Archive for Art
Every person is an artist
Every person is an artist casting about for their muse.
Each one of us has a vision that we feel passionate about and are trying to bring into alignment and fulfillment. Whether that is a happy relationship with a blond/brunette who is sexually pleasing to our inner Director’s creative vision (which is largely a result of our imprinting from the past) or whether that is standing at the proverbial mountaintop, head high and chest greeting the sky, having accomplished the goal we set out to accomplish.
We are ALL writing a story and thus we are ALL artists. The problem is that we don’t own that we are artists and we don’t acknowledge that everyone else around us is as well. We see the creative yarn we are personally spinning as a task to accomplish or just life as it is … “reality”.
When you own that you are the Author and YOU are creating what you want then you can begin to see that is true for everyone else as well. Then there is no actual rejection of you (let me say that again, there is no actual rejection of you), not really … because it’s not about you.
Somebody else has a creative vision (just like you) and their inner artist is trying to bring it into reality. You simple were not what exactly fit their personal creative vision.
When I look at life and others this way I find it incredibly freeing. Why?
Well, I think of all the great creative ventures I have been passionate about: a show I have written, a lover uncovered, a performance sublime. In each of these occasions there were people who didn’t fit with my creative vision. Do I remember them? Do I hold onto thoughts of, “Ew, I hated that person!”?
No!
Why? Because there was nothing personal about it. They weren’t offending me, they simply didn’t match the scene my inner artist was painting.
There was once a dark haired, Persian boy who was bizarrely obsessed with me on the dance floor of a club in Germany. There was no rancor toward him on my part because he didn’t happen to match what stirs my inner artistic vision for myself. Yet I wonder if he took it as rejection of him … when it wasn’t rejection of him at all. Not personally, not from me. I remember him as charming and there is no negativity there at all.
How many times has that been true of me, when I have taken it as rejection?
I wondered to myself, after these realizations, do I actually want to be the fulfillment of every single person’s creative aspirations? God no, ugh, that sounds exhausting!
So why then do I take it as rejection if I don’t happen to fit another’s creative vision?
Simply let it go and acknowledge the truth … that they are searching for something from their inner artist’s well, and good for them! Tip your hat to a fellow artist on a quest and wish them well on their artistic journey … that apparently has nothing to do with you, and that is just fine.
Just as a snake sheds its skin – Jack Kornfield
My words for meditation today:
~~~~~~~
“Just as a snake sheds its skin, we must shed our past over and over again.”
~
“The knowledge of the past stays with us. To let go is to release the images and emotions, the grudges and fears, the clingings and disappointments of the past that bind our spirit.”
~
“When we let go of our battles and open our heart to things as they are, then we come to rest in the present moment. This is the beginning and the end of spiritual practice. Only in this moment can we discover that which is timeless. Only here can we find the love that we seek. Love in the past is simply memory, and love in the future is fantasy. Only in the reality of the present can we love, can we awaken, can we find peace and understanding and connection with ourselves and the world.”
– Jack Kornfield
~~~~~~~
Religion4All is an idea: that every human being (no matter their race, religion, sexuality, social status, lifestyle, or any other possible factor) is LOVED by God; just … as … they are.
We all are loved by God, and NO religion or person has a monopoly on it. Every single person on this planet is loved equally by God … SO many are cut off from God because they are told they don’t belong. God loves everyone … we ALL are beautiful creations … we don’t need to cringe when we hear the words “God”, or “religion”, or their judgments … God LOVES us all!
There is no requirement to change in order to be LOVED by God, or to LOVE God. God is LOVE, and LOVE is God … period. There is no one who God loves more than anyone else … there are only those who choose to LOVE more … to love God more, and consequently then to love each other more. In doing so, we grow closer to God … and know God.
By opening our hearts, and minds to God (free of boundaries like religion, or social trends); by LOVING God … we are exactly where we are meant to be. If we maintain that openness, never allowing any person or event to make us close our hearts, we will be guided by God to be who we are meant to be.
In that space of openness we can then live a life of LOVE, and be guided to where we are meant to be … forever in LOVE.
Southern California, Northern California, Mission Viejo, Irvine, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Marin, San Jose, San Juan Capistrano, Santa Ana, Palm Springs, Long Beach
– print by Lena Sokol
“There is only one thing that makes a dream impossible to achieve: …” – Paolo Coelho
I find it amazing how often the SAME things come back into our lives for us to work through!
My biggest obstacle has always been fear; and primarily fear of rejection (i.e. what others think of me) and fear of failure. These past couple of years, however, I have overcome all of what I know to be my greatest fears and have thusly felt liberated and vindicated! It kind of blew my mind a little to realize (while meditating yesterday) that sure enough I was allowing those SAME things to sabotage me yet again. How did they manage to creep back into my brain so stealthily?! I am grateful at least that I have gotten to a level where I can identify these harbingers of self-sabotage and work them out to a point of respite and resolution. In this light, here are my words for meditation today:
~~~~~~~
“There is only one thing that makes a dream impossible to achieve: the fear of failure.”
~~~~~~~
“Something did happen to me somewhere that robbed me of confidence and courage and left me with a fear of discovery and change and a positive dread of everything unknown that may occur.”
– Joseph Heller
~~~~~~~
“There are two basic motivating forces: fear and love. When we are afraid, we pull back from life. When we are in love, we open to all that life has to offer with passion, excitement, and acceptance. We need to learn to love ourselves first, in all our glory and our imperfections. If we cannot love ourselves, we cannot fully open to our ability to love others or our potential to create. Evolution and all hopes for a better world rest in the fearlessness and open-hearted vision of people who embrace life.”
