I'm Ready II

I DO realize that speaking of our death is not something we normally do, given a choice of many other topics which may be more "pleasant" . . .

However, I'm one of those people for whom death is not an unpleasant/unhappy topic . . . I don't fear death, and don't shy away from the topic because of fear. I do understand though that in Western culture especially, death is something many people wish to avoid at all costs, and put off as long as possible, even when we might be in seriously declining health . . . I suppose in a way it's human nature to react that way, but I also believe it's a cultural thing to a great extent.

I love my life, and I have no complaints . . . My physical, emotional, and spiritual health are all just fine, and I'm very comfortable with things as they are! But, that doesn't mean I can't be ready to move on or accept that inevitably, someday I WILL move on . . . Loving one's life and being fine with the idea of one's eventual passing are quite compatible concepts! It's quite possible I'll be on this planet in this form for a few more decades . . . or I could be gone tomorrow . . . Either way, I'm fine with it . . . There is no death wish, and neither is there the specific desire to go on and on . . . I very much understand that many won't be able to relate to that thinking, but at the same time, some will know EXACTLY what I'm saying . . .

In the end, we all should attempt to come to terms with our mortality emotionally as well as intellectually . . . People universally know they'll pass on, but the emotional acceptance of that passing is perhaps non-existent, mainly because of the fear of the event . . . People generally try to avoid topics they fear, so the subject of death is blocked from the psyche, until perhaps a health condition forces us to deal with it . . . Are we doing ourselves a disservice, however, if we bury our heads in the sand and deny our mortality emotionally? Perhaps the answer to that is YES . . . Pehaps we open ourselves up to greater freedom as we live this life if we emotionally accept our eventual death, whenever it comes, and lose the fear we may be feeling . . . Something to consider, isn't it?

Until next time . . . Ciao!!

I'm ready . . .

Life is a theme park . . . There are roller coasters . . . and attractions that raise the adrenalin level, much like the incredibly attractive but VERY crazy Sherri from a couple of decades ago . . . and of course, those very neutral things which we find comfortably appealing, and that's where we tend to gravitate just before leaving the park . . .

I was at the gym today during the late afternoon and it was going really well . . . The plan was to go hard today, and that's exactly what was happening . . .

A while into it all, I was between sets two and three of bench presses and realized . . . I'm ready . . . As in, ready to leave this life, and get onto the next . . .

It wasn't morbid or sad or negative . . . In fact, it was very comforting . . . I'm ready to go spiritually, but not hoping it happens . . . There's a HUGE difference, as I know you'll understand . . .

Coming to terms with one's own mortality is SO important in life . . . The reconciliation with one's own demise is the door to ultimate freedom! If we stop worrying, and respect and look forward to our leaving this life, it gives us tremendous freedom to carry on with joy and compassion!

Our passing is NOT the end . . . It represents a new beginning! Think about it . . .

All the more reason to think beautiful thoughts . . .

Until next time . . . Ciao!!

Karma, baby!

Is there any topic which is "understood" in so many different ways by so many different people? My goodness, there are endless versions of just what this thing we call karma must be! And some of them are just plain whacky . . .

If I kill an insect, I might return as an insect . . . Karma or not karma? Not karma . . .

If I cheat on my partner, I will be cheated on by a partner at some point . . . Not karma . . .

If I do good works, bad things will never happen to me . . . Not karma . . .

The list of what karma ISN'T could go on and on . . . but we don't usually define something by what it isn't . . .

What then, is karma? How might we explain the concept in simple terms? Well, to begin, we need to say that all the aspects of karma that impact any one of our lives are probably unknowable, given the complexity of karma. However, we CAN take something complex and reduce it to understandable terms . . .

Karma is about what grows in our lives as a result of the seeds we plant . . . And the seeds we plant are those of our thoughts, words, actions, and intentions! That's it in a nutshell . . .

