Happy Newness!

On this New Year's Eve, we are conditioned to celebrate the ending of an old year and the beginning of a new one. When one really stops to look at what is really being celebrated; they may come to realize that it is the newness of the moment that has all the power and is what is constantly being celebrated.

As a child, I remember many New Years past. I remember feeling as if it really did not feel too different from the time we were anticipating the clock striking 12 to the moments afterward. The old year felt exactly as the new year. I remember feeling the same way about my own birthdays. I did not feel any older when my birthday came and went. I loved the celebratory spirit in both events, but the way I actually felt did not truly change.

Later on I came to realize that I felt this way because people as a whole were trying to capture life experience in an arbitrary schedule. The calender is simply a way of charting the Earth's progress in relation to the sun. Life, on the other hand, is determined through your own personal experience. When I passed personal milestones in my life, those are the times, I can say I felt different. Those are the times when age was more evident to me. More personal freedom, more adult type experiences, more responsibility; these are much more significant than the Earth passing the point in orbit a certain amount of times.

Celebrating the new year is awesome. My point here is that every passing moment may be celebrated as a new year. (See Good Morning!) Whoever said that the point close to winter solstice should be the start of the new year? How relevant is that to your life experience?

Every passing moment has the same newness as the moment the "new year" starts.
Happy Newness!

Happy Holidays

In my experience, everyday is a holiday.

Any and all gifts can only be enjoyed and appreciated in the present. Even gifts remembered or projected into the future, can only be done so in the present.

The gift and the present are literally inseparable!

Peace to all! Enjoy your holidays!

You Must Die!

Die! Die right now!
lol

Seriously, death has it's benefits (and I ain't talking insurance). Anyone and everyone who has ever become something great has died several times along the way.

My definition of death is actually the end of a given identity. Anytime you go through a major change in life, your identity changes. Your old identity comes to an end. You die. You still exist, only you are not the same as before. You exist as the new and improved you. You have grown.

As you have probably figured out, I don't believe in death. No one ever dies. They only change or transform. If you believe in death, then you might as well call a cocoon a coffin. You can say that caterpillars all die when it's cocoon time. They cease to exist in that form. You can also say that the child you once were is long dead and gone, never to return again.

Death from our physical forms is not really that different from these analogies because we simply change form. It's a law of the universe that "energy can never be destroyed". It is only ever transformed. This, of course, includes you!

All death is simply a part of our evolutionary process. This process can be seen over tremendously long periods of time, or within a fraction of a life time. From all extinct species to the way you felt about yourself as a three year old; death is literally a part of the process of evolution.As we move through life, we have several deaths. The evolution of consciousness can not be stopped! We may try and resist this process, but it doesn't stop it from happening. It only makes the ride more unpleasant. When we can embrace the whole concept, we really can enjoy the ride and the new perspectives we come to see life from.

We can see all of the new possibilities as opposed to the loss of our older circumstances. We can enjoy the fact that we die.


Related posts:
The Benefits of Death
When I Die
The Evolution of Consciousness
Growing Pains

Where're You Looking?

A few years back, my parents were tested by life itself. They were on a road trip to see my sister when a tire on the car blew out at some 70-odd mph on the interstate! The car goes out of control and into the lanes of on coming traffic. Fortunately, both my parents rose to the occasion.

My mother, seeing the situation did very well accept the fact that this could be the end of her life. Though this was a passing thought, she did not give it any extra energy. At the same time she repeated a prayer that put her in the state of mind to actually help shift the chain of events in her favor. She believed that she could get through this and she put her energy toward it.

My father, who was at the wheel, told me he stayed in the moment. He remembered some advice for this situation he learned in a defensive driving course that far transcends driving a car alone. "Whenever you loose control of the vehicle, always look where you want to go." This is exactly what he did! He didn't put his focus on the impending oncoming traffic. He put all of his energy into where he wanted the vehicle to go. He focused on his goal despite any distractions.

The combined focus of both of my parents brought them out of this near fatal incident without a scratch and only having to replace a blown tire on the car! Whoa! What a testimony to the power of your focus and the ability for people to create their realities. Accepting and adapting to what is brings forth greater influence over any outcomes in life.

"Always look where you want to go," is timeless wisdom that applies in every faucet of life. Because, "what you focus on expands," and "what you resist persists," we can easily see how it is our very attention that allows events to unfold as they do.

Whatever the majority of our thought and emotion are moving toward is what will manifest. This is true even when we give most of our thought and emotion to what we don't want. People often do this all the time because they do not yet know "what you focus on expands," and "what you resist persists." As a result they get what they dreaded the most.

Take some time out for yourself. Examine your thoughts and what pushes the buttons on strong emotions with in you. Where are you focused? What are you attracting?

Where're you looking?



Related Posts:
Where're You At?
Why Worry?
Everywhere You Go...There You Are
Perish The Thought
Something Out of Nothing

C.R.E.A.M.

C.R.E.A.M. or simply cream, is an acronym/older slang term meaning 'money'. The acronym stands for "cash rules everything around me," made famous by the Wu Tang Clan in the early 90's. If you are into hip-hop music, this is common knowledge.

I give it mention because, not only was it a popular term, but it was, and still is, a very common way of looking at the power structure of our society. To illustrate, we have the even older and possibly more well know sayings:

• "He who has the gold makes the rules."
• "Money talks. Bullshit walks."
• "Money makes the world go round."
• "Cash is king."
  

