Archive for Soul
In The Present, Ever Deepening
While I have not been as diligent with blogging of late, I have definitely been committing myself to inner work and development … and BOY, has it been a year and a half for it!
Just before COVID really shut things down I had begun working with an intensive leadership development group based in Atlanta. I paired this with bi-weekly sessions with a Qi Gong master I have worked with on and off through the years. This work began around January of 2020 … coincidence? Hmmmm.
Another developmental work began last Spring. A friend, also a member of the leadership group in Atlanta, asked if anyone was interested in doing The Presence Process with him. I was not familiar with the book/program, but I’ve always been curious and game for that which I have yet to experience … so it was game on.
I have now completed my third time through The Presence Process, by Michael Brown. It is a ten week program, as well as a book to read, and I highly recommend it to anyone who is interested … I guarantee it pertains to ALL people. It’s ten weeks of progressive work at being present … sounds pretty simple, right?
Yeah, so simple that it has turned my world upside down. After my second time through the process I had a repressed memory surface of sexual assault by a man in a bathroom when I was four years old. Being present to that has been … well, I won’t say for now because it would require some swearing.
I had obviously heard about repressed memories but figured it didn’t apply to me. After all, I can remember things all the way back to age two. So I was fairly certain if something had happened to me I would remember it.
I now believe that every single one of us has repressed memories … every … single … one. Can you remember every event that happened in your life from age two to seven? No?
Well then, my friend, you’ve got some memories in there that you are not conscious of … many of them are still affecting you in the life you live. How you process, how you interpret the world and the actions of people in the world around you … the context that you perceive life with.
Here’s the thing … so long as there are unintegrated emotional roots for our current triggers that go ALL the way back to those years? We are a slave to them. You want freedom? Most people do.
True freedom comes in being present to what is so, all of it. As Michael Brown says in his book, “The only way out is through.”
So why on earth would anyone actually WANT to expose themself to the roots of their emotional triggers? Well, it depends on how you want to live life.
Do you want to keep re-living the past and projecting it on out into your future?
Or do you want to discover who you really are down underneath all the habitual ways of being/reacting you were imprinted with by others as a child when you didn’t yet have the ability to cope?
So I’m going to start writing again. Some of it will be spiritual, as has been my wont, but I also want to get into what it means to REALLY have your voice, and to have your choice … YOUR choice. Your true self, not the imprinted, knee-jerk reaction, emotional triggers you have come to associate with who you “are”.
There’s beauty down in there … believe it.
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
Travelling Companions
If you are someone who sees pathways easily it is very easy to just GO … wherever it is that you want or need to go. This is especially true if those around you (your travelling companions on this journey of life) don’t see the pathways and are “slowing you down” (assessment).
You see, it’s simply not efficient to traverse all of these other pathways that CLEARLY are not the best or wisest pathways that you see.
However, if you just go it on your own, to arrive where you want more quickly, your travelling companions are likely to get lost (because they don’t see what you see) … and, when you finally get to your ultimate destination?
You will be alone.
So, even if it seems maddening to go slow or wait, perhaps the greatest contribution you can make is to simply be here in the Present with everyone and every circumstance that comes along … trust that there is something greater than you charting your course and be the best travelling companion that you can be.
Pic by Murad Osmann
——-
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
Lifetime regression
In meditating on acceptance throughout the day, I was taken to a point of contemplating the True Self.
My definition for the True Self is this: who you are when you are not reacting to internal or external phenomena. By this I mean we are most often reacting to either a tangible event in our lives, or our fears and paranoias that have accumulated over a lifetime of experiencing such events … events that we are hoping to avoid.
Over time these reactions can become an extremely complex web we spin for ourselves, a web that comes in many forms: white lies and subtle manipulations, at first. As we go further down the road, we see that we keep getting what we want and it continues to evolve. The problem is … that person is not our True Self. You can’t even find the True Self in the midst of all that chaos.
When we truly get to a point of acceptance (something which many wrongly construe as resignation) we allow all of these “chains” that bind us to disappear … the web dissolves. What we are left with is the True Self.
When you can accept where you are, or what has happened, or what might happen, or might not … and let go of it, allow it to be? Then you can breathe deeply and realize that you are free. Now, with a clear head, you can move forward as your True Self. That person who is following Spiritual guidance, as opposed to man-made constructs.
I went back in time; wondering if there was ever another point in my life where that True Self was evident. Certainly not in my memory. I went back to infancy. Many believe that “mankind is fallen”, even from birth. I just don’t believe that this is true (having looked into the eyes of many babies). That is our soul as the True Self.
What happens though is that we are quickly trained that if we cry, we get what we want. We learn that by taking our fate into our own hands, we can make the world do what we want. That trait is encouraged and empowered throughout our lives. The more aggressive we are, the better. Most often that does not concur with what God wants us to be. When was a child rewarded for sitting in a room, meditating, and being with God? In certain cultures that may be the case, but not in American culture, for the most part.
So the search for the True Self is really about undoing everything that has been trained and ingrained.
My ultimate point is that when our focus is on God … we can trust God to guide us. When I say that we need to go through a lifetime regression I am not saying there should be no rules. I am saying that we should spend our time listening to God for such guidance … instead of relying on man-made crutches. If God REALLY is there … why do we need anyone else to tell us what God is saying?
We should let be letting go of all of the negative reactions we have allowed, accepting where we are, and then moving forward in life as that True Self … not reacting, but ACTING as we are guided by God.
In order to get to that place though … each of us has to let go of our tangled web we’ve woven. We have to take the time to sit, and connect, and listen to what God has to share with us. We must let go of control, throw our arms wide and TRUST.
I realize that many people get nervous about something so unstructured … but I believe that when God is the basis of any action, LOVE will be the result. It is a curious musing that I found myself on today … I welcome any and all to agree, disagree, or expound.
——-
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
Edited and refined from Lifetime regression.
A Perfect Paradox
“I am already perfect … I need do nothing to become perfect … it is only my actions that are imperfect.”