I'm not a Buddhist . . . I'm more of a non-Buddhist Buddhist! What I mean is, I'm not labelling myself as anything, because that can be limiting and I don't want to limit myself. However, I do very much like the practicality of Buddhism, as it provides a beautiful roadmap as to how to lead a simpler, happier life in which suffering is minimized . . . In this sense, suffering is anything that stands in the way of true happiness, as happiness is related to ONENESS with all things . . . Anything that retards my progress toward ONENESS creates suffering.

Back to those seeds that we plant . . . All of our thoughts, words, actions and intentions create circumstances which won't exist if we don't have those thoughts, words, actions and intentions! For example, if I am distrustful of people generally, I will behave in different ways toward others than I would if I was more trusting . . . Because of my behaviour, I am automatically setting myself up to be perceived in a certain way, and the perception of others toward me will play a large part in how THEY behave toward me . . . And quite likely, their behaviour toward me is going to increase my suffering, just as my mistrust creates suffering . . . If however, I behave in a compassionate, generous way, and think compassionate, generous thoughts, my behaviour and thoughts will engender similar behaviours in others, which will tend to reduce my suffering, and their's as well . . . We plant seeds, and those seeds grow into circumstances . . .

Will we be rewarded or punished in future lifetimes for our good deeds or misdeeds? Not directly in the way that many believe . . . For example, will Adolf Hitler come back in his next life and be killed in war, or die of typhus in a concentration camp? Probably not, but the flaws in his consciousness that he carried out of this life in 1945 will still be there as he enters his next, as will the associated suffering . . . He created great suffering for himself and for others because of his thoughts and beliefs, which drove his behaviours. He planted seeds which grew in a certain way, and will continue to do so . . . As much as we might like to see an AH suffer endlessly, there is always the chance that he will work though the negative aspects of his consciousness and arrive at a more enlightened state of being! It is no less possible for him than anyone else, but it may take him a few more lifetimes to reach this higher state, being closer to ONENESS . . . Who knows . . . AH may already be among us, living as a sixteen year old Jewish school girl in Hebron . . . Anything is possible!

And if we are loving and compassionate and on a path to ONENESS, then we will carry that aspect of our consciousness into the next lifetime, where we will learn more lessons which will take us closer to the goal . . . The seeds we've planted of love and compassion will grow, and reduce our suffering and the suffering of others . . .

So that, Dear Reader, is the basis of karma . . . The seeds we plant with our thoughts, words, actions, and intentions will grow into circumstances which will affect us and others! And then eventually, we reap what we sow . . . Or what we put out to the Universe comes back to us threefold . . . Those expressions we hear over and over are offshoots of the concept of karma, expressed in simple terms that anyone can understand . . .

It all comes back to our thoughts, and the beliefs chiseled into our consciousness! So, if we are what we think, lets think BEAUTIFUL thoughts . . . Our karma will thank us!!

Until next time . . . Ciao!!

The Mystical Merkabah . . .

The Drama II

It should come as no surprise to any of us that a drama-free life is a life with much less stress and strain . . . and it's a life which should include a sense of ease as we live it . . .

Question . . . How do we get to the point of living such a life? There are some very common sense things we can accomplish which make life so much easier . . .

Minding our own business . . .

Identifying those people who pull us in with their negative influence, and then minimizing contact with them as much as possible . . .

Not getting involved in gossip . . .

Keeping things in confidence which are meant to be kept in confidence . . .

Being circumspect in what we say . . . If we ask three questions before we speak, the answers to those questions will guide us . . . Is it true? Is it kind? Is it necessary?

Acting with compassion and non-harm . . .

Thinking beautiful thoughts, such as wishing only the best for ALL beings . . .

Being aware of self-defeating self-talk, and then working to eliminate it by substituting life enhancing affirmations . . .

Being optimistic and hopeful, and not imagining worst case scenarios . . .

Being grateful . . .


The list could go on and on . . . But, if we see ourselves in any of those areas listed, we can begin immediately to change it for the better! It may take a little time to eliminate a bad habit or two, but it's well worth it . . .

Cheers to all who are living a drama-free life!!

Until next time . . . Ciao!!

The Drama . . .

