A Vision of Beauty

Love is the self-givingness of the Spirit through the desire of Life to express Itself in terms of creation. Emerson tells us that Love is a synonym for God.  We are also told in the New Testament that “He that loveth not, knoweth not God; for God is love.” Love is free from condemnation, even as it is free from fear. Love is a cosmic force whose sweep is irresistible. ~Ernest Holmes

What gets in the way of letting Love live through us? It's all the Universe wants, right, to Love through and as us? But, what blocks are hidden in our belief systems? Some are because of cultural conditioning and some are because they are too close for us to see them in ourselves, even when others can see it clearly. Our vision of beauty gets skewed by our perceptions. In the Science of Mind, Ernest Holmes tells us:

Love does not overcome hate and fear by argument or force, but by some subtle Power of transformation, transmutation, sublimation, invisible in Its essence but apparent through Its act.

Not always easy to do the right thing, take high road? However, it gets easier as we get clearer on what one wants to bring into this world and answers the the question -who I Am, who I want to be. When I do the right thing, I feel a rightness, a centered-ness, like a cog on a gear slotting into the correct place. Sometimes you can even hear the *clink* or *click* of the connection. People like Lieutenant Colonel Alexander Vindman and Mitt Romney showed their integrity, acting in principle,  in the last few months (as many others), taking the highest road, answering the questions above.

As light overcomes the darkness...so the radiant presence of Love and Peace dissipates fear, hate, and confusion.  ~Science Of Mind 331.2

When I love or act from Love (kindness and compassion, as well as passion), it is from a most intimate connection with the Divine, a communion, actually. Love is an ultimate principle, an engagement with my True Self, a manifestation of Divine Love - this is the highest calling and the road to peace of mind and body.

But what about my enemies? How do I love them? Note, I am talking about love not like! Well, some people don't like you or won't like you because of the way you walk, talk, your talents and abilities (versus theirs) or your popularity with others; mayber your hair or skin color or spiritual ideals are a factor, as well. It's usually not because you did something to them, but from various jealousies or biases or perceptions; mostly from ignorance. And we all can have some ignorance and must look at them, see our hidden hates, biases, judgments, blames, and root them out. We must love our enemies, yes, but that doesn't mean we have to approve their actions or ideas to disprove their power over us.

In the flush of love’s light, we dare be brave. And suddenly we see that love costs all we are, and will ever be. Yet it is only love which sets us free. ~Maya Angelou 

We must learn to remove false beliefs and engage with our True or Higher Self. Choose from a place where Love is present; what are you for versus what are you against. Focusing on what you want, not what you don't want, puts you in the realm of positivism, optimization, acting through love, and acting without the malaise of hate, anger or depression.

[We] must see that force begets force, hate begets hate, toughness begets toughness. And it is all a descending spiral, ultimately ending in destruction for all and everybody. Somebody must have sense enough and morality enough to cut off the chain of hate and the chain of evil in the universe. And you do that by love.    ~Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.

What does all this mean? We only have control over what we think, feel, say and do; our job is to optimize that control. Recent weeks Have been tough, no matter your politics or whether or not you live in China, trying to count ballots, or standing for your principles. Will you see life as a struggle and full of unloving people or move forward optimizing the ideas, actions and people you surround yourself with? Do you see disappointments and desperation, hate and negative inevitability or lessons and possibilities? What will be your vision of beauty?

I am not asking you to ignore the dysfunction in our society, but to have a vision of beauty. Not to put on rose-colored glasses, but to see the full picture, supporting that which adds to the creation of beauty, which, in turn, diminishes and rids us of the dysfunction. You can meet it headlong without butting heads. Pour more love, peace, goodwill, kindness, wisdom, humor, integrity, and time, treasure and talent into changing the world, the country and your community. It's not always quick, but love overwhelms hate and Light always removes the darkness.





Affirmation
What do I see?
Through my eyeballs, the creative force of Spirit expresses in all:  nature's splendor - coloring fields and meadows, a soaring flock of purple martins - free and joyously adventurous, the unconditional wonderment and love through the lens of a puppy or babe,  and other such things. And with insight, I commune with the Universe, expressing Its power, grace, vitality, prosperity and love in all I think, feel, believe and experience.
TODAY ROCKS!

I See God In Everything

A couple had 2 little boys, ages eight & ten, who were always getting into trouble ... if any mischief occurred in town, their two sons were somehow involved.

At their wits end, the parents contacted a clergyman  who had been successful in rehabilitating children. He agreed and asked to see the boys individually. 

The eight-year-old was sent to meet with him first. The clergyman sat the boy down, looked him sternly in the eye and asked, "Where is God?"   The boy made no response, so the clergyman repeated the question, more sternly, "Where is God?"  Again the boy did not answer, so the clergyman raised his voice even more & shook his finger, "WHERE....IS....GOD?"  At that, the boy bolted from the room, ran home and slammed himself in his closet … shaking.

His older brother followed him into the closet and asked, "What happened, what happened … what did they say, are we in trouble?"  The 8 year old looked up, tears rolling down his trembling face and replied, "We are in BIG trouble this time. God is missing and they think we did it!"

Of course, God is never missing, we're just looking the other way.  Can we really see God...in everything? Many think not 

God is forever beyond the reach of...the intellectual faculty; but by means of...the loving faculty, [It] can be fully grasped by each individual being.  God can well be loved, but cannot be thought. By love, can be grasped and held, but by thought neither grasped nor held.  God is eternal, the human mind is finite. If God could be comprehended, surrounded by a concept, this would make us greater than God. We invent the illusion that God is a thing that we lack and must therefore seek, find, and control...  ~14th century Christian mystic, The Cloud of Unknowing

What do you think of that?  Talk about duality b. s. Some, like St. Augustine, said It could be located:

But when unknown to me you caressed my head,
and when you closed my eyes lest they see things that would seduce me,
I began for a little while to forget about myself,
and my madness was lulled to sleep.
When I awoke in you, I saw very differently,
infinite in a very different sense.
But what I saw was not seen with the eye of the body.

