Imagine three people talking about their mother. A stranger wants them to describe her, so they each offer a description.

Person Number One says:

“My mum is green. She has antennae sticking out of her head, and her hair is yellow. She’s as big as a sumo wrestler and has muscles that Mr Universe would be proud of.”

Person Number Two says:

“She’s got very pale white skin and blonde hair. She’s very petite and short.”

Person Number Three says:

“She’s got dark skin and black hair. She’s tall and beautiful.”

Could all three of these people be correct in their descriptions of one person when their descriptions are so contradictory? Of course not. If she is a real human being, she can’t be both a giant green person with antennae and a petite blonde with pale skin at the same time.

You can believe whatever you want about who she is and what she looks like, but she will always be who she is regardless of what you believe about her or how you describe her.

Of course, you probably know that already. You wouldn’t describe your wife as green or purple unless she is (probably), and you would likely be hurt if you heard people describing you as somebody completely different than you really are, especially if they describe you in a way that you would consider to be insulting.

Yet so many of us treat the subject of God in the way the three people above talked about their mother. They say that whatever you believe about God is fine, as long as you’re sincere.

This belief defies logic, though. If we believe God is a myth, then of course we can paint Him however we want. But if God is REAL, as I sincerely believe He is, we need to realize that not everything that is believed about God can be true.

Some believe that Christ-followers are arrogant to suggest that there is only one God, but I don’t believe it is any more arrogant than it would be for me to suggest that I only have one mother. She is who she is, and what others believe about her doesn’t change reality.

I am on a quest to know the God Who Is, not just a god whom I wish existed. If I wanted to create my own religion, I could create any kind of “god” I wanted, but that god wouldn’t be REAL. I want to be careful, as much as possible, not to misrepresent God. That’s why I try to seek Him in the ways He’s revealed Himself and not to create God in my own image.

The problem with many religious people, Christians and non-Christians alike, is that they tend to create their “god” in their own image. If they are of a particular political persuasion, they assume that God is too. If they believe particular things about morality, life, culture, or whatever, they assume that God does too.

But God is Who He Is, not who we make Him.

I think we all have the tendency to project our own ideas or perceptions upon God, so this is something we all have to try to fight if we are going to begin to discover the God Who Is REAL.

Yet I will always continue my quest, not to describe God as I think God should be, but to discover more and more of Who God really Is.

How can I know the God Who Really Is?

God is infinite. That means He has no limits and no boundaries. God is bigger than me. How can I ever truly understand a mind that is infinitely bigger than mine? The fact is that I can’t. The best I can hope to do is to get the tip of the iceberg, to learn to know SOMETHING of Who this God is.

That isn’t cause for despair, however. Why? Because I believe I can know SOMETHING of God. In fact, not only can I know something ABOUT God, I can even KNOW God personally.

How, you may ask?

Well first of all…

1. I can know God through the things He has made.

   Romans 1:20 says:

   For since the creation of the world God’s invisible qualities—his eternal power and divine nature—have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that men are without excuse.

   I sincerely believe that any great masterpiece must have the hand of a master behind it. The Mona Lisa didn’t come into existence by accident, and neither did this beautiful and vast universe we live in. We can argue all we want as to HOW God created it, but I believe that no effect can exist without an ultimate Cause. And I believe God is that Cause.

   Furthermore, I believe all that is good and beautiful in this universe points to the Creator. Yes, I know there are a lot of things in this universe that have been messed up by humankind but, before we messed it up, it was all beautiful. I also believe God has a plan in place to make it all beautiful again one day.

   When I look at the masterpiece of a sunset, a snow-capped mountain, or a star-filled night, I believe it points to the Hand of the Creator. However, that alone only points to the idea that there IS a source and that this Source must be beautiful if He can create such beauty.

   How do I know anything more of Who this Source is?

2. I can know God through the Words He’s given us.

   The Bible says:

   All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness.

   These words from the Bible are claiming that all the Bible comes from God in some way. This may seem like a ludicrous claim, but I sincerely believe it’s true. I believe that this book, which is really a library of 66 ancient books, has been somehow preserved through the centuries in better condition than any other books from the ancient world for a reason. People have tried to disprove it time and again, and yet it still remains the best selling book in the world. Instead of contradicting science, as some have unfortunately tried to claim, it is supported time and again by the discoveries of science and archeology. It is also supported by the reality of the millions of lives its words have changed.

   It tells us about One God, and I truly believe that the God it reveals is the One True God. Its words are often debated and misinterpreted, but I am dedicated to the study of these ancient texts because I believe that the God who inspired it is the God Who is Real, and I’m convinced that the God Who is revealed in its pages is the One Who has the power to rescue lives and restore all of Creation to its intended glory.

3. I can know God through His Son.

   Jesus said, in John 14:9, “Anyone who has seen me has seen the Father.” In other words, he says that if you’ve seen Jesus, you’ve seen God.

   Of course, none of us have SEEN Jesus either, but we learn about Him in the Bible. We learn about His plan to rescue us from all the junk in our lives and to give us a life that never ends. We learn about His radical love for every one of us, and if His words are true, we learn that He is God’s way of revealing Himself to the world. The more we learn about Jesus, the more we learn about Who God Really Is. Not some preacher’s idea of God, not the ramblings of some crazy son who talks about his mom being a green sumo-wrestler….but WHO HE IS IN REALITY.

   He also says that we can do more than know ABOUT Him. He teaches us that there is a way that we can know Him personally.

Of course, you don’t have to believe any of what I’m saying. What I suggest, though, is that you investigate the facts for yourself before you come to a conclusion. Don’t just listen to what somebody says ABOUT God, or what you think God is or should be like.

If God is real, then He will be real regardless of what you think about Him… just like my mom is real no matter what you choose to think about her.

But if you don’t investigate the facts for yourself and find out if what I’m saying is true, I fear that you will miss out on the most wonderful experience you could EVER have…the experience of KNOWING the God Who is real.

Won’t you check out the evidence? You might be surprised what you find!

We’ve all heard the cliché “life is short, so make the best of every moment.” Well I have some news for you. This is totally, 100%, without a doubt WRONG!!!

Okay, it’s not completely wrong; certainly we should live life to the fullest.  But why do we assume “life is short?” Remember, we recently talked about how language can affect our reality. It seems to me that accepting that “life is short” is quite a limiting belief.

“Life is short” assumes a few things:

• You’re going to die younger than you want to.
• You’re going to die before you accomplish everything that you want to accomplish.
• Your life is over when your physical body deteriorates.
• Time is a restricting and limiting factor in your life.

Luckily for you, these assumptions are only true if you choose to let them be true. Let me explain…

In the book I’m currently reading, The Witch of Portobello by Paulo Coelho, there’s a profound statement that comes up during the dialog: “Every day has twenty four hours, but an infinite number of individual moments.”

Read that again to make sure you fully take it in: “…an INFINITE number of individual moments.”

And we’re probably all familiar with the line by George Carlin, “Life is not measured by the number of breaths we take, but by the moments that take our breath away.”