That is a very different mantra than what I grew up with! For those who do not know, I grew up in a fundamentalist Christian missionary family. There were good sides and bad sides to this, as there is to all things … Dualiity. The wonderful side is that this upbringing is what introduced me to the concept of having a literal relationship with God … it doesn’t get any better than that! One of the many down sides is that I was imprinted with certain mindsets which I have now come to see are false … not only are they false, but they are harmful.
The specific mindset I am referencing here is the mindset that “We all are born sinners!” … horrible, awful sinners who must bemoan their woeful state and flagellate themselves constantly with the lashes of shame and penitence.
This is false.
We all truly are beautiful creations … at our core we are the unique, sparkling beauty of a soul that God created us to be. We have LEARNED to do evil things … but we are not evil at our core. We have taken upon ourselves the structures of the world around us: how we were raised, who we find to love, where we go for acceptance and validation, what we choose to believe, who we choose to follow, and the list goes on. These all are the structures we have built upon the fabric and foundation of our souls … and we will do ANYTHING to maintain the solidity and surety of those structures … even if it means doing things that are harmful to others.
It is in letting these structures dissolve we find the freedom to become the perfect and beautiful creatures that we were created to be. The more we adhere to these structures, the more we keep that perfect creation buried deep, SO DEEP, within the sealed up wells of our inner psyche. We do this thinking that we are protecting ourselves … if that True Self gets hurt it can be devastating. So we submerge it, and hide it, we bury it, and bind it … so that we won’t be hurt in such a way again.
In doing so, however, we are denying the perfection that already IS. We already ARE perfection … the perfection that God created us to be. It is only our ACTIONS that are imperfect … and those actions are based on what we have learned, taken on, or been brainwashed to believe.
Will my actions ever be perfect? No, probably not. That still doesn’t mean that I am a horrible, awful person at my core … and neither are you.
When you were born and those innocent newborn eyes looked out into the world … do you really believe you were evil?? No … you were perfect … and you still are perfect … your actions simply do not reflect that perfection. You have lost touch with the perfection that IS the LOVE of God. Love that is there for all of us, and LIVES in all of us already. All we can do is strive to reflect that Perfection into the world around us … strive to embrace the fact that we are all beings with Duality and to embody the perfect Love that is already there at our core.
Doing this means LETTING GO of the structures that are learned or imposed … not clinging to them more desperately.
THAT is a HUGE difference … at least for me.
You are perfect … JUST AS YOU ARE. God loves you … JUST AS YOU ARE.
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
Perfect Facade
Living in this world is almost entirely comprised of proving your worth. People like to pretend that this is not the case, that their “love” is really the stuff that True Love is made of … that being Unconditional … but this idea is disproved all around us.
Think about it … if you did nothing to prove your worth, where and who would you be? If you didn’t shave hairs off your body, or spend hours looking just right, or get a job that garners respect, or lose weight, or act in the way that is most appropriate to those you have chosen to love … what would your view of yourself be? What would their view of you be?
You have proving yourself to your family, or proving yourself to the Church … proving yourself to the government … proving yourself to the girls, or guys, or neighbors, or bosses, or co-workers, or strangers who you don’t even know but you don’t want them to look at your weirdly in the grocery store while you’re shopping for food. We do EVERYTHING just to gain what passes for acceptance or love … but really isn’t acceptance or love at all. It’s acceptance and love for the perfect facade you present … not you.
If all you did was sit on a street corner … could you live with that? Could you face yourself each and every day? Would the nagging, nay gnawing, diminish or grow within you?
What if I added something to that question? What if all you did was sit on a street corner … and worship God … all day? Does that change it for you? No, probably not.
Why is that?
When there is nothing more important that we can be doing than loving God and, through that, loving each other … why is it that EVERYTHING that defines us is about proving ourselves to each other? It’s the OPPOSITE of loving God and, through that, loving each other!!
Even for myself with meditation … I have realized that so much of that is about DOING something … PROVING myself. I have to be making myself into the epitome of what I believe God wants me to be … when all God wants is for me to BE … right there, in that moment, in the present LOVING and basking in the hovering afterglow that IS God.
Try it … see how hard it really is ;-).
Am I saying that we should all just do nothing? Of course not … but we CAN at least detach that incessant inner source-wire that has become the pseudo pump for our life blood … dictating virtually every action we have. What if the decisions you made in life were not about anything more than what is authentic to you … to who you were created to be? To simply be the person that makes God smile. That would be a wonderful place to step forward from …
~~~~~~~
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
A Wicked Trifecta
“Triad” – by Carla Parris
Of late I have been meditating on the issue of judgment: how it occurs in my life, and how much it needs to be allowed to come up, worked through, and let go of. Here is a note I dictated, on the fly, on the subject … in a moment of epiphany.
“If I hold onto judgment in any form then I end up judging myself even more cruelly. Because of my abusive past I have an inner voice that is incredibly destructive.
So if I judge other people I will judge myself ten times more harshly. If I judge myself that harshly then when other people judge me it will cut me to the very depths I have already judged myself. From that state of self-judgment, I will proceed to pre-judge others as a defense mechanism.
It is a wicked trifecta of judgment … if I allow any one of them to exist in my heart then they will all exist … and consume me.
The only way I will ever be free is to give up judgment on all levels … in all forms … toward others, toward myself, and from others.”
Give it a try! 😉
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
What “Judgment” Really Means
The tricky thing about language is that we really don’t grasp or comprehend what somebody else’s interpretation of each word is. When I say “bliss” I think of floating with sea turtles while snorkeling on the north shore of Kauai. Somebody else’s version of that same word could be a remembrance of their first kiss … and yet another’s interpretation could be the adrenaline rush after an hours worth of strenuous exercise. I might personally use different words for each one of those experiences, but they use the word “bliss” … and I am instantly transported to my own personal interpretation.
When you think of all the other myriad of words (and combinations of words) in the English language, and in any other language, you begin to realize the importance of understanding the reality of how we literally live in language.
