555... A New Dawn Promising CHANGE

After another long absence I am led back to express my thoughts and reconnect. I awoke this morning to the joy of knowledge that our country (US of A) has finally crossed the ultimate barrier, the election of a multi-ethnic person to the highest office in the land. As I glanced at my clock, it read 5:55; this represents great change coming. And so it is. People of all colors in this country can now feel a new hope and can envision the reality of actual change. To me, this election represents the wave of spiritual transformation that is occurring in our world. The MAJORITY of people in our country expressed the desire for change by casting their vote for Mr. Obama, who is an unknown quantity. This represents the faith that folks have in moving beyond business as usual. In effect we are all taking a leap of faith, hoping that true change is embodied in this person. A person who speaks of inclusion, rather than separation and who speaks of hope rather than fear. Now it is up to us to embody the change we wish to see. This election is only the beginning; there is much, much more work left for all of us. This election also represents to me the transformation that is occurring in my life. The release of limitations and and the acceptance of all that is, has been liberating. Life just continues to get amazing. The possibilities are endless when you step into the flow and beyond fear. Living in the now is more than a catch-phrase. It is a way of being, rather than doing. We are so much more than the physical masks we display. I've been rediscovering all that I am. The teachers and teachings that have presented themselves to me in the past few months have been beyond transformative. The essence that we are presents itself when you allow and accept. The path back to yourself is found within. Whatever practice (or not) you choose to follow is perfect as is. The key is to continue to grow and learn; to live life in joy and gratitude. For everything. Just doing that is transformative. I will focus in on some specific info in follow-on posts. Until next time, enjoy the positive energies from this victory over small-mindedness!! Namaste

You can't go back, can you?

After another long break, I'm back. Its not like I haven't had anything to say, but my focus drifted away from sharing in this space. My last entry discussed the challenges in re-entering the 'normal' world and returning to old habits. Rather than rehashing those sentiments, I can pretty much say that it isn't any easier a few months down the road. However, it still remains a matter of perspective. The challenges of remaining conscious in an unconscious world are numerous and I've allowed myself to fall into a few 'traps' of easy living. The really cool thing about this path is everything is as it should be. I'm in the process of following my path and creating these constant lessons; lessons that continue to give and give. I've manifested some pretty amazing experiences in the past few months that have provided me with opportunities for growth. I've come to accept that the universe does not create things for us, but allows us the space (rope) in which to create the experiences we desire (consciously or unconsciously). We definitely get what we ask for. If you're feeling some resistance towards that last statement, you may want to compare your thoughts to what your results are. I have been. I'm on my second trip to France (for work). I've been to an island in the southern Caribbean (San Andres). I moved into a beautiful home. All of this in the space of about 5 months. I am blessed and yet there seems to be a nagging dissatisfaction that lurks beneath the surface. It's more a dissatisfaction with my spiritual growth than anything else. Maybe I'm holding myself to a standard that isn't attainable, but I feel like I can make better choices. The good news is that I acknowledge this is part of the growth process I am apparently trying to speed up. Once you realize that our purpose is to grow and experience, it makes it easier to allow the universe to "bring it on". The Tao Te Ching talks about being like water, just flow and be. When obstacles come your way, flow around, over, through, but follow the path of least resistance. It's much tougher than it sounds when you factor in the tendency to attempt to control things. The only thing we truly control is our perspective. Even our emotions can run rampant, but we do have the capability to control how we perceive a situation and thus change an emotional response. That is one part of living in the now. That truly is all there is. As Eckhart Tolle has beautifully outlined in his book, A New Earth, we have the ability to choose our experience. How you feel governs what that experience is. We create our world one moment at a time. That's all there truly is. So from that context, there really is no going back, is there? Till next time... Namaste.

