moe-tif

Kahlil Gibran
To understand the heart and mind of a person, look not at what he has already achieved, but at what he aspires to.

…yet, what is it? how do we differentiate what “is” from the meaning we place upon whatever, it “is”? so much of our life is based upon the meaning we place on it…good or bad…take away your meaning and what have you left? why are we so driven to define all that occurs? what are we afraid of? it is what it is…nothing more, nothing less…and it is different for each of us…

respect that…your truth is not better than that of another and no less…in the end you realize that truth, reality…is really quite subjective…

it is what it is…

and that’s ok…

i’ve been pretty lucky my entire life…i’ve never experienced want…i’ve always known i had a place to go and people to count on…for this i am so grateful…saying this i realize that, because of my good fortune, i’ve never known what it was like to maintain a state of grace and dignity even in the face of being without…today, i experienced being in the presence of this grace and dignity…i went to pick up a food box at a buddhist facility at the suggestion of a friend of mine…now, let me say…never in my life did i think i would ever need to do this…yet, here i was and the voice inside was saying, i was going to get more than just a box of food…i walked into the building and saw the name Tzu Chi all over the place…the man at the desk was a sweet older guy of asian descent…the others working behind him were asian as well…as i filled out paperwork and watched others like myself take their food boxes, i was struck by two things…one, the women (like me with children to feed) looked me and everyone there in the eye….they said please and thank you (english and spanish) with respect for both themselves and the people helping them…i guess i always carried this subconscious notion that the poor were undignified and takers…here i saw for myself how wrong i was (shamed me)…i was one of these women and i didn’t consider ever looking down or behaving less than…why would i for so many years think i was so above others?  the second thing that caught me was the way the workers handing out the boxes handled themselves…they were, i felt, so kind and unassuming…i sensed they respected us/me and the shame i felt quickly disappeared…when i asked one of the ladies what Tzu Chi meant, in her broken english and with a hand on my shoulder she explained that “Tzu” meant “Mercy” and “Chi” meant “for everyone”….she patted me on the shoulder in a loving manner, not at all condescending…i saw that they took this opportunity to give to others as a gift to themselves and this caused tears in my eyes…the act of serving your fellow human being is indeed a holy act and these simple spirits embodied their gratefulness for the chance to participate in God’s work…the Universe teaches much…it is up to us to choose to learn…

Here’s the thing…I was laid off 3 weeks ago.  Right after the news of my new status as unemployed was delivered and before I could fall into the bowels of fear and anxiety, my supervisor offered a lead for me to follow.  This potential new position sounded wonderful and exactly like what I had been looking for.  You see, I wasn’t happy with my job and my supervisors, my co-workers, my friends, family, strangers on the street and God all knew about my intense dislike for the chair I was sitting in.  Couple this with my lack of experience and it made sense that when cuts needed to be made, I would be one of those to go.  I sat in the chair digesting all the information and made a quick decision to maintain a positive attitude.  Being laid off was exactly the push out of the nest I needed.  So, I walked out of there, packed my things and said my goodbyes.  I was not going to be swayed from my healthy and happy outlook.  I decided that I would have a new job after a week of “vacation” and that all would be well.  I really believed that.  But, if y’all paid attention to that first sentence, y’all would have noticed a key five words, “laid off 3 weeks ago”.  My “vacation” has extended itself longer than I would have anticipated and the lead I was offered didn’t pan out (or at least not yet/yeah, i’m hangin on to a last thread of hope).  So, what to think, what to think?  Hmmmm….believe you me, I’ve been doing a lot of diggin down in the soul and trying to understand what this all means.  I’m of the belief…hell, it ain’t a belief as much as it is a knowing, that every single moment we spend on this precious plane of existence is a moment made to learn something.  The learning can be from an outward event or from an inward search or, as most often is the case, both.  In this case, I’ve realized a few things.  First of all, all is and will continue to be well.  Second, sometimes the Universe will throw a wrinkle into our lives as a test of our resolve…after all, this positive outlook I chose to take needs to be made of steel…for it to be an authentic mode of being, there will be times that I’ll be tested.  Can’t go around being all happy go lucky and then fall apart when life happens.  Thirdly, and this one was a tuf one…I realize my arrogance.  I thought that I could just think happy thoughts, focus my energy on these thoughts and then, walla…they would happen.  I did put out my resume and yes, I did make some calls besides following the lead I was given.  Yet, I was half ass about it and, I waited to do other things that were really important to the well being of my family.  If there’s anything I’ve learned it’s that the Universe doesn’t just like a positive thought thrown it’s way, action in the direction of that thought is also much appreciated and rewarded.  I’ve been humbled and I appreciate the experience.  From filing for unemployment to going in for a food box, rather than feel sorry for myself, I’m making the choice to “be” with this situation.  I think this is a chance to delve deeper within for that sacred part of myself that trusts with all her heart and follows with action.  Yeah…it’s alright…

