Sunday, February 28, 2010

Stories

I heard something today that resonated - the stories we hear are our stories.

What do I mean by this? Why did it resonate?

Well, as a Practitioner Intern I have been going through a process to learn how to listen, and to ask questions. It is in the listening, being present so that others can share their story. We should love the storyteller as a saint, knowing the Divine that is in, through, and as them. In this place we hear ourselves, and can slide into compassion in the purest sense of the word.

By listening we learn. We can gain insights from the patterns we hear. And those we admire we identify with, not imitate.

But perhaps my favourite saying of the day:
"Religion is for those worried about going to hell. Spirituality is for those who have already been there."

Wednesday, February 24, 2010

Attachment and its Insidious Ways

Today I learnt a valuable lesson.  Attachment to a thing, person, or an idea can come in the most unexpected of ways.  In this case I sought to help others by writing an article for a forum, with what I thought were some helpful tips and questions.  It turns out that I had an attachment to how that 'help' would be received.  I know this now because in due course the help was criticized quite heavily.  My reaction was poor, and definitely not in line with the vision I have for myself.  Whenever we observe something in our reaction that is extreme this is normally a clue that something within us has been touched, and requires our attention and work.



I believe that my reaction stemmed from a hidden belief of not being worthy (that belief must be a real deep one - it keeps coming out, although this one is quite interesting as an expression).  This belief came to me during meditation.  In fact, my meditation tonight was most intriguing in that I heard alot about what my beliefs were.  After 20 minutes I knew I had gotten what I needed from that meditation. 

I promptly realized that the best thing I could do would be to:
  • Release the attachment by,
  • Knowing that I am good enough
  • Knowing I am worthy
  • Knowing that those making the criticism are also aspects of the Divine, and
  • Learn more about attachment from this.  Being attached to how your 'help' is received is still an attachment.  This will be a valuable lesson as I proceed along this path as a Practitioner. 
I have unearthed a weakness today that will become a strength.  I have broken chains of ignorance that no longer bind me in this regard.  This is growth, and I celebrate that. 

I also happen to feel MUCH better than I did about an hour ago.

Tuesday, February 23, 2010

Learning How to Read

I received an email a few weeks ago inviting me to a Practitioner business meeting at the Centre.  For some reason I'm still trying to fathom why I read 7am instead of 7pm.  I imagine that talk on the past of such meetings being early in the morning primed me to assume that 7am was quite the natural gathering time.

Well, imagine my surprise when I arrived at 6.50am to find the Centre deserted?  I even sent a text message off to enquire if there was a meeting.  Thankfully, I didn't start making calls and waking people up :)

At any rate, as I drove back I had a burning question that went along the lines of, "How could I get the meeting wrong?"  I also had another thought jump in of what I was going to do when I got home and confirmed that I never did get the email cancelling the meeting.

And then a funny thing happened.  I caught myself mid-flow and remembered that meditation would be a good idea.  A technique I've been using recently is to say ''Breathing God..." as I breathe in, and then count on the breath out.  I  noticed that my irritation was such that I struggled at first.  I had to turn off music - it was getting in the way.

But a short while later I began the meditation as I drove.  At some point after that, I don't recall when exactly, I wondered if the email had pm instead of am.  It turns out it did.

At first I thought this was about learning how to read.  And even now, as I read the email from the organizer that the meeting is in fact March 23rd, I celebrate that whilst reading is useful, how we respond and what we first turn to when we're caught off guard is more important.  I might have managed to get both the date and the time wrong, but when in the middle of feeling alone and wondering where everyone else was I turned to spiritual practice.

Monday, February 22, 2010

Celebration of Divine Flow

I want to celebrate this evening.  Tonight was the second class of the Foundations course at our centre, which I am honoured to be a teaching assistant for. 

Tonight we were split into groups and I had the absolute pleasure to be a facilitator for one of the pods.  I celebrate that experience.  I could feel the grace, the Divine with me, working through me.  As I look back I barely remember the details, yet at the time I was aware of something beautiful working through the group.  And if the response of the group at the end of the gathering was any indication, there was a wonderful moment for the group as a whole as well as individuals.

I celebrate this moment, and hold a vision for many more such expressions and opportunities to be lead and to support others on their journey of discovery and opening.

Tuesday, February 16, 2010

The Power of the Mind

I read an article in the Edmonton Journal today that spoke about the mind control of computers going from sci-fiction into the real world.  It turns out a Toronto company is showing off a new technology at the Olympics where you strap a sensor to your head and through thought alone you can levitate a chair you are sitting in. 