– John Lennon
~~~~~~~
- art by Artyom Chebokha
~~~~~~~
Religion4All is an idea: that every human being (no matter their race, religion, sexuality, social status, lifestyle, or any other possible factor) is LOVED by God; just … as … they are.
We all are loved by God, and NO religion or person has a monopoly on it. Every single person on this planet is loved equally by God … SO many are cut off from God because they are told they don’t belong. God loves everyone … we ALL are beautiful creations … we don’t need to cringe when we hear the words “God”, or “religion”, or their judgments … God LOVES us all!
There is no requirement to change in order to be LOVED by God, or to LOVE God. God is LOVE, and LOVE is God … period. There is no one who God loves more than anyone else … there are only those who choose to LOVE more … to love God more, and consequently then to love each other more. In doing so, we grow closer to God … and know God.
By opening our hearts, and minds to God (free of boundaries like religion, or social trends); by LOVING God … we are exactly where we are meant to be. If we maintain that openness, never allowing any person or event to make us close our hearts, we will be guided by God to be who we are meant to be.
In that space of openness we can then live a life of LOVE, and be guided to where we are meant to be … forever in LOVE.
Southern California, Northern California, Mission Viejo, Irvine, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Marin, San Jose, San Juan Capistrano, Santa Ana, Palm Springs, Long Beach
Source: Harbingers of Self-Sabotage
Your Mind Is Complicit
My words to meditate upon today on how we truly are the authors of our own reality, whatever that reality may be. If that reality is shame, or fear, or even hatred … we each personally have authored that. We become our own worst torturers … don’t allow the actions of others to turn you into an abuser yourself. Don’t give them that power … instead be the author of love, compassion and forgiveness.
Shift … and you will find happiness.
~~~
“As I walked out the door toward the gate that would lead to my freedom, I knew if I didn’t leave my bitterness and hatred behind, I’d still be in prison.”
– Nelson Mandela
~~~
“If someone succeeds in provoking you, realize that your mind is complicit in the provocation. Which is why it is essential that we not respond impulsively to impressions; take a moment before reacting, and you will find it easier to maintain control.”
– Epictetus
~~~
“Without self-respect genuine happiness is scarcely possible. And the man who is ashamed of his work can hardly achieve self-respect.”
– Bertrand Russell
~~~~~~~
Religion4All is an idea: that every human being (no matter their race, religion, sexuality, social status, lifestyle, or any other possible factor) is LOVED by God; just … as … they are.
We all are loved by God, and NO religion or person has a monopoly on it. Every single person on this planet is loved equally by God … SO many are cut off from God because they are told they don’t belong. God loves everyone … we ALL are beautiful creations … we don’t need to cringe when we hear the words “God”, or “religion”, or their judgments … God LOVES us all!
There is no requirement to change in order to be LOVED by God, or to LOVE God. God is LOVE, and LOVE is God … period. There is no one who God loves more than anyone else … there are only those who choose to LOVE more … to love God more, and consequently then to love each other more. In doing so, we grow closer to God … and know God.
By opening our hearts, and minds to God (free of boundaries like religion, or social trends); by LOVING God … we are exactly where we are meant to be. If we maintain that openness, never allowing any person or event to make us close our hearts, we will be guided by God to be who we are meant to be.
In that space of openness we can then live a life of LOVE, and be guided to where we are meant to be … forever in LOVE.
Southern California, Northern California, Mission Viejo, Irvine, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Marin, San Jose, San Juan Capistrano, Santa Ana, Palm Springs, Long Beach
- art by Pat Erickson
Source: Your Mind Is Complicit
Hope is the thing with feathers
My words to meditate on today:
“Listen to the mustn’ts, child. Listen to the don’ts. Listen to the shouldn’ts, the impossibles, the won’ts. the impossibles, then listen close to me… Anything can happen, child. Anything can be.”
– Shel Silverstein
~~~
“Hope is the thing with feathers
That perches in the soul
And sings the tune without the words
And never stops at all.”
– Emily Dickinson
~~~
“There is a saying in Tibetan,
‘Tragedy should be utilized as a source of strength.’
No matter what sort of difficulties, how painful experience is, if we lose our hope, that’s our real disaster.”
– Dalai Lama XIV
- painting by Marc Allante
~~~~~~~
Religion4All is an idea: that every human being (no matter their race, religion, sexuality, social status, lifestyle, or any other possible factor) is LOVED by God; just … as … they are.
We all are loved by God, and NO religion or person has a monopoly on it. Every single person on this planet is loved equally by God … SO many are cut off from God because they are told they don’t belong. God loves everyone … we ALL are beautiful creations … we don’t need to cringe when we hear the words “God”, or “religion”, or their judgments … God LOVES us all!
There is no requirement to change in order to be LOVED by God, or to LOVE God. God is LOVE, and LOVE is God … period. There is no one who God loves more than anyone else … there are only those who choose to LOVE more … to love God more, and consequently then to love each other more. In doing so, we grow closer to God … and know God.
By opening our hearts, and minds to God (free of boundaries like religion, or social trends); by LOVING God … we are exactly where we are meant to be. If we maintain that openness, never allowing any person or event to make us close our hearts, we will be guided by God to be who we are meant to be.