Both these quotes explain the same concept, which is that Life is NOT measured by time as we understand it. It is not measured by how high we climb the corporate ladder; it’s not measured by all the things we accumulate; it’s not measured by the places we travel to; and it’s certainly not measured by the number of times we’ve been around the sun (our age).

Life is measured by the moments we spend in Love, Joy, and Peace. And actually, it isn’t even measured. Measuring is a function of Ego and living in the past. Measurements are only meaningful if there’s something to compare it to. You would never try to compare the amount of Love you have; Love is Love is Love.

And we’ve all experienced—even if just through a character in a book or movie, like Romeo & Juliet—how Love transcends the limits of our physical body. We inherently know that our Love travels with our Soul when it is time for us to pass on.

So instead of living Life to the fullest because we think it’s short, understand that Life is the moments we’re Loving, playing Joyfully, and experiencing Peace and Harmony. These moments are carried with us forever in our memories, and are created into stories and memories by those we touch, creating legacies that transcend the time we spend on Earth. (We won’t even get into the topic of Life not being limited to one lifetime on Earth.)

If you like this topic, and would like me to write more about how to experience Love and Joy on a regular basis, let me know in the comments below. And tell me specifically what your struggling with on this topic. Don’t be shy. We all have issues we’re working through. This is about all of us helping each other get to where we want to be.

Love & Light,
Matt

I’m writing this post because so many well-meaning, conscious, spiritual people are missing some significant information and tools when it comes to Law of Attraction and being a conscious cocreator of your life with Spirit.

One of my wonderful Facebook friends recently wrote a post:

“If you examine your history, you cannot help but repeat it! Law of Attraction says it is so:

‘Whatever I am looking at, I am including in my vibration.’ — Abraham”

This sparked a controversy with 19 people weighing in, many fully agreeing and many others, myself included, objecting to this as an oversimplification and stating that, even though it is true that our focus does permeate our vibration and thus create, it is actually NECESSARY to understand and heal our past in order to learn what we need to from it and be able to truly free ourselves from its hold on us and move on into something even better.

We have to put our attention on our intention BUT if we are not aligned strongly and consistently enough with our intention, if we are trying really hard to make it happen but it’s just not working, that’s a sure sign we need to do some inner healing work before we do any more manifesting and attracting and creating. It’s inner, not, outer time, first.

I feel so strongly that so many New Age, metaphysical folks are so hyped up about positive thinking and “just focus on what you want,” they are missing something vital:

For most people, with most long-term issues, simply striving to be positive and focus on their intentions is NOT enough to bring about the desired results. We need to learn from our past, and use that wisdom to create our best future, while living in and enjoying the present.

So here I go on my soap box again.

The Abraham work and all the other good Law of Attraction stuff out there is not intended to be interpreted as “Ladeeda, we can just be positive 100% of the time and only good things will come to us. All that yucky stuff from the past – I’m done with that now and all I have to do is think good thoughts and I will attract all my desires. Abracadabra!”

So allow me to bust that myth and empower you with a much more in-depth and practical approach:

1- Our past is important. Just as our current emotions are indicators of the distance between where we are at and where we want to be, our past is one of our teachers as well. We can – and indeed need to – turn our wounds into wisdom. Some of our life experiences we may label “good” or “positive,” we feel we were successful and these we can apply to continue to utilize and build upon what worked for us, while the so-called “negative” experiences or failures are also useful in several ways.

For one thing, we can clarify more clearly what, exactly we DO want by contrasting it with what we do NOT want anymore. This applies equally well to health and lifestyle choices, work, home, community, as well as relationships.

Secondly, we can learn psychologically and spiritually: What was my lesson in this?

Thirdly,we can discover, with proper reflection, which may include prayer, meditation, journaling, counseling, or even insightful conversations, that there was truly a silver lining, a gift in every experience we have had. Sometimes we don’t see it at the time, it feels horrible, we may even be devastated that that relationship or career didn’t work out, that we had that disability or lost our house, but ultimately, when we see through the eyes of Spirit and Love, we will always find that everything happened for a reason and we can find something to be grateful for, even if it’s just the ability to make a different choice next time.

2- Until we learn our lessons from the past, we are going to UNCONSCIOUSLY repeat them. This is true of humanity when we look at larger societal choices as well as on the personal level. Ignoring our past and zapping it like it didn’t even happen is not the solution. In fact, ignoring our past and stuffing it over there, oh, that’s too messy, I don’t want to deal with that right now, does not free us from it, it actually dooms us to repeat it.

3- The Abraham work says that our DOMINANT thought is the one that runs the show, and I agree with this. The catch is: Our dominant thought is seldom a conscious thought, so we cannot expect to simply push a button and “There, I’m only going to think good thoughts, feel good feelings and make good choices from now on.”

We have to heal all those billions of subconscious beliefs that we are carrying around which arose out – what? Our past experiences and programming, of course.

I do agree that many people spend far too much time simply repeating their “story,” which actually keeps them stuck in it and keeps giving it energy. There is a big difference between looping an old version of a reality we no longer want, whining about it, being a drama king/queen, vs. actually being willing to visit the past (with support if necessary) with the intention of looking in the mirror, releasing what no longer serves, with forgiveness, finding the lesson and gift in it, and moving confidently forward into a better life we are creating for ourselves, from the inside out.

Do we need to look at our past? Absolutely.Do we need to keep telling it over and over? Absolutely not.

4- We need to process stuck emotions. Sometimes we need to move some rage. Shake off some old energy. Sometimes we need to express ourselves to someone, forgive, be forgiven, and it doesn’t matter if they’re alive or dead or whether their human self is willing to hear a word we are saying. We just talk to their Higher Self, soul to soul. We look in the mirror and show them a mirror as well. I have an extensive guided meditation and energy healing journey that I guide people through called the Healing Past Relationships Journey (soon to be available as a CD/MP3 audio) which facilitates this soul-to-soul communication, energy exchange, forgiveness and healing. Or you may be able to do it for yourself, perhaps by writing a letter or through ceremony. We need to visit our past just enough to learn from it and to heal it, not rehash it or keep talking about it for decades.

We also need to forgive ourselves. And forgive God!

The work I do as an energy healer, intuitive, hypnotherapist and life coach focuses on identifying the current condition of your Body, Mind, Heart and Soul and creating a complete, intuitively guided healing program that empowers you to remember who you really are, to love and heal yourself completely, and to clarify your vision and reawaken your passion, power and life purpose — to create the life and love of your dreams. I am a Law of Attraction coach, and people often begin working with me when they realize (see with Real Eyes) that they are working so dang hard on themselves, have been for years, yet something is still stuck. They are willing, finally, to do what it takes to really succeed, so we go places, often in the first session, that completely amazes them.

5- We need to heal core issues and heal on all levels.