And so yet one more law/principle is discovered and proven, as our understanding evolves.  The idea of the power of the mind physically controlling something hints at what is yet to come.  Just imagine where this might go.  What about removing the need to type on a keyboard?  Or interfacing directly into a computer, your thoughts translated and acted upon by a computer.  The possibilities of this are very interesting.

It turns out that using the power of the mind to levitate a chair WAS possible after all! Who would have thunk it? 

At the same time I cannot help but wonder if this is also a profound evolutionary moment.  Here we can see a physical manifestation of what the mind can do, not only in conceiving the technology itself but in harnessing the power of thought.  Maybe this will get more people thinking about the power of thought?  Perhaps such progress will spark more diverse enquiry?  On the surface this story is about technology using the brain waves to move a physical object.  The immediate idea that comes to my mind is that beneath the surface is the burgeoning of a much greater appreciation of what the power of the mind might be.  And we've only just scratched the surface.

Sunday, February 14, 2010

May the Force be With You

So, did you ever see Star Wars?  Do you remember Yoda?  The little green man, who, if you listened really, really carefully to the dialogue, would relate some very spiritual ideas and concepts? 

I do.  In fact, for many years I've always felt that Yoda, and to some extent Obi-Wan were written around some very mystical archetypes and ideas.  Now, don't get me wrong, I'm not about to talk about how we all need to become Jedi Knights and live in a Lucas space opera fantasy, but I do see some very interesting parallels between the Jedi Code as related by Yoda and the philosophy I follow.

Those of you who know me well may be aware that over the years I've enjoyed my fair share of video games.  Of late I've put them down to focus and manage time.  However, I started reading about a new Star Wars game that will be coming out in 2011 (Star Wars: The Old Republic).  My mind jumped back to the earlier ideas I'd about the similarities between the Jedi Code and New Thought. 

And so I started to do some research.  The deeper I dug the more similarities I found.  In fact, it's becoming very clear that many of the ideas contained within the Jedi Code are based on Eastern Philosophy. 

The next day I had the idea to bring these ideas together through story.  What if one could talk about and relate New Thought and SOM principles through a Star Wars story?  And so, setting out on an experiment to see how this would work I started to write some fiction, set in a galaxy far, far away, a long time ago. 

After 2 days I've just finished writing over 8,000 words, or 32 pages!  In short, I've never experienced such creative flow.  I won't post all 32 pages here in this blog, but I would like to share an excerpt.  Have a read, and see if you can spot how I've attempted to relate some of the New Thought principles within this passage.  And as you read, feel free to replace the word 'Force' with the word 'Divine'.

Know the Flow as you go (or is that Force?)


Tookmah and Mysticar sat in front of their tents. Their mission to investigate strange reports of activity around some Sith ruins had brought them to Yavin IV. The first day had yielded no information but in Tookmah's mind this was not why he had brought the Padawan along.

The Jedi Master waited until the young man had finished eating and looked at him from across the clearing. The sun had nearly set. "I had something I wished to discuss with you." Tookmah had made sure that he was ready to deliver this news; he didn't want the Padawan's Force Sense to forewarn him, and there was a purpose behind his intent to surprise with news of his Guardian's death last year. "I received word just before we left regarding Ben'wa's death."

Mysticar looked up, carefully disposing of the remnants of his meal. He did not speak, but it was clear his focus was present. The Jedi Master continued.

"Intelligence has surfaced regarding what happened. Reports are indicating that Ben'wa was killed. His final project involved valuable discoveries into composite armour research. At first there no was suspicion of foul play because the initial investigation found nothing untoward. However, when his primary client on this project followed up their investigations determined gaps in his research logs and missing materials." Tookmah paused a moment, eyes not leaving the young Padawan.

For his part Mysticar was listening carefully. He took the gap as an opportunity to reflect. A year old memory jumped into his head. He had felt right in not pressing for the how or the why, and yet here the Force was delivering them to him. This past year he had spent considerable time meditating and contemplating his feelings around Ben'wa's death. One of the greatest insights of his life had come to him. He realised that his belief about Ben'wa's role in his life had resulted in attachment. This belief had influenced his feelings, and when learning of his guardian's death those same feelings as expressed as emotions. The Padawan's insight had been to contemplate his belief. By understanding the hidden aspects of that belief, by working through the memories and associations, he had come to a place where the belief had changed. In effect, he had reprogrammed his belief. In turn, how this belief influenced his feelings had changed. The net benefit was that with this insight how his feelings expressed as emotions had changed. He had moved not only into acceptance of Ben'wa's death in the truest sense of the word, but had come to unlock a key lesson. Confronting one's feelings and searching them required one to look beyond the surface to cause. By unearthing hidden beliefs and values he had been able to see the whole situation a different way. This was more than acceptance, it was a life lesson and evolution on the young Padawan's part.


