Cleaned Up, Now What?

Photo by v2osk on Unsplash.com

I want to invoke a Wholly Holy Uprising

We stand poised, with the ability to use this teaching and other tools to take ourselves and all of humanity into a new paradigm of consciousness.

• A paradigm of prosperity, happiness, health, and loving relationships
• A model of miracles, aha moments, and infinite possibilities
• A pattern of connection, communion, and joy
• A habit of right thinking and Truth
• A mirror of opulence and opportunities

We are invited every single day to demonstrate all of this and more in our lives, our communities, and the world.

To do so, we must rise up!

Like we rise up for social injustice, we must rise up to a consciousness of equality and unity – Oneness revealing the Divinity within.

Like we rise up to save our family and friends from dangerous conditions, we must rise up to a consciousness of protection, security, and peace.

Like we rise up to move away from addiction and depression, we must rise up to a consciousness of joy.

Like we rise up to move away from negative thinking, we must rise up to this consciousness that we are being supported by Divine Love and the Law of Cause and Effect at all times.

We need not place limits on Spirit, It has none.

Once we have the consciousness of what it is we require and as we align with the great power that created all, we avail ourselves to the infinite possibilities and give ourselves the permission (already granted by the Universe) to put our hands in the biggest cookie jar and pull out all the goodies we can grab – including peace and prosperity for all. Then we can increase the size of the bucket inside our minds knowing that God's bucket is the one we get to fill ours from.

With limitless prosperity available and ready to be served, our mental equivalent is the mirror to our external circumstances. Our inner life, our consciousness, is Truth-based and the experiences imagined, Earth-bound.

We have spent the month decluttering our minds and freeing our hearts and connecting with Divine wisdom from our gut's intuitions. Now it's time we allow it all to flow...getting into the flow of joy 
of our communion with Spirit.

Imagine a garden hose that is attached to a water spigot. The spigot is Source. The water is turned on and is flowing. How much water comes out of the end of that garden hose depends on whether or not the hose is obstructed. The water is flowing fully and yet, at the other end of the hose, water may be dribbling out. Our spiritual work removes the obstructions in the garden hose to allow the full flow of water. 

God is the water that's flowing. The degree to which we experience that flow which is the giving-ness of Spirit in our lives is determined by the degree to which we able that water to flow through unobstructed. Our work, our Word, is “unkinking the hose” so that Spirit can flow through fully.

We don’t need to do anything about the flow of water; that's spigot's on full already. Our job is to allow the water to flow through us.

Let's not be confused or deterred over the appearances we see, but don't want. Let's face the fear. Let's face the disappointment. Let's face the bag of cookies or the next cigarette or drink. Name the condition and then know the Truth of it...

...it's old news

...it's an old story

...it is yesterday's thoughts, opinion, perspective, or perception

The fact is, the energy you invest in knowing, using, and being the Truth -the spiritual practice you invest in speaking, embodying and illuminating the Truth, and the focusing of your mind and heart to the frequency of the Truth- the more yesterday's thoughts and beliefs become neutered, null, and void.
This happens not only in your life, but it also affects all of life.

In this interconnected universe, every improvement we make in our private world improves the world at large for everyone… Simple kindness to one’s self and all that lives is the most powerful transformational force of all.  ~David R. Hawkins, Power vs. Force

According to Hawkins, who was a nationally renowned psychiatrist, physician, researcher, and spiritual teacher, and who calibrated human consciousness from its lowest “vibration” (shame) to its highest (enlightenment), higher consciousness radiates a beneficial and healing effect on the world. Using kinesthetic testing (muscle resistance to a word), Hawkins created a chart to explain, in detail, what the mystics have always known:  love is more powerful than hatred, and the truth sets us free.

The Truth is when you increase your integrity, understanding, and capacity for compassion, you also change the world.

In God-awareness, problems dissolve because there are no “real” problems; in the mind of God, there are only perfect patterns of existence and divine ideas. ~Michael Beckwith, Spiritual Liberation

So, you've been cleaning up all month, all year...now what? What perfect patterns are you creating? Ask yourself:

Are there any areas in my life where I am “playing small” or working patterns of lack?

What limiting beliefs can I let go of to expand my consciousness and fill that bigger bucket?

...our belief sets the limit to our demonstration of a Principle which, of itself, is without limit. It is ready to fill everything, because It is Infinite...It is entirely a question of our own receptivity.   ~Ernest Holmes, Science of Mind

When appearances suggest an absence of the Divine:

1. start decluttering
2. face these appearances with the courage and power that is innate in you
3. neutralize them with conviction, purpose, spiritual practice, therapy, counseling, and/or coaching
4. take action to lessen or remove these appearances' grip on your beliefs and life

I am not asking you to ignore or gloss over genuine issues in your life or the world at large and hide behind platitudes the bypass life until the storms pass. In times of social unrest and personal tragedy, apply the principles of this teaching and all the other philosophical and psychological tools there are to find what is yours to do.

I am invoking a Wholly Holy Uprising

Using the principles of Oneness, love, joy, and Truth, we allow any uncomfortable topics, situations, and stories to help us deepen our spiritual practices, grow our compassion, and take divinely inspired action to transcend, transform and inspire our best life!

So, cleaned up – now what?

Live an absolutely fabulous, opulent, and love-filled life

...that's what!

Affirmative Incantion

I have a big intelligence system: my mind

I have a big feeling system: my heart

I have a big wisdom system: my gut

This Divine Matrix is abundant with all the tools, ideas, feelings, imagination, and power I require to live my life fabulously. I have decluttered my world and exclusively energize thoughts of prosperity, vitality, and love. I am relishing this miracle called ME!

Letting Go of Yesterday

Every night I lie in bed

The brightest colours fill my head

A million dreams are keeping me awake

I think of what the world could be

A vision of the one I see

A million dreams is all it's gonna take

A million dreams for the world we're gonna make

      ~Benj Pasek and Justin Paul, "A Million Dreams" from The Greatest Showman 

I wanted to remind you of a few things about your yesterdays. This isn't to get you off the hook of the work of acknowledging, releasing, and letting go of the old stories that are cluttering your consciousness and getting in the way of manifesting your dreams. Our past experiences, stories, yesterdays can have a significant impact on our beliefs, and many times we don't even realize it's happening. Sometimes we have to dive deep to even realize they are there just so we can acknowledge them, even before we face them, forgive them, neutralize them, release them, and replace them.