For example, some of my recent clients have improved their relationships, found lasting love, launched their heart-centered business, created more harmony in their parenting or other family relationships…..In every case, we needed to do some deep CORE ISSUE healing at the level of the SOUL and the ENERGY FIELD, the kind of healing that is more difficult to do by one’s self when we are emotionally caught up in our “stuff,” scared, frustrated and depleted.

I do sometimes have clients who try to turn the sessions into talk therapy and keep going on and on about their problems. They are stuck in their story. So I ask them, “Do you want to talk about it or do you want to heal it?” If they keep wanting to talk about it, they are not ready for the kind of healing I do. If they want to heal it, I can help them heal themselves but we have to go much deeper than just talking. Deep omnidimensional energy healing at the soul level i.e. soul retrieval, regression, rebirthing, hypnotherapy/NLP, ceremony, forgiveness work, can be extremely helpful, especially if a person is unable to break free of an old belief/energy. We shift the energy & belief at the original cause and core. I channel empowering self-healing techniques they can do on their own to continue the healing and keep building the positive energy.

We don’t ever have to be 100% healed, nor is that even possible so long as we are human. But we need to be healed enough to be free to focus on what we do want, move forward and create from an aligned, clear, positive state of being and love.

6- ALIGN, ATTRACT, ACT.

People so caught up in the Law of Attraction who simply read a few books, go to a few workshops, watch a couple of movies, often fail to understand that trying to get into ACTION mode before you are ALIGNED does not work. Law of Attraction works – once we are aligned with our desires. If some part of our subconscious mind or energy field is still playing the tape of a limiting, negative belief, we are not going to be able to just attract what we want, no matter how many affirmations we say or vision boards we make!

7 – I want to make one more point about the past and this concept of time. We can only live in one time: the present. We need to heal and learn from our past and draw upon its power, we need to envision and align with our best future, and yet we can only live right here, right now. All times exist in this moment of choice: now.

I personally feel we need to spend MOST of our attention right here, where we live. In this body. On this planet. Enjoying this life to the fullest. Mindful. Heartful. Soulful. Bodyful. Beautiful! When we work with the concept of time as fluid and simultaneous and quantum rather than linear, we find that every moment is a portal home.

We can also change our past shamanically, redream it. This helps us create our best future as well. This can be done through shamanic trance healing and/or conscious dreaming.

We each have the power to facilitate miraculous healing and success beyond our wildest imagination. We don’t have to spend years healing the past. We can heal it in an instant, or it may take several months or longer, but if we go deep enough and work at the level of the soul, core beliefs and original causes, the quantum and cosmic fields and on all levels, if we do this work with a vibration of love for ourselves and all beings, we will grow into being who we came here to be.

I love the Abraham work but sometimes a phrase taken by itself does not present the complexities of the spiritual nature of the Universe. True healing and conscious creation of our lives will always involve navigating the territory of our past with loving kindness and forgivness, with an open mind and a willingness to learn and grow so we can create an even better future. And we can do this today.

If you would like more information about Omnidimensional Healing of Core Issues blended with intuitive life coaching, and a free Special Report on Law of Attraction Graduate School – Abundance Affirmations with Ooompf!, please visit my main website at:

www.LoveandSpirit.org.

God is within each one of us so we should open our consciousness to the unity of God’s pure spiritual consciousness because God reveals Himself in the condition of love, which is a kind of spiritual and physical unity.

The God’s pure consciousness within will show us that God is not far removed from us, but with us in the here and now. Jesus also said this when he gave us the saying; The Kingdom of God is within.

I feel our actions and thoughts within and without resolve themselves in the simplicity of the whole experience, when we focus on our simple unity in God’s pure consciousness and have become acquainted with it so it is apparently outside and within ourselves. This consciousness is witnessed inside, when we know that reality is more than what is observed outside with the senses. Letting go of what is little, we enter into a larger concept of life where there is nothing to fear because we realize that conflict is the result of seeing only in part, not the whole picture.

“The eternal mystery of the world is its comprehensibility.”

-Albert Einstein

The ’90s spawned the terms Generation X and Pepsi Generation. The revolutionary, plugged-in expanse between 1990 and 1999 symbolized the crystallization of youth culture—when technology, creativity and limitless possibility reached an amalgamated zenith. It was when rap and MTV became mainstream, Kurt and Big lived and died, and everything became inextricably linked with corporatism.

This list of definitive ’90s songs is by no means actually definitive (click for part one). Instead, we wanted to take a moment to revel in our youth and explore the pop culture moments that make up our collective psyche. Regardless of whether you get with, smile at, or treat these moments with familiar scorn, chances are they fit seamlessly into your retrospective scope like Pizza Hut and slap bracelets. And don’t forget to share your favourites with us in the comments.

1996: Oasis – Don’t Look Back in Anger

Yes, “Wonderwall” is catchy. But when What’s the Story Morning Glory dropped, a seminal album itself, “Don’t Look Back in Anger” was the song that cemented Oasis as a timeless band. Maybe it’s the inherent Beatles influence, with the tambourine, piano intro or Ringo-esque syncopation of drummer Alan White. Maybe it’s the guitar riff, which to this day is emulated by tweens in video games. Or maybe it’s just because despite all their asshole antics, perhaps in spite of themselves, Oasis crafted one of the greatest melodies of the past 50 years. It’s too bad they knew it, too.—Simon

1996: Weezer – Across the Sea

Weezer invented emo. Like, the entire genre of music and now subculture of youth identification? Weezer. For every jaded fan (and there are a lot of us out there), “Across the Sea” marks a highpoint in musical signposts. A perfect mix of melancholy, distortion laden grunge, power-pop melodies and crunchy Fender riffs held together with quaintly sad sack lyrics such as, “As if I could live on words and dreams and a million screams, oh, how I need a hand in mine to feel.” And remember, this was before emo was cool; for better or for worse.—Simon

1996: Fiona Apple – Criminal

The cloying Lilith Fair movement, awesome identity politics aside, did at least one cool thing – it segued into Fiona Apple. I write a lot about celebrity crushes because the seduction apparatus of film and pop music fascinates the hell out of me — but yo, Apple was (is) the shit. She disgusted me but I wanted her, I felt bad for her but she was kind of a hero, and she set the behind-doors soundtrack for years of battling d’evils to come. Much of that is encapsulated by Mark Romanek’s haunting video, which sadly now just looks like marketing for American Apparel.—Jef

1997: No Doubt - Sunday Morning

In grade six I idolized Gwen Stefani. Before becoming a pop-song-making, baby-having, overpriced-clothing-line hawking icon, she single-handedly influenced my love of leopard print with her outfit in this video. “Don’t Speak” might be considered No Doubt’s breakthrough hit (even though Tragic Kingdom was the band’s third studio album), but this was the song I lip-synched extra hard to. It’s a microcosm of what the band themselves represented at the time: the transitional antidote to a market exhausted by poor Seattle-grunge knockoffs and anticipating an influx of over stylized pop stars and rappers. I love that you can see esthetic continuity from this video to Gwen’s current stuff (thanks to director Sophie Muller). This song and my desperate sixth-grade love of this band is why I will forever be a Hollaback Girl.—Anupa

