if not now, when?

(photo courtesy david silverline)

As we honor our individual struggles, it's also time to move out of our comfort zones and limited views and reach out to the world, which desperately needs every heart and hand available. we are the ones we've been waiting for.

who am i?

(photo courtesy undy)

Who I AM is defined by how different I AM from everyone else.

spiritual adulthood

(photo courtesy alice popkorn)


The journey from adulthood to spiritual adulthood is the acceptance of the love of self, the acceptance of self, unconditionally.

Spiritual adulthood says that our painful, difficult journeys where in themselves acts of grace.

To become spiritual adults we must make peace with our past and those who betrayed us. And those we have betrayed. Including ourselves.

We must try to see our lives -- not as a series of mistakes, abuses and successes, but as an extraordinary painting made up of extraordinary colors that tell an extraordinary story.

We must accept ourselves as we are.

And we must be willing to love our selves so much that we are willing to let go of all outside forces that judge us and limit us: family, friends, society, our own egos.

We must stop being victims of the outside world.

We must -- ultimately and finally -- come to God/Goddess alone and naked.

There will come a time when we will be able to tell our story to others who have never experienced human life. They will look at us with awe and admiration and they will ask: what is pain?
and we will know.
what is joy?
and we will know.
what is fear?
we will know.
what is grace?
we will know.

We are goddesses and gods who chose to forget in order to explore our own creation from the inside.

We are master artists, each one of us, and in us the Divine delights.

June 19th, 2009

to all this day struggling with more than mortgages and bad press. (and to all those struggling this day with bad press and mortgages as well).


My brother and sisters are one
I am one with them.
I seek to love and not hate.
I seek to serve and not exact due service.
I seek to heal and not hurt.
Let pain bring due reward of light and love.
Let the soul control the outer form,
the life and all events,
and bring to light the love that underlies the happenings of the time.
Let vision come and insight.
Let the future stand revealed.
Let inner union demonstrate and outer cleavages be gone.
Let love prevail.
Let all humanity love.
And so it is.

-- Dwal Kul

born again.....

(photo courtesy mark coldren)


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_EWwzFwUOxA





http://www.fox8.com/wjw-reincarnation-txt,0,1190900.story

Old World vs New World Part 5

(a third, earlier blog perhaps still relevant...)

The Rugged Individual. The Sole Survivor. The Independent.

Actually, there's no such person. Never has been. Never will be. Not possible.

Here I am -- by myself -- writing this post on a computer. On a blog site created by people I'll never meet. Working on said computer built by machines built by thousands of others, invented by hundreds.

Inventors taught by teachers. Teachers taught by other teachers, who studied books written by writers, on paper created by printers, on machines powered by electricity, drawn from power plants, powered by rivers.

I am here in this moment ONLY through the countless contributions of others. The glasses and clothes I wear, the food I eat, the waste I create that is disposed of by the nameless and the faceless.

I have achieved NOTHING by myself. I was helped by cab drivers and merchants and newspaper editors and friends and family and pets and on and on and on and on and on.

If we want to be by ourself, then be by ourself. But don't kid ourself that we're an island unto ourself.

We are here -- each and every one of us -- through the grace and grit of everyone else on the planet.

Look at a grove of Aspen trees sometime. Hundreds of trees standing side-by-side, apart, individual. But look below the soil and you'll find a single root system uniting them all.

So it is with each of us.

Old World vs New World Part 4

(photo courtesy hamed saber)
(a second, earlier blog perhaps worth looking at again...)

In the face of seemingly relentless parades of human and environmental nightmares, it is easy for one person to feel overwhelmed and powerless: What can just one person do in the face of massive global disruptions?

Actually, one person is just about as powerful as you can get; one person with focused intent.

There is the Hebrew saying, To save one person is to save the world. But is that really possible? Or just wishful thinking?

Again, actually, it's true.

We've evolved to think of ourselves as separate from one another and the environment, when the exact opposite is true.

In quantum physics the theory of non-locality suggests that there is no such thing as distance; that at the sub-atomic level and beyond there is, in effect, only one of 'us.'

And if there is only "one of us," and as everything in the universe vibrates, and that higher vibrations transform lower vibrations, then all each one of us has to do is to practice, as the Buddhists say, "right living." That practice raises our vibration, which in turn, is instantly fed into the system of all humanity and the planet, and the universe itself.

Certainly in a material, 3-dimensional world, it helps to get involved in our communities and the world at large, but by also working on ourselves and wishing the best for others, an energy wave resonates outwards in all directions and is received by everyone and everything, instantly.

Also, the interior work we do on ourselves we also do for all others as well, those who don't have the time or inclination or the will. When food goes into the mouth it doesn't just serve the mouth but the entire body. What we do for ourselves, we do for others, whether we know it or not.