In that space of openness we can then live a life of LOVE, and be guided to where we are meant to be … forever in LOVE.
Southern California, Northern California, Mission Viejo, Irvine, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Marin, San Jose, San Juan Capistrano, Santa Ana, Palm Springs, Long Beach
Source: Hope is the thing with feathers
The Most Progressive
My words to meditate upon today:
~~~~~~~
“We all want progress, but if you’re on the wrong road, progress means doing an about-turn and walking back to the right road; in that case, the man who turns back soonest is the most progressive.”
– C. S. Lewis
~~~~~~~
Even as the stone of the fruit must break, that its heart may stand in the sun, so must you know pain … accept the seasons of your heart, even as you have always accepted the seasons that pass over your fields.
– Kahlil Gibran
~~~~~~~
Life is thickly sown with thorns, and I know no other remedy than to pass quickly through them. The longer we dwell on our misfortunes, the greater is their power to harm us.
– Voltaire
~~~~~~~
Religion4All is an idea: that every human being (no matter their race, religion, sexuality, social status, lifestyle, or any other possible factor) is LOVED by God; just … as … they are.
We all are loved by God, and NO religion or person has a monopoly on it. Every single person on this planet is loved equally by God … SO many are cut off from God because they are told they don’t belong. God loves everyone … we ALL are beautiful creations … we don’t need to cringe when we hear the words “God”, or “religion”, or their judgments … God LOVES us all!
There is no requirement to change in order to be LOVED by God, or to LOVE God. God is LOVE, and LOVE is God … period. There is no one who God loves more than anyone else … there are only those who choose to LOVE more … to love God more, and consequently then to love each other more. In doing so, we grow closer to God … and know God.
By opening our hearts, and minds to God (free of boundaries like religion, or social trends); by LOVING God … we are exactly where we are meant to be. If we maintain that openness, never allowing any person or event to make us close our hearts, we will be guided by God to be who we are meant to be.
In that space of openness we can then live a life of LOVE, and be guided to where we are meant to be … forever in LOVE.
Southern California, Northern California, Mission Viejo, Irvine, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Marin, San Jose, San Juan Capistrano, Santa Ana, Palm Springs, Long Beach
- art by Luis Velasquez
A History of Victory
My words to meditate on for the day:
“You are not a victim. No matter what you have been through, you’re still here. You may have been challenged, hurt, betrayed, beaten, and discouraged, but nothing has defeated you. You are still here! You have been delayed but not denied. You are not a victim, you are a victor. You have a history of victory.”
~~~~~~~
“Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid.”
– Jesus – The Bible, John 14:27
~~~~~~~
“You can either be a victim of the world or an adventurer in search of treasure. It all depends on how you view your life.”
– Paolo Coelho, “Eleven Minutes”
- Photo of Winged Victory statue from My Ancient World.
~~~~~~~
Religion4All is an idea: that every human being (no matter their race, religion, sexuality, social status, lifestyle, or any other possible factor) is LOVED by God; just … as … they are.
We all are loved by God, and NO religion or person has a monopoly on it. Every single person on this planet is loved equally by God … SO many are cut off from God because they are told they don’t belong. God loves everyone … we ALL are beautiful creations … we don’t need to cringe when we hear the words “God”, or “religion”, or their judgments … God LOVES us all!
There is no requirement to change in order to be LOVED by God, or to LOVE God. God is LOVE, and LOVE is God … period. There is no one who God loves more than anyone else … there are only those who choose to LOVE more … to love God more, and consequently then to love each other more. In doing so, we grow closer to God … and know God.
By opening our hearts, and minds to God (free of boundaries like religion, or social trends); by LOVING God … we are exactly where we are meant to be. If we maintain that openness, never allowing any person or event to make us close our hearts, we will be guided by God to be who we are meant to be.
In that space of openness we can then live a life of LOVE, and be guided to where we are meant to be … forever in LOVE.
Southern California, Northern California, Mission Viejo, Irvine, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Marin, San Jose, San Juan Capistrano, Santa Ana, Palm Springs, Long Beach
Changing Your Destiny
Below are my words to meditate upon today … on being the author of your own reality. We each are creators, made in the image of the Creator, and we create our own reality every second of each day … we create our reality based on how we view, perceive, translate and understand the world around us. If you take on another person’s perspective … suddenly your reality is different.
I strive to make my lens for viewing life simple: always having an open heart that is connected to God and follows wherever that leads. Still, many times every day I fail … I sense my heart being closed and must open it up again. The mere fact that I am doing this however means that I am actively CHANGING my own reality and altering my perception of the world around me. I am authoring a new reality … and we all, each and every one of us, have this ability.
If you are unhappy, you can change that … if you are fearful, you can change it. It might take some work, but there is hope … never give up, go forth and create!
Peace and Love
~~~~~~~
“What we call our destiny is truly our character and that character can be altered. The knowledge that we are responsible for our actions and attitudes does not need to be discouraging, because it also means that we are free to change this destiny. One is not in bondage to the past, which has shaped our feelings, to race, inheritance, background. All this can be altered if we have the courage to examine how it formed us. We can alter the chemistry provided we have the courage to dissect the elements.”
– Anaïs Nin
~~~
“I can’t wake you up. You can wake you up. I can’t cure you. You can cure you.”
