Why meditate?
"Meditation brings wisdom; lack of meditation leaves ignorance. Know well what leads you forward and what holds you back, and choose the path that leads to wisdom."
-- Buddha
Meditation is considered an essential practice for those who seek self-knowledge and self-mastery. Why? Basically, meditation brings awareness of how our minds work. Over time, we become watchers, able to detach from the thoughts and emotions that play out in our minds.
With this detachment, we gain the freedom to choose whether or not to act on our thoughts and emotions. We learn to distinguish between objective reality and our mental and emotional dramas.
"Only in quiet waters things mirror themselves undistorted. Only in a quiet mind is adequate perception of the world."
-- Hans Margolius
Friday, April 30, 2010
Thursday, April 29, 2010
Explore your fears
"Fear is a question: What are you afraid of, and why? Just as the seed of health is in illness, because illness contains information, our fears are a treasure house of self-knowledge if we explore them."
-- Marilyn Ferguson
In our world of duality, fear and love sit at opposite ends of the continuum. Fear belongs only to the personality because it believes in separation and impermanence. The soul never knows fear because it understands the unity of all.
When fear arises, we can invite our soul to sit with our frightened personality. What soul energies are waiting to be acknowledged? When we bring higher energies into the presence of lower energies, the lower energies are transformed.
"What is needed, rather than running away or controlling or suppressing or any other resistance, is understanding fear; that means, watch it, learn about it, come directly into contact with it. We are to learn about fear, not how to escape from it."
-- Jiddu Krishnamurti
-- Marilyn Ferguson
In our world of duality, fear and love sit at opposite ends of the continuum. Fear belongs only to the personality because it believes in separation and impermanence. The soul never knows fear because it understands the unity of all.
When fear arises, we can invite our soul to sit with our frightened personality. What soul energies are waiting to be acknowledged? When we bring higher energies into the presence of lower energies, the lower energies are transformed.
"What is needed, rather than running away or controlling or suppressing or any other resistance, is understanding fear; that means, watch it, learn about it, come directly into contact with it. We are to learn about fear, not how to escape from it."
-- Jiddu Krishnamurti
Live now
"How we spend our days is, of course, how we spend our lives."
-- Annie Dillard
We lose the power of the moment because we're so rarely in it. We're reliving the past or speculating about the future. We continue to believe that tomorrow's the day when I'll be more capable, more wealthy, more fit and more loving. Meanwhile, I'm just putting in time, dreaming of better things but not making any concrete move to realize them.
When you find yourself thinking of the future or the past, bring your awareness into the present moment. Really experience how you feel and what’s happening around you, without judgment. If we can treasure each moment, our lives will be rich, no matter what we have accomplished.
"Lost, yesterday, somewhere between sunrise and sunset, two golden hours, each set with sixty diamond minutes. No reward is offered for they are gone forever."
-- Horace Mann
"If, before going to bed every night, you will tear a page from the calendar, and remark, 'there goes another day of my life, never to return,' you will become time conscious."
-- A. B. Zu Tavern
-- Annie Dillard
We lose the power of the moment because we're so rarely in it. We're reliving the past or speculating about the future. We continue to believe that tomorrow's the day when I'll be more capable, more wealthy, more fit and more loving. Meanwhile, I'm just putting in time, dreaming of better things but not making any concrete move to realize them.
When you find yourself thinking of the future or the past, bring your awareness into the present moment. Really experience how you feel and what’s happening around you, without judgment. If we can treasure each moment, our lives will be rich, no matter what we have accomplished.
"Lost, yesterday, somewhere between sunrise and sunset, two golden hours, each set with sixty diamond minutes. No reward is offered for they are gone forever."
-- Horace Mann
"If, before going to bed every night, you will tear a page from the calendar, and remark, 'there goes another day of my life, never to return,' you will become time conscious."
-- A. B. Zu Tavern
Tuesday, April 27, 2010
What is your body saying?
"Many people treat their bodies as if they were rented from Hertz -- something they are using to get around in but nothing they genuinely care about understanding."
-- Chungliang Al Huang
"As we explore the extraordinary interplay of energies between the many aspects of our personality -- our needs, unconscious reactions, repressed emotions, aspirations and fears -- with the functioning of our physical system and its capacity to maintain itself, we soon realise how very wise the body is. With its intricately detailed systems and operations it portrays infinite intelligence and compassion, constantly giving us the means to understand ourselves further, to confront issues we are not looking at, and to go beyond that which is holding us back."
-- Deb Shapiro, Your Body Speaks Your Mind
Scan your body with your awareness. Are you experiencing any aches and pains? Any stiffness?
What might your body be trying to tell you about how you are living your life?
"Your body is the ground and metaphor of your life, the expression of your existence. It is your Bible, your encyclopedia, your life story. Everything that happens to you is stored and reflected in your body. In the marriage of flesh and spirit divorce is impossible."
-- Gabrielle Roth
"What is always speaking silently is the body."