i see myself sitting under a tree, leaning against the trunk…the tree’s branches stretch wide and high, filled with leaves of a deep, green color…i am looking out upon a vast green field, scattered throughout with flowers richly colored and varied…a breeze is blowing, as is always in my dreams and on the breeze is that trademark smell of rain, also a favorite of mine…the sky is a contrast of blue against green with a darkness edging it’s way toward me…the dark clouds are welcome because they carry the rain i can smell so strongly…there is an energy coursing, pulsating within and without and from this energy i feel a deeply profound sense of joy…i close my eyes and meditate on the sound the breeze makes as it brushes through the leaves above me and the grasses around me…i meditate also on the smells, the feel of the trunk against my back holding me up, helping me to sit up straight, the coolness and warmth of the air taking turns caressing my face, the whole of my body…i look inward and see a light, beckoning me to come within it’s circle and so, i take a mental step forward, reach out my hand…i touch the light and feel a kind of glow come over me, a heat that doesn’t burn with pain but rather with a love meant for me to hold, to cherish…i let this feeling wash over me, become me…i look at my hand…i realize that i am looking at the light that just moments before was a part from me, now, i see i am the light, i am the energy that i felt coursing through the grasses, through the leaves…i open my eyes and see the world so much richer than i had before…there is a light emanating all around me, from everything and…everyone?  this time, i see people…all with a glow around them…these people represent all ethnicities, all races, it is obvious by their dress, their appearance that they are all different…yet they aren’t…we gaze at each other and find that for all our differences, we are Divine and radiate with a frequency that connects us, binds us in a loving embrace that can only have come directly from our Source…i hear, or rather feel a word emanating from one man, a bearded individual, tall and straight, dignified and humble, as he takes my hand and helps me to stand…”Namaste’”, he says to me, to which i respond the same, “Namaste’”…as i take a step forward, something shakes me, wakes me from this incredible dream…i open my eyes again, this time i find myself waking to hear my alarm screaming in my ear…i push the button that brings sudden quiet to this early morning…i lay back remembering the place i’d just been, longing to go back but, knowing with heavy heart that i must get up, get the kids together and get on with our day…i pull myself out of bed and begin the waking of children, the hustle and bustle of morning rituals needed to get out the door…we get dressed, get in the car and i rush each child to their sitter, their school…i then head on to my job, but first, i stop off at a gas station to fill up and grab my morning coffee…as i step out of my car i feel a familiar sensation, an energy that gets stronger the closer i get to the station to pay…as i reach for the door, i look to my left and see a man sitting next to a trash receptacle, he is bearded and, although he is sitting, i can tell he is tall…as i look at him, he turns his head to look at me and our eyes meet…i remember this man! he helped me to stand in my “dream”…something happens inside of me, a voice whispers from a place always present…a voice i’ve ignored for so long…the voice says to me, “put out your hand”, without much thought, any thought actually, i obey and find myself helping this man up…we look at each other for just a few seconds and the amazing happens, as though this experience weren’t amazing enough, “Namaste’” he whispers and in that moment, he glows with a light i can only see…my hand in his, i smile and respond, “Namaste’”….the moment is so fleeting, he steps back from me, gathers his things and, with a dignfied, yet humble smile, he nods his head and walks away, disappearing into the crowd of people making their way through life…and i am left knowing that this experience was a message to me…i realized in this moment that the light i saw within me is universally burning within all mankind, rich or poor, good or bad…we all come from and carry this truth, this light of love…and we are burning with a need to connect, a need to find our way back from where we came…”Namaste’” is a greeting that acknowledges this truth and one that we must learn to acknowledge in each other…”Namaste’”, which means, “The Divine in me blesses and honors the Divine in you”…

We are as connected to this planet as we are connected to each other.  The turmoil we are feeling today is the result of an unconscious (and worldwide) attempt to make ourselves exist contrary to our very natures.  Where once we were so aware of our spiritual selves we are now seeking to find ourselves.  Where once we lived on a lush, fertile world, we have now (created) a home that is screaming to the Universe Her pain.  She too is seeking who we once were.  The ancient ways blessed our Mother Earth, the ancient Peoples honored Her and each other.  There was respect for Nature, they never took more than what was necessary for survival.  Something happened along the way, some kind of change swept over the world and with this change came a need to control/dominate.  People who hung on to the old ways were slaughtered as this new world thinking paved our Earth to make way for roads on which to travel, homes in which to settle, farms to cultivate and industries to thrive.  Rules and regulations were created and agreed upon by the masses, however, even those masses could not deny what raged within, even as they pushed down the voice till it was but a whisper.  Today, there is an awakening happening throughout the planet.  I feel it and I know you do too.  It’s becoming more and more urgent, more and more persistent as we spiral through this Universe and watch our planet shrivel away before our very eyes.  There is a dis-ease happening that must be attended to but only with medicines of old.  Only with an awakening to our Spiritual selves which means an awakening to our connectedness, a realization that the way we’ve been going about our day to day is the very way that is destroying us.  We must reclaim our dignity as a human race, set aside thoughts that we are somehow unworthy and open our hearts to our own fundamental goodness.  Forgive ourselves for our transgressions as we forgive those who would transgress against us and then begin the healing.  It begins as a turning within, a brave glance into our own looking glass to see past all the baggage we would choose to carry.  We must choose to let go all this unnecessary weight and find the love we’ve been keeping from our very selves.  Once we pass this way, we must then look outward and extend the love to each other.  The old ways honored God, honored our Earth, honored each other.  If we are to save ourselves and in turn save our home, we must learn again to Love, Honor and Respect.  We must learn to reconnect with the vibrant force that courses through and all around us.  It is the only way….