– John Lennon
~~~
“God provides the wind, Man must raise the sail. ”
– Saint Augustine
~~~~~~~
- painting by Ella Richardson
~~~~~~~
Religion4All is an idea: that every human being (no matter their race, religion, sexuality, social status, lifestyle, or any other possible factor) is LOVED by God; just … as … they are.
We all are loved by God, and NO religion or person has a monopoly on it. Every single person on this planet is loved equally by God … SO many are cut off from God because they are told they don’t belong. God loves everyone … we ALL are beautiful creations … we don’t need to cringe when we hear the words “God”, or “religion”, or their judgments … God LOVES us all!
There is no requirement to change in order to be LOVED by God, or to LOVE God. God is LOVE, and LOVE is God … period. There is no one who God loves more than anyone else … there are only those who choose to LOVE more … to love God more, and consequently then to love each other more. In doing so, we grow closer to God … and know God.
By opening our hearts, and minds to God (free of boundaries like religion, or social trends); by LOVING God … we are exactly where we are meant to be. If we maintain that openness, never allowing any person or event to make us close our hearts, we will be guided by God to be who we are meant to be.
In that space of openness we can then live a life of LOVE, and be guided to where we are meant to be … forever in LOVE.
Southern California, Northern California, Mission Viejo, Irvine, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Marin, San Jose, San Juan Capistrano, Santa Ana, Palm Springs, Long Beach
Unconditional Love is here … for you!!! ;-)
Cool song! I wish I played a musical instrument so I could be a part of this song project … such a cool idea where anyone, anywhere in the world can be a part of the “band”.
~~~~~~~
re-blogged from Unconditional Love is here … for you!!! 😉 at Collaborative Composition.
(press play on the SoundCloud link above)
It’s here! “Unconditional Love”, a Reggae song … and it’s all yours to listen to, work with and create the accompaniment for. Listen to it, groove to it … if you want to sing the lead vocals record yourself singing it and send it to me at songboy_s_c@yahoo.com.
I am NOT a Reggae singer … so this is a BIG opportunity for someone to do lead vocals for an awesome song. This song flowed out of me in a wave of inspiration … and I am simply singing what I heard in my head (so you’ll have to pardon the phony accent, I just heard it that way! lol) I am singing it here, but this is only to convey the words and melody … if you want to sing lead? Go for it!
The long bit of silence 2/3s of the way through is meant to be for vocalist improvisation with a choir in the background singing “Unconditional Love” in chords.
This is the second Musical Mosaic song project for this year-long Collaborative Composition song project.
Anyone, anywhere in the world, can play whatever instrument they want to the vocals … when you have what you want to record down, send it to me. If I use your idea/contribution you will be given equal musical songwriting credit on the album.
That means if this album goes big your name will be on it for both songwriting credit AND as a performer. Nothing is a guarantee in this world … but why not live a life of hope rather than one of resignation. Resignation eats away at your insides and makes you miserable … so BELIEVE and go for it! Live out of inspiration instead … you’ll be much happier! 😉
Here are the lyrics:
Unconditional Love
By: Christopher Anderson
Unconditional love
means never closing your heart
although it be torn apart
or ripped to pieces.
Unconditional love
as pure as a newborn kiss
and as long Ouroboros
but much more gentle.
What they can’t see
can be heard in the silence.
Where they may go
so it follows surely behind;
like the tendrils of passion
it climbs the edifice of their mind
to bloom and spread a fragrance
Unmistakable.
Unconditional love
collapses all space and time
with all souls intertwined
but barely moving.
Unconditional love
it pierces right through your heart
tears flow at the very art
of its magic.
(choir sings “Unconditional Love” in chords while soloist improvs)
It can’t be broken
Cannot be changed
Not dismantled
Or rearranged.
No more fighting
No more hate
No more vengeance
It all dissipates.
It’s unconditional.
Love.
* This song has an informal copyright for Christopher Anderson. If you want to use it outside of Collaborative Composition, you will need to come to an agreement with the songwriter.
– art by Chris Dyer.
Do you play music by ear?
A project I am committed to contributing to.
Hopefully we can spread the word in this awesome effort to create a “world wide band” where anyone, anywhere in the world, can contribute their ideas for accompaniment to original songs.
~~~~~~~
Do you have an innate sense for where the music should go when you are playing piano, or singing harmonies, or jamming on a guitar, or whatever you instrument might be?
Guess what?! That is the exact quality that I am looking for with this year-long collaborative music project!
My goal is to put together a 12 song album and each song will be what I am calling a Musical Mosaic. By this, I mean that I will be piecing together contributions from anyone, ANYWHERE in the world.
I will upload one song each month, sung “a Capella” (without accompaniment) and then any of you can come up with whatever YOU think sounds awesome as an accompaniment. Each person selected will receive equal musical songwriting credit on the album for however many songs they contribute to.
Just grab a set of headphones, or an earbud, and listen to the sung version of each song … record what you come up with and send it to me at songboy_s_c@yahoo.com.
This month’s song, the first of twelve, is called “Faith Is A Bird”:
Rock out, get inspired, kiss Resignation goodbye and ride the tidal wave that is your inner muse. I want to hear what YOUR unique “voice” is … we all have something that makes us unique.
So let’s make uniquely revolutionary music together!
– pic shared from Piano Articles.
Taking music from around the world and piecing each contribution together to make a Musical Mosaic of Collaborative Composition!
Re-blogged from Do you play music by ear?.