I've talked about radical self-forgiveness that has nothing to do with the other party. And even if it does have something to do with another person - as Oscar Wilde said:

Always forgive your enemies—nothing annoys them so much.

I've given you the tool called PLACE (see "What's Your Response?"):  Pause, Label, Ask, Choose, Express. So you respond vs. react to situations because reactions come from yesterday's stories.

There's the 4-step shame and regret process I shared (see "What Are You Looking At?")to get squeaky clean with our ethics and integrity and neutralize the power yesterday's story has a hold on us.

Or you could follow Tony Robbins' (and others) advice to:

1. Turn "letting go" of the past into a “must”

Gaining a clear sense of purpose to move beyond the hold of yesterday and serve as your emotional drive when you feel like raging, hiding, etc. 

2. Identify your emotional habits

Emotions are like a muscle. The trauma or challenging incident can train us to feel frustrated, sad, stressed, untrusting. However, you can train yourself to stay passionate, joyful, and strong, even when something bad happens in your life or reminds you of your yesterdays. When you catch yourself falling into a negative emotional habit, try to cut off the thought and switch gears immediately. This new conditioning will re-wire those emotions to have less or no effect as a trigger.

3. Condition your mind and work on personal growth

Feed your mind and soul with empowering stories instead of limiting ones.  Surround yourself with people who make you better and put yourself in a peak state of mind and action. Focus on learning and improving your mind and heart, and thus your self-respect and perception.

4. Create empowering rituals

Build momentum by practicing gratitude, meditation, affirmative prayer, journaling, etc. All the spiritual practices we talk about and work.

5. Focus on what you can control

You can’t take back an unhealthy relationship, but you can learn from it. You can’t go back in time and fix a bad childhood, but you can realize that “Your past does not equal your future.” From the minute you wake up, you make choices. In fact, that could be your greatest birthrights - volition and choice. Learning how to let go of the past means breaking the pattern and focusing on creating the life you deserve, not dwelling on the one you used to have.

7. Give back

No matter how broke you may be or how broken you feel, you have something to offer others – even if it’s something as common as a smile or a listening ear. Realize that the secret to living is giving.

Not a Tony Robbins or NLP fan? Alice Morse Earle put it very plainly in the early 1900s:

Yesterday is history, tomorrow is a mystery, and today is a gift. That’s why we call it the present. 

Here is the most important thing happening in the present that I want you to grasp onto, awaken to and allow Its transformative abilities to take hold:

If God is all there is, then EVERYTHING in our life is God speaking.

Doubt, pain, resistance, and misery are a calling for reconnecting our humanness with our spiritual essence.  It holds no judgment or opinion of the experience! When you begin to see yesterdays that pop up in our 'todays' as a blessing, you tap into an opportunity to remember the fundamental truth that God is all-in in your life and ready to wave the flag and hold your hand, if need be, and point us to the Truth to:

REALIZE  ACCEPT  KNOW

• Realize your feelings are valid
• Accept that God has given you all that is needed to step through yesterday's junk
• Know you have the power of choosing and then choosing again and again and again

I would like to conclude with a poem I heard about and found on this subject.

She Let Go

by Safire Rose

She let go.

She let go. Without a thought or a word, she let go.

She let go of the fear.

She let go of the judgments.

She let go of the confluence of opinions swarming around her head.

She let go of the committee of indecision within her.

She let go of all the ‘right’ reasons.

Wholly and completely, without hesitation or worry, she just let go.

She didn’t ask anyone for advice.

She didn’t read a book on how to let go.

She didn’t search the scriptures.

She just let go.

She let go of all of the memories that held her back.

She let go of all of the anxiety that kept her from moving forward.

She let go of the planning and all of the calculations about how to do it just right.

She didn’t promise to let go.

She didn’t journal about it.

She didn’t write the projected date in her Day-Timer.

She made no public announcement and put no ad in the paper.

She didn’t check the weather report or read her daily horoscope.

She just let go.

She didn’t analyze whether she should let go.

She didn’t call her friends to discuss the matter.

She didn’t do a five-step Spiritual Mind Treatment.

She didn’t call the prayer line.

She didn’t utter one word.

She just let go.

No one was around when it happened.

There was no applause or congratulations.

No one thanked her or praised her.

No one noticed a thing.

Like a leaf falling from a tree, she just let go.

There was no effort.

There was no struggle.

It wasn’t good and it wasn’t bad.

It was what it was, and it is just that.

In the space of letting go, she let it all be.

A small smile came over her face.

A light breeze blew through her.

And the sun and the moon shone forevermore…

You will probably face setbacks and challenges, I have. But with conviction and a purpose that drives you, you will stay focused and dedicated when those yesterdays show up. Then you can acknowledge, release, and let go. Don’t beat yourself up for what has happened in the past - all god's children's got stuff. Beyond your own self-work, please seek out spiritual counseling - I do, cognitive therapy - I have, and know that you can and will let go of your yesterdays and manifest your million dreams.

I know you can!

p.s. I am available for spiritual counseling. Contact my office at ntsc@newthoughtsc.org

Peace and blessings to you!

Affirmative Incantation

I welcome my new stories. 

My todays are filled with wonderment, excitement, imagination, and the best of infinite possibilities. I am moving forward with everything in my life. I am energized, authorized, crystallized, concretized, exercised, harmonized, and recognized as the Divine Light that I Am born to be.

I now forgive, release, and neutralize the blocks, triggers, and walls of indecision, victimhood, and strife. And I welcome the new stories of strength, wisdom, plenty, and love. I am rockin' it from this day forward.

Losing My To-Do List

Are you a list person? 

Do you get a thrill when you look at a long page full of activities and tasks that you plan to accomplish? 