This used to be my philosophy and still is for a large majority of people. What do I see differently now? I understand what money really is. I can see that it is only a material indication of the number of choices you have at a given moment. It may allow you to be in nice surroundings, but it does not determine your quality of life!

I began to see that it is the perspective that you are viewing life from that actually determines your quality of life. Money can't buy it! Being aware of my own state of mind held the key to really controlling everything around me. This is even proven scientifically through quantum physics. The observer plays the dominant role in creating reality and interpreting experience.

Realizing that money does not have power over my circumstances was a new feeling of freedom experienced. The world was mine in a whole new way. True wealth did not stem from material, but from with in me! Consequently material wealth will be remarkably easier to attract.

I still like the old term 'C.R.E.A.M.' I just made a little adjustment.

Consciousness rules everything around me.


Related posts:
What Is Money? Really
Quality of Life
Money Can't Buy It
The Best Things In Life Are Free
"Make" Money

Criminal Intent

All intent is good intent. What is perceived as criminal always only exists in the mind of the perceiver.

This isn't to say I don't believe in justice. I simply realize that all my ideas of what justice is, are only ideas that color the way I see the world and are all together independent from what is; just as all judgment of an act or event is independent of actually perceiving the act or event.

If you do not intuitively agree, I always encourage people not to take my word for it. Instead, it is better to doubt it at first so that it may be proven. Simply put what I'm saying to the test and use yourself as the test subject.

Think about something you may have done or something that you still may do that you are not too proud of. It doesn't have to be a criminal act. It can just be something that you don't whole-heartedly approve of. Now, you can search within yourself and see what motivates such an act. You may have to do this a few times, each time dissecting the root intentions of the act that you discovered previously. In the end, not matter what, I can guarantee you will come up with one of two root intentions. These are:
1) to obtain or get closer to a feeling of relief/peace/love/abundance/etc.
or 2) to dispel or move further from a feeling of stress/pain/lack/etc.

Seeing this, we can even consolidate the two universal root intentions into one. To move toward a feeling of relief/peace is really the same movement as moving away from a place of stress/pain.

Knowing this, we can look at criminals as people much like we are. The only difference is, in attempting to feel what we all want to feel, they have been misguided. The knowledge and resources that we have available to us has not made itself clear to them yet. The phrase, "Forgive them, For they know not what they do," fits this perfectly.

Is there anyone or any group that you might want to release your negatively charged emotions about? The less of this stress you carry around with you, the better it is for you. Let it go, and you will feel better, attract less of it into your life, and be in a better position to make changes that resonate with you.

Related posts:
It's All Good Intention - I's All God Intention
Selfless Service
That's Gangsta

Law and Order

The only true or absolute law is universal law.

The only true or absolute order is what is.

All perceived disorder exists only in the mind of man.



Everything is natural. "Supernatural" only displays the limits of man's knowledge and experience.

Everything is normal (or the way it is supposed to be). "Paranormal" only describes what our limited perception is just glimpsing.

Everything is metaphysical. The physical that we experience is only a small cross section of reality.

Vision

A good friend of mine recently sent me an email. The message inside was so good (and quite relevant to the purpose of this blog) that I had to share it with everyone. Check it out:

Change Your Thinking
It will take just 37 seconds to read this and change your thinking..

Two men, both seriously ill, occupied the same hospital room.

One man was allowed to sit up in his bed for an hour each afternoon to help drain the fluid from his lungs.

His bed was next to the room's only window.

The other man had to spend all his time flat on his back.

The men talked for hours on end.

They spoke of their wives and families, their homes, their jobs, their involvement in the military service, where they had been on vacation..

Every afternoon, when the man in the bed by the window could sit up, he would pass the time by describing to his roommate all the things he could see outside the window..

The man in the other bed began to live for those one hour periods where his world would be broadened and enlivened by all the activity and color of the world outside.

The window overlooked a park with a lovely lake.

Ducks and swans played on the water while children sailed their model boats. Young lovers walked arm in arm amidst flowers of every color and a fine view of the city skyline could be seen in the distance.

As the man by the window described all this in exquisite details, the man on the other side of the room would close his eyes and imagine this picturesque scene.


One warm afternoon, the man by the window described a parade passing by.

Although the other man could not hear the band - he could see it in his mind's eye as the gentleman by the window portrayed it with descriptive words.

Days, weeks and months passed.

One morning, the day nurse arrived to bring water for their baths only to find the lifeless body of the man by the window, who had died peacefully in his sleep.

She was saddened and called the hospital attendants to take the body away.

As soon as it seemed appropriate, the other man asked if he could be moved next to the window. The nurse was happy to make the switch, and after making sure he was comfortable, she left him alone..

Slowly, painfully, he propped himself up on one elbow to take his first look at the real world outside.
He strained to slowly turn to look out the window besides the bed.

It faced a blank wall.

The man asked the nurse what could have compelled his deceased roommate who had described such wonderful things outside this window.

The nurse responded that the man was blind and could not even see the wall.

She said, 'Perhaps he just wanted to encourage you.'

Epilogue:

There is tremendous happiness in making others happy, despite our own situations.

Shared grief is half the sorrow, but happiness when shared, is doubled.

