Life Is an Art

There is a science to life and what our reality is. As a fan of quantum mechanics, I can really say there are massive mathematical equations that actually help to map and explain the forces that make our universe what it is.

But like most things with great depth, life is a paradox. Not only is it a science, but it is an art. Perhaps this is the reason why science may never fully explain everything. The more answers we find, the more questions will be revealed. Thus the intuitive and artistic perspective of life holds just as much value; if not more.

In quantum mechanics, a quantum observer is recognized to collapse a wave function of possibilities into a specific reality. When the ancient sages of Hinduism, Buddhism, Gnostic Christianity, Jewish Kabbalahists, Muslim Ismalis, and other less spoken of spiritual teachings spoke of a true Self or objective Observer they spoke of the same occurrence; only with out the benefit of experiments to back up their wealth of knowledge. They had the art of knowing as opposed to the science of it. Both ways of looking at life yield the same results. The following are a few artistic illustrations of the point of being the observer.

• You are the author of your own story.
• You are the sculptor of your own image.
• You are the illustrator of your own big picture.
• You are the writer, director, and star of your own movie.
• You are the singer of your own song.
• You are the star dancer in this "life is a stage" performance.

These all help point to the fact that it is your perspective, and yours alone, that determines your life's experience. No matter what happens, it is the context of how you percieve it, that detemines how you feel about it. Life is an art. Be a great artist.

Does Evil Really Exist?

Speak no evil.
See no evil.
Hear no evil.

As a kid, I often heard this saying. I never really knew the true significance of it until earlier this year though. When I was younger, I simply thought that it meant to be a "good" person. In other words, don't say bad things. Don't listen to bad music or rhetoric. And don't watch things that may poison your mind.

With the shift in perspective and the understanding that 'good' and 'bad' can be all together transcended; the true depth of meaning has occurred to me. When you understand that the source of all labeling and judgment comes from the ego and that it can all be transcended by seeing life through the objective eyes of the Observer; you recognize that there really is no such thing as 'good' or 'bad' outside of the eye of the beholder.

In other words, with out someone to witness a situation or event, there is no judgment of that situation or event. The judgment does not exist in the universe independently. It only exists with in the mind of the person witnessing it. When you fully realize this, you understand that when something is deemed evil; the evil really only exists with in the mind of the person who gives it the label. Just as beauty does not exist outside the eye of the beholder, neither does evil.

This was touched on in several other posts. (Eye of the Beholder - Morality Is Relative - You Can Be Right or You Can Be Happy - Who Is the Judge? - just to name a few)

Speak no evil. See no evil. Hear no evil. When you transcend evil, it no longer resonates with you the same way. When you are able to separate your observation from the labels you would have otherwise given it; you actually observe it less. It is not as if you become blind to it. It actually happens less around you because you no longer attract it. A strong resonance with anything (be it positive or negative to you) helps to attract more of it into your life. When you transcend the label of evil, you as a co-creator of reality help to reduce the amount of evil that exists.

Find Your Dreams

Realizing that all possible realities exist is a mind boggling experience. It can give you a new perspective on the concepts of visualization and inspiration.

Literally there is nothing that you could possibly imagine that could not exist somewhere some how in the infinite possibilities.
Have you ever thought about the idea that your dreams (be they the dreams you have when sleeping or the dreams that goals and visions are made of) are all windows into an alternate reality? The fact that they are not as continuous in nature as our everyday life does not make them any less real.

"What is real? How do you define real? If you're talking about what you can hear, what you can smell, taste and feel then real is simply electrical signals interpreted by your brain." -The Matrix

If you follow quantum physics at all or even have a vivid imagination, you may subscribe to the concept of multiple universes all existing simultaneously. These other realities are infinite and different because of the infinite amount of choices that nature may take when unfolding the reality or in the choices that people make. These vary from the most simple to the most complex of choices. In other words, there is a reality that exists now where I never wrote this blog and you are not reading it right now. There is also a reality where you where never born because your parents did not meet. You get the idea. To explore this idea in great detail, I recommend Rob Bryanton's book and blogs "Imagining the Tenth Dimension."

