What Is Really Good?

God vs. the Devil?

2011-01-03T12:38:00.002-05:00

As a kid, I really bought into the the story and imagery of God who lived in Heaven at war with the Devil who lived in Hell. As I matured and my ability to reason developed, I realized how much utter and complete bullshit this really was! lol!

What would bring me to such a conclusion? It's not so hard to come to this conclusion yourself, if you take a look at all the qualities humanity has assigned to these supernatural entities and you are open to asking yourself a few real questions.

Let's begin with God's qualities. He is the creator of everyone and everything. He is good and just and forgives all. He is eternal, omnipotent, and omnipresent. He is basically Love personified. Now the devil is pretty much the opposite. He tries to oppose good intention and destroy the quality of all life. He personifies all negativity.

Now some questions. Why or how could "God" have enemies if He created everyone and everything including the devil? And what would He supposedly do to His "enemies"? Wouldn't "God" or his angels wielding weapons with murderous intent be a contradiction? How could "God" ever feel slighted or vengeful? Doesn't that sound like people trying to project their own feelings of in adequacy onto a being too grand to ever feel that way? How can Love personified ever be hateful? How can an intelligence as complex as the Creator who made the stars in the sky and the bio-machinery that makes your cells function really care for such triviality?

What would the devil feel about those who support himself and his ideals? Love possibly? More contradiction? If the devil succeeded in destroying all that is good, then what? Would there even be a point? Is what "God" would do with his wife considered sin?

We could go on with questions like these, but you probably get the point. There are way too many holes in the dogma for me to take it seriously. I came to the conclusion a while back that heaven & hell are actually frames of mind and the traditional views and explanations of "God" & the devil are two sides of the same coin. Neither exist without or outside the mind of man. Both images and ideas only have as much power as you give them.

If you dwell on being god-like, you will act as you believe God acts, working for the greater good of all and life will feel heavenly. If you submit to your lower instincts and allow yourself to stay in low spirits, you'll be doing the devil's work and life will feel hellish.

You would be the vehicle for either force to act. The choice and the power is always yours.

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When Music Hits

2010-08-21T18:35:00.004-04:00

What up everyone! I haven't posted on this blog in a couple of months. I will be posting regularly again soon.

In the meantime check out my other blog: Feel Really Good Music

My definition of "FEELING" is feeling good!

No matter what, if you really FEEL the music you're listening to, you can't possibly feel pain at the same time. You can feel pain before you listen to it. You can feel pain after you're listening to it. But If you really FEEL the music, you can't feel pain while you're listening to it.

Watch Yourself

2010-07-01T18:02:00.001-04:00

From moment to moment, if one thing can be maintained, we will watch our lives take on a very different tone. It will be a much lighter feeling than the usual serious nature. Even if you never took life too serious to begin with, you will gain an understanding as to why. This one thing to be done from moment to moment is to watch yourself.

"Watch yourself," has less to do with keeping track of how you look. It has much more to do with observing your being. Observe the way you are being. This means what you are focused on, what you are feeling, what you are thinking, who you think you are, and if you remember who you are behind it all.

This is watching of yourself will bring about a separation in who you think you are and who you know you are. You will realize that you are not the passing thoughts and feelings, but that you are what allow those thoughts and feelings to exist. You are not simply a character in the show, but the stage on which the show presents itself. You are more like the screen on which the movie plays as opposed to an actor in the movie.

There is a lot of power and freedom in recognizing the responsibility you have in putting the whole experience together. Even the way you choose to respond to it affects what comes next.

Watch yourself. It will only be a dull show if you want it to be. And you can make every moment a happier one if you choose to. The hardest part is to maintain this observant stance on your being. But it gets easier with practice.

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The Light Source Within

2010-06-29T14:39:00.007-04:00

Light doesn't actually reach the part of your brain where vision is created and experienced. The light that you are seeing right NOW is actually coming from you. This isn't simply a deep sounding philosophy. It's science.

You are the source of the brightness in anything you see. The light is simply an external stimulus that triggers the unveiling of this eternal inner luminance. This is not hard to understand and accept when you think about how light, alone, is meaningless without eyes or some other type of receiver and an intelligence to define it. Light without an observer affected by its stimuli doesn't exist.

To illustrate further, when you imagine or visualize anything, you are literally seeing by the light of your being. When you have dreams at night, you can see with no problem despite the fact your eyes are closed. How else can you explain the source of light?

You can even picture any and all vision you have as a TV or movie screen. In any case, there is always a backlight. There's a light in the projector. There's a light behind your screen. You are that light.

We are luminous beings. You are as bright or dark as you allow yourself to be. In a sea of infinite possibilities, focus navigates.

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You Are the DJ

2010-06-24T16:05:00.004-04:00

There's really no escaping it. You can play dumb or ignore it, but it doesn't make it any less true. There's always a vibe going on. You always FEEL one way or another. Even when you don't think you feel any particular way at all, that in itself, is feeling a certain way.

There's always a mood. There's always an atmosphere. There's always a tone, a pitch, a FEELING of what life feels like right NOW. Who sets the tone, changes the pitch, sways the mood, and fills the atmosphere? It's all YOU.

Just as the DJ of any party has the ability to either get everyone on their feet and really enjoy themselves or stink up the joint having people ready to curse him out, YOU have the ability to control the vibes you are experiencing right NOW.

The experienced DJ manages to move the crowd by first being aware of the crowd and what they might respond to. He first has to accept the crowd for who they are. Then the music he selects and plays in the arrangement he chooses is in direct response to the way the crowd feels. He adapts from moment to moment. A known paradox: Control is attained through acceptance.

In your life, you are both the crowd and the DJ. The crowd is simply how you feel right NOW. It is the tone of the moment. The DJ is your mind. What does the DJ play? The thoughts, situations, circumstances, visions, memories, calculations, insights, etc. that constantly fill the time line in your mind. Whatever you are "playing" will absolutely and directly affect the way you feel. You set the tone of how you feel. Your crowd always responds to your DJ.

This is a doubled edged power. If you continue to dwell on things that you don't like but can't change, you create suffering and stress for yourself. You also weaken your position in affecting any change. On the other side, if you continue to dwell on all the world's beauty, abundance, and everything you love, you enjoy how life feels right NOW and gain an advantage in making changes you want to see.

Life's a party. Do you want it ruined by playing garbage? Or do you want to hear all your favorites? The choice is yours. The power is yours. The time is NOW. Enjoy yourself.

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Money Can't Buy It

2010-06-19T13:07:00.003-04:00

There are a lot of rich people who are not happy. Don't take my word for it. You have seen them for yourself. The news or the tabloids are usually always talking about some high profile case or another. This is mentioned to validate one point. Money can't buy happiness.

Of course, this is a very old saying. It has stuck around for so long because of the undeniable truth it represents. In the past I, myself, have questioned the validity of this saying. I used to think, "If I had all the money I wanted, there is no way I could possibly be unhappy." I later came to realize the ultimate truth behind it though.

This truth goes for more than just money. It goes for everything that you desire in life. It is not what you want that makes you happy when you get it. It is how you feel when you are experiencing it. It really all starts and ends with how you feel.

A man can have nine figures in his bank account and still be bent out of shape about a relationship or some other problem that money does not solve. Another man can be one pay check away from being penniless and feel like he's on top of the world.

This intangible feeling is why they say, "The best things in life are free." Money really can't buy this feeling. It is only accomplished by being in total acceptance of reality. When you can say YES to everything in your present moment; you have no choice but to be happy.

Though money can't buy happiness; happiness might get you paid. Happiness actually attracts money. Take a good look at life and see if you agree.

Related posts:
C.R.E.A.M.
Success
Feel Like a Million Bucks
What Is Money? Really

You Complete Me?

2010-06-18T13:18:00.006-04:00

The phrase alone doesn't really sound logical. On the other hand, we all know exactly what it means because we know how it feels to long for, or "need" another person. But does this really mean that the other person 'completes' you? Let's look further into this.

It's a fact that we are all born alone (even if you're a twin or etc.) and we all die alone (even if you die with others). Your journey and experience is yours alone. Knowing this, how can you need anyone else to complete you?

It only appears that it takes another to complete us. In reality, it is always us as an individual, that completes us. To illustrate, when John and Jane met and got to know each other, they formed a great attachment to each other. They became inseparable. If any significant period of time had to pass without them being together, they would miss each other greatly. But the clues to why they feel this way also provide the answers we're looking for.

John has formed an idea of a his perfect mate. He had this idea long before he met Jane. Jane so happens to fit John's idea in almost every way. John's idea of Jane is his alone and only affects his experience of her. Even when John is physically with Jane, John only ever experiences his own impressions of her. He only experiences his interpretation of who she is, how she looks, and how she acts. So in reality, it is John's idea of how his mate should be that he is attached to. It's not Jane, herself, but the idea that John has of Jane. The exact same thing goes for Jane and how she feels about John.

People have convinced themselves that it is "other people" who make them feel the way they do. In reality, no one can "make" you feel anything. It is the ideas that you hold so close that truly affect your mood. If John should suddenly drastically change in behavior or looks and deviate from Jane's idea of what her perfect mate is, Jane would not hold him in the same regard. While the attachment might remain for a while, she would be stressed out or heart broken. Only after the attachment is severed would she feel relief from this stress. She would feel indifferent about John because she reclaims the idea of her ideal mate. Once reclaimed, she's once again ready to bestow it on someone else.