Reaching for a star

It has been a little over two months since I've last made an entry in this space. Funny how life leads us in unexpected directions when you just allow yourself to flow with the universe. Well, since my last post I've started work at a medical device company, moved into a new place with a friend, and have been re-adjusting to these changes. By re-adjusting I mean I have had to come to grips with my return to the 'normal' world. It is so easy to fall back into old habitual ways of acting. Even though my spiritual perspective has not changed and continues to grow, I am learning how difficult it is to stay focused on every little detail. My how the universe loves to test our resolve! I have found myself putting weight back on without realizing it. Well that's not the correct way to put it... I wasn't paying attention (being conscious) of my actions. It is so easy to indulge in the different temptations that are placed in our path. I've come to realize the awesome lesson being provided to me. We must walk the path of life in conscious awareness of our actions and their effects on us and around us. I went from being broke to having a consistent source of very good income. With that came complacency and a return to some old habits. It has made me realize that even though I continue to grow and strengthen my connection to source, I must also continue to focus on my intentions on all aspects of being. To truly live a harmonious life we need to pay attention to the physical, emotional, financial, mental, and relational aspects of life. James Ray calls this Harmonic Wealth. Being aware isn't as easy as it sounds. The world we live in (here in the US, specifically) is geared to keep us unconscious and in a constant state of fear. We are bombarded with advertising that plays on our emotions. Most everyone we know is plugged-in to the television which is our societies main source of entertainment and information. The airwaves are filled with misinformation of one sort or the other. I've become more aware of the effect this bombardment has on us since I gave up constant television watching over eight months ago. When I do watch tv on occasion, I have a negative reaction to the advertisements and the sentiments being presented. I do follow some television shows online and also sporting events; however, I no longer tie my life to the tube. It is amazing how many people have asked me what I do with my time when I tell them I don't watch tv! Usually that's the first reaction. think about that one. So as a start on working on the mental aspects of Harmonic Wealth, I highly recommend you turn off that idiot box for a week or so. Well going forward I will expand on each aspect as I continue to learn, grow, and remember who I really am. The picture I've included here presents a metaphor for us here. The faint point of light represents the viewpoint of many folks' idea of source. The tree can represent our soul's desire to reach out towards that source. Like the tree, we are growing towards the light. What we don't realize is the light is already around us! We only need to awaken our awareness to understand our roots are in the light and that we are here to remember and experience that aspect of ourselves. My next post will focus on relational aspects of Harmonic Wealth and the challenges I've encountered as I grow this part of my being. Love and light to you as we travel this path of existence. Namaste.

Life Flows On Your Thoughts

How does your life flow? Do you go through life in fits and starts? Does it seem as if you're jumping from one situation into another? We have a tendency to create drama even when there's no call for it. I have found myself, at times, focusing my thoughts on negative outcomes in order to 'be prepared' for that anticipated eventuality. More often than not, that sort of 'preparation' brought about the focused upon outcome. But recently I've been pleasantly surprised by events because of my change in focus. I still will delve into the negative anticipation of an event on occasion, but I no longer maintain focus on the negativity. Instead I channel my focus and energy on the outcome that I desire to experience; I focus on already being in the situation that I desire to be in. Consequently, outcomes have become quite positive and in some cases even unanticipated. This is a testament to the practice of living in the now. I keep reinforcing the fact that FEAR (Future Events Appearing Real) presents an illusion that prevents the creation of the actual outcomes we desire. What we focus on is what we create. Fortunately, creation requires sustained focus. So the occasional negative thought does not necessarily translate into the outcome. However, continued focus on a fear can become a self-fulfilling prophecy. So how do we avoid creating what we don't want? Well, take out the "don't" and focus on the desired outcome. 'Wanting' implies lack and wanting something does not provide anything. It focuses your thoughts on what you do not currently have. Being grateful for what you have now expresses to the universe that you are ready for more to be grateful for. Feeling grateful places you in a positive vibration, whereas wanting is a negative energy that sucks the life out of the present moment. If you're going around constantly thinking about what you don't have, you aren't providing any energy towards attaining the thing you desire. You are only providing energy to the 'want'. Wouldn't you prefer to put your energy to better use? Life definitely flows better when you aren't constantly thinking about all the scenarios that might happen (and haven't).

