Ever feel . . .

.  .  . like you're a runaway train on a one way track?

Life is beautiful baby!





Peace and love .  .  .


Until next time .  .  .  Ciao!!

Speaking of relationships . . .

We've all heard it said that relationships are mirrors to ourselves . . . And in fact, they ARE!

We each have relationships on many levels, from the less than deep to the very profound . . .

We might think of relationships as teachers . . . If we look at each of our relationships, what do we see? Do we see something superficial and benign? Do we see ourselves as needing something from the other, or they from us? Do we find the energy being sucked from our soul? Are we better off for knowing this person, because perhaps they make us better?

There are many barometers of ourselves . . . There are relationships, there are behaviors, there are emotions . . . And then there are . . . THOUGHTS and beliefs . . .

Perhaps we should from time to time take inventory of our personal interactions, and ask, Why is person X or person Y in my life? What are they showing me? Does this person add value to my life? Do I add value to theirs? Am I better off for knowing him or her? Should I make a change?

Life IS beautiful, if we simply allow it to be . . . 

Peace and love .  .  .

Until next time . . . Ciao!!

Do you ever ask yourself . . .

HOW DID I GET HERE?!   :)


Life is beautiful baby!





Peace and love .  .  .


Until next time .  .  .  Ciao!!

Are you guilty?

Well yeah, you probably are occasionally, as am I from time to time .  .  .

Guilty of what? 

Unproductive, if not destructive thinking .  .  .

Human consciousness is about thoughts .  .  .  We think, we analyze, we look for solutions to problems, and on and on .  .  .  Yeah, we think and then think some more .  .  .

Aerosmith has a song with lyrics, If you could step outside your mind .  .  .

Imagine that concept being reality .  .  .  In fact, it CAN be reality .  .  .  

Spend a day analyzing your thoughts .  .  .

Are they angry?  Are they of jealousy?  Are they of worry?  Are they about things we can't control?  Are they of worst case scenarios?  Are they of poor self-esteem?  Are they positive?  Are they life enhancing?  Are they self-affirming thoughts?

We can go on and on, but the point is, we ARE what we think .  .  .  Our behaviors and actions define us .  .  .  Where do actions come from?  They don't occur in isolation, they come from thoughts .  .  .  So in reality, it's our THOUGHTS which drive behaviors and then define us .  .  .

An idea .  .  .  Take a step outside your mind, and become an observer of thoughts .  .  .  Maybe it'll be enlightening .  .  .

Do you like what you see?

Life is beautiful baby!

Peace and love .  .  .

Until next time .  .  .  Ciao!!

Letting go . . .

In the last three days, I've read blogs about "letting go", and had some conversations about same .  .  .  :)


Clearly, this is the theme of the day .  .  .  :)


Not that long ago, the son of friends died from leukemia .  .  .  A traumatic event .  .  .  That is the nightmare of any parent .  .  .  It simply puts everything into perspective .  .  .


I thought, how would I deal with that?  And truly, I have no idea .  .  .  Until we wear those shoes, we don't know .  .  .


But it could be a divorce, the loss of someone we thought of as a friend, a job opportunity, or anything at all .  . . 


We ALL experience shit .  .  .  Life will never be smooth sailing all the time .  .  .  We have moments of calmness, but the choppy waters return .  .  .


But this I know .  .  .  How do we let go?  We bring in our friends .  .  .  We involve those who would empathize .  .  .  


They take on our pain .  .  .  They absorb the feelings of loss, of guilt, of "I'm in extreme emotional pain .  .  ."


We never want to inconvenience friends .  .  .  But, we would easily and happily be inconvenienced to help a loved one, a dear friend, another human being about whom we care deeply .  .  .  


So, ask them to do what you'd do for them .  .  .  They'll be more than willing .  .  .  They love you, and will give you whatever you need .  .  .


Life is beautiful baby!


Peace and love .  .  .