If you want to feel rich, just count all the things you have that money can't buy.

Nuff said. :-)

Related posts:
This Perspective Is Priceless
Eye of the Beholder
The Last Shall Be First
Feel Like a Million Bucks
Something Out Of Nothing

Profound Profanity

This post is an exercise in realizing the power and intent you put into language. While you take in the possibly offensive content, observe yourself and your subtle reactions.

We have all, to some extent, been instructed or conditioned to carry with us a negative charge associated with specific sounds. Some people are able to eliminate this negative charge by realizing that a word only has the meaning you give it and no more. Others maintain the negative association and keep the negative charge alive for the next generation to inherit.

The irony of it all is that if not for the people holding on to the idea of the negative association, the words would simply stop being negative in any way shape or form. In other words, the people resisting the use of a word, are actually the ones charging it with negativity. The negativity only exists in their minds. The word is only a sound. It is neither positive or negative. It just is. Only when interpreted by the mind is any association made. Beauty is in the eye of the observer.

To illustrate, here are a couple of "profane" words that have such an amazing amount of versatility, they can be used in countless ways (and are....quite frequently!). Because these words are used in such diverse ways, it's pretty easy to see how it is us who gives them their meaning and us who decides to hold on to or let go of the negative aspect.

Shit may just be the most versatile word in the English language.

You can be shit faced, shit out of luck, or have shit for brains. (do we know someone like this????)
Sometimes you just plain ole get "the shits".
With a little effort you can get your shit together, find a place for your shit or decide to shit or get off the pot.
You can smoke shit, buy shit, sell shit, lose shit, find shit, forget shit, and tell others to eat shit and die.
You can shit or go blind, have a shit fit or just shit your life away.
Some people know their shit while others can't tell the difference between shit and shineola.
Other people just have a Shit eatin' grin on their face all of the time.
There are lucky shits, dumb shits, crazy shits, and sweet shits.
There is bull shit, horse shit and chicken shit.
You can throw shit, sling shit, catch shit, or duck when shit hits the fan. You can give a shit or serve shit on shingle.
You can find yourself in deep shit, or be happier than a pig in shit.
Some days are colder than shit, some days are hotter than shit, and some days are just plain shitty.
Some music sounds like shit, things can look like shit, and there are times when you feel like shit.
You can have too much shit, not enough shit, the right shit, the wrong shit or a lot of weird shit.
You can carry shit, have a mountain of shit, or find yourself up shit's creek without a paddle.
Sometimes you really need this shit and sometimes you don't want any shit at all.
Sometimes everything you touch turns to shit and other times you swim in a lake of shit and come out smelling like a rose.
When you stop to consider all the facts, it's the basic building block of creation.
And remember, once you know your shit, you don't need to know anything else!
Holy Shit!! Thanks for letting me shoot the shit with you!

These were only a couple of "curses". The others can be used in various contexts as well. The fact that we call these words "curses" or "curse words" is another clue as to the negative association we carry around with us if we are not aware of it. This is not only true about words; it's true about everything!

Check out the posts below to further explore this concept.

Related posts:
Words Can Not Express...
What's In a Name?
Eye of the Beholder
Does Evil Really Exist?
Morality Is Relative

The Last Shall Be First

I'm the last person to advocate religion in general. Although what I frequently speak of has everything to do with a higher power, it is generally in the context of a universal appeal and not segmented by religious views. Dogma can be quite limiting and suffocating to true spiritual growth.

On the other hand, I can see the element of truth in each and every single faith. Though later he was often misinterpreted, Jesus Christ for example, spread undeniable truth to the world. I'm sure most people have heard the phrase by Jesus stating, "The truth shall set you free." Indeed, no matter how you interpret this, I'm sure most agree.

In the Gospel of Matthew, Jesus declares that in the world to come, “The last shall be first and the first last.” Now, I don't claim to know exactly what he meant by this statement, but one thing that came to me recently was this phrase exactly describes the way we perceive our own senses.

Our inner senses are often ignored. Most people are taught and conditioned to only validate what their five physical senses tell them is real and everything else is swept under the rug of coincidence and impossibility. In other words, the five senses are always first in priority.

"Extra" sensory perception (ESP, which actually includes many other senses we posses besides the physical five) is often called the sixth sense. The 'sixth' senses and the latent abilities we posses will soon be out from under the rug and gain acknowledgment over the physical five. The 'sixth' sense or last senses to be recognized will become the first.

To illustrate, check this out:
We all have the ability to see with our mind's eye. As a matter of fact, the mind's eye is all we ever do see with! Whether the input signal is coming from the physical eyes or the imagination, all vision is experienced through the mind's eye, a.k.a, the third eye. The third eye is actually the first eye. The two physical eyes are secondary. Even a person with no physical vision is able to use their mind's eye!

In the world to come, a major paradigm shift will literally have us putting first what we used to consider last. The inner world and senses will be prioritized over exterior.

The last shall be first.

Related posts:
Good Sense
It Makes Sense
Out of the Box
Dogma

Realizing Life

Ever been indoors for a while and have the urge to go out and get some fresh air? It can feel great to get a quick change of scenery, break up some daily monotony, or just to feel the breeze.

Ever think about the fact that when your outdoors, you are still always inside?