1997: Infinite - Gotta Get Mine

Canadian hip-hop in the late nineties had a distinct sound, less jiggy than it’s flashy American counterpart and ridiculously more rugged. This song literally makes me think of a dude spitting his guts out while wearing a parka in the middle of a wintry, Toronto night. Over supremely delicate production, alongside a pre-Diva-ized Divine Brown (when she rocked a headwrap and went by Divine Earth Essence) Infinite spits meticulous, slang-laden raps like “I’ve got you hooked like a custy lookin’ for cookie” and single-handedly defines a city and a time. One of my favourite hip-hop songs of all time, period.—Anupa

1998: Puff Daddy (and the Family) – All About the Benjamins

Featuring the opening verse most likely to be memorized by my classmates this side of “Triumph”, Puff’s ragged posse cut was “about living rich and the importance of having money,” says Wikipedia. Gully. Puff was rap’s knight in shiny-suit Armani, sure, but this track knocked regardless of my burgeoning backpack inclinations. In the larger sphere, it spawned an annoying mainstream catchphrase, a Weird Al parody, and a rap-rock zeitgeist remix that capped off grunge survivor Dave Grohl’s decade-definitive trajectory. If you didn’t fuck with this track, you’re a liar, and I want my VHS tapes back.—Jef

An old drawing but one that will forever appeal to me. I know I am a dreamer and an idealist and somehow this cartoon describes me.

Image Credit: Hugh Macleod

He then continues:

We are here to find mea­ning. We are here to help other peo­ple do the same. Everything else is secon­dary. We humans want to believe in our own spe­cies. And we want peo­ple, com­pa­nies and pro­ducts in our lives that make it easier to do so. That is human nature. Pro­duct bene­fit doesn’t excite us. Belief in huma­nity and human poten­tial exci­tes us. Think less about what your pro­duct does, and think more about human poten­tial. What sta­te­ment about huma­nity does your pro­duct make? The big­ger the sta­te­ment, the big­ger the idea, the big­ger your brand will become. It’s no lon­ger just enough for peo­ple to believe that your pro­duct does what it says on the label. They want to believe in you and what you do. And they’ll go elsewhere if they don’t. It’s not enough for the cus­to­mer to love your pro­duct. They have to love your pro­cess as well. Peo­ple are not just get­ting more deman­ding as con­su­mers, they are get­ting more deman­ding as spi­ri­tual enti­ties. Bran­ding is a spi­ri­tual exer­cise. These are The New Rea­li­ties, this is the Spi­ri­tual Repu­blic we now live in. The soul can­not be outsour­ced. Either get with the pro­gram or hire a con­sul­tant in Extinc­tion Mana­ge­ment. No vision, no busi­ness. Your life from now on pivots squa­rely on your vision of human potential.

Make me sweet again

fragrant and fresh and wild

and thankful for any small event.

- Rumi

This month we all come together with loved ones and devote our awareness for a few hours to thankfulness. Perhaps your family, like mine, will join hands and take turns sharing what each one is grateful for, today and over the past year. And whether you have a formal or informal practice of expressing gratitude at your Thanksgiving table, I’m sure you feel the energy of gratitude throughout your celebration.

But why do we reserve a mere one day a year for this? I propose we make every day a day of giving thanks. Oh, we don’t have to stuff ourselves with stuffing and gobble down turkey…Somehow I think the original intention of the holiday, gratitude for the Earth’s bounty, for peaceful, harmonious coexistence, for life itself, has gotten lost in all the gluttony and football games.

Let’s remember the true spirit of Thanksgiving, not only on the holiday, but throughout our lives. To be full of greatness, we must be grateful.

We must laugh and

We must sing.

We are blest by everything.

Everything we look upon is blest.

- William Butler Yeats

So why should we practice gratitude more often? Here are 5 good reasons:

1. You will feel happier.

When we focus on how full our cups already are, we experience life in a much more positive way. Most of us in this country do not have cups that are half full, half empty, as the saying goes. Our cups are 90% full! Look around you. Look within you. How full is your cup? The Universe is showering blessings upon you each and every day, each and every moment, and we can choose to see and appreciate these gifts or remain unconscious, cranky and unfulfilled. Enough cvetching already! Do you want to be (more) happy? Gratitude is the fastest, most effective way to increase your personal sense of joy about the life you are already living.

2. Gratitude facilitates more harmony in relationships.

Expressing gratitude and appreciation to the people in our lives, of course in a sincere way, from the heart, improves our relationships. As a relationship coach, I have seen that the simple practice of focusing on the positive and expressing true appreciation can dramatically improve marriages, friendships and even work relationships.

This doesn’t mean you have to “suck it up” and put up with being disrespected or abused. If your relationship brings you more pain than joy, you will need in-depth counseling and much more than just a “focus on the positive” bandaid. But for most generally healthy relationships, sprinkling more “Thank you so much for doing that!”s and “I really appreciate…”s, expressing the love in your heart can do wonders.

Many of us take so much for granted, particularly from the people we love the most. Everyone needs to feel seen, heard and valued and this enhances intimacy and emotional safety, bringing you closer.

3. God/The Universe will bestow more blessings upon you. I don’t claim to be in charge of the Universe, but it is a universal spiritual law that the more thankful we are, the more blessings we receive! It’s as if remembering to say “Thank you!” opens the faucet of life’s blessings. I truly have noticed that it’s more than just being more aware of what is already present; there is, over time, an actual increase in things to be thankful FOR.

What you think about, and thank about, you bring about. – Dr. John Demartini

Perhaps our Creator appreciates being appreciated, just as we do, and is more inclined to give more of the good stuff to us when we really appreciate what we get. As Neal Donald Walsch, author of Conversations with God, says, the correct prayer is one of gratitude.

There is an old Jewish proverb that goes like this. Two men, equally poor (or equally rich, depending on your perspective) meet in the village. The first man says, “So how is it going with you?”

The second man replies, “Oy! Life is terrible. My wife is sick, my cow won’t give milk, and business is lousy.”

God, hearing his response, thinks “Why you ingrate! I just gave you a new house, healed your ulcer, and found the best husband for your daughter. So you think things are bad now? I’ll give you something to complain about!”

Finally, the second man stops his kvetching and asks the other fellow, “What about you?”

“Well, I tell you, life is so good.  We fixed the leak in my pipes so now my house is dry again. I had a nice Sabbath with my wife and children, a humble meal, but we are together. My horse, well, his leg is still broken but he’s such a good friend to me, and I know business will pick up soon,” his neighbor replies.

God smiles and thinks, “So you think things are good now? I’ll give you something to be thankful for!”

So whether you think of the source of blessings as God, the Universe, or your own intention, gratitude is an essential key to loving your life, and it opens the door to greater and greater blessings, creating a positive spiral that continues to build.

Here is a wonderful message I channeled for you from Archangel Michael:

G O D =   Gratitude Opening Doors!