Until next time .  .  .  Ciao!! 

Too much separation . . .

Human beings share the same space, the same energy, the same consciousness .  .  .  But, we can't see it .  .  .  The veils are too many, too thick, too heavy .  .  .  


Let's lift some veils, one by one .  .  .  Let's see that we're really all just a small drop of the same Source this IS the ocean .  .  .  I am you and you are me and we are all together .  .  .  The Beatles said it in I Am the Walrus .  .  .  :)






Life is beautiful baby!


Peace and love .  .  .


Until next time .  .  .  Ciao!!

The Cruelest Game II

Let me set the scene .  .  .


Florida sun shining .  .  .  80 degrees .  .  .  VERY green grass .  .  .  OH YEAH .  .  .  It was a terrific day .  .  .


Susan .  .  .  What an athletic woman!  Don .  .  .  He can HIT that little white ball .  .  .  Nancy .  .  .  For an eighty year old who hasn't golfed since twenty, she's a freakin' natural!  And me?  Well, I hit some shots and putts and had some BIG fun .  .  . 


Downside?  Didn't get to Gold's .  .  .  That's OK, because I'm dealing with a rotator cuff thing that's annoying .  .  .


Life is beautiful baby!


Peace and love .  .  .


Until next time .  .  .  Ciao!!
  

The Cruelest Game . . .

Of course, I can only be referring to golf!  So today, I'm taking part in a golf tournament and as always, when I step onto a golf course, I have ZERO idea what to expect .  .  .  Will the golfing gods (oh YES, there ARE golfing gods!) smile upon me?  Or will they turn their backs and let me sink into the quagmire of three putts, or worse?  


My three teammates are Barbara (a cute little Southern belle from Kentucky, who is very athletic and a great golfer), Nancy (an eighty year old sweetheart who hasn't golfed since she was twenty .  .  .  this should be VERY interesting!), and Don (he can really smack it .  .  . ) .  .  .


OK, I'm hoping my karma is in good shape for this one!  Let 'er rip!!


Life is beautiful baby!


Peace and love .  .  .


Until next time .  .  .  Ciao baby!

L'air IV

If you've followed L'air, L'air II, and L'air III, you'll know my dear friend L'air has had some SERIOUS health issues .  .  .   To the point where, we were told in November that L'air wouldn't last the weekend .  .  .


L'air has continued to improve, and .  .  .  He's been sent home!  Hard to believe, but .  .  .  SO true!


NEVER give up hope!  There is ALWAYS hope!


Miracles DO happen .  .  .


Peace and love .  .  .


Life is beautiful baby!


Until next time .  .  .  Ciao!!

The Shadow

My Journey has been a beautiful one, but no more so than anyone elses .  .  .  I acknowledge the sacredness of every journey, even if I don't agree with the behaviors a person may exhibit .  .  .  They're working out their karma in whatever way they must at this point in this life and the time-space continuum .  .  .  I give thanks everyday for everthing I experience .  .  .  I embrace it all!  Really, there's no other way .  .  .  I realized many years ago that there's no other option .  .  .

 

One of the things we have to understand is the ugly part of our nature .  .  .  Each of us has that ugly side .  .  .  It's a part of the human experience .  .  .  It's the Shadow .  .  .  We carry the Shadow constantly .  .  .  As the light of consciousness shines upon us, there is that dark Shadow .  .  .  So, how do we deal with the Shadow once we accept and recognize it's existence? 

 

One .  .  .  We have to understand that we can't ignore the Shadow, or hide it under a rock .  .  .  Two .  .  .  Understand that to let the Shadow control our behavior is detrimental to our life, our psyche, our spirit, our relationships .  .  .  Think about the people we know who function from the Shadow aspect of their being .  .  .  We all know those people .  .  .  Three .  .  .  Realize that we can develop ways to stare the Shadow down .  .  .  It's there, we acknowledge that it's there, and we develop a way of not allowing it to impact our lives, because we don't allow it to assert itself .  .  .  