No matter where you are, where you have been, or any where possible that you may go, you are still always inside.
Inside what? You are always within your field of perception, your perspective, your window to the worlds. This window gives you a great view of your exterior world and of the world with in.

You start realizing life to much greater degrees when you can see that the outside world only exists to us because we are always inside. In other words, there is no outside. Both what we perceive out here and with in are created and experienced with in.

Just as the dream and the dreamer; one can not exist with out the other; leading us to understand that with out you, there is no "out there!"

Related posts:
Life is Like a Dream
It Makes Sense
Take a Good Look
Field of Awareness

The Art of Peace

Most of us have heard of the "Art of War" by Sun Tzu. For those who aren't familiar with it, The Art of War is one of the oldest and most successful books on military strategy. Personally, I love the fact that Sun Tzu's philosophy makes it clear that "the peak efficiency of knowledge and strategy is to make conflict altogether unnecessary."

In other words, the ideal strategy in war is to win without fighting and accomplish the most by doing the least. This is a Taoist philosophy, and like any perception of great depth, it might appear as a paradox at first.

Although a seeming contradiction, it can be recognized that the goal of any and all conflict, or war is to achieve a greater peace. The illusion of opposites does indeed make it hard to see at times. We can realize this though simply by looking at the root intention of those involved in the conflict. We can also realize that conflict actually helps define what peace is. Peace gives conflict a meaning just the same. Without one, the other would be a constant and therefore unnoticeable. They are two sides of the same coin. They are one.

To further illustrate, check out the similarities in the best fighters and the most peaceful people:

The best warriors are able to maintain a calm in battle. They can be in full motion, yet maintain a stillness with in. They are able to adapt to whatever the circumstances are and make the absolute best out of the situation.

The people best at staying peaceful, blissful, and all around happy are people with the ability to adapt to life just as the best warriors who ever lived. They are able to adapt to whatever the circumstances are and make the absolute best out of the situation.

The art of peace and the art of war have a whole lot in common!

Related posts:
The Pure Paradox
The Illusion of Opposites
The Peace Loving Warrior

Feel Like a Million Bucks

Ever ask yourself, what does a million dollar moment feel like?
What does a millionaire spending a hundred grand feel like?

Can you imagine what it feels like? Come to think of it, money has nothing to do with experiencing a "million dollar moment." Being totally in the moment and feeling exactly what you want to feel like in that moment has everything to do with it.

Don't take my word for it. You have seen millionaires who are angry and depressed and you have seen broke people who are extremely ecstatic.

So there's no reason you can't feel like a million bucks anytime. It's only a matter of feeling like what you are doing is exactly what you want to be doing. Sounds strange at first, but it definitely works!

Feel like a million bucks!

Related posts:

• "Make" Money
• Money Can't Buy It
• What Is Money? Really.
  

A Dream Come True

All experience, dream or waking, is a

dream

come true.


Related posts:

• Life is Like a Dream
• Find Your Dreams
  

Success?

What is success?

Of course different people define success differently. One thing that can not be denied by anyone's particular definition of success, is that it involves an experience of fulfilling goals and/or feeling satisfied, happy, and at peace with one's immediate position in life.

Although, in our current society most people are not in a position that they would really call successful; the key to success is not as hard as people make it out to be. First off, many people really have no idea what exactly they want to be (what occupation or role they want to play) in the first place. There is a really simple question you can ask yourself to determine if you are or will be successful.

~"Would you do it for free?"

This simple question can shed light and help bring you into alignment with your current life's purpose and mission. If you would perform the job or service you currently do right now for free for the love of it but are getting paid to do it; this is a perfect example of a win-win situation and an illustration of what it feels like to be in perfect alignment with your current purpose.

Don't take my word for it. Use your own sense... your own intuition. You can scroll backward through every extremely successful person that can come to your mind right now and realize that these people were so passionate and enthusiastic about their field of success that they would have probably been doing it for free!

Knowing this is useful to anyone undecided as to what they should be doing to be successful and feel fulfilled in their occupation. All too often, people let the money decide what they will do for a living as opposed to what their calling may be. It may seem difficult to break out of this money oriented way of looking at things, but ironically, it will put you in a place of total wealth!

Money is an after effect or a result. The source or cause of money is a feeling of wealth. ;-)

Who Are You?

Still Here!

It's been a while since I posted anything new on here.

I have been consistently having deeper revelations and observing myself (and the world....which is really the same thing) during the time away from posting.

I have noticed that over the past month or so, I have become more of an observer than ever. The urge to reach out and touch those who are open to the topics and concepts discussed here has momentarily been dwarfed by the urge to simply be still and observe.

Recently, I have been coming across so much knowledge about almost everything that has ever sparked my interest that it amazes me. To make it even more astounding (but not surprising) the perspective I have been blessed with allows me to "connect the dots." In other words, everything that I am profoundly attracted to converges on the same point, no matter how far apart on the spectrum of life they may seem to be.

Although this may sound kind of vague, I will go into much greater detail in future posts. Many more videos will be posted as well.

Thank you for checking out "What Is Really Good?"!

For now I will continue to be still. I'm still here. :-)

What Is Really Real?

First video blog entry. More to come very soon.