As William Blake said, “The thankful receiver bears a plentiful harvest.”

4. You will also receive more of what you want from the people in your life.

Of course, this applies on the human level as well as the spiritual level. Have you ever had a friend of family member that you gave gifts to, but who never remembered to thank you? Didn’t you feel after a while, “Hey, why should I bother giving them anything? They never even appreciate it.” And after a while, you feel resentful and stop giving them gifts, am I right? I thought so. Therefore, when we appreciate what we receive, whether tangible or intangible, from others, we actually receive more because we are give-to-able. We receive with an open heart and open hands, with a smile. People love to give, and there is a great gift in being a giver, but only when we sense that the gift is truly received and appreciated.

It’s important to receive graciously, compliments and favors as well as physical presents.

How well you receive compliments symbolizes how well you receive love.

Practice being a wide receiver. – Alan Cohen

If you tend to argue or inwardly doubt it when people praise you, you have some deep self-love work to do. If you have been a “giveaholic” your whole life, or if you have a hard time believing in your own worthiness,or just feel disconnected from your joy, I suggest you get The Radical Self-Love Workbook, a complete course in deepening unconditional self-love, deservingness and creating the life of your dreams, from the inside out! (It also makes a wonderful holiday gift for someone you love who needs to love themselves and their lives more.)

http://www.loveandspirit.org/book1.html

5. It’s just plain polite. Courtesy. Etiquette. Manners. It’s the right thing to do. It also sets a good example for others, of all ages. ‘Nuf said.

So join me this month and always in cocreating a more positive life experience for yourself and our community by making every day thanks-giving!

In my next post, I will share 8 Great Ways to Boost Your Gratitude Attitude! (I guarantee there will be several you have never heard of before, new inspirational ideas for really living gratitude as a daily practice.)

If this piece inspired you in some way, or you have your own gratitude stories to share, please comment below. You can also share this on your social media pages, with your list, and sign up for the RSS feed for my blog.

THANK YOU for reading my blog today!

Blessings & blissings to you!

Love,

Sage

Beauty is simply reality seen with the eyes of love. – Evelyn Underhill

Excerpted largely from The Radical Self-Love Workbook, copyright 2008

http://www.loveandspirit.org/book1.html

By Sage Taylor Kingsley-Goddard

While it may very well be that all that we are nothing but a cosmic soup of atomic matter, it certainly does seem that humanity has the unique ability to stir the pot.

As of late, I have given some thought to the arguments of Richard Dawkins, Daniel Dennett, Edward Wilson, Peter Singer and a number of other players in the current debates about God, morality, and evolutionary biology.  Their basic premise seems to be that what it means to be human or a part of nature can only be explained by evolutionary theory.  Moreover, this theory leads the to the inexorable conclusion that all can be reduced to an explanation as to how atomic physics have played out in the last however many billion years or so. (See, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Universe ). Nary a thought is given to the real fact that all of us have an epistemological gap between us and the beginning of time, such that no present explanation of our world can suffice to explain it entirely.  God does readily fill that epistemological void.

While it may very well be that all that we (and the universe we have our be-ing in) are nothing but a cosmic soup of atomic matter, it certainly does seem that humanity has the unique ability to stir the pot.  This ability is seen nowhere else in the ‘natural world.’  Indeed, it is this very deviation from cosmic destiny, evolutionary theory, or even simple neuro-psychology, that uniquely defines what it is to be human.

Unlike the natural world, we are not dependent on the synchronicity of our coexistence with/in  the many moving and interactive elements of the earth’s evolved environment.  Ostensibly, we are readily able to defy what nature might otherwise dictate.  Singer and others have, rather oddly, concluded that behavior which defies nature is somehow ignoble or immoral.  Isn’t everything “natural,” in the sense that all that is must be derivative of evolutionary processes and atomic destiny?  What possible moral difference could stirring the pot of cosmic existence make, if we can only have derived our ability to stir the pot from the very substance found in the pot?  There has to be a clear distinction made between the subject and objects confronted by human existence.

As an aside, this does not mean that morality would have to be completely dependent on some traditional notion of God. It is simply a matter of distinguishing a difference between intentionality, conscious acknowledgment and the human experience of what is “moral,” from that which is simply a byproduct of evolutionary necessity and atomic structure. Whether these aspects are distinguishable from each other is the question that Professor Dawkins raises. The conceptual parsing done by Dawkins is actually quite admirable and necessary to the understanding of either side’s argument.

Moreover, it seems readily apparent that the process of evolution for the ‘natural world’ moves at the same pace as it has from the beginning of time (barring any natural disasters).  Animals and plants are not dependent on us for their existence in a natural state.  They only evolve at certain scientifically definable rates in accordance with the environmental variables which govern the process.

Simply put, humans command the ability to even deprive ourselves of the natural synchronicity with nature.  It is indeed arguable that we sometimes separate from nature and defy it.   At a minimum, we stand out from nature.  For example, a lion cannot simply redefine itself or make claim to an existence other than that which it has at its essence. A view toward’s Heidegger’s philosophy on death would also underscore the reality that humans are perfectly capable of  experiencing “unnatural” deaths.  Most lions and other creatures will die substantially the same way and of the same causes.  Humans, however, bear a capacity for defining even the parameters of our own deaths.  Certainly, our nearest alleged “relatives,” chimpanzees, can hardly lay stake to such abilities.  In other words, there is something about the human experience that can be completely differentiated from that of the animal experience.  Indeed, this statement can be made even without accounting for the unique capacity of humans to conceive of [a] God, to understand beauty, and to engage in the fine arts.

Nevertheless, we can rightly claim that humans engage in unnatural acts.  They engage in acts that defy natural selection and the otherwise undisturbed progression of the natural world outside of humanity.  Animals are not generally self destructive in any real way.  Humans, on the other hand, are completely competent to destroy themselves and everything else around them.  Indeed, humankind is readily able to change its environment quickly and drastically.  And, in so changing, it becomes apparent that we are the only creatures on earth that are capable of self-directed evolution, even to the point of destroying ourselves.   Seemingly, evolutionists are ready to deprive of humankind of this sacred and distinct attribute shared by no other living creatures.

Frankly, it seems inconsistent to stand by an evolutionary biology explanans for why things are the way they are, and yet complain about the seemingly out of control, or even allegedly  immoral, progress of humanity.  Morality simply has no place in a universe driven only by the predisposed nature of atomic structures and the rules of physics to which they are bound.  In a very important sense, the effect of human existence on the environment is no less evolutionary or atomically driven than any other process that is claimed to have arisen from a purely evolutionary beginning.  That is, if one believes that all must have come from simple existence which led to a graduated complexity.

In order to speak of “moral” behavior, one must first believe that there is some constituent part of the universe which can be moral or act in a moral way.  If we rely simply on the synaptic firing of our neurons, coupled with a genetic destiny, it simply does not make sense to incorporate a moral lexicon into human existence.  However, if one believes that moral behavior is a step above, or uniquely differentiated from, the coldness of evolutionary survival of the species, it must follow that one believes that there is a higher arche to the human existence.  Whether this is attributable to God or a higher being/be-ing (a template for higher being or a more complex nature outside of the natural rules that apply to all other creatures), or not, seems to be the real question.

