February 9 – Intentions

Friend, let intention be the main focus of our consciousness. It is by intention we create outcome. Our intentions help others, lead us away from delusions of individuality, and lead us to enlightened awareness. Conscious intentions moves everything.

We are now, through intention, aware.

As I sit next to the beautiful creek, sun shining, birds singing, the trees in their majestic glory, I wander about in the past, the future. All the while, I sit next to the beautiful creek, sun shining, birds singing, the trees in their majestic glory.  Ah, I let go of the past and future. I am present. All is well. I am at peace.

February 8 – Copyrights and Patents

2010
Friend, what’s your thoughts about Copyrights and Patents? Good, Bad, Ugly?

I just wonder, let’s say you were dying from disease X and a person had a patented pill X that would save your life, however it cost more than you could afford? Well, fact is, today, you would just die. Tuff! patent terrorism.

2009
I was in a wee-bit of a discussion last night about the subject and thought this would be a good time to share my thoughts and feelings.

Friend, ultimately, Copyrights and Patents are about getting paid. OK, for sure, but hey, there really is so much more to consider.

Copyrights and Patents are part of the capitalist ideal. Who benefits mostly by Copyrights and Patents? The business man, and of course, those who can afford to pay. Not you, creative one, and certainly not all of mankind (at least not for many generations).

You say, I should be paid for my work, or perhaps in vain glory, I want to be famous. Well then use your energy on focusing on getting paid and vain glory. All of this is rather meaningless to our lives in the end.

Should a business discover a way to make money from your creation, I say, let them do it, but resist allowing the businessman to restrict mankind from your creation in your money quest.

Does it really give you joy to control the distribution of your creations to mankind? Well, then use your god given energy to be a businessman or lawyer, but remember, this activity displaces other activity, like being creative.

So, do we create for mankind, or the business man, and/or to simply get paid? Well, probably all of these apply, however, all said, we are likely to be creative for the joy it brings us. Benefiting mankind, getting paid, are natural by-products of being creative, if it was meant to be – we do not control outcomes.

Should others copy or use your material or inventions without your permission. I say sure. Enjoy the fact you are influencing the world. Be free of desire, of control. You are fine. Mankind does not need our permission to use that which god has given us.

I say, the person who creates will benefit from there creations regardless of the business man, or perhaps I should say, in spite of the business man. God controls outcomes.

I have found people are willing to pay for creations when they experience the benefits of the creation.

How can it be justified if someone invented a cure to a morbid illness to which you had, you could not have access to it because the businessman/creator choose to restrict access and/or you could not afford to pay? Business justifies this action, as too the creator in many cases. So it shall be. Whatever the case, we do not control outcomes.

How can it be justified if someone wrote words which in effect provided insight as to how you can live in joy, however, you could not have access to it because it was restricted and/or you could not afford to pay? Again, so it shall be. Whatever the case, we do not control outcomes.

The Internet provides an opportunity to share knowledge, thoughts, and feelings with all of man-kind as never before. I think it is greatly important humanity has the opportunity to read the words, here the music, see the art, use our creations. To me, what is important is the sharing, giving, and serving with humility.

When I find something on the Internet to share with others, either from myself, or from others, I will share.

The Internet provides a great way to share and give your creativeness with the world. Do it!

In the course of our life, we certainly benefit from being paid for our work. This fact is important, but there are many ways in which we benefit.

I say do our work, share the god within, be creative. We are always rewarded.

Who benefits from your creations outside the capitalist paradigm? Potentially, all of mankind.

Ultimately, sharing creations with humanity is my reward.

February 7 – Reflect

Friend, the important thing is to reflect. Reflect on yourself, on your life. How are you living your life now? Is it terribly complicated? Are you always prone to looking for more, or to creating problems about the way you happen to be living? Really be honest and look, and ask yourself these questions. Use the practice of meditation to help you with your reflection.

2010

For Stewardship of Creation
O merciful Creator, thy hand is open wide to satisfy the needs of every living creature: Make us, we beseech thee, ever thankful for thy loving providence; and grant we, remembering the account we must one day give, may be  faithful stewards of thy good gifts; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who with thee and the Holy Spirit liveth and reigneth, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.

Centered in God
Dear God, I center myself in Your serene presence. I feel the weight of stress lifting from my shoulders, for in You I release any issues troubling me. I breathe easily now, feeling Your strength, Your love and Your peace, confident only good is unfolding. Each breath renews my mind and body. Each breath draws me deeper into this prayerful experience as I feel my oneness with You expand. You are the very foundation of my life, and I build my dreams upon the rock of Your love. Success and fulfillment await me. Thank You, God, for Your ever-present help.

The peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.–Philippians 4:7

February 6 – Karma

Friend, use god’s gift of choice to choose actions whi ch lead to joy. To choose otherwise is to be in error, and to choose sorrow.

2010
Enjoy Change!
Loosen Your Grip – Do not grasp the uncontrollable. Surrender to gods will. Enjoy! You can control your actions leading to Joy!
Separate Your Feelings - Separate the transient unstable, angst calling feelings, like those occurring in the midst of radical transformations, and the permanent stable feelings reality – our complete selves, who we are, god, the universe.

2009
Through the law of karma, the effects of all deeds actively create past, present, and future experiences. We are responsible for our own life, and the pain and joy brought to oneself and others.

Karma is not something complicated or philosophical. Karma means being aware of your body, being aware of our words (both in the mind, and what is said to others), and being aware of gods presence in all. Keeping these three aspects of awareness as pure and present as possible is the practice of Karma.

February 5 – Religions

Friend, the greater our awareness regarding the value and effectiveness of religious traditions, then the deeper will be our respect and reverence.

This is the proper way for us to promote genuine compassion and a spirit of harmony among religious people of the world – AWARENESS!

February C.S. Lewis Quotes

The Power That Makes You
When you are arguing against Him, you are arguing against the very power that makes you able to argue at all.

If You Look for Truth
If you look for truth, you may find comfort in the end; if you look for comfort you will not get either comfort or truth…

Fuel for Our Spirits
He Himself is the fuel our spirits were designed to burn, or the food our spirits were designed to feed on. There is no other.