Of course, this also means that any negative energy we put out or direct to ourselves, whether in the forms of self-criticism, or guilt, or anger, or shame, also resonates throughout the planet and to each living being on it.

That is the level of our ability.

That is the level of our responsibility.

Old World vs New World Part 3

(This is a blog entry from November '08, but which I felt could be repeated. And my apologies to the photographer, as I have been unable to find an attribution.)

In these challenging times of international monetary and cultural upheaval, it is easy to point fingers and seek (myself included) someone to blame for our troubles.

It is especially easy to blame those who are "truly responsible" for the financial mess, those who made billions by looting companies and then went off on multi-million dollar vacations and extravagant business conferences, while people lost their homes and lifetime savings and retirements and health care.

And what about all those moderate and low-income families who took advantage of the highly risky mortgages, assuming financial responsibilities they (perhaps) knew they couldn't afford. Aren't they guilty as well? Do they deserve to be bailed-out (forgiven)?

Taking for granted that quite possibly all of us at one time or another sought 'something for nothing,' isn't it enough that they are now forced to deal with the loss of their homes and the dislocation of their families? Do we really need to add a punishment as well? Are we that unsympathetic?

It is understandable and very human to seek revenge and punishment.

But it is an old energy for an old world that is dying away.

Judgment and punishment were -- and still are -- the primary energies responsible for the conditions on this planet and throughout history. Because once we've sought and delivered judgment and punishment onto another, we can't stop there. It becomes a virus that must be fed, and then laws and cultures and religions and governments are built on judgment and punishment. These judgments and punishments can be disguised as taxation and justice and god, but at their core they are about power over another. And of course, these same energies then become a part of our individual psychological and moral makeup. And we consciously or unconsciously manifest self-judgment and self-punishment. Which makes it even easier to then judge and punish others, because we recognize it in ourselves, but can't attack ourselves, so we must attack others.

And perhaps this has all been appropriate for our growth as a spiritual species.

But it is not appropriate anymore. Now now. Not in the new world being birthed before our eyes.

The election of Barack Obama is a sign of these new times. His inclusion of past 'enemies' in his administration is a sign of these new times. His insistence on not pointing fingers or blaming others for their past actions is a sign of these coming times.

It is, quite frankly, a sign of Christhood, and Krishna Consciousness and the Buddha Heart and the Great Spirit.

And it is an energy that has always been open to us, but which is now flooding the planet. And it is an energy that has nothing whatsoever to do with religion, which is steeped in judgment and punishment.

As Yeshua is reported to have said from the cross: "Forgive them, for they know not what they do." What he meant is that those who judged him and crucified him were not evil, but had forgotten the truth of who they are and always were: the Divine made manifest. Love made manifest.

It is exceedingly easy -- and feels good -- to blame another, judge and then punish them. In the old world of three-dimensional linear separation, that made perfect sense. It was always us against them.

But in the new, multi-dimensional world of interconnection, who are "us" and who are "them?"

A corporate executive decides -- for purely personal gain -- to rob his own company (though he most certainly has very reasonable reasons for doing it at the time, even if they only make sense to him). People's lives are destroyed. He gets off scott-free. A clear case of a 'bad guy' winning, and one who needs to be punished.

But did he really act alone? Who are his accomplices? An educational system that promoted the one over the many? Laws passed by congressmen and women that allowed his actions? Board members who looked the other way in their own self-interest? Newspapers that didn't report on his actions? People who didn't read the newspapers that did report on it? People who didn't care? People who re-elected the same congress-people? People who cheated others in their own lives and rationalized that this is just the way people are and the way the system works? A culture that rewarded wealth and celebrity at all costs? And on and on.

No one has ever acted alone on this planet. No one ever will. We are all accomplices, whether we like to believe it or not.

And that includes the murderer and the rapist and the genocidal general. Sorry, but that's always been the truth and continues to be the truth.

The most 'evil' people on this planet are a product of the families and the worlds they grew up in. There are, perhaps, those rare and few sociopaths born of genetic and/or birth defects who go on to commit horrendous crimes. But then one could argue that they are not in their 'right mind' and therefore not legally responsible. -- And certainly until the new world is fully birthed we still have to protect ourselves and our families and nations from those who would cause us harm. But in the meantime we can all start practicing a little less judgment and punishment.

"We can't reward those who cause us harm."

The Christ, the Buddha, Krishna would say, "Don't reward them, but also don't judge them and don't punish them. They are not evil. They have only forgotten. As have all of you, at one time or another, whether you choose to believe it or not. And I promise you, you would not like to have your seemingly perfect life judged by another. You would all come up quite short. Luckily, the Divine does not judge and does not punish. It knows you have forgotten. It knows you will eventually remember."