-- Norman Brown
-- Chungliang Al Huang
"As we explore the extraordinary interplay of energies between the many aspects of our personality -- our needs, unconscious reactions, repressed emotions, aspirations and fears -- with the functioning of our physical system and its capacity to maintain itself, we soon realise how very wise the body is. With its intricately detailed systems and operations it portrays infinite intelligence and compassion, constantly giving us the means to understand ourselves further, to confront issues we are not looking at, and to go beyond that which is holding us back."
-- Deb Shapiro, Your Body Speaks Your Mind
Scan your body with your awareness. Are you experiencing any aches and pains? Any stiffness?
What might your body be trying to tell you about how you are living your life?
"Your body is the ground and metaphor of your life, the expression of your existence. It is your Bible, your encyclopedia, your life story. Everything that happens to you is stored and reflected in your body. In the marriage of flesh and spirit divorce is impossible."
-- Gabrielle Roth
"What is always speaking silently is the body."
-- Norman Brown
Monday, April 26, 2010
steps to self-actualization
5 steps to self-actualization
"Every human action, whether it has become positive or negative, must depend on motivation."
-- Dalai Lama
Monitoring what motivates me has helped me see how I am growing. I do things for different reasons now than I did 10 years ago. As we pay ongoing attention to our motives, we can see how both our conscious and unconscious attitudes are changing.
Here are some ways that our motives can shift with rising consciousness:
- I desire
- I want to collect things
- I want to know
- I want to serve
- I want to be
What are your motives as you participate in life?
"There are three kinds of people and three kinds of richness:
- people who want to have, to collect
- people who want action, work and labor
- people who want to be
The real richness is in be-ness. People can take all that you have, all that you collected. People can stop your labor, or an accident can stop you. When you are, you never lose what you are."
-- Torkom Saraydarian
"You are what you think. You are what you go for. You are what you do!"
-- Bob Richards
"A good intention clothes itself with power."
-- Ralph Waldo Emerson
"Every human action, whether it has become positive or negative, must depend on motivation."
-- Dalai Lama
Monitoring what motivates me has helped me see how I am growing. I do things for different reasons now than I did 10 years ago. As we pay ongoing attention to our motives, we can see how both our conscious and unconscious attitudes are changing.
Here are some ways that our motives can shift with rising consciousness:
- I desire
- I want to collect things
- I want to know
- I want to serve
- I want to be
What are your motives as you participate in life?
"There are three kinds of people and three kinds of richness:
- people who want to have, to collect
- people who want action, work and labor
- people who want to be
The real richness is in be-ness. People can take all that you have, all that you collected. People can stop your labor, or an accident can stop you. When you are, you never lose what you are."
-- Torkom Saraydarian
"You are what you think. You are what you go for. You are what you do!"
-- Bob Richards
"A good intention clothes itself with power."
-- Ralph Waldo Emerson
Saturday, April 24, 2010
Feel your emotions
"The key is to not resist or rebel against emotions or to try to get around them by devising all sorts of tricks; but to accept them directly, as they are."
-- Takahisa Kora
Emotions are energy in motion. They bring us information if we are willing to experience them. Unfortunately, many of us are afraid of the energy of emotions and so we automatically resist them. And when we refuse to experience our emotions, we block them up. They become trapped and that entrapment drains our energy and brings continuing discomfort.
Don't let emotions push you into action or reaction. Just STOP and PAY ATTENTION. Allow them to be and to speak to you. Once they are acknowledged, their energy is released.
"Instead of resisting any emotion, the best way to dispel it is to enter it fully, embrace it and see through your resistance."
-- Deepak Chopra
"We have to become more conscious of our feeling-world. By learning to identify the ‘emotional baggage’ and manage our feeling-world reactions, we can view life based on current information instead of being held captive by our past."
-- Doc Childre
"Our feelings are our most genuine paths to knowledge."
-- Audre Lorde
-- Takahisa Kora
Emotions are energy in motion. They bring us information if we are willing to experience them. Unfortunately, many of us are afraid of the energy of emotions and so we automatically resist them. And when we refuse to experience our emotions, we block them up. They become trapped and that entrapment drains our energy and brings continuing discomfort.
Don't let emotions push you into action or reaction. Just STOP and PAY ATTENTION. Allow them to be and to speak to you. Once they are acknowledged, their energy is released.
"Instead of resisting any emotion, the best way to dispel it is to enter it fully, embrace it and see through your resistance."
-- Deepak Chopra
"We have to become more conscious of our feeling-world. By learning to identify the ‘emotional baggage’ and manage our feeling-world reactions, we can view life based on current information instead of being held captive by our past."
-- Doc Childre
"Our feelings are our most genuine paths to knowledge."
-- Audre Lorde
Thursday, April 22, 2010
We project our strengths
"Any situation that you find yourself in, is an outward reflection of your inner state of beingness."-- El Morya
We have discussed that OUR WORLD MIRRORS WHO WE ARE BACK TO US. When we get upset by something outside of us, our reaction shows us that we have an inner wound to be healed.