To Forgive the Inexcusable
To be a Christian means to forgive the inexcusable, because God has forgiven the inexcusable in you.

How I Believe
I believe in Christianity as I believe that the Sun has risen: not only because I see it, but because by it I see everything else.

I Must Take Care
I must take care, on the one hand, never to despise, or be unthankful for, these earthly blessings, and on the other, never to mistake them for the something else of which they are only a kind of copy, or echo, or mirage.

If Christianity is Untrue
If Christianity is untrue, then no honest man will want to believe it, however helpful it might be: if it is true, every honest man will want to believe it, even if it gives him no help at all.

They Shall See God
It is safe to tell the pure in heart that they shall see God, for only the pure in heart want to

The Only Way Out
Laying down your arms, surrendering, saying you are sorry, realizing that you have been on the wrong track and getting ready to start life over again from the ground floor – that is the only way out of a hole.

Surrendering to God
The full acting out of the self’s surrender to God therefore demands pain: this action, to be perfect, must be done from the pure will to obey, in the absence, or in the teeth, of inclination.

As a Child of God
The greatest thing is to be found at one’s post as a child of God, living each day as though it were our last, but planning as though our world might last a hundred years.

Repentance
[The] process of surrender–this movement full speed astern–is repentance.

February 4 – Limitations

Friend, let us now practice to once again become unlimited and perfect.

Mind is consciousness which has put on limitations. You are originally unlimited and perfect. Later you take on limitations and become the mind.

2010
Here in San Diego, setting in the Motor Home. Looking over Mission Bay. Beautiful. Miriam ran away last night for 6 hours. See was found at Mcdonalds on Ming in Bakersfield. Was a big scare for awhile, however, was a blessing to discover how fmaily and friends, the police and media all worked together with love. Real Love! wow! there are no limitations with LOVE!

2009
Dwelling in kindness, awakened, we attain the good state, the peaceful state. Still. At ease. Unbound.

Resolve to do what you ought, do what you ought without fail.

We will change.

The Wheel of Life.

February – Greatest Commandments

Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.

Love your neighbor as yourself.

Be obedient to these commandments and you will be aware of God’s love, will live in Joy, and will have forever chained sorrow to the wheel of your past life.

Matthew 27:37-38

February 3 – Afflictions

Friends, let us now surrender any afflictions we may have.

There are five afflictions. Like clever sorcerers, they can knock you off balance or sidetrack you in your quest for spiritual evolution.

1. The inability to see things for what they are; this causes you to mistake transient, ego-related matters for permanent, soul-related ones.

2. The tendency to over identify with your ego; this keeps you from connecting with your soul.

3. The flame of desire causing addiction to pleasure; this discourages you from leaving your comfort zone for more evolved territory.

4. The aversion to pain; this creates a quicksand like cycle of misery and self-hatred that sucks you under and suffocates your will to evolve.

5. The fear of death or a clinging to life; this dilutes your focus and interferes with your ability to experience the spiritual freedom.

2010 – Values
Who you are, what your values are, what you stand for…they are your anchor, your north star. You won’t find them in a book. You’ll find them in your soul.

O God,
whose love restores the afflicated, the brokenhearted of this world:
pour out your love, we beseech you, upon those who feel lonely, abandoned, or unloved. Strengthen their hope to meet the days ahead; give them the courage to form life-giving friendships;
and bless them with the joy of your eternal peace.
Amen.

2009 – The time is now to be relieved of afflications

Friends, the challenge is to take a good look at the way we’ve been living and to resolve to eliminate afflictions, habits, and beliefs that no longer serve you: an abusive or lifeless relationship, an addiction, a history of powerlessness, overwork, or the glare of self-hatred. As you do this, you’re left to face the great canyon of emptiness that lies underneath. While it can be frightening, facing this inner void clears the slate, making way for change and regeneration

Quite the Mind, then simply focus on the inflow and outflow of your breath. Imagine a thread of awareness connecting your outer mind with your deepest inner Self; with each exhalation, descend further down the thread of awareness into the center of your being. This growing connection to your deepest Self will help during the most difficult parts of your awakening.

Meditation teaches patience. You can sit with whatever is present and act in the context of mindfulness. It helps you tune in to the voice of the soul and lets your inner voice guide you. You are awakening the natural alignment between body, mind, and spirit that already exists within you.

February 2 – Mercy

Friend, let us be merciful.

Mercy is Love and Compassion shown by one person to another.

Love and Compassion is that which makes the heart of the good move at the pain of others and the self. It crushes and destroys the pain of the other, and in-deed, the self!

LOVE and COMPASSION! Give give give, and you will receive, receive, receive!

Is it true that the cultivation of loving kindness and compassion is a part of our practice? No. It would not be true to say the cultivation of loving kindness and compassion is part of our practice. It would be true to say the cultivation of loving kindness and compassion is all of our practice.

2010

I practive mindfullness each moment of my life being loving and compassionate.

You owe it to yourself to think only of unlimited prosperity, because abundance IS reality. There is no lack, no shortage. There are no limits except for those we impose on ourselves. Prosperity doesn’t start with someone or something outside of you.

Get the picture yet? Your success or failure begins and ends with you.

2009

Mercy

The quality of mercy is not strain’d,
It droppeth as the gentle rain from heaven
Upon the place beneath: it is twice blest;
It blesseth him that gives and him that takes:
‘Tis mightiest in the mightiest: it becomes
The throned monarch better than his crown;
His sceptre shows the force of temporal power,
The attribute to awe and majesty,
Wherein doth sit the dread and fear of kings;
But mercy is above this sceptred sway;
It is enthroned in the hearts of kings,
It is an attribute to God himself;
And earthly power doth then show likest God’s
When mercy seasons justice.

William Shakespeare

February – Maxwells Song of Myself

Song of Myself

by Maxwell Princeton Beal, Feb 2009

The earth whispers to those who will listen
I hear its call every morning
I hear it rise with the sun, with the same resplendent arrival.
Unlike the sun, it does not set, it will not falter.