What would happen if we replaced all the prisons with healing centers -- secure ones (this will, after all, take a bit of getting used to for everyone involved).

"Criminals don't deserve to be healed!"

In the new world there are no criminals, only the wounded, who then go out to wound others.

And if we truly want to break the cycle of violence on this planet once and for all, we don't keep perpetuating it through judgment and punishment, which are also forms of violence. We break the cycle with compassion. We break it by placing ourself in the other person's shoes and seeing the world through their eyes. We come to terms with the truth, no matter how difficult, that that person is our brother and our sister. And what we do to them, we do to ourselves. That they have forgotten just as we have forgotten at one time or another. And whether through emotional violence or physical violence, we have all 'killed' someone at some point in our lives. And if not in this life, then most certainly in a past life.

The person who commits the crime, consciously or unconsciously, expects to be judged and punished. That is how they justify their actions to themselves: It's the way the world is. Survival of the fittest.

But what if that person is brought before a jury of their peers and are told: "We do not judge you. We do not condemn you. We shall not punish you. But we will work together to heal the wound that caused this act in the first place, and we will work together to heal the wounds you have in turn inflicted on others." You will have taken away their defense. You will have taken away their excuse. And eventually, you will break open their heart, and in their long-overdo healing, we are all healed just a little bit more.

And truly, we are not healing them, we are only reminding them of who they truly are, and they heal themselves.

And by this example, the entire culture and the entire world is forced to look at itself deeply and gradually to let go of its judgments and resentments and excuses. And the heart of the planet is cracked-open. And violence will go the way of cannibalism and human sacrifice and witch burning.

And we will awake to heaven on earth.

Of our own making.

Born of our remembrance.

Old World vs New World Part 2

(photo courtesy jynmeyer)


In this coming New World, whenever we arrive at a potential personal or business conflict, or when we are confronted by an 'old way of doing business', I offer this surprisingly simply yet extraordinarily powerful request from "A Course In Miracles" to receive guidance on how to live and work gracefully, for the highest good of all, in the new paradigm:


"(My Source, my Highest Self) Help me to see this situation with a new set of eyes. Not with the eyes of fear, but with Your Eyes, with equal love for myself and all others."


...and watch the miracles happen.

the ownership of suffering

(photo courtesy preciouskhyatt)


Suffering is not something to be 'owned' by a person, a cultural/ethnic group, or a society. It is something to be acknowledged, honored -- and then healed. And then released to the personal -- and global -- history books to be learned from.

And moved beyond.

OLD WORLD vs NEW WORLD

(photo courtesy lifehouse design)



Even if it seems an impossible fantasy, we must begin DAILY, moment-to-moment, to visualize what the new world will look like and how we will live within it.

The Mind/Thought -- Heart/Intuition. The mind is fear-based/past-centered and will not serve me in the new world. It can only repeat non-functioning patterns. 'I will go insane.' The heart/intuition exits in the present moment and sees all solutions for the highest good of all. 'It cannot lead me astray. I will dwell in love.'

Fear -- Faith, which is a literal energy and not just a philosophic idea, 'will be me my daily well to draw upon. I must meditate/pray every day, not just because it is emotionally and spiritually healthy, but because it will be the only way to access the new information coming into the new world and into my life.'

Advertising -- Sharing your vision with everyone, everywhere, all the time -- for the highest good of all. Speak your truth.

Competition -- Collaboration; co-creation: we can't do it by ourselves. We've never been able to do it all by ourselves: No person is an island.

Credit -- Trust; everyone honors their commitments. When they are not able to honor those commitments then the agreements are re-negotiated; everything changes, nothing stays the same: "How can I help you to help me?"

Capitalism -- Social/economic contracts for the highest good of all, understanding the Law of Attraction. (see above)

Market Systems -- Barter systems added to the mix; shared wealth.

Taxes -- Everyone -- including ALL corporations -- tithe 10% of every commercial monetary exchange, 5% to the government, 5% to personal causes.

Lawsuits/Contracts -- 'I will not sue you because you will not cheat me.' Honoring you is honoring me. Honoring me is honoring you.

Theft -- 'I trust that there are no accidents. I trust in Universal Balancing. If a material possession is stolen from me and I can't get it back from the person, I will let them have it because they need it more than I do. I trust in Universal Abundance.'

Violence -- Non-violence, compassion, forgiveness. 'To harm you is to harm me.'

Guilt/Shame -- Self-love/Self worth/Personal responsibility. 'To harm me is to harm all.'

Judgment/Criticism -- Non-judgment, non-criticism, understanding; we are all one. No one is perfect and they're not supposed to be. Though each path is unique and perfect in its own way.

Dis-ease -- Health, vitality.