Are they categorized, color-coded with little boxes drawn beside each one so you can check them off? Or maybe you highlight them or cross them out as you complete them.

At the end of a productive day, do you smile at your accomplished long list, seeing it as a trophy or a badge of honor, knowing you had done well?

How long do you spend making that list you may or may not complete? And if you don't get through it, is there a roll-over and a bit of depression – not a fun day, huh?

I am here to advise you to throw away your to-do lists. I know, I know....it's a time management thing. And I get it, you want to make sure things get done you might forget about. I also understand the intention to have productivity, making sure tasks don't get lost in the shuffle. However, lists and deadlines can also be potent procrastination tools and act as an addiction.

The satisfaction of ticking off a small task is linked with a flood of dopamine. Each time your brain gets a whiff of this rewarding neurotransmitter, it will want you to repeat the associated behavior.  ~Ralph Ryback, Psychology Today

It's like sugar, an almost never-ending merry-go-round of ups and downs in mood, a cycle of reward and emptiness. 

Too many times we crave another feel-good moment, our brains often encourage us to complete a low-level task instead of something that really matters, just to get more dopamine and a false sense of joy and satisfaction. Too often we are avoiding the projects that are often the true game-changers. 

I have post-it notes on my computer and hard copy ones on my desk, and I get quite a thrill in their completion, especially the crumbling it up to toss it in the trash can or deleting it from my computer screen.

It’s not that keeping a list of things that you need to get done is a bad idea. It’s the fact that people run their days on their to-do lists. That’s what’s very harmful.  ~Nir Eyal, behavior design/productivity expert

Experiencing flow in your day-to-day work, no matter what that particular day is like, is an integral component of creativity and mental/physical health. And surrendering to the moment will usually boost innovation, meaning, engagement, and productivity. 

As we declutter this month, I want to encourage something more important than doing...and that is being...getting into the flow of our highest state of mind, beginning our day, not with lists, but with listening. In the blog The Blissful Mind, Catherine Beard ends her article on HOW TO ORGANIZE & DECLUTTER YOUR TO-DO LIST with this recap:

When it comes to your never-ending to-do list, stick with the three principles:

Get it out of your head

Let go of “should-s”

Prioritize mindfully

Ph.D. Christi Hegstad, a member of the Forbes Coaches Council,  agrees in her article, “The Productive Power of Your Daily Top 3”:  prioritize

Getting out of your head is probably the best priority to get things done, manifest your best experiences, and get in the flow of successful living. When we prioritize focusing on the now, distractions are minimized and flow is optimized. In the Mahabharata, there is a story about Master Dronacharya teaching archery to his many students.

Dronacharya hung a wooded crow, from a tree branch and then summoned his students. Telling the students they were to hit the arrow in the crow's eye, he lined them up and told them they must answer a question before firing. 

First, Duryodhana took up his stance. “What can you see?” asked Dronacharya. The student says "I see the bird, the garden, the tree, the flowers, everything!" The teacher told him to put his bow down and step aside. 

The next student, Yudhishtra, stepped up, but his answers were similar, "I see the air and leaves blowing in the wind."  Dronacharya told the student that he too must put his bow down and go back to his place. 

On and on the master teacher asked the same question to the other students, most giving the same or similar answer. Some added that they could see the teacher, their cousins, and people standing around. None were allowed to continue, they were all sent back to their place without being allowed to shoot. Even Dronacharya’s son, could not understand what his father wanted. Finally, Arjuna was the only one left.

Dronacharya asked Arjuna to come up and take his stance. When Arjuna picked up his bow, set the arrow, and drew the string, his teacher asked, “What do you see?”

Arjuna replied, “The eye of the bird.”

“Can you see the tree?” asked Dronacharya.

“No, only the eye of the bird,” was the answer. Dronacharya then went through a list: tree, bark, leaves, flowers, fruits, his brothers, cousins, even the teacher himself.

To everything Arjuna’s answer was the same: “No, I can only see the eye of the bird.” With a smile, Guru Dronacharya gave him the order,  "Release your bow."  Arjuna released the arrow and it sped straight to the target and the bird came tumbling down. Dronacharya embraced the boy and then told the others, “When you want to achieve something, you must focus on it. Closeout all other distractions and concentrate only on your target.”

What is your target?

Is it the things on the list or the list itself?

Or is it what the list represents?

In order to declutter a life of doing, we must focus on being who we are, what is our purpose, and what is our intention. Consider DCCAR.

• Decide what your priorities are. The priorities of your heart and soul, not your mind's goals or lists
• Calm your mind down. Teach it to follow instead of lead and put the Divine Matrix in play.
• Connect with, listen to, and trust your Higher Self .
• Act on the Guidance from your Higher Self.
• Relax and allow what you desire to come to you, to reveal itself to you.

When we begin our day focused on intention and purpose rather than tasks and lists, we get ourselves in the flow of being rather than doing.

To be is to do.  ~Socrates

Being is what we want our focus to lie so that the doing –the bird in the tree- is easily accomplished because it is what is in our sights. In the 47th chapter of the Tao te Ching, it teaches:

Without going out the door, know the world

Without peering out the window, see the Way of Heaven

The farther one goes, the less one knows.

Therefore the sage

Knows without traveling,

Sees without looking,

And achieves without acting, doing, or striving.

 

You don't have to go to the holy land to become enlightened or use a to-do list to become successful

You don't have to look outside of yourself for accomplishments and wisdom - it is all within

Before you go anywhere or look at anything, complete the connection to your True Self in your heart, gut, and brain, without acting...just being. With that as your focus, all else will fall into place.

Affirmative Incantation

Since I am free to choose and create every experience of my life, I now awaken the power to stand on my own, no matter what. I bravely step into any wilderness knowing I am supported by the Universe, directed by Divine Wisdom and enveloped in the hands of grace. My heart is profoundly marked by the wild and I love that I am bold, brave, and ready to succeed. I think only of all the great things that will happen on this road.

As I lay out my blueprint, I vibrate energetically that things are going perfectly where they need to go for me to be abundantly prosperous. I have changed my standard to excellence. Excellence is my watchword in the kindness and respect around me, and the creativity and health in me. The power of my word is clear which makes only good manifest. It is done, right here....right now!