This was made crystal clear to me in the past few weeks. I experienced what I termed as judgment from a close family member. Fortunately I have done enough spiritual and meditative work that I did not react in a negative way at the time. However, this instance continued to bother me over the last few weeks. In talking about this with a mentor and a group of peers I began to see that my interpretation of “judgment” is very different than theirs. So for the past few weeks I have been meditating on just what “judgment” means to me … here is what I was very surprised to have come up with:
– “Judgment” for me taps into the emotions around getting caught by an abusive stepmother exploring what to me was completely innocent and new-found as a maturing 12-year-old … not realizing that this is considered “wrong” by many people. My stepmother proceeded to convince my father that I could not be trusted around children because of this … I was disgusting to her; I could hear it in her voice.
– Judgment, for me, is in my head; dating back to that same twelve year old being molested by an older man in the neighborhood who befriended me after my mother’s death. I should have DONE something other than sit there in a trance-like state of shock/horror … it was all MY fault (or so my mind repeated over and over).
– “Judgment” emotionally taps into a physically abusive older brother who, as a three hundred pound football lineman, would bruise me, slap me, or sit on me and spit in my face … or some variation of this type of treatment on an almost daily basis. Between him and my stepmother I abandoned my bedroom for the privacy and safety of rooftops.
– “Judgment” for me causes emotions to stir from that same brother, along with several other older siblings, admitting me into a religious program with the intention of “changing me” … there was something wrong with me, you see.
– “Judgment” for me is when I had a spiritual revelation and God told me that I am Loved, and beautiful just as I am, I was renounced by family and friends alike for believing it.
Is it any wonder that “judgment” has occurred for me as a thing of deepest dread … the stuff nightmares are made of??
Do you think that the family member I felt judged by intended THOSE feelings with what he said? I know for a FACT that he did not … but subconsciously that was what occurred for me when “judgment” happened.
The point of all of this is not to vent or be a martyr … the time for all of that in my life is LONG since past. I have worked it all through, forgiven and let go of most of it. No, this exercise for me was a matter of staid observance and rational detachment … sitting back in the seat of my consciousness and allowing these internal blockages to be released and flow out of me. Now that I am aware of my interpretations for the word “judgment” whenever it occurs within me I can now say,
“You are not being attacked, they are not intending what your personal experience of judgment is.”
I am now free of what before was a very powerful trigger … this, to me, is one of the primary benefits of inner work and spiritual connectivity.
If I had not gone through what I went through I would not be in the place that I am now; where I understand such a thing. The very dread voices that caused me SUCH despair are ALSO the voices that drove me to depend on God that much MORE. The intensely intimate, real and visceral relationship I have with God is a result of all of this … transforming me into the person who will contribute whatever it is that God wants me to contribute for the rest of my life.
Through this I can be grateful for everything I have experienced, or will … it all just brings me that much closer to God.
So what words do you have in your life where you might have a different translation than with somebody else intends?? The next time you’re triggered into an emotional response … think about it … see if you can learn to swim in the language you live in, rather than drown in it.
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
– Mother Theresa
Architectural Freedom
It could be said that we as humans are inately architectural. Everywhere we go, with every single activity, we are creating structures. These structures are comprised of our thoughts, intentions, declarations, and ultimately actions. When you are a child you are far more your own architect than when you are an adult. Sure, you may have the structure that your parents provide or whatever church or school you belong to … but really you’re allowed a level of freedom that is considered a luxury as an adult.
As an adult you are told that you must be responsible … and this basically means you must take on the structures of what everyone else deems acceptable. So all those areas of free thought that you loved as a child are ceded away to the structures of Work, Church, Political Party, etc., etc. … all the way down to the structure of whatever neighborhood you live in.
You “must” do these things in the name of being “responsible”. We CRAVE the days of our youth … but what we really want is Architectural Freedom!
For a very long period of my life I knew that I did not want to fit into any of these structures, so I rebelled against all of them … subconsciously thinking that this was the path to freedom. Ultimately though I was just choosing a different structure … I was choosing the structure of No Structure; of Chaos. So, while I was different and somewhat more free, seemingly, I still was a prisoner of a structure that was not composed of my conscious intent.
Now my structure is based on Love … the only infallible foundation that I have found. Now I am building my very own structure upon that foundation … and it is beholden to no one but myself. I can choose to take on other people’s structures or other organizations’ structures … but it will be based on my own personal decision of whether or not it fits MY personal structure that I have chosen to be Love.
True freedom is becoming your own Architect … recognizing the value and power of structure and then crafting and creating what you want that structure to be; with intention.
The “kicker” in this architectural equation is that you also are responsible for EVERYTHING. Everything that is a result of your structure is yours to own and live with the consequences of … to learn from, really. If you hurt someone it is because of your actions, not because the church you go to told you to reject or judge someone. If your chosen structure is working too much and ignoring your family, you can no longer blame the people who made you work too much. If people are denied equal rights it’s partially based on your decision … you’re no longer just a small part of the greater entity and therefore not responsible for such a thing!
Every … single … decision … becomes the result of your chosen structure.
See, we LIKE having these excuses. We might say that we want freedom, but we sure as hell don’t want the responsibility that comes with it! That scares people! Most people will go their entire lives without ever creating their own structure simply so that they don’t have to be responsible.
The other frightening aspect of becoming your own Architect is that you have to look at every part of your life … and let go of or, in some cases, even break down the structures that exist. This is painful to both you and the people involved in your accumulated structures. We don’t want to hurt people, so we just go on maintaining the structures that ultimately hold us back.
It is no easy task … in fact, it is incredibly difficult at first. Once you have done it though you FEEL the unlimited amount of energy that flows through you … energy that you never even imagined existed in the Old Way. Life, God’s Love, literally flows through you like a river … it guides you to where you are supposed to be … all based on the structure you have created for it!
Some might think I’m preaching rebellion, or anarchy … when in fact I am preaching exactly the opposite. We NEED structure … we simply don’t necessarily need the structure that everyone else tells us we need.
But that is up for you to decide … at least it is if you take the transformational journey of becoming your own personal architect.
Peace and Love.