Augustine, like many of us, searched for God where it is said It cannot be found—outside oneself, in conquest, career and ambition. He got woke in Spirit, beholding what only the inner eye can see: 
...the infinite possibilities of the One Mind
...the luminous vastness that we are part of
...a Power we can forget, ignore or reveal by choice of thought, feeling and belief. 

But is it only the inner eye that can see Spirit? It is true that when we employ the Divine Matrix it becomes less an intellectual exercise and more of a communion, realization and transcendence ...to know in our heart, is to know in our head. Our what (profession, status, finances, etc.) is not our who (Truth – Individualization of the Divine), but our who is in our what. We just require the eyesight and insight to see God is in everything; the outside just doesn't make us who we are.

In metaphysics, as in everything else, we are dealing with a proposition which is the substance of things which are not seen by physical eye. The human eye only sees things which are effect; the human hand touches only that which is effect; and we are very apt to say these are controlled by law. That is true, everything must be governed by law. Law controls everything, absolutely. But we are not as apt to realize that the law itself is an effect.   ~Ernest Holmes, Love and Law 

How we see things -our perspective, our perception- is how we are effected by those things.  Spirit is only in everything when we allow it to be. Sometimes that takes a beginner's mindset, a zen practice called Shoshin.

If your mind is empty, it is always ready for anything, it is open to everything. In the beginner's mind there are many possibilities, but in the expert's mind there are few.  ~Shunryu Suzuki

When we reach the end of what we know, that’s where we find God in everything.



Ilia Delio, a Franciscan Sister and theologian wrote in Birth of a Dancing Star: My Journey from Cradle Catholic to Cyborg Christian about the ideas of God's love from the writings of Dyonisius the Areopagite (or Denis, for short), a judge from the late 5th/early 6th century:

God’s love is so tremendous ... like a sober drunk, falling over Itself in the desire to share divine life.  God, [is] the eros of divine love. God, the agape, gives Its God-self away.

Which we individualize

 We long for God because God longs for us

It experiences life through us, as us

God, the volcanic eruption of divine life ... seemingly hidden, but revealed and accessed by way of Its manifested creation, eternally desires to give Itself away in love so we can give ourselves in love

And what is that eruption called?

There is a Divine urge within everyone to know more, to be more, and to express more, and I have found that the thing we are searching for is the thing we are searching with.   ~Ernest Holmes

Good, bad, destructive, constructive; all is the same in God ... a non-judgmental force for Good (which has no positive or negative aspect to It). For example, the story of the great ancient flood, Noah's flood. Bible tells a big story of how God is mad and wants to start over with Noah and the family and two of everything.  It's a metaphor, a fable, a lesson. God wasn't mad, that was humankind's self-destructive consciousness in play. Again, it's a lesson to teach that human consciousness as a whole, race consciousness (as it is sometimes called) is powerful both in Mind and action. What we do with that lesson, is how we experience and see God in everything. Heck, the kidney stones I experienced years ago (which was no picnic) and the standing ovations (which was) - both God. My divorce and my inspiring others in my ministry - both God. All were in and through the Divine Presence. What I do with those experiences in joy or learning or both is what's important. Neither were examples of God mad or happy, punishing or rewarding. All is a reward, even if I don't like the "prize," I love it and see God in It. I see God in everything:  sorrow or happiness, joy is in the experience and/or the lesson.

Wisdom is knowledge deepened by love. The wise person knows more deeply by way of love than by way of argument because the eye of the heart can see the truth of reality. Hence the wise person is one who knows and sees God shining through everything, even what seems ugly or despised.  ~Ilio Delio

Ernest Homes tells us, “We are to look for God in each other and love this God, forgetting all else." Yes, I may sometimes not like the experience, but as I move through it and past it, I learn from it, because Spirit was in it.

I see God in everything, because It is!

Affirmation
Seeing Is BE-ing
I have 20/20 vision for 2020. Perfect sight lit by the flame of my faith that reveals the Divinity in me.  I look in the right places, spot the right ideas, view the best questions, and perceive the greatest answers.  I open my mind to the most wondrous, inspiring magnificence. I open my heart to  recognize love so pure. And I identify inspiration at every turn.

Elemental Living - FIRE

A physicist, a mathematician, and a mystic were asked to name the greatest invention of all time.
The physicist chose the fire, which gave humanity the power over matter.
The mathematician chose the alphabet, which gave humanity power over symbols.
The mystic chose the thermos bottle.
 "Why a thermos bottle?" the others asked.
 "Because the thermos keeps hot liquids hot and cold liquids cold."
 "Yeah -- so what?"
 "Think about it." said the mystic, “That little bottle -- how does it *know*?"


Today I want to talk about an element of the earth plane and the spiritual realm. It is a powerful source of energy that enlightens, illuminates and inspires or can burn and destroy. It is something that needs to be fed, nurtured, and tended to or it will distinguish, if ever start at all. It is a primal force in our bodies, showing up as metabolism, and in out hearts as love, as well it is found in our minds as drive, intention, and desire. The Hindu/Vedic tradition has a diety called Agni, a symbol of communication and immortality, which comes from this element. In Greek mythology, the Titan Prometheus gave this element to humanity, which represents and forges our passion, zeal, creativity, motivation, spontaneity, intuition. It is FIRE.

Fire has four needed components to exist; as do we in our inward fire. It requires:
1) Fuel that will burn, which in Mind is the idea.
2) Heat to make the fuel burn, which in Mind and heart is the passion for the idea.
3)  Air or oxygen, which in Mind, heart, and gut is the imagination, intuition and love that feeds the idea we are passionate about.
4) Chain Reaction or a feedback of heat to the fuel to produce the gases used in the flame, which, in Life, is the intentional, conscious use of the Law to manifest the idea that is feed by our imagination, intuition, and love; which we are passionate about.