Realizing that it is only our own ideas that complete us, we can see that we really only use others to bring these ideas into the physical world. By concentrating on your ideal mate and feeling the abundance of their company (even if they don't physically exist right now) you can be just as happy and fulfilled as if they were walking beside you. In contrast, you could be in a relationship with your ideal mate right now, but if you are not appreciating them or are only feeling a lack of what you want, you will not be happy with them.

When you really think about it, you always have your perfect mate with you. Your perfect mate is an idea that you created and if you give it the proper attention, you can feel the abundance of this presence at anytime. Not only can you feel better by appreciating this fact, but it actually helps to physically attract a person of this nature to you.

Happiness starts and ends with you. Once you can be happy with yourself, you have an unlimited supply to share with others. A relationship works out so much easier when you have two whole people complementing each other, rather than two needy souls looking for validation from each other.

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Life Through a Child's Eyes

2010-06-16T19:33:00.004-04:00

Can you remember when you were a kid? Go back as far as you can. Remember when everything was new? The ever unfolding brand new parade of stimulus for your senses to experience. Exploring the world around you; feeling new fabrics, and textures; exciting new food to taste; new smells and scents from everything; new situations to deal with and learn from. In general, your sense of perception back then was considerably magnified compared to your senses most of the time today. Have you ever thought about why?

It is only natural for our perception to be heightened when our level of expectation is very low. In other words, the less you think you know what's going to happen next, the more aware and alert of the present moment you are. As a result, perception is heightened when your focus is in the present. People tend to enjoy themselves a lot more in the present moment as well.

Think about it yourself. You will notice that the newness of the moment is the secret ingredient in everything you enjoy. Are you a sports fan? You can't appreciate a game without being in the newness of the moment. Like to travel? The joy of traveling to new places is in the newness of the experience. Do you like to dance? Do you like music? How about movies, books, parties, meeting people, web surfing, everything! There is nothing that you can enjoy without acknowledging it in the present moment. You connect with life in the present moment.

So what's new? What is new? Of course 'new' has many uses and relative definitions but it is no coincidence that 'new' and 'now' have similar word origins. In order to be new, something must have just stepped out of the now; the present moment.

We often hear of people chasing their 'inner child'. It is easy to see why. The feeling of everything being brand new; the heightened perception; the zest for life; the wide eyed perspective; and the fun loving spirit are all still within you right now.

All it takes to bring it to life is attention. Focus navigates...

The Logic of Acceptance

2010-06-09T23:57:00.002-04:00

Acceptance is a major life changing perspective and can be used as a tool to dramatically increase the value of your life right now. Regardless of your views on life, religion, science, philosophy, cultures, politics, or any other possible topic, you have almost no choice but to agree to the logic of acceptance. Check it out.

positive + positive = positive (+ and + = +)
Say yes to the yes...... in your perspective and you will enjoy life.

negative + negative = positive ( - and - = +)
Say no to the no...... in your perspective and you will enjoy life.

This is allowance of life situations. This is acceptance. This is adaptation. This is the root of happiness.

positive + negative = negative (+ and - = -)
Say yes to the no...... and in life you will feel pain or stress.

negative + positive = negative (- and + = -)
Say no to the yes...... and in life you will feel pain or stress.

From the teachings of Buddha to your nearest psychologist, it is agreed that the key to peace and happiness in life is to be in acceptance and not resistance to what is. Suffering is indeed a state of mind; and if you can change your mind (train your mind), then you can change your life experience.

This logic is true, mathematically, philosophically, and most importantly, it is true to your experience of life.

Your Thoughts Shape You

2010-06-01T12:27:00.005-04:00

Or you could say, you shape yourself by the thoughts you give most attention to. Sounds like a common enough observation, but you'd be surprised how often it's overlooked!

The face you have as a child is the face you were given. The face you have as an adult (especially the older you get) is the face you shape. This isn't simply some philosophical saying. It is easily proven scientifically.

An experiment requires controls and a variable. Using human DNA as the control and "thought" as the variable, we can easily see how thought shapes a person. Identical twins share the same DNA code. Their DNA originates from a single source, thus their genetic makeup is the same and the characteristics that are determined by genetics will be the same.

Taking a look at the picture above illustrates the point very clearly. The sisters' thoughts, which influence their habits and their environment, have made a clear impact on their appearances. In even more extreme cases, plastic surgery, exercise, diet, and other incidents have dramatically changed the appearance of twins. This is all still the result of thought. The power of your thoughts can not be denied.

Just a little reminder to be a mindful conductor of your train of thought! Each one is a building block of you and your world.

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Getting Stuck

2010-05-23T20:27:00.005-04:00

Here's the scenario: You're moving along at a pretty good speed. Then (WHAM!) it happens. This is something you thought could never happen again! How could this be? How could a known issue still cause a problem for you?

This scenario is vague enough to describe any life experience where a past problem has resurfaced or is being experienced yet again. It is an issue we thought we had resolved, transcended, or were previously enlightened about.

Even after an awakening. which is nothing more than a widening and deepening of your perspective, it is possible to become entangled in issues you previously thought conquered. The attachment to ideas and the people closest to you can seem to disappear for a time, only to remind you of its continued existence later on. This is only proof that the attachment still resonates with you.

It is neither a good or a bad thing. It just is. And being aware of it, you can make the best of it. Embracing the idea of abundance in the attachment as opposed to the lack of it will turn it into your advantage.

You absolutely can turn an attachment into an affirmation of abundance. If you are attached to a loved one you can't be with the way you like, you have the ability to envision yourself with them in a setting to your pleasing. You can interact with that person and all the qualities you love about them. Even when you were physically with them, the loved one was only an impression on you that YOU interpreted. You can bring life to this interpretation of them at any time. It only takes concentration. The same goes for any concept or object you may feel a lack of. You have the ability to conjure it and feel it's presence.

Getting stuck or caught up on the way down your path does happen. From the perspective of a third person, you were stuck for a very short time. Maybe from your own perspective, you were stuck for a long while. Either way, time is relative and forward is the only direction. Recognize that getting stuck is only an illusion and that the evolution never stops. All adversity is worth it.

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What Would Jesus Do?

2010-05-22T12:44:00.004-04:00

The question itself is a hint at something a lot of people have never dared to think of. Choices make us who we are more than anything else. And if we posses the ability to choose what Jesus(/Buddha/any other religious figurehead) would do in a given situation, we already have them within us.

In other words, by choosing the godly way to act, we become more god like ourselves. This is true for any type of behavior. If a person went around with a, "What would a thief do?" mind set, they would take on the attributes of a thief. If a person went around with a, "What would a scholar do?" mind set, they would take on the attributes of a scholar. And so on.

They say that man was made in the image of God. But it can't be denied that the image of God was made by man. No matter how you look at it, what we think of God had to be observed and interpreted by people. Therefore all images and ideas of God are man made.

To take it even further, God and man are one. The perception and sense of God that man has is but a reflection of himself. When he asks himself, "What would Jesus do?", he is literally speaking to his God-self consciousness. Whatever his impression of God's teachings is, he will act on that.

Appreciate the fact that your Higher Intelligence is always with you. It will continue to grow and guide you as you give it more attention.

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Play It Off

2010-05-10T19:48:00.005-04:00

An enjoyable life experience is all about perspective. An attitude of acceptance and the ability to adapt to whatever the moment holds, brings with it a sense of calmness and confidence.

With this calm confidence, you can do no wrong. Any missed steps or poor judgment can be quickly recognized and corrected. There is no shame. There is only growth.

Mistakes are simply sign posts pointing to perfection and aides in making all corrections. Embracing the moment for what it is and becoming one with it allows you to react from the place of all solutions. You will always end up in a better landing position when you first accept the fact you have fallen.

Own the moment. Play in it. Play with it. Play it off. You have nothing to lose and a winning experience to gain. Don't sweat the small stuff, cause it's ALL small stuff!

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Suicidal Thoughts

2010-04-29T19:01:00.004-04:00

Ever had thoughts of wanting to wipe the slate clean and totally start over? I have. I never went as far as planning a way to do myself in, but if I were a video game, I would have wanted to hit the reset button.

I'm sure I can speak for anyone who has ever wanted to kill themselves, or at least had thoughts of erasing everything and starting fresh. This way of feeling and thinking is always brought on by a tremendous amount of stress (be it mental or physical).

The times I felt like this were years ago at this point, but I can easily remember what I was upset about and trying to avoid. I don't regret going through this depression stage because it played a role in bringing about an awakening within me. Since my shift in consciousness, I can see how and why this is a feeling more common to a whole lot of people than you may be lead to believe.

At the root of this urge to purge oneself of "life," lies a major paradox. You are life itself and will never die. You can move on past this physical world but will still live. So how can you "kill" yourself? You can't. You are only trying to kill your current situation.

Think about it. Who really wants to die? The ego. The identity you have adopted as yourself is in a huge amount of stress. Once separated from the identity, relief is experienced. Who wants relief from the identity? You do. The real you.