~~~~~~~
pic of Disney Hall.
~~~~~~~
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
Self Worth Matrix
I have been meditating on the issue of Self Worth of late (along with Duality) and, over the course of a series of guided work and meditation, I’ve come up with the idea of a personalized Self Worth Matrix. For basically ALL of my life I have judged and assessed myself based on what “the World” tells me is good or successful. The problem with this is that I have basically made decisions in my life that take me in an opposite direction. Why would I continue to judge and assess myself by “the World”‘s standards when I have flouted its infinite wisdom in the first place? Good question! 🙂
So I came up with topics, issues, and tasks that are authentic and have meaning to me:
1. Help Someone
2. Do Something Creative.
3. Decide and Act Intuitively (based on Divine guidance/Intuition).
4. Connect Spiritually (prayer, meditation, grounding, healing, open-hearted connection to God).
5. Communicate Love (to another person).
6. Do a “menial” task that furthers my dreams/calling.
I then created check boxes next to these items. I intend to do each of them at least once each day, however this is not some sort of task to add yet another checklist … this is a way to re-wire and re-program my brain. This is a way to generate validation, good will, kudos, and “back-slapping” for myself on the things that have meaning and are important to me … where I can tune out that negative Inner Voice and drown it out with affirmation. No matter WHAT that Inner Voice says to me (or what anyone else has to say as well!) I can respond with,
“Nope, today I have done every, single thing that has meaning to me … today has been a great and productive day! Awesome job!!”
It is my belief that in doing this, over time, the negative Inner Voice (based on social programming and other people’s “Shoulds” and “Shouldn’ts”) will be changed to an affirming, positive Inner Voice based on these domains that have value for me.
Give it a try … what is YOUR personalized Self Worth Matrix? Remember, it’s not about “making yourself do something” … it’s about finding a way to generate Self Worth for what is important to you. You WANT this list to be comprised of things that make you feel good.
~~~~~~~
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
The Great Gatsby
I do believe this is my first ever movie “review” on this blog (lol) … although I won’t be hypothesizing on alternative camera angles or FPS :-).
I went to see The Great Gatsby today and I was struck by the stark contrast between the protagonist (Gatsby) and those whom he sought to be accepted, and even loved, by. The life story of Jay Gatsby is one that truly epitomizes the “American Dream”: dirt poor farmer’s boy who leaves his home for a dream and becomes one of the richest men in the country. The catch is that he didn’t really do all of the things that he did for money, or fame … he did it solely for love, or at least the love he had convinced himself he MUST have … that he had idealized … so it ended up not really being love at all; just the fulfillment of his fantasy.
The real truth behind this film comes in a scene where all the central characters are in the same room, and Gatsby is confronted by the husband of the woman he madly loves. A woman whom he had met and fallen mutually in love with before she married the wealthy man she’d never been in love with, but married because Gatsby was at war and wanted her to wait for him to make some money. The husband exposes him for the charlatan that he truly is: someone who grew up poor but is pretending to be of “noble birth”. When the husband does this he invokes racism and classism as being almost equal … BOTH are atrocious, and I certainly have met plenty of rich people who actually think this way in both regards (although there are also a great many who do not in today’s day and age). Gatsby explodes … and Daisy sees him for who he really is (I still don’t understand why that is a bad thing, but for her it apparently is) … she wanted a “blue-blooded, authentic” rich person as opposed to someone who built up everything he had with sheer will power and charisma … go figure.
The reason that I found this to be the pivotal moment is that all of the “animal instincts” were exposed … we see the carnal nature of man, and the consequential results of Duality, right there on display. BOTH sides were “fighting the fight” … they were fighting basically OPPOSITE fights, but it is the fact that they were fighting SO hard that led to both sides being completely f’ed up as a result … Duality. Light and Dark. Good and Bad … from alternating perspectives. Which is why it is SO difficult to actually figure out which way to go, or what to do with our lives.
This is what I have found myself meditating on almost perpetually lately. Fighting. The “What if?” questions fill my mind …
“What if Gatsby had allowed himself to stop fighting long enough to see that Daisy actually chose money over true love for a reason (and then did so again).”
“What if Daisy had simply gone with her heart instead of fighting for the exterior, empty facade that exists solely because of the judgment of others. She was obviously unhappy with the results, but she went right back to it.” (So much fighting).
“What if different classes of society, different races of people, different sexual orientations, different genders could actually step back from these things that supposedly define them … and just let them all fall away … and just BE ?” (Constant, every day, every hour, every second FIGHTING.)
It’s all seeming so simple to me that it makes me wonder why it is all so difficult … but it is. You have to get down through ALL the layers of social programming and upbringing to really SEE how trained we are to fight … we do it all the time. Even when you think you are “there” … you’ve really just hit a plateau. Believe me, there are MANY more layers to go … but every layer frees you that much more. Every breakthrough frees you that much more up to happiness. Press on.
The truly courageous people are the ones who will allow their fighting to fall away … and just be the innocents that they were, and started out as, all along. That is where a truly free, open-hearted connection with your Creator flourishes.
~~~~~~~
A favorite quote from the movie that says it all: “I just LOVE large parties, they’re so much more intimate.” 😉
~~~~~~~
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
Duality Perpetuating Machine
I recently have been doing some guided inner work and want to share a recent epiphany I have had with all of you.
As I was going through an area of my life that I have named Reclamation, I noticed several areas that had to do with Self Esteem (or lack thereof). As I went down that Self Esteem rabbit hole a bit further I ended up on the issue of Duality. An infant has no struggle with Duality (OR Self Esteem issues). Duality is something we learn through instruction and life experiences (good and bad), … we then internalize it to the point where we become our own personal Duality perpetuating machine.
So, I came to realize that Reclamation is really about recapturing the state of wholeness … as opposed to my current Dual state of fighting and constantly separating parts of myself out to allocate and place judgement upon … that is all what I have been taught or “taught” myself.
