Pushing past the "Liar"

For some of you who are regulars to my blog, you might remember me reference the "Liar". This is the voice in our heads that has a repository of comments which includes [but is not limited to];

"No, that's not going to work" or "It is simply not possible" or "Don't bother, your not good enough". 

This "Liar" is deeply embedded in our cultural narrative. Its something given to us from our predecessors, our parents, friends, society. Its reinforced through mainstream media, television, news, commercials, movies, and music. It is EVERYWHERE.

Its what drives you to buy the latest, whether its clothing, makeup, diet plans, technology, books, or insurance policies. The Liar is what makes life seem dangerous, unfair, fearful, and void of any real security [or meaning]. Its the booming reminder that you will never be happy, but keep trying at it anyway.

During this era of Conscious Evolution, where mankind as a whole is evolving how we operate in the world from the fundamental to the gross, we are facing the need to dissolve this Liar through re-writing our cultural story as a species. This happens first on the individual level, when each one of us makes the prominent choice of not listening to this liar any more.

When we let go of the falsehoods of which the liar seems to have an endless supply, the more we open to the abundant glory that life can provide. We are tapped into a stream of beauty, Love, grace, and Joy at all times. The question is, are we open to it? If we are listening to the liar, the answer is most likely, No. 

So how can we start saying yes?

We need to build up the inner strength and resolve to PUSH PAST THE LIAR. In other words, the routines and habits of thinking which are generated from the attention we give to what the Liar has to say, has created grooves or patterns of thinking that keep us from accepting the ever present good and joy we are entitled to. We have to break these habits.

To do this we need to first have Awareness of the lies we are being told. Next, we must utilize our Intelligence [thought + word] to re-establish Truth in our consciousness. This can be accomplished through Affirmation or Spiritual Mind Treatment, which assist us in forming new thought trends.

Finally, Engagement. This sphere represents our activity in the world. And not just quantity, but Quality of Engagement. Its great to think and speak with power, but are we demonstrating what we think and say as being TRUE in our lives? 

With this recipe, you will learn to PUSH PASSED THE LIAR, and take control of your thought, words, and actions, which will lead to a more pure, loving, graceful, and joyous expression [and experience] of life.

Aum

IN SPIRIT Writing

As I have begun to build myself a freelance/designing/writing business, I've been keeping my eye out for experts in the field of social marketing, networking, and how to get your stuff seen.

I am not one to shy away from what I want to write about, but recently there have been times I have felt hesitant in writing what I usually write about. Look back at most of my older posts, and they all deal with spirituality/consciousness/GOD is some way.

I have also been keeping an eye on what is usually trending on social media sites, and rarely if ever do I see something that is up my alley. I simply cannot contend with with the #Olympics, #Steammachine, or the myriad of other trending topics I really am not motivated to write about.

Am I being forced to "drop the bar" and write to what people are interested in, even though in my heart of hearts I know that what I have to say is vastly more important then anything that is currently trending? Should I concede to the status quo?

NEVER!

However, I have picked up some amazing tips on how to make my content more engaging and interesting, so even if its about a not so popular topic, it will still have the potential to engage my readers and at the very least, strike up conversation.

Apparently, everyone loves pictures. So I've made it a point to include original images in most of my posts, as well as making the share link on Google stand out among the plain posts.

I have connected with more people in the last 2 weeks on Google + then in my entire time using this social network. I have found the greatest success through engaging with people from my heart, and sharing what they find important. Especially if its original, because I wish to honor that space of Spirit that has inspired them to write and create.

Writing from the Heart and Soul is what I do. My inspiration comes from Spirit, from Truth. And I truly believe that EVERYONE'S inspiration is sourced from this same dimension. So, my worries of not being "seen" on Google are dissolving, because I know that those who are meant to see it, will.

Aum

Why I am not bothered By Atheism

Over on Google +, I have come across a good handful of conversations discussing the ideology of Atheism. It started with a video post from +Deepak Chopra defending against +Richard Dawkins Foundation for Reason and Science , which exploded into a large debate on the issue of Atheism Vs Religion.