When the night shines forth it stands like the moon among the stars,
calling out to anyone who will listen.

I live my life by my interpretation, to which the message is open.
As if God is speaking through the frivolity of nature
As if we are to be as the free spirits therin contained.
This is how I live, as free as the trees, the waters of the river:
powerful, flowing, carefree, peaceful.

We humans feel as nature cannot, we choose our emotions
We become buckled down by anger and sadness
Our lives, time wasted on feelings of rage and depression,
fitting the puzzle set forth by the mass.

Yet the earth still hums to the zombified,
Yet they shuffle on, listening not to their souls, but to the material
The tangible, their prison; their feelings, the nail in the coffin
the coffin made for the death of the individual.

My life is not one of the herd.
My life is one of the pack, to which I hope to be an example
A beacon of one who has listened to the buzz of the earth,
The cry of my heart to suffer not the life of the lamb
But to become the alpha in the life of the wolf.

My mind is made up, I hold steadfast in my convictions
No man can change me
I am not a shell, nor a piece of clay
My soul is free and filled with the happiness of self satisfaction.

I will not be molded into the sculpture,
My goal is happiness and joy, constantly.
for the life of sadness is the life of waste.

I step back and peruse the great earth
I see its trees, its mountains,
I hear its call, I hear my soul sing it every day.

No man can change it, it is my own, I rule over it.
The song stands as a lighthouse
It guides me from the danger and dispenses me
into the vast sea of my soul
upon which I shall sail forever.

February 1 – Your Island

Consider being an island to yourself, a refuge to yourself, not dependent on any other but taking refuge in the truth and none other than the truth. You will find your island, your refuge, your truth, to be the permance of God.

And how do you become an island and a refuge to yourself?

In this way. You see and contemplate your body as composed of all the forces of the universe. Ardently and mindfully you steer your body-self by restraining your discontent with the world about you. In the same way, observe and contemplate your feelings and use that same ardent restraint and self-possession against enslavement by greed or desire. By seeing attachment to your body and feelings as blocking the truth, you dwell in self-possession and ardent liberation from those ties.

Whoever dwells in this contemplation, islanded by the truth and taking refuge in the truth–that one will come out of the darkness and into the light.

2010 – San Diego

Here in San Diego, Mission Bay RV Park, space 188. I’ m spending the next several days resting. I’m here on my own.

I will consciously increase my awareness of God this week.

Maxwell went to his Formal at Highland on Saturday with Breanna Pascale – they had a wonderful time. I love supporting him anyway I can. Max is going on an interview for a scholarship today. God, please allow his experience to be joyful and I pray you are there with him and your will be done. PLease grant him the Scholarship should it be your will.

Well, I off for a bike ride. See what I can. The clear air and ocean beckons.

I’ve accepted a Job with Chevron today via email. Next is to see if my Health exam and Background test mee chevron’s criteria. I feel very positive. It is gods will for me to pursue this job.  Thank you god. I received a call from Gary Gaeta at chevron congradulating me for accepting. That was very pleasant.

January – So-Hum Meditation

So-Hum Meditation

So (Inhale), Hum (exhale) – So – “I am”, Hum – “all that is”.

This contemplation meditation is an opportunity to focus “thinking mind” on the mystery of being and to reflect upon the interdependent nature of all phenomenon revealed by the sages and confirmed by contemporary physics.

Find a comfortable posture for meditation (seated on a cushion or blanket, in a chair or against a wall). Place your palms facing up in jnana mudra (forefinger and thumb touching) with your palms facing up to open your awareness or facing down to calm the mind. Scan your body and relax any tension. Let your spine rise from the ground of the pelvis. Draw your chin slightly down and let the back of your neck lengthen.

As you exhale with “hum,” inwardly say “that” or “all that is.” Feel how your exhalation releases you into the expanse around you. Visualize your exhalation leaving your body through your nostrils and then merging back into the atmosphere, back into infinity, back into “all that is.” Stay with this contemplation until you naturally begin to settle into a state of unified consciousness (which may only be for a few brief, refreshing moments at a time). If a thought (vritti) arises, come back to the simple mantra, “so hum.”

In the beginning, it may be helpful to set an external timer for 10, 20, or 30 minutes so you are not distracted. When you are finished, bring your hands together in anjali mudra (prayer position) and close with a moment of gratitude, reflection, or prayer to soak up the energy of your meditation into your being and life.

January 31 – Mantras, Thou are with Us

2010
Thou are with Us
Gracious God, send us anywhere in this world you would have us go
only go thou with us. Place upons us any burden you desire
only stand by us to sustain us. Break any tie binding us
except the tie binding us to thee. Amen.

Having Mantras can help us bring positive change in life by connecting our thoughts with God.

Mantras can help us take control and accept responsibility for our lifes, and it is through this acceptance change takes place.

A little background.
A mantra comprises spiritual energies taking form in words. A mantra helps to establish a very deep and harmonious connection between soul, nature, and god. This connection enables delving into divine energies thereby increasing the power of soul connectedness to god and joy.

A mantra is a phrase or word repeated to generate a feeling or state of awareness of a goal. A mantra is a gentle reminder to the brain there is purpose to my action. A Mantra is chanted silently or spoken softly.

Chanting mantras develops confidence in living each day and helping reach goals.

Repeat your mantras several times during the day.

Live life as if your mantra is so and it will be. Know you already have all you need.

What you focus your energy on is what comes into your life.

Friend, let us create our own Mantras.

First, create a phrase or words about what is universally true in all biengs. Here are a few examples: “Love flows abundantly into my life” or “I am aware of my breathing” or “Food nourishes my soul” or “I am living in brilliant joy” “Quieting my Mind brings awareness of god” or “OM” .

Second, create a mantra to generate energy of what you want to achieve as if it already has happened. Instead of saying, “I want to be aware of god,” simply state, “My mind is still and I am aware of god”, or instead of “I want to be loving to all”, say “I am loving to all” or instead of “I can exercise” say “Exercise energizes my body and soul”.

