Know the Flow

This Blog Has Moved To http://www.knowtheflow.ca

2011-11-16T09:17:00.000-07:00

Nearly three years after starting this blog on the free service, Blogger, I've finally made the leap to a new WordPress site. If you've landed here (or received an email with this blog) please be sure to reset your bookmarks to:
http://www.knowtheflow.ca

There will be no more blog posts through this site.

The new site has lots of exciting new features. When you subscribe you can now specify which categories of blog post you will recieve. I'm also delighted to announce that over the coming months I will be publishing my new series of guided meditation recordings titled, Revealing Eternal Presence Meditation. Along with being available to play through a browser-based player, these podcasts will be available through iTunes as well as other podcasting directories.

In short, the new Know The Flow site is designed to be easier to navigate. Upon close examination you'll no doubt come to realize that for the most part this new site is really a glorified blog. Many of the navigation headings are simply organizers of blogs by categories. The overarching goal is to make it a simpler and more interesting experience. And thanks to some outstanding creative genius from Kory (the webmaster) and Andrea (the graphic designer) it really is a much prettier site!

In closing, I do have one request that relates to a new feature. Next to each post on the new site are buttons for Twitter and Facebook. When a post grabs your interest please click either (or both) or those buttons. This will forward these posts into your respective Facebook and Tweet-streams, and will serve to get the word out there. I make the effort with this site because I believe it helps to make a difference in the world. Supporting me by clicking these buttons a wonderful way to help me in vision of inspiring and serving the Revealing of Eternal Presence.

Know the Flow and be happy,
Carmien

Now blogging at http://www.knowtheflow.ca

Daily Affirmation - November 16

2011-11-16T06:42:00.001-07:00

“To attain knowledge, add things every day. To attain wisdom, remove things every day.” - Lao Tzu

Affirmation for today:
I know the impermanence of all things and live every moment as a meditation of the Divine.

Affirmative Prayer - I am Divinely Inspired

2011-11-15T07:49:00.002-07:00

"Spiritual mind practice is the very essence of faith. It is the essence of conviction - an act of assurance; a complete surrender of the will to a willingness to believe; a complete abandonment of thought to the Invisible." - Ernest Holmes

I Am Divinely Inspired

There is One Eternal Presence. This Eternal Presence is God, is within me, and knows me as part of itself. I affirm my union with Eternal Presence knowing that it expresses through and as me, and through every living being.

I am ever aware of what there is for me to know. Even when I think I do not know there is always a part of me that does. I am divinely inspired by the Infinite intelligence of Eternal Presence. With clarity and grace I surrender to God knowing that the answer I need is always apparent.

When I experience resistance I am at peace knowing that any experience that runs counter to my desire is but a temptation to turn away from an awareness of love. In such moments of resistance I consciously and intelligently ask God what there is for me to learn.

My mind is sharp and filled with the awareness of Truth. I am ever developing the faculty of awareness and I am awestruck by the unfolding perfection of every moment. Through my deepening awareness I experience a wondrous harmony and peace. I celebrate the opportunity to practice giving up control and any sense of separation. I give thanks for every step that I take on the path of awakening.

With deep gratitude I impress this affirmative prayer upon the Creative Law with a harmonious knowing that it is already done. And so it is.

Daily Affirmation - November 15

2011-11-15T06:39:00.002-07:00

"Life begins at the end of your comfort zone." - Neale Donald Walsch

Affirmation for today:
I am comfortable with being uncomfortable.

Daily Affirmation - November 14

2011-11-14T06:38:00.000-07:00

“You never will be the person you can be if pressure, tension and discipline are taken out of your life.” - James G. Bilkey

Affirmation for today:
Harmony fills my heart and discipline inspires my thinking.

Daily Affirmation - 11/11/11

2011-11-11T01:11:00.002-07:00

“The period of greatest gain in knowledge and experience is the most difficult period in one’s life.”- Dalai Lama

Affirmation for today:
I delight in the adversity that helps me awaken.