As a result this news was taken quite differently by the Padawan. He nodded, his feelings clear, his mind open and awaiting more information. Tookmah had not only been looking with his eyes but also his Force Sense. "Yes, has learned...calm...excellent," he thought as he continued.

"The corporation triggered an investigation. The project that Ben'wa had been working on was on the Republic's radar. They were not only interested but were an active sponsor behind the corporation's sponsorship of the project. A few weeks ago the Jedi Council was asked to investigate. One of their own industrial espionage teams was compromised. And it was not so much the manner of events as reports of how their efforts were foiled. The team was killed with little trace but a broadcasted recording was unearthed. It turns out one of the team had anticipated a deeper level of intrigue and had acted independently to record a key event. The result being the discovery of the use of the Force during the event of their death. When presented with this evidence the Council came to conclude that the Sith were behind these events."

Mysticar listened actively. He could sense the benefit of having done the work he had; by confronting his feelings he had not only grown but could appreciate the benefits in the next moment. A realization sprung into his mind. "We are not here to investigate strange activities in the ruins are we?"

The Jedi Master nodded once. "Very good young Padawan."

"It is believed that something can be found amongst the ruins of the target area?" The young Padawan stopped speaking and closed his eyes. Almost instantly he cleared his mind. The time for intellectual speculation was done. He was a firm believer that use of the Force was a privilege. Any conscious effort on his part was done sparingly: Always he would seek to clear himself with the intent to allow the Will of the Force to work through him. A part of him briefly felt satisfaction; this event, the purposefully timed delivery on Tookmah's part, and the clarity of response was proving that had grown; no, it was more than that. It was almost as if lightning was running down his neck.

The Padawan knew that this moment was an exception. Clearing his mind he sent a question out to the Force and then released any attachment to the response.

Master Tookmah watched, his own mind processing the reaction. "Yes, very good young Padawan...You 'have' learned well," he thought to himself.  It was one thing to have sensed the peace of a year ago when the young man had approached him after processing the news of Ben'wa's death, but what he was witnessing was exceptional. The Jedi Master continued to observe with his Force Sense, reaching out to the emotions and thoughts of Mysticar. He smiled to himself and then opened his eyes.

"Master, allow me to go to the ruins. An idea has just come to me."

The Jedi Master needed no convincing. He knew the Force was working its will and he also could sense that an event of significance had just manifested for the Padawan. Without another word the Master gathered his robes about him and closed his own eyes. "May the Force be with you."

Mysticar nodded and replied, "I shall know it's Flow as I go, Master." Without another word the Padawan quietly moved back toward the ruins.

A short while later he stood a short distance from the entrance, eyes scanning the vicinity. Closing his eyes he stopped and cleared his mind. For minutes he stood, silently, mind empty of all emotion and thought. And then it came. The image of a path leading away from the ruins jumped into his mind. He saw himself reaching into the underbrush and finding a disk.

The Padawan returned to the campsite and stopping before his Master handed him the disk. "I think we will find what we came for is on this disk."

Master Tookmah smiled. "Excellent work young Padawan. Not only did you avoid the danger of being discovered by the troopers at the Ruins but more importantly you allowed the Force to seek balance through you. This whole affair is typical of the cancerous motivations of the Dark Side. You removed yourself and your own reasoning, in spite of the emotional stakes at hand, and you allowed the Force to work its will through you. Your spirit is exceptional and my report to the Council will include this."


The Jedi Master said nothing more, but allowed a smile to surface as Mysticar began the process of removing all traces of their presence. They both knew that a return to the Jedi Council was the next move.

Monday, February 8, 2010

Technology Outreach Ministry - A Bigger Idea for TOM

Something amazing just manifested tonight.  I have had to sit back and write about it just to begin processing it.  But before I talk about the details I would like to share some background (yes, I know, it's poor form to save the headline for later.  But indulge me).

I've been on the Internet in one form or another since around 1995.  It started with chat rooms and some site surfing back in the day when a 4,800 baud modem was the business (and I'm a relative baby - I've spoken with people on the Internet since it's inception).  In 1996 I met the woman who was to become my wife in a chat room (a story for another time).  We were friends at first but met in 1997, fell in love and got married a year after that.  Over the years I've been involved in technology in many forms.  I've been a chat-room guide, I've moderated discussion boards.  I run my own blog.  I've run on-line gaming communities (known as guilds).  My involvement with technology even extends to my professional consulting business and follows 15 years as a Business Analyst in technologically oriented organizations.