Just as we can be unconscious of our wounds, we can also be unconscious of our strengths. If you are really drawn to the positive qualities in another person, you are being invited to own those same qualities in yourself.
"The people we are in relationship with are always a mirror, reflecting our own beliefs, and simultaneously we are mirrors reflecting their beliefs. So relationship is one of the most powerful tools for growth... if we look honestly at our relationships we can see so much about how we have created them." -- Shakti Gawain
"Every artist dips his brush in his own soul, and paints his own nature into his pictures."
-- Henry Ward Beecher
We have discussed that OUR WORLD MIRRORS WHO WE ARE BACK TO US. When we get upset by something outside of us, our reaction shows us that we have an inner wound to be healed.
Just as we can be unconscious of our wounds, we can also be unconscious of our strengths. If you are really drawn to the positive qualities in another person, you are being invited to own those same qualities in yourself.
"The people we are in relationship with are always a mirror, reflecting our own beliefs, and simultaneously we are mirrors reflecting their beliefs. So relationship is one of the most powerful tools for growth... if we look honestly at our relationships we can see so much about how we have created them." -- Shakti Gawain
"Every artist dips his brush in his own soul, and paints his own nature into his pictures."
-- Henry Ward Beecher
Wednesday, April 21, 2010
Looking for safety?
"Security is when everything is settled, when nothing can happen to you; security is the denial of life."
-- Germaine Greer
Our personality likes to be in control. It likes to know how things are and what’s going to happen. Underlying this desire for stability and predictability is a deep fear that the world is a dangerous place. The personality fears it will not survive without continually being on guard.
The truth is: we cannot control what happens in life. And under the natural law of attraction, we tend to attract to us what we focus on. EXPLORE SUBSTITUTING TRUST FOR FEAR and the world becomes a gentler, happier place.
"There are no guarantees. From the viewpoint of fear, none are strong enough. From the viewpoint of love, none are necessary."
-- Emmanuel
"One thing we can do is make the choice to view the world in a healthy way. We can choose to see the world as safe with only moments of danger rather than seeing the world as dangerous with only moments of safety."
-- Deepak Chopra
-- Germaine Greer
Our personality likes to be in control. It likes to know how things are and what’s going to happen. Underlying this desire for stability and predictability is a deep fear that the world is a dangerous place. The personality fears it will not survive without continually being on guard.
The truth is: we cannot control what happens in life. And under the natural law of attraction, we tend to attract to us what we focus on. EXPLORE SUBSTITUTING TRUST FOR FEAR and the world becomes a gentler, happier place.
"There are no guarantees. From the viewpoint of fear, none are strong enough. From the viewpoint of love, none are necessary."
-- Emmanuel
"One thing we can do is make the choice to view the world in a healthy way. We can choose to see the world as safe with only moments of danger rather than seeing the world as dangerous with only moments of safety."
-- Deepak Chopra
Tuesday, April 20, 2010
Step into self-awareness
Step into self-awareness
"Getting in touch with your true self must be your first priority."
-- Tom Hopkins
Here are some different aspects of self-awareness:
- Know yourself - Explore who you are: your defences, your blocks, your talents, your aspirations, etc.
- Accept yourself - We are at war with ourselves when we resist or deny certain aspects of who we are. Acknowledge the truth of who you are right now - the positives and the negatives. Only when we own our present reality can we change.
- Control yourself - Set clear, conscious intentions and discipline yourself to meet them.
- Express yourself - Go to your heart to identify what has meaning and purpose for you. Live your truth. Identify ways you can give back to life and be in service.
We work on each of these aspects all the time. But as our lives go through cycles, we predominantly work on one of them more than the others. Which aspect are you more conscious of lately?
"Our lives improve only when we take chances ... and the first and most difficult risk we can take is to be honest with ourselves."
-- Walter Anderson
"Adventure can be an end in itself. Self-discovery is the secret ingredient that fuels daring."
-- Grace Lichtenstein
"Getting in touch with your true self must be your first priority."
-- Tom Hopkins
Here are some different aspects of self-awareness:
- Know yourself - Explore who you are: your defences, your blocks, your talents, your aspirations, etc.
- Accept yourself - We are at war with ourselves when we resist or deny certain aspects of who we are. Acknowledge the truth of who you are right now - the positives and the negatives. Only when we own our present reality can we change.
- Control yourself - Set clear, conscious intentions and discipline yourself to meet them.
- Express yourself - Go to your heart to identify what has meaning and purpose for you. Live your truth. Identify ways you can give back to life and be in service.
We work on each of these aspects all the time. But as our lives go through cycles, we predominantly work on one of them more than the others. Which aspect are you more conscious of lately?
"Our lives improve only when we take chances ... and the first and most difficult risk we can take is to be honest with ourselves."
-- Walter Anderson
"Adventure can be an end in itself. Self-discovery is the secret ingredient that fuels daring."