Let's Get Some Joy

Reflections on Easter 2021:

Stepping into the unknown, the silence, we get on the path less traveled, the road not always taken - to paraphrase Robert Frost. In our year of Awakening, we have stepped into believing It and loving It. Then we observed It, and now it's time to Declutter It...with joy.

We believe in the eternality, the immortality, and the continuity of the individual soul forever expanding.

We believe that we experience this expansion to the degree that we become conscious of it, awakening to it wisdom and allowing ourselves to be free from discord of every nature. And if we step away from that awareness, it's always there to resurrect Itself in our lives. 

Easter celebrates the presence, power, love, and wisdom of one who believed this. He is called the great exception, Yeshua ben Yosef (Joshua son of Joseph - a common name for the times). He grew up to become a radical evolutionary who dared go against the grain of the Jewish religion and establishment

In Matthew 5:17, Yeshua was quoted as saying, 

Don’t misunderstand why I have come. I did not come to abolish the law of Moses or the writings of the prophets. No, I came to accomplish their purpose.

Did he walk on water? I don't know.

Did he raise Lazarus from the dead? I don't know.

Did he heal the sick and diseased and multiply the loaves and fishes? I don't know and I don't really care....at least it doesn't matter to me in order to appreciate him. What matters is the lessons the Gospels spoke about that came from him. All the Gospels, not just the New Testament.

Here's a guy who taught joy. To me, joy is not about happiness, which is a state of mind, a mood that comes and goes per an experience or the anticipation of an experience. Joy is a state of belief and being. Joy is found in a deep connection to God, the true source and substance of the experiences you may or may not be happy about. This man called Jesus lived his life...on purpose and in joy.

Who was this long-haired Jew that most of the world commemorates on Easter? And why is the story of this simple guy is so important as an example to us all? Yeshua was:

• A Way Shower living a life teaching what Ezekial spoke of in 36:26:  A new heart will I give you, a new spirit will I put within you, and I will remove the heart of stone out of your flesh, and I will give you a heart of flesh. Which means a consciousness full of feeling, in rhythm with and vibrating at the speed of the Divine.
• A radical nonviolent revolutionary who hung out with lepers, prostitutes, rich man, poor man, young and old.
• Forgiveness was his game and he taught us to forgive 70 times 7, as often and as long as it takes to reach the resurrection of the daily use of our highest self. 
• A brown-skinned middle-eastern Jew that didn't speak English, Greek, or Latin.
• A homeless community organizer.
• A healer that never asked for a co-pay, only that you believed in your healing.

He didn't teach:

• Against birth control or abortion
• The death penalty or torture as being acceptable
• Baptism - see John 4
• Holy Communion as a sacred ritual
• Anything about sexuality
• Wealth made you a more successful person or lack of wealth made you a less successful person
• The concept of hell or that heaven was an afterlife location or somewhere out beyond the skies
• The concept of Original Sin, nor did he speak of man’s fall from God’s Grace. 

He DID teach:

• Oneness - respect for each other, no matter the social standing.
• Love was the only way.
• Purifying the soul was capable through forgiveness.
• That the Power and Presence of the Divine is within:  The Kingdom of God is within you.  ~Luke 18:21
• Manifesting was through belief or faith or consciousness (right thinking or righteousness), and the power of our perceptions is key to our life's experiences:  Your Faith has healed you... and If you have Faith the size of a mustard seed... and Let it be to you according to your Belief... ~Luke 17:19, Mark 5:34, Matthew 17:20, Matthew 9:29
• You speak a gospel (a joyous word) when you pray, revealing the Divine Council which is available at all times.  ~Matthew 6:9-13 and Luke 11:2-4 (Lord's Prayer)
• God is like a beloved parent, the ever-present counsel that created all and is in all and does the heavy-lifting, through the Law of Cause and Effect.  ~Matthew 6:9-13 and Luke 11:2-4 (Lord's Prayer)
• Prayer is a personal communion between oneself and the Divine:  Go into your inner room and lock the door... and ...do not pray to be seen or that others can hear…  ~Matthew 6:5-6
• The Divine Light and the Inner Light are the same: You are the Light of the World …give light to all who are in the house! and Let your Light so shine before men that they may see your good works. ~Matthew 5:14 – 16 (also in “Godspell”)
• Non-Judgment, Nonresistance, Detachment & Release in The Parables of the Rich Man & Young Man & The Parable of the Woman caught in adultery & the Pharisees in the Temple.
• The Laws of Abundance:  I have come that you might have life and have it more abundantly. ~John 10:10
• The way of overcoming obstacles is through surrendering to a Higher Power which comes through communing with our Highest Self.

...Jesus’s many parables of the Kingdom ...lean heavily on the language of growth and development. His common metaphors for growth are the seed, the growing ear of corn, weeds and wheat growing together, and the rising of yeast. His parable of the “reign of God” are …about finding, discovering, being surprised, experiencing reversals of expectations, changing roles and status. None of these notions are static; they are always about something new and good coming into being.  ~Richard Rohr, Universal Christ 

Let the evil pass over you by sacrificing your lack and limitation, hate and judgment, and have an exodus from that kind of bondage. Elaine Pagels reminds us that...

...the Gospel of Thomas talks about how you must go in a sort of a spiritual quest of your own to discover who you are, and to discover really that you are the child of God just like Jesus.

You are the child of God...

- a perfect idea to blossom this Spring - 

...the Light of the world

Actively resurrect your greatest self by tapping into the Truth every day and take action on what you hear in the silence. Let's get some joy by communing with our innermost and highest Light. And not only know our Truth but live it!

...just like Yeshua taught!

Affirmative Incantation

As I observe the Power and Presence that is within, I focus on Its unconditional love and tap into Its infinite wisdom. I look at the world through my Divine Matrix, melding the intelligence, feelings, and inspiration that await me.

I look at my world as one in unity with all Nature, expecting kindness, respect, and love to illuminate every experience. My responses are heartfelt, thoughtful, and speak only to my values and purpose.