I woke this morning once again with the sense of peace and serenity I've become accustomed to experiencing . . . How good it feels, and at times life seems so easy! I'm reminded of a conversation I had with a cancer patient I was driving to his treatment in October '08, and then a similar conversation with a woman who is a part of a group I belong to which meets every couple of weeks . . .

The topic was drama . . . the drama which we sometimes experience in our lives, be it imposed upon us by others, or perhaps self-generated . . . But whatever the source of the drama, drama is drama, and the less of it we have, the better . . .

Drama sucks us in like a vortex, and once we begin spinning in the vortex, it can be difficult to extricate ourselves . . . We can become so caught up in the drama of others, and it becomes like a drug, creating endless events which stimulate our emotions and alter our body chemistry . . . Drama becomes addictive, and we can't WAIT to see what will happen next as the drama plays out . . . What could possibly be the problem with this drama-filled existence? In short . . . PLENTY!!

My conversation with Alan wasn't particularly long, but as soon as he stepped into the vehicle that day last October, and he said hello, I knew intuitively he had something to say, and that we'd have a conversation of some import . . . Alan is a very intelligent man, and he began talking about his condition generally, and then he began to talk about how cancer has changed his life and in some ways, for the better . . . Cancer turns a life upside down to be sure, and changes everything . . . Alan spoke of some negatives, but he focused on the positives, which he felt were the biggest changes the cancer had induced in his life . . . He went on at length about the introspection and self-analysis . . . Alan came to the conclusion that he had to make some changes, and one change was to reduce the drama, which in his case was mostly externally imposed . . . So Alan simply severed the relationships with people and "friends" he felt were wearing him down with their drama . . . But, Alan also became aware of those things he was doing which were counterproductive in the drama-sense, and vowed to change them . . . In the end, he changed his THINKING, which changed his emotional state, and then altered some of his behaviours! He made the comment more than once that life began to feel easier, more peaceful, more in the flow of awareness and openness . . .

The conversation I had with Sylvia was a couple of weeks ago . . . Sylvia was married and then divorced six years ago, and by her own assessment, she was living a drama filled life up until two years ago . . . She began to see her life as an endless set of events in which she was being thrown from pillar to post by friends and acquaintances she described as toxic, and was sick and tired of it . . . But Sylvia, like Alan, was able to discern that she herself needed to undergo a transformation of sorts . . . She wisely came to the conclusion that her own habitual thought processes were harming more than helping her . . . A very smart human being!! Over time, she culled the drama and now lives a much happier life . . . And you know, just like Alan, she described her life as now being so much "easier"! There IS a central theme in this . . .

Dear Reader . . . There is so much we can do to simplify our lives, to open up to the flow of awareness, to remove obstacles to happiness, and adjust our THINKING so that we are living our lives with that beautiful sense of ease and grace . . . More about this in another blog!

Until next time . . . Ciao!!

An Endless Stream of Immediate Moments

I've long since come to the conclusion that living in the present moment fully and completely on a consistent basis is one of the most difficult things most human beings encounter . . . We give this "be here now" concept so much lip service and hype, but we don't often get any further than that . . .

The past is gone, and the future doesn't exist . . . We've all heard this cliche, but as with most cliches, there is truth to it, and we just don't seem to do a good job of taking it to heart . . . Regrets about the past, or reliving glories from the past over and over in our minds . . . these things can pull us out of the present moment . . . Or, concerns about the future, or perhaps spending too much of our time over-planning for the future . . . You get the point I know . . .

It IS true that the only moment we have is THIS moment . . . So, I'm going to suggest a subtle shift in thinking about past, present, and future . . . a shift in consciousness that may begin to change and improve our ability to live the moment we're in . . .

The suggestion is this . . . Stop clinging to the concept of past, present, and future, but begin to think of living our lives as a succession of immediate moments . . . We pass from one moment to the next, so that in a subtle sense, time takes on less significance . . . It is about NOW, not yesterday, or tomorrow . . . If tomorrow comes for us, we will still be living in immediate moments . . .

Also, something which allows for more effectively thinking in this way is a regular meditative practice . . . Over time, many subtle shifts in our consciousness occur without our really being aware of them . . . Meditation has the power to take us closer to the Oneness, or the Macrocosm, which is timeless in nature . . . And, as that happens, we can begin to gain a sense of timelessness, which will allow for a greater understanding of the "immediate moment" approach . . .