-- Grace Lichtenstein
Monday, April 19, 2010
Trust yourself
"I never know what the next lesson is going to be, because we’re not supposed to know; we’re supposed to trust ourselves to discover it."
-- Melody Beattie
How deeply do you trust your own guidance?
Always trust that you know what's best for you. To move forward in your life, gather information from the 'experts,' consider how their advice relates to your situation and then act only on what feels right for you. What does your whole being (mind, body and soul) say ‘Yes!’ to?
You are the only expert for your own life.
"I trust so much in the power of the heart and the soul; I know that the answer to what we need to do next is in our own hearts. All we have to do is listen, then take that one step further and trust what we hear. We will be taught what we need to learn."
-- Melody Beattie
"Ultimately, we must learn to trust ourselves. When we do this intimately and intelligently, the world opens full of meaning before us. We find that we ourselves are the doorway to a fathomless understanding of the source of life itself. We need only to learn to walk through it."
-- James Thornton
-- Melody Beattie
How deeply do you trust your own guidance?
Always trust that you know what's best for you. To move forward in your life, gather information from the 'experts,' consider how their advice relates to your situation and then act only on what feels right for you. What does your whole being (mind, body and soul) say ‘Yes!’ to?
You are the only expert for your own life.
"I trust so much in the power of the heart and the soul; I know that the answer to what we need to do next is in our own hearts. All we have to do is listen, then take that one step further and trust what we hear. We will be taught what we need to learn."
-- Melody Beattie
"Ultimately, we must learn to trust ourselves. When we do this intimately and intelligently, the world opens full of meaning before us. We find that we ourselves are the doorway to a fathomless understanding of the source of life itself. We need only to learn to walk through it."
-- James Thornton
Saturday, April 17, 2010
Choose differently today
"It is always your next move." -- Napoleon Hill
The great benefit of heightened awareness is that we have more choice in how we live our lives. At any moment, we can purposefully choose a new experience for ourselves. We can choose to pay attention, breathe more deeply, laugh, rest, play, appreciate, do something different - the possibilities are endless.
Whenever you remember, TAKE YOURSELF OFF AUTO-PILOT and really examine your situation. Take charge and make a choice that will enrich your experience. At the end of the day, reflect on what happened and how you felt when you chose a new line of thought, feeling or action.
"We cannot tell what may happen to us in the strange medley of life. But we can decide what happens in us -- how we can take it, what we do with it -- and that is what really counts in the end." -- Joseph Fort Newton
"When a defining moment comes along, you can do one of two things. Define the moment, or let the moment define you." -- Tin Cup (the movie)
"If you choose not to decide, you still have made a choice." -- Neil Peart
The great benefit of heightened awareness is that we have more choice in how we live our lives. At any moment, we can purposefully choose a new experience for ourselves. We can choose to pay attention, breathe more deeply, laugh, rest, play, appreciate, do something different - the possibilities are endless.
Whenever you remember, TAKE YOURSELF OFF AUTO-PILOT and really examine your situation. Take charge and make a choice that will enrich your experience. At the end of the day, reflect on what happened and how you felt when you chose a new line of thought, feeling or action.
"We cannot tell what may happen to us in the strange medley of life. But we can decide what happens in us -- how we can take it, what we do with it -- and that is what really counts in the end." -- Joseph Fort Newton
"When a defining moment comes along, you can do one of two things. Define the moment, or let the moment define you." -- Tin Cup (the movie)
"If you choose not to decide, you still have made a choice." -- Neil Peart
Wednesday, April 14, 2010
You are worthy!
"A person's worth is contingent upon who he is, not upon what he does, or how much he has. The worth of a person, or a thing, or an idea, is in being, not in doing, not in having."-- Alice Mary Hilton
As a human being, as spirit manifested in form, you are innately worthy. Your worthiness does not have to be strengthened or improved. However, you may not PERCEIVE yourself to be worthy.
If you doubt your self-worth, consciously or unconsciously, you will limit the good things you will allow into your life.
Do you consider yourself worthy? It may help to answer these questions:
- Do you find it easier to give than to receive?
- Do you have as much money as you would like?
- Do you feel driven to improve yourself?
- Do you value other people's time more highly than your own?
- How would you feel if someone offered to pay you a salary of $1 million/year?
If you find you lack self-worth, don't despair. Just being aware of your self-worth issues will help you let them go.
"Every achiever that I have ever met says, ‘My life turned around when I began to believe in me.’"
-- Dr. Robert H. Schuller
"We cannot achieve more in life than what we believe in our heart of hearts we deserve to have."
-- James R. Ball
As a human being, as spirit manifested in form, you are innately worthy. Your worthiness does not have to be strengthened or improved. However, you may not PERCEIVE yourself to be worthy.
If you doubt your self-worth, consciously or unconsciously, you will limit the good things you will allow into your life.
Do you consider yourself worthy? It may help to answer these questions:
- Do you find it easier to give than to receive?
- Do you have as much money as you would like?