It is now that I heed the call to commune with the Universe and activate my highest self. I embrace this joyous transformation and allow me to enter the land of milk and honey, abundant with prosperity in all facets of this creative life.

SEEN IT, HEARD IT, BEEN THERE... NOW WHAT?

Reflections on this Spring's Holy Week

Just 8 days into Spring and we're entering one heck of a holy week:

• Last Saturday was Nowruz (No-Rooz) - the Persian new year celebration
• And we wished a good journey from suffering into enlightenment for the Buddhists on Higan
• And also Ostara was celebrated - the Norse Goddess 6-day spring harvest fest
• Pesach Semeach to all my mishpocha -  started last night (Happy Passover)
• Tonight is the first full moon of Spring - it is referred to as the Worm Moon, Crust Moon, or Sugar Moon, depending on your tribe.
• Maundy Thursday commemorates the Last Supper
• Good Friday is on the 2nd - a not so good for one guy 2000 years ago
• Followed by Holy, Black, or Glorious Saturday, depending on where you're from, which is the prep day for next Sunday – Easter!
• Passover retells the story of the Exodus, which is the basis of the Passover holiday. At the dinner (seder), the youngest of the family asks the four questions, basically inquiring what's so special about this holiday. 

You're probably thinking:  Seen it, heard it, been there.....Now What? Today I want to talk about the Now What.

The dream not interpreted is like a letter from God not read.  ~The Talmud 

So, imagine with me – step into the dream of the Hebrews of 3300 years ago...

...please listen with your mind and absorb with your heart:

There was once an orphan, a husband, father of two, shepherd, defector, murderer, and possibly a stutterer named Moses (= out of water).

On a Thursday afternoon, Moses was taking his flock of sheep for a walk in the desert, when suddenly he came upon this bush on fire – a burning bush, you might say. In fact, it was a talking burning bush that insisted you take your sandals off on its property. 

This flaming bush told our hero, “look, I see what’s happening to the people, the Hebrews. I don’t like it and I need you to fix it. Go tell the Pharaoh, ‘let my people go!’” 

Well, Moses freaked – this was a task that was definitely out of his comfort zone. “Nobody is gonna believe me.” he told the fiery bramble, “Who could I possibly say sent me to insist on such a thing from Pharaoh?” 

And the bush said, in a very commanding voice, I might say, “tell them ehyeh asher ehyeh, I AM that I AM, sent you.” 

Basically, Spirit was saying, “I see what’s going on, I’m not here to magically fix your problems for you, but I am totally here to support you with all the Power you need. Go get 'em, tiger!” 

Nonetheless, our hero was still in doubt, not believing the Universe had his back. 

Who hasn’t felt that at times? You see a burning bush, it talks to you, you don’t believe it. ”It's not possible, that's not how the Universe is going to converse with me.”   Anyway...

Moses says, “Have you met this guy? Pharaoh is not gonna care that “I AM that I Am” sent me to tell him to ‘let my people go.’ Come on now!” 

“Well, doh-doh head,” replied the bush, “you don’t actually say it, you know it and thus show it. At least act as if, Moz. Jeez!” 

Then the Infinite Being showed Moses a few talents that he didn’t know he had at his disposal,  to prove that the Divine was within him and that he could confidently be a representative of that Power. In this case, it was the stick into a serpent trick….very impressive - great with the ladies. 

Still not convinced though, our little 80-year-old rascal brought up another one of his limiting beliefs, thinking it surely is a detriment to this whole affair....his speech impediment. 

“Look,” said the bush, “have a little faith, dude. I am giving you this job because of that. If I sent some big handsome guy like…Charlton Heston, everyone would be wowed. But it's better that they are wowed by the energy of my Presence in you. Moses, you are a unique expression of me! I created you and will always be there for you – in you. Remember, ‘just call my name and I’ll be there’.  Still, Moses wasn’t convinced.

Have you ever had that? In retrospect, can you see the signs from the Universe showing you the next step on your journey and you didn’t listen? I know I have.

So, the Universe, in its Cause and Effect splendor, says, “Geez, okay, it doesn't matter to me so if you want to do it the hard way, great... fine, believe whatever you want. Think it's practically impossible? Well, then I'll just harden Pharaoh’s heart and make it that much more difficult for you. You ask you get. Go, have a blast, be happy and get your people free.”  

The lesson here is if you think something is going to be difficult, the Universe is happy to oblige your limiting belief. That’s how the Law works. However, as Rumi reminds us:  “The inspiration you seek is already within you. Be silent and listen.” Continuing with the rest of the tale: 

Moshe goes to Egypt, gets an audience with the Pharaoh who says no, no, and no again, over and over and over. He wasn't impressed by the stick to serpent thing. Even Moz's brother Aaron, a good speaker, wasn't any help. Then, the ten plagues.

It's important to note:  The Hebrews were in bondage, not just physically, but emotionally and spiritually. They accepted their strife was their truth and not just a fact about their present circumstances, thus making it harder for them, and many of us in a similar limited belief, to leave this constricted place, which in our story is Egypt. They weren’t getting It - they were the Power, the boss, the Pharaoh of their experience. With the Hebrew's perspective on life, they gave that Power away. 

So after the first nine plagues; oi, what a mess – bloody Nile River (probably red algae), frogs, lice, flies, dead livestock (a spreading virus), boils (a smallpox pandemic?), fiery hail (volcanic eruption anyone?), locusts (ash fallout = higher precipitations and humidity = locusts), and 3-day long darkness (the eclipse of 1223 B.C., maybe?) - it was time for number ten, the big kahuna, which is where the holiday gets its name...the killing of the firstborn Egyptian sons. Except the Angel of Death passed over the houses where lamb or goat's blood was splashed on the sides and tops of the door-frames (there were other preparatory rules, but that was the last step). Only the Hebrews knew about this, so that did the trick and Pharaoh told the Hebrews to hit the road.

And that brings us to the big segment of the tale where we have the parting of the Red Sea. So these millions of people who have been in bondage for 430 years…

Doesn’t some of your limiting beliefs seem like they have been around that long? Anyway...

