Happy Holidays

In my experience, everyday is a holiday.

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

The gift and the present are literally inseparable!

Peace to all! Enjoy your holidays!

Only One at a Time

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

I Can't Wait

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

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

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

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

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

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