- Do you feel driven to improve yourself?
- Do you value other people's time more highly than your own?
- How would you feel if someone offered to pay you a salary of $1 million/year?
If you find you lack self-worth, don't despair. Just being aware of your self-worth issues will help you let them go.
"Every achiever that I have ever met says, ‘My life turned around when I began to believe in me.’"
-- Dr. Robert H. Schuller
"We cannot achieve more in life than what we believe in our heart of hearts we deserve to have."
-- James R. Ball
Asking Questions
"Ask, and it shall be given you; seek; and you shall find; knock and it shall be opened unto you. For every one that asketh receiveth; and he that seeketh findeth; and to him that knocketh it shall be opened." Matthew 7:7-8
All great minds ask Questions. It has been said that Leonardo da Vinci asked questions and it is through his questions he received insights in to his inventions.
"He who asks a question is a fool for five minutes; he who does not ask a question remains a fool forever." Chinese Proverb
Long ago I had a teacher say. "If you don't want to get confused don't ask questions." There is some truth in that statement in so much if you ask 20 people the same question you will get 20 answers, likely all different.
"Whenever, therefore, people are deceived and form opinions wide of the truth, it is clear that the error has slid into their minds through the medium of certain resemblances to that truth." Socrates
The questions I speak of are the questions to ask oneself. Where is the best location for me? What do do about ......? How do I make .... ? You fill in the blanks.
If you want peace in the world, what question would you ask? "How do I help stop all the war in the world?" or you could ask "How Do I fill the world with Peace?"
The question "how do I stop all the war in the world?" will show you all the war in the world and show you all the causes you could be part of. The question "how do I fill the world with peace ?", the anwer will show you all the ways to peace. I have no opinion on which way people choose as both have their place. The important thing is to ask the questions that are right for you.
All great minds ask Questions. It has been said that Leonardo da Vinci asked questions and it is through his questions he received insights in to his inventions.
"He who asks a question is a fool for five minutes; he who does not ask a question remains a fool forever." Chinese Proverb
Long ago I had a teacher say. "If you don't want to get confused don't ask questions." There is some truth in that statement in so much if you ask 20 people the same question you will get 20 answers, likely all different.
"Whenever, therefore, people are deceived and form opinions wide of the truth, it is clear that the error has slid into their minds through the medium of certain resemblances to that truth." Socrates
The questions I speak of are the questions to ask oneself. Where is the best location for me? What do do about ......? How do I make .... ? You fill in the blanks.
If you want peace in the world, what question would you ask? "How do I help stop all the war in the world?" or you could ask "How Do I fill the world with Peace?"
The question "how do I stop all the war in the world?" will show you all the war in the world and show you all the causes you could be part of. The question "how do I fill the world with peace ?", the anwer will show you all the ways to peace. I have no opinion on which way people choose as both have their place. The important thing is to ask the questions that are right for you.
Tuesday, April 13, 2010
As above, so below
"There is in all visible things - a hidden wholeness."-- Thomas Merton
"From a hologrammatic viewpoint, ...you are one little physical image that reflects all of humanity when projected spiritually upon the cosmic screen."-- Wayne Dyer
"As above, so below."
Everything is connected. The universe is a hologram where every part contains the whole. Outside echoes the inside. The lower is a reflection of the higher. The other is a reflection of you. We are all a microcosm of each other. The big picture is within us and even our cells.
Be open to see the interconnections, influences and inter-relationships of things.
"Unity consciousness is a state of enlightenment where we pierce the mask of illusion which creates separation and fragmentation. Behind the appearance of separation is one unified field of wholeness. Here the seer and the scenery are one." -- Deepak Chopra
"To me there is no difference between one person and another; I behold all as soul-reflections of the one God. I can't think of anyone as a stranger, for I know that we are all part of the One Spirit."-- Paramahansa Yogananda
"From a hologrammatic viewpoint, ...you are one little physical image that reflects all of humanity when projected spiritually upon the cosmic screen."-- Wayne Dyer
"As above, so below."
Everything is connected. The universe is a hologram where every part contains the whole. Outside echoes the inside. The lower is a reflection of the higher. The other is a reflection of you. We are all a microcosm of each other. The big picture is within us and even our cells.
Be open to see the interconnections, influences and inter-relationships of things.
"Unity consciousness is a state of enlightenment where we pierce the mask of illusion which creates separation and fragmentation. Behind the appearance of separation is one unified field of wholeness. Here the seer and the scenery are one." -- Deepak Chopra
"To me there is no difference between one person and another; I behold all as soul-reflections of the one God. I can't think of anyone as a stranger, for I know that we are all part of the One Spirit."-- Paramahansa Yogananda
Sunday, April 11, 2010
Shifting consciousness
"The world we are experiencing today is the result of our collective consciousness, and if we want a new world, each of us must start taking responsibility for helping create it." -- Rosemary Fillmore Rhea
Below are 7 levels of consciousness that clearly outline a path for our evolving consciousness:
- tribal and mass consciousness - one obeys the group and lives by trial and error
- individual consciousness - one develops a stronger sense of self and ego
- seeker’s consciousness - one asks questions and seeks independence
- intuitive consciousness - one develops the heart and is becoming spiritually aware
- group consciousness - one serves a higher good filling the needs of others
- soul consciousness - one experiences spiritual service.
