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