There are a good number of evolutionary biologists and philosophers of our time who readily conclude that all of human existence can simply be explained by reference to the primordial atomic soup from which all has evolved.  They do not explain where the atomic structure/fabric came from, they do not explain the source of the energy driving all that is, they ignore or gloss over the origins of art and beauty, and they completely ignore the obvious fact that the human line of species significantly deviates from otherwise predictable genetic destinies or even basic natural evolution of the rest of nature and its evolving complexity.

At first glance, the basic problem with evolutionary biology is that it rests upon what appears to be a purely linear view of the time-space continuum.  This purely linear view adds an unnecessary viscosity to the stream of the cosmos and nature itself. The evolutionists view does not account for the fact that all matter, or representations of matter, derive from an admittedly common source and theoretical moment of being put in motion.  That is, all things that can be perceived in the real world are the same age by reference to atomic matter, interactivity, and movement of the cosmos.

The only difference between one atomic structure and another is the ‘present’ constituency of the thing perceived.  Under a non-linear view of time, it may just be the case that the “age” of things is a function of where they are in the movement of the “cosmic swirl.”  An evolutionist should not confuse the properties of age with actual age — if time can even be said to be a good structure for cosmology.  If there was a single moment of creation, moving forward, differing “ages” of the atomic world’s constituents are not so obvious as to merit the conclusion that the universe actually is 13.7 to 37 billion years old or any other specific age for that matter.  If, at the time the cosmos was put in motion, certain aspects of reality were given characteristics in their atomic structure that give off the impression of being “older,” it may simply be that the evolutionist has been fooled in much the way a purchaser of art might be fooled by the acquisition of a good faux painting.  The thing acquired or perceived has all of the characteristics, but is lacking in the need of its original creator and an understanding of the process leading up to the perceived masterpiece.

In other words, the moment of creation may simply have been a stirring of the pot by an Omnipotent and wholly self sufficient Primary Mover.  A cyclical or interwoven time structure is not the same as a linear structure which starts from a given point and brings us to something called “today.”  The ’swirl’  of the cosmic mass we call reality should not be confused with a purely linear view of reality, upon which evolution must rely (i.e., reliance on a Big Bang, primordial soup, then various periods of evolution/advancement of varying species).  Obviously, if linear time is the framework for the edifice of evolution, there is a strong likelihood that evolutionary theory is defectively constructed.

Additionally, it seems that the atheist opposition confuses their perceived improbability of God with ultimate exclusion from the range of all possibilities.  In the view of Dawkins and his company, it is nearly an absolute truth that God does not exist.  Were it the case that Dawkins could overcome the long standing objections that might be made by George Berkeley as to the importance of human perception in all of this, perhaps a better argument could be made.  However, Dawkins and his crew presuppose the validity and concrete values of their perceptions and just assume that a consensus gentium argument will carry the day because a vast number of other evolutionary biologists happen to agree on the notion that God, Creationism or Intelligent Design are improbable or altogether wacky.  Solipsism remains a strong enemy of confidence in the truth values of our own perceptions.  In fact it does seem that the utility and efficacy of certain “memes” bears out this very problem.  Cultural evolution is a product of passed on perception, without necessary regard to or of principles deriving from mathematics or physics.

In order for anyone’s argument to work with respect to great cosmological arguments, it does seem that the veil of basic human perception must first be torn and put aside in favor of an unobstructed view of reality.  Humanity has proven itself quite incapable of divesting itself from its condition as a status which depends purely on the senses and humanized logic.  Professor Dawkins and his ilk may be assured that just as great a number of scientific theories have fallen, after ready acceptance by consensus, as have arguments for the existence of particular gods or ontologies.  In large part, it seems that the human defect of limited perception is the cause of a great number of these many failed scientific theories throughout history. Indeed, it seems apparent that our singular or collective experiences limit the conclusions to which we may arrive.  Experience naturally limits the parameters of what we can actually know.  Admittedly, the breadth of one’s “experience” can be widened with knowledge/exposure to mathematics, physics, chemistry, theory of biology, philosophy, and other areas of learning.  However, the expansion of theory is dependent on the limits of our own personal knowledge and that of our colleagues in thought.  The limits of humanity do not give way simply because one believes in evolutionary biology.

Father Time has proven himself to be a bitter enemy to the life span of most scientific theories.  As human perception ‘evolves,’ scientific theories die.  Sometimes they die by the weight of their own complexity or the simply are shown to be inconsistent with the collective perceptions of an advanced humanity.  Oddly, however, the explanatory value of a higher cause or higher being has not died since the conceivable beginnings of human thought about the source of our being and the reasons for our existence.  This may be simply because a belief in God does provide a fabric to all that is.  Or, it may just as well be that the vast majority of humans have perceived something that can only be described as God.  For as many scientists and theologians as there have been in history, there have probably been nearly as many fools among them.

The pervasive perception of God, or the empirical basis for the use of a word such as “God,” cannot be simply disregarded.  Simply because Dawkins has not personally perceived something that might be called God does not allow him to summarily dispense with any Wittgensteinean objections as to the limits of our language and ability to articulate what we experience.  It is undeniably the case that the Judeo-Christian view of the world has rather successfully sufficed to unite an advancing/progressive group of humans, indeed the entirety of Western Culture, of which Professor Dawkins would be a participant.  The “memes” of, or which are, Christianity have proven to be a rather powerful force by any account.  See generally, John 1:1-4 (KJV).

It seems to me that the evolutionists of our time ought to give some minor consideration to the thought that the theoretical explanans and the actual explanandum of human existence are conceivably different.  If truth be the sum of its complete, necessary and agreed upon conditions, the evolutionary biologists/theorists have plenty of agreement, but could not possibly have a complete or necessary epistemological basis for the ultimate truths they espouse.  Admittedly, the same applies for a strict historical or epistemological view of Christianity.

In the case of both Evolutionary Theory and the belief in God, there is indicia of pure religion.  Religion requires certain elements, which appear to be:  1.)  A redemptive or explanatory story for what is;  2.) An explanandum/definiendum which outside of complete human perception or experience;  3.) Preachers and prophets of the truth or content contained within the explanans/definiens; 4.) A body of the faithful who simply may have no epistemelogical basis for a belief in what is explained or the explanation itself; 5.) A desire to operate by explanatory fiat or ultimatum.  Zealotry on behalf of any such religion can lead to discord and unnecessary viscosity in the stream of otherwise valuable arguments.  Certainly, both sides of the Intelligent Design argument seem perfectly capable and willing to lift the sword toward the other.

Or it may very well be that the enemies of God are simply asking the wrong questions even about their own existence and be-ing (Dasein) in the Heideggerian sense.  Perhaps it is just that they think it important to “stir the pot” in the proverbial sense.  But what sense does it make to stir the pot if you’re in it?