…they've come all this way, out of bondage, out of slavery, out of misery, survived the plagues, and finally on their way to the Promised Land. And suddenly they hit a wall…a wall of water:  impassable, wide, and they didn't have any boats…

Scouts warned that the Pharaoh and his army (i.e. the Hebrews past B.S.) were on their tails. And what do the Hebrews do? …they plead for help. They whine and bitch & moan & cry about the obstacle, the setback... 

They are still in the mindset that there is always something in the way and, of course, boom, it shows up ...from both ends. They are not sitting in the Truth. Like the old joke, "I sent you a boat, a helicopter..." Here is an opportunity for growth and progress and leaping past previous junk thinking by connecting with the Divine within and transcending into declaring and revealing, with gratitude and acceptance for what is to be and they just piss and moan and forget who they truly are.

But Moses, the activist, steps up. He’s pretty confident now. He evolved by involving – reaching out with the Power of Divine Intelligence, the Creative Loving Energy of the Universe – the I Am that I AM – that is within him.

He stretched out his hands and the sea went back by a strong east wind all that night and made the sea into dry land. The Red Sea parted, allowing the Hebrews to move forward on their journey to their greatness, and leaving behind – eventually drowned, dead, and buried – a huge chunk of their limiting beliefs and old stories called Pharoah and the Egyptian army.

That is only the beginning. There's still the whole wandering in the desert, the Ten Commandments, the other Burning Bush convo, the golden calf, etc. - you can watch the movie.

All spiritual growth, 100 percent of it, is about releasing or eliminating rather than attaining something, because we’re already it spiritually.  ~Rev. Dr. Michael Beckwith

You know what you're looking from - your Divine Matrix – week one.

And what you're looking at - the essence of the Divine in all – week two.

When you ask the right questions to get the best answers and you've learned to respond instead of reacting to situations at hand – week three.

We cannot solve a problem at the same level of consciousness that created it. Like Moses and the Hebrew people, we are being called to a higher level of consciousness to go beyond our head and tap into the Infinite nature of Spirit's wisdom and align ourselves with our divine purpose. It takes commitment and the willingness to do the spiritual work to release and replace that which does not serve the Highest Idea of ourselves, allowing and embracing the new ways which unfold organically through Divine Wisdom. 

Don’t allow yourself to become bitter because of the past and harden your heart like Pharaoh. Be an activist, like Moses. Despite your upbringing, checkbook, education, your stories,  and despite your willfulness or whatever you allow to get in your way, activate your communion with the Universe and activate the highest ideas into your belief.

          

We are taking, I trust, a vision… something beyond a hope and a longing, that the living Spirit shall through us walk anew into Its own creation and a new glory come with the dawn.   ~Ernest Holmes, The Sermon By The Sea, Aug 15, 1959

Live the Truth of your Divine birthright and free yourself, like the children of Israel, of the bondage of limited consciousness. Enter your land of milk and honey.

All are welcome!

Affirmative Incantation 

Today, I arise to the awakening of my Divine Intelligence, removing all blocks to my success. I enter the city of peace within me and behold God’s grace unfolding in and as my life. Taking dominion over my thoughts and feelings, I clean the temple of my mind, persistently purifying, attuning, and expanding myself to the Highest ideas.

All is in Divine Order, so I know that no situation, circumstance, or external authority has any power over me. Everything I see and hear this week is constructive, inspiring, and useful. I ascend into my most opulent ways, approaching everything illuminated with the Presence of love wisdom, and compassion.

What's Your Response?

Three men are traveling on a ship when they are accosted by the Devil. The Devil proposes that if each man drops something into the sea and he cannot find it, he will be that man's slave. If the Devil does find it, however, he will eat that man up. 

The first man reacts by immediately slipping off his Rolex watch and dropping in the ocean, confident of his choice. Poof, he disappears, eaten by Satan. The second man quickly drops a pure, clear diamond into the ocean, sure this cannot be found; and poof, he's gone, eaten up by the evil horned essence. 

The third man, not one to react quickly, thinks a moment, contemplating the situation and his life. He then fills a bottle with water and calmly pours it into the sea. Smiling, he turns to the Devil and says, “Try finding that!" 

Did you ever wish you would have responded versus reacted to a situation, comment, or condition? Or be able to take back the snark or yell or cursing or worse? Some people think that the words "react" and "respond" are synonyms, but to me, they are practically antonyms.

When I react to something, it's instantaneous, without thought, usually driven by lingering biases or fueled by some defense mechanism projecting my old stories or insecurities. It is subconsciously full of blame and I end up taking it out on the other person. This reaction has some unconscious survival theme to it using words or actions I come to regret.

A reaction usually comes from a short-sighted, sometimes aggressive, or out-of-control impulse. We might freeze, flinch, run away, or even want to physically fight someone - i.e. a Fight or Flight Reaction! Our stress is high, cortisol is running rampant, and you might shake or sweat as your hackles are up. You may have been triggered by the conversation to expose things you are in denial about or things you have repressed or regressed, stuff you have put away and rationalized. For example, say your boss yells at you, but you don't yell back, and later take it out on your partner by yelling at them over something stupid. Or you may blurt stuff out because you have intellectualized or compartmentalized a past hurt and the conversation triggered that memory. Reacting can be a dangerous answer to a situation.

Between stimulus and response there is a space. In that space is our power to choose our response. In our response lies our growth and our freedom.  ~Victor Frankl

Responding, on the other hand, is a conscious, intentional, purposeful answer where we utilize our mindfulness skills before speaking or acting. Here, we are able to get beyond the emotion and into the information; more likely producing a calm, value-centered, and connected solution. It’s important to acknowledge that this is a skill that requires repeated practice. And that’s okay! Our journey in these bodies is always going to be an adventure, unfolding. 

I understand that it's doesn't always seem possible to respond versus react when in a stressful event full of triggers. If you feel threatened or hurt, your brain and body have what I call unnatural natural reactions that are coming from your stories, perspective, opinions that too often are hiding, waiting for the opportunity to get triggered and lash out from.