We want to fight all of these fears inside of us … along with what we deem wrong, not worthy, or even downright nasty. It’s the fighting though that creates the split … we fracture ourselves into so many pieces. It’s not that Duality ever goes away … rather, it’s accepting Duality AS wholeness that brings true internal freedom. So my focus and intent is not about overcoming duality, it is about reclaiming the areas of my life that I’ve lost to the fighting of it (whether through other peoples’ “shoulds” and “shouldn’ts”, or my own mental programming) … as well as working consciously to stop the internal fighting against Duality that has become SO much a part of my nature.
This, I believe, is work that is life changing …
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
The Approval Exercise
There is a huge difference between caring about other people and caring about what they think of you.
Recently I had an experience which brought to my mind just how much I STILL am bothered by the judgment of other people (toward me). When it happened I went through what now has become a ritual for me: ground myself, keep my heart open … don’t allow the negative energy to make me close, or shut myself down.
There are sometimes in your life though when you’re triggered SO deeply that doing these practices, or any other type of practices, seems impossible.
So my mind went to work I trying to solve this puzzle. An answer popped into my head but it was not one that I particularly cared for … stop caring what other people think.
I didn’t like this though. What about my significant other, or family members, or friends? Do I really want to become such a jaded person that I don’t care what any of them think?? No … that isn’t the right answer.
Suddenly it hit me; like a lightning bolt, or lightbulb flicking on in the darkness of night.
The words rang through my head and then were gone, leaving the significant reverberations of their echo:
“You can care deeply for someone without caring what they think about you.”
Sounds simple, eh? Perhaps. How often do we actually DO something that simple however? Do you really deeply care for someone looks down on you? You can clearly see the sneer, or derisive disgust in their eyes … and you naturally respond with open-hearted compassion? You’re a pretty spectacular person if that’s true ;-). If not, here’s a helpful exercise:
I began practicing this yesterday, and it has already had a profound effect on my life! Whenever I have interacted with someone, anyone, I phrased the words in my mind,
“I care deeply for you, and I don’t care at all what you think of me.”
It felt liberating, I tried on different ways of saying it,
“I have compassion for you … and I don’t give a damn what you think about me!”
… and other formations of phrases that I won’t write here (lol). The effect was drastic and startling! Suddenly, not only was my heart open all the time … I became kinder in action, made more eye contact, and smiled with genuine, authentic compassion. I gave freely from the abundance that was within my heart … I wasn’t holding Love back; reserving it only for those who approve of me.
My caring became unconditional … because approval is a condition we place on others ALL too often.
I encourage you to try this exercise out, even if just for a day. Moving forward it certainly seems like one of those epiphanies that alters my life in a unique way.
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
Hurricane You
I once had a professor who would jokingly refer to me as a literal hurricane … because we were close I took it as a token of affection. I was studying to be a classically trained singer, so what better description could one ask for than to be compared to a force of nature?? lol
While I do have a fairly sizable personality, we ALL affect the world around us in the same way … even the quietest and shyest person in the room. If you don’t believe me, try doing an experiment where you act in a manner that is unusual for you. For me that would be to sit in a corner, without saying a word. For someone else, perhaps that would look like they were being wildly charismatic. What do you think the result would be? I’ve tried this experiment out, so I know for myself.
When I was in college I once made the attempt to not say one word for an entire evening. You’d think that I would have had an educational evening of solitude where I could actually learn things about others (what a concept). No … suddenly people were buzzing around me, trying to figure out what was wrong! They kept asking me if something was bothering me and I would simply shake my head … it all went on for quite a while before I finally broke down and said I simply was taking a break from speaking for the evening. Even that explanation wasn’t good enough … I became the topic of conversation simply by doing nothing!
The point is, we each are our own personal force of nature. Whether you want to own that or not, it is most definitely true. You can decide that you aren’t going to believe it and continue to stumble about the world like a bull in a china shop; causing unintended ripple effects in reaction to you wherever you go. OR you could start to pay attention, become a watcher, and see how things unfold around you … and what role you have played in them unfolding in the manner they have.
What we really are supposed to be UP TO in life is being conscious, awake, and aware of this reality. When you truly see it you then start to try and figure out how to minimize the negative effects and maximize the positive aspects you bring into the world. That is just the beginning … because what you ultimately will find is that there is a TON of work to do at figuring and sorting yourself out … who you really ARE. You will go on a wonderfully frightening adventure within yourself; meeting both the demons and saints of your psyche. It is your own personal mythology and, if you stick with it, you will ultimately discover that Love is really the only thing of importance in this world … Love is what will set you free.
Eventually (we can all hope) you will get to the point where you decide you don’t want anything but Love to be the ripples of your influence. That is certainly what I hope for myself ;-).
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– this post was the result of meditating on my prior post, “Freedom“.
~~~~~~~
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
Beware Your Intentions
Inevitably your intentions are what end up owning you. What is a famous saying?
“Oh, but I had the BEST of intentions!”
Really? Truthfully? More frequently than not our intentions have everything to do with with something that will wind up being beneficial for US. We fight for them. We lie for them. We deceive for them. We even cause pain for them. It doesn’t start out that way, for sure … but if we don’t guard what the roots of our intentions are, we wind up on a difficult road to climb.
There is no substance known to man that is more slippery than intentions.
So how do we get at the roots of our intentions? Well, it really is pretty simple in concept … it’s the execution that kills us. We have to let go of the outcomes … we have to simply step back and TRUST that whatever takes place is what we are meant to experience and learn from. We don’t like that though … being polished isn’t pleasant, and being honed is even worse. That is what these experiences in our lives are for though … they are what we need to learn the lessons that we are supposed to learn.
When we go about trying to force reality into a box of our own making THAT is when we start bringing things into our lives that are harmful. Then we wonder how God could be SO cruel to allow something like that to happen to us … when most of these circumstances are simply the realities we have created for ourselves.
If you have a relationship and you are dreadfully frightened that they will leave you or be unfaithful … what do you do? You scheme, and snoop, and badger, and harangue the other person SO much to try and make sure they aren’t … that you actually drive them to the place you feared most. You created that reality … your intention wasn’t based in Love.