Third, your mantra needs to be positive. Focus your mantra on what you want, not what you don’t want. Instead of say “End the battle in my soul” say “I am aware of god each moment of my life”.

Repeating the word “om” is a great way to slow down the breathing, calms the nerves and gives the body a vibrational massage. “OM” is thought to be the holiest human sound in the universe and an enabler to god awareness.

AAaauuuuummmmm….

Below, is the sanskrit symbol for “OM”

Om

‘May all the beings in all the worlds be happy. Om Peace, Peace, Peace.’

So-Hum Mantra and Meditation

So (Inhale), Hum (exhale) – So – “I am”, Hum – “all that is”.

The So-Hum Mantra used as part of a contemplation meditation is an opportunity to focus “thinking mind” on the mystery of being and to reflect upon the interdependent nature of all phenomenon revealed by the sages and confirmed by contemporary physics.

Find a comfortable posture for meditation (seated on a cushion or blanket, in a chair or against a wall). Place your palms facing up in jnana mudra (forefinger and thumb touching) with your palms facing up to open your awareness or facing down to calm the mind. Scan your body and relax any tension. Let your spine rise from the ground of the pelvis. Draw your chin slightly down and let the back of your neck lengthen.

As you exhale with “hum,” inwardly say “that” or “all that is.” Feel how your exhalation releases you into the expanse around you. Visualize your exhalation leaving your body through your nostrils and then merging back into the atmosphere, back into infinity, back into “all that is.” Stay with this contemplation until you naturally begin to settle into a state of unified consciousness (which may only be for a few brief, refreshing moments at a time). If a thought (vritti) arises, come back to the simple mantra, “so hum.”

In the beginning, it may be helpful to set an external timer for 10, 20, or 30 minutes so you are not distracted. When you are finished, bring your hands together in anjali mudra (prayer position) and close with a moment of gratitude, reflection, or prayer to soak up the energy of your meditation into your being and life.

January 30 – Responsible, Happy New Year of The Trees

I have some responsibility for conversation outcomes. People love to be part of a conversation. Asking questions is the best way to have others participate. I never want to make a statement to others if I can phrase it in the form of a question.  I will think about ways to asks questions first, looking for answers from others, then, perhaps, provide my answer to the question (provided others have not already answered the question the way I would have!). To me, this technique is all about showing respect.

I am responsible for my own suffering, as I am solely responsible for my own joy. It is a choice. I have created the situation in which I find myself, and it is up to me to create the circumstances where I experience joy and release from suffering. The remedy for eliminating all suffering and experiencing joy is to understand who I actually am by quieting the Mind and being present. Then, understanding God will in all. This is the heart of spiritual practice.

2010 Happy New Year of the Trees!

This holiday is celebrated on Jan 30 (Today) this year. The actual day varies. This is a great day to appreciate our great trees and an especially a great time to plant trees. Eat some of your favorite fruits and nuts as you give thanks for our planets trees. Without them, we would not be able to live. I think ever generation should increase the number of trees on our planet. I wonder what is the optimum number of trees we should have on our planet?

Our great jewish friends, the originators of the holiday, call this day “Tu Bishvat”. Here is a wonderful prayer.

A Tu B’Shvat Prayer for Creation
Source of Creation and Life of the Universe, we gather together on Tu B’Shvat, as Jews of conscience, with a deep spiritual bond to your natural wonders, to affirm and preserve creation.

We are grateful for creation in all its majesty: the ever-flowing waters, the azure blue skies, the complex life of Earth’s forests, the myriad of life forms–amoebae and falcon, black footed ferret and wild turkey, human being and soaring eagle.

The life of all creatures and our own lives are One, profoundly dependent upon each other.

We call our ancient scroll of wisdom, the Torah, an “eytz chaim,” a tree of life, for it, like the Earth’s great forests, sustains us. Torah teaches us that creation, in its great diversity, is harmoniously interconnected. Like the trees, we too need strong and deep roots for nourishment. The uplifted branches of trees point to our future. God let us be strong, as strong as ancient trees. The Psalmist was right when he said, “like a tree planted by the waters, we shall not be moved.”

We are grateful for the life we are lent. We pledge to lift up our voices both in praise of You and in defense of Your Creation.

January 29 – Observe

I observe my actions and attitudes to overcome the illusions of separation and suffering.

Friend, let us consider Purity, Contentment, Discipline, Self-Study, and Devotion to the Lord.

Purity
The intentions in my heart matter. When I embrace impurity in thought, word, or deed, I suffer. I examine the intention behind my actions. I am compassionate.

Contentment
Peace of mind does not finally rely on external circumstances, which are always changing in ways beyond my control. I enjoy exactly what each day brings, to be happy with whatever I have, a lot, or a little. Achievement and acquisition are hollow – material wealth and success aren’t evil, however they themselves do not provide contentment.

We can easily practice contentment in the beautiful moments and joyous experiences of our lives, but I practice to be equally willing to embrace the difficult moments. When I am content in the midst of difficulty, I am free. When I remain open in the midst of pain I understand true openness. When I accept those around me as they truly are, not as I want them to be, I am practicing contentment.

Discipline
I am focused, constant, and committed to eliminating impediments keeping me from being uniting with the universe. I am concerned with improving the quality of life and relationships.

Irrigators guide the water. Fletchers shape the arrow shaft.
Carpenters shape the wood. The wise control themselves.

Like a fine stallion struck with a whip, I am ardent, chastened
through conviction, virtue, persistence, concentration, and judgment.
Consummate in knowledge is my conduct. I am mindful and abandon insignificant pain.

Study of the Self
I actively meditate and study the nature of the Self. I work on remembering to be aware of the true nature of the Self. I acknowledge the oneness of the Self with all that is.

I am dissolving the illusory separation from my deeper self, from those around me, and from the universe.

I sing from my heart.

Surrendering to God
I surrender my actions to God. Devotion to the Lord helps lead me to enlightenment.

I relinquish all attachment to the outcome of my actions. I release my fears and hopes for the future. I am in union with the present moment.

Surrendering my actions to God requires I give up my egotistical illusions, and accept the way life unfolds without needing to understand.