And as I sift through all of the different points of view, I can't help but notice how much I don't feel a part of the debate.  From one perspective, I am atheist (insofar as I don't believe in the Christian idea of God or Deity), and on the other I can't, on any level (logically, rationally, intuitively) accept that there is not an Absolute Source of all life, love, and intelligence (which I sometimes refer to as God), which permeates all creation, and in which I live, move, and have my being.

I simply cannot commit to a 'belief' in God, simply because God (as I experience it) does not require belief. And this is so, because God simple IS.

However...

Burden of Proof. 

Given that God is the Source of all Life, Love, and Intelligence, the proof is in the presence of all 3 in our Universe. Some might argue that just because you have intelligence, doesn't mean that there HAS to be an Absolute source of that intelligence.

I beg to differ...

Take your computer for instance. Without you (Source), the intelligence it operates with (merely an extension of your own), would have no context for its existence (and then would not exist). 

I agree that for most religions, and how they describe God, the burden of proof is necessary, and something they should closely inspect. The truth of the matter is that most people who claim membership to a religion, weren't given much of a choice. Religion is deeply tied with culture, geographic location, family beliefs, etc.. 

I consider myself fortunate enough to have not been raised in a home where religion was a big issue, which afforded me the opportunity to pave my own path, and think (and experience) for myself. And yes, I did go through them all, finding Truth sprinkled in each. 

One of Dawkin's arguments seems to be that combining what occurs within the Universe, does not carry over to the Nature of the Universe itself. So that the Universe as a whole and what goes on 'within' it, are two different things.

I suppose the argument changes to Atheism Vs Non-Duality....

The "Free Hug" Experience

I know that this may make me sound like a hippy, and I am totally fine with that. 

I love FREE HUGS.

Some of my most powerful, and trans-formative experiences have occurred during a Free Hug event.

I've only participated in about 3 of them, but each one was such an amazing experience and wonderful opportunity to break open from my introvert's shell, and give out some Love to my fellow man (and woman), that I'd be open to doing it as often as possible.

I'd like to share with you my first ever free hug experience, that took place about 3 years ago in downtown Toronto. I had met a wonderful guy +Shawn Jason, through a group of people who formed the "Love Crew", of which Shawn was a founding member, and who organized many of these types of events before.

We all met up at Yonge and Dundas square early in the morning (the early birds scored free shirts and sweaters that had awesome quotes on them. Here is a link to the company's site), to meet and greet, design signs to promote that we were giving away free hugs, and to organize those who were present on the routes we were going to follow, and also who we would be walking with.

[On a side note, it was during this event that I learned that you are considered a "Gang" if you are joined with at least 9 other people (10 in total), and to do so is against the law. I wonder if this law is waved on every Black Friday?]

Anyway, once the signs were finished, my wife and two children teamed up with some other wonderful folks and began down our route that would eventually lead us to a central location where the other groups would all meet up.

(And yes, we definitely brought our two children with us, whom at the time were 7 and 10 months, and who had a blast!)

I can remember that every moment up to when we began our walk, I was feeling the butterflies in my gut. I had never done anything like this before, and giving total strangers a full on hug was something that was quite outside my own comfort zone.

Interestingly enough, as soon as we headed out, something came over me. All fear and hesitation had left me completely, and I totally surrendered to the choice I had made, which was to be a vehicle for Love and kindness.

So I began belting my voice as we walked, marketing our free service with such enthusiasm and humor that most people were immediately disarmed, unable to respond in the typical fashion (which consisted either of about facing, or ignoring my presence all together. Which some people did in fact try, and I respected it), and met me with sometimes timid acceptance or in other cases, equal zeal.

And I tell ya, I have never felt so open and free in my entire life then when I hugged someone I had never met before. There was such a powerful moment of connection, of a unifying energy that wasn't created with the hug, but revealed.