There are several stages of fire, both the element and the kind in our belly:
1) Ignition, where fuel, oxygen and heat join together in a sustained chemical reaction. In Mind, it's the idea which ignites passion and imagination.
2) Growth, where the initial flame ignites additional fuel; which, in Mind and heart, is that idea ignited passion and imagination.
3) Fully developed is when the fire has spread over much if not all the available fuel, temperatures reach their peak, resulting in heat damage, and oxygen is consumed rapidly. In Mind, heart, and gut, it is the imagination, intuition, love and time that is devoted to the idea that ignited the passion and imagination, et al.
4) Decay or Burnout is the stage where fire consumes all the available fuel, the temperature decreases, the fire gets less intense, the burning material cools, the oxygen available lessens, the fuel is removed, and/or the chemical reaction is broken. In Life, that is when we bring in a consciousness of lack, other's opinions of our idea that squashes it, and/or things or other ideas about life that get in our way steps us into the decay and/or puts out the fired idea we were passionate about.

Like fire, our ideas are or can be burning, fueling, igniting, or decaying. When it is decaying (and that can be early in the process or much later), this could happen:

I can almost see it
That dream I'm dreaming but
There's a voice inside my head saying
You'll never reach it,
Every step I'm taking, every move I make feels
Lost with no direction
My faith is shaking     ~The Climb by Jessica Alexander and Jon Mabe 

To prevent that, here are three ways fire spreads, with both the element and the ideas we want to manifest:

 1) Conduction - heat energy passes through or within a material from direct contact with that material. In Life, that's when you start sharing the idea with others.
 2) Convection - fluid or gas flows from hot areas to cooler ones. In Mind, Heart, and Gut (the Divine Matrix), and in Life, that is when we are in harmony with idea, passion, imagination, inspiration and the allies it is shared with
 3) Radiation: Heat travels via electromagnetic waves in all directions, without objects or gases carrying it. Same happens in the Divine Matrix and life when the idea is shared both in the consciousness and physical realms.

More from the song:

There's always gonna be another mountain
I'm always gonna wanna make it move
Always gonna be an uphill battle
Sometimes I'm gonna have to lose
Ain't about how fast I get there
Ain't about what's waiting on the other side
It's the climb

Now the above lyric is not necessarily true or gonna happen, unless that is where your consciousness or general perception of your ideas lies; however it is always a journey. The ebbs and flows of enthusiasm are constant bedfellows, even in what are considered very successful ideas. Take these three examples:
Apple. Following the 1985 departure of Steve Jobs, till his re-hire 12 years later, the company operated at a loss, creeping close to bankruptcy. It is now worth $1 Trillion.

FedEx.  The company began in 1971, soon rising gas prices and logistics nightmares caused the  company to lose a million dollars a month, so that funds got as low as $5,000. Recent earnings were  $4.5 Billion.

Starbucks. Company first opened in 1971, Seattle, but it took 16 years to start expanding outside of town. It is now worth about $30 Billion.

The song again:

The struggles I'm facing, the chances I'm taking
Sometimes might knock me down but
No, I'm not breaking
I may not know it
But these are the moments that
I'm going to remember most

Yes, there may be mountains to climb, people or situations to get out of our way, a lack of education in this-that-or-the-other as far as marketing, logistics, etc. or a temporary lack of funds or of consciousness, but that is just part of the journey sometimes....emphasis on sometimes.

Someday, after mastering the winds, the waves, the tides and gravity, we shall harness for God the energies of love, and then, for a second time in the history of the world, man will have discovered fire.    ~Pierre Teilhard de Chardin

We can come back from those sometime setbacks in the fruition or passion of our idea. To do so we can:

1. Pay attention to the successes, no matter size

2. Reflect on Purpose:  remind yourself why

3. Say Goodbye to What Hasn't Worked

4. Take Time to Rest, Rejuvenate, Schedule Joy

5. Re-Imagine, Re-wonder, Get Curious Again

There is a light in the soul that is uncreated and uncreatable...  ~Meister Eckhart

IT is a thing that is unconditioned, universal, birthless, deathless, infinite; an energy that lies at center of our Being. It is our Self-hood.

My me is God: nor do I know my self-hood except in God.                       ~Saint Catherine of Genoa

What is our self-hood? In Indian mysticism, it is the divine core, the atman; translated as“the Self.” For the Gnostics, it is the portion of God that resides within each human being, the Divine Spark. Every time something is born, there is a divine spark - all individuals, all creatures, all of life. Self-Hood is That Divine Spark in You.

All the power and intelligence of the Universe is already within, waiting to be utilized. The Divine Spark must be fanned into a blaze of the living Fire of your own divinity.  ~Ernest Holmes, Creative Mind and Success

Let us take the time to re-fan the flames till our consciousness once again catches up to our idea, passion, and intention. Last bit of the song, the inspirational part:

But I Gotta keep trying,
Gotta keep my head held high, Just got to keep going
And I gotta be strong, just keep pushing on
Keep on moving, Keep climbing
Keep the faith baby, It's all about the climb

What are you climbing? Is it with having the perspective and assurance that the Universe has your back? Because, It does! At the end of play, Prometheus Unbound, by Percy Shelley, a character leaves Prometheus (the Titan who brought fire to humankind) with these words of wisdom:

To suffer woes which Hope thinks infinite;           
To forgive wrongs darker than death or night;         To defy Power, which seems omnipotent;           
To love, and bear; to hope till Hope creates     
From its own wreck the thing it contemplates;
Neither to change, nor falter, nor repent;           
This, like thy glory, Titan, is to be                    
Good, great and joyous, beautiful and free; 
This is alone Life, Joy, Empire, and Victory.         

Here's to your victory, success, passion, joy, beauty and love – the fire in your belly made manifest!