Gratitude is an Attitude for every day

Thanksgiving Day in the United States is a holiday celebrated by the majority of people in the country. The original intent has been overshadowed by commercialization and modern traditions. However, my intent here is not to rant negatively, but to focus on the Attitude of Gratitude that seems to be celebrated only once a year in this country. We have so much to be thankful for EVERYDAY. A beautiful sunrise. The smile of a friend, spouse, lover, stranger. Friendship. Family. A roof over your head. Running water. Electricity. FREEDOM. Power of choice. It goes on and on and on.... Taking things for granted prevents us from activating the The Law of Gratitude (The more you give, the more you will receive. The more you assist others, the more you will assist yourself. The power of this Law works in your day-to-day life.). It doesn't hurt to take a moment every now and then to reflect and give a silent Thank You for what is transpiring in that moment. When we focus our attention on what we are thankful for, we raise that positive vibration into the universe and are thus helping humanity in general. Quantum Physics has demonstrated to us that what we think and focus on becomes our reality. Maintaining a positive vibration no matter the circumstances in life helps us all; therefore, your gratitude becomes "the gift that keeps on giving". That's easy now, isn't it? So let's keep this attitude going everyday. You have a choice to see things in a different way, no matter what the circumstance. Be thankful for the lesson and the opportunity to learn. We are here to experience life, so let's be thankful and grateful for this wonderful experience. Thank YOU for sharing and being. Namaste.

Mother Nature's Correction in San Diego

I am just now being led back to creating an entry here. It has been difficult to capture all the feelings and thoughts flowing through me during the past couple of weeks. Living in San Diego during the recent Wildfire event has brought many challenges, blessings, and lessons. The initial challenge for me was to "walk the talk" of choice. Choosing to view this occurrence just as it is without judging it was especially difficult during the 24-7 news coverage. For some reason, I have been having resistance to writing in this blog for the past few weeks. The intention has been there, but the desire and energy has not. I have given up on forcing myself to do anything I do not want to do or feel like doing. I haven't tried to understand why I wasn't in the right vibration for communicating in this space; I leave that up to the Divine. The only thing to focus on now is that I AM back to this. So I will attempt to catch-up on the past few weeks and provide some pics that will help to illuminate this part of my journey. This one is of the sunrise (taken from Cowles Mtn) the morning of the 21st (Sunday). The fires would begin this day in the east county area (the mountains you see the sun coming up behind). The Wild Fires occupied attention and focus (and continue to do so) during this time. It is very ironic that my previous post was about resiliency and renewal from the previous fire event (Cedar Fires) that occurred here in 2003. Fortunately my friend's rebuilding efforts were not destroyed as her area was spared this time. That can not be said for quite a few folks in this area. Although the Cedar Fires were the largest in our local history, they had the unintended benefit of reducing the amount of possible damage during this event. Kind of gives a new perspective on fire damage, eh? Not to belittle the trauma that has been caused to many, but the fact is these events DO have a purpose. If we come from a perspective of responsibility, Divine purpose, and non-judgement, we can view this event as an opportunity. An opportunity to express our best selves. An opportunity to learn. An opportunity to be more than how we view ourselves. This is a picture of the sunset Sunday evening (21st), taken from Fiesta Island (Mission Bay area). Smoke from the fires was drifting towards the ocean. At this point the fires were beginning to rage out of control and Mother Nature was exerting her muscles via strong Santa Ana winds (up to 70 mph gusts). Those winds drove the fires through the Rancho Bernado, Rancho Santa Fe, Poway, and Ramona neighborhoods. The scope of the fires hadn't really begun to hit home to those in the immediate San Diego area; people were pretty much going about their daily routines. The evacuation calls would go out this evening as these pics illustrate. We went to bed concerned, but not alarmed, as this is the fire season in SoCal. The media hadn't gotten into the full drumbeat of hysteria as yet. The morning greeted us much differently with constant updates of road closures and mandatory evacuation notices broadcast continuously via the airwaves and internet. The air was acrid and dense with smoke. We had to close up all windows and openings to the outdoors, which emphasized the dire warnings to stay off the roads and indoors. The 24/7 news coverage fanned flames of a different sort as our media types raced each other to bring us the latest information first and best. In fairness to them, I personally believe they provided good service to the area. I was pretty addictive to find out and view the latest images and info as it was presented. I normally don't watch TV, but found myself either in front of it or viewing newscasts online. It did get pretty repetitive after awhile and began to get numbing over time. At home I was safe and relatively unaffected, while other fellow citizens were being evacuated from their homes or were fighting to save them. One of the lessons for me during this time was the fact that the universe decides what/when is good timing. I was in the process of finalizing job prospects between two companies and the outlook was very positive in both cases. I ended-up with offers from both companies, but the fires disrupted what I thought the timing should be. So even though I was being provided with great opportunities, I was reminded emphatically that the timing is not on my schedule. These shots are of the sunset on Tuesday (23rd) taken from Rancho Mission Canyon. The smoke was in full flow and made for interesting colors. At this point I was busy helping manning the phone banks of Volunteer San Diego's disaster response team. I also helped at the Qualcomm evacuation site distributing food to the evacuee's. It was very rewarding to see my community respond to the disaster as it did. We were turning volunteer's and food donations away due to the huge response. It was such a great feeling to be a part of the energy of giving that permeated Qualcomm. VSD's phone lines and website were inundated with prospective volunteers and we were hard-pressed to keep pace. In a sense it is unfortunate that it took a disaster to transform the normally disinterested, self-absorbed SD community into a caring, giving populace. But that's my judgement and something I must let go of. Things finally got back into a slight semblance of control on Friday (26th) as the winds began to shift to a more normal westerly direction. The fires weren't out, but we could sense the change in intensity. We began to think in terms of recovery (and that is ongoing now). People were being allowed back into their neighborhoods to assess damage and recover what was left. The news stories were focusing on the heroics and also some of the negativity began to creep back in; life was getting back to normalcy. The majority of San Diegans were physically unaffected by these events and it was evidenced in the return of normal modes of behavior. The fires would not be officially contained until the 29th. So now the community is in lessons learned mode. The 2003 fire lessons helped us to get through this one in a more effective manner, but there is still much to improve. The VSD Disaster Cadre set-up was a big help and I am very grateful to be a part of it. Being of service is one of the purposes of this life (IMHO). The feelings that I receive from helping are more than enough compensation and fulfill the essence of joy of living. If all of us made the effort to give to one another, what would this world be like? So, I am very thankful for the lessons provided during this time. I am continually amazed by the universe's diverse ways of providing us with experiences to grow from. What a wonderful opportunity we have been given to examine our lives and realize that there is more to it than chasing things external to us. Many folks here have been given the opportunity to see their life in a different manner and to realize what is truly important in their lives. What would you deem important enough to keep if you had to evacuate your home in 15 minutes? Who/what is most important to you? Could you start over now? The universe will test you on that someday.