It really is like there are two people there. The phrase, "I hate myself," implies a 'hater' and a 'hatee', so to speak. To be unhappy with yourself/life situation is to be a house divided against itself. The solution is to become whole again. But how?

You can die while still living and gain even more life in the process! Sounds like another paradox, but it's true. Allowing yourself to become more aware of the part of you that is the eternal observer, will bring balance to your perspective. There is the part of you that cares so much about the stressful situations (ego identity) and there's the part of you that is good either way and just observes. Allowing yourself to simply, objectively, observe your ego identity and it's drama, you will watch that part of you die. It will start to seem less and less important and less of who you are. It will lose all power and you will regain it.

Killing your body is a waste of time. You will continue on and have to overcome the same tests that drove you to it in the first place. Killing the attachments that cause you stress will achieve all the relief you desire plus so much more! Meditate on theses words and suicide will never seem logical again.

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Everybody's Crazy!

2010-04-17T14:02:00.001-04:00

Some people's 'crazy' is just too hard to relate to, so they get the official label of "insane."

What brought me to this crazy ass conclusion? Because I'm so far gone, insane and crazy myself! And I'm convinced that everyone else is too!

There are, of course, the standards of society as a whole. This is what the collective uses to label a person crazy. These mainstream ideas of what 'crazy' really is, are the reason I'm saying that everyone (and myself exceedingly) are crazy by definition!

Mentally deranged; demented;, unsound, crooked, askew, mad, insane, impractical, erratic, unusual, infatuated, and obsessed; these all describe 'crazy' when you look it up. Yet a person's judgment through observation is always needed to cast the label of 'crazy.' If the person making the judgment sees the object as 'normal' or 'sane' because they enjoy or suffer from the same perspective, they won't see the other as crazy!

I've realized that 'crazy' and 'insane' are simply labels. They are words interpreted by everyone with a slightly different meaning. What's 'crazy' for one person won't necessarily be 'crazy' to someone else.

Even the mainstream ideas of 'crazy' can be related to 'average' people. Can you deny that your thought process often contains voices in your mind, some even conflicting and going back and forth? Can you deny that 'crazy' things have crossed your mind (regardless if you acted on them or not)? Who is to say you are not crazy?

People who have made great changes in the world would have all been considered crazy by their peers at the time! Nikola Tesla, Albert Einstein, the Wright Brothers, Gandhi, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., Alexander Graham Bell, Benjamin Franklin, and countless other visionaries all saw what others could not! They were the best kind of crazy! They actually helped stretch the mainstream ideas of what crazy really is.

Realizing and understanding that all possibilities really do exist and that being a visionary allows you to explore these infinite possibilities, I encourage everyone to be a little more crazy!

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See Yourself, Feel Your Essence

2010-04-14T23:10:00.007-04:00

Be aware of your awareness.
Define your ability to define.
Be conscious of your consciousness.
Think about your thoughts.
Contemplate contemplation.
Focus on your focus.
Perceive your perception.
Be cognitive of your cognition.
Be mindful of your mind.
Attend to your attention.
Sense your senses.
Concentrate on your ability to concentrate.
Take note of your ability to take notice.
Behold the beholder.
Observe the observer.
Be insightful of your insight.
See the seer.
Know the know-er.
Feel the gaze of your own vision.

Just a Matter of Perspective

2010-03-28T18:05:00.004-04:00

Ever thought about how 'perspective' and 'awareness' are two completely different aspects of our consciousness? They are tied together in our minds because one can not exist without the other. Because they can't exist without each other, they are indivisible, or one in the same. This is clearly a paradox since they are indeed different.

'Awareness' exists before 'perspective' can be formed. Awareness is the very sense of being that allows us to observe the outside world, and the inner world as well. Though 'awareness' comes before 'perspective', it will take the defining factors that 'perspective' brings to make any sense of 'awareness'. Or more simply stated, one doesn't make sense without the other.

I mention the difference because I've noticed that no matter how your perspective may change or shift; your awareness always remains the same in nature, only growing in degrees of intensity. You have the same awareness that you had when you were an infant. It is only the focus of this awareness and the perspective that have shifted. Who you think you are is all 'perspective'. Then there is the 'awareness' that gives this perspective life.

It is amazing how radically our perspective can shift while maintaining the same force of awareness. Some great movie plots illustrating this are "Face Off (1997)," " District 9 (2009)," and "Avatar (2009)." In all three films, main characters shift appearance and perspective greatly while remaining the same awareness. With almost 180 degree turns in seeing themselves and everything else, how else can you explain still being the same person? Though these are just movies, people in real life are able to change just as dramatically by way of changing who they 'think' they are!

When people talk about ego identity, they are referring to this 'perspective'. I've realized that 'ego' is indivisible from 'awareness.' When people speak of the ego as the part of us to be transcended so that we may experience the peace that is always with us, they are speaking of the small 'perspective' of being solely an individual. When this concept is transcended, there is still an ego. There is still a broader 'perspective.' The difference is that it is a perspective of wholeness, or oneness. If you are aware of this perspective, you have not discarded the ego, but matured and purified it.

Everything is literally a matter of perspective! And remembering that we are the unchanging (in nature) awareness that gives light to all perspectives, is a very powerful alley and brings balance to all perspective.

Become aware of your perspective on everything!

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Spontaneous Inspiration

2010-03-25T18:19:00.004-04:00

Inspiration strikes quite often when it's allowed. I've been letting the feeling flow from thoughts to tweets. Here's a few recent ones...

People are diamonds. Most are in the rough, thinking they're regular stones. The greats chisel away and repair flaws, revealing their value.
It ain't where you from, it's where you at! Especially where your head is at!
The only real money is the way you spend your attention. Live free of fear based thinking. "Scared money don't make money!"
The road to greatness is driven one mile at a time, walked one step at a time, lived one moment at a time. Look out! You're on it right NOW!
The road to greatness is paved with dreams, enthusiasm, and the realization that you are great right NOW! ...even before the acknowledgment.
There is no "out there" out there. ~Joel Goldsmith
Light from outside doesn't actually make it to the part of the brain where images are generated. The light you see is coming from you!
Worrying really is a waste of time when you consider that same focus can go to a solution! Plus you feel better! What's better than that?
Inhale...Exhale... Inhale...Exhale... Inhale...Exhale... Feel that?!! I get a rush! Lol... Anyway, have a great day!
You can only breath in the present moment. The mind can feel the undercurrent of peace in the moment when you're aware of your breathing.
Calmness is easily experienced when attention is brought to your breathing. Breath speed and thought speed are linked. Attention controls it
Once you reach a high enough altitude, there are no more clouds.
A promise is only good if it's meant to be kept. Money is only good if it's meant to be spent. Life is only good when it's appreciated!
The mind's eye can explore any and all possibilities. Imagination is a doorway. Images most focused on and felt, come to pass. Visualize it!
Is the glass half full or half empty? My answer: It's all full! Even the empty half is full of possibilities! Focus on abundance! No lack!
Realizing that all potential to be, have, and do greatness lives with in you; you're a buried treasure, discovered everytime you look inside
The notion of chaos is an illusion. All seemingly random chaos is part of a more grand order.
No one can steal your attention. You willfully GIVE it away. All power lies where your attention is at.

For more...

Clouds and Smoke

2010-03-25T17:15:00.005-04:00

I guess you could say my head is in the clouds...

Ever look up at the sky and notice how transient and temporary the clouds are? They move around so easily when the wind blows. They change shape and size so quickly and so often, before you know it, you are looking at a totally transformed cloud. They also often breakup and join together making the new and the old indistinguishable. Smoke moves the same way, although usually at a much quicker pace and appears to disappear without a trace.

Knowing the absolute truths that, "Nothing lasts forever," and, "Everything that has a beginning has an ending;" it occurred to me that we are just like a cloud or a puff of smoke, only moving at a slower rate of change. Not the true essence of who we are, but the external identity that we appear to be. Our appearances and life situations are in a state of constant flux. Change is a constant in all of our life experiences, varying only in the speed of the change.

From the standpoint of quantum mechanics' string theory, the vibrations of the strings that create our physical reality is in constant flux. Amazingly, we have more control over how these changes take place than most people realize. This has also been proven through the science of quantum mechanics by way of the observer influencing what is observed, just by the act of paying attention.

Life is truly like a dream and the more awake we can be in this dream, the more control we will have over how it unfolds. We can be lucid dreamers in the dream of life.

Accepting the fact that situations are always temporary can give you tremendous peace of mind for the more difficult periods in life and for the fun times, it can allow you to appreciate them even more. The clouds are constantly rolling by. It's best to enjoy the show.

Be a Celebrity!

2010-03-14T17:09:00.003-04:00

Ever notice how pop culture gushes over celebrities? Notice the way the mainstream media has wet dreams and blankets newspapers and the nightly news every time they hear about some type of celebrity misfortune? Ever wonder why?

The word 'celebrity' comes from 'celebrate'. It literally means to be a celebrated person. The most popular actors, athletes, and music artists are among the most celebrated people in the world!

People celebrate the lives of celebrities because in them, they see a reflection of the part of themselves they would like to celebrate. Anytime you can appreciate the talents of others, you are actually appreciating an aspect of yourself! Beauty is in the eye of the beholder.

