Eye to Eye

The tyrant always talks as if he's preserving the best interests of his people

when he actually acts to undermine them.

Ramman Kenoun

We learn to navigate through human existence via relationships.  Relationships teach us about others as well as about our selves.  Sometimes we are the teacher while other times we are the student.  Either way, we come in contact with those we can trust and those we would have been better off not trusting.  There are lessons in both.

To have a mentor or teacher in our lives is a wonderful experience.  A true leader will encourage us to listen to all wisdom, and to develop a sense of what is true or not true for our selves.  An honest teacher will encourage us to discover our own personal gifts. 

Unfortunately, there are those who sit on their self-imposed pedestal, expecting followers to do just that ... to follow ... not to discover spiritual independence.  My most honorable Reiki Master asked me one time if I knew the definition of the word guru.  I stumbled along trying to use words of wisdom when he laughed.  He said the word guru stood for "gee, you are you!"  He was reminding me we were all equals and we each had something special to teach.    He was the most humble man I have ever personally known. 

So I am suggesting we  honor our own wisdom and never hesitate to question our selves or others.  A true mentor embraces our seeking to help us find our way, and not the mentor's way.  Resources are invaluable, but it is necessary to sit with the information deciding what is true for our selves.  We absorb what resonates for our selves and respectfully leave the rest.

If we find our selves in a situation where some one is restricting our search or limiting our beliefs, we must ask our selves why this could be so.  An excellent question is:  "Is this in my highest 

interest?"  It is discouraging to discover we are being manipulated when we have been open and trusting.  Unfortunately, this sometimes happens.  It is an opportunity to remind our selves to respect our own  insights and to maintain our boundaries. 

I have had the pleasure of experiencing diversified teachers and  I have enjoyed being in the presence of them all.  I must say, however, my favorite ones are not those I had to 'look up to' but rather those who sat with me eye to eye.

Cultivate a Sense of Worthiness

The appearance of things change according to the emotions,

and thus we see magic and beauty in them,

while the magic and beauty are really in ourselves.

Kahlil Gibran

Lebanese Poet and Philosopher

We are all resilient creatures entitled to a life of abundance, creative expression, and good health.  Born into this physical world, we bring unique gifts and talents to be used in carving our imprint upon our own life and the lives of others. 

We are not meant to be the same nor are we meant to be ruthlessly competitive.  In the truest sense of living, we are meant to compliment, encourage and inspire each other.  At times, we are also called to challenge, but never conquer.  Sometimes we are the teacher and often times, the teacher becomes the student.

If the only person we can truly change is our self, we must continue to go within, discovering our connection with Divine Spirit.  Through prayer, meditation or contemplation, we tap into wisdom, insight, and inspiration which encourages personal empowerment ... not a physical power over others, but the essence and the importance of the spiritual abilities we each possess. 

If we do not cultivate a sense of worthiness, we will never be able to make the change we most want to see.  We will continue to have a yearning and a sense of unfulfillment no matter what material accomplishments we achieve. 

By achieving the sense of self-worth, we can slow down and become aware of the beauty we each behold.  Instead of being threatened, we can celebrate the differences between us.  If we open our hearts with compassion, attempt to understand differences between us, and join our efforts towards common goals, our world will be a source of comfort.  Love becomes the bond holding us together.

Savor, Digest, or Destroy

The great end to religious instruction

is not to stamp our minds upon the young,

but to stir up their own.

Not to make them see

with our eyes,

but to look inquiringly

and steadily

with their own.

William Ellry Channing

Eclectic reading presents my mind with a variety of ideas and I have the freedom to pick and choose the information I want to savor, digest, or destroy.  Frequently, I will express my thoughts while working out the facts in my head or waiting for feedback before I make my final decision.

Entertaining my mind with diverse thoughts helps me to continue to stretch and grow.  Expanding my mind enables me

a broader view of things said, accomplished or abandoned.  To remain neutral while accessing information, concepts can be understood without feeling threatened or prejudiced.

The same is true with my heart.  I have had to learn to hold it open not to just those I love.  Compassion and acceptance once established in the mind and heart can greatly add to the learning experience of life.  Our minds and hearts need to remain open.

As an articulate explorer of the written word and human experience, my views perhaps fall from the norm.  My intention is not to make believers out of listeners.  I simply desire to share what I have learned and expect others to embrace whatever resonates within them and to leave the rest.