 

Let's acquaint ourselves with our Shadow and embrace it .  .  .  It's the enemy we know .  .  .  We know how it works, how it can seize control of our thoughts-emotions-behaviors, and the consequences arising from that .  .  .  Once we control the Shadow by acknowledging and knowing its machinations, we're well on our way, and the Journey becomes so much easier .  .  .

Life is beautiful baby!

Peace and love .  .  .

Until next time .  .  .  Ciao!!

 

WHAT do you want? And WHY do you want it?

Two strong questions .  .  .  There, in the heart and soul, two questions beg to be answered .  .  .

Tell me WHAT you want .  .  .  And tell me WHY you want it .  .  .

Be honest .  .  .  Don't fuck around .  .  .

Because, it's your soul we're talking about .  .  .

And I'll know your BS when I hear it .  .  .

Tell me WHAT you want .  .  .  And tell me WHY you want it .  .  .

We should all ask those questions of ourselves .  .  .

Can I be honest with ME?

Can you be honest with YOU?

Stepping outside the body and psyche .  .  . 

Observing in the third person .  .  . 

I am you, and you are me .  .  .

Do I like what I see? 

Do I like the thoughts I observe? 

Do I like the emotions I observe?

Do I like the behaviours I observe?

It can get ugly .  .  .

Or, it can be beautiful .  .  .

We each decide .  .  .

Tell me WHAT you want . . . And tell me WHY you want it . . .


Peace and love .  .  .

Until next time .  .  .  Ciao!! 

Ciao baby!

This is my last post until I don't know when .  .  .  If you're interested in my writing, please feel free to check back every week or two .  .  .  You never know when Snake might slide back in with some words of wisdom .  .  .  Could be next week, or could be this is the end .  .  .  We never know, do we?  That's life .  .  .  yeah, it is .  .  .  Nothing is certain, except uncertainty .  .  .   It's been a blast!




As the sign says, life is beautiful baby!

Peace and love to you all .  .  .

Until next time .  .  .  Ciao!!

What? I'm now an Aquarian?

Apparently I am, because some astrologers are telling us our signs are changing .  .  .  The dates are changing, and there's a 13th sign .  .  .  Why, you ask?  Because the Earth's alignment in space has changed over a few thousand years .  .  .  Also, the signs overlap at each end of each cycle and the signs vary in length .  .  .  Confusing, huh? 


The new dates are:


Aries  April 18-May 13
Taurus  May 13-June 21
Gemini  June 21-July 20
Cancer July 20-August 10
Leo  August 10-September 16
Virgo September 16-October 30
Libra October 30-November 23
Scorpio  November 23-November 29
Ophiuchus  November 29-December 17
Sagittarius  December 17-January 20
Capricorn  January 20-February 16
Aquarius February 16-March 11
Pisces  March 11-April 18

Here's the link .  .  .  http://www.kidglue.com/2011/01/13/zodiac-signs-change-astrological-signs-old-vs-new-list/


Personally, I quite liked being a FISH!  Well, as far as I'm concerned, I still am!  Hah!


Life is beautiful baby!


Peace and love .  .  .


Until next time .  .  .  Ciao!!

Learning to fly . . .

Yesterday I talked about Embracing the Path, and it felt good to describe something of my Journey on the spiritual plane .  .  .  However, no matter how far along I or anyone else travels down the spiritual path, we're always learning .  .  .  We learn to fly, and then when we get airborne, we learn to do it a little better as time goes on .  .  .  It's never perfected, and there's always room for improvement .  .  .  


I'll let you in on secret .  .  .  I can screw up with the best of them .  .  .  Yeah, I mean really fuck things up .  .  .  We're all human, and we can't ever escape that reality .  .  .  If ever someone puts himself above the fray, be sceptical of that person .  .  .  Perfection does NOT exist .  .  .  