With the popularity of 'reality TV', we can easily see how the average person can become a celebrity over night. People who would not have been celebrated in the past are getting their claim to fame (even if only for "15 minutes" of it). This can bring about the question, "Why am I not a celebrity?" There's also a good number of people (including myself) who don't really care for fame. But it's more the aspect of celebrating life then fame I'm referring to.

Well, the good news is that you can be a celebrity right this minute! Realizing that all it takes to be one is an attitude of celebrating your life, becoming a celebrity is actually very healing. Eliminating stress and bringing acceptance and joy into your everyday life is simply a matter of changing the way you view yourself and life in general.

Life is meant to be not only lived, but celebrated! You don't need annoying paparazzi and an endless stream of fans to feel the same sense of celebration as your favorite big name. All it takes is your own attention.

So...what are you waiting for? Become a celebrity right now! :-)

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Growing Pains

2010-03-10T18:27:00.001-05:00

Growing pains. We have all had them. You can not find a person alive who has not had difficulty with something. In all reality, it is so common place; it is sometimes hard to see why people react the way they do to some of life's tests.

A great deal of the pain and stress we suffer is self inflicted. This is due to the egoic identity we mistake ourselves for and the many ideas and concepts we are identified with. All of these things become part of our identity. Our identity becomes our comfort zone.

Beyond the limit of your comfort zone lies nothing but stress and pain. Everything beyond what is considered to be the best scenario for the ego's well being causes you stress. This could be as small as a minor irritation or as major as life and death. If it is a threat to your idea of well being; it is stressful to your ego.

Loss of any kind is usually considered a pain. It is often only through this type of pain that the walls of our comfort zone can be shattered. What ends up happening is your comfort zone becomes wider. You are able to be without someone or something and still recognize that you are good. The pain helped you grow.

This is where sayings like, "Whatever doesn't kill you makes you stronger," come from. There is a much deeper meaning behind this and many other sayings than maybe noticed on the surface.

It is a regular fact that unexpected incidents and occurrences affect our lives from time to time. These can be seen as horrible experiences in our lives or they can be seen as chances to grow in perspective and adapt to what is.

You can literally change the meaning of pain.

To get more on this in depth; read What Is Really Good? and stay tuned!

The Evolution Revolution

2010-03-03T03:58:00.001-05:00

Do you believe in evolution? People have disagreed for ages about whether or not we were "created by God" or we evolved randomly out of natural selection's "survival of the fittest." Personally, I don't see why it should have to be one or the other since they could both really be responsible for life as we know it right now. Intelligent design seems to me to go hand in hand with natural selection as it was the design of the Creator for survival of the fittest to help shape life.

Whatever you believe; it is almost irrelevant because in our very lifetime, we have been a witness to the evolution of human consciousness. You need not theorize the origins of our species to see evidence of our continuing change and growth from the time that you were born. The tremendous jump in technology and some cultural changes is proof enough. There really is no question as to if evolution is real. It is only how far back one is willing to take it.

We now stand at the threshold of the next major leap in human evolution. The next phase in our evolution is not one of natural selection, but one of individual choice. It is a choice in perspective. It is how we choose to see the world and therefore ourselves.

How is this so? The average human psyche is severely dysfunctional. The mismatch of a very primitive human ego and the very advanced human mind has lead humanity down a path of ever increasing speed, technology, and efficiency and yet we struggle with the same issues of conflict, fear, greed, and disharmony as people thousands of years ago.

A human ego can be seen as primitive when it works against a person's well being. Humanity has quite literally outgrown or evolved right past the way it functions. The ego works as an anchor for identity so that the mind knows what to protect. An animal's ego works in the same way. It's purpose is self preservation. In humans, we have a primitive part of us directing a highly advanced part of us. What else makes this ego mind combination so dysfunctional for us humans is that we identify with ideas and concepts as if they are us. People will fight and die for ideas and concepts as if they were defending their very existence.

An immature ego controlling the thought process of the mind is the source of the dysfunction. Most people can not stop thinking when ever they want. Paradoxically, moving to the next level of consciousness requires less thought. Higher states of awareness exist beyond the realm of thoughts created by your mind. It is when you can be without thought that intuition can exist.

There have been people throughout history who have tried to show us how to snap out of the old and destructive perspective the immature ego mind presents, but their message was often misinterpreted or used to the benefit of some leaving others in the dark. Never the less, consciousness is in a constant shift toward becoming aware of itself and it seems now more than ever this shift is spreading further, faster, and wider. People ego's are maturing from a perspective of individuals separated from and against a cold outside world to a realization that they are one with their world.

The revolution will not be televised! It won't even be a physical struggle. The revolution is happening all over the world, right now, on an individual basis. The revolution is here! Experience it!

Music To My Ears

2010-03-01T18:22:00.001-05:00

Music vs. Noise

Ever notice how some music to some people is just noise? Then there are other people who can turn almost any noise into music. How is this so? What noise becomes music to our ears?

It all boils down to our acceptance level. It is a sense and a matter of perspective, exactly like our sense of humour. Music is our acceptance level of noise just as laughter is our acceptance level of a situation.

Of course music can be, and is very much more elaborate and sequenced than random noise. But at the same time, the interpretation of it comes first and foremost. If a person can't or doesn't discern the flow, sequence, or rhythm of music, then it really is just noise! Just as beauty is in the eye of the beholder, music is in the 'ear' of the listener.

In every case of perceiving the outside world (and even the one within) we are receivers of various vibrational frequencies. Be it sight, sound, touch, taste, smell, emotion, or any other possible feeling; we are interpreting these vibes and either accepting of them or in resistance to them. Of course there are varying levels of acceptance or resistance, but in all cases it is up to us to interpret them the way we do.

People who have had psychedelic experiences have claimed being able to see the colors of music and hear the differences in different colored light. They have claimed to be able to feel sound and light as if it was tactile as well. This actually makes perfect sense when we realize that our regular senses only pick up a minute fraction of the over all spectrum of vibrations that are known to exist. If we disrupt the way our senses usually work, we maybe open to receiving more of what's out there than we usually do.

'Music to my ears' = 'Beauty to my eyes' = 'Pleasure to my touch' = 'Intoxicating fragrance to my nose' = 'Nectar to my mouth' = 'Blissful joy to my spirit'. They are equal in the sense that it is our embracing of the sense stimulus that allows us to really appreciate it.

Life is always giving us a steady stream of 'noise'. It is up to us to constantly interpret that 'noise' as music to our ears.

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The Quiet Majesty

2010-02-24T22:59:00.001-05:00

Can you feel it?

The quiet majesty that is always with you. It is always with you and yet you will not notice it unless you are there with yourself.

You will be unable to feel or acknowledge it unless you are willing to become aware that you have awareness. Becoming conscious of your consciousness, you will become aware of your own presence.

This is the presence that is always with you. This is the presence before your personality. It is the space that allows your personality to exist. This presence is the true essence of you.

This is the silence before any thought or emotional impression. It is the silence that allows such things to rise and subside with in it. This silence is the true essence of you.

This silent presence, once truly felt and acknowledged, feels very peaceful, calm, confident, regal, and majestic. This is the Quiet Majesty within. This majestic silence is you.

The Only Thing

2010-02-23T15:03:00.001-05:00

When I was grade school age, I first heard the riddle, "If a tree falls in a forest and no one is around to hear it, does it make a sound?" I was (and still am) very logical and scientific about the way I saw things. I thought, "Of course it makes a sound! Duh! What kind of riddle is that? Even if no one's around, the moving air and impact on the earth would make a sound!"

I realized after a shift in perspective how things really work. The production of sound requires 3 things: A source, a medium, and a receiver. The source creates a series of pressure waves. These pressure waves travel through various mediums including water, air, and solids. The receiver collects and converts these pressure waves into electrical impulses. If you remove any of the 3 requirements for sound, there is no sound.

In the vacuum of outer space there is no medium for sound wave travel, therefore, no sound. In the absence of a receiver in the woods, the falling tree only produces a series of pressure waves.

This is an issue many scientists, and people in general overlook. There is no science without an observer, and yet the observer is often left out of equations and theories. Everyday people also overlook the fact that they see the world from their eyes alone. People influence what they see by what they think and how they feel about it.

Everything you can possibly conceive of in all creation and even imagination, all have one thing in common. Even more, this one thing is the only thing that is ever really real to us. It is all we experience and allows us to conceive of, and perceive the world the way we do.

This only thing is consciousness. Without consciousness, nothing would be perceived or experienced. Nothing would exist without attention paid to it. If eyes were never part of our anatomy, light would not exist for us. Consciousness gives birth and meaning to all experience. If something can not be experienced, acknowledged, measured, or otherwise observed, how can it possibly exist to us?

It's the only thing that there really is. If you can really appreciate that, life is sweet!

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The Contrast

2010-02-22T23:41:00.001-05:00

"It's all good!"

This phrase, though used all the time, is often not understood in it's fullest and most true meaning. The wisdom behind it is timeless and has literally been around forever presenting itself in many philosophies and perspectives, but they are still just words. Because words can't give you the exact experience behind them, the true meaning is often lost.