A dear mentor of mine reminds me, "We have an obligation to speak our truth ... once.  And then let it go."  I write what I hold dear and what happens after that, well ... savor, digest, or destroy!

Slide the Lens ...

 

 

Have you ever wondered why trees

are such a happy lot?

They've mastered patience.

Either that or it's the music they listen to.

THE UNIVERSE

www.tut.com

One day I was so perplexed I decided to take a break and go to my neighborhood park.  I found my favorite thinking bench and watched the water flowing over the well worn rocks in the little stream.  Sorting out my thoughts, I allowed my mind to wander through various scenarios trying to use different perspectives.

I felt very small sitting on the cement bench mulling over what appeared to be large frustrations.  I looked across the stream onto the side of the hill where ancient trees were grouped. Time and nature had taken away much of the dirt exposing the roots that dug deeply into the ground.  This is how I want to be, I thought.  I want to have deep roots so I can securely withstand all kinds of weather.

I removed myself from the park bench and walked several feet down to the bridge leading across the stream.  When I reached the other side, I climbed up the steep hill and wandered through the trees until I found a favorite one.  It had such a demanding presence with its height and enormous canopy of leaves. 

I leaned against the trunk of the tree as I sat amongst the gnarly roots.  I looked back across the stream to where I had just been and from this elevation the bench looked so small.  I felt limitless in the midst of the mighty trees and sitting very still, blended right in.

From my hidden place on the hill, I watched a young couple visit the bench across the way. They talked and laughed totally unaware of my distant presence.  I found myself wondering if this was how Spirit felt watching our daily lives without us being aware.  I felt an immediate shift in what was significant and how I was to proceed.

This experience reminded me how small I could feel when overwhelmed by problems and tried to solve them alone or how balanced I could be if I simply elevated my awareness to include the presence of Spirit.  Life appears through the perspective we decide to use and if we but remember to gently slide the lens, we will discover an expanded view.

Begin a New Day

We embark upon the creation of a peaceful lifestyle by recognizing the need, daily, to cleanse our minds just as we cleanse our bodies. Through morning prayers and meditation, we embark upon the day spiritually prepared.  Without this preparation, we enter the day with yesterday's anxieties  ~  our own and those of millions of others.  

---Marianne Williamson

Each day is a gift, an opportunity to begin anew, and a creation of personal experience.  Our attitude sets the tone for our inner rhythms and for the cadence of those around us.  

We organize household duties, designate responsibilities to others, and keep a running master list of all we have to do.  Even with the very best organizational skills, we frequently omit a beginning ritual.  

Every morning as we open our eyes, we can figuratively open our hearts to another day of compassion and encouragement  for ourselves and others.  We can repeat affirmations or words of thanksgiving for all that we have.  With a grateful heart, we then can begin a new day.

Balance must be consciously planned or time for nurturing and nourishing slips away.  The material world for whatever reason takes precedence over our spiritual awareness and our stress, anxiety, and worries multiply.  

Celebrate the gift of life every morning allowing a sense of excitement for the unfolding of the day.  Embrace the day with wholeness (the blending of spiritual with material) and expect wonderful things! 

Part of the Whole ... Albert Einstein

A human being is a part of the whole called by us

"universe," a part limited in time and space.  He

experiences himself, his thoughts and feelings as

something separated from the rest ---

a kind of optical delusion of his consciousness.

This delusion is a kind of prison for us,

restricting us to our personal desires and to

affection for a few persons nearest to us.

Our task must be to free ourselves from

this prison by widening our circle of

compassion to embrace all living creatures

and the whole of nature in its beauty.

Albert Einstein

It has been said when we are feeling depressed, we need to turn our attention to service of others.  By reaching outside of our own comfort zone, we release some of our own stress and bring compassion to another.

Could life really be that simple?  Rather than building our personal walls of fear to keep people out, we can open our hearts while embracing others with compassion.  Understand that personal boundaries are important, but have we carried this too far?  As a culture have we grown too isolated within our surrounding community?

By connecting with others, we begin to see and feel the spirit of each other learning diversity.  We are not all the same, but we are all worthy of love.  We all want to be heard, loved, and respected.