Sense of Awareness

Have you ever noticed empty space?
Of course you have. To notice nothingness really does sound like a contradiction. How can you be aware of something that's not there? But your own experience says otherwise. We have all, at one time or another been aware of the absence of matter (any and all stuff). It happens everyday. Looking for a parking space or even putting clothes away are tasks we do all the time, both requiring an awareness of empty space.The thing is, we usually don't pay attention or acknowledge the fact that we can and do often notice nothingness.

It isn't unusual or in anyway spectacular to the average person to notice empty space because our minds are usually trained to only acknowledge matter (and not the absence of it). When we scan a room, a supermarket, a library, etc., we are already set to looking for what's there. We hardly ever look for what's not there.

Why bother to become aware of empty space? In the very act of noticing empty space, we can experience ourselves becoming aware of our very sense of awareness. It is the act of bringing focus to the fact that we are focusing. Bringing attention to how our attention is directed is to become self aware in that moment. It feels like looking out at the world and looking in at yourself at the same time.

The sense of awareness we all have is much greater than the five senses it allows to exist. It is an eternal force that is the true essence which animates us all. Bringing our sense of awareness to become aware of it self is the beginning of expanding how much we can be aware of in the present moment. Becoming aware of empty space, silence, and stillness are ways to feel our sense of awareness.

Don't take my word for it. Start to notice your sense of awareness. You truly are amazing!


Related posts:

• It Makes Sense
  
• Focus on Nothingness
• No-Thing Lasts Forever
• Something Out of Nothing
• It's All Rubble, Rubbish, and Dust
  

Sky High

I get high. I get sky high. I get high from simply bringing my attention toward the sky. It might sound crazy, but it is my experience.

When I say 'high', I mean feel really good. But words describing it will not do it justice. 'High' is also describing the higher vibration or frequency spirit is on. Just as when anyone is feeling stressed by anything, they feel down, heavy, burdened, etc.; these all describe spirit experiencing a lower frequency. Feeling high, of course, is feeling relief, freedom, joy, even physically charged up, and feeling energy flow through you.

What's the connection with feeling high and the sky? It's because whether we are conscious of it or not, we are identifying with the vast and empty space. In the reality that we are all familiar with, there is no better place to see wide open space than the sky. And the vastness of it is a reflection of the infinite space we have with in.

For me, looking up at the sky will be a constant reminder of the enormity of Being and the stillness that is always there. As a result, my mind slows and quiets and I am able to literally feel high. Sky high.

Says Who?

(From Archive Jan '09)
Are you the type of person who believes what most people believe? There is absolutely nothing wrong with this if it is your own experience that brings you to this conclusion. Many people are bound to experience the same things. But if it was your own perception and experience that led you to this belief, it most likely wouldn't be called a 'belief'. It would be a fact for you. It would be an undeniable experience.

This is all said to bring us to the point. Being a skeptic can be a great benefit to a person. I embrace being skeptical. Being a skeptic can save you a lot of drama, heartache, and disappointment in life.

Being a person who has always (as far as I can remember) seen the logic in the scientific method, I am always open to an "upgrade" in the quality of knowledge that I have. I also see it very necessary to test the knowledge I have with real or realistic experiments before I choose to accept it.

Being that I am not quick to trust every source of information and "believe none of what I hear and only half of what I see," I encourage you to do the same. The contents of this blog, my book, and what thousands of other people are saying about spirituality, "new age teachings," enlightenment, and the like are nothing to be believed. It's all hogwash unless it becomes your experience.

You will doubt everything I tell you unless you are open to the part of you that knows better. Sometimes the truth is stranger than fiction. It is not until you put it to the test that you can truly say it is not true. Have you ever tried to silence your mind? Have you ever tried to feel your true Presence? Do you want to find out who you really are?

The only way to prove that it's all nonsense it to disprove it. The only way to disprove it is to give it an honest try. You have got nothing to loose. You have your infinite Self to gain.

Related posts:

• Who Told You To Move?
• How Do You Know?
• Dogma
  

My Favorite

What's your preference?
What do you favor?
What's your favorite?

Of course, we all have preferences or 'favorites' in every aspect of life. By simply having a point of view, we all take a position on what is most beneficial to us (consciously or unconsciously).

Our favorite anything is always fun to experience, but have you noticed that an overexposure to them tends to dull and depreciate it as your favorite?

A guy I know has all of his favorite songs on his ipod. Six months after he got it (and thousands of listens later) he tells me he's got to get some new music, and that he is really starting to hate his "all time favorite" songs because he played them to death.

Think about some of your favorite experiences to have. If you had whatever it is repeated for hours, days, weeks, or years on end, do you really think it would remain your favorite? Hence the wisdom in the words, "Too much of anything is bad for you." Balance allows us to enjoy our favorites.

There is something that, if it becomes your favorite, does not loose it's potency. (It actually increases over time.) In reality, it is the source of every other favorite possible because without it, preferences would not be possible. It is not really a thing. It is life itself. It is the conscious awareness observing before any determination of preference.

Aligning with the present moment, and making life experience your favorite thing, can only increase the over all quality of life. And not coincidentally, you will be surrounded by much more of your preferences.

Awareness of being aware is my favorite.

Arm Me With Harmony

(Archive - October 2008)
Living in harmony with the universe is the most powerful "weapon" that there is. To be in tune with the way things are; with the way things work; with the laws that govern our reality; is to put all the power that exists, on your side. It is a major paradox: The more of your life you can accept, the more of your life you can control.