It is the goal of this philosophy to move towards interacting with ourselves, others, and the world from a more centered and peaceful place. That's part of the job of the guided meditations, affirmative incantations, and prayer; by becoming grounded, centered, mindful through spiritual practices, and remembering who we truly are. In fact, in these reactive-prone situations, your spiritual and mindfulness practices become the precursor to your use of responsive answers and actions in a situation.

Before I give you some tools to use, I want to say that we can use our reactions to observe what the heck is in our way from our skills in manifesting, moving forward, or getting healthy. They are an insight into the junk ideas, old stories, and perspectives that are blocking our bliss. So don't get down on yourself, use your reactions as a learning tool, along with the following:

This responding tool is called PLACE.

Pause, Label, Ask, Choose, Express

1. Pause

You know the MAD TV sketch with Bob Newhart as the psychiatrist who uses his fancy education to tell his patient, after her victim-filled rant, to just "STOP IT." Though the sketch is funny, especially to fans of The Bob Newhart Show, it's a reactive answer to her situation and yet, in the end, not a bad response. Of course, the more proper course would be to take her through the stories, asking questions, guiding her to come up with realizations and answers herself.. All of which would lead her and most of us to "stop it." Maybe it was a cry for that fictional psychiatrist to take a vacation and get refreshed in order for him to "stop it," stop reacting and begin responding again to his patients. At the very least, he needed to remember to PAUSE. 

The moment you notice you are triggered and that your energy has changed, take a moment to pause and breathe.

2. Label Your Emotions

Name it. What you’re feeling? is it anger, frustration, sadness, grief? Identifying how we feel helps us process our emotions. After all, it's our emotions that are getting in our way. So, label them, realize what's going on with you. It will take the heat off the matter.

3. Ask Yourself: Why?

You've paused and labeled, now ask yourself, "Why was I triggered? What was it that triggered me?" This can bring awareness to what is under the surface for you. It might not be what the person said that upset you (probably wasn't at all), but that it was a reminder of a different memory that sparks an unresolved emotion in you. Or perhaps you're just more sensitive today than yesterday, feeling unwell, or had a bad day, etc. The big question for yourself is "how can you best communicate what will best serve the discussion all are involved in at this moment?"

4. Choose A Mindful Response

This is the big one! Consider the labeled emotion(s) and discover the trigger before you choose what’s important to share about your experience. Choose to communicate the answer which is connected to the situation at hand, not your old stories. A response is not harmful or unproductive. A reaction most probably will be.

5. Express

When we think big picture, we put the situation in context. When we blend logic with our emotions and balance those immediate emotional responses with thoughts and facts, we fill in the blanks of what's reactive and what is responsive. Recognize your choices, and create a 20/20 vision (an imagined 20/20 vision, yes) to determine your best response to the current situation. We answer with thought rather than emotion, care versus haphazardness, mindfulness instead of fear, and all with love, not hate or anger.

The man who is asleep reacts; he knows nothing of action. And reaction is a binding: it binds you into new prisons, new chains. Response is out of freedom, hence it brings more freedom. Reaction is out of the past; you act according to your memories, built-in by your experiences, conditionings. You react not to the present, not in the present. You don`t reflect the real situation as it is; you go on interpreting it according to your past, your past experiences. The man who is awake is like a mirror: he reflects that which is the case. HE IS AWAKE.   ~Osho Rajneesh

Our best prayers, our most powerful meditations, and our greatest manifestations come from an absence of fear, chaos, desperation, and destructive emotions. Let us take away our old stories from the conversations with ourselves, others, and ultimately Spirit and replace them with thoughtful intentions, awakened purpose, and the energetic frequency of fulfillment. Move the energy of your conversations with a love of life and the Light of the Divine. Then watch your experiences glow with peace, prosperity, and ease.

Affirmative Incantation

I look from my deepest Source

I look at infinite and prosperous possibilities

And I look to a world where peace, Oneness, love, freedom, and appreciation reign.

Today I declare these ideas as the way I experience my life. And attract others who live this same divine, succulent, lovely, and sane vitality. I celebrate grace, ease, and gratitude as I sing the body electric and I dance the Song of Songs.

From the morning's dew till the night's slumber gongs, Spirit guides me to my best. 

What Are You Looking At?

Photo by Tachina Lee at Unsplash

Last week we talked about where it is best to look from. The Divine Matrix is the synergetic alchemy of using the head, heart, and gut-brain systems to use Divine Intelligence, our feelings, and Divine Wisdom and inspiration to reveal, transcend, and achieve in life.

Today, I want to talk about what we are looking at? What are we observing? Are we looking at trouble - with a capital T, and that rhymes with P, which makes you a fool? Are we looking at limitations or infinite possibilities?

Spiritual growth is the act of letting go of any ideas, beliefs, and attachments that no longer serve us, like shoulda/woulda/coulda's, yeah-but's, and “I don't deserve it” junk thinking. When we are consistently focused on those kinds of ideas, we are not only not letting go of them, we are seeing everything through the lens or the perspective of that junk thinking.

New job interview? Thoughts surrounding you may be “they won't like me," or "I shoulda gotten that degree.”

New love relationship? Thoughts popping up could be “yeah, but something's gotta be wrong with him/her/they, it always is.”

New idea in your career, for the world, or creatively? Thoughts swirling in your head may include “Why bother, I never follow through.”

Those words and phrases are red flags about your belief system, your perspective on that activity, and what is getting in your way. So let's first look at letting go.

Forgiveness for errors, injustices, or debts

This is something that has gotta happen to allow space in the head and the energy you exude. Remember forgiving is not condoning. Forgiving is the release of those limiting ideas' hold on your perspective. When we practice radical forgiveness, we are awakening ourselves to our highest, most capable self. It emancipates us from discord, making room for a greater good to be expressed or received, for change to take place, and for healing.

Spiritual Law tells us that spiritual growth cannot take place until we are open to learning, till we awaken to catching Spirit’s ideas about what we need to let go, and allowing the removal of obstacles and impediments which fog our way of living. As we let go, so too will Spirit’s highest ideas then be able to reveal themselves more frequently and powerfully. We forgive and let go to create openness and spaciousness so the Universe can release into our consciousness the greater idea, the best perspective.