Daily Affirmation - November 10

2011-11-10T06:13:00.001-07:00

“No matter what difficulty you are facing, it is coming from Divine Light to bring you to a higher place within. Write down every conceivable reason that this situation can contribute towards your growth. Write down every way this experience can possibly set the stage for serving to uplift others. When you are complete, and have come to the other side of this experience, you will then know 'why' it happened.” - Barbara Rose

Affirmation for today:
I know what needs to change in me for this condition to change.

Daily Affirmation - November 9

2011-11-09T06:10:00.001-07:00

“Even the most daring and accomplished people have undergone tremendous difficulty. In fact, the more successful they became, the more they attributed their success to the lessons learned during their most difficult times. Adversity is our teacher. When we view adversity as a guide towards greater inner growth, we will then learn to accept the wisdom our soul came into this life to learn.” - Barbara Rose

Affirmation for today:
I meet who I am in service and recognize God.

Daily Affirmation - November 8

2011-11-08T06:06:00.002-07:00

"Each difficult moment has the potential to open my eyes and open my heart." - Myla Kabat-Zinn

Affirmation for today:
I greet all experiences with a harmonious awareness and an open heart.

Affirmative Prayer - November 7

2011-11-07T08:35:00.000-07:00

"Even God can give you nothing until you make up your mind about what to expect." - Ernest Holmes

I Am Liberated

There is One Life, One Eternal Presence. This Life is God, this Life is perfect, and this Life is my life now. I recognize and celebrate Eternal Presence being revealed through every living being in every moment.

Clarity and grace are the truth of my life. I surrender to Eternal Presence and set a clear intent for the expression of God as me at all times. I rejoice in the awareness of Love in each moment. The world I experience transforms to the mental equivalent of my expectancy and harmonious awareness. With this mindset of harmonious awareness I celebrate that the Law of Cause and effect as it responds to my spiritual practice and dissolves old thought-patterns from the deepest levels of my mind. I am liberated.

I give thanks for every step that I take on the path of awakening and for the old thought-patterns that are released right here and right now. I give up control and surrender to being an instrument of Eternal Presence. With deep gratitude I release these words, and allow the release of old ideas and beliefs that no longer serve me. I impress this affirmative prayer upon the Creative Law with a knowing that it is already done. I know the result is automatic for it can be no other way. And so it is.

Daily Affirmation - November 7

2011-11-07T06:04:00.002-07:00

“Do not feed your ego and your problems, with your attention. ...Slowly, surely, the ego will lose weight, until one fine day it will be nothing but a thin ghost of its former self. You will be able to see right through it, to the divine presence that shines in each of us.” - Eknath Easwaran

Affirmation for today:
I am aware of the Eternal Presence of God and see the truth shining through all.

Daily Affirmation - November 4

2011-11-04T06:26:00.000-06:00

"What the Law of Mind knows in one place It knows simultaneously and instantly everywhere." - Ernest Holmes

Affirmation for today:
I might not know but there is always a part of me that does.

Daily Affirmation - November 3

2011-11-03T06:22:00.000-06:00

Affirmation for today:
I surrender my will to a willingness to believe in Eternal Presence.

Old Memories - Cirque du Soleil

2011-11-02T08:25:00.002-06:00

Last night I saw the Michael Jackson Immortal World tour with the Cirque du Soleil. This was the third time I've seen them live and it seems like every time I see them they get better. Either they are maturing over time or I am open to more possibilities as I age.

I shall settle for both being true.

And on that note, I wanted to share something. I will happily confess that as a teenager I enjoyed Michael Jackson's music. My passion for dancing has not abated over the years and as you might imagine I spent many an afternoon learning from a master dancer with friends.

What was interesting was that during the show many memories were conjured for me. I remembered spending time with friends practicing dance moves, excited that we'd get to hit the dance floor that night. I attribute many a spin and fancy dance move to Michael and his creative genius.