If you get a brand new car and it is so beautiful that you adoringly fawn over it … but then somehow it loses its luster over time. Well, you clearly have to go get something new that you can fawn over again, because it felt SO good. More and more, you just keep piling it on … and each thing you guard ferociously, because at one time they meant SO much to you. Eventually through all that hoarding and possessing you wind up stepping on people’s toes, or worse … you actually behave dishonestly. Something happens and you end up losing some or all of the things you cared so deeply for. You created that reality … your intention wasn’t based in Love.
The list can be described for virtually anything … any possibly thing that you can attach an intention to. Does that mean you should do nothing … not attach any intentions to anything?? No … it merely means that you want to be as vigilant as possible as to your true intentions actually are. Check your intentions, scrutinize your intentions … make sure that the intention you affix to something has Love at its core.
True Love … Unconditional Love … does not step on toes, bully, push people out of its way, snoop or spy on, or any other number of results that come from unhealthy intentions. True Love lets go … it allows your heart to always be open … it allows your intuition to hear where you are being Divinely Led.
So get at your roots … and don’t be afraid to dig.
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– pic from the soul is bone.
~~~~~~~
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
With A Hawk’s Eye
During my meditation today I had a curious experience … one could say an enlightening experience even :-).
When I meditate I always start of by filling myself with God’s Love; drawing from the earth and surrounding nature that God has given us to live in. Once I have done this I release all negativity up and out into the Universe; whether it has been created by me, or forced into my life by outside influence … I let it go. Then, once I am clear of any form of negativity, I send my thoughts and intentions deep into the Earth … I give the Love that I have just filled myself with to the Earth, to use wherever it is needed. Once I have accomplished this I can then move on into wherever I feel Divinely led.
Today, after finishing this meditative ritual, I felt an uncomfortable pressure against both of my temples. Before I began meditating daily I would try to do some sort of breathing exercise to rid me of this … OR do something to simply distract myself like play a game, read a book, have a drink, or who knows what? While those things are fun, and I still do enjoy them, when they are used as a form of escape they can become extremely unhealthy.
So I leaned into the disturbance in my head … it felt like some sort of painful congestion, but in my temples instead of my sinus cavity. As I focused in more and more I felt something break through … and start to grow. Very soon I had two giant wings extending from the side of my head (all in a meditative dream state, of course). Not only that, but I felt/saw the head of a hawk unfurl itself from my 6th chakra and up into my crown chakra. I immediately became lost into a wonderful vision of flying over the sea; swirling higher and higher into the air, diving into the ocean to grasp my prize. When I came back into the room I at first started to be aware that perhaps I had somehow intruded on those around me (as I was in a room full of people). I felt the urge to not back down though … I expanded the wings more and flapped them to create a breeze, and in doing so spread Love throughout the room. Any time a fear would come into my head, the hawk would simply swoop and sever the tie that fear was attempting to create with my soul. Eventually, the hawk settled back down … the wings did not go away, they just folded up naturally … the hawk’s head settled down behind my 6th chakra, but I could still feel it’s penetrating gaze looking out at the world around me.
When I came out of my meditative state I was in a state of blissful peace … extremely grateful that God had sent this companion to help me, and guide me for however long it stays. God is so good … and will give to us all that we need, if we make ourselves ready to receive … willing to follow the guidance and accept the consequences that are accompanying. It is very frightening at first … because we must let go of ALL control. Be strong though … push through, and keep your heart open … you will see. God is there waiting with Love that is beyond measure.
Peace and Love to you all.
~~~~~~~
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
Manifestation – Eckhart Tolle
Manifestation is one of those topics that get people rolling their eyes,
“Oh, here comes the hocus-pocus, wacko stuff.”, is really what many are thinking.
I can understand the skepticism because there are a lot of people who take it to places that really are very silly. However, there IS a definite, God-given talent that is inherent to us … when we use our brains in a certain way, it attracts opportunities and people who are of a like mind. If you are depressed, you will find that you are constantly coming across other depressed people to commiserate with. This does not help you. The answer is to find a place of peace … a place where you can sense or feel led on a spiritual level to where you are supposed to be … where you connect with God and are filled with Love. In such a place, you will draw the things to you that are meant to be in your life … that doesn’t mean you’re going to be a millionaire, or some other crackpot promise … but you will have peace, and joy, and happiness with the knowledge that you are where you are supposed to be … AND you will be attracting people and opportunities into your life that blend harmoniously with that place of peace, joy, and happiness. No one knows what will happen from such a place … but it will SURELY be better, in the long run, than what you will attract from any other frame of mind.
Here is an article written by Eckhart Tolle on the topic of manifestation:
Eckhart on Manifestation
Excerpted from the July 2010 issue of Eckhart Tolle TV “The Manifestation Question”
Often people ask questions about manifesting and the power of intention, and how that relates to the power of Now. One person asked me about the difference between the continuous wanting that I write about in A New Earth and intention – the intention to create something. What is the importance of manifesting things in your life, or creating, or is that counter-productive?
There are many exciting books these days about creating and manifesting: The Secret, the teachings of Abraham, and so on. Often people ask, how does that relate to Stillness and inner peace? And acceptance of what is? And surrender to the Present Moment? And living in alignment with Now? Is there conflict, is one wrong? Or misleading?
This is an important question for almost everybody. Your own life is a microcosm of the macrocosm. If you look at the Universe, the first thing you will see is that it likes to create, and it likes to manifest. On this planet alone, the Universe is continuously creating and manifesting countless life forms. And in outer space, we can only assume – we don’t know what exactly is there – but there is a vastness of life out there, and probably many more life forms than we have on this planet. The life forms, both in the sea, and on land, including humans, they seem to enjoy a dance of coming into being and destruction. It’s a transformational process.
By just looking at life, you can see that the Universe loves to manifest. Also it seems to be the case that life forms, over periods of time, become more differentiated. Many more come. And even human societies become more complex. We have had ancient civilizations that were very complex, but our present civilization is the most complex. This of course includes problem-ridden. That goes with complexity. Every individual who is part of this civilization has a life that is full of problems. But complexity cannot go on forever.