What I think and feel to be god can not be described in words, and as such, is only fully experienced when I am deeply connected to my soul.

God is not detachment nor salvation, nor anything reached by the senses. God is beyond all thought and form. God is everywhere, and nowhere. God is consciousness and bliss.

I go forward into the unknown, where pure joy exist, knowing god is there. Gods destiny realized.

January 28 – In Touch

As a creation of God, I am present each day and aware of the love of God and divinity of the universe.

Upon self-reflection, I am aware my actions may, at times, be out of touch with what I know is the truth about me. The truth is God as my source of abundant good, there is nothing to fear. Because I’ve experienced the peace of forgiveness, how could I ever hold a grudge against a loved one? I know God, my Creator, loves me unconditionally, so how could I ever feel unworthy?

To live in agreement with the truth, I keep in touch with God in mind and heart. By living consciously and faithfully and by seeking to expand my understanding of who I am and why I am here, I gain a new sense of reality and purpose. Rediscovering my true self, I live in congruence with my beliefs and in touch with the presence of God within me.

January 27 Illuminous

Let us be illuminated as we observe and contemplate reality, wholeness.

May the light of wisdom illumine us.
May we become united with the Lord, God, and the Universe.

January 26 – Intend and Act, Conflict Resolution

I must admit the fact there are things wrong with me – defilement’s, imperfections, hindrances no amount of rationalization or self-affirmation will cure, and left in place, will continue to pain me and deprive me of peace. I need more than religion for relief from hurt, fear, and confusion. I need more than hope for betterment.

What I need is a calm, unbiased vision of what is actually happening when I intend and act.

Silence the mind. Be present. Be aware. God is here – now.

2010
Resolving Conflict

Don’t be afraid of conflict.
Too many of us become agitated when we encounter conflict or disagreement out of concern and fear. It’s odd when you think about it, because conflict is a part of nature, a part of life. Unless you are a hermit, odds are conflict is inescapable. And so, you need to approach conflict calmly, as an expected part of dealing with others.

Consider conflict a way of learning to see things more clearly.

Abandon the concept of winning and losing when faced with conflict.
Instead, adopt a strategy of resolution. Unless you are on a battlefield, chances are the person you come into conflict with is not The Enemy, but instead is probably someone whose goals are generally the same as yours, or at least interrelated with yours.

Be flexible.
When the other side senses that you are interested in finding a solution, you likely will have created an ally where a potential adversary once stood. Rather than confrontation and conflict, you can work together in cooperation to find a solution that suits both sides.

Avoid negative or confrontational language.
Rather than “buts” and “you’re wrongs,” try using positive language to disarm rather than confront, such as: “I understand your position and…” or “I can see your point and here is where I’m coming from…”

Talk through the situation with a neutral party to gain perspective and clarity from that person, and also to better understand the conflict through talking it out. It is always helpful to get a problem out in the open and to get input from people you trust and people who understand your frame of reference so that they can help you better understand what you are going through and tell you, for better or worse, whether they think you have properly judged or handled the situation.

Rather than approaching the conflict with the attitude of stopping it or overcoming it, think of redirecting the energy toward a common target. Look for similarities in your positions rather than focusing on your differences.

Although war is part of our nature, most successful societies have been built on cooperation. Common goals are great unifiers. How many stories have you heard of strangers acting together in times of emergency? When a common goal is made obvious, the natural reaction is to put differences aside.

Make a mutual commitment to the greater good.
Whether it’s a successful television show employing both sides, or the manufacture of a product, or the offering of a service of mutual wealth, there is undoubtedly a common focus in your lives to center your attentions.

Find something to distract you from the conflict.
Take off on a vacation or weekend getaway, a new project, or a family outing so you can clear your mind, reevaluate your position, and perhaps come back to it with a fresh vision of what needs to be done to resolve the matter.

January 25 – Religion

Let religious focus not be to construct big temples on the outside, but to create temples of goodness and compassion inside, in our hearts.

Friend, let us become aware of our sensations and experiences as they are, without the distorting coloration of socially conditioned responses or habitual reactions.

January – The Lord’s Prayer

Our Father who is in heaven, Hallowed be Your name.
Your kingdom come Your will be done, On earth as it is in heaven.
Give us this day our daily bread.
Forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors.
Do not lead us into temptation, but deliver us from evil.
For Yours is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen.

Matthew 6:9-13

The LORD is my shepherd, I shall not be in want.

He makes me lie down in green pastures, he leads me beside quiet waters.

He restores my soul. He guides me in paths of righteousness for his name’s sake.

Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me.

You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies.
You anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows.

Surely goodness and love will follow me all the days of my life, and I will dwell in the house of the LORD forever.

Psalms 23

January 24 – Zen Meditation

Practising Zen Meditation can help us better understand our soul, realize wisdom and god’s existence.

I will be with you; I will never leave you nor forsake you – God

2010

In meditation, focusing on deep breathing calms and focuses my thoughts and feelings. I have been meditating regularly each morning as I awake over the last two months. I find the longer I meditate, the more I become aware of god. Very profound.

2009

Wisdom does not mean knowledge but experiential understanding. Wisdom helps me to change radically habits and perceptions, as I discover the constantly changing, interconnected nature of the whole of existence.

What is Zen Meditation?
There is nothing special or different about Zen meditation. It is not something weird or esoteric. It simply involves being still within, and allowing one’s real self to emerge from beneath the jumble of thoughts and emotions that usually fill an individual’s mind.

How Can One Practise it?
How can someone be still in this way? There are various techniques, but in  Zen Meditation the practitioner simply sits. The physical sitting position doesn’t really matter very much. Sitting on cushion using one of the lotus positions is traditional if the person is comfortable that way. But sitting on a chair or stool is fine, and often more suitable for western meditation practitioners who are not used to sitting in crosslegged positions for long periods. The eyes are kept open, and meditators usually face the wall. The technique is not to concentrate on anything, but instead to simply observe one’s thoughts or emotions, and come back to sitting still.

What about the Mind?