I was also struck by the emotions that surfaced as I watched the creative genius of the Cirque pay tribute to this pop icon. I suspect that many of Michael's fans had a similar experience. However, I found myself observing the sensations that arose.

Instinctively I shifted into a meditative awareness. An emotion would surface and would be followed by a specific memory related to it. But the meditator in me could not help but note that this sensation, and image, would pass away. As a result I found myself fully enjoying the show. I was completely present.

On the way back to the car I found myself processing what had just happened and suddenly felt an excruciating pain in my right foot. The pain became so intense that I had to stop walking. Again, the meditator in me noted that the pain was impermanent and I told myself that it would pass away (awareness of the true nature of sensations is something that is integral to my approach to meditation). I started walking again and after a few minutes the pain was completely gone.

I immediately realized that by being present to the emotional memories from my childhood evoked by the show I had been able to allow a process of release. I had gained an insight about my childhood. But more importantly, I had facilitated whatever had needed to shift deep within my subconscious mind.

It was a magical night, but directly experiencing truth in action only added to the magic of the soul. If you find yourself in such a moment, where intense emotional memories from the past surface, strive to be present. Know that the emotions you are experiencing will inevitably pass away. Such a harmonious awareness will do much to help you release what needs to be released from the past. And who knows, by being fully present you may get to experience even more magic in the moment.

Daily Affirmation - November 2

2011-11-02T06:19:00.002-06:00

"What we should pay attention to is our own inward awareness, building up an expectancy, increasing faith, stretching consciousness out to include more." - Ernest Holmes

Affirmation for today:
I pay attention to my inward awareness and invite opportunities to stretch my consciousness.

Daily Affirmation - November 1

2011-11-01T06:17:00.002-06:00

"This practice is not a mental coercion, it is not mental suggestion. It is mental awareness, a spiritual awareness of the mind." - Ernest Holmes

Affirmation for today:
I am aware of that Eternal part of my mind that is perfect, whole and complete.

Daily Affirmation - October 31

2011-10-31T08:30:00.002-06:00

"[The Practitioner] is using a harmonious thought to overcome a discordant mental atmosphere." - Ernest Holmes

Affirmation for today:
I am harmoniously aware at all times, particularly in moments of discord and discomfort.

Daily Affirmation - October 28

2011-10-27T23:20:00.000-06:00

"Your thinking is the creator of your experience." - Ernest Holmes

Affirmation for Today: My thoughts dwell upon harmony, equanimity and Love.

Daily Affirmation - October 27

2011-10-26T21:33:00.002-06:00

"We can advance our our own well-being in many ways by simply deciding what we desire to be or to do and then giving the matter enough conscious attention so that it beomes a habitual thought-pattern." - Ernest Holmes

Affirmation for today: I am love in action and I pay conscious attention to love in each moment.

Affirmative Prayer

2011-10-26T20:58:00.002-06:00

Purpose: Perfect health

There is One Eternal Presence. This Eternal Presence is being revealed through me and every living being.

In this moment of utter conviction of this knowing I celebrate the perfect manifestation of Spirit that flows and expresses through me. I know that my body is a vessel of God. I know that all living beings experience transformation so that there might be a realization of the Divine, of Love, of peace and harmony. I know that the Law of Unfolding in my indivualized experience is but a precursor to remembering the Living Spirit in each and every moment. I am reminded that all living beings are God in action. I am a witness to the Eternal Power of God flowing through me, every organ perfectly healthy, and every choice and action a homage to God. I am perfect health. I celebrate the ease and grace with which I perceive Divine ideas, and I am inspired to allow Eternal Presence to express through me in wondrous and awe-inspiring ways.

I am grateful, so very thankful for this being true, for this being so. I release these words with exquisite expectancy, and know that as surely as the Law of Cause and Effect is universally true these words automatically result in a harmonious effect.
And so it is!