is it possible to feel so much for someone so impossible to be with?
is it truly not possible?  after all, it is a matter of choice…were he to choose to try…
would i be brave enough to follow through?
how can i feel so secure with this man and yet,
be so damned afraid of him? 
knowing this, i love him still, if only for the sake of loving him,
if only because it can’t be helped…
it is what it is, hopeless or not, like it or not…
i love this man, deeply, if only for the sake of loving him…
i simply cannot feel anything less…
the line has been crossed and there is no turning back…
and i am so damned scared…

All this warring over oil, power, land…folks, it ain’t going with you!  When we die, we’re leaving behind this bag of bones, we’re leaving behind our riches, our debts, our hard earned material goods are staying here.  What will go with us are the lessons learned, good or bad, and the deeds we’ve committed, again, good or bad.  What we do folks, down to what we think…these are truly the matters we should be paying attention to for they are the matters that matter most.  What kind of person were you, what effect did you have on your family, your community, the world?  Believe it or not, your very intentions create waves in a vast energy field that effects everyone and everything.  What were your intentions?  Were you concerned primarily with materialistic gains?  Did you take a moment to look people in the eye…did you shake hands firmly, did you make good on your word, despite the hardship and turmoil you might have endured?  Did you consider your fellow man when you made decisions or did you simply think of your own gain and shudder off any responsibility toward anyone else?  Did you step outside yourself and help another?  More and more it is coming to light the power of our thoughts, the power we carry inside.  We seek more because we thirst for more, realizing at least on a subconscious level that the way we’ve been taught and the way we’ve been running things is not the way it was meant to be.  We’ve been raised inside a box of limitations and trapped within a view of ourselves that does us no justice.  There is so much more to explore within.  The rules society agreed to so long ago didn’t apply then and certainly does not apply now.  Moreover, if we don’t realize this fully and change the way we’ve lived, we stand to lose all that God gave us to care over.  We are on the brink of destruction as we continue to follow man made concepts of how things should be, how we should live, etc.  Yes, it is that serious people…look around you.  Where are the forests, where are the animals, why are there so many dead and dying?  And for what?  The concern has been misplaced…I say, bring it back to center.  Bring it back to Spirit…be brave enough to step out of the box and into a world that is so vast and mysterious only because we were blinded from our Source.  I’m calling myself out of the box…although, I’ll admit, it’s scary.  It’s worth it though.  I am done living under the shackles of religions that tell me I’m unworthy in God’s eyes.  I’m done being told that if I don’t follow the rules with blind faith, I will be condemned to an eternity of suffering.  This is not God’s teachings…this is man’s hunger to control…and for too long, societies worldwide have bought into these lies.  What has that gotten us?  Certainly not close to God.  This mode of thinking has pitted man against man…brother against brother…it’s time to stop.  Step out of the box and begin to see the light, the true light shining from our Source and from within.  Let this light shine brightly and let’s begin the healing… 

Doc Childre and Sara Paddision, HeartMath Discovery Program
“What you put out comes back. The more you sincerely appreciate life from the heart, the more the magnetic energy of appreciation attracts fulfilling life experiences to you, both personally and professionally. Learning how to appreciate more consistently offers many benefits and applications. Appreciation is an easy heart frequency to activate and it can help shift your perspectives quickly. Learning how to appreciate both pleasant and even seemingly unpleasant experiences is a key to increased fulfillment.”

we live in a world starving for appreciation…enough of the power struggles, enough destroying each other, we must learn to appreciate ourselves, what we have, each other…we as a human race are too busy trying to dominate and rule, force our view on each other…we are truly starving for appreciation…down to the world itself…Mother Earth could stand to be appreciated, taken care of…seems all we do is take, from Her, from each other…

it’s time to stop…look around, want what we’ve got and offer thanks…
 

Write your life the way you want it to look like, your best life…only write it as though you are already living it.  Don’t hold back, let your hand write the greatest life you can imagine from the perspective of having already enjoyed a day living that life.  For example, “Today I took my cup of coffee and stood out on my balcony, just off of my living room.  I looked out at my vast vineyard and smelled the rain on the breeze as it blew softly it’s sweet breath on my skin.  I looked over the valley and marvelled at God’s artistic splendor.  The colors deep and richly vibrant, the sun on the horizon, rising oh so slowly…and somewhere not too far off in the distance, I knew was an ocean so blue as to take my breath away.” 

Makes one feel good to write such things…believe in your power to manifest and write away…right away!