You Are Ablaze With the Glory of the Divine.....Use IT.

Affirmation
I Am Ablaze With The Glory of The Divine
The passion I have for life burns with the power and presence of the Big Bang. In an explosion of Spirit, I spread my love, grace, peace, and kindness throughout the world.  I shine with pride and respect, illuminating any darkness with Light.  I face this day with joy in my heart, zeal and determination in my walk, and a fire in my belly to do great, live great and Be with greatness!              I Vibrate At The Speed of The Divine!

Elemental Living - WATER

It saves lives and it destroys life

It can heal and it can spread illness and disease

It cleanses and purifies and, if polluted, dirties

It can still the mind, calm the heart and cool the pain or it can infuse fear and dread

It is a key component of rituals and ceremonies, blessings and holiness

It is a dynamic and the most important molecule of life

It is Water

Water is powerful – an element of living. It can dissolve more substances than any other liquid, including sulfuric acid. Seventy to eighty percent of the human brain is water and about 66% of the human body is water. It regulates the Earth’s temperature and it is alive and active, covering our planet. A person can live about a month without food, but only about a week without water. There is an estimated 326 million trillion gallons of water on earth. That's 90,921.8 drops per gallon, with each drip having 1.67 sextillion (21 zeroes) molecules per drop. 

Water molecules are unique among molecule family. They are adhesive; similar, our belief system bonds us to the Law. They are cohesive; similar, our thoughts and feelings get stuck with our habits, beliefs, perceptions, and perspectives. Like our feelings, water is a universal solvent.  Like our body, mind, heart and gut, water has polarity - it is slightly charged on both ends (like our conflicting ideas and actions).  Like many of us, at various times, it is fluid or frozen or steamy.... another word might be gassy (and who isn't now and again?). Like an active mind and body, moving and circulating, water is energized and energizing; and like a sedentary life, still water is effectively dead or dying. And finally, like our consciousness, water is the ideal medium for processes, because it is a dynamic medium; without water, nothing in the or our environment can change and without consciousness, our lives don't change.

Water is a powerful living system that can be influenced by our thoughts, feelings and beliefs - it communicates and has memory. Dr. Masaru Emoto experimented on how emotions effect ice crystals. You might have heard of these experiments in his book or in the film, WHAT THE BLEEP. There was a double-blind experiment with his ideas at the Institute of Noetic Sciences (IONS). They found that intention can influence the formation of water crystals. Remember, that our brain is 70%-80% water, so our consciousness, feelings, and thoughts have a great affect on it and our body (average of 66% water).

And water teaches us...

The Art of Racing in the Rain by Garth Stein, is dripping with many lessons (you could also watch the movie for most of these). The lesson is bolded and underlined:

You Are Enough Right Now

Inside each of us resides the truth.... But sometimes the truth is hidden in a hall of mirrors. Sometimes we believe we are viewing the real thing, when in fact we are viewing a facsimile, a distortion.

We too, must shatter the mirrors. We must look in to ourselves and root out the distortions until that thing which we know in our hearts is perfect and true, stands before us.

Declare Your Choice of Focus

In racing, your car goes where your eyes go.

The best drivers don’t dwell on the future or the past. The best drivers focus only on the present. Reflection must come at a later time.

You Are Your Own Pit Crew – When Manifesting...

No race was ever won in the first corner but many have been lost there.

At some point, in every race, well, you got to take a risk if you want to win.

It’s not about a heavier foot. It’s about feel.

When the driver has the courage to create his own conditions, the rain is simply rain.

I could add more explanation to the quotes, but I want you to contemplate them, based on my lesson title, and find meaning through your intuition. This all reminds me of a fable:

An unhappy young man came to an old master and told him he had a very sad life and asked for a solution.

The old Master instructed the unhappy young man to put a handful of salt in a glass of water and drink it.

“How does it taste?” – the Master asked.

“Terrible.” – spat the apprentice.

The Master smiled and asked the young man to take another handful of salt and put it in the lake. The two walked to the nearby lake and the apprentice swirled his handful of salt into the lake.

The old man said, “Now drink from the lake.”

As the water dripped down the young man’s chin, the Master asked, “How does it taste?”

“Good!” – remarked the apprentice.

“Do you taste the salt?” – asked the Master.

“No.” – said the young man.

The Master sat beside this troubled young man and said, “The pain of life is pure salt; no more, no less. The amount of pain in life remains the same, exactly the same. But the amount we taste the ‘pain’ depends on the container we put it into. So when you are in pain, the only thing you can do is to enlarge your sense of things. Stop being a glass. Become a lake.”

To live at our fullest, we must become the lake - flush out the negative with overflowing positive, fill our minds and hearts with the best words, the loftiest ideas, and the most loving thoughts. This gives you a base, empowered by Truth, to endure, optimize, be smart, be centered and grounded, and have vitality, joy, wisdom and love be the place from which you think, decide, and take action. 

With this strength, you can overcome any negative and manifest your best life!!!

Affirmation
My Life is Buoyant
I float in a sea of confidence...solid yet fluid, assured and vulnerable, drenched in power and impact, knowledgeable yet teachable, daring and bold within rivers of wisdom, brave and adventurous while gliding in waves of prudence; and sodden, soaked and soused with the beauty, joy, love, peace, grace and intelligence of Life Itself.
I AM Awash in the Presence of the Divine!

Elemental Living: EARTH

From birth, man carries the weight of gravity on his shoulders. He is bolted to earth. But man has only to sink beneath the surface and he is free.  ~Jacques Cousteau

Cousteau talking about the sea, which is more appropriate to next weeks element - water. However, we don't have to dive below the ocean to sink beneath the surface – we have only to dive into our Mind.

...the Earth is our base

     ...the terra mater -mother- of our existence

     ...the terra firma -solid ground- of our beliefs

     ...the terra forma -system- of our experiences

Ever see a picture of the Earth from space....the pale blue dot?