Daily Affirmation - October 26

2011-10-25T23:05:00.001-06:00

"The Law of Mind responds to a persistent idea and automatically maintains it." - Ernest Holmes

Affirmation for Today:
I am constantly reminded of God's magnificence expressing through me.

Daily Affirmation - October 25

2011-10-25T09:54:00.001-06:00

"Mind responds to mind. It is done unto you as you believe." - Ernest Holmes

Your Affirmation for Today:
I believe I have peace of mind, love in word, and harmony through deed.

Daily Affirmation - October 24

2011-10-23T19:43:00.001-06:00

"Even God can give you nothing until you make up your mind about what to expect." - Ernest Holmes

Affirmation for today:
I have an exquisite expectancy of love, peace and harmony.

Daily Affirmation - October 21

2011-10-21T08:55:00.002-06:00

"Everything visible and invisible is but a manifestation of this One Mind - the result of Its Creative Action and the becoming of that which It creates." - Ernest Holmes

Your Affirmation for Today:
I see the manifestation of the One Mind in everything and know it is through everything.

Daily Affirmation - October 20, 2011

2011-10-20T08:04:00.002-06:00

"You avail yourself of the Creative Action of Mind through what you believe. Perhaps you are not quite ready to accept this statement, but it is an interesting one and well worth remembering." - Ernest Holmes

Your Affirmation for Today:
I believe that I am perfect, whole, and complete.

Daily Affirmation - October 19

2011-10-19T07:21:00.003-06:00

"What you choose is created for you out of and through the action of the One Universal Mind, which is everywhere and is accessible to you." - Ernest Holmes

Your Affirmation for Today:
I choose love.

Who's Driving the Car?

2011-10-05T09:34:00.001-06:00

During a recent meditation an amusing image surfaced in my awareness I wanted to share. What popped into my mind was related to the different stages of the journey of awakening, the passengers that we acquire over time, and the people we meet along the way. Suddenly I had this image of clowns surrounding a car and trying to get into it. And then I received a couple of comments through this blog that reminded me of the clowns we can meet along the way.

I have come to believe that those we meet along the way that lash out in hate are simply tempting us to not love them. I’m grateful that I’ve recognized that regardless of the actions everyone is deserving of love. I might not like your actions but I will always love you. If you lash out at me in anger I will respond from a place of love, and through this response I will retain my truth and be in the best position to support you as you make your journey through life.

How Many Clowns Are In Your Car?

The amusement of the chaos of clowns conjured a smile at the time but there’s actually a serious realization to be had. We start our journey in a state of sleep. I’ve often felt as though life is a road trip through space and time. We need to start from a place of forgetting so that we can experience everything anew.

The master of our journey is that part of us that is an individualized aspect of God. It’s often called Spirit and it knows that the destination of our spiritual journey is ultimately to gain a harmonious awareness of our entire nature. In other words, our journey is about integration with every aspect of our experience to the point of peaceful, compassionate, and loving wholeness.

Our Spirit guides the driver, our mind, through the softly spoken voice of intuition. The unaware driver though is often too overwhelmed with the noise from the engine and those noisy passenger-clowns to really hear that inner voice. And this is understandable from a certain perspective. The driver not only represents our analytical and discerning mind but is also responsible for planning and logic. It considers the information and knowledge it has. In our state of sleep the driver doesn’t hear the gentle inner voice of intuition and as such doesn’t really know where the most meaningful destination is. The mind can see the road, the scenery and the other cars on the road. It misreads signs and often gets lost. However, the mind that is asleep thinks it is the master and knows it wants to get to the destination as quickly as possible and to have as much fun as is conceivable.

You could say that our car is our body, the engine our emotions, and that ideally the driver is our objective, analytical mind (sometimes referred to as our ego). Our master, or subjective mind, is our Spirit.

In this state of sleep our mind receives directions from the emotions that rise out of our subconscious nature. And so blindly obeying our fears our sleep-state led us unknowingly into difficult circumstances. But at some point our Spirit begins to awaken. Perhaps done with the incessant feeling of being a victim raging against the truth of love within we decided we are done.