It should be no surprise then that someone with such an affinity for technology (and a self-professed geek) that is studying Science of Mind would start wondering if there was a way to bring them together.  And no, I am not talking about a web site.  The International Centres for Spiritual Living (ICSL) and United Centres for Spiritual Living already have those.  But a web site is limited: Its strength is as a tool to convey information.  It tends to be something that publishes outwards.

Some sites, such as the Centre for Spiritual Living in Saskatoon (http://www.cslsaskatoon.com/) have a blog on them.  This still publishes information, but the publishing of information is more dynamic.  In my case I've been posting these blogs on their site for over a year, sharing my journey as a Practitioner.  In addition, readers can make comments and thus communication can be two-way, between writer and reader. 

Back in January 23rd, 2009 I blogged about a vision for technology (http://consciouscalling.blogspot.com/2009/01/calling-let-us-leverage-law-of.html).  The key message went as follows:
This is a call to those intrigued or entranced by the potential of the Law of Collaboration. It is time to break the ground on building a new technological vision for spiritual living and awareness. Some of the possibilities that immediately come to mind include; the power of a Wiki being used as a Science of Mind encyclopaedia, published articles from bright minds, discussion forums loosely moderated by students, Practitioners and Ministers, video archives of Services, the blogosphere, podcasts of highlighted material, virtual classes taking our educational program to a global audience through video and audio streaming, all pulled together through a growing online community inspired by something wonderful happening here and now. I know a volunteer driven effort to translate 'The Science of Mind' into many languages through SpiritPedia would crack open this philosophy to a much wider world audience.
Back in late 2008 I also made an effort to launch this vision at the Centre for Spiritual Living, Edmonton.  I was on the Board of Trustees at the time and made the suggestion that the Technology Outreach Ministry (TOM) be formed.  I made a call within the Centre and a few volunters came on board.  However, as that experience unfolded I found that the culture was simply not ready. 

At the time I could not place cause, yet knew that staying attached to something that was resisting did not strike me as right.  And so I set down the vision...for a short while.

I began to explore what this vision meant to me.  I still felt the pull of bringing technology and Science of Mind (SOM) together.  My first move was to create this blog.  I reasoned that for as much as I had a long history with technology I was still somewhat new to Science of Mind, and I certainly did not have a very clear vision for how the two might intersect.

What this past year of blogging did do, amongst other things, was to clarify blogging in the SOM context.  As the year progressed the vision began to shift in its slumber.  It had never really gone. 

In 2008 my vision was set around building a website that would incorporate Web 2.0 tools to support a bi-directional way of sharing and building community.  The idea was that by going on to the Internet that we could reach out to parts of the world that Bricks and Mortar simply could not.  However, in hindsight I think two things were getting in the way.  Firstly, my consciousness was not ready to support this idea.  And secondly, I don't believe I had the kind of clarity of vision that one needs.  I hadn't experienced what I needed to really set the process of creation into action.  I was bringing a bit of an abstract idea to people.  If there's something I have learned, when you take technology to people who don't really understand it and try and tell them how you 'might' use it to create a spiritual community it's almost impossible for them to see.  The problem was, the vision was in my mind.  I needed a way to make it concrete, tangible, so that I could it to people and they could more easily understand it.

And so, fast forward to January 18th, 2010.  During a meditation a vision came to mind of being in a virtual reality, and surrounded by an array of technology tools.  I could sense that there was community gathered and that we were reaching across the world.  SOM courses were being delivered, and that the tools included some of the ideas around a Wiki (to translate SOM into multiple languages) and a discussion board (to support the asynchronous sharing of ideas).  But it was the virtual reality that really got me wondering.

And then it came to me - Second Life!  The irony - I had heard about Second Life but had not tried it.  With that I went into Second Life and created an avatar (a computer generated image of a person).  I started to explore and the more I saw the more excited I got.  The program was telling me that nearly 1.5 million people had entered Second Life and that over 70,000 people were currently on line!  I found Buddhist temples and retreats, churches, and spiritual communities.  I even discovered a group called New Thought.

So in a way this vision I had was hardly new.  Similar paths were already being trodden. 