Look again at that dot. That's here. That's home. That's us. On it everyone you love, everyone you know, everyone you ever heard of, every human being who ever was, lived out their lives. The aggregate of our joy and suffering, thousands of confident religions, ideologies, and economic doctrines, every hunter and forager, every hero and coward, every creator and destroyer of civilization, every king and peasant, every young couple in love, every mother and father, hopeful child, inventor and explorer, every teacher of morals, every corrupt politician, every "superstar," every "supreme leader," every saint and sinner in the history of our species lived there - on a mote of dust suspended in a sunbeam.  ~Carl Sagan

But it's our mote of dust! Here's to some Earth fun facts:

1. we are the third planet from the Sun-formed 4.5+ billion yrs

2. the word comes from Anglo-Saxon word, “erda” - ground

3. we are the only planet not named after Greek/Roman deity

4. the planet orbits around the Sun in 365.256 days

5. it takes 23 hrs, 56 mins, 4 secs to rotate on its axis and, by the way, the rotation is gradually slowing at approximately 17 milliseconds per 100 yrs, which has the effect of lengthening our days ....in 140 million years, one day will equal 25 hrs

6. it was once believed to be the center of the universe, but we now know it's the youngest son in a Jewish family

7. seventy percent of surface is covered in water, 3% water is fresh and 97% is salted

In astrology, Earth signs have a tendency to have an unchangeable routine. They stick to habits that don’t always make them happy. They become convinced they have to stay at a job because of financial security, even when it is contrary to their intelligence and creativity. It is also said to be wise, stable, sensual, grounded; make great gardeners, cooks, and lovers, and are reliable, making trustworthy business people. But those are tendencies not inevitabilities. The planet keeps spinning and anything can change. Sagan again:

Our posturings, our imagined self-importance, the delusion that we have some privileged position in the Universe, are challenged by this point of pale light. Our planet is a lonely speck in the great enveloping cosmic dark. It has been said that astronomy is a humbling and character-building experience. There is perhaps no better demonstration of the folly of human conceits than this distant image of our tiny world. To me, it underscores our responsibility to deal more kindly with one another, and to preserve and cherish the pale blue dot, the only home we've ever known.

So, where do those responsibilities begin? Well, in Mind, of course, in our consciousness, thoughts, feelings, and beliefs.
And how do we achieve those responsibilities? We get grounded!

You might ask, “Can I dream, be in wonderment, delve into my imagination, have my head in the clouds sometimes and still be grounded?” 

And my answer would be "YES!"

Heaven is under our feet as well as over our heads. ~Henry David Thoreau, Walden

It's time to ground to the planet, as we reach for the cosmos. It's time to connect with Mother Earth, as we commune with the Divine.

Grounding, in electricity, is for protection from outside sources, such as lightening. Grounded in life, is also for protection from outside sources, as well as, any reflections or reactions from hate, despair, and fear. Grounding stabilizes, protects, centers, and enlivens us. Being grounded is not about being practical. It's an alignment, a communion, a firm connection to Mother Earth, the soil we were born to and attached to, simultaneously with the Divine Presence - he soil of our consciousness.

"How do I know I am not grounded right now?" 
Because you asked!

Earthing is another tool in our elemental living with the Earth. In electricity, it is similar to grounding in that it transfers an electrical charge into the planet. Earthing in life?

"How do we retain a calm center with fires, wars, etc. or when we feel challenged by finances, health, work, home, our family, or feel weakened or fearful because of life challenges?"

"How do we move forward, past the pain or hurt or embarrassment?"

We earth and/or ground!

Your life force energy is not grounded through your home, job, bank account or relationship. It is only through the Divine Matrix of Mind, Heart and Gut. Do you feel out of whack with temporary situations that are changing or maybe falling apart? Are experiences making you feel knocked off center and un-grounded, disassociated from your body, self or Divinity? Are your mind, heart, and body not feeling integrated and you feel disconnected from the world around you? GROUND!

Your spirit does not need to be grounded, rather your mind, and thus your body, does. You need a GPS fix on your here and now, to have your body and mind go from out there to in here. When grounded, you are centered within the energy, frequency and life force of the Universe and the planet; all of which are abundant and full of infinite possibilities....all of which are alive, centering and empowering.

Remain true to the earth, my brethren, with the power of your virtue! Let your bestowing love and your knowledge be devoted to be the meaning of the earth!  ... Let it not fly away from the earthly and beat against eternal walls with its wings. . . . Lead, like me, the flown-away virtue back to the earth—yes, back to body and life: that it may give to the earth its meaning, a human meaning. ~Friedrich Nietzsche, Thus Spoke Zarathustra

For the planet, we do what we can at home and in the voting booth, and we give our time, talent and treasure to organizations equipped to fight the good fight. For ourselves, we ground, we center, we put our bare feet on the dirt or sand (earthing). With that spiritual practice, we can keep away the fear, the trembling, the despair of the news, the climate, the idiots in government - whatever is in our way of thinking straight, taking right action, and living a fabulous life, no matter the circumstances.






Affirmation
I AM Grounded
In this state of support, balance and stability; I am open to the best decisions, the most fabulous thoughts, and the sincerest feelings of joy/peace/vitality and strength. Connected to Mother Earth and communing with Universal Presence and Intelligence, I AM electrified, fortified, beautified, and verified for a successful day.
I AM Rockin' It!

Elemental Living - AIR

We see the world, not as it is, but as we are.  ~Talmud

A hungry beggar walked up to a well-dressed plump man shopping on Rodeo Drive and said: "I haven't eaten anything for several days." Walking past him, he replied , "God, I wish I had your willpower."