New Song For Collaboration – Unconditional Love (Reggae singer wanted)
This project seems completely boundless … a reggae singer audition!? I hope this collaborative music idea works, because I want to hear it … not to mention be involved in it! Maybe I should practice channeling a reggae vibe (lol).
~~~~~~~
This past week I was filled with inspiration to write a new song. I already have a lot of original songs lined up for this song project … but every so often a song comes along that is SO inspired that it rises up through the “ranks” and shines.
Interestingly enough, I hear the song as a reggae song … and anyone who knows me, knows that I am not a reggae singer! (lol) So this will be a HUGE opportunity for someone possibly new or unheard of to swing for the fences with a lead vocal!!
If you want to be considered for the lead vocal of this new reggae Musical Mosaic project, send me a recording of you singing whatever you want (songboy_s_c@yahoo.com). I will go with whoever MOVES me the most. This is a song about Unconditional Love, so if you share your soul when you sing … go for it!
I will intro this awesome new song at a later date, as I do not want to take away from the current Musical Mosaic song project. Listen to the current song project here, “Faith Is A Bird“, and record whatever you think will sound awesome as an accompaniment. Whatever your instrument, I want to hear where your unique Muse takes you during your own flight of inspiration!
Don’t let Resignation hold you back … aren’t you SICK of being resigned yet???
Open your heart and let it fly out! Send me your recording in a .WAV file at songboy_s_c@yahoo.com. If your accompaniment is selected you will receive EQUAL musical songwriting credit for this song on the album.
– art by Chris Dyer, Peeling Bodies.
re-blogged from: New Song For Collaboration – Unconditional Love (Reggae singer wanted).
Live demonstrations of musical options for song project …
Cute and definitely funny … can’t wait to hear how the final version of how this song comes out and I love the concept of incorporating different people, styles and ideas from all over the world.
~~~~~~~
Here are a few video clips giving tips or pointers for anyone not quite sure how to contribute their ideas, or get started.
My sister-in-law came up with the idea of putting together some videos that might help people who are unclear on how to contribute music for this song project. She was unsure of where to even start if she would want to contribute something and thought this might be helpful for people who felt the same way (intimidated or unsure how to get started).
I truly want to hear from EVERYONE who has an interest in contributing their voice, whether you are amateur or professional. I will be layering tracks of peoples’ contributions into the accompaniment, so even if you think what you have to offer is simplistic … that is totally fine.
You finding your “voice” in terms of instrument or singing is what is important to me. Each of you has a UNIQUE voice. First, I am starting with my niece and nephew with some pointers for guitar and voice:
Secondly, we travel into the comedic world of my brother and his eldest daughter, allowing the muse to move them in the art of table drumming (comedy ensues, lol):
… and lastly my sister-in-law demonstrates how you might get started on coming up with an accompaniment on piano:
So there you have it … you do NOT have to be a professional musician to contribute (although that doesn’t hurt!) :-). Just listen to the song, play around with different ideas musically, and then record whatever you think sounds good! Send your recording to me at songboy_s_c@yahoo.com as a .WAV file.
If your arrangement is selected as part of the finished version of the song, you will be given equal musical songwriting credit on the album.
You can listen to the vocal version of the song, “Faith Is A Bird”, here:
re-blogged from Live demonstrations of musical options for song project ….
The most important thing is – to bloom
My words for meditation today:
~~~~~~~
“The lilac branches are bowed under the weight of the flowers: blooming is hard, and the most important thing is – to bloom.”
– Yevgeny Zamyatin
~~~~~~~
“One way or another, we all have to find what best fosters the flowering of our humanity in this contemporary life, and dedicate ourselves to that.”
– Joseph Campbell
~~~~~~~
“The first thing: existence CARES what happens to you. Existence is continuously praying that the ultimate should happen to you. In fact you are nothing but a hand extended by the whole to reach the ultimate. You are nothing but a wave coming from the whole to touch the moon. You are nothing but a flower opening, so that the whole is filled with fragrance through you.”
– Osho
~~~~~~~
“Algerian Beauty in a Lilac Field” is a painting by Leon Louis Tanzi.
~~~~~~~
Religion4All is an idea: that every human being (no matter their race, religion, sexuality, social status, lifestyle, or any other possible factor) is LOVED by God; just … as … they are.
We all are loved by God, and NO religion or person has a monopoly on it. Every single person on this planet is loved equally by God … SO many are cut off from God because they are told they don’t belong. God loves everyone … we ALL are beautiful creations … we don’t need to cringe when we hear the words “God”, or “religion”, or their judgments … God LOVES us all!
There is no requirement to change in order to be LOVED by God, or to LOVE God. God is LOVE, and LOVE is God … period. There is no one who God loves more than anyone else … there are only those who choose to LOVE more … to love God more, and consequently then to love each other more. In doing so, we grow closer to God … and know God.
By opening our hearts, and minds to God (free of boundaries like religion, or social trends); by LOVING God … we are exactly where we are meant to be. If we maintain that openness, never allowing any person or event to make us close our hearts, we will be guided by God to be who we are meant to be.
In that space of openness we can then live a life of LOVE, and be guided to where we are meant to be … forever in LOVE.
Southern California, Northern California,Mission Viejo, Irvine, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Marin, San Jose, San Juan Capistrano, Santa Ana, Palm Springs, Long Beach
You Can Only Forgive That Which You Face
I’ve been kind of amazed of late how MANY things linger around in that dusty attic we call our subconscious. I’ve been consciously going deep within and digging things up and it really is amazing the stuff that I find still unresolved within!