How the hell could everything really be good?! It sounds crazy from a lot of perspectives. We've got poverty all over the world, war, natural disasters destroy places like Haiti, and lots of misery and suffering in peoples daily lives. So how can anyone in their right mind say, "It's all good?"

One answer is 'contrast.' What are your favorite stories, movies, or books? Take a second and think of one. There's no doubt the story you are thinking of has a person or people who are being affected by horrible events or circumstances. If there was no trouble, there would be no story.

As simple as the idea of contrast is, it can sometimes be difficult to see the things we don't like as the things that give value to the things we do like. Literally, if there was no 'bad', there could be no 'good'. Just as with all opposites, they are indivisible.

If darkness did not exist, light would not be perceivable because it would be a constant.
If silence did not exist, sound would not be perceivable because it would be a constant.
If pain did not exist, pleasure would not be perceivable because it would be a constant.
Etc...

When you realize you can't have one side of a coin without the other, then you can see both sides as one coin. A coin with everything you love on one side, and everything you fear on the other. If you labeled this coin, the name could have no opposite since the coin is both sides. If you appreciate the coin as a whole (even though you don't really care for one side) then "it's all good." With this perspective, you can not only feel better, but more effectively change things you don't like.

Because there will always be some kind of a contrast in life, it's our choice to accept it and choose to focus on the part we like. What is focused on expands in your experience.

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Zero is Nothing AND Everything

2010-02-22T19:04:00.001-05:00

"Nothing from nothing leaves nothing." As common place as the idea is, zero is truly an amazing concept. It has qualities no other number possesses. In terms of what it represents and how it fits together with everything else, it has a lot of the qualities that people attribute to God.

The number zero that we are accustomed to, came into existence rather late, around 200 A.D. (centuries after the great Classical Greek Period, which can arguably be called the origin of the modern mathematics). The number zero as we know it was conceived by the Hindus from India. The Hindus were the first to recognize a mathematical representation of concept of no quantity. It had not occurred to earlier civilizations, even to the Greeks, that it would be useful to have a number which represents the absence of any objects.

Zero has long been philosophized about because the nature of nothing, or no-thing, is paradoxical in nature. Just as the nature of a Higher Power, zero is everywhere and no where at the same time. Here are some of the rules for how zero is used mathematically. Notice the same can be said for Consciousness.

The sum of zero and a negative number is negative.
The sum of zero and a positive number is positive.
The sum of zero and zero is zero.
The sum of a positive and a negative is their difference; or, if they are equal, zero.
A positive or negative number when divided by zero is a fraction with the zero as denominator.
Zero divided by a negative or positive number is either zero or is expressed as a fraction with zero as numerator and the finite quantity as denominator.
Zero divided by zero is zero.

Zero is neither negative or positive, or it is both. Zero is at the center of infinity. Zero has always been, is right now, and always will be. It is always there added or subtracted from anything that you see. The most important numeric value to mankind has no numeric value.

For more on this and similar concepts, read What Is Really Good? and stay tuned!

Be Mine

2010-02-14T10:42:00.002-05:00

"Be mine, Valentine."
From these words alone, we can already see the dysfunction in the traditional view of romance.

The concept of possession is an extension of a person's identity. If an object belongs to you, in some way, shape, or form, it is an attachment. It becomes part of the ego identity. This is why all possessions are able to bring pleasure or pain.

Somehow, unconditional love has gotten all confused with attachment and possession. This gives rise to the illusion of a lack of love or feelings that oppose love. Love is our nature. There is no opposite or lack unless we are looking through the warped perception of the ego mind. It is only here that any loved one can be or do anything for us to feel a lack of love for them.

When we say, "Be mine," we are setting up a condition that will result in us feeling bad if it is not met. This condition says if you are mine and you stick to the concept I have in my mind of what it means to be mine, everything is great. But if you are not mine, then I will not love you and because I am still attached to you, I will feel pain. How crazy is that?

When we can let go and just love unconditionally, we are free.

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Can You Feel It?

2010-02-08T16:28:00.001-05:00

I can feel it.

Feeling is part of your perception. You can really only use your perception in the present moment. When people acknowledge that they can feel something, they are being conscious.

My definition of conscious is being aware of being aware. In other words, if you can take notice of yourself taking notice of anything; you are conscious.

Have you ever noticed that when you feel something you may experience it and not actually acknowledge that you experience it? For example, you may be wearing very comfortable clothing or shoes. You can completely overlook the fact that these garments are being felt by you right now because they are very easy on your body. But reading this or maybe someone else giving you a compliment on what you are wearing may bring your awareness back to the fact that you are feeling your clothes all the time and that you are simply overlooking it. When you have the awareness that allows you to feel the light sensation of the clothes on your skin; you are conscious of your clothes in that moment.

'I can feel it,' is a statement of consciousness even if the person saying it is not conscious that they are being conscious. When this is the case, I call it 'unconscious consciousness.'

When people acknowledge that they can feel something, they are being in the present moment (whether they are conscious of it or not). Just as illustrated above, you can be in contact with something and not really feel it. This is because your mind is preoccupied with thought. You are not truly there in the moment. Your attention must be there for you to really feel it. Since anything that you feel must be touching you at the time you feel it; anything you feel is in the present moment.

You can feel with more than physical contact. Touch is only one of our sense perceptions. Bringing more awareness to what you are aware of enhances your consciousness. When you bring more awareness to your perception as a whole, you can really feel the present moment and everything in it that you give your attention to.

You can feel it.

Who Hears Your Prayers?

2010-02-06T12:19:00.001-05:00

You can go down a long list of world religions from the past to the present and one thing you will find most of them have in common is the practice of prayer. Have you ever really noticed this? It is pretty noteworthy since, religions tend to differ on so many other issues.

Regardless of the differences in how the prayer is carried out, essentially prayer in any faith or religion, is a conversation between you and the Higher Power. Why has the act of communication with a Higher Power transcended time and culture to be part of mankind's spiritual practice for thousands of years? It is because it works on one level or another.

Who hears our prayers? The person praying expects God to hear their prayers. But who said God was listening? What they do not tell you in most religions and faiths, is that the reason why prayer feels good and does often work is because the Higher Power is always in your presence. That is why we expect 'Him' to hear our prayers.

How can 'God' always be in our presence? Most people's idea of God is a being who is omnipresent and omnipotent. 'He' is everywhere and knows everything. You as an individual happen to be everywhere also. The only difference is that you are only everywhere that you go. Since you are everywhere that you go and God is everywhere in general, it stands to reason that God is always in your presence.

To take it a step further, you could even realize that God is your very presence. The consciousness that animates you; the essence that observes, lives, and breathes; is the very same Intelligence that hears your prayers. The reason why you are everywhere you go is the same reason why you can pray to God anywhere you go. The Universal Intelligence is always with you and we are all one with it. It only takes the awareness to experience this.

Who hears the prayers the individual self makes? The universal Self hears them. Recognizing that the Source is within you is major.

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True Depth Is Paradoxical

2010-02-03T20:03:00.002-05:00

If you want more clarity on this, definitely read the related posts!
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Life Is Open To Interpretation

2010-02-03T19:48:00.001-05:00

I'm sure that everyone can agree that the way a person feels throughout life is what actually determines their experience of life. What a person is exposed to and observes is not nearly as important as how they interpret what they observe. It is the interpretation that will determine the experience of life.

Just as two women can observe a man and have completely different opinions of him and why they do or do not like him; life is open to interpretation. With the right perspective you may make everything in life aid in your experience of a 'good' life.

When you take a good look at yourself, and trace to the source, what it is that dictates how you interpret life situations; you will see that it is a collection of ideas and concepts identified with by your ego. In other words, the part of your psyche that determines your identity is identified with these ideas and concepts just as much, if not more, than you as an individual.

To make this easier to understand; the ego is like a checklist of pros and cons. The ideas of good things happening to us are on the ego's pros list. The ideas of bad things happening to us are on the ego's cons list. It is always directing the mind to stick to the boundaries of theses lists. When things are adding up on the cons list; stress is experienced. When things are stacking up on the pros list; pleasure is the result.

If it were possible to scrap theses lists and have no boundaries for interpreting your life experience; what do you think would be the result? If there is no more good and bad, then what is left?

One thing is for sure. You will no longer suffer from self inflicted stress (which is over 98% of all stress). You would also live more in the present moment because worrying about that checklist no longer takes up so much of your attention and energy.

There are so many possibilities in life. It is the way we choose to interpret our situations that determine our experience. Since we have a choice; let us choose the path of least resistance to life. In other words, accept life. Adapt to life and it will become your greatest friend.

Sense Perception

2010-02-01T15:41:00.000-05:00

You gotta look before you can see.
You must listen before you can hear.
You won't experience details not focused upon.
You have to experience before you can know.

If you are watching TV and lost in thought about something else, you miss the show. If you are having a conversation and listening to a song, either the song or the convo doesn't get fully heard.

The amount of things a person can focus on simultaneously can actually grow. It just takes a bit of practice. What your senses can perceive all at once can actually expand way beyond what the average person would even consider. Even beyond the physical senses, we are beings of amazingly infinite potential!

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All Knowledge Is Self Knowledge

2010-02-01T03:00:00.001-05:00

The New Money

2010-01-30T12:21:00.000-05:00

Did you hear about the new money coming out? Pretty soon everyone will have to switch over to this new currency. It's evolutionary and it's inevitable.