When we look from our Divine Matrix, and embrace Spirit’s highest ideas and let go of the untruths and release the Truth, we automatically make room for being lifted out of wrong tendencies, discord, and illness. 

Our job is to ask Spirit what needs to be revealed to us and our work is to be still, listen to the voice within, and follow its guidance. 

Can we successfully release and let go of beliefs, ideas, and limitations without embracing their replacement? While we may see what to let go of and sometimes dig into it a bit for clarity, what we want to look at is the replacement of that belief.

Where your attention goes, energy flows, and manifestation then follows.

When we:

1)  Put our conscious attention on asking for Spirit’s highest vision of what needs to be let go;

2)  Keep our attention on this question long enough to receive the visionary insight on what needs to be allowed in and what we must awaken to; we then 

3)  Manifest our vision by committing to embrace the conscious and creative stages, in mind and action, of this intuited information.

When your attention goes to the possibilities, your energy flows from the intuited Divine nature, and your manifestations then come pure and clean.

Ignorance stays with us until the day of enlightenment, until our vision toward the Spirit broadens and casts out the image of a no longer useful littleness…. The will should hold it in place until the creative genius of the inner life transforms the image of limitation and transmutes it into liberty under law.   ~Ernest Holmes

Are you looking at the possibilities or the limitations? 

Have you heard of Bethany Hamilton's story? At the age of 13 as a rising surf star, Bethany lost her left arm to a 14-foot tiger shark, seemingly ending her dream career. However, through a foundation of faith, determination, and passion, one month after the attack, Bethany returned to surfing and within two years had won her first national title. At 17 years old, she realized her dream of surfing professionally and is an active surf competitor to this day, currently competing in the World Surf League tour events and other special events. In 2016, Bethany beat a six-time world champion and the top-ranked surfer in the world. In 2017, she was inducted into the Surfer’s Hall of Fame. 

Bethany sees her passion for surfing as a gift from God and is what compelled her to go back to the sport against all odds. She is constantly re-writing the supposed rules of logic, what's possible, and living her greatest life. Her story is dramatized in the movie ”Soul Surfer” based on her book of the same title, and her perspective of the incident is shown in the docs “Heart of Soul Surfer,” and “Unstoppable” along with her many other books like “Be Unstoppable” and the children's tale, “Unstoppable Me.” Bethany reminds us:  I don't need easy, I just need possible.

While it is not always easy to let go of our troubles or give up the things we resent and regret, when we connect what we are looking through with what we are looking at, we listen to Spirit’s highest ideas on what needs to be released and forgiven. And we:

• Live to be present
• Look for things to be grateful for each day
• Set boundaries to protect the important things
• Say no to the excess stuff or doing too much
• Aim to use time wisely to include sweet moments and see a world of possibilities.
• It's our daily choices that determine our outcomes.

With repetition, we’ll catch more insights and habitually expand our vision/mission/purpose. There’s a spiritual solution to every problem/condition. Stress, illness, or trauma might crack us, but it doesn't have to end us.

There is an ancient Japanese art called Kintsugi or golden joinery. It is a technique using a lacquered or resin-based gold dust for repairing broken pottery with seams of gold.  We can use a spiritual version of this practice through our Divine Matrix to repair any damage.

Are you looking at old stories or creating new ones?

Are you having a vision or dream that just floats around or are you envisioning and embodying it in the Divine Matrix?

Here is a process to see what shame and/or regret you may have that is fogging up everything you are looking at in mind and body, family and love relationships, community, friends, money and work, and in your connection to Higher Self and Source. Each piece of shame and regret story has 4 steps:

1. Summary of the shame and/or regret story
2. When did it happen (beginning and ending time)
3. Where did it happen
4. What were the deeper consequences of what you did and how did this affect your relationship with yourself and your life now? This step is the one to dig deep into.

When you have finished writing down (best with pen and paper) your Shame and Regret list, keep it safe from anyone else except a trusted friend, counselor, therapist, spiritual practitioner, or spiritual leader to who you will later read this. When you do choose the one person you will share the list with, please remind yourself to not allow any justifications to arise and to not solicit or allow any judgment, good or bad from the one you are reading this to. This process is only about communication with a trusted other and the openness to let it go. The release comes through the non-judged venting, to get it out of our heads both as a story and the energy it carried. When we have our ethics and integrity 'squeaky clean, we open up to receiving in a huge way and step into living our life large and free and powerful! 

Declare what your new story is NOW. 

When you look around you, what are you looking at?

• Are you looking at agitation or serenity? What you expect, you'll receive.
• Are you looking at a “woe is me” life or a “wow is me” life? Living life with wonderment and creativity is remembering that the power of You is essential no matter your age.
• Are you looking at the reflection of a victim or victor? The pain of any sort of trauma is not necessarily eliminated in this work, it is neutralized and replaced. To release and let go is to neutralize the pain from the old event and its hold on your perspective of life.
• Are you looking at practicalities or possibilities? Living with an attitude of being practical may feel safe, but understanding the infinite possibilities the Universe has available will expand your outlook, opportunities, success, and happiness.

Remove “impossible” from your vocabulary. The art of the possible tells us that we take our options and make the best of them. And our options are limited only by how we look at things. So become a wiser, stronger, more evolved human being by filling your cup / your mind with what you want to attract. Focus on that, not the old stories.

Then what are you looking at is...

a joyous, rich, succulent, fun, loving, peaceful, happy, and vibrant life.

Affirmative Incantation:  

I release.

I let go.

And I let the Divine in me inform, inspire, regulate and interpret all my dreams and desires.

Through the eye of any storm, I stand steady and nimble like the olive tree, in the zone of awakened awareness, and with Spirit-empowered readiness to take on all that steps into my life with ease and grace. My intellect, compassion, and instincts are handy and ripe with the smartest and most loving choices...the best choices for this day.

In this moment, and the next ones hereafter, I rise to my highest Self, confident of my fitness, goodwill, and willingness to be in my prime, vibrating at the speed of the Divine.