What about thoughts? When they arise, the practitioner tries to simply let them be. He or she doesn’t try to push them away, but does not try to hang on to them or actively ‘think’ either. It’s a little bit like sitting on a bridge watching the traffic going by. It is not necessary to try to stop the traffic, but one doesn’t have to get in there and try to speed it up or change it either. Thought is a natural process, and the meditator is not trying to do anything unnatural. Instead, the person is simply trying to be themselves as they truly are.

So What Comes Next?
In the beginning, meditation can seem very difficult. The practitioner may feel as though he or she has more thoughts and emotions than ever before. Time may appear to pass exceedingly slowly, and he may feel uncomfortable or downright miserable – worse than before he started! But all these feelings should be treated in the same way as thoughts, by not being held on to or pushed away, but simply accepted for what they are. When the meditator finds that he has started following his thoughts, ie thinking, it is best not to worry about it. Just by noticing what is going on, one has already begun meditating again. So the person shouldn’t get upset about it, but just come back to sitting still.

And What Can it Lead to?
This may all sound boring or pointless. But out of this simple practice, many things in one’s life can change. The details vary for different people, but simply keeping up a regular practice means that in time life becomes more peaceful, fulfilling, and natural. One feels calmer, more content, and less inclined to violent emotional swings for no good reason. In fact, it’s amazing what a few minutes of looking at a wall every day can do for one’s peace of mind!

Try practicing using different sitting positions. As we sit in different positions, the mind disposition will be changed. Some create focus, others broad mindedness. Some sitting positions require practice to maintain comfort, therefore, practicing a challenging sitting position separate from meditation until you are comfortable sitting that way will be needed.

All said, we need to be physically comfortable during our meditation.

Link to Sitting Positions

January 23 – Culture

I have been among the cultured, followers of the collective, and they have taught me the foundation of their doctrines. But the more thoroughly I examined their course, their thoughts, their feelings, their mysteries, the less clearly I saw the light. They are tales invented attempting to inspire me with perceived truths of an imaginary freedom under the false hope of good which never comes, and engages me in inevitable unhappiness. The cultured collective is dark and fraught with storms.

I do not follow the cultured collective. Mankind is too young for me to any longer consider such a course as the right way.  I follow God, the light within. I am free. I love. I am calm. My life course is clear. I live in joy.

2010

Create in me a pure heart

Create in me a pure heart, O my God,
And renew a tranquil conscience within me, O my Hope!
Through the spirit of power confirm Thou me in Thy Cause,
O my Best-Beloved,
And by the light of Thy glory reveal unto me Thy path,
O Thou the Goal of my desire!
Through the power of Thy transcendent might
Lift me up unto the heaven of Thy holiness,
O Source of my being,
And by the breezes of Thine eternity gladden me,
O Thou Who art my God!
Let Thine everlasting melodies breathe tranquillity on me,
O my Companion,
And let the riches of Thine ancient countenance
Deliver me from all except Thee,
O my Master,
And let the tidings of the revelation of Thine
Incorruptible Essence bring me joy,
O Thou Who art the most manifest of the manifest
And the most hidden of the hidden!

- Bahá’u'lláh

January 22 – Wilder Course

I do not live my life simply meandering smoothly through green valleys of flowers shaded by pleasant trees, or observing the calm sea, so silent, so indifferent – troubled by vague uneasiness. I do not share in the great majority. I recognise the social value, I see the social order. There is something alarming to me in these delights.

A fever exist in my soul, in my blood, asking for a wilder course. In my heart I live more dangerously. I was prepared at birth for the jagged rocks and treacherous shoals of change and the excitement of the unknown, forever in the light, the light of God. I follow the way shower, the son of God – Jesus.

January 21 – Victory

If many should conquer in battle a thousand and a thousand more, and I should conquer myself, I will be the greater victory.

The greatest of victories is the victory over oneself. No person, group, nation, or any other can turn into defeat the victory over oneself.

I will focus my energy and soul to learn, understand, and experience the joy of victory over myself. Victory over myself occurs in only one way – surrender to God!

January 20 – Nobility

We ALL have inherited from God our nobility. All persons are distinguished by high birth as we are ALL children of God. This is reality. Any lesser thought is an illusion.

There is only one way in the world to be aware of your nobility, to be distinguished. Follow God. Your instinct! Be what god intended, yourself, and you’ll be somebody and live in joy, in bliss, as god intended. Be one more blind follower of those who have no connection with god, and you will have the oblivion, the anxiety, the sorrow you desire.

It is of paramount importance to find people who can teach you how to become aware of god. You can tell who they are as they themselves are extremely connected to god and live in joy.

2010

What’s up?
A blustery day Bakersfield. The wind blowing the trees, bush, and grass around. ~50f, Rain in the air. I’m in the Bakersfield house. Setting here, thinking about how blessed I am. Fact is, I live in paradise. I mean relatively to the rest of the world, Wow! California, central valley, awesome!.

I’m thinking about all the the love I have for my family and friends, and the love they have for me. My Children, Maxwell, Alicia, Miriam; The lovely women, Melissa, Angeline, Susan, Donna, Irma, June, Jackie, Valerie; The great men, John, Mark, Lance.

Random Thoughts
I feel god in my life more than ever. I feel peace and love. I think about what will happen next and miss whats happening now. I will make plans for now and do. It is in the doing there is peace. It is the thinking about the past or the future there is angst.

When I feel I am about to die, I will spend all my energy in connecting completely in the consciousness of god.

Went to three-rivers with Melissa on Jan 18, Monday. What a beautiful place – river, oaks, sycamores, berry bushes, green grass, sierra mountains. Here is a gateway town to sequoia national park. Enjoyed the day with her greatly. Peaceful, loving.

2009

True worth is in being, not seeming,
In doing, each day that goes by,
Some little good -not in dreaming
Of great things to do by and by.
For whatever men say in their blindness,
And spite of the fancies of youth,
There’s nothing so kingly as kindness,
And nothing so royal as truth.

We get back our boundaries as we measure.
We cannot do wrong and feel right,
Nor can we give pain and gain pleasure,
For justice avenges each slight.
The air for the wing of the sparrow,
The bush for the robin and wren,
But always the path is narrow
and straight, for the children of men.