In the same way that, "gray is the new black," or "smart is the new cool;" the new money is your attention. If you think about it, right at this moment, your attention is the most valuable asset you have! Even more true, it's really the only asset you ever have!

The "new" money is exactly the same as the old money in terms of it's power source. There are lots of people who have long since switched over to the new money. The "new" money is not really new. It's alway been there. It was there before money and it will be there after money.

Recognizing that your attention determines your quality of life way beyond any amount of monetary funds effectively minimizes the importance of cash and as a result allows you to have more of it.

You are spending the new money right this second. You are paying attention right now. Start to notice how much you spend and what you spend it on during your everyday. When you pay attention, you always get something in return. What are you getting back? Do you like and enjoy it? If so, you are appreciating your money! If you are paying attention or focusing on what you don't like, you are in a state of lack. Cash money's got nothing to do with it.

So get your money up!

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The Secret

2010-01-29T15:45:00.001-05:00

"The Secret" is not really a secret. It is self evident. The secret is the truth we experience every present moment.

What is really more of a secret is the fact that so many people are led to believe in something other than what their experience tells them.

We are told to believe that we are not capable of doing magic and performing super natural feats. We are told that to enjoy life is sinful. We are told that there is a judgmental higher power. We are told to separate ourselves from the higher power and cower in fear.

The real secret is, a person's life can only be seen from their individual perspective and everything that person believes, colors their perspective. If you are seeing life through beliefs that have not been proven by your life experience, you have the choice of holding on to them or letting them go.

The real secret is to let go of all fear based thinking (including fearing God). The real secret is that there is no secret. All you have to do is remove the beliefs coloring your vision to see it.

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Amazing Potential

2010-01-29T02:30:00.000-05:00

There's Only One

2010-01-27T12:36:00.000-05:00

There's only one power.
There's only one force.
There's only one flow.
There's only one reality that
becomes your one experience.
There's only one NOW.

Is it your friend? Are you cool with it? Are you good with it?
Or is it stressing you out?

Make it your friend.
Enjoy the ride.

You ARE the ONE.

Why Fear the Occult?

2010-01-27T03:30:00.000-05:00

Let's talk about it. Hit me in the comments. :-)

Skyscrapers Built On Sand

2010-01-25T17:04:00.001-05:00

As a society, we build more castles on sand foundations than a little bit. By today's standards, I guess you could call those 'castles' 'skyscrapers.' In any case, many of the old views, ideologies, concepts, and institutions don't have the same structural strength or fortitude they once had, due to the sands of change shifting their very foundations.

Change, a true constant, is inevitable. You've heard it before. "Nothing lasts forever." This goes for the usefulness in dated ideas too. There are the old ideas of, "going to school to get a good job that you can retire from in fifty years with a gold watch and nice pension." There are also the ideas of, "neighborhood record stores." The sands of change do shift and if you don't move with them, your structure will crumble.

Many institutions and old views claim that there is only one way to go to salvation. There is only one way to go about having a relationship with the Higher Power. Using your logic, it is pretty obvious that there is more than one way. Even looking at the common thread that runs through most faiths, it is obvious that there are many ways to the same Source.

Most of these castles built on sand are fueled by pure dogma. It only take a person aware enough to investigate what is real, as opposed to taking someone's word for it, to stay in the know. To be in the know is to be in the flow of change.

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Flexibility IS Strength

2010-01-25T17:04:00.000-05:00

Miss It

2010-01-24T20:22:00.000-05:00

When you have it, you can't miss it.
When you miss it, you can't have it.

Flexibility Is Adaptability

2010-01-20T21:15:00.000-05:00

It is funny how when a lot of people think of something being strong, long lasting, and durable, they often think of something that is solid and rigid. Things like a tank, an elephant, a brick house, etc., are seen in this light. Ironically, true strength and staying power comes with being flexible and being able to adapt to whatever life has to offer.

When you can bend and not break, you may become a master at adapting. This can be seen in the way people and structures may be conditioned to be flexible and therefore successful at adapting to unexpected changes and potential stress. Think about earthquake proof buildings. These are buildings that sway with the turbulence of the very earth they are built on. Think about a master martial artist; able to dodge and avoid any attack. Their very strength comes from their flexibility.

This concept holds true for not only potential physical stress, but also mental. People's ideas of what is right and wrong, good or bad, just and unjust; are like the traditional ideas of physical strength. They are rigid structures easily broken when things do not go as once expected. Morality is relative. It is what helps create the ego identities that are rigid barriers.

The perspective beyond the ego; the Observer; is nothing but flexible. It has no rigid walls that will crumble. Stress or resistance to life situations can not exist with this view. It is beyond shattering. It is shatter proof.

When you stop and look at the fact that nothing can possibly happen without it being allowed to happen by the laws of the universe, you must acknowledge the fact that it all must really be for the best. This is not to say that we can not make changes for the greater good. This is simply to say that we do not have to stress out about what we can not change.

The Serenity prayer articulates this quite perfectly. " God, give me the serenity to accept the things I can not change, the courage to change the things I can, and the wisdom to know the difference." These are words to live by. This is a perspective that enables the person who uses it to be flexible and able to adapt to anything.

For more on this and other concepts, read What Is Really Good? and stay tuned!

Selfless Service

2010-01-18T10:21:00.000-05:00

Few have had as much impact upon the American consciousness as Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. A minister and passionate advocate for civil rights through non-violent action, he was the closest this country has come to producing a leader with the universal awareness and understanding of Mahatma Gandhi. Both men embodied the wisdom to accept and adapt to the circumstances of their environment to bring about massive changes with in it.

King was a visionary with precision vision and the awareness of Self to find his dreams. The fruition of his vision is still coming to pass as Barack Obama's presidential status is still being digested by many.

A being who, in my opinion, was of a higher state of consciousness, King's philosophies of, "Turn the other cheek," "Love thy enemy," and, "Forgive them, for they know not what they do," did not ring true with me as a child. It was not until I had the shift in my consciousness that I was able to see the ultimate truth and resulting power in this kind of perspective.

Forgiveness is such a powerful way to approach a situation of conflict because it is a form of acceptance. It does not fight the situation but allows you to use the situation to your advantage. It also acknowledges the good intention behind every form of behavior and diffuses what would be a continuing elevation of stress on both sides.

To get more in depth on these concepts, read What Is Really Good? and stay tuned!

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Happy New You!

2010-01-01T03:34:00.000-05:00

Happy New Year! Or as I like to say, "Happy Newness!"

The only difference is the fact that the newness can be celebrated at any given moment. The reason for this is any given moment is as new as any other.

People can literally celebrate the rebirth of their own being at any given moment. New Year's resolutions are a big tradition because of this. Many people like to put new goals and new habits into effect at the start of a new year. Once again, this rebirth can be at any given moment.

Even if you can not change your current circumstance, a shift in your perspective of the very same circumstance may help you feel and appreciate the newness of the moment. Like a phoenix rising from the flaming and charred ashes; perspective will allow you to be reborn in any and all situations. Experience the new you.

Happy New You!

Happy Newness!

2009-12-31T20:10:00.000-05:00

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

2009-12-25T04:38:00.000-05:00

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!

2009-12-16T12:09:00.000-05:00

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?

2009-12-14T16:25:00.000-05:00

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.

2009-12-09T12:40:00.000-05:00

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 i t! 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

2009-12-08T13:44:00.000-05:00

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

2009-12-07T14:20:00.000-05:00

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

2009-12-07T13:58:00.000-05:00

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

2009-12-02T01:55:00.003-05:00

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

2009-11-30T16:40:00.000-05:00

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

2009-11-27T18:30:00.000-05:00

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

2009-10-17T17:01:00.000-04:00

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

2009-09-28T22:02:00.000-04:00

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:

A Dream Come True

2009-09-28T21:58:00.000-04:00

All experience, dream or waking, is a

dream

come true.

Related posts:

Success?

2009-08-29T19:09:00.000-04:00

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?

2009-08-09T20:50:00.000-04:00

Still Here!

2009-07-15T02:25:00.000-04:00

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?

2009-06-09T12:41:00.000-04:00

First video blog entry. More to come very soon.

Sense of Awareness

2009-05-29T22:16:00.000-04:00

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:

Sky High

2009-05-17T16:01:00.000-04:00

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?

2009-05-17T04:50:00.000-04:00

(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:

My Favorite

2009-05-13T19:02:00.000-04:00

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

2009-05-12T22:16:00.000-04:00

(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

2009-05-11T21:17:00.000-04:00

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

2009-04-28T04:54:00.000-04:00

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

2009-04-23T02:42:00.000-04:00

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

2009-04-20T21:47:00.000-04:00

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

2009-04-19T21:30:00.000-04:00

(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

2009-04-14T21:44:00.000-04:00

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?

2009-04-13T16:13:00.000-04:00

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:

The Middle Road

2009-04-12T13:59:00.000-04:00

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:

I Can't Wait

2009-04-11T11:21:00.000-04:00

(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

2009-04-09T11:29:00.000-04:00

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

2009-04-05T14:51:00.000-04:00

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

2009-04-03T13:27:00.000-04:00

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.

