Category: Spirit – Soul, Courage

Posted on

Be Bold; Daring Even .. But Remember – You Don’t Know Jack

It’s curious how difficult it is to admit that I don’t know jack. Especially when I know I don’t know jack!

I got “IT” when I went to The Forum, that “large group awareness training program” – (gentler version of EST). They worked hard to make sure I got it. The experience was designed for transformation; personal responsibility and accountability the objective. Open the door to possibility.

About Knowledge: there’s stuff I know and stuff I know I don’t know. Then there’s stuff that I don’t know that I don’t know; the melting pot of probability.

Being open to possibility – potential beyond today’s understanding drives many of my life choices. It fosters a desire for knowledge, to discover more; despite the likelihood I’ll reach any guarantees.

Exploring, learning and speculating is fun. Feeling passionate about what I know guides my voice. Applying “The Emerson Rule” invites my imagination to run riot.

“Speak what you think now in hard words, and to-morrow speak what to-morrow thinks in hard words again, though it contradict every thing you said to-day.” – Ralph Waldo Emerson

New revelations occur when I’m still and hear my higher self. When I’m willing to be teachable and welcome an evolution of my beliefs I am more resilient. Not having all the answers is liberating.

“I think it’s much more interesting to live not knowing than to have answers which might be wrong. I have approximate answers and possible beliefs and different degrees of uncertainty about different things, but I am not absolutely sure of anything and there are many things I don’t know anything about, such as whether it means anything to ask why we’re here. I don’t have to know an answer. I don’t feel frightened not knowing things, by being lost in a mysterious universe without any purpose, which is the way it really is as far as I can tell.”

― Richard P. Feynman
Posted on

Which Way Did They Go George? A New Direction

“Cat: Where are you going?
Alice: Which way should I go?
Cat: That depends on where you are going.
Alice: I don’t know.
Cat: Then it doesn’t matter which way you go.”
― Lewis Carroll, Alice in Wonderland

Knowing the direction to point myself gives me a peaceful easy feeling.

But sometimes I have no idea which way to go – I’m upside down and sideways. Do I conform to social convention; which way did he go George? Do I rely on my intuition and higher self? Or can I balance the best of both?

Hearing what experts and my circle of support have to say often inspires me. When their input and my intuition align, full speed ahead. But when that alignment is absent, it’s awkward and unnerving. This is when I slow down; don’t make the big moves. Self-correction is easier when I take baby steps.

Thich Nhat Hanh’s fourth and fifth practices to feed happiness helps me when my spiritual compass is off kilter.

The fourth practice is concentration. Stay in the present moment – away from obsession, past or future. Slow down and contemplate the moment; get in touch with the quiet voice within.

The fifth practice is insight. Mindfulness buds when I stay present, releasing tension. Concentrating on my breathing, or the beauty of the lake and the birds singing, makes room for insights.

These insights show remedies for my confusion; provide a roadmap that’s right for me. The route may be energizing and uplifting; or a gnarly, murky, dark alleyway. Either way, I keep moving. On the other side is peace, joy and happiness.

“The greatest thing in this world is not so much where we stand as in what direction we are moving.”

― Johann Wolfgang von Goethe
Posted on

I Know You Friend – Love of My Heart

The value of friendship is immeasurable. Nurturing these magical connections takes time, energy and intention. This labor of love has a return on investment beyond my wildest imaginings. My intimates help me learn and grow – they share my triumphs and tragedies. They are the best of life.

“If it’s true from the start
That the names of those we love
Are written on our hearts
And we’ll search ’til we find
In this jungle of confusion
Something that reminds us
How we love each other
Then I think I’ve found the clue
Because I’m certain I remember you“

Michael Franks wrote these words in his song “How I Remember You.”

The emotion this song evokes is how I experience my dearest and most beloved. I knew you before we met. We made a pact to help each other during the interlude of this lifetime. The bond of community; my sangha – is my greatest fortune.

Of this world or beyond – we keep each other; hold space for passage to meet our purpose.

Wherever you are, near or far – you’re still here.