With that though I started to investigate the groups.  New Thought had been created in 2007 but the owner hadn't logged on in a couple of years.  The Unity Church has a group called SL Unity Church, but only 7 members.  Buddhists were very active scheduling silent meditation events throughout the day.  But nowhere could I see SOM.


And so I created a group called, Community for Spiritual Living.  At that point the vision I'd been thinking about over the past couple of years started to come to life in my mind.  Education was critical.  One of the defining elements of the Edmonton's Centre's growth over the past 5 years has been education.  What if one could bring education into Second Life?  But then I realized that it is not as simple as copy and pasting workbook material.  I knew that time and intelligent thinking would be required. 

I then found an island called the Mystic Academy.  Now for those of you who have not been into Second Life you have to understand that you can literally build buildings and landscapes.  It is a complete world.  The Mystic Academy had the slogan, Many Paths - One Light.  Well, hello, I said.  That sounds remarkably like the SOM principles to me!  But they also had classrooms, meditation areas, a library with literature from many spiritual paths and religions.  And in a moment of pure synchronicity I was able to meet the Academy Director and ask him if he'd be agreeable to my working with the Academy.  He very readily agreed.

The effortlessness of this struck me as sign.  Now, not only did I have a vision that was beginning to get clarity, but I had an established virtual environment with facilities perfectly suited to my clarifying this vision. 

But I knew the fundamental question of how to build on education was critical.  I've got a few ideas yet, but I started with the one that most resonated.  I began scheduling an event each evening for meditation.  I meditate for an hour each morning and evening already.  I simply started logging into Second Life and posting notices around like-minded groups.  And sure enough people started to come.  However, I made the critical decision to start with 15 minutes of a brief outline (to set some context and provide a little education to those new to the practice) with 30 minutes of practice.  After that I invite participants to share through discussion.

Participants started to show up.  Within a couple of weeks the Community had 20 members.  During discussions newcomers, and those relatively inexperienced at meditation, were making comments such as: loosing a sense of time; was that 30 minutes; I felt like I was vibrating.  It struck me that what I was seeing was the beginning of something that had some serious promise.

And now fast forward to February 3rd, 2010 (just 3 weeks later).  Reverend Patrick and I had a lunch booked (for the first time in many, many months).  As we were eating, and talking about the wonderful things happening at the Centre, he asked me if I would be interested in picking up the technology ministry I'd started back in 2008. 

With a smile on my face, and the sound of 'click' in my heart, I promptly told him that not only would I be happy to, but I'd not been idle.  I pointed out the two learnings I'd ascertained (my consciousness and clarity of vision) and explained what I'd just started on Second Life.  And then I had idea (it came like a flash).  What if the idea back in 2008 was not big enough?  What if what this really needed was to be globally launched?  What if we approached the ICSL and UCSL Boards of Education with an idea to seek Practitioners who were also heavily immersed in technology?  This would bring consciousness and experience together.  Patrick loved the idea and promised to take it away.  And just to emphasize the point I went ahead and emailed the Edmonton Practitioner community with the story of how my blog had evolved and a map of the world showing the global reach I'd already had in the first year.

And so finally, fast forward to February 8th (tonight).  I'd scheduled a meditation and 3 people showed up.  After the practice one of them commented that he had studied Religious Science for years.  It turns out that he lives in Arizona but that his Centre had recently dissolved.  He'd done SOM 100, 200, 300 in the past and had been a Professional Practitioner.

With that I shared my vision with him and he got really excited.  It occurred to me that here was exactly what I had been talking about needing with Patrick.  Someone who was already immersed in Second Life who was also a Practitioner was expressing a keen affinity with this vision I'd been stewing over for the past few years. 

But that's not all.  Another one of those gathered hung around to listen.  It turns out he was from Poland.  He'd never heard of SOM but was very knowledgeable about NLP, and from the way he spoke it was clear that he could relate to the SOM principles.  He also had a chance to hear me talking about wanting to explore refining the SOM educational curriculum to bring it online.  His excitement rose and at one point he started to describe a vision where he would love to learn about it in SL and then start a study group in Poland!

Well, at that point the fireworks went off in my mind.  Both elements of this Technology Outreach Ministry were manifesting before my very eyes:
  1. A Practitioner already immersed in technology excited by this vision
  2. Someone from a country that had never heard of SOM getting really excited about not only hearing this message but self-professing that a vision of taking this to others was in their mind
And these two elements perfectly capture what this vision is about.  There is more to be done, much more.  But it's clear to me that something has already started.  The 'what' is getting clearer, and the Universe is providing.  This was my vision for Technology Outreach Ministry taking its first fledgling steps like a bird just out of the egg right before my very eyes.