My opinion is that a lot of this is cultural. By and large we live in a culture that downplays the negative … we just don’t want to dwell on it. Someone talks about being abused and people cringe and uncomfortably comment,
“That’s in the past. Talking about it won’t help anything, just move on.” etc., etc., etc.
People don’t want to face the things that are uncomfortable, scary, or disturbing.
The problem with this is that ALL of that stuff is just hanging out in your subconscious! How’s your dream life? Do you have dreams that disturb you? Welcome to the window of your subconscious, where everything you’ve shoved down and left emotionally unresolved just hangs out and plays … and your body ultimately pays the price as its playground. The tension and stress from bitterness, regrets, and not fully forgiving literally eat you alive.
I’m not saying you should wallow around in all that crap … wallowing is very different from resolving and forgiving. It MIGHT be a good idea though to actively go in and discover what is there. Find out WHAT is eating you alive, so that you can actually save yourself from that gnawing beast within you.
An example, I was constantly told that I should get over having been abused my step-mother. Whatever the reason, whether “For the good of the family.” or just because it makes them uncomfortable … what that REALLY is saying is,
“Shut up, I don’t want to hear about it. Just stop talking about it and move on.” Or, in other words, “Shove it down deep inside of you and never bring it up again.”
By consciously going within to meditate and contemplate the full reality of what was SO … I have been able to forgive her. I can actually now look at the scenario and see exactly HOW she was a victim herself, just trying to survive like the rest of us. I didn’t downplay the abuse … there were some seriously messed up things that she did that affected me for decades. I accepted those things … I allowed them to be … I stopped fighting against them, excusing them or trying to escape them by shoving them down.
They simply were what was so … just the facts, without emotion.
Along with those facts were all the things that I did, and all of the things that other people contributed, and what was going on in life and the world … just the facts, without emotion.
Don’t downplay them … don’t shove them down. Allow them to be what they actually were … and face them … and then let them go … forgive. You can’t get to that last part though, forgiveness, without actually facing what is so. The more you diminish what was so, the more you allow whatever bitterness is there to creep inside you and fester.
Open it up … face it … and THEN let it go through genuine forgiveness and the power of Love.
Keep open that void where all that unresolved and festering ichor once resided and allow God’s LOVE to fill it instead. Let the golden glow of love into that place, and be happy. Rest.
Peace and Love.
~~~~~~~
– pic shared from Lost At E Minor, from Yayoi Kusama’s Infinity Mirrored Room
~~~~~~~
Religion4All is an idea: that every human being (no matter their race, religion, sexuality, social status, lifestyle, or any other possible factor) is LOVED by God; just … as … they are.
We all are loved by God, and NO religion or person has a monopoly on it. Every single person on this planet is loved equally by God … SO many are cut off from God because they are told they don’t belong. God loves everyone … we ALL are beautiful creations … we don’t need to cringe when we hear the words “God”, or “religion”, or their judgments … God LOVES us all!
There is no requirement to change in order to be LOVED by God, or to LOVE God. God is LOVE, and LOVE is God … period. There is no one who God loves more than anyone else … there are only those who choose to LOVE more … to love God more, and consequently then to love each other more. In doing so, we grow closer to God … and know God.
By opening our hearts, and minds to God (free of boundaries like religion, or social trends); by LOVING God … we are exactly where we are meant to be. If we maintain that openness, never allowing any person or event to make us close our hearts, we will be guided by God to be who we are meant to be.
In that space of openness we can then live a life of LOVE, and be guided to where we are meant to be … forever in LOVE.
Southern California, Northern California, Mission Viejo, Irvine, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Marin, San Jose, San Juan Capistrano, Santa Ana, Palm Springs, Long Beach
Being Salvador Dali
This past night I woke at 4 am, restless. Since I could not get back to sleep, I decided to do something productive with my time … so I meditated. The message that I received was this:
“You become whatever it is you fight against.”
If you fight your fears, you become afraid. Fight against the judgement of others, and surely you will only receive more judgement heaped upon you. Fight against the awfulness that are tragedies outside your ability to command, and you will become depressed. Fight against the the darkness within you, and you become inevitably owned by that darkness.
I received a mental picture; a vision. I was standing next to a candle in what appeared to be a darkened castle; stone was all around. The light of my candle simply served to make the darkness beyond more frightening … a prison, if you will. To break free of the prison there were only two options: snuff out the light and simply become accustomed to the night, OR pick up the candle and take it with me. I walked every inner corridor of this metaphoric domain, and along the way I found I could pass on the flame. Soon the entire place was filled with light and I could walk wherever I pleased.
The same would have been true if I had blown the candle out as well though … it would have been less lit, but my eyes would have grown accustomed. That domain was my soul … that darkness a part of me … no matter how many candles I lit, there would always be darkness somewhere. To truly BE your True Self, you must end the inner struggle … accept both sides, just as they are, and allow Love to fill up all of it. Then there is no fight … only the supreme richness of Being.
Here are my quotes to meditate on today; on the subject of being yourself:
“Each morning when I awake, I experience again a supreme pleasure: that of being Salvador Dali.”
– Salvador Dali
~~~~~~~
“Let yourself be drawn by the stronger pull of that which you truly love.”
– Rumi
~~~~~~~
“Be yourself – not your idea of what you think somebody else’s idea of yourself should be.”