“A chorus of sparrows in summer
Is how I remember you
The fire of maples in autumn
Is how I remember you
The Silence of snowfall in winter
Is how I remember you”

“Don’t walk in front of me… I may not follow
Don’t walk behind me… I may not lead
Walk beside me… just be my friend”

― Albert Camus
Posted on

Decide It’s Not Personal – Pause, Say Yes to Peace

“Somebody says something to you that is rude or designed to hurt. Instead of going into unconscious reaction and negativity, such as attack, defense, or withdrawal, you let it pass right through you. Offer no resistance. It is as if there is nobody there to get hurt anymore.”

– Eckhart Tolle

Always on the lookout to level up my habitual coping mechanisms, I found this Eckhart Tolle quote on Twitter. It’s an aspirational behavior for me so naturally I tried it out. It was helpful; I give myself a 6 on a scale of 1-10. Above average; needs practice. But from where I started – astonishing.

Changing behaviors that are subliminal habits requires intent. Intent requires awareness and discipline. My first attempt using this approach, I paused when I felt a jab. Repeated in my mind that this is what Eckhart meant, “let it pass right through” and it won’t hurt. And then there was calm.

Don Miguel Ruiz says in the Second of The Four Agreements, “Don’t Take Anything Personally.”

“Nothing other people do is because of you. It is because of themselves.”

“Even when a situation seems so personal, even if others insult you directly, it has nothing to do with you. What they say, what they do, and the opinions they give are according to the agreements they have in their own minds. Their point of view comes from all the programming they received during domestication.”

“There is a huge amount of freedom that comes to you when you take nothing personally.”

“You become immune to black magicians, and no spell can affect you regardless of how strong it may be. The whole world can gossip about you, and if you don’t take it personally you are immune. Someone can intentionally send emotional poison, and if you don’t take it personally, you will not eat it. When you don’t take the emotional poison, it becomes even worse in the sender, but not in you.”

When I intentionally invite positive seeds and foster mindfulness, I’m better able to pause! The pause is a mini miracle. Breathing attentively carries the pause forward. The universe offers a myriad of messages and lessons. Taking time for self-care gives me the resilience to meet experiences of every sort.

“Human freedom involves our capacity to pause between the stimulus and response and, in that pause, to choose the one response toward which we wish to throw our weight. The capacity to create ourselves, based upon this freedom, is inseparable from consciousness or self-awareness.” ― Rollo May, The Courage to Create

Posted on

Invite Positive Seeds, Works Better Than a Brawl

Recollecting, again! the time I refused to listen to negative music. No books, TV shows or movies that featured bad vibes. Still consider this radical curating unsustainable.

Ignoring or pretending differences don’t exist is impracticable. The world is diverse; opposing opinions and experience create misperceptions and conflict. What’s benign to me may be malignant to others.

Accepting this world of contrast, learning to roll with it – not fight it; seems like a worthy goal.

Many creatives appreciate how the character arc requires transformation. Big change often comes from some struggle or strife; a formula that also plays out in real life. Friction reveals me to me. My reactions to disagreements clue me in to areas I can focus to boost my contentment and joy.

Thich Nhat Hanh’s tells me to invite “positive seeds” – the second of five practices to feed happiness. “Nothing exists without its opposite.” Whatever quality I want to nurture, watering it allows it to grow, while its opposite fades away. Stop the struggle.

Louise Hay applies a similar method to healing the body. Her mind-body connection approach acknowledges how our emotions and worries impact us physically. In her book Heal Your Body A-Z, she suggests possible interpretations on why I might not feel well. Alongside that reading is an alternate thought pattern. By focusing on an upbeat, constructive thought – I invite positive seeds in my body.

Thay’s third practice of mindfulness asks me to listen to my mind, emotions and body. Input that’s hard and stressful is important. Sitting in meditation, intentional breathing and simply walking, allow me to hear my higher self.

Inviting the opposite of my biggest trouble isn’t my default move. But I know that what I focus on grows. Being mindful grows a happy garden.

“What’s funny about opposites be that wet and dry both has water, boy and girl be about people, Heaven and Hell be the places you go when you die. They all has something in common. So they an’t completely different from each other the way people think. Having the one don’t mean t’other be gone.” ― Tracy Chevalier, Burning Bright