As I sign off on this blog I've got this feeling that something very exciting has just begun.  A global vision through technology is being born for this philosophy.  I have never been so charged or excited about anything in my life.  I feel so alive right now, and so on fire, that I feel compelled to state that I know I have just hit upon what may be the beginning of a life's work.  And given the enormity of his vision I would ask that you take this vision into your treatment work.  Hold consciousness for the right and perfect expansion of this vision, that the right and perfect Practitioner consciousness comes together to shape the foundation, and that it unfolds to create a true global Community for Spiritual Living through the Internet.

Know the Flow as you go, brothers and sisters.

Saturday, February 6, 2010

Blessed if I Do and Blessed if I Don't

The past few days have been powerful. Thursday (following my blog of Seva as a Spiritual Practice) was magnificent in spirit.  And yet, yesterday, I struggled.  Many times I found my mind wandering, the gun-slinger of ego firing shots toward thoughts like Jesse James on the run, both desperate and cunningly accurate at the same time.

I like to think that my practice helped me: In particular, I remembered to meditate.  At the beginning of the day I felt 'worn out'.  But I kept telling myself about Seva.  I made an appointment with myself to mediatate.  I did so twice, and by the end of the day I could feel myself shifting.

And this morning, I awoke feeling alive and magnificent.  The first thought was of gratitude for the day.  I felt drawn to write.  I recalled something that had come to mind the other night.  I have discovered a wonderful voice-memo tool on my iPhone.  This is what I recorded.
To live my vision of inspiring and supporting the transformation of others I must be focused on the journey of spiritual practice.  The practice of meditation, affirmative prayer, journaling, seva, tithing, education, and celebration are the shoes that will clothe my feet as I tread upon this path.
These practices will remind me and help me stay alive to the journey of my life's vision.  At the same time, even should I forget Oneness then such moments will yield more strength in experience than my successes would have.  This is a win-win equation!

With that formula for life I can do no wrong.  That is powerful.  In short, I am blessed if I do and I am blessed if I don't.

I have a wondrous opportunity to live simply through practice for a vision that in of itself is selfless service.  I need not concern myself with the details of destination, I need simply know a broad vision that is embraced by a bigger idea - I need only see the flow of the Divine in everyone, in all.  God will know how I have transformed and what that means to my vision.  I will be given exactly what I am prepared to accept.

With this blessed formula I have found a way to reframe and redefine what the word 'failure' means to me.  I have a vehicle for compassion for my efforts, in so-called failure.  Not only will I gain strength through such experiences of forgetfulness but I shall remember that as I look out to everyone I meet, see, and learn about.  Ghandi once said something along the lines that it is hard to judge the rascal in others when one has come to understand how much of a rascal they themselves can be. 
Know the flow as you go.

Thursday, February 4, 2010

Seva as Spiritual Practice

Nothing happens by chance.  This morning I found myself reading about spiritual practices.  In particular, four spiritual practices come to mind:
  • Affirmations - the setting of intent, or what I call Affirmative Prayer, used to address the physical and emotional concerns of life
  • Meditation - a more absolute practice to challenge the physical perspective and expand our conscious awareness of the seen, to the bigger picture around and beyond
  • Journaling - a practice of writing in response to experience and events.  Entries can contain reflections on what took place, emotions that surfaced, and understanding that resulted (this blog is my public journal - I really do share my story and journey with you here)
  • Seva - selfless service to God (Seva is the Sanskrit word for Service) that supports the idea of Oneness, can be carried by us anywhere we go, no matter what we do
As is the case for me, with consciousness and evolution, when I am ready to understand an idea it will strike me hard, and I will find myself reaching for my journal. This morning, after meditating, saying an affirmative prayer for myself, my prayer partners and closest, I was struck by the passage I read on Seva.  This idea had been communicated around me before, but I was obviously not ready to hear Seva defined in this way until this moment.

In short, Seva was presented as a spiritual practice to be done at 'all' times.  Whether creating dinner, cutting vegetables, answering the phone, passing a stranger, hugging your children, or working in the field of caring for others, Seva is about being present with love, letting go of any barriers of separateness, casting aside doubt, accepting (not judging), and knowing that we are beings trying to relate together in unity and love.  Seva is a decision to see the flow of the Divine, God, Source, One Mind, in all.

Now back to 'nothing happening by chance': This past week I have been spending much of my time contemplating seeing the flow of the Divine at all times, in all things and events.  To my mind this reading on Seva, and the reframed perspective I was adjusting to, had arrived as a part of my journey.  And just as I was getting my head around that bigger idea I read the following from another blog.  "It is practically impossible to live in a state of Oneness 24/7 and keep a normal lifestyle."