If we present our self by reflecting our true spirit, others have the opportunity to respond in kind.  Engagement then is readily available.  As we open our self with respect to hear a new message our compassion grows as everyone has a story. 

Granted, there are those who are difficult, who challenge us and who will not engage in loving kindness.  It would not be in our own best interest to subject our self to repeated hurtful situations;  but it is helpful to remember that there have been times in our own lives that we have been difficult as well.  Just as we do not want to be judged, others do not want to be judged either.  Silently offering forgiveness, healing and peace to those who are difficult, we then can return our attention to others wanting to experience healthier encounters.

The emphasis here is to appreciate all peoples.  We are a part of a whole that experiences pain and suffering,  joy and hope, and birth and death.  Let us look into the eyes of each other to discover the spirit residing within hidden by fear of exclusion.



Simplicity, Patience and Compassion

I have just three things to teach:

simplicity, patience, compassion.

These are your greatest treasures.

Compassionate toward yourself,

you reconcile all beings in the world.

Lao-Tzu

Life gets pretty complicated sometimes.  Unresolved issues and uncontrolled emotions spike up the drama in any situation.  If we try to keep things simple, life unfolds not only more naturally, but more meaningful.

Emotions and issues get in the way of our basic love, honor, and respect for each other.  While someone is being rude to us, instead of directing anger towards them, we can extend compassion for we do not know the burdens they are carrying.  We don't need to accept or condone their actions, but if we can mentally extend loving kindness to them, it just might be a turning point in their day. 

Simplicity and compassion requires patience.  We decide to embrace the world as our brothers and sisters, but we will find ourselves immediately tested by the harshness in the world.  At times we can feel like the only spiritual warrior on the playing field.  Maintaining patience, keeping things simple, and extending compassion we will begin to notice a more peaceful nature to our own lives.

"Be the change you want to see," is a beautiful quote and very much to the point.  We must start with ourselves, our own community, and surrounding environment.  When we begin with ourselves, simple, patient, and compassionate, we are role modeling to others.  We can begin a small ripple that just might turn into a wave that could bring cleansing or healing to faces you will never see. 

We are all in this together.  We each play an independent part, but we are all connected.  We can begin together to make this world a peaceful place to be. 

Wholeness For Half?

In exchange for the promise of security, many people put a barrier between themselves and the adventures in consciousness that could put a whole new light on their personal lives.  -June Singer




Alan Cohen, author of A DEEP BREATH OF LIFE, mentions that love songs in our culture keep us small and needy.  They do not celebrate the joining of two complete individuals, but rather a desperate outreach for someone to rescue us from loneliness or some other lost love.  There does not seem to be any recognition of what each evolved person brings to the table, but rather how two individuals are joining in hopes of becoming one.

Alan Cohen shares:

Good relationships are built on two individuals walking side by side to the light.  The other person is not the object of our happiness, but a partner in adventure.  We do not need these other people, but we can certainly enjoy them.  They do not have the power to give or take away our good, but they can add depth, color, beauty, reward, and delight to our life.  We love them not because they rescue us from the abomination we are,  but because they remind us of how beautiful we are. 

Women have the tendency to give too much of themselves away, meeting the needs of many, and ignoring their own personal needs.   It is good to give to others, to reach out and nurture, but we need to be nurtured in return.  If we continue with our out pouring of love and affection without being replenished, we will run dry.

Compromise is certainly a part of the relationship equation, but not if it means that we must reduce our self to being half and not remain whole.  In definition, the word compromise indicates that each side gives way to some extent.  It is in reference to time and space striving for balance, not in jeopardizing our values or character. 

"Perhaps that is why so many of us have had difficulty maintaining our whole self in a relationship, how can we remember who we are when we trade our wholeness for half?" asks Alan Cohen.

Partners in relationship support each other in body, mind, and spirit during good times and challenges.  Genuine interest in each other and each other's endeavors is displayed.  Honest and open communication is present at all times.  As a partner, a contribution is made in laughter, praise, and adventure.  Joined at the hip? No.  Individual interests? Yes.  The presence of respect? Always.  Embracing diversity?  On going.

Relationships are how we learn our lessons.   Whether the relationship is to our self or to others, success depends upon the quality of time and healthy effort invested into the relationship. 

 True friendship can occur only among equals.

Plato