This walk went on for several hours, as we made it through our route, with occasional stops in between at different locations where large numbers of people would pass by in a short period of time. I can remember one particular hug that was so epic for each of us, that 10 minutes after, the same person (and their friend) returned to get another, commenting that they had never had such an awesome hug before.

In another instance, one of the other volunteers present was stopped by someone who had looked very sad and alone. I don't recall if anything was said prior to the hug (which was powerful and deeply heartfelt), but afterward the individual pulled back, and with tears in their eyes and a breaking voice, generously thanked them, explaining that they were in real need of a good hug today.

If you have never experienced the "Free Hug", either through receiving one or giving one, then consider this to be my personal recommendation. Get out there with some friends as soon as possible, and spread some free love with hugs, because not only is it incredibly powerful for you, but you might just change someone's life.

Aum

Upended

We are only four days into the new year, and I have a deep sense that this is going to be a BIG one for a lot of people (myself included). Its going to be a mix of the good and bad (bad being the mask of one's TRUE good). 

Whether its a personal struggle with self-defeating routines and addictions, cultural upheaval, societal breakdowns, or on the flips side having everything you need to move forward with your relationships, career, or personal development just falling into your lap, we should all expect some waves of change for 2014.

I know for myself, deciding to take my creative ventures to the next level, I've had some amazing new tools and inspiration show up like crazy in under a week. On the other hand, some of my relationships have begun to deteriorate, giving rise to deep wounds and hurts that have been masked in the subconscious, finally finding an avenue to rise again. 

It hurts to think that people have a poor image of you in their minds. That they have solidified an idea about you, and regardless of how you choose to 'show up', those idea's won't easily  dissolve. I feel caught between a rock and a hard place. 

A part of me knows that the opinions of others are just that, opinions. I refuse to fall for them. On the other hand, I need to reflect on how I can be open to healing these 'false thoughts' that I may be harboring in my own consciousness, because as long as they have a place to call home in my own mind, they surely won't leave the minds of others.

My attention cannot be placed on the things I don't want. That's self defeating. Instead, I should remain focused on what is true and beautiful, like LOVE. 

I am not sure how or when these diminishing relationships will be healed, but I accept that they are healed in my own mind NOW. 

Ya hear that Universe? NOW. 

CLOSING THOUGHTS

Regardless of what is coming up for any of us, we must always remain centered in the Truth. The Universe is for our GOOD. It might seem like things are not going the best they could right now, but when something breaks down, it never looks good at first. 

Lets look with the 'eye behind the eye', and see the perfect re-arranging of our life as a blessing from God, that as we ask we shall receive (And we are always asking/declaring/affirming). 

Allowing the old to give way to the new might hurt a bit, but in the end, its a beautiful hurt. 

Aum

Should we set intentions for 2014?

So here we are, the last day of 2013. 

Upon reflecting on what has happened during the year 2013, I can say that there is no possible way I could have planned ANY of it. There has been such a wide array of blessings, challenges, and shifts that most of my intentions or resolutions either didn't come to pass, or took on a much greater form then I had initially imagined.

And now that its time to make a whole new set of intentions, I am brought to a pause. Perhaps deciding upon resolutions is not what I should be doing. Perhaps I need to be focused on activation. 

Allow me to expand. Setting a resolution is, by its very nature, placing intention or vision into the future. Its saying, "This is what I hope to accomplish, as 2014 proceeds". Now, there is nothing inherently wrong with that, but given my experience in life, setting intentions never pans out the way I intend. So instead, I am moved to make tonight about activating a greater awareness, a more full sense of being, a more harmonious experience with my loved ones, and bring those energies into the birth of a new year. 

I recently came across a new word for my vocabulary; entelechy, which was coined in the Aristotelian philosophy as meaning the "the realized potential of some thing or concept". In other words, the rose in full bloom is the entelechy of its seed. Our higher self is the entelechy of our local self. 

Bearing this in mind, I feel it is appropriate to activate my own entelechy or higher self at the beginning of 2014, rather then just make a to-do list. The reason is that we really don't know what the coming year will bring for us, although holding in consciousness our greatest good each day is intrinsic to creating an avenue for its expression, bringing forth what is eternally True in the here and now is essential in its expression. 