‘Tis not in the pages of story
The heart of its ills to beguile,
Though he who makes courtship to glory
Gives all he has for her smile.
For when from her heights he has won her,
Alas! it is only to prove
Nothing’s so sacred as honor,
And nothing so loyal as love!

We cannot make bargains for blisses,
Nor catch them like fishes in nets,
And sometimes the thing our life misses
Helps more than the thing which it gets.
For good is not in pursuing,
Nor gaining of great nor of small,
But just in the doing, and doing
As we would be done by, is all.

Through envy, through malice, through hating,
Against the world, early and late,
No jot or our courage abating.
Our part is to work and to wait.
And slight is the sting of his trouble
Whose winnings are less than his worth;
For he who is honest is noble,
Whatever his fortunes or birth.

January 19 – Dislike

When we observe people, we are seeing a part of god. When we observe their behaviors, do we see god? Liking or disliking their actions, do we see their godliness? When I see their godliness, I am acknowleding they too are part of god. I unconditionally love the god within each person which is seperate from their actions. When I forget this, I am disconnected from god.

The challenge is to see god in everything, everywhere, at all times, to love every person, even when my ego tendency is not love them because I dislike the actions I observe.

January 18 – Presence

Humility is the strength of the strong and the weapon
with which the wise conquer their foes.

Presence
SERENE, I fold my hands and am present,
Nor care for wind, nor tide, nor sea;
I rave no more ‘gainst time or fate,
For, lo! my own shall come to me.

I stay my haste, I make delays,
For what avails this eager pace?
I stand amid the eternal ways,
And what is mine shall know my face.

Asleep, awake, by night or day,
The friends I seek are seeking me;
No wind can drive my bark astray,
Nor change the tide of destiny.

What matter if I stand alone?
I am present with joy;
My heart shall reap where it hath sown,
And garner up its fruit of tears.

The waters know their own and draw
The brook springs in yonder height;
So flows the good with equal law
Unto the soul of pure delight.

The stars come nightly to the sky;
The tidal wave unto the sea;
Nor time, nor space, nor deep, nor high,
Can keep my present away from me.

Jupiter – King of the Gods

January 17 – Meditation

Meditation will help us to awaken, and help create a day of mindfulness.

Meditate to awaken the spirit. It is not enough to just sit down, and then with mundane motivation, proceed into meditation. Rather, friend, let us bring forth a virtuous motivation, specifically the spirit of awakening.

Tread the path of perfect giving, of patience, energy, meditation, and wisdom. What you are doing is essential.

A Few Motivation Possibilities of a Virtuous Meditation
Breathing
Clarity of Mind
Continuity of Mind
Emptiness
Human Life
Death
Impermanence
Suffering
Equilibrium
Love
Negative Energy
The Body as Light
Purification
Liberation
Compassion
Inner Heat
Charity
Serenity
Joy
Enlightenment
 

 

Tara the Liberator

more info about Tara…

January 16 – Let us awaken!

I am a primary existence. I am a distinct portion of the essence of god and contain a certain part of God in myself.  I am awake!

Are you ignorant to your noble birth? My appeal to you, friend, is do not be a poor wretch, knowing nothing about the god within.

Awaken!

2010

Lead me from death to life,
from falsehood to truth.
Lead me from despair to hope,
from fear to trust.
Lead me from hate to love,
from war to peace.
Let peace fill my heart,
my world, my universe.

2009

Sea Fever
I must go down to the seas again, to the lonely sea and the sky,
And all I ask is a tall ship and a star to steer her by,
And the wheel’s kick and the wind’s song and the white sail’s shaking,
And a grey mist on the sea’s face, and a grey dawn breaking.

I must go down to the seas again, for the call of the running tide
Is a wild call and a clear call not to be denied;
And all I ask is a windy day with the white clouds flying,
And the flung spray and the blown spume, and the sea-gulls crying.

I must go down to the seas again, to the vagrant gypsy life,
To the gull’s way and the whale’s way where the wind’s like a whetted knife; And all I ask is a merry yarn from a laughing fellow-rover And quiet sleep and a sweet dream when the long trick’s over.

January 15 – The Fool

To be loveless, uncaring, and unforgiving is to be a fool. No fool is more foolish than one who eagerly expounds love, care, and forgiveness while failing to love, care, and forgive.

It is not by the onward sweep of truth and right we stay. It is by our follies we hold heaven away.

January 14 – Never Alone

2010
I face nothing alone; God’s presence is always with me. There is no darkness that can withstand the light of God. I am safe. I am comforted.

The Lord is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear?–Psalm 27:1

2009

Hands restrained, feet restrained, speech restrained, supremely restrained. Delighting in what is inward, content, centered, alone:
he’s what they call a monk.

A monk restrained in his speaking, giving counsel unruffled,
declaring the message & meaning. Sweet is his speech.

January – Wild Goose Chase – A Spiritual Adventure

Six cages keeping us from the spiritual adventure God destined us to Live. Excepts from “Wild Goose Chase – by Mark Batterson”

The first cage is the cage of responsibility.
Over the course of our Yawning Angels lifetime, God-ordained passions tend to get buried beneath day-today responsibilities. Less important responsibilities displace more important ones. And our responsibilities become spiritual excuses keeping us from the adventure God has destined for us. Without even knowing it, we begin to practice what I call irresponsible responsibility. The Wild Goose chase begins when we come to terms with our greatest responsibility: pursuing the passions God has put in our heart.

The second cage, the cage of routine, is almost as subtle as the
first.

At some point in our spiritual journey, most of us trade adventure
for routine.There is nothing wrong with a good routine. In fact,
the key to spiritual growth is developing healthy and holy routines
known as spiritual disciplines. But once a routine becomes routine,
we need to disrupt the routine. Otherwise, sacred routines become
empty rituals that keep us caged.

The third cage is the cage of assumptions.