As we begin to awaken we start to realize that we have the capacity to put our fears behind us, to control the circumstances of our lives. We start to realize that we could be our own masters. Our Spirit started to give directions to our mind. But to continue this process of awakening we have to give up blaming others. At some point we start to take personal responsibility for what moves through our consciousness and experience, because we realize that the mind is the creative factor.

Those clowns around us that lash out in hatred (our neighbours), or those clowns within that try to convince us that we are less than we are (our passengers), represent the false beliefs we have picked up on the journey. We let the clowns in our car because we do not fully understand the experiences in the world. And the thing is we’ve had some of these clowns as passengers from our earliest years. These passenger-clowns represent hidden fears that get in between us and that part of us that is Eternal Presence. We may manage to quieten these clowns but they do become active.

Sometimes we even allow them to jump into the driver’s seat. The person sharing their comments with me in response to an earlier blog would love for me to validate their perspective of the world. But I cannot do that. If I did I would be letting them drive my car. In fact, contradicting the directions of the Master is a favourite trick of a clown.

However, it is essential to remember that our passengers are a part of who we are. By seeing the truth of ourselves in spite of their promptings we can transform them into something greater. My passenger-clowns may squirt water on my face from time to time and blind me to the road but that water will eventually evaporate.

More interestingly is that our old thought-habit patterns, the clown-antics of the past, have a tendency to reflect our fears on to the people around us. When we are asleep or newly awakened we might find ourselves desiring to harm, or hide from, our neighbours as a form of aversion. We might also find ourselves desiring to have our neighbours, or their possessions, as a form of craving. And yet all aversion or craving will do is to create suffering.

The best answer I’ve come up with so far is to love my clowns. Through acts of forgiveness and harmonious awareness we dissolve away hidden fears. There are two types of people in the world: Those that blame their neighbours for their own clowns or those that take responsibility for the clowns in their car and respond from a place of love. What type of person are you?

A Virtual Vision and Manifestation

2011-09-16T09:53:00.000-06:00

Since the last 10-day meditation retreat I will confess that I have been blissfully productive. However, over the past week something wonderful has been manifesting in my life. But before I explain the specifics I feel compelled to write about what led to this point.

About a year ago I had an idea. As you may know I lead 1 hour meditations each morning and evening through Second Life and on Skype. The idea I had was to buy a virtual plot of land in Second Life and build a virtual spiritual retreat that would serve as a permanent home for these gatherings. My vision at the time was to create a haven for meditation, spiritual practices and teachings.

After some investigation I determined that it would cost about $1,000 to buy a sim (Second Life's term for a virtual plot of land). But more importantly, I'd need help. Creating things in Second Life really does require time and talent. And realizing that I did not have the talent I could not help but think that it was not the right time. However, I did some visioning and came up with an outline of what I would like to create. I surrendered the idea and gave it to God.

Well, fast forward to last week. A friend of mine in Second Life sent me a message indicating that she was retiring from the virtual land ownership business and wondered if I would accept the gift of full ownership of sim. After the next meditation I let those gathered know about this offer. The response was very encouraging. When I spoke about my lack of experience with building things in Second Life a number of members said they'd be delighted to help.

The whole event struck me as effortless. I couldn't shake the feeling of it being right and realized that I could undertake the financial commitment to maintain the monthly maintenance fee through my business. With a feeling of peace and joy I accepted the gift. But what followed has truly humbled me.

Once the sim transfer was complete members from the Community for Spiritual Living (a group I founded in Second Life) began asking how they could help. I set to writing up a vision, my initial ideas and sent them out to the group. Since then I've been touched by the many gifts and the time already given through the first week.

The vision that is flourishing will result in a virtual home for those seeking spiritual teaching and community. I will save the details of this vision until its finished. But suffice to say the whole project is not only breathlessly effortless but is feeling like an amazing undertaking.