The concept of accepting and adapting to reality is extremely powerful. It is so powerful that there isn't any part of creation that does not practice this concept. Everything that exists follows the rules of universal intelligence. There is no way we can prove things otherwise.

It is literally not possible for something to be that could not be. To clearer illustrate this; there isn't a way for things to happen that contradict the laws that govern what is. If there was a way, they would happen. If they did happen, they simply would be proof that we were not familiar with all the laws to begin with. The very existence of the "anomaly" would be evidence that there is still more that is unknown.

The very act of learning is a way of accepting and adapting. It is becoming more familiar with what is and ultimately using this knowledge to your benefit. This goes for everything; from learning basic survival to learning the true nature of our consciousness. The universal intelligence has illustrated this to us through the way evolution works. Of all the countless plant and animal species around and the varied environment types; the ones that remain are always the most accepting of the conditions they exist in.

Being in harmony is being in a very high mode of adapting. Being in harmony is often described as being "in the zone," being "inspired," or possessing intuition. The only way to achieve this is to be in the present moment.

I was once the type of person who would have rather been armed with firearms. I can now see the bigger picture. I would rather be one with my life experiences. Arm me with harmony!

Stuff

It's been a few weeks since I last posted. It's funny how relative time really is. From one standpoint, it seems like a period where nothing much at all happened. From another, it was a time of rapid growth and change. Both are incredibly accurate.

During the time away from the blog, I moved. You know, changing residences. There's no better way to see how much stuff (earthly possessions) we have than having to relocate everything.

I have moved plenty of times in the past, but this time it was different. The shift in my perspective allowed me to see how strange it really is to hold on to so much stuff in the first place. It is a perfect illustration of how the ego mind works. Every single thing we own can be considered a thought that our ego identifies with.

I have moved a few times in the past, taking things with me that no longer served me. They were just taking up space. The funny thing is, I kept bringing them from residence to residence until I became aware enough to recognize I was attached to stuff that did not serve me. More than not doing anything for me, it was bogging me down, or causing unnecessary clutter. The same is true for many of the thoughts and concepts that bog us down and clutter our minds. And they can be eliminated in much the same way. By becoming aware that they do not serve us, we can easier dis-identify with outdated and stress causing perspectives.

Here is a classic bit (and hilarious too) on "Stuff," by George Carlin.

In Transition

My friends,

I am in transition right now. I will be posting regularly again very soon.

Please browse the archives and check back soon.

Kindness Among The Kindred

I find it humorous how it seems many of the words we use have double meanings which help point to how they were coined and how the meaning of the word shifted over time. These words also often point to a deeper perspective.

One such word is, 'kindness.' We all know the traditional meaning of kindness, but have you ever noticed that we use the same word (kind) to describe things, people, and concepts that are the same?

In other words, "We have the same kind of car," and, "I want to thank you for being so kind," use the same word. How is it related?

Being kind to someone, and things of the same nature being categorized as the same kind, are both examples of consciousness recognizing the common elements in itself and another or between two others. Said more simply, it is acknowledging 'sameness,' in both cases.

When we are kind to someone, we are acting without thought of reward or reciprocation. We are doing without wanting. When we act out of kindness, it feels exactly the same to give, as it does to receive. It is as if there is no distinction between the feeling of the person being kind, and the person receiving the kindness. It seems that way because it is true.

We are the same kind. There is no difference. The differences that we see are far outnumbered and outweighed by the overwhelming commonalities we share. Search all your experiences of kindness (whether first hand or just witnessed) and you will see for yourself that this kindness came from a place of recognizing a connection of oneness between the spirits involved. The line dividing the parties involved becomes blurred to the point that the giver and the receiver share the same feeling.

This is why being kind feels so good. It is as if you are giving to yourself; because you really are giving to yourself.

I have a pretty good list of these kind of words in the "Language As A Clue" section in my book. Check it out if you like.

Only One at a Time

Most of us have at one time or another in life, had one of those 'aha!' moments. These are times when your paradigm shifts, your perspective broadens, and you can see a concept, situation, yourself, or the whole world in a brand new light.

Then there are a growing many of us who have had one of these 'aha!' moments about our very essence. The awareness of consciousness becoming aware of itself. We have had glimpses into our own infinite endlessness and realized we are much more than what we appear to be. But it was only a short lived glimpse.

Satori is a Buddhist term for enlightenment. The word literally means "understanding". Satori translates into a flash of sudden awareness, or individual Enlightenment. Satori is as well an intuitive experience.

The short lived glimpse of your true nature is only the beginning of the awakening process and the practice of observing one's self. As this practice continues and strengthens in consistency and duration, we start to become more and more established in this satori.

We may realize that no matter what, there is only one moment at a time. We may also realize that we can only be in a state of higher consciousness during that one moment (at a time). So no matter what, we can only be enlightened one moment at a time.

This may help some to see that becoming established in such a higher state is not as far off as it might sound initially. It only takes some in-the-moment practice. Even if we can only glimpse our true nature for a split second, if we can string together several moments of this higher awareness, we are already bringing about a further shift into consciousness.

No matter who you may look to as a great example or guide of what it means to know enlightenment, they can only be enlightened one moment at a time (just like you).