Our assumptions keep many of us from chasing the Wild Goose. I’m too old. I’m too young. I’m underqualified. I’m overqualified. It’s too late. It’s too soon. And the list goes on. As we age, many of us stop believing and start assuming. We stop living out of right-brain imagination and start living out of left-brain memory. And we put eight-foot ceilings on what God can do.

The fourth cage is the cage of guilt.

The Enemy’s tactics haven’t changed since the Garden of Eden. He tries to neutralize us spiritually by getting us to focus on what we’ve done wrong in the past. Satan uses guilt to turn us into reactionaries. Jesus came to recondition our spiritual reflexes with His grace and turn us into revolutionaries for His cause. As long as you are focused on what you’ve done wrong in the past, you won’t have energy left to dream kingdom dreams.

The fifth cage is the cage of failure.

And, ironically, this is where many Wild Goose chases begin.Why? Because sometimes our plans have to fail in order for God’s plans to succeed. Divine detours and divine delays are the ways God gets us where He wants us to go.

And the sixth and final cage is the cage of fear.

We need to quit living as if the purpose of life is to arrive safely at death. Instead, we need to start playing offense with our lives. The world needs more daring people with daring plans. Why not you?

January 13 – Knowledge and Faith

Understanding the meaning of Knowledge and Faith helps provide an understanding of wholeness. Understanding wholeness will help us on our path to enlightenment.

Knowledge and Faith are very complimentary terms.

Knowledge is acquired by all experience and is a justified true belief. The justification comes from my senses, teachers, mindfulness, and all other interactions of my thinking and feelings. Knowledge can be shared with others.

Faith is my belief in the trustworthiness of my experience. The apex of my faith is manifested in meditation when all is still and quite. Faith can only be shared with God.

I experience a trusting belief in a transcendent reality, a Supreme Being, Universal Mind, God, Jesus the Christ. Experiencing wholeness, I am awake, I love.

January 12 – Awaken!

My Friend, Awaken!

To choose to live awakened is to be useful to yourself and the world, and in deed, to live a life of joy. 

I pray you do not choose to live your life asleep or drunk, spending life uselessly, living life in the dark.

January 11 – Unsolved Questions

I ask you to be patient, my friend. Be patient toward all unresolved questions in your heart and learn to love the questions themselves like locked rooms and like books written in a very foreign tongue.

Do not seek the answers which can not be given to you because you would not be able to live them. The point is to live everything. Live the questions now.

Gradually, without noticing it, the answers come.

January 10 – Burdened

2010
Do not worry about everyday life, whether you have enough food and drink, or enough clothes to wear. Isn’t life more than food, and your body more than clothing?

Can all your worries add a single moment to your life?

Why do you have so little faith?

Don’t worry about these things, saying, What will we eat? What will we drink? What will we wear? These things dominate the thoughts of unbelievers, but your heavenly Father already knows all your needs.

Seek the Kingdom of God above all else, and live righteously, and God will give you everything you need.

Don’t worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will bring its own worries. Today’s trouble is enough for today.

The Razors Edge
The road to joy is very narrow, like a razors edge, and the road is difficult. There, at the end of the road, the end of our lives, is a narrow gate, very few will ever find it. Through the Gate is the Kingdom of God.

2009
I have heard said no man ever sank under the burdens of the day. It is when tomorrows burdens are added to the burdens of today the weight becomes more than a man can bear, and sorrow is certain.

I never need burden myself so. When I find myself so burdened, I have forgotten this: The burdens I bare are of my own doing, not god’s.

Leave the future to god, yes even tomorrow, and be present. Live today, be aware of today, and you will find your burdens to be light.

January 9 – To be Troubled is to Forget

When I am troubled about anything, I have forgotten this – all things happen according to the universal nature; and forgotten this, a man’s wrongful act is nothing; and further I have forgotten this, everything which happens, always happened so and will happen so, and now happens so everywhere; forgotten this too, how close is the kinship between a man and the whole human race, for it is a community, not of a little blood or seed, but of intelligence. And I have forgotten this too, every man’s intelligence is a god, and is an efflux of the deity; and forgotten this, nothing is a man’s own, but his child and his body and his very soul came from the deity; forgotten this, everything is opinion; and lastly I have forgotten every man lives the present time only, and loses only this.

Everything is opinion, and opinion is in my power. Take away then, when I choose, my opinion. There is calm, everything stable, and waveless. I see the universe as it is. Whole.

January 8 – Made Free

I am made free, not by refusing to recognize anything above me, but on the contrary, by revering something is above me. For by revering it, I rise to its level, and by my recognition I attest to the fact I, and in fact everyone, bear the stamp of the higher existence and are capable of achieving it. I am aware, I am one with God.

My misfortunes our great, my strength of mind with which I have to bear up against it is likewise greater. My life is a continuous struggle and a field of work where I rarely find rest. I hardly entered upon it when the battle began.

January 7 – Twilight

You are a primary existence. You are a distinct portion of God and contain a certain part of him in yourself. Why then are you ignorant of your noble birth? Be aware you carry a god about within you.

Actions motivated by attachment, aversion, or ignorance, regardless of any external appearances, are simply not spiritual practices.

One of the beautiful things about the early twilight at this time of year, as it fades into the dark of the long nights, is you can just surrender yourself to it. Allow the twilight to remind you it is a time of consideration and renewal. Know full well in this world the darkness and the light are one. There is no new dawn without the night; their seeming separateness disguises a unity reflecting the unity of life, an unfathomable dance of opposites. This paradox is the very essence of what it is to be alive—joy and pain, sickness and health, light and dark, wonder and fear.

As you reflect and make decisions about your future, never forget you who embarks on any life change will not be the person to reap its benefits or woes when the process is complete. Neither are you the person who made decisions in the past.

You are only connected to each by memory, by the consequences of cause and effect, and by the degree to which you embrace your life by owning your intentions. You are only here now, in this moment as the light fades, the night settles. Be alive to this moment. It is all you have, the only time when thought and action can occur for the benefit of yourself and those you love.

May your inner and outer life be of balance and harmony. May the darkness be your light. May your life be peaceful, but not to the point of lethargy. May the season’s ending be a new beginning.