 

 

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The latest versions of Vue’s Infinite and xStream editions are already available. Vue 8 Infinite and Vue 8 xStream were released simultaneously by e-on software and both come with new and exciting features. Among those features there is a new real-time terrain editor with a complete set of sculpting tools, support to normal mapping, Spectral 3 atmosphere, improved OpenGL engine and viewport display, a faster render engine (renders are up to 20% faster) and a lot more. Among the xStream exclusive features there is a new integrated interface with host applications (3ds Max, Maya, Softimage e Cinema 4D), support for Chaos Group’s V-Ray for 3ds Max/Maya and an advanced light matching system.

Click on the links above to learn more
Vue 8 Infinite – http://www.e-onsoftware.com/products/vue/vue_8_infinite
Vue 8 xStream – http://www.e-onsoftware.com/products/vue/vue_8_xstream

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Já está disponível a nova versão das edições Infinite e xStream do aclamado software Vue. Vue 8 Infinite e Vue 8 xStream tiveram lançamento simultâneo pela e-on software e trazem novas e excitantes funcionalidades. Dentre elas estão o novo editor de terrenos com ferramentas de escultura digital, suporte a normal mapping, o editor de atmosferas Spectral 3, engine e viewport em OpenGL melhoradas, um renderizador mais veloz (renderizações até 20% mais rápidas) e muito mais. Dentre as novidades exclusivas da edição xStream estão uma nova interface integrada com pacotes 3D (3ds Max, Maya, Softimage e Cinema 4D), suporte ao renderizador V-Ray para 3ds Max/Maya e um sistema avançado para ajuste de iluminação.

Clique nos links abaixo para saber mais
Vue 8 Infinite – http://www.e-onsoftware.com/products/vue/vue_8_infinite
Vue 8 xStream – http://www.e-onsoftware.com/products/vue/vue_8_xstream

This is It – I T – Infinite Thoughtfulness

I T – Infinite Thoughtfulness – Respectfully

Infinite Thoughtfulness evokes our awareness; it represents the immense potential intellectual faculties and amazing abilities that we have been gifted with

Wisdom Evolving – Respectfully

It is seeking to make us aware of the wisdom within ourselves; Wisdom represents the creative intelligence; Wisdom is our intuition expressing itself; Wisdom is Wealth; Wisdom with wealth creates an equitable balance relating to various aspects of life characteristically and wisely

Challenges – Respectfully

Wisdom represents the guidance to confront challenges; Wisdom is peace within ourselves as well as the interactions that we have with the Universe

Inherent – Inheritance – Respectfully
This humbly seeks to refer to the infinite thoughtfulness that is an inherent part of us; amongst the very most precious inheritances of our life – lifetime – lifetimes

Good Naturedness – Respectfully

It is truly wonderful that when we seek to contribute our good natured; meaningfully responsible initiatives and endeavors for universal development

Embarking – Respectfully

While embarking onto such respective ventures, whether at the very preliminary phase – the intermediate phase or at other unanticipated junctures with profound amazement one is left speechless and is overwhelmed with gratitude to note how the respective aspects relating to the concerned objectives synchronize themselves together as if they were pre aligned – structured – sequenced and organized to converge together for the greater good of one and all respectively
Creative Brilliance – Respectfully

What is more amazing than ever is the unabated convergence of resourcefulness from all across the universe with immense solidarity and dedication that one is truly touched by the creative brilliance that dwells within each and everyone of us

Evolution – Respectfully

How aspects evolve amazingly; How thoughtfulness leads to convergence and conceptualization of wonderful creative notions – ideas – plans are all reflecting the greatness of people all across the universe, all coming together for universal development consistently

Universe – Respectfully
The above humble attitude of gratitude encompasses the potential divinity of each person seeking to align themselves with the cosmic consciousness; This is the potential divinity of each person seeking to know how it could contribute its amazing wonderfulness for the happiness, development and welfare of the universe always

Thoughtfulness – Respectfully

Thoughtfulness is so much more than just a symbolic representation of thoughtfulness that is articulated – expressions – gestures – contemplation – deliberations; it is the littlest of thoughts by thoughts –

- the very most basic thoughts – actions and expressions that either set forth an avalanche of happiness – a feeling of immense goodness or contradictory – cynical deliberations on the path of ignorance and delusion;

- the choice is upto each and every one to respectively realize that there is so much to each and every aspect of this wonderfulness – this miracle called life; truly amazing; always reminding us to ever gratefully express our sincere thanks to God whilst diligently attending to our respective personal and professional assignments – agendas – objectives and responsibilities with a perspective of awareness and meaningfulness consistently

Please Think – Respectfully

Please think for a few moments regarding thoughtfulness and its profound impact; how it has created – made a difference at various phases of this wonderful life; thoughtfulness is reminiscent of the wonderfulness that each and every one of us truly are and this is prevalent infinitely; in each and every moment, the choice is ours whether to seek to be thoughtful; let infinite thoughtfulness reign its majestic prevalence very most naturally or seek to interfere with the natural thought and intersperse them with a deluge of contradictory vehement and ignorant thoughts, actions and expressions

Please Remember – Respectfully

The infinite thoughtfulness would be reciprocated likewise thereby incredibly augmenting – incrementing the virtue practiced expressed; goodness begets goodness provide it is pure and devoid of any fringes of incentive based goodness; it has to be an spontaneous and unconditional expression that is expressing from a grateful heart filled with joy, love, peace, respect, sincerity, trust and the truth please

Ahimsa – Non Violence – Respectfully

This always inspires us to practice ahimsa – non violence in our thoughts; actions and all forms of expressions please

Prayers – Respectfully

Let us always pray to God to fill – to bless the Universe with a Vision of Good Health; Happiness; Peace; Joy; Development; Stability; Knowledge; Prosperity, Progress; Wisdom accompanied along with the very finest characteristics and virtues of life always please

Things – Respectfully

Infinite thoughtfulness seeks to humbly refer to the little things that could make an incredible difference in one another’s life – it is the little things – the smallest acts of kindness – the awareness – the responsibleness – the etiquette – the discipline and so many more aspects in life that could each constitute and represent a world of wonderfulness; emitting its amazing radiance; at times it is the very smallest of aspects in life that make the greatest of impacts and incredible difference; it all adds up, thought by thought; thoughtfulness by thoughtfulness; it is infinite thoughfulness beseeching and appealing – reaching across from within ourselves to inspire us to adopt the meaningful, purposeful and responsible practices relating to infinite thoughtfulness gracefully – it is our inherent inheritance and needs no incredible efforts, it is our natural expression, we are all incredibly infinitely thoughtful; it is the legacy of infinite thoughffulness that has been carried and will keep carrying itself with immense pride and respect amazingly

True Nature – True Self – Respectfully

Infinite thoughtfulness seeks to make us aware; to discover, recognize and experience our True Nature; our True Self; God Bless

Higher Consciousness – Respectfully

Let us seek to awaken our inner wisdom – our higher consciousness; be more aware and conscious; God Bless

Intuition – Respectfully

Let us seek to develop our intuition; Intuition is our inner guidance and compass of life; Intuition is the wisdom of the Soul; God Bless

God Bless - Respectfully

May One and All be Blessed with a Vision of Good Health, Happiness, Joy, Prosperity, Progress and Wisdom always; God Bless

Love and Light,

God Bless,

Vashi

Copyright ©2009 Vashi Ram Chandi

All Rights Reserved

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Through listening occult power and saintliness are gained,

Heaven and earth are made stable,

And the world and lower worlds revolve.