Every Set Back is a Set Up For a Come Back

(Sept. '08 Archive)
A comeback would really not be possible if there was not a lapse in progress. Don't take my word for it. You already know this. I challenge anyone to find a comeback story or any possible success story that set backs and obstacles did not affect. It was the wide perspective of the people in these stories that allowed them to become successful.

Loss of any kind always presents us with a choice. This is a choice that we are actually always making. It is the choice of how we interpret our experience. It is the choice of whether we accept and adapt to, or resist what is.

To accept your reality is to be at peace and one with it and as a result, able to affect change with in it. It is literally to be in the present moment with the absence of egoic thought.

To resist your reality is to be in denial of it. You see yourself as separate from the situation. You would rather see a different reality and so you are not truly in the present moment. You cause yourself an incredible amount of unnecessary stress. All stress is resistance.

If you look at those who get ahead in life; you will notice that they all were experts at adapting. They knew how to roll with the punches. As a result, they were never shaken from the path to their goals. It is so ironic that many people's idea of being strong is to be immovable. In reality, the more flexible and prone to adapting you are; the stronger you are and the longer you last.

It is the set backs that allow us to see that we are not the story. Sometimes we are able to see we are the consciousness which allows the story to exist. We are not defined by the loss. We are the consciousness which allows us to notice a loss. The rough times often develop character because your true essence gets to shine through whatever has been lost.

Every set back is a set up for a comeback! Don't believe it. You already know it.

The Best Medicine

According to an old story, a lord of ancient China once asked his physician, who was the most skilled physician in the healing arts. The physician, whose reputation was of the highest in medical science in China at the time replied, "My eldest brother sees the spirit of sickness and removes it before it takes shape, so his name does not get out of the house. My elder brother cures sickness when it is still extremely minute, so his name does not get out of the neighborhood. As for me, I puncture veins, prescribe potions, and massage skin, so from time to time, my name gets out and is heard among the lords."

The medical industry we are all familiar with is just what it is called. It is an industry. It's just business. It is not designed to heal you to never be sick, but to give you a band-aid treatment so that you will return as another loyal customer. Healing patients permanently would be self defeating to the industry.

In contrast, the healers that you don't hear too much about are actually the ones that you might have greater success looking into. Reiki, acupuncture, and other forms of healing that deal with the unseen life forces that animate us do not treat illness as an enemy to be fought, but as an imbalance in the energy of your body. As a result, the cause of the problem is eliminated instead of covered up by drugs or surgery. We are beings of spirit. We have unseen energy bodies. To only focus on what can be seen when trying to heal us is a closed minded approach.

I, myself, was in a very bad auto accident a few years ago. I got a bad head injury which resulted in the paralysis of the left side of my face. I could not even close my left eye when I blinked. The medical industry's solution for the problem was surgery on my eyelid (almost laughable). Fortunately, my mother suggested I get acupuncture treatment. As a result, the movement in my face started returning and I could completely close my eye with no problem. All this because the doctor focuses on my flow of 'chi' (life force energy) that he detected was altered by the accident. Redirecting the flow returns balance and can solve a lot more problems than drugs and surgery.

I encourage you not to take my word for it. Do your own research and find out the wonders of real healing as opposed to band-aid treatment. Returning to a state of balance and harmony is always the best medicine.

Who Gave You the Right?

George Carlin was a very funny comedian. What I enjoyed even more than the laughs, was his broad perspective which always dared to question the story society tells us to believe. As in a few previous posts written here on this blog, he challenged people to use their own senses of observation as opposed to being a sheep being led around by old and dysfunctional ideas.

Some of his conclusions might seem kind of harsh to some, but the exercise in objective thinking is excellent.

Check the clip to see some great examples of this.



Related posts:

• Who Told You To Move?
• Says Who?
• Dogma
• Book Smart vs Street Smart
  
• Relative Reality
  

The Middle Road

The Middle Road, more traditionally known as the Middle Way, or the Middle Path, is the practice of non-extremism. This practice has been a part of many disciplines for centuries around the world. Those who master the road or way are called 'enlightened'.

As stated in this passage from the Pali Canon ( Samyutta Nikaya's Kaccāyanagotta Sutta):

"'Everything exists': That is one extreme.
'Everything doesn't exist': That is a second extreme.
Avoiding these two extremes,
the Tathagata teaches the Dhamma via the middle...."

In everyday life situations, this can be practiced through the perspective you use to watch events unfold. It is a state of awareness that can sound paradoxical when described. It's like looking in opposite directions at once. You give attention to your surroundings and present situations, yet simultaneously stay focused on how you feel and the thought processes (or lack there of) going on. In other words, you are looking out and looking in.

This perspective slows the mind. Whenever we give our attention to our mind and/or our breathing, they will slow down. Our awareness is present like always but we watch the amount of thoughts passing slow down. Of course this attention can only be given in the present moment and aligns your awareness with the present moment. In this frame of consciousness, extremes fall away.

Extremes are resorted to in stressful situations. Ego threatened thought produces stress. When a person slows or eliminates excessive thoughts, they can effectively slow or eliminate stress. No stress...no extremes. The middle road. The middle way.



Related posts:

• Zero is Nothing AND Everything
• The Illusion of Opposites
• Blinding Light and Blinding Darkness
• Absolute Relativity
  

I Can't Wait

(From the Archive Sept. '08)
I wouldn't imagine there are too many people around who have not heard the phrase, "I can't wait," uttered many times in their life by others, if not themselves. Of course it is usually followed by a certain event or circumstance.
"I can't wait until I get my raise."
"I can't wait to get out of debt."
"I can't wait to get you home tonight."
You get the picture.