The Universe likes to create, to manifest, to experience the play of form. That’s one movement. And you can see it in yourself, at some level. There is something else in humans, you can only really see in yourself, an inner phenomenon. The Universe wants not only to experience that manifested life, it also wants to experience peace and something that is not touched by the continuously fluctuating forms. It wants to know itself deeply, directly, in its essence. That really is the root of spirituality. The Universe not only wants the outward movement, but it also wants the inward – the return movement to the One. Every human being also embodies these two movements. It seems that you are torn sometimes between the outward movement into form, and the inward return movement to the Source where it all started. The Source that was never really lost, it is always there because it is timeless, and it is within you. You feel drawn back to that, and that is the pull toward spirituality, peace, Stillness.
Not one or the other is right or wrong. It’s only perhaps if you totally lose yourself in one or the other – maybe that’s not quite it. Perhaps this is the challenge of the Universe here on this planet, and perhaps on other planets. The challenge to reconcile the two movements, rather than to have them be separate. Is it possible to reconcile the inner movement toward Stillness and Being, and the outer toward action, and doing? I would say it is, and that is our challenge at this time.
Traditionally, it’s been very unconscious what humans have manifested in this world. They have been identified with doing, and identified with form. That has been going on for as long as anyone can remember – since recorded history and beyond. And we call that ‘ego’. The One consciousness that underlies everything moves into form, assumes forms, and enjoys the play of form but it’s not enough for the one consciousness to enjoy the play of form, it needs to completely believe in it to make it seem ‘real’. You need to lose yourself in that dream of form.
Every human believes that they have a life of their own, and that means they are identified with the form of that life. This particular physical body, this particular psychological life form, the accumulation of thoughts and the emotions that go with these thoughts; it all becomes part of that form-identity.
Consciousness is trapped, or believes itself to be trapped in that. We could say that in that state, the Universe or Consciousness has entered a “dream-like” state. It wants to do that, it must enjoy that dream, up to a point. Consciousness has entered that “dream-like” state where it is completely identified with form. It doesn’t realize that every other form is an aspect of itself. Of course, then you are just an isolated entity. It becomes quite unpleasant after a while. So you have to get together with other entities and instead of having an “I” form, you have a “We” form, an “Us”.
For a while, the Universe seems to be okay with that, to have Consciousness identified completely with form. Then the “movie” goes on. Reading through history, you can see what happens when Consciousness is identified completely with form. Then it comes time for another stage to arise, when Consciousness is beginning to awaken from complete identification with form. This is beginning to happen at many stages, this is why human beings are drawn to spiritual teachings. It is the awakening from the dream of form.
Inspiring Story
I read “A New Earth…” a while ago. I must buy another book if I am going to get through another read, as I have highlighted, underlined and noted all over the book. I started to re-read the first couple of chapters again, but I couldn’t get off the first page. I have tried to read the first couple of chapters over and over again, but I still cannot get past the description of the “first flowering.” Something in the description holds me, and I can’t move pass that point. I have reread that portion of the book at least twenty times.
Now, flowers captivate me! I can no longer look at a flower the same way. In my wildest dreams, I would have never imagined that flowers would hold me so tightly. I am completely enamored of them. I have since taken a flower arrangement class. My house seems empty without a fresh bunch of flowers. I can be short of cash but I will sacrifice to bring these absolutely beautiful beings in my house to share my space. And once they have come into my domain, my spirits lift; a general feeling of well being emerges. I have since planted some flowers in my front yard.
I often ask myself: is there anything more beautiful and more giving of itself than a rose, a carnation, a daffodil or a lily? I ask myself: what is more awe-inspiring than an orchid?
Thank you for heightening my awareness of these ever so gentle and fragile beings. I truly appreciate flowers like never before; they are absolutely a wonderful gift of nature.
M. Abdus-Salaam
Inspirational Quotes
“Whereas before you dwelt in time and paid brief visit to the Now, have your dwelling place in the Now and pay brief visits to past and future when required to deal with the practical aspects of your life situation.”
“Death is not the opposite of life. Life has no opposite. The opposite of death is birth. Life is eternal.”
“The more limited, the more narrowly egoic your view of yourself is, the more you will see, focus on, and react to the egoic limitations, the unconsciousness in others. Their “faults” or what you perceive as their faults become to you their identity. This means you will see only the ego in them and thus strengthen the ego in yourself.”
Intuition or Impulse?
All too often it seems that people mistake intuition for impulse, and vice versa. I can see how it could be confusing: both are inner “gut” feelings, so how do you differentiate?
The simple answer is that one comes from a place of calmness and centered serenity, while the other comes from a whirringly over-active mind.
It certainly is possible to have intuitive feelings as a person who is not centered … it simply is difficult to differentiate. You could be a highly intuitive person; one who values and prizes their intuitive abilities a great deal. If you are not taking the time to center yourself however you will simply be acting on impulse half of the time and mistaking it for intuition.
I’m speaking from experience here, as I’ve always known myself to be an intuitive person. It wasn’t until I began meditating daily that I started to notice the difference … and WHAT a truly profound difference it is!
Intuition often requires a lot of patience. At one point in my life I felt intuitively led to literally just WAIT for months on end until the timing was right and my intuition guided me accordingly. After a few months of just waiting you really DO start to doubt whether it actually was intuition that told you to wait in the first place. But OH was the wait worth it … the results of that waiting were monumentally life changing … for the better. Waiting for guidance is every bit as important as acting on it.
I’m speaking in generic terms of course … waiting for an intuitive form of guidance, to me, is synonymous with waiting on God. If you never take the time to quiet your mind and meditate (i. e. connect with God) it is extremely difficult to hear anything but yourself … your own thoughts, insecurities, childhood programming, fears, and anxieties all doing constant calisthenics in your head.