Until next time . . . Ciao!!

Well then . . .

Dear Reader . . .

We need to come to an understanding . . . but that should be VERY easy . . .

Do we all agree every sane human being has the overriding desire to be HAPPY?

OK then . . . Since most if not all SANE individuals believe that most if not ALL sane individuals want to be happy . . . then what makes YOU happy?

Think about it . . .

Until next time . . . Ciao!!

Speaking of INSPIRATION . . .

We are ALL capable of being inspired . . . After all, what is life without inspiration?! Seriously . . .

Where do we find inspiration? You find it where you find it, as do I . . .

Once a week, I volunteer my time to transport cancer patients from their homes to various hospitals for treatment, and then home again . . .

This isn't to make me appear anything special, but . . . I DO find myself greatly inspired by the people I meet . . .

They truly are an incredibly positive group, very uncomplaining, and very much looking forward to a birthday, a holiday, an anniversary, TOMORROW, and so on . . .

My father died a lingering death from cancer, so I DO know what that's like . . .

However, to spend one's whole day surrounded by cancer is a completely different perspective . . .

It isn't that I do anything much for the cancer victims I drive here and there . . . It's what THEY DO FOR ME . . .

And, I thank them sincerely for their INSPIRATION!!

Until next time . . . Ciao

We ALL Want One Thing II

It would be silly in the extreme to say people want to be miserable . . . Even miserable people are often trying to find happiness through their misery, strange as it may seem . . . We've all known individuals about whom we say, This is someone who is happy being MISERABLE! And then they procede to try to make those around them just as miserable . . . When we encounter human beings of that ilk, we should RUN LIKE HELL as soon as we can! Get away ASAP! Their negative vibes will spill over, and who needs or wants to be infected with that negativity?

We were talking about the EVER PRESENT BIG THING, and striving to achieve it . . . The EPBT is that piece of God, or the Macrocosm, that we truly are . . . In earlier blogs it's been discussed and this is simply an extension of that discussion . . .

When we become acutely aware of the energy body within us, we are well on our way to higher levels of the God experience . . . However, the intention of this entry is not to go back over the same thing already covered . . . No, the point of this blog is to talk about a pattern of thought which can begin to define us as spiritual beings! A thought and belief system that is so powerful, it affects virtually every other aspect of our lives . . . And from which greater happiness, joy, contentment arise! What might this be? What is this thing so powerful, and yet, so simple? It is nothing more and nothing less than sincere, conscious GRATITUDE! Yes Dear Reader, gratitude, gratitude, GRATITUDE!!

Do we really give much thought to those things we should be grateful for? Does it ever cross our minds to any great extent? Sure, from time to time we mention gratitude, give it lip service, but really, that's about all . . .

This doesn't have to be complicated . . . it can be as simple as making a list at the end of each day in a journal, of those things we are grateful for from that day . . . and then waking up eight hours later and entertaining thoughts of gratitude . . . Going to sleep with gratitude, and waking up with gratitude . . . CONSCIOUS GRATITUDE! And then in those times between waking and going to sleep, feeling that same sense of gratitude being with us . . . If we're new to this, we may have to stop and remind ourselves to think grateful thoughts, until it becomes a habit and the thoughts and beliefs related to gratitude begin to permeate our whole being . . . Muslims are called to prayer five times a day, so why not offer up sincere and conscious thoughts of gratutde to the Universe in the same way? It can be done!

If we observe people who function with a high level of gratitude, we're going to see more positivity, more generosity, more compassion, a more loving nature . . . Those are exactly the character traits of people we all like to surround ourselves with! And we can each BE that! Get it? Of course we do! It's so simple it hurts . . . But it isn't necessarily EASY . . . Discipline and motivation are what will determine our success in developing an attitude of conscious gratitude . . . If we want it badly enough, it's ours for the taking!