The funny thing is, if you ever really gave any attention to the validity of this phrase, you could almost laugh at how popular it is. If you really observe it, you will realize that the only thing the person expressing the phrase, will do, ... is wait. They are actually waiting as they are verbally saying that they can't.

'I can't wait' is more accurately expressed as, 'I don't want to wait.'
'I don't want to wait' is more accurately expressed as 'I don't want the present moment. I don't want right now. I don't accept this reality; I want that one.' This is why people do not enjoy being anxious.

Anxiety is a form of resistance to what is. It is a denial of circumstances. It is a rejection of the present. It is self inflicted stress. It is not a favorable feeling.

The good news is; it is completely avoidable. The only reason that a person feels that they ‘can't wait’ is the attachment to an idea of how they want things to be.

If you can stop thinking about how you want it and enjoy the gift that the present truly is, the anxiety is gone.

Synthesize Happiness

This post is a follow up to the previous post "Good Times."

It is a talk given by Dan Gilbert, author of "Stumbling on Happiness". He challenges the idea that we’ll be miserable if we don’t get what we want. It fits in perfectly as a great illustration of the way we interact with or actually create the way we feel about reality.

Check it out:
Dan Gilbert asks, 'Why are we happy?'

Good Times

Good times. We've all had them. Some people more than others, but we've all had at least a glimpse of them. Individually, we all might have different situations and circumstances that we might give the label of 'good times,' but that's where the differences end.

Amazingly, but not surprisingly, everyone alive has the exact same view or feeling when it comes to having a good time. We all share and contribute a feeling of acceptance (joy, gratitude, enthusiasm, relief, appreciation, bliss, ecstasy, peace, or any combination of these) to whatever the situation or circumstance is.

The very definition of 'good times' are when you are in high acceptance of what is. It is not possible to have good times with out the special ingredient of this perspective.

Looking at this fact with the analytical, logical, and deductive reasoning skills of a scientist breaking down a compound to isolate and identify a single element; we may realize that an attitude of acceptance is the common denominator in every single person's experience of 'good times.' We may see that it is because we add this single ingredient of acceptance to a life situation that 'good times' occur. We could then successfully conclude that we can create 'good times' whenever we want by adding high degrees of acceptance to a life situation. We can effectively synthesis 'good times!' We can create 'good times' whenever we want!

Of course it works on paper and sounds real nice, but does it actually work? Is it all just hype and hypothesis? Don't take my word for it. Think about your own life experiences and see if it holds up.

• During your best life experiences, what was your attitude toward the situation like?
• Even right now, if you picture a scenario of something you want to happen happening, what is your attitude like toward that?
• Can you even imagine a situation where you are not in acceptance making you feel good?
  

Good times. The best memories in your life are often very vivid. You can so easily recall the sights, sounds, smells, what you felt like, and what was going on. It is at times like these that you might feel more alive and your awareness or senses are heightened. Of course it makes for a more vivid memory, but why does this happen? It is because in a high mode of acceptance, the regular mind chatter slows or ceases and your feeling of being in the moment, being alive, and sensing everything comes to the forefront of your consciousness. Good times only happen in the present moment.

You can be in high acceptance at will. You can have 'good times' at will. It might not be easy at first, but it definitely gets easier with practice.

Let the good times roll.

Wearing Attachments

Imagine having a very stylish jacket with one very irritating feature. This one thing (one stress causing attribute) is that the jacket is full of little grappling hooks (just like the one in the picture).

The only thing that gets caught in the hooks of the jacket are ideas and concepts. Not every and any idea. Only the ones that you identify with to the point of confusing them with your very identity. In other words, ideas like race, culture, religion, nationality, status, and the like, are the types of things that get caught in theses hooks. These ideas are the kind people more often than not, confuse with their very identity.

Whatever gets caught in the hooks, will be defended by the person wearing them as if they were defending their very lives. As a result, these attachments will inevitably bring pain and suffering to the wearer. When the ideas are questioned, threatened, disproved, or shown to be irrelevant, great amounts of stress are experienced by the person attached to them.

On the road of life, these attachments we wear often bog us down and get snagged on other things along the way. They can be looked at as both a gift and a curse though. When we are aware of these facts, they are a gift in that they are excellent reminders and can help us measure how attached we are to certain things in our lives. When we are unaware of them, they are the cause of an endless stream of stress. Paradoxically, this stream of stress will help us become aware of attachments and put an end to the cycle. In either case, these hindrances to our peace of mind only help us to move closer toward that peace once recognized.

A big attachment (like a romantic relationship or a source of money) can sometimes work as a wake up call once the hook it hangs on comes under pressure. It's like the attachment gets snagged on an immovable object. Either you get stuck where you are along with this outdated idea and suffer from the lack of progress you are making or suffer the temporary growing pain of freeing yourself of the idea and move on.

Accepting attachments in order to free yourself of them is a process I am becoming more familiar with and starting to get really good at. I was blessed with certain life situations that helped me realize I had some attachments left when I thought I had none. At first, it seemed like a curse. Stepping back a bit, it is easy to see the gift I have been given.