Resiliency to recreate

I had a chance to spend some time this weekend helping a friend of a friend in rebuilding her home. Her original home had been destroyed in the Cedar fires that ravaged the San Diego County area in 2003. She lives near Julian, CA which is near the Cleveland National Forest and Cuyamaca Rancho State Park. The area where her home is located is beautifully situated (and isolated) among the hills and what used to be forest. Mother Nature is showing her resiliency in the growth that you can see among the burnt tree skeletons that has occurred in the 4 years since the fires.

It was fun and rewarding to be part of a group of people coming together to be of service to a friend. It helped to be in a beautiful, natural, setting even though it drizzled for a good part of the morning. We kept a fire going the whole day from the brush and deadwood that had accumulated and was still available as a result of the fires over 4 years before (irony indeed). Resiliency was a theme that kept recurring during the time spent helping: Carmen's attitude about the fire and rebuilding, the group's attitude about the rain and getting some work done, the way we had to maneuver the pieces of the roof (Quonset hut) and bolt the pieces together, the way the stars finally pierced through the cloudy sky that evening.

That night I literally slept under the stars. Such an amazing and awe-inspiring sight! To see the multitude of light-pinpoints really me in a state of bliss in the realization that we really are part of a special, incredible, creation. No matter what your beliefs, looking at a spectacular night sky has to hit you at an emotional, primordial level. How can one think of him/herself as "special" when confronted with the representations of trillions of energy producing objects in a relatively small slice of viewpoint? It makes you face the infinite creation power of the divine source of it all. And, WE are a part of that source! We all are representatives of that creative power, here to experience all aspects of ourselves.

We experience our own resiliency in many instances throughout our days. Think about it. How many times have you had to 'adapt' to a new situation or circumstance? Did you survive? Learn? Grow? Thrive? Are you the same person you were yesterday? Really? We are in a constant state of change, whether we want to realize it or not. Cells are dying and regenerating within our bodies at a rate that we do not appreciate. That's just physically.... So what is your mental rate of change? Are you stuck or resilient in your ways of thinking?

Namaste