low sense of self: you need to seek lots of approval from outside of self; your relationships are often with people who also have a poor self-esteem; you don’t trust yourself or others; you are run by self-doubt and fear; you end up taking on others people’s points of view because you doubt your own; you get often trapped by your own mind and don’t feel free or happy; and the many other limiting consequences of low self-esteem.

If you have a expanding positive sense of self: you tend to believe in who you are and trust your inner guidance; you enter into more supportive and healthy relationships; you are more open in your mind and heart; you create more success; you feel more freedom and experience more happiness; you are more present to life and to your higher nature; you live according to the truths you have discovered; you sense your purpose and live it with passion; and other uplifting ways of being in the world.

What are healthy and expansive ways of focusing your consciousness?  See how these ideas will enrich your life:

Being present and putting your attention on the now (not wasting your focus on the past or the future)

Seeing and experiencing the beauty and wonder of life, nature, those around you, and your own spiritual nature

Living daily in appreciation and gratitude for your life

Turning your heart always toward love, compassion, kindness and giving

Keeping you mind open, exploring and learning in search of deeper truths

Appreciating and caring for the aliveness of your body, its energy and emotions

Being accepting of self, others, different viewpoints, and focusing on the oneness and unity you share with all beings  (putting the judging mind to rest)

Seeing yourself as empowered and able to create the life you want full of purpose, passion, peace, love and happiness

So if you want to be happy and feel free to create the life you desire then bring your consciousness into alignment with what will take you higher.