Therefore, tonight, let us not reflect on the year past and create a mere list of things we wish to accomplish. Instead let us make a declaration to the Universe that what we Activate here and now is what we wish to bring with us throughout the entirety of 2014. It doesn't have to be elaborate, but ensure there is a powerful and clear vision you choose to embody now so that each day you can return to it if you've lost focus for a moment.

You may want to meditate and pray, calling forth the entelechy of your being to have expression in this moment, and declare to life that this is who and what I am, and what I choose to create this day forward. We must not forget the power behind our words and through activating our higher self we bring the entirety of the kosmos to bear on those words. 

AUM

Does emotion effect our body? Apparently, BIG TIME.

I was doing my morning news search, looking for inspiration for different topics, and an article on Gizmodo caught my eye. Apparently, researchers from Finland have been able to visually map where emotions express themselves in the body. 

Photo Source: http://img.gawkerassets.com/img/19b38w32meciopng/ku-xlarge.png

Happiness

What struck me as most interesting is the focus all of these emotions seem to have around the heart. Obviously, the heart has always corresponded with the "feeling center" of the body, but not on a physical level. In metaphysics, when we refer to the "heart center", we rarely mean the actual heart, but more accurately mean the center of our subtle self. 

From this photo, we can discern some very important information about how our emotions effect us physically, which can lead to a greater understanding of how our mental and emotional states have a direct influence on our health.

For example, Happiness is a full body experience. It literally touches every part of the body with a glowing warmth. In an article from Science Daily, researches followed over 5,000 university students for 40 years, and determined that the individuals who were less then optimistic as students seem to die earlier then their "happy" counterparts. This reveals that maintaining a positive mind/emotional state leads to longevity and better, overall health.

Depression

Taking a look at the visual of depression, we see that the body is almost complete void of the same brilliance that is expressed when we are happy, and instead is made up primarily of the cold blue. From what I understand, brighter colors mean warmth, bluer colors represent cold. In a state of depression, it would seem that the revitalizing warmth of contentment is vacant. What kind of effects might this have on our health? 

In most cases, depression is linked with a lack of self-esteem either enforced by the self, or by those around us. It has spawned an entire generation of people who are forced to take medication just to remain productive within society. Of course, this should not be the aim of medicine, but that's a topic for another time. It does reveal that society is not designed to fulfill happiness, but to keep it perpetually out of reach so that we always have something to chase.

There is also a great deal of evidence that suggests that depression can and does lead to thoughts and acts of suicide. It as if the vitalizing force (expressed as brilliant light) is inactive in the body, much like being cut off from the "tree of life", sapping our will to live. Altogether, this reveals more evidence that how we think about our lives has a direct impact on how we experience our life.

Neutral

If we take a look at the picture which shows the body as neutral, we find that both the brilliance of happiness AND the cold, blue of depression is not present. This raises a whole new set of questions, such as is "neutral" considered the natural state of the body? Should we not strive for happiness, and instead journey towards a state of perpetual neutrality? 

I suppose it depends on who you ask, but in popular spiritual circles, the concept of Non-Duality is perceived as the natural state of existence, or the basis from which all noumena and phenomena emerge. But does non-duality correspond with neutrality? And if so, does this mean that the universe is primarily neutral to how life expresses? To quote Ernest Holmes, 

The Universe is impersonal. It gives alike to all. It is no respecter of persons. It values each alike. Its nature is to impart, ours to receive. - Science of Mind

There is many different ways to interpret this information. We can say that the brilliant light of happiness can activate greater inspiration and creativity, while depression may suppress those same qualities. Neutrality may be seen as a state of inactive activity, or in other words, we are not being propelled by either emotion or thought, and are centered in a place of stillness. Or perhaps, neutrality is a receding from both emotional connection or mental projection? 

I suppose you can take from this what you want, and I would love to hear some thoughts on what this might mean for future understandings of how thoughts and emotions may impact our overall health.

AUM