And perhaps what has struck me the most - when the time is right and you are ready all will proceed effortlessly. A year ago I wasn't ready for this. Now however, I'm struck by the conditions that are conspiring in my life. I'm about to start 3 years of Ministerial training with the Centres for Spiritual Living. There is no doubt in my mind that this is the next stage in my virtual ministry; a calling that started with this blog over 2 years ago, leading meditation through Second Life for the past year and a half, as well as using Facebook and Twitter to compliment the sharing of ideas, to a virtual spiritual retreat where people from around the world can meet up with others of like-mind and grow in spiritual community. Now is the time and my vision for inspiring and serving the revealing of Eternal Presence has clearly moved up a gear. Something magnificent is indeed happening.

Why Do I Meditate? (Part III)

2011-08-24T23:11:00.033-06:00

With my departure on a 10 day meditation retreat I thought I would write a blog on why I meditate. When I began I had intended a single entry. By the time I was done I realized that I had significantly more words than would comfortably fit in a single entry. So with that in mind I’ve prepared a series of blog entries where I explore the question of why I meditate. And with technology empowering me to schedule posts when I am not even at a computer I shall leave you to read while I spend time in my metaphysical cave.

If you’ve done much reading (or listening to masters) about meditation you’ll have likely been confronted with something along the lines of, you don’t strive to become One, you let go and surrender. For many years I kept coming across this sort of statement. And it may strike you as obvious to read this, but I’m not talking about the white-flag kind of surrender either.

At first I wanted to understand what that meant. What do you mean, let go? Let go of what? Surrender to what? Surrender to the moment? What’s the ‘moment’? And then one day, during a meditation I began to discover what all those questions were pointing toward.

It turned out that for many meditations until that point I had been improvising. I had taken an intellectual idea, assumed it as my truth, and had gone along with it. I hadn’t fully experienced surrender and only had an intellectual grasp of what it meant to let go of something I couldn’t physically touch.

In that moment I directly experienced what it was to let go. I found myself experiencing Oneness and in an instant I knew that one didn’t try to surrender – when I was confronted with Oneness I couldn’t help myself. It was as if that part of me that was Truth, individualized aspect of Spirit, was completely revealed. But this had only been made possible because I had been improvising in spiritual practice. And somehow those parts of me that had been getting in the way, like clouds in front of the sun, suddenly parted and the magnificence of it all shone through. In the face of those rays of Truth I was home.

Once you’ve glimpsed such Truth suddenly life takes on a new meaning. I wanted to play. I wanted to enjoy. I found myself in situations where people would laugh at what I would say. Suddenly, I was funny (just ask my wife – she’ll you how un-funny I used to be). The urge to be so serious about life suddenly dissolved, years of earnestness now a fading memory. Having glimpsed the Truth, the creative nature of it All had become so apparent. Spontaneity became a habit, release a pleasure – faith had been transcended by knowing and I was becoming. From that moment on I realized that I was seeing through apparent reality and surrendering to the Eternal Reality.

And once I had experienced this for myself, the yearning that had been so subtle for so many years shifted. It was grosser, more obvious. Priorities changed. Suddenly I didn’t need to ‘convince’ others with my intellectual passion and my philosophy. I stopped drinking. I became vegetarian and then vegan. It was not that I was trying to do these things, rather that old habits no longer did me. Drinking wine would not feel good and the sensations of getting drunk were far less interesting that those evoked through being fully and completely present. Meat in my stomach would feel heavy and I felt a lightness through a new approach to food that felt great. I discovered cooking. It turns out that I love to cook!

In that moment, recognizing the combined effects of meditation to this point, I knew that I was both nothing and yet everything. I had leapt into the Great Oneness and knew that logic and reasoning were insignificant. The dissolution of old habits that no longer served me began to accelerate. My whole outlook and participation in life had begun to irrevocably shift.