– Henry David Thoreau
~~~~~~~
Religion4All is an idea: that every human being (no matter their race, religion, sexuality, social status, lifestyle, or any other possible factor) is LOVED by God; just … as … they are.
We all are loved by God, and NO religion or person has a monopoly on it. Every single person on this planet is loved equally by God … SO many are cut off from God because they are told they don’t belong. God loves everyone … we ALL are beautiful creations … we don’t need to cringe when we hear the words “God”, or “religion”, or their judgments … God LOVES us all!
There is no requirement to change in order to be LOVED by God, or to LOVE God. God is LOVE, and LOVE is God … period. There is no one who God loves more than anyone else … there are only those who choose to LOVE more … to love God more, and consequently then to love each other more. In doing so, we grow closer to God … and know God.
By opening our hearts, and minds to God (free of boundaries like religion, or social trends); by LOVING God … we are exactly where we are meant to be. If we maintain that openness, never allowing any person or event to make us close our hearts, we will be guided by God to be who we are meant to be.
In that space of openness we can then live a life of LOVE, and be guided to where we are meant to be … forever in LOVE.
Southern California, Northern California, Mission Viejo, Irvine, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Marin, San Jose, San Juan Capistrano, Santa Ana, Palm Springs, Long Beach
I am currently going through older posts to re-learn the valuable lessons that God has given me to transform and grow. This post is from:
A Thanksgiving Retreat
Dawn at Trout Lake Abbey, at the base of Mt. Adams in Washington state.
I am blessed to be giving thanks at one of my favorite spiritual retreat centers, Trout Lake Abbey; a place set aside to welcome and celebrate people of any and all faiths. Many thanks to the happiest monk I know, Kozen.
Peace and Love
~~~~~~~
Religion4All is an idea: that every human being (no matter their race, religion, sexuality, social status, lifestyle, or any other possible factor) is LOVED by God; just … as … they are.
We all are loved by God, and NO religion or person has a monopoly on it. Every single person on this planet is loved equally by God … SO many are cut off from God because they are told they don’t belong. God loves everyone … we ALL are beautiful creations … we don’t need to cringe when we hear the words “God”, or “religion”, or their judgments … God LOVES us all!
There is no requirement to change in order to be LOVED by God, or to LOVE God. God is LOVE, and LOVE is God … period. There is no one who God loves more than anyone else … there are only those who choose to LOVE more … to love God more, and consequently then to love each other more. In doing so, we grow closer to God … and know God.
By opening our hearts, and minds to God (free of boundaries like religion, or social trends); by LOVING God … we are exactly where we are meant to be. If we maintain that openness, never allowing any person or event to make us close our hearts, we will be guided by God to be who we are meant to be.
In that space of openness we can then live a life of LOVE, and be guided to where we are meant to be … forever in LOVE.
Southern California, Northern California, Mission Viejo, Irvine, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Marin, San Jose, San Juan Capistrano, Santa Ana, Palm Springs, Long Beach
If We Think Only Of Ourselves
* pic by nick agneta
My words for meditation today:
“If we think only of ourselves, forget about other people, then our minds occupy very small area. Inside that small area, even tiny problem appears very big. But the moment you develop a sense of concern for others, you realize that, just like ourselves, they also want happiness; they also want satisfaction. When you have this sense of concern, your mind automatically widens.”
– Dalai Lama XIV
~~~
“A need for approval lies behind all efforts of evangelism. If someone else can be convinced, that will show us that we are on the right path. The attempt to convince someone of anything is a mark of insecurity.”
– Ravi Ravindra
~~~
“Letting go gives us freedom, and freedom is the only condition for happiness. If, in our heart, we still cling to anything – anger, anxiety, or possessions – we cannot be free.”
– Thich Nhat Hanh
~~~~~~~
Religion4All is an idea: that every human being (no matter their race, religion, sexuality, social status, lifestyle, or any other possible factor) is LOVED by God; just … as … they are.
We all are loved by God, and NO religion or person has a monopoly on it. Every single person on this planet is loved equally by God … SO many are cut off from God because they are told they don’t belong. God loves everyone … we ALL are beautiful creations … we don’t need to cringe when we hear the words “God”, or “religion”, or their judgments … God LOVES us all!
There is no requirement to change in order to be LOVED by God, or to LOVE God. God is LOVE, and LOVE is God … period. There is no one who God loves more than anyone else … there are only those who choose to LOVE more … to love God more, and consequently then to love each other more. In doing so, we grow closer to God … and know God.
By opening our hearts, and minds to God (free of boundaries like religion, or social trends); by LOVING God … we are exactly where we are meant to be. If we maintain that openness, never allowing any person or event to make us close our hearts, we will be guided by God to be who we are meant to be.
In that space of openness we can then live a life of LOVE, and be guided to where we are meant to be … forever in LOVE.
Southern California, Northern California, Mission Viejo, Irvine, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Marin, San Jose, San Juan Capistrano, Santa Ana, Palm Springs, Long Beach
Being Salvador Dali
This past night I woke at 4 am, restless. Since I could not get back to sleep, I decided to do something productive with my time … so I meditated. The message that I received was this:
“You become whatever it is you fight against.”
If you fight your fears, you become afraid. Fight against the judgement of others, and surely you will only receive more judgement heaped upon you. Fight against the awfulness that are tragedies outside your ability to command, and you will become depressed. Fight against the the darkness within you, and you become inevitably owned by that darkness.