Every once in a while, I throw out a big apology to the Universe, asking that anyone who've I've offended or hurt  forgive me .  .  .  Of course, there's always the chance they won't, and if that's their choice, I just have to deal with that .  .  .  The other side of the forgiveness coin is that I have to forgive others as well .  .  .  I can't hold grudges while I'm asking for forgiveness .  .  .  It just doesn't work that way .  .  .  I also have to forgive myself .  .  .  You know what?  Forgiving oneself is hard sometimes .  .  .  I really believe that it's more difficult than forgiving another human being .  .  .  I do struggle with that at times .  .  .  Like many people, I tend to be hard on myself .  .  .  It's one of those things I constantly have to work on .  .  .  I forgive others pretty well, but myself?  That's the tough one .  .  .  I know some of you can relate!


So, to anyone I've offended lately or ever, I sincerely apologize to you!  I hope you'll find it within your spirit to forgive me .  .  .  Because if you do, it'll be a little easier for me to forgive myself .  .  .  Thanks for listening .  .  .




Life is beautiful baby!


Peace and love .  .  .


Until next time .  .  .  Ciao!!

Embracing the Path . . .

As stated in my profile, I'm full-out on a spiritual path .  .  .  Without question, that quest will continue for the duration .  .  .  Really, it's hard for me to fathom where I am and how it all came to this point .  .  .  It's one of the things I'm grateful for, because life is beautiful baby!


Where did it begin?  I'll say this .  .  .  As far back as I can go, I've always felt different in some way from others .  .  .  As a young child, one doesn't have the words or the experience to articulate that feeling .  .  .  Growing into the teenage years, I KNEW I was different .  .  .  Don't misunderstand though .  .  .  On the surface, I was pretty typical .  .  .  Wanted to be a fireman, cowboy, train engineer as a child .  .  .  Good athlete, horny as hell, lusting after girls, having girlfriends, all the usual stuff of a teenage male .  .  .  But inside, I was beginning to understand what was different .  .  .  I had strong spiritual inclinations, although no such religious inclinations .  .  .  No interest in religion whatsoever, because I saw it as empty and offering me nothing .  .  .  So, I read some things here and there, but really didn't know which direction to go .  .  .  I was all over the place and confused, didn't know who to ask, or even what to ask if I had known someone .  .  .  


Then, in my third year of university, I met an individual through a mutual friend, and we began to carpool to and from the U .  .  .  One day it was just he and I and he had a book he was reading .  .  .  It was  Autobiography of a Yogi .  .  .  He was just finishing it, and talked about it .  .  .  It was as if my brain exploded during that conversation, because I knew immediately that was what I was looking for, what I needed, something to propel me forward .  .  .  Finally!  I read the book, and intuitively felt that this is the launching pad for me .  .  . It provided some direction, the right thing at the right time .  .  .  Beginning to explore other areas and books, I felt very much "at home" in that pursuit .  .  .  I began to meditate, which was a huge factor and motivated me further .  .  . 


However, it wasn't a smooth rise to the top .  .  .  Not at all!  Multiple times over the years, I'd step away, then be pulled back to the path .  .  .  Now I look back and see that stepping away, distancing myself from the path at times, was necessary .  .  .  It was all so intense, and the dust had to settle .  .  .  When it did, I'd jump back into it, and it would be even better, more intense still .  .  .  And that's been the pattern .  .  .  Make progress, step away, make more progress, and so on .  .  .  In a way, that still happens today, but it's in a different way than it was then .  .  .  