Through practices we purify and pacify the objective mind. We gain control of the objective mind. There was a time when I believed that the monkey mind was a derogatory term, suggesting a mischievous critter jumping through the trees, like the objective mind moves from thought to thought. With practice the objective mind becomes a tool. Like mental scientist I had discovered an instrument at my disposal. Suddenly I was beginning to realize that I could be a metaphysical surgeon, cutting away at the dis-eases of life. With practice my objective mind was starting to become more like a finely tuned instrument for life. I was struck by the effortlessness in making decisions, in somehow knowing what to do without knowing why. Indeed, the process of shifting from faith to knowing and then becoming is truly a marvel.

The objective mind offers so much potential. It is in its nature to move around. And why not – as a facilitator between the apparent reality (which is always in movement) and the Subjective Mind we need its ability to move so freely and translate this experience of space and time. Renouncing the nature of our objective mind is to set aside a part of us that we created through will, and thus to denounce something that was in actuality an expression of the One Mind.

Suddenly, the secret was laid bare. And once you have glimpsed this secret you will never be able to fully let the realization go. The secret is actually profoundly simple. It is laid bare by the wisdom to neither deny nor be tempted to forget the True Self. And the only explanation I have for this knowing and profound transformation is my practice of meditation.

Why Do I Medtiate? (Part II)

2011-08-20T11:11:00.002-06:00

With my departure on a 10 day meditation retreat I thought I would write a blog on why I meditate. When I began I had intended a single entry. By the time I was done I realized that I had significantly more words than would comfortably fit in a single entry. So with that in mind I’ve prepared a series of blog entries where I explore the question of why I meditate. And with technology empowering me to schedule posts when I am not even at a computer I shall leave you to read while I spend time in my metaphysical cave.

The more I have meditated the more often I have experienced mystical moments. Trying to describe the indescribable is futile. But the closest I’ve come to articulating words for this Infinite subject is to say that such moments are sublime. There’s an expansiveness and weightlessness that transcends words. Sometimes it feels like a faded awareness of where my body ends and the air around me starts. It is as if I am expanding, and yet this expansiveness of I am is actually a re-joining. My soul’s choice to wear this garment I call a body is suddenly exposed, and with a mental and emotional gasp I sit in wonder at how beautifully peaceful, still and loving the eternal moment is. Time stops, ideas and thoughts evaporate.

And yet with experience of such moments I have come to realize that this is not the goal. Such blissful moments of expansiveness, whilst entrancing, are merely something to be enjoyed along the way, just like the apparent reality. However, the key with both is to en-joy without losing the sense of the truth; to be in the world without being seduced by it.

A question that has emerged through practice is; “Well this is nice. I wonder what will happen next.”

This question is an important one. When we do not lose ourselves to mystical, blissful moments we can continue a rich journey of discovery and development. And the journey is about experience and choice. By acknowledging the pleasure of the moment whilst reminding myself that there is yet more to seek I am not ceasing my development. If anything I am cultivating a grounded-ness that will serve me well as I continue. For I am convinced that the moment we start thinking we’ve made it is the very same moment we have succumbed to the ego’s desire. The ego wants the experience to be unchanging. And it would like nothing better, after all these years of having its duties as a prison guard being eroded, to return to as the gaoler, only in this case I would be the one handing it the keys.

The part of us that is soul, individualized incarnation of Oneness, will truly only be satisfied by a full and complete return to the One. This yearning is what drives us, and has driven so many masters and seekers to aspire and explore as the enlightened mystic. Yet, my experience, and the spiritual texts of note that I have read, has made it clear that it is only through practice that I will find my way.

I am not one of those avatars that came to earth and decided that I would be enlightened through an instant of awakening. I, like so many others, have chosen to delve deeply into the journey of discovery and will awaken gradually, sequentially and inevitably.