I received a mental picture; a vision. I was standing next to a candle in what appeared to be a darkened castle; stone was all around. The light of my candle simply served to make the darkness beyond more frightening … a prison, if you will. To break free of the prison there were only two options: snuff out the light and simply become accustomed to the night, OR pick up the candle and take it with me. I walked every inner corridor of this metaphoric domain, and along the way I found I could pass on the flame. Soon the entire place was filled with light and I could walk wherever I pleased.
The same would have been true if I had blown the candle out as well though … it would have been less lit, but my eyes would have grown accustomed. That domain was my soul … that darkness a part of me … no matter how many candles I lit, there would always be darkness somewhere. To truly BE your True Self, you must end the inner struggle … accept both sides, just as they are, and allow Love to fill up all of it. Then there is no fight … only the supreme richness of Being.
Here are my quotes to meditate on today; on the subject of being yourself:
“Each morning when I awake, I experience again a supreme pleasure: that of being Salvador Dali.”
– Salvador Dali
~~~~~~~
“Let yourself be drawn by the stronger pull of that which you truly love.”
– Rumi
~~~~~~~
“Be yourself – not your idea of what you think somebody else’s idea of yourself should be.”
– Henry David Thoreau
~~~~~~~
Religion4All is an idea: that every human being (no matter their race, religion, sexuality, social status, lifestyle, or any other possible factor) is LOVED by God; just … as … they are.
We all are loved by God, and NO religion or person has a monopoly on it. Every single person on this planet is loved equally by God … SO many are cut off from God because they are told they don’t belong. God loves everyone … we ALL are beautiful creations … we don’t need to cringe when we hear the words “God”, or “religion”, or their judgments … God LOVES us all!
There is no requirement to change in order to be LOVED by God, or to LOVE God. God is LOVE, and LOVE is God … period. There is no one who God loves more than anyone else … there are only those who choose to LOVE more … to love God more, and consequently then to love each other more. In doing so, we grow closer to God … and know God.
By opening our hearts, and minds to God (free of boundaries like religion, or social trends); by LOVING God … we are exactly where we are meant to be. If we maintain that openness, never allowing any person or event to make us close our hearts, we will be guided by God to be who we are meant to be.
In that space of openness we can then live a life of LOVE, and be guided to where we are meant to be … forever in LOVE.
Southern California, Northern California, Mission Viejo, Irvine, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Marin, San Jose, San Juan Capistrano, Santa Ana, Palm Springs, Long Beach
Why We Shout In Anger
A Hindu saint who was visiting river Ganges to take bath found a group of family members on the banks, shouting in anger at each other. He turned to his disciples smiled and asked.
‘Why do people shout in anger shout at each other?’
Disciples thought for a while, one of them said, ‘Because we lose our calm, we shout.’
‘But, why should you shout when the other person is just next to you? You can as well tell him what you have to say in a soft manner.’ asked the saint
Disciples gave some other answers but none satisfied the other disciples.
Finally the saint explained,
‘When two people are angry at each other, their hearts distance a lot. To cover that distance they must shout to be able to hear each other. The angrier they are, the stronger they will have to shout to hear each other to cover that great distance.
What happens when two people fall in love? They don’t shout at each other but talk softly, Because their hearts are very close. The distance between them is either nonexistent or very small…’
The saint continued, ‘When they love each other even more, what happens? They do not speak, only whisper and they get even closer to each other in their love. Finally they even need not whisper, they only look at each other and that’s all. That is how close two people are when they love each other.’
He looked at his disciples and said.
‘So when you argue do not let your hearts get distant. Do not say words that distance each other more. Or else there will come a day when the distance is so great that you will not find the path to return.’
Eye of God
My words to meditate upon today:
“The eye through which I see God is the same eye through which God sees me; my eye and God’s eye are one eye, one seeing, one knowing, one love.”
~~~~~~~
“The most beautiful thing we can experience is the mysterious. It is the source of all true art and all science. He to whom this emotion is a stranger, who can no longer pause to wonder and stand rapt in awe, is as good as dead: his eyes are closed.”
~~~~~~~
“I can see, and that is why I can be happy, in what you call the dark, but which to me is golden. I can see a God-made world, not a man-made world.”
~~~~~~~
– illustration by David Burliuk
~~~~~~~
Religion4All is an idea: that every human being (no matter their race, religion, sexuality, social status, lifestyle, or any other possible factor) is LOVED by God; just … as … they are.
We all are loved by God, and NO religion or person has a monopoly on it. Every single person on this planet is loved equally by God … SO many are cut off from God because they are told they don’t belong. God loves everyone … we ALL are beautiful creations … we don’t need to cringe when we hear the words “God”, or “religion”, or their judgments … God LOVES us all!
There is no requirement to change in order to be LOVED by God, or to LOVE God. God is LOVE, and LOVE is God … period. There is no one who God loves more than anyone else … there are only those who choose to LOVE more … to love God more, and consequently then to love each other more. In doing so, we grow closer to God … and know God.
By opening our hearts, and minds to God (free of boundaries like religion, or social trends); by LOVING God … we are exactly where we are meant to be. If we maintain that openness, never allowing any person or event to make us close our hearts, we will be guided by God to be who we are meant to be.
In that space of openness we can then live a life of LOVE, and be guided to where we are meant to be … forever in LOVE.
Southern California, Northern California, Mission Viejo, Irvine, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Marin, San Jose, San Juan Capistrano, Santa Ana, Palm Springs, Long Beach
Religion4All 