We see the world, not as it is, but as we are. ~Talmud

Biases - everyone has them....
They are predispositions for or against a person, place, thing or idea. They interfere with or impair our judgment and, often times, our own success. Here's an example of that:

At 7:51 a.m. on Friday, January 12, 2007; in the middle of the morning rush hour, a youngish white man in jeans, a long-sleeved T-shirt and a Washington Nationals baseball cap entered the L'Enfant Plaza Metro subway station in Washington DC. From a small case, he removed a violin. He placed the open case at his feet and threw in a few dollars and pocket change as seed money. He then swiveled it to face pedestrian traffic and began to play. In the next 43 minutes, as the violinist performed six classical pieces, starting with the 14 minute quite difficult piece, the Bach Chanconne. 1,097 people passed by. Almost all of them were on their way to work, mostly government jobs. 

If you were there, what choice do you think you'd make:  Do you stop and listen? Do you hurry past with a blend of guilt and irritation, fascinated by the music yet annoyed by another demand on your time and wallet? Do you throw in a buck, just to be polite? Does your decision change if the performer is bad? And what if they are really talented? Do you have time for beauty in your daily commute? Shouldn’t you?

This gentleman made about $40 for the time he played. Unbeknownst to all but one of those 1100, it was a performer who it has been said, “plays like God.” He was playing on a $3.5M Gibson ex Huberman violin, handcrafted in 1713 by Antonio Stradivari, and can usually command $1000 per minute for his internationally known talent. He was Joshua Bell. 

How many Joshua Bell's have you missed in life?

People see what they want to see and what people want to see never has anything to do with the truth.  ~Roberto Bolano, Chilean novelist

Our theme of year is Perception. We will explore what they that is, what perspectives are, how they got there and what to do with them. Perception flavors our belief and thus our experience. Our January theme is ELEMENTAL LIVING, the basics of life. 

Aristotle believe that all the matter in the universe was made up of four basic elements, earth, air, fire, and water. These elements were acted on by two forces: gravity – the tendency for earth and water to sink, and levity – the tendency for air and fire to rise. This division of the contents of the universe into matter and forces is still used today.   ~Stephen Hawking, A Brief History of Time

And this week we are exploring the AIR. There are five aspects to explore.

At this moment, you are breathing some of the same molecules once breathed by Leonardo da Vinci, William Shakespeare, Anne Backstreet, or Colette. Inhale deeply.   ~Diane Ackerman, The Natural History of the Senses

1) It can be enjoyed by all the senses
The air is all around us, can't exist without it. And I am not just talking about oxygen.

The air is always vibrant and aglow, full of volatile gases, staggering spores, dust, viruses, fungi, and animals all stirred by a skirling and relentless wind.          ~Diane Ackerman, The Natural History of the Senses

I am also talking about things like thoughts, they exist in the air, whether from the consciousness of the human race in general, the news, your history, or your community and like-minded friends. Some are clean and fresh, and some are tainted and polluted. We get to choose which to keep and which to lose.

When we say our distant ancestors crawled out of onto the land, we forget to ad that they really moved from one ocean to another, from the upper fathoms of water to the deepest fathoms of air.  ~Diane Ackerman, The Natural History of the Senses

By the way, that book I just quoted from three times is a fabulous  and delicious poetic treatise on our senses. HIGHLY RECOMMEND!



2) Breath
We use our lungs to inhale/exhale life. I frequently use the affirmation, "God Is" on the inhale and "I Am" on the exhale to help center and ground myself. Breath is a spiritual practice unto itself when we intentionally sit aware of its movement in our bodies and its effects on our inner environment. We use mind, heart, and intuition to breathe in the air of prosperity or lack, love or hate, faith or fear. The choice is ours.

3) Lightness of Being
Quick story:
Former aerospace engineer Marion Franklin Rudy introduced the air innovation to Phil Knight in 1977 of  placing tiny air bags in the soles of shoes to soften impact. The first shoe to incorporate Air cushioning was the 1978 Nike Tailwind runner, which grew in popularity as researchers at the University of Tennessee discovered that athletes used less energy when running in the Nike Tailwind compared to other conventional running shoes.

What do you do to use less energy, but stay energized? Like the Nike shoe, we too have tools inserted in our very selves to do that; to feel free and peaceful, like surrender control, trust our intuition, show compassion and kindness to our self and others, and believing the simple truth:  I am enough.

4) Air is also the word for a song or aria
Air is also a French music duo from Versailles, consisting of Nicolas Godin and Jean-Benoît Dunckel. Air's critically acclaimed debut album, Moon Safari, including the track "Sexy Boy," was an international success in 1998. Its follow-up, "The Virgin Suicides," was the score to Sofia Coppola's first movie. A little fun fact.

What song do you sing? How do you express/voice your self and your Self (the Divine within)? What words are you using a lot? The words you say to your self, your self-talk, says a lot about your perspective and perception of you and the world. For what you can perceive, you can achieve!

5)  Your air is the general impression, manner, look, aspect, atmosphere (perception theme) you convey; what you take flight from, through and as.
Truth is universal. Perception of Truth is not. Just like you want clean air in your lungs, so too do you want it in your heart, mind, intuition, thoughts, feelings and beliefs. We must ventilate the negative and circulate the good in mind and action. But...

Let's not ventilate by concentrating on removing
...ventilate by approving the Truth in all
...ventilate by behooving the Truth into our daily thoughts, feelings and beliefs
...ventilate by improving our consistent, intentional spiritual practice
...prayer, chanting, rituals, vision boarding, visualizing, meditation, quiet walks on the beach, reading with contemplation, affirmations, morning routines

Let us do our ventilation through revelation. Clear the air. Breathe the air of Truth. Put on your best air of the Divine You. And dive into the air of joy, success, vitality and opulence.

That is the way of elemental living in air.



Affirmation
HELLO 2020
I know who I AM and the Power I embody. I use it to create my abundant prosperity, creativity, vitality, relationships....EVERYTHING! Anything that thinks it can get in the way of that is nulled and voided. I say bye-bye to mental  junk, gunk and muck.
I declare, soar, zoom, sing, transcend, transform and generally do the success dance for this opulent year.