If you’re at all competitive, or like a challenge? Try living intuitively for … a month, let’s say. All it requires is that you spend some time meditating every day … connect with God, allow yourself to be Loved, to BE Love … and, from that centered space, when your instincts tell you to do something … you do it. It’s that simple … and hard. If it truly was simple then everyone would be doing it … because there is no more profitable way of living life … on every level.
I guarantee you that if you try living intuitively, as described above, for one month … it will change your life.
Prove me wrong, I dare you ;-).
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– pic by ahole
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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
The Opposite Of
Life often gets measured out into two parts: either you fit into the expectations of others, or you rebel to make your own mold. The problem with this is that, in rebelling, we aren’t being who we truly might want or hope to be … we are being the OPPOSITE of what others want us to be. Is being the opposite of someone else’s machinations REALLY the person that you long and hope to be?
Hell no!
This is how, all to often, someone looks back on their life and says,
“How did I get here? How did I become this person?”
We spend so much of our lives basically doing one or the other of these extremes that we miss the center completely … the center is who YOU really are. Your True Self.
You become that person when you are no longer running this way or that … forcing … pushing against. These things are all reactions. When you are fighting against something, or someone, you are not being your True Self … you are being the person who is knee-jerk reacting to that person or event.
There is no need for fighting. There is no need for fear. Rather than reacting to these things … STOP! Take the time to go within. Connect with your Creator, and receive Love. Acknowledge what is happening, accept that it is happening, and just LET GO of it … of trying to dictate your will. When you let go, you step out of that mold … the Opposite Of mold … and can then move forward as who you really are.
There will be just as many people who don’t like this as when your were being the Opposite Of … there probably will be more. It doesn’t matter though … you accept it, and let go of it, and continue to move forward as your True Self. They will hate this because you are no longer reacting to them … even if you weren’t doing what they wanted, at least you were giving them something by reacting. Now they don’t get anything from you … and they will hate that, so they will provoke you even more.
As long as you keep following those same steps though? You will have freedom … it won’t come overnight. It actually takes quite a while because you have built up SO many habits, and undoing habits takes some work. It’s really pretty simple though, if you just stick with it …
Acknowledge the problem … accept it for what it is … stop trying to change it or fight it … and just let go … then move forward and begin the work of being your True Self. It’s still work … but it’s happy work … because it’s who you really ARE! 🙂
Peace and Love.
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– pic by Julien Vidame
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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
On A Day Such As This …
Meditation saves lives.
No, really … it does … it’s just that we don’t really know when it has saved our lives because, well, we’re still alive!
Case in point:
Two days ago I received one of the most vicious, nasty letters I have ever had the displeasure of reading. Over the past year I have had to make some very difficult decisions in order to bring my outer life into alignment with the inner blossoming that has taken place over the past two years.
I’ve spent years, decades, pursuing a closer relationship with God … but it has been in the last couple of years that a series of enlightenment experiences have rocked, changed, and transformed me into a completely new person. So … in the process of making changes in my life … there were people who were disappointed, and even hurt by the changes that needed to be made. I have to live through those reactions, keep my heart open through them, and allow those lessons to mold me into the person I’m supposed to become as a result. That is the responsibility that comes with having lived with a closed heart for so long … and you can’t escape those responsibilities.
So, this letter. I don’t need to go into the details, but it left me a sobbing, tearful mess … it came from someone I have a great deal of love for; hence the level of pain. I don’t know about you, but things that go to such depths take some time to heal from. So for the past couple of days my head has been whirling like a dervish and ringing like a gong all at the same time. Consequently … I’ve been a little scattered.
This is what I mean about meditation saving lives. We all get caught up in our personal crises and begin reacting to the events that keep piling on. Yesterday I was so scattered from the emotional trauma that I was going to be late for a contract signing. I started stressing out even more than I already was, which made me drive faster. Before I knew it I was speeding … fortunately I noticed and MADE myself slow down. I called the office I was driving toward to let them know I would be late, and then I switched on my audiobook of “The Untethered Soul“, by Michael Singer. This put me in a meditative state, and the rest of my drive went well. Had I allowed myself drive recklessly because of reacting to the craziness in my life? Who knows, I could have gotten a speeding ticket, OR I could have gotten in an accident … or caused somebody else to have one. I, or somebody else, could have died at worse … or at least had our lives altered in some most likely negative way.
Today, when I had time, I spent an hour or so meditating, grounding, connecting with my Creator, clearing my space of all the awfulness that was lingering … all the crap that I had been allowing to turn me into a pinball careening around the bouncing jolting world of Re-Action.
It is SO important that I just can’t stress it enough. Take the time to take care of yourself … to meditate and seek Guidance. God LOVES you … only good can come from being Loved. 🙂 That’s what meditation IS … allowing yourself to be Loved … and to give Love in return. It could very well save your life … and it most CERTAINLY will change it … for the better!
Peace and Love.
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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
Getting to the root – Forgiveness
You really don’t know how powerful forgiveness is. Well … if you do … then you have successfully forgiven everyone in your past, and continue to do so every day in your present … congratulations then on being the most fabulous person alive! 🙂
All kidding aside. We go through our lives and without even knowing … we allow things from the past to pile up. It could be as trivial as the way your boss treated you yesterday, all the way to a sibling who offended you and thus you refuse to speak to. These things hold you back … they don’t hold them back at all. They are free to go live their lives, and be happy. While you? You are left to be angry, bitter, resentful, judgmental. That is not who you are … you are better than that! You are a beautiful person.
The miraculous thing about forgiveness is really how it can transform your entire life. You think it is just about that one issue … but then, when you actually forgive and see how many areas of your life it affected? WOW! It’s like getting to know yourself all over again … like rediscovering the beautiful child you loved being … but got chased away from.
Do yourself a favor … every time you judge someone else, stop and think about how that ties into how YOU have been judged. I’d be willing to bet a lot of money that those past judgments about you, and your resentments of them, are playing a STRONG role in your outlook on life.
Forgive … whoever it is who is at the root of that tension in your chest … forgive them! When you do … well … life will begin to unfold in a completely new way … and you will be happy.
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– painting by Cedar Lee
~~~~~~~
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 