The Logic of Acceptance

2009-04-02T11:44:00.000-04:00

Wild Life

2009-03-28T18:52:00.000-04:00

What does 'wild' mean? It occurred to me how strange this label or description of life really is especially considering it is being used to describe 'life'.

We call animals that have not been tamed, 'wild'. In reality, 'wild' is a natural state unaltered by the mind of man. This state is free of labels like good, bad, perfect, and imperfect. There is a synchronicity and balance that the 'wild' life share with each other.

In contrast, mankind could really be considered more 'wild'. The ego mind causes man to be out of balance with himself and the planet. The untamed and uncontrolled thoughts of wanting are a far cry from the serenity that 'wild' life seems to carry around with it if there is no immediate danger.

The average human has considerably more fear based thought than the average 'wild' life. Fear based thought is the source of what may be called 'wild'. Learning to control the mind brings peace and ceases the wild nature within man.

We can actually learn a few things from what is traditionally called wild life.

It's All Rubble, Rubbish, and Dust

2009-03-25T21:44:00.000-04:00

If you could see the future of anything physically solid or material, you would see that it eventually turns to rubble, rubbish, or dust. I'm sure you already know this, but the thought of it is really quite a shift from the way people traditionally see things.

A brand new car will inevitably become a twisted piece of wreckage. A beautiful mansion will sooner or later become a pile of rubble. The most beautiful furniture will have the same fate as a fallen tree. Cash money is sooner or later taken out of circulation because the paper becomes tattered and starts to disintegrate. Even diamonds (which are supposedly forever) will eventually become dust (even if it is diamond dust).

Of course, the physical body is no different. "Ashes to ashes, dust to dust." It may sound a little depressing or pessimistic at first glance, but that is from an ego mind perspective. Looking at it from a more expanded perspective, nothing is ever really lost. Energy cannot be destroyed; only transferred or transformed. The unseen essence of everything is always connected and is eternal.

Essentially, everything came from 'nothingness', is almost really 'nothingness' during it's existence, and will return to 'nothingness' when it ceases to exist. Yes, even during the existence of anything physical, when we take a close enough look at all matter (a view from the quantum level), we see that it is really mostly empty space. Atoms are over 98% empty space. At an even deeper level we will find only vibrating 'strings' that form our physical reality. Pretty mind blowing.

Everything that the ego hold's near and dear is very temporary. Shifting your view of what is to see what is eternal helps tremendously to put life into perspective and brings a feeling of peace, joy, and freedom.

Never Alone

2009-03-24T17:14:00.000-04:00

I recently realized the obvious fact that I am often alone. I have great friends and family, but I often spend lots of my free time in solitude. I guess I could be labeled a loner.

I also recognized the fact that though I am often alone, I'm never lonely. I'm never lonely because I never really feel alone. My presence keeps me great company.

Looking at this concept even more, I realized that being alone is just like being with other people in certain ways. When I am in high spirits, I get along with myself just as I would a best friend. I can laugh out loud at passing thoughts that are incredibly funny with the right perspective. I enjoy my favorite music and have lots of good times simply because of the way I am choosing to see life during theses times. Maybe this is strange, weird, or foreign to some people, but I don't think I would be happier in those moments of presence even if I did have the company of my friends.

Being alone being like spending time with others, there is the down side to it as well. With others, there is always the possibility of some type of conflict of interests or misunderstanding. The same can be true of inner conflict and turmoil when the ego is overly involved in the thought process. There have been times when I have witnessed my ego try and control my mind and bring about negative emotions. At times like this, I can see from both the perspective of my ego and from that of my higher self. Soon enough though, the conflict is squashed as I become friends with myself again.

When my mind is still enough and I am aware of my own presence, being alone is the furthest thing from my mind. I am too busy enjoying the feeling of being connected to the present moment and everything in it. I know without anyone trying to convince me that I am truly never really alone.

Related posts:

My Life

2009-03-22T14:07:00.000-04:00

My life is all I have. Because I am life.

When I say 'my life', I'm not referring to the details of the situations that I experience. I know that's what people traditionally think of as their lives, but those circumstances and situations are really just a story (regardless of the validity of the truth to it). My life is really how I feel.

The way we feel is really what determines the quality of life no matter what's going on. It defines our lives. It is first and foremost over any circumstance or situation.

You already know this because you have seen very happy people with very little and very depressed people with lots of material wealth. The only true wealth is how we feel in the present moment. We can not save or store this wealth. We must continuously give it our attention in order to retain it.

It's funny how we get caught up in so many other things besides the way we feel when the way we feel is always the goal of the other things we worry about.
-If we are worried about money, it is because we think we won't have enough to feel the way we want to feel.
-If we worry about romance, it is because we think we won't be able to feel the way we want to feel.
-You name it... it all boils down to the way we think it will make us feel!

My life is all I have. Because I am life.
Your life is all you have. Because you are life.
Everything else is something you allow yourself to feel one way or another about.
Consciously choose to feel appreciation.

Worry For What?

2009-03-21T16:39:00.000-04:00

"Remember, today is the tomorrow you worried about yesterday."
~Dale Carnegie

Was it worth it? Was all yesterday's worrying about today worth it? No. The worry is fear, and it is worse than what we worry about. It depreciates the moments we spend with it.

Here's a few more cool perspective expanding quotes:

"Yesterday is but a dream, tomorrow but a vision. But today well lived makes every yesterday a dream of happiness, and every tomorrow a vision of hope. Look well, therefore, to this day."
~Sanskrit proverb

"An economist is an expert who will know tomorrow why the things he predicted yesterday didn't happen."
~Earl Winston

"It is difficult to say what is impossible, for the dream of yesterday is the hope of today and the reality of tomorrow."
~Bob Goddard

"There are two days in the week on which I never worry; One is yesterday and the other is tomorrow."
~Robert Burdette

"Yesterday is a canceled check: Forget it. Tomorrow is a promissory note: Don't count on it. Today is ready cash: Use it!"
~Edwin Bliss

"Today's opportunities erase yesterday's failures."
~Gene Brown

Do You Have Enough For Now?

2009-03-17T16:49:00.000-04:00

(Archive from October '08)
Some of the words being used a lot these days in the news are: recession, market crash, bail out, possible depression, etc. I understand many people are affected by this "financial crises" that is being promoted at almost celebratory levels; but there is a simple question that many people do not to ask themselves when feeling the stress of a disappearing income stream. You guessed it. "Do I have enough for now?"

This question's importance is major as it sheds light on what it is right now and what you think it is right now. In other words, reality and what you think is reality maybe altogether and entirely different. This tends to happen when you stop using your own perceptual senses and start believing everything you are told. This belief then becomes your experience.

As a result of this fear based perspective; we actually give our energy to what we don't want. If you know the principle of Napoleon Hill's, "Think and Grow Rich," or any number of others who have spoken about the principles of manifesting a destiny of your choosing; you know that what you are feeling and thinking about most of the time is what you will experience and bring to reality. "Think and Grow Rich" would more accurately be called "Feel and Grow Rich" because it is the feelings that you hold that give strength to any vision or thoughts that may run through your mind.

So much of the time; we are worried about a construct of the mind rather than experiencing reality. Right now is of supreme importance as opposed to a hypothetical situation in the future. If you can bring the mind to a stop and take notice of how you feel; you will know for a fact that the "financial crises" only exists when you are thinking about it. This is not to deny a situation that may or may not be happening. This is to effectively eliminate any stress that you would carry around as a result of the situation. To eliminate this stress is already a huge advantage in bringing about a more desirable future. It all starts with right now.

Being a believer and follower of popular opinion puts you at a disadvantage with accepting and adapting to your own reality. It's like the traffic light in "Who Told You To Move?" You can allow others to dictate what you should feel like, or you can be here now. You can be alert and aware enough of your present moment to realize what you really feel with out your mind gushing interference and picturing a negative reality that doesn't really exist right now. It is only when you can grasp and be in the moment that any real change is affected.

So, do you have enough for now? If the answer is yes; don't carry around the emotional baggage of doom and gloom. Simply be grateful for what you have and you will get more. If the answer is no; focusing on the solution as opposed to the problem not only feels better for you; it also leads to a much speedier resolution than focusing on the problem.

Quality of Life

2009-03-17T16:36:00.000-04:00

Ever notice how people often confuse the amount of money people can spend with the quality of life they have? The misconception of the amount of money one has and quality of life is a common one.

Notice how a dollar amount can never truly be attached to what actually affects your quality of life. The way you feel at a particular moment is really what defines the quality of your life in that moment.

Excitement, exhilaration, enthusiasm, joy, and peace are a few of the feelings you can have that bring the quality of your experience of life way up. A person can be dead broke and still feel these feelings. A person can be extremely wealthy and still be depressed. You determine the quality of your life in any given moment.

Yes, it is definitely true that more money allows you more choices in life, but it does not determine the quality. Realizing how to feel great more times than not will actually attract more money to you. A happier you is the best and most expensive gift you can give to yourself.

Related posts:

See Beyond the Norm

2009-03-15T18:15:00.000-04:00

The power of focus goes a long way! Here's a clip to illustrate how shifting your focus can allow you to see what you could not before. It is a visual puzzle. You may have seen these before. They've been around. It does make a great point though. It first appears at a minute and 40 seconds in (1:40). See if you can solve it.:)

Enjoy.