And so, practicing Seva here I am, with the intent to see the flow of the Divine in everything, and to explore my perspective.  The question I am now drawn to ask: 'Can I embrace a bigger idea?' 

My immediate reaction was, 'but that statement flies in the face of what I've been contemplating as a vision for myself.'  The word 'practically' jumped out at me.  I started to question the words, the semantics: Was the context impossible in the real-world, or mostly impossible? 

But then, thankfully, I dodged the chaos of such insanity and the idea of journaling about this came to mind.  That felt like a simple thing; ground myself in practice and see what revealed itself (rather than stay in my head and observe my thoughts run across the set like a tumbleweed in a Western movie, the gun-slinger of ego ready for high-noon).

Journaling reminded me that it is not about the destination but the journey.  I do have a vision for constant Oneness and it is possible.  I am setting this intent because I believe it resonates with my life-vision to inspire and support the transformation of others.  The extent to which I will be able to support the transformation of others will be limited to the extent of my own transformation.  The vision of constant Oneness, to see the Divine in all people, events, and things, is a worthy one - it is a powerful way to transform oneself.  But more importantly, I realized that the destination has to be released, and the journey embraced. 

I now believe I came across the comment, about the impossible aspect of constant Oneness, so that as I started forming this vision I might remember that it is the journey that will lead me to Truth, and that attachment to destination could only lead me away.

Seva as a spiritual practice is beautiful.  Selfless service to the Divine is a journey I can stand behind.  Every moment I can attain this consciousness is a moment that lights the bigger picture.  I will have compassion for those moments where I fail at the intent of 24/7, just as I will celebrate when I live this vision.  For in the end, the experience of failure will likely give me a greater strength than the success. 

Blessings, joy, and peace my brothers and sisters.

Tuesday, February 2, 2010

The Universe Only Hears the 'I am'

During a conversation with someone earlier they expressed that they were unhappy in life. They spoke of struggling with judgment. As the conversation progressed and the questions flew I confirmed what I suspected - they resonated with the idea of acceptance and yet were struggling to understand what that meant. And more significantly, to my mind at least, they were not clear about what they wanted - they did not have a vision for themselves, their life.

Dr. James Golden wisely suggests that, "When we are judgemental the universe shines the light...and only hears 'I am.'" The problem with living in judgement is that we are thinking judgemental thoughts. But what does that mean?

For me central to understanding this meaning is a belief that my thinking creates the effects around me. This is made possible by the Universe having empowered me to create. The way I create stems from how I think. If I am thinking thoughts of judgement, I am focusing my energy of creation on this idea. This becomes a vicious circle, for it is likely that we believe we do not like what we judge and then get caught up seeing more of the effect that we judge, and so on until we are consumed with effects around us that we do not like.

Making judgements about health, money, relationships, or how people express themselves has a lack of acceptance at its core. Acceptance is to me one of the most precious gifts I can give. If I accept you I am honouring my own process of creation by thinking about what is good in you, and hopefully finding ways to see your light.

Let us consider this idea another way - it is not known whether it is a good or bad experience to be poor, or suffer from a terminal disease. How can anyone with a finite mind possibly comprehend an Infinitely big picture? We can never know enough about this big picture. And if this is valid as a statement, how can our judgement of a condition or effect possibly serve us? The person who believes that with one look they can assess a condition of someone, such as how poor they are, and understand the life work on the part of the person they are judging is I would suggest is not being truthful with themselves.

In short, if we cannot know the purpose and reason for the life-work of someone we are judging, then surely judgement is one of the most futile things we can do? Not only am I introducing a thought about an idea (that the Universe inserts "I am" in front of), but I am also trying to do something that is far beyond the capabilities my finite mind!

A part of my reason for writing this blog was an effort on my part to process this conversation. The question of 'what do you want in life?' is an important one. I am wondering if judging others is not a distraction from the dissatisfaction in our own lives. If the art of life is partly about looking to our own thinking then surely it's in my best interests to spend as much energy about thinking about what I want and how I will create it as is practical? And given the time we allow ourselves, do we really want to spend time in thinking about the conditions of others?

Or to put it much more strongly, judgement is quite frankly a waste of time. There is value in discernment. Showing an understanding of something is worthy. Understanding leads to knowledge, which is what wisdom is built upon. However, if you are trying to disguise judgement as discernment but are finding your thinking fixated on an effect I would suggest that you should enquire as to where your thinking is straying, and what you are creating for yourself.