Through listening death does not touch.

Nanak says: Through lsitening devotees attain bliss,

And sin and sorrow are destroyed.

- Guru Nanak, Japji

I read the above passage in a book called “The True Name“, which is Osho’s explanation of Japji Sahib.  Although I have read this prayer countless times in my life, I have never understood it beyond its trans literal meaning.  This book, however, has contextualized the Japji and explained it through Guru Nanak’s experiences, stories and purpose.

In the eighth pauri (stanza) quoted above, Guru Nanak describes the power of listening.  We are told that through listening alone we can reach spiritual salvation.  And what is spiritual salvation?  In this pauri, the word vigasu is used to describe it as bliss.  But it is not just bliss, but also the continuous growth and development of bliss.  Osho explains that anand, or bliss, is a “flower that keeps on blooming. The moment never comes when it is in complete bloom: It just blooms and blooms and blooms – from perfection to more perfection… anand is not an object that you are done  with once attained.  It keeps on increasing constantly, limitlessly, once it is attained” (125).

Wow.

So all of this can be attained just through listening. If we listened for only a second, we can reach spiritual salvation.  However, in order to listen, we must first empty our minds and break the constant dialogue within.  Osho explains that religion is possible only through silence because silence is the process by which we relate to our own self.

So how do we do this?

Osho encourages us to practice silence for one hour or so each day, at a time that is convenient.  He explains that when we are silent our internal dialogue continues, and so our role is to notice this internal dialogue, but not to indulge in it.  “Don’t get involved”, he says “just listen to what one part of the mind is telling another.  Whatever comes, let it come; don’t try to repress it.  Only be witness to it” (122).  If we practice this process diligently and whole-heartedly for at least six months, we should notice our mind emptying and we will begin to hear the footsteps of silence.

This is when we will begin to experience the art of listening.

Happy Gurpurab!!

Sometimes Love Hurts ~ by Carol Wiebe

Sometimes, love hurts. We might even question if exposing ourselves to love is worth the potential pain.  

But love is not just a surface emotion: it embodies a wide spectrum of feelings. So wide, that poets, writers, artists, saviours, politicians, advertisers and countless others have tried to define and describe it through the ages. Various holy writings declare that God is Love.

I do not think it is possible to live on this earth and miss the experience of love. Simply being born is a gift of infinite love: we are given access to all the possibilities (including challenges) that life has to offer. The more we open ourselves, the deeper our experience can go.

Your task is not to seek for love, but merely to seek and find all the barriers within yourself that you have built against it.    ~ Rumi

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Life is eternal, our consciousness will always eternally be.   Our soul power, our true essence exists eternally with many options and opportunities how we choose to exist.   We can choose to come to the physical dimension to experience physical life and all the blessings and challenges our life presents us with.  We can also choose to stay in the higher realms of spirit, or we can choose to have some of the energy of our infinite soul power residing in both places.  We can return to physical life as many times as we choose, or remain in other realms, planets, dimensions as often as we choose.   Our soul can enter the physical dimension by walking into a newborn babies body or, with a pre existing agreement, into an adult body.  They both happen all the time on this planet.  Souls enter and leave the physical dimension in many different ways and at all ages and stages of a human beings life.

We return to experience physical life for countless reasons, however always to evolve our level of consciousness with the ultimate goal of awakening to who we truly are; remembering the Master Self, Divine Presence within.   When we die a physical death we are still us, we don’t die, we are still alive, our soul is simply no longer attached or associated with the physical body, or shell we incarnated into.  We still remain at the same level of consciousness we existed in at the moment of our death.  This is why suicide is such a tragedy, it is not an out, it is not an escape from our problems, we take ourselves with us, all of our awareness, consciousness, pain, thoughts, feelings and core beliefs.  Yes we will be rid of any physical pain we had in our body, but even that was a manifestation of our inner consciousness out pictured in our body over time.   We cannot run from our own consciousness, who we are, it goes with us even in death.  The problem with suicide is that your soul will most likely choose to return to another physical body and face very similar if not worse circumstances and struggles that triggered the suicide and you will also have more karma to deal with due to the karma you created from your suicide.  There will be an even bigger mess to clean up.

Life is an eternal ongoing flow of life force energy, vitality and soul consciousness.  Everything we choose in our lives is to bring us to higher states of being, to the enlightened Self that is already within us.   Dont’ put  soul power in a box, it is not as rigid as mass conscious mind creates through its rigid beliefs.  Soul power is infinite, we live and love and create in infinite ways, shapes and forms eternally.  We may live concurrent lives on this planet or on this planet and another planet, also while guiding some of our loved ones, and at the same now moment we may be doing many services galactically, spiritually, universally on other realms and dimensions.   Just as in this life you are involved in groups, clubs, organizations, families, friends concurrently, your soul power is very busy universally.  In this physical life you may have a partner, be getting an education, be a member of a church, a family, a soccer team, a charitable organization and a hiking group all at this moment in your life.  The infinite spiritual aspect of your soul power is similarly busy on the infinite other realms and dimensions that exist universally.

Physical life is a magnificent gift that needs to be cherished and appreciated and enjoyed.  Do not waste the opportunity of life, the opportunity to love, experience and give.   You don’t need to look for how to love and give, opportunities will present themselves moment to moment as your day unfolds.  When you are simply open and you get your judgmental mind out of the way the person in front of you now is the person you are meant to be with now,  the perfect circumstances will unfold and opportunities will present themselves miraculously now.  However, if you want to create constant miracles you need to take action and accept the opportunities, embrace the loved ones, follow the intuitive prompts that guide you constantly moment to moment in your life.   Your life is a miracle, you are a miracle, and everything happening around you regardless of appearances is a miracle.  Embrace your eternal life and this eternal now moment with joyful gratitude.   It is a blessing and a holy privilage to be alive, living a physical life at this time on this planet, recognize this gift and make the highest most loving use of your sacred lifetime.

From a series called “Text Pieces” by Stefan Brüggemann, which I originally discovered here. Included: quotes about art that perhaps illuminate the _____ of art.

“The purpose of art is washing the dust of daily life off our souls.”

-Pablo Picasso.

“The object of art is to give life a shape.”

-William Shakespeare.

“The principle of true art is not to portray, but to evoke.”

-Jerzy Kosinksi.

“The perfection of art is to conceal art.”

-Marcus Fabius Quintilian.