Decorating Your New Year

Tony Robbins said:

There’s something coming for all of us. It’s called death.

Give me a second, I'm not trying to be morbid or grim.

Rather than fearing it, it can become one of our greatest counselors. All of a sudden everything gets re-prioritized. All of a sudden the littlest things you think are little, very often become the most important things in your life – those things you took for granted. So, if this was the last week of your life, how would you live, who would you call … what truth would you tell today? What would you cherish most?

And I would add, most importantly… what Truth would you live as?  Not 'by', not 'for'… AS!
As we assess 2019 and consider what we are resolving for 2020, what is it we want to live as?

Two traveling monks came upon a young woman waiting to step out of her sedan chair. The rains had made deep puddles and she couldn’t step across without spoiling her silken robes. She stood there, looking very cross and impatient, scolding her attendants. They had nowhere to place the packages they held for her, so they couldn’t help her across the puddle.

The younger monk noticed the woman, said nothing, and walked by. The older monk quickly picked her up and put her on his back, transported her across the water and put her down on the other side. Not even thanking the older monk, she shoved him out of the way and departed. The two monks continued on their way.

The young one was brooding and preoccupied the whole time and, after several hours, unable to hold his silence, he spoke out. “That woman back there was very selfish and rude, but you picked her up on your back and carried her! Then she didn’t even thank you!

The older monk stopped and turned to the younger monk and replied, “I set the woman down hours ago, why are you still carrying her?”

We carry so much weight in our stories of 2019 and before. Some good, some fantastic, some bad and some worse than bad. What are some of yours? Do you have any gripes ... disappointments, “what if's,” bitterness or holding a grudge or holding on to being right? I am sure it describes pretty much all of us.Why? Why do we hold on to those....stories? As I end this year, I ask myself:

Do you want to be right or free?

Do you want to be right or succeed?

Do you want to be right or happy?

So much energy is used up being right and righteous. It keeps one attached to the problem, conflict, condition or the memory and our supposed solution; versus living the elegant simplicity of choosing to consciously let go of the control of others and their outcomes. Just let all those stories that are muddying everything we do go the heck away. 

Trying to control things is like trying to take the master carpenter’s place. When you handle the master carpenter’s tools, chances are that you’ll cut yourself. ~Tao Te Ching - verse 74

What's cutting you from the past? Isn't it time to dissipate the emotional charge – the trigger of those old stories; take the heat off the event and accept the reality that sometimes the supposed “wrongdoer” is unreachable and maybe unrepentant. Isn't it time, past time, we make the choice to stop carrying the wrongdoing and doer on our shoulders? My grandmother and her sister had a feud for so long, they didn't know what it was about. What a waste.

Our attachment to these stories and the need to be right create a duality in our lives. An us and them perspective, that only hinders the us side of the equation.

All duality is a mind creation, all duality is created by the clinging and attached mind. When there is no attachment there is no duality.  ~Osho

It's time to surrender and accept it's over. Let go of the story. What stories about yourself from 20109 or before are keeping you wound up? What story can you let go of? Is it some “I am not good enough,” or “I don’t have enough?”

What story do you want to cultivate in 2020? A Rabbi once told me, “We must listen carefully to what the Hannukah candles are saying.” Here a few to assist in this release from old stories:

A Little Light Goes A Long Way
The candles serve as a beacon for the darkening streets. No matter how dark it is outside, the Light of Divine communion transforms the darkness into light. And here's a big one .... forgiveness of self and others shines a light on the darkness of those grudges we keep and the being right's we hold on to and drain ourselves with. When step into radical forgiveness, it rids us of the oppression of the duality of them and us, right and not right, or other b.s. about arguments, triggers and other gunk that we allow to overpower our lives.

Take It To The Streets
The candles remind us to shine outwards into our surroundings with the Divine glow of mitzvahs (good deeds). Share your Light, not the dark and oppressiveness of your self-righteousness. No one wants to be around, work for/with, be in a relationship with a sourpuss, always grumpy and constantly triggered by unresolved stories. As you share your goodness and kindness, you will be assisted by the glow of the mitzvahs effect by realizing what is a better perspective on life to have and heal those old stories to the point they don't influence you anymore.

Proudly Proclaiming Your Radiance For All To See When we re-dedicate yourself to who and what you truly are ... the unique, individualized personification of the Divine Presence, illuminating and experiencing Itself as You ... those old stories that have been triggering you for the last year(s) begin to lose their power over you. Who you are will always win out over the conditions of old. Remember, those triggers, attitudes, gripes, etc. are old habits and may take a bit of time to be ineffective, but it will happen.

And let's take this time to rediscover the Christ Consciousness, the Namaste in all of us by ridding ourselves of the greed of being in the right, the plague of living as the persecuted, the vice of victim-hood and the addiction of giving away our Power and focus to some event or condition, person or memory. Let's forgive and move on with our lives, not hold on to the grudges, the fights, the anger.  Let's celebrate our human right to live free from the bondage of duality...the them vs. us attitude.
Let's let go of the shoulda, woulda, coulda's, I don't have time's, they never call me, so why should I call them's. 

Let Go and Know that Divine Intelligence flows through you as light, love, grace, peace, beauty, power, joy and wisdom.....and them, as well.

Let Go and Know that you are here to be happy and whole and vibrant and creative...and them, as well.

Let Go and Know that you have the Power of Decision to live your life free of past disappoints, grudges, judgments, fights, worries, attachments to being right.

Let Go and Know the great I Am that you are, right here, right now.

Decorate your new year with the original You.

Write your story for 2020 and let the Universe publish it today.

Affirmation

I leave 2019 with a bang...

Prosperous in pocket, radiating great health and vitality, creative with a wondrous imagination, and surrounded by only love. I Vibrate, Reveal and Bust Through with my Divinity vibrating with luminescence, so that...