Ever Seen Yourself?

2009-03-12T20:27:00.000-04:00

A person can go their entire life without ever really laying eyes on themselves. Think about it. Can you really say that you have seen yourself?

I know you have seen your reflection in the mirror. I know you have seen photos of yourself or even seen yourself on film, but you may notice that never have you really seen yourself directly. And how could you? Not unless you had some type of out of body experience. And even then, if it was really you that you were seeing, then who was looking?

Maybe you could compare this to the sun never actually receiving it's own light. Even when the light is reflected back at it, it would never be able to receive a direct ray from itself.

This realization came to me while passing a mirror and taking a look at 'myself'. I realized that the way I looked did not accurately portray the way that I felt on the inside. It was as if I just saw someone else with a physical likeness to what I thought (or used to think) I looked like. It made me realize that there is so much more that I am not seeing when I look at my reflection.

I know there are people out there who can see auras and beings who are not in this physical realm. Maybe they can more accurately see themselves. But with the majority of people, it seems the only way to really 'see' yourself is on the inside. Maybe 'feel' would be a more exact word to describe what I mean.

When my senses are heightened and I can feel the life energy coursing through me, I feel exhilarated and extremely joyful, but it seems that on the outside I still look exactly the same. I would say when I feel like this, I am seeing the real me [only I'm feeling it :)].

Ever seen yourself?

Illustration of Consciousness

2009-03-11T20:35:00.000-04:00

A quick clip of the awakening process. Enjoy.

See You at the Crossroads

2009-03-11T17:04:00.000-04:00

(From November '08)
People often talk about being at a crossroads in life when there is a big or life changing decision to be made. When you widen your perspective though; you can see that beyond the "big" choices, every moment determines your experience of life. The more aware that a person is of how they feel and what the causes are for how they feel in the present moment; the smaller the impact of major shifts in life situations.

Every moment of everyday is a defining point in life. Every moment is a crossroads. There is a decision that we make on a continuous basis. It is if we are in acceptance or resistance to what is. It is if life is our friend or our foe at the moment. It is if we choose to see through the eyes of the ego or the eyes of the Observer.

It is for this reason that the present is a gift. All the power in determining what life is to you exists only in the here and now. The crossroads are only relevant when they are acknowledged.

Relative Reality

2009-03-10T14:59:00.000-04:00

If you feel something and it turns out that it is not physically there, does that take away from the fact that you felt something? Does it mean that your experience is not real?

If something is physically there, not affecting you on any level, and you fail to perceive it, how real is the existence of that object? Is it part of your reality?

You will come to your own conclusions.

From my point of view, reality is relative to your perspective. What is real is only determined in the mind and perception of the beholder. In other words, what is experienced inside is more real than any information from an external source. Being that we can only experience a reality that we match with vibrationally, we do more projecting of reality than we may realize.

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Feel The Love

2009-03-08T09:57:00.000-04:00

Have you ever received a message, a gift, a letter, or any kind of reminder from another that made you really feel the intent of love with in it? I'm talking about that feeling of being filled with love to the point of overflowing from with in.

This has happened to me recently. It brought to light the realization that we can only ever feel what is already with in us. We always already have what ever we feel.

In other words, the fact that we can receive only a material reminder that can act as a trigger to release such great feelings within makes it only too obvious that the source of love was not external, but internal.

It can be likened to a faucet that we have inside. When opened, this faucet will flow out an infinite amount of love. This "love tap" is totally under our control, but we do not have control over it until we become conscious of it. While aware of it's existence, we can feel this unending flow of love overflowing with in us. While unaware of it, we unconsciously squeeze off the flow, believing the source to be external.

Ever realize that no matter how much they try, no one can actually make you feel their love? Some one can attempt to give you the world and unless you are in the right mood, you will not appreciate it. Once again, the source of all love realized by a conscious being is internal.

You only feel what is already there!

The only reason why you do not feel it at times is because you are closing off the faucet that would be gushing at full pressure all the time. The only way we manage to do this is to lose consciousness of this fact. And the only way we lose consciousness of this is to be overly influenced by the individual ego identity, getting caught up and trapped in the external illusion.

Don't think. Feel. Feel the love.

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Yoda: Enlightened Being

2009-03-07T09:38:00.000-05:00

Recently, I watched the Star Wars series of movies from beginning to end (all six episodes). I was amazed, but not really surprised to see how much of the teachings of Yoda, an old and wise Jedi Master, were exactly in line with what I now know to be the way of enlightenment.

The whole philosophy of the Force and the Jedi teachings are taken from Zen, Buddhist, and other eastern teachings based on the same premise of oneness and higher consciousness.

Here are a few quotes from Yoda:

Do or do not... there is no try.
Fear is the path to the dark side. Fear leads to anger. Anger leads to hate. Hate leads to suffering.
Size matters not. Look at me. Judge me by my size, do you? Hmm? Hmm. And well you should not. For my ally is the Force, and a powerful ally it is. Life creates it, makes it grow. Its energy surrounds us and binds us. Luminous beings are we, not this crude matter. You must feel the Force around you; here, between you, me, the tree, the rock, everywhere, yes. Even between the land and the ship.
Death is a natural part of life. Rejoice for those around you who transform into the Force. Mourn them do not. Miss them do not. Attachment leads to jealously. The shadow of greed, that is.
Named must your fear be, before banish it you can.

True wisdom in the guise of entertainment! I have noticed this in other films as well. The Matrix trilogy is another prime example. Even in many songs I love to listen to. Once you have the eyes to see it, you will see the truth everywhere!

Look for it.

Time

2009-03-06T13:27:00.000-05:00

The time is NOW.

The present is a gift.

There is no time like the present.

There is no time... like the present.

There is no time. Only the present.

There is nothing but the gift.

The Destination Is The Journey

2009-03-05T17:53:00.000-05:00

Enjoy the journey.

All too often, we get our sights set on a specific outcome or goal and everything else between now and reaching the desired destination becomes a lot less important.

We all have the ability to take a step back and realize that every single passing moment is as valuable as the next. As a matter of fact, the only moment that ever truly counts is the moment we are experiencing right now. Every other moment is either a memory or an idea projected into the future. In other words, no moment is real except the present.

When we put more importance on a moment in the future, we depreciate the current moment.

Of course this does not mean to wander aimlessly through life with no goals. A sense of purpose can and does add tremendously to our experience. But realizing that the present is just as valuable as the goal (if not more) increases the overall joy and peace we may feel all the time.

We are here. We have arrived. No matter where we are, we are home.

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The Mask

2009-03-04T01:05:00.000-05:00

Imagine putting on a mask, and suddenly forgetting who you really are. Then you start to identify with the attributes of the mask, mistaking them for your own. Soon, you are so totally engulfed in this identity that if any one tells you that it is not who you really are, you take them for a lunatic. Now you can stop imagining because this is the average human experience.

To make it even more interesting, not only do we mistake ourselves with this mask, we also believe we are all the concepts and ideas we identify with. We believe we are poor or rich. We believe we are good or bad. We believe we are right and others are wrong. In other words, we take what is relative for the absolute truth.

Sometimes life events cause a perspective shift. We are able to become detached enough from who we think we are (the ego identity) are realize that we are so much more. No matter how brief a glimpse this might be, it is like awakening from a dream like illusion. It is also the beginning of a process that will continue to take us closer and closer to a fully awakened state.

We are all in the midst of this awakening process, no matter what level or stage. The most beneficial thing we can do for ourselves and everyone else is to embrace and enjoy the journey. Enjoy the mask. Enjoy the dream like illusion. When you know you are so much more, it becomes fun.

When I Die

2009-03-02T18:34:00.000-05:00

Death is not always the end of our existence here in this physical plane. Death, however, is always the end of a particular identity.

I have had many deaths during this lifetime. Every time I passed through from one chapter in my life to the next, a part of me died. Every time my consciousness shifted from one mode to another, a part of me died. Every time I lost a particular status, a part of me died. Which part of me? The part of my ego that identified with that particular identity.

These deaths, depending on your perspective, can be either painful or joyful experiences. If we are in full acceptance of them, joy is experienced. If we are in resistance to them, pain is experienced.

Once we realize that death is not the end, but only a transformation, all death can be seen with acceptance. Death is the beginning of a new life. When a particular identity comes to an end, we may lose our identification with it, but we also gain the freedom from restriction of that identification.

In other words, when a person loses the identity of being married, they also gain the freedom of being single. When a person loses the identity of being financially well off, they also gain the freedom of not worrying about losing that wealth. Depending on your perspective, you will always be able to see what you have gained as opposed to what you have lost with a death.

Realizing this, I discovered that every time I die, I get a little more heaven. Being grateful for life situation changes allow us to feel good and get the best out of them.

Realizing that the essence of who I really am is not any of the identities that my ego presents allows me to feel larger than any and all identities. Being in tune with this true essence brings great joy and appreciation for life experience.

With the right eyes, loss can be a friend. When I die, I am free. When I die, I experience heaven.

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Time?

2009-02-25T09:19:00.000-05:00

can space exist without time? yes

can time exist with out space? no.