On which level do you spend most of your time? What are you doing to shift to the next level of being?
There are as many paths to understanding, awareness, peace, freedom, love and meaningful service as there are people. Enjoy your journey!
"Consciousness is not just some by-product of the human brain mass. Consciousness is all pervasive. It is in everything and is everywhere. Your individual human consciousness exists within and is a part of a universal consciousness."-- Delfin Knowledge System
"God acts in history: that is, God provides ideas, methods, and experiences intended to bring comprehension to man, an understanding heart, a conscious life."-- Jacob Needleman
Below are 7 levels of consciousness that clearly outline a path for our evolving consciousness:
- tribal and mass consciousness - one obeys the group and lives by trial and error
- individual consciousness - one develops a stronger sense of self and ego
- seeker’s consciousness - one asks questions and seeks independence
- intuitive consciousness - one develops the heart and is becoming spiritually aware
- group consciousness - one serves a higher good filling the needs of others
- soul consciousness - one experiences spiritual service.
On which level do you spend most of your time? What are you doing to shift to the next level of being?
There are as many paths to understanding, awareness, peace, freedom, love and meaningful service as there are people. Enjoy your journey!
"Consciousness is not just some by-product of the human brain mass. Consciousness is all pervasive. It is in everything and is everywhere. Your individual human consciousness exists within and is a part of a universal consciousness."-- Delfin Knowledge System
"God acts in history: that is, God provides ideas, methods, and experiences intended to bring comprehension to man, an understanding heart, a conscious life."-- Jacob Needleman
Saturday, April 10, 2010
Explore with questions
"The word ‘question’ is derived from the Latin ‘quarrier’ (to seek) which is also the root of ‘quest.’ A creative life is a continued quest, and good questions can be very useful guides. Most useful are open-ended questions; they allow for fresh unanticipated answers to reveal themselves."
-- Source Unknown
Questions hold the power to draw out answers that surprise us. If we are on an inner journey to greater self-knowledge, we must seek to understand unfamiliar parts of ourselves. The most enlightening answers are released by our subconscious minds or by our intuition. Use questions frequently to go exploring.
It has been said that Leonardo da Vinci received much of his information by writing down a question.
Try these out:
- What qualities do you find most attractive in others?
- How do you exhibit those same qualities?
- What is your greatest fear? Why do you fear that?
- What message is your body trying to get through to you?
- What gifts or skills would you take with you into the next dimension?
- If you had a choice what people would you take with you into the next dimension?
- If you had to choose one other person to join with you as one body who would that be?
"If we would have new knowledge, we must get a whole world of new questions."-- Susanne K. Langer
"You don't want a million answers as much as you want a few forever questions." -- Richard Bach
-- Source Unknown
Questions hold the power to draw out answers that surprise us. If we are on an inner journey to greater self-knowledge, we must seek to understand unfamiliar parts of ourselves. The most enlightening answers are released by our subconscious minds or by our intuition. Use questions frequently to go exploring.
It has been said that Leonardo da Vinci received much of his information by writing down a question.
Try these out:
- What qualities do you find most attractive in others?
- How do you exhibit those same qualities?
- What is your greatest fear? Why do you fear that?
- What message is your body trying to get through to you?
- What gifts or skills would you take with you into the next dimension?
- If you had a choice what people would you take with you into the next dimension?
- If you had to choose one other person to join with you as one body who would that be?
"If we would have new knowledge, we must get a whole world of new questions."-- Susanne K. Langer
"You don't want a million answers as much as you want a few forever questions." -- Richard Bach
Friday, April 9, 2010
Apply what you know
"Knowledge of any kind ... brings about a change in awareness from where it is possible to create new realities."-- Deepak Chopra
As we evolve, we handle knowledge in different ways. We tend to move through these stages:
- We are unaware.
- We become aware of facts, data, information.
- We comprehend meaning from the facts.
- We can personally apply the information in our lives.
- We have wisdom - enlightened, we can lovingly apply our knowledge to world affairs.
- We live in truth.
How have you personally experienced a shifting of applying knowledge from one level to the next?
"More important than finding the teacher is finding and following the truth of the teaching...."-- Sogyal Rinpoche
"There can be no knowledge without emotion. We may be aware of a truth, yet until we have felt its force, it is not ours. To the cognition of the brain must be added the experience of the soul."-- Arnold Bennett
On any journey, it is important to know where you have been, where you are now and where you are going.
As we evolve, we handle knowledge in different ways. We tend to move through these stages:
- We are unaware.
- We become aware of facts, data, information.
- We comprehend meaning from the facts.