I Soar and Zoom in 2020!

Ethos Pathos Logos

A man walks up to the pearly gates and the Lord looks down on him and says, “We don’t know of anything particularly good or bad you have done in your lifetime, so tell us a story that will persuade us in a certain ... direction.”

The man looks up, nervous and shaking, “ Well, uh, here's a story. One day, when I was driving down a rural highway, I saw a gang beating up on a child. I immediately pulled over. I popped my collar, put my sunglasses on and ran out at them, yelling, 'Hey you bullies, if you want to hurt him, you’ll have to go through me first.’”

The Lord smiled down and said, “Very good, very, very good, when was this?”

“About 5 minutes ago.”

Persuasion is designed as a way to change our thinking, which, in turn, thus changes our beliefs and finally, thus our lives. We do this with using ethos, pathos and logos.

Ethos is the ethical appeal where we convince an audience of our credibility and/or character. It's not the Universe you're convincing. Neither is it not the Law you're convincing...it's yourself.

Pathos is the use of persuading audience through an emotional appeal, to make the audience feel what we want felt. Pathos is the Greek word for “experience,” using meaningful language, emotional tone, and emotion to evoke examples and visualizations in the mind of the audience. Again, it's not the Law you're convincing....it's you.

Logos is the technique used to convince an audience by the use of logic or reason, citing Truth, analogies, descriptions, and authorities on the subject or mystics of the subject discussed, by constructing logical arguments to persuade the audience to your belief. Logos is the Greek term for “word” or “that by which the inward thought is expressed" or "the inward thought itself." Logic is a great way to persuade oneself of the need to change thought, feeling and belief.

Whether you use ethos, pathos, logos or all three; your audience is not the Universe, your audience is not the Law...your audience is YOU!

The Power of Decision tells us:

The creative process awaits your decision and your calm acceptance of the necessary work on your part following the decision. Idea follows idea as you proceed in the work of bringing to pass that which you decided would now be.  ~Raymond Charles Barker

This decision comes through self-persuasion, not manipulation. Manipulation is coercion, through force, to get someone to do something that is not in their own interest. We are not of the philosophy that forcing is useful. In fact, it is a negative tactic that usually attracts negativity, not resolution; and this is something that is, of course, not in our own interest.

Persuasion is the art of getting ourselves to think things that are in our own best interest, different than those old mental habits that no longer serve our True selves. Sometimes that means getting out of our lack and limitation comfort zones. Let me tell you a story:

One cowardly person came to his sensei, his teacher of martial arts and asked to be taught bravery. The master looked at him and said, “I will teach you only with one condition: one month you will have to live in a big city and tell every person that you meet on your way that you are a coward. You will have to say it loudly, openly and looking straight into the person’s eyes.”

The person became quite troubled, as this task seemed very scary and uncomfortable. For a couple of days he was very depressed and frightened, but to live with his cowardice was so unbearable, that he finally was able to persuade himself to travel to the city to accomplish his mission.

At first, when meeting the passers, he cowered, lost his speech and couldn’t make contact with anyone. But he knew he needed to finish the master’s task, so he made the decision to overcome himself. He took a deep breath and when he came up to his first passer, trembling he told him about about his cowardice. It seemed he would die from fear and shame. But with each passing day, his voice sounded louder and more confident. Suddenly, there came a moment, when the man caught himself thinking that he’s not scared anymore, and the further he continued doing the master’s task, the more logical it seemed and thus the more convinced he was that the fear was abandoning him. After a month had passed, the person came back to the master, bowed to him and said, “Thank you, sensei. I finished your task. Now I’m not afraid anymore. But how did you know that this strange task will help me?”

“The thing is,” the master answered, “cowardice is only a habit. And by doing the things that scare us, we can destroy the stereotypes and histories and the past to come to a conclusion like you came to. And now you know that bravery is also a habit. And if you want to make bravery a part of yourself, you need to move forward into and through the fear. Then the fear will go away, and bravery will take its place. 

We don't have to persuade the Law to receive a graceful life. We don't even have to persuade the Law we want a graceful life. We have to persuade ourselves we have a graceful life!

Persuasion is clearly a sort of demonstration, since we are most fully persuaded when we consider a thing to have been demonstrated.       ~Aristotle

We demonstrate our desires, when we require them to show up in our lives!

But how, you may ask? How do we persuade ourselves? It's as easy as one, two, three....

1) Remembering who we are...

2) Feeling the feeling of living the life...

  Role playing, like you did as a child. Fully involved in telling the story and living the story, using your imagination to experience and feel the story in mind, heart, and soul.

3) Understanding, seeing, and accepting the logic of how the Universe works on your desires, requirements and ideas, (f)actualizing them into your life.

Think of a belief you want to change and answer these questions from INSTANT INFLUENCE by Dr. Michael Pantalon.

1. How ready are you to change, on a scale from 1-10, where 1 means “not ready at all” and 10 means “totally ready”?

2. Why didn’t you pick a lower number?

3. Imagine you’ve changed your thinking. What would the positive outcomes be?

4. Why are those outcomes important to you?

5. What’s the next step, if any?

Now, I don't want to know what you are “supposed” to do, I want to know what are you going to do. You see, to persuade is to imagine it, to feel it, to see the logic in it as a part of your life....and then to bravely be it.

Bravely step out of your comfort zones and persuade, through ethos, pathos and logos, your new direction in magnificence to fruition.

Affirmation

This Is What I Know...  

I trust the vibrant power in my heart to tap into the manifesting Law, bringing joy into my life.  The evidence is tangible and the authority is solid. I am passionate about these best practices in my life:  revealing the Divinity within me, vibrating at the speed of this Divinity in all I think, feel and do, and busting through any beliefs that no longer serve me or the greater good.                       

I Soar and Zoom Into Graceful Living!