If we develop a more positive nature, more compassion, more generosity, a more loving demeanor through conscious gratitude, we become more God-like . . . As God or the Macrocosm is infinitely loving, generous, and compassionate, so can we aspire to approach closer and closer to that perfect nature of the Macrocosm . . . And to bring this full circle, that is EXACTLY where true happiness abides! Think about it . . .

Until next time . . . Ciao!!

We ALL Want One Thing

We are constantly bombarded with messages about what we should want, what we need, what would give us satisfaction, and so on . . .

One thing which is universally true of human beings is the desire for happiness . . . We all want to be HAPPY! And in that seeming simplicity is an incredible dilemma . . . Just what on EARTH is it that will create that happiness?

More than anything, in Western society, happiness seems to be something we are taught to attempt to find WITHOUT . . . It's a new car, a bigger house, more money, greater personal physical beauty, and on and on . . . It's something we'll find OUT THERE, and if we can simply find it or have it, happiness will reign . . . Is this actually the case? Dear Reader, have we found that acquiring THINGS from OUT THERE has led to lasting feelings of joy, contentment, or happiness? Or, has the feeling been transitory, and then shortly thereafter we begin our search anew for the NEXT BIG THING?

Imagine an existence where the NEXT BIG THING is a constant never-ending knowlwdge that is always present . . . The NBT is here and now and we can access it moment to moment . . . As a matter of fact, our very EXISTENCE is the NBT!! And the most beautiful aspect of this NBT is that we don`t have to search high and low, behind every bush, or travel to Paris or Sydney or Singapore to find it . . . It is literally right under our very noses, so close we can touch it, so close we have access to it every second of every minute of our lives . . . The NBT is actually the EVER PRESENT BIG THING, and we each have it within our control to access it and make it the overriding focus of our lives . . .

Think about it! More later . . .

Until next time . . . Ciao!!

Reinventing Oneself

I work out regularly, and this past Monday afternoon I was at the gym slugging it out on an elliptical . . . On one of the televisions in front of me was the Dr. Phil show . . . No audio, just video . . . On the screen were the words Reinventing Yourself in large yellow letters, which started me thinking about whether or not it IS possible to reinvent oneself . . .

I have some definite ideas on this subject. First, we must clarify what reinvention means . . . Does it mean we can undergo a physical makeover? If so, yes . . . many have altered their physical appearance markedly. Might it mean we can drop negative habits for positive ones? We could do this too, and with possible far-ranging effects! Can we change some aspects of our behaviour? Yes. Can we alter our basic personality? Perhaps not . . .

However, reinvention might very well mean reinvention through our thoughts and beliefs, and changes taking place therein . . . We are so much what we THINK, and what we BELIEVE . . . Thoughts and beliefs drive our emotions, and then in turn are manifested in behaviours . . .

If we don't like our behaviour, it all traces back to emotions and then further to thoughts/beliefs . . . And if we are unhappy with our emotional reality, that too speaks to thoughts and beliefs . . . For example, Catherine might sabotage relationships once they reach a certain level of emotional intimacy, and it could be a consistent pattern that even she is aware of . . . That behaviour is only the physical manifestation of something happening at a much deeper level in Catherine's psyche . . . Catherine may have been hurt in previous relationships, and her behaviour might be seen as a form of self-protection . . . Or, she may be unable to see her worthiness, or lack self-esteem or self-love, and fear intimacy as a result . . .

If Catherine is able to be aware of her behaviour, and then can be analytical and introspective to the point of being able to identify the thoughts and beliefs at the root of it all, then she stands a chance of substituting more positive, life-enhancing thoughts in place of the self-defeating ones driving her present behaviour . . . Of course, we're talking here about changing something deeply rooted and it may take some time for Catherine to reinvent her thinking processes, but it can be done! It requires discipline, but can be accomplished with enough motivation . . .

Changing one's thinking and beliefs has an all-encompassing reach in one's life . . . and can alter everything in one's existence! It can lead one out of darkness and into light . . . And once we move into light, we move to a point of sending positive vibrations into the Universe, to the benefit of ALL!

We are what we THINK, so lets think beautiful thoughts . . .

Until next time . . . Ciao!!