If you do subscribe to the 'multiverse' or the idea that because of the infinite amount of ways reality can unfold, all possibilities exist simultaneously; then you must entertain the notion that there is nothing that you can possibly picture, or imagine that does not exist in one of these infinite realities! Looking at it in these terms, it is as if your imagination, inspiration, intuition, and the like are all ways to tune into what else is out there; what else is possible. This means that even the abstract nature of a sleepers dream can actually exist some where out there.

The fact is that we as observers, in effect, are co-creators of our reality. The very act of observing is collapsing a wave function of possibilities into one particular experience of reality. This is, in a way, moving through the infinite amount of possible realities mentioned earlier. What we think and what actions we take will affect what we observe. We can actually navigate through these infinite possibilities to get to a desired destination. We actually "find our dreams!"

Any time a person accomplishes a goal that was only an idea before it was tangible, they navigated from one reality to another. They moved from the reality where their idea was only a vision to the reality where their vision was materialized. They found their dream. Will you find your dreams?

Who Is the Judge?

Ever notice who the judge is in your life situations? What makes you feel the way that you do about what you perceive in everyday life? What part of you determines whether an experience is deemed awful, great, or somewhere in between? These are all questions that can literally change your life once you come to an absolute answer for them.

What ever part of your psyche it is that makes this judgment call does indeed hold the key to having a happy life. The judge determines what your experience of life is. If you could some how recognize that part of you that makes the judgments and gain full control of it, it stands to reason that you could choose to be at peace with all that happens. As a result of accepting and adapting to all life situations, one could live a life free of stress. Having no resistance to what is actually puts you in a more powerful position to make changes to what is because you acknowledge that you are one with it and not separate. You will come to realize that you are not fighting against what happens in life but only your reaction to what happens.

So, who is the judge? It is the ego. It is the ego and the list of concepts and idea it is identified with that determines if you are having a good time in life or you are horribly depressed. If you are identified with the concept of having a good job or a specific living situation and you do not have that right now, the judgment handed down from your ego to your mind is one that says your experience is not what you want and you will have a degree of stress. If you are identified with having a very attractive spouse and you have one, the judgment handed down to the mind from the ego will agree with this experience and the thought may give you some fleeting pleasure.

The funny thing about this judge though, is that it is never satisfied for long. What ever you get that you once desired is soon replaced by another desire. It also wants more. To find true and lasting peace and happiness is to recognize the part of you that does not judge but presents life to the ego to be judged. It is the Observer before any thought and judgment. To see life through the eyes of the Observer with out a judgment is to be without stress. It is to live life with peace of mind.

To learn more about quieting the judge in your life, go through the other posts in this blog that speak about the ego and read What Is Really Good? Stay tuned!

The Evolution of Consciousness

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 do not 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 the 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.

I call the ego primitive because we have 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.

The 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 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.

To learn more about the evolution of consciousness in detail, read What Is Really Good? and stay tuned!

Focus on Nothingness

Look around. Notice everything around you. Now notice where there is nothing or no-thing around you. Notice what is not there. Notice the empty space. Nothingness is all around us. Nothingness is constantly overlooked and under rated. Noticing the nothingness allows you to be in the present moment and realize that it is the nothingness that allows all the "somethings" to exist.

This nothingness is not just the space that allows all matter to exist. It is also the complete silence that is the birthplace and graveyard of all sounds. It is the stillness that allows us to detect any and all motion. This nothingness allows reality to exist as a contrast to itself. But it remains part of everything that it enables to exist.

Focusing on nothingness helps to still the mind. This is because you must be in tune with the moment to be aware of nothingness. Being in tune gives birth to intuition and inspiration. Zen Buddhists (among other spiritual scriptures and teachings from around the world) often speak of nothingness in various sayings. Here are a few:

"We shape clay into a pot, but it is the emptiness inside that holds whatever we want." ~Tao Te Ching

"Knock on the sky and listen to the sound!" ~Zen saying

"What is the color of wind?" ~Zen koan

"The purpose of a fishtrap is to catch fish, and when the fish are caught, the trap is forgotten.
The purpose of a rabbit snare is to catch rabbits. When the rabbits are caught, the snare is forgotten.
The purpose of words is to convey ideas. When the ideas are grasped, the words are forgotten.
Where can I find a man who has forgotten words? He is the one I would like to talk to." ~Chuang-Tsu

So why all the riddles and talk of nothingness? It is because paradoxically, in nothing is everything. When you focus on true nothingness, you are focusing on an infinite amount of possibilities. A more vibrant depth and deeper understanding may be gained by examining what is not there.