Perhaps the litmus test for this is, if I am struggling to accept something, why? What is there in me to learn from this struggle? I’d like to quote a Wikipedia definition on Psychological Projection:

Psychological projection or projection bias (including Freudian Projection) is the unconscious act of denial of a person's own attributes, thoughts, and emotions, which are then ascribed to the outside world, such as to the weather, the government, a tool, or to other people. Thus, it involves imagining or projecting that others have the same feelings or motives, rather than what they really think.


Projection is considered one of the most profound and subtle of human psychological processes, and extremely difficult to work with, because by its nature it is hidden. It is the fundamental mechanism by which we keep ourselves uninformed about ourselves.
The line that jumps out at me; “It is the fundamental mechanism by which we keep ourselves uninformed about ourselves.” The next time you see something in the world that you feel called to judge or deny, ask yourself, what exactly does this have to do with yourself?

Copyright (C) 2010, Carmien Owen

Monday, February 1, 2010

The Objects that Stand in the Way

It's not the light that causes a shadow, but the objects that stand in the way.

This sentence came to mind earlier on as I contemplated the 'appearence' of events.  Events, or objects, for that matter, causing shadows do not negate the light, just as a house creating a shadow does not negate the sun.  Different would be the world if we all knew that the clouds meant that the sun was done.  Right thinking is about knowing that the light remains in spite of objects, or effects, that might get in between us and the light.

For example, in a conversation I was in earlier it was commented that it's hard to see the good in life when watching the news.  The basic premise was, why should one see the world in a positive light given all the bad news on the TV and in the papers?  From the view point of New Thought, Science of Mind, or whatever label you wish to insert, just because the TV or paper presents effects as bad news does not have to translate into you also making the choice of seeing the world as a bad place.  Or to put it another way, what we see or read does not make the sun disappear; rather, dark clouds are only dark when we're sitting underneath them.

What about changing your perspective?  Easier said than done?  Or is it?  One definition for perspective is, "the state of one's ideas, the facts known to one" (http://www.dictionary.com/).  If that's the case then perspective has much to do with the ideas that we have, and ideas are the result of thinking.  Change your thinking and your perspective changes.  If this principle can be accepted then the following become options:
  1. Change your perspective and you move yourself from behind the shadow.  Perhaps it really is as simple as stepping out from behind the house, or walking in the opposite direction that the cloud is travelling?
  2. Wait for the object to pass.  If you believe you are always surrounded by chaos, hidden in a shadow, or chased by the dark rain cloud, and you believe you have no say in this then you are disempowering yourself.  One of the wisest sayings I've ever heard is, "This too shall pass"
  3. Seek the light, always.  What we seek is surely a matter of making the choice to go in a certain direction, starting with the first step?  But even then, what we seek should follow what destination we have in mind.  What is our vision?  Do we have a vision that includes living in the light?
At the same time living in the shadow invariably creates doubt and confusion.  The comment I referred to earlier, about it being hard to be optimistic with all the bad news on TV, speaks to that.  When we get caught up in the chaos it's easy to become disillusioned.  Yet many of the 'illusions' we commonly see are invaribly sleight of hand and the playing with light. 

Pain and suffering are, in my opinion, a call to awaken, yet in the midst of the shadow of pain it's hard to see it that way.  Does that negate the call to awaken?  No, not at all.  What it does do is qualify the idea of perspective; the perspective I have of pain will dictate how I view said pain.  A sense of urgency accompanying a need to change is another perspective I might take from pain and suffering.  Having lived through both perspectives it's my personal and complete opinion that I prefer the latter - I'd rather breathe through the pain knowing that it's an opportunity to change than to see the suffering as a hopeless and helpless cycle inflicted upon me.  Whether or not we acknowledge the Divine in any pain, suffering or shadow can be secondary to the degree of pain equating to the need for change.  In other words, just because we deny that suffering equals "need to change" does not negate the potential opportunity for us; it just confirms that our perspective does not see it that way.

My concluding comment: Do not confuse such conditions as anything other than a call to change.  Change the cause and the effect will cease.  If you've never made the choice to see how you might step out from the shadow that surrounds you with doubt and confusion, then perhaps now is the time?  But I would add that being spiritual is not about the objects, the money, friends or things, but about seeing those objects (the house causing the shadow) from a spiritual perspective, knowing the light being blocked is not the cause of the shadow, and that there is harmony to be found beyond the chaos.

Blessings, joy, and peace.