Ten years ago, I took a close look at what was happening .  .  .  I felt somewhat frustrated that something was still missing .  .  .  I cranked up the meditation, thinking that would help, and in a way, it did .  .  .  Still, I knew something was lacking .  .  .  But what?  One day, it occurred to me in a flash of insight .  .  .  I realized what was missing .  .  .  What was missing was my commitment!  I thought I was fully committed, but I wasn't .  .  . There were still some doubts that I wasn't acknowledging .  .  .  There was only one route to go to move forward, and that was to fully commit .  .  .   It was time to embrace everything about it, and resist nothing .  .  .  To trust the Universe and go with it .  .  .  Trust that I'll be given exactly what I need when I need it, or when I'm ready to handle it .  .  .  Whatever IT is, it would come my way, right time, right place .  .  .  In truth, I've been blindsided many times by the right thing at the right time in the right place .  .  .  It's just freaking unbelievable how that constantly happens!  


I'm really talking about blind trust .  .  .  I TRUSTED .  .  .  I was finally ready to .  .  .  And Holy Mother, the Universe has delivered .  .  .  What's different?  Life has a flow and feeling of ease .  .  .  Of course there are challenges, and let's face it, shit happens to everyone .  .  .  But, when it does, there's no anxiety, no imagining worst case scenarios, no panic .  .  .  I just deal with it, and it works out .  .  .  It might not work out as I expect it to, because sometimes our expectations are not realistic .  .  .  So, now I try to avoid expectations of outcomes .  .  .  Just TRUST that all will be resolved in time, and it always is .  .  .  Be in the moment as much as possible, and remember that life is beautiful baby .  .  .  And listen to my intuition, the voice .  .  .

My feeling is that so many people are like me, craving something on a deeper level, but not knowing where to go, what to do, who to talk to .  .  .  So, they repress it, or else, simply ignore it .  .  .  And, I'm convinced there's also fear of the spiritual path .  .  .  Will I lose my friends?  Will romantic relationships suffer?  Will sex decline?  Will I be ostracized?  Those are things that can inspire fear, because who wants their life turned upside down?  What I can say is that we begin to recognize who is and who isn't valuable in our life .  .  .  Yes, some of my relationships changed .  .  .  Some ended .  .  .  But it was all for the best, because those relationships either had to change or had to end, for my own benefit .  .  .  I saw the real truth in things, MY truth, and I knew what I had to do .  .  .  My perception of MANY things changed .  .  .  Thoughts, emotions and behaviors change along with perceptions .  .  .  Stress is reduced and happiness increases .  .  .  But, it's the happiness generated within, at our core .  .  .  We don't need external input to make us happy .  .  .  That may ADD to happiness, but it doesn't create it .  .  .  One wakes up to one's true nature!  In turn, our vibration changes and that has a subtle but profound effect on people around us .  .  .  We take that vibration everywhere we go .  .  . 

I began to listen more closely to the voice of intuition, because I know that often that voice is from a higher source .  .  .  That voice will speak to all of us if we're open to it and listen to it .  .  .  I'm not any more special in that sense than anyone .  .  .  The voice is there for everyone .  .  .

I'm well aware that some will read this and the reaction will be, Hey, this guy is a nutcase and where's that white jacket with the wrap-around sleeves?  And never come back to this blog again .  .  .  And that's OK!  I'm not trying to please anyone, or fool anyone, or hurt anyone .  .  .  My life is my life, my path is my path, and whoever doesn't understand it or like it, no big deal to me .  .  .  But, someone may read this and see themselves in some part of this post, and then realize, they're not crazy and not alone and there are others who've experienced what they're experiencing .  .  .  That's a beautiful thing, because it would mean that something I've written can help another find his or her way toward something that will benefit them at the very deepest levels of consciousness .  .  .  Isn't that what this blogging thing is really about?  To reach out and find common ground in some way, and learn or gain inspiration from each other?  

There's more .  .  .  MUCH more!  I could go on and on about meditation, altered states, transformational experiences .  .  .  And maybe at some point I'll talk about those things .  .  .  When the time is right, Snake will know .  .  .  The voice will tell me .  .  .  :)   

 

Life is beautiful baby! 


Peace and love .  .  .


Until next time .  .  .  Ciao!