About Me

"There is no reality except the one contained within us. That is why so many people live such an unreal life. They take the images outside them for reality and never allow the world within to assert itself.
                                                                                                              -- Hermann Hesse


We were talking about meditation in a conversation at lunch last week and someone mentioned being able to see himself from a different place during a recent meditation. It reminded me of a time in my twenties when I experienced this spontaneously as I was  getting ready for work. Back then I did transcendental meditation quite regularly, went to every church that would let me in, read my Bible, great writers and every self help guru on the market...generally, I was searching for God in every song or wave crashing into shore. I longed to feel the connection. 

As I stood in the tiny bathroom applying my makeup I suddenly noticed the hands that were lining those eyes were not mine. It was as if someone else was doing the work.  The face that was getting ready to face the world was not "me". She, was not me! This didn't frighten me. This was an understanding. I continued to watch for a time, fascinated by this awakening. This was the first automatic separation from my body I remember experiencing. Though I had been a watcher of life for a long time, usually the watching was outside of my Self. This felt good for me to know...I welcomed this insight from my Spirit.

I am writing about these things because I used to hide them and rarely talk about them since I know how crazy it sounds. Now what others think isn't as important in my life...I am one of the most grounded individuals around. What astounds me is that so many of us believe what we see on the outside is real or is any more real than what is going on inside, this place from which our lives spring.

Deepak Chopra  was once being interviewed by a newscaster who obviously didn't believe the concepts they were discussing...I remember thinking that if this very well educated brain doctor and writer of many books is being scrutinized this way what chance would I have? So mostly, I don't talk about these things except to a few. But I never shy away from the direct experience of God/Spirit/Soul/Truth. 

Reasons to Celebrate

Thanksgiving as a way of life

"Cultivate the habit of being grateful for every good thing that comes to you, and to give thanks continuously. And because all things have contributed to your advancement, you should include all things in your gratitude."
                                                                                       Ralph Waldo Emerson

Thanksgiving Day has come and gone but the reason to give thanks is always with us. Being grateful as a way of life changes the primary structure of the way we live. Waking up with a gladness for the day ahead, for being able to stretch, move and brush our teeth in the morning. Saying good morning to the beautiful spirit looking back at you in the mirror and then setting about to make it a good morning.

It isn't selfish to continually do the thing that makes you feel really good on the inside because what makes us feel honestly well in the depths of our being never harms another soul. Doing the "right thing" each time we have a choice makes for a community that feels right with everyone.

If in your secret heart of hearts you pray to go forward, following the lead of Spirit, your direction will always be right.

When we think about right let's remember that it is doing the work you have been counted on to do. If you say that you will complete a task then, of course, you do it. You become a person that others can count on. If you have no intention of doing something then you bravely tell the truth about it. Others will come to know you as reliable. A person who is honest and does what they say they will do. This forges an inner respect that makes you "feel good" but it doesn't stop with you, it spreads to those you work with or otherwise come in contact with. This good will is felt by anyone who comes in close proximity to you, this lighter energy lifts moods without reasoning, and all because you feel better when you know that you can count on your Self.

                           

So this day I give thanks by paying attention to what I bring to each situation, each person, each moment. Noticing the glory of God in each encounter and understanding that it is a privilege to share these times with the other Spiritual Beings I encounter. 

Wishing you well.

Reasons To Celebrate

A bird does not sing because it has an answer. It sings because it has a song.

                                            --Chinese Proverb

Today I write happily...this is my song. Everything seems fresh and new after a bout with the flu. It is strange, sometimes, how illness comes upon us. In one moment we are at our desk working and the next we are lying down too tired to care about the next thing that needs to be done. So we allow our body the rest that it craves...with only a little guilt. That is, we notice the thoughts passing by..."this needs to be done, that should be done". It didn't matter there was no energy for the doing, no way to push myself. This was Spirit forced rest.

The spin class went on without me and I had no balance for yoga so I paid attention to my breathing...slowly, succinctly, breathing with the knowing that this time spent in sickness was my unwelcome friend.

Last week I had inexplicable bursts of anger and now old fashioned influenza knocked me for a loop. Is there a learning that wants to be noticed? 

I had lunch recently with Alan Mong who works for a company that trains business people on expanding their memory and reaching their goals. His boss trained under Byron Katie who created a method called "The Work". In this method you ask yourself about things that are bothering you, "is it true?". You continue in this questioning until you find the things you are causing you upset  and find that they are not necessarily true, they are only your perception of things. I asked Alan about these angry outbursts...is it possible to change your basic nature? I understand that the answer is yes...I do not know that I believe this is true. Yes, we can change the way we think about things and many times this can be beneficial. Or we can encourage ourselves to be more extroverted or pull in a little if we are too extroverted. 

Why is it that I constantly have to change? Why do I have to constantly prove myself? Am I doing this as Soul work? Is this the reason I am here? "I'd love to see my type A husband have to meditate and contemplate our connection to Spirit for even short periods of time". No, I wouldn't want to see that, it would be too painful for him and I love and admire who he is.

Whatever it is that is calling for my attention...I will not turn away...leaning in and focusing my concentration in this place is the only way through. In a book called, "I Am The Door", I read a line the goes something like this, "if you walk up to a wall of fear with faith it turns into a door".

Where will this door lead?