Focus on nothingness.

"Make" Money

The term "make money" is very common place and widely used. Of course it refers to earning money and/or turning a profit. It does make perfect sense ( :-) makes cents too) when you really look at what money really is.

Money is really energy. How else could we make money? Money is an external representation of the power of our focus. Any time money is earned or a profit is turned from providing goods or services, it is a reciprocation of the energy put into manifesting the goods or services. The energy put into manifesting anything is purely the power of focus.

Taking a good look around you, no matter where you are, everything that you lay your eyes on that is not a creation of nature; everything man made; was a thought in someone's mind before it existed. It was simply the power of focus behind those thoughts that manifested them into the reality that we see before us.

Of course it is a given that most people have no access to a currency printing press; but we all have the power to "make" money.

Clouds and Smoke

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

"Good" Is God

Since my shift in perspective, I often find the meanings behind words that are often overlooked. I feel that I can many times get a good idea of exactly how a word came to be coined and the significance behind it. One such word that I continuously observe is the word "good".

As stated in a previous post entitled, "It's All Good Intention - It's All God Intention", it's no coincidence that 'good' is 'God' with an extra 'o'. It can also be looked at as 'God' is 'good' minus an 'o'. However you choose to see it or which ever word was coined first, it makes no difference. The point is the correlation of the two words.

I find it funny (to the point of entertainment almost) how synonymous these two words can be. I have made it an occasional practice to switch the two words in my head whenever I come across them. It really is amazing to see how interchangeable they are. At the same time, it seems only natural that they are.

A few examples:

• I see the [good/God] in you.
• [Good/God] morning to you.
• Share the [good/God] feelings.

You get the point. Try observing this your self. Along with what was stated in the previous post (It's All Good Intention - It's All God Intention), you may gain a new insight on What Is Really Good.

Stay tuned!

The Source of Greatness

People from all walks of life aspire to be great. People of all walks of life achieve greatness. Though greatness is perceived only in the eye of the beholder, most people have a perspective close enough to each other to agree on greatness when they see it. What is the source of greatness? Is there a formula that can be followed to achieve it all the time? Let's take a look.

The source of all greatness is intuition. Intuition is the ability to tap into the intelligence that has nothing to do with the mind. Intuition is also known as inspiration and imagination. The mind's job is to label, judge, and calculate a person's surroundings for survival purposes. It does not actually create anything. It takes past experiences and uses them to evaluate your current state of well being.

Intuition is the part of a person that operates beyond the parameters of the mind. This is the source of creativity, imagination, and precision vision. This is where innovation and art come from. To illustrate how greatness comes from a higher intelligence than the thoughts produced by the mind; imagine a superstar athlete. The spur of the moment improvisation that they may display in the middle of a game is pure intuition. No thoughts from their analytical mind were involved. They were simply in tune with the present moment and made incredible things happen with their intuitive nature. We often say that they were "in the zone." Being intuitive is definitively being in the zone.

To illustrate further; choose anyone of greatness in any field. From people that we think of as artistic; like musicians, dancers, actors, sculptors, painters, etc. to people we might think of less in this fashion, like lawyers, doctors, scientists, politicians, and so on; they all use intuition to create, and innovate giving them the status of great. They all tap into the same place of infinite possibilities when they are in tune with what is. A music composer is not using his mind when he comes up with a spectacular piece of music that will impress and inspire people for generations to come. It is pure intuition. A scientist who comes up with a theory that explains part of the nature of the universe is not using his mind to come to his conclusions. Once again it is intuition. This holds true for all people considered to be great, whether they are conscious of it or not.

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