- We can personally apply the information in our lives.
- We have wisdom - enlightened, we can lovingly apply our knowledge to world affairs.
- We live in truth.
How have you personally experienced a shifting of applying knowledge from one level to the next?
"More important than finding the teacher is finding and following the truth of the teaching...."-- Sogyal Rinpoche
"There can be no knowledge without emotion. We may be aware of a truth, yet until we have felt its force, it is not ours. To the cognition of the brain must be added the experience of the soul."-- Arnold Bennett
On any journey, it is important to know where you have been, where you are now and where you are going.
Wednesday, April 7, 2010
Co-creation starts with imagination
"It is not the answer that enlightens, but the question."
-- Decouvertes
"The man who has no imagination has no wings."
-- Muhammad Ali
Imagination is a tool of the soul. Our imagination gives us the opportunity to 'try on' new qualities and perspectives in our life. Through imagination, we can explore our past, problems, patterns, processes, plans, perceptions, principles, passions and purpose to uncover new possibilities.
Our imagination comes from the soul, subconscious and senses. Only through our imagination can we become multidimensional, experience more love, create more beauty, manifest more results, change our conditions, rewrite the past, and connect with divinity, purpose and others.
"You see things; and you say, 'Why?' But I dream things that never were; and I say, 'Why not?'"
-- George Bernard Shaw
"Reason can answer questions, but imagination has to ask them."
-- Ralph Gerard
Don't avoid the void
"When we feel stuck, going nowhere -- even starting to slip backward -- we may actually be backing up to get a running start."-- Dan Millman
No Ordinary Moments: A Peaceful Warrior's Guide to Daily Life (Millman, Dan)
To change, we must go through a transition zone. It's not easy being in transition. Thoughts, beliefs and habits are all in flux. It can create a sense of groundlessness, of being in a void that can be quite uncomfortable.
When we’re in the void, our first impulse will be to revert to old habits because they feel comfortable. Our goal is to hang in there until the change is complete. Knowing that TRANSITIONS ARE PART OF THE CHANGE PROCESS helps us muster the courage to put up with the discomfort, the uneasiness, the void.
Change requires a letting go of what we’ve always known and done to allow in something new. We need to trust ourselves and higher forces to unfold a new reality for us.
"Every positive change - every jump to a higher level of energy and awareness - involves a rite of passage. Each time to ascend to a higher rung on the ladder of personal evolution, we must go through a period of discomfort, of initiation. I have never found an exception." -- Dan Millman
Understand the workings of consciousness. We don’t change overnight. Personal growth requires persistence.
No Ordinary Moments: A Peaceful Warrior's Guide to Daily Life (Millman, Dan)
To change, we must go through a transition zone. It's not easy being in transition. Thoughts, beliefs and habits are all in flux. It can create a sense of groundlessness, of being in a void that can be quite uncomfortable.
When we’re in the void, our first impulse will be to revert to old habits because they feel comfortable. Our goal is to hang in there until the change is complete. Knowing that TRANSITIONS ARE PART OF THE CHANGE PROCESS helps us muster the courage to put up with the discomfort, the uneasiness, the void.
Change requires a letting go of what we’ve always known and done to allow in something new. We need to trust ourselves and higher forces to unfold a new reality for us.
"Every positive change - every jump to a higher level of energy and awareness - involves a rite of passage. Each time to ascend to a higher rung on the ladder of personal evolution, we must go through a period of discomfort, of initiation. I have never found an exception." -- Dan Millman
Understand the workings of consciousness. We don’t change overnight. Personal growth requires persistence.
Monday, April 5, 2010
Love yourself
"It's surprising how many persons go through life without ever recognizing that their feelings toward other people are largely determined by their feelings toward themselves, and if you're not comfortable within yourself, you can't be comfortable with others."-- Sydney J. Harris
Winners and Losers
"We have the need to be accepted and to be loved by others, but we cannot accept and love ourselves. The more self-love we have, the less we will experience self-abuse. Self-abuse comes from self-rejection, and self-rejection comes from having an image of what it means to be perfect and never measuring up to that ideal. Our image of perfection is the reason we reject ourselves the way we are, and why we don't accept others the way they are."
-- Don Miguel Ruiz
The Voice of Knowledge: A Practical Guide to Inner Peace
"There is no freedom like seeing myself as I am and not losing heart." -- Elizabeth J. Canham
"If we could learn to like ourselves, even a little, maybe our cruelties and angers might melt away."-- John Steinbeck
How do you love yourself. Take a moment to make a list on how you love yourself.
Seek insights
"The ultimate value of life depends upon awareness and the power of contemplation rather than upon mere survival." -- Aristotle
INSIGHTS happen only when we shift to a higher, more inclusive perspective. As we grow in wisdom and experience, we become less attached to the form of reality and more aware of its spiritual side - its qualities, values and meaning. As we get to know ourselves as souls, we begin to let go of the self-consciousness of the ego. This allows us to more effectively include others and work with the whole picture.
When there is more in sight, we get more insights.
Try becoming aware of those times when you focus on differences. At those times, STOP and PAY ATTENTION and IDENTIFY SIMILARITIES INSTEAD. See how all parts fit into a bigger picture. Expand your perspectives. Find common causes, motives and needs. Go to another level of thinking and problem solving. Be open to using more imagination and creativity. Shift your thinking from "either/or" to "both/and" and be prepared for more insights.
"Insight occurs when, and to the degree that, one knows oneself." -- Andrew Schneider
"We are not what we know. We are what we are willing to learn." -- Council on Ideas
INSIGHTS happen only when we shift to a higher, more inclusive perspective. As we grow in wisdom and experience, we become less attached to the form of reality and more aware of its spiritual side - its qualities, values and meaning. As we get to know ourselves as souls, we begin to let go of the self-consciousness of the ego. This allows us to more effectively include others and work with the whole picture.
When there is more in sight, we get more insights.
Try becoming aware of those times when you focus on differences. At those times, STOP and PAY ATTENTION and IDENTIFY SIMILARITIES INSTEAD. See how all parts fit into a bigger picture. Expand your perspectives. Find common causes, motives and needs. Go to another level of thinking and problem solving. Be open to using more imagination and creativity. Shift your thinking from "either/or" to "both/and" and be prepared for more insights.
"Insight occurs when, and to the degree that, one knows oneself." -- Andrew Schneider
"We are not what we know. We are what we are willing to learn." -- Council on Ideas
Saturday, April 3, 2010
Take a Break
"A good rest is half the work." -- Yugoslav Proverb
Strong work ethic? You can still justify taking a break. In fact, we NEED to take breaks -- regularly and frequently. Why? WE WORK MORE EFFECTIVELY WHEN WE DON'T WORK SO MUCH.
Rest periods and vacations break our work routines. They help SHIFT OUR THINKING from its habitual, stuck patterns. They create the SPACE FOR ENERGY AND CREATIVITY to flow. They give us TIME FOR REFLECTION, so we can step back and look at what's happening in our lives with greater detachment. We become more sensitive and aware.
And finally, we are stronger when we BALANCE DOING with BEING. All work and no play throws our life out of balance and endangers our health. Our bodies and minds need sufficient rest for recuperation. This is critically important with the level of stress in our lives these days.
"The time to relax is when you don't have time for it."-- Sidney J. Harris
Strong work ethic? You can still justify taking a break. In fact, we NEED to take breaks -- regularly and frequently. Why? WE WORK MORE EFFECTIVELY WHEN WE DON'T WORK SO MUCH.
Rest periods and vacations break our work routines. They help SHIFT OUR THINKING from its habitual, stuck patterns. They create the SPACE FOR ENERGY AND CREATIVITY to flow. They give us TIME FOR REFLECTION, so we can step back and look at what's happening in our lives with greater detachment. We become more sensitive and aware.
And finally, we are stronger when we BALANCE DOING with BEING. All work and no play throws our life out of balance and endangers our health. Our bodies and minds need sufficient rest for recuperation. This is critically important with the level of stress in our lives these days.
"The time to relax is when you don't have time for it."-- Sidney J. Harris
"I still need more healthy rest in order to work at my best. My health is the main capital I have and I want to administer it intelligently." -- Ernest Hemingway
Friday, April 2, 2010
Love your shadows
"There is that part of ourselves that feels ugly, deformed, unacceptable. That part, above all, we must learn to cherish, embrace, and call by name."
-- Macrina Wiederkehr
Each of us has characteristics we define as ‘good’ and those we define as ‘bad.’ The parts of ourselves that we continually reject want to be acknowledged and loved. Until we honour these aspects, they will continue to assert themselves. They will do whatever they can to get our attention.
What aspects of yourself do you reject?
Take a few moments to open to the parts of yourself that you do not love. See each one honestly for what it is. Explore the wounds and the motives that gave rise to its condition. Love a wounded part of yourself and it will heal.
"...self-contempt never inspires lasting change." -- Jane R. Hirschmann and Carol H. Munter
"The first step toward change is acceptance. Once you accept yourself, you open the door to change. That's all you have to do. Change is not something you do, it's something you allow."-- Will Garcia
-- Macrina Wiederkehr
Each of us has characteristics we define as ‘good’ and those we define as ‘bad.’ The parts of ourselves that we continually reject want to be acknowledged and loved. Until we honour these aspects, they will continue to assert themselves. They will do whatever they can to get our attention.
What aspects of yourself do you reject?
Take a few moments to open to the parts of yourself that you do not love. See each one honestly for what it is. Explore the wounds and the motives that gave rise to its condition. Love a wounded part of yourself and it will heal.
"...self-contempt never inspires lasting change." -- Jane R. Hirschmann and Carol H. Munter
"The first step toward change is acceptance. Once you accept yourself, you open the door to change. That's all you have to do. Change is not something you do, it's something you allow."-- Will Garcia
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