So far my journey of spiritual practice has taught me that the intellect alone is a poor judge at how best to spend time. My philosophical wanderings, debates, and intellectual reasoning have never brought me to dwell upon what my True Self actually is. Certainly, I’ve spun a fine series of words at times. But experience has taught me that entering into practice has done more to reveal that yearning for Self Realization than any number of steps along the path of the intellect.

I will confess that I aspire to be awakened. I wish to be in this world but not of it. My desire is to show up in every moment, armed with unconditionally loving thoughts, words and deeds.

The irony as I write this is that I know that there was a time when I thought I understood what such an aspiration meant. And in this moment I understand more than I did, and will in the future know more than I do now. What I do know in this moment is that I am yet to reveal what this fully means. But without a shadow of a doubt I know that my aspiration to be an enlightened mystic will only be realized through practice.

Over the course of my life I have made many choices and reacted to many sensations. As a child in a dysfunctional home it was not 5 years before social services placed me under a care order. In my earliest years of a being exposed to heroin (my birth father was an addict), alcohol and violence I got to experience impressions of apparent reality that were beyond my ability to process. I know what it is to be a vulnerable child. I know that the first 10 years of my life were filled with much blood, shouting, angst and abuse. And yet, regardless of how innocent and helpless I was, I reacted in those moments and in turn agreed to the expressed beliefs around me that this world worked a certain way. Over the course of the next 15 years I played these beliefs out, carved more grooves in my reservoir of memories, and so enforced the earlier memories. In short, I spent the first 25 years of my life completely lost to this world and my mind. It had me, and I was heart-brokenly seduced by it.

Spiritual practice has been necessary to counter my early years. The fears and desires of so many years needed a rebuttal. Meditation has been central to this righting of the scales. And now after many years of slowly working my way toward balance I have become very clear upon a simple truth revealed through my direct experience – meditation as a practice is serving the purpose of smoothing away the old grooves of separation and polishing in grooves of love. When my spiritual practices have served their purpose, when I have been liberated and freed from every last vestige of the pain, fear and separation I so often felt they will no longer be needed.

Before I became intimately partnered with meditation as a practice I was occupied with whatever sensations surfaced. My objective mind would analyze what arose from the depths, and like a slave I would stumble through life not even feeling the chafing of the shackles. I would wallow in emotion, lose myself to anger and act out the stories that had been passionately played for me as a child. I would see boredom as a cue to find something to do, to keep me busy. I would act upon impulses of lack, inherited from a childhood of poverty, and buy toys to support my need to be kept busy.

Meditation is a practice that cleanses the mind. I have glimpsed moments beyond description that have validated that yearning I felt so long ago. My mind feels purity more than it feels deprivation these days. When I feel a sensation of boredom I meditate or read a spiritual book. When I get done with meditation I pray. My meditation practice has inspired me to aspire for more.

Why Do I Meditate? (Part I)

2011-08-16T13:38:00.000-06:00

About the soul is a reservoir of memories. Each emotionally charged reaction, mental-conditioning, value, agreement, belief or attitude I dwell upon is carved like a groove upon my reservoir of memories. We have grooves that align with our aspirations and grooves that align with reactions to belief in separation. The more intense the emotional experience with that moment the deeper the groove my reactions carve.

When we go through life without an awareness of what is going on beneath the surface we get caught up in the same old thing. We experience boredom. We get into a rut. The idea of feeling invigorated or renewed becomes more challenging.

The great gift of meditation to me has been a way for me to re-train my objective mind. I've spent many hours refining such skills as focus, concentration and harmonious awareness. And the deeper I've travelled along this path the more indescribably beautiful the journey with this practice has become. Old grooves have been smoothed away (a process for which I will explain more about at a later entry in this series) and I have found an increase in my ability to concentrate. A direct effect of meditation for me has shown up in my being able to maintain a harmonious and loving awareness so much more than I used to be able to. Meditation has yielded great mental discipline for me. And because it has changed my thinking it has literally changed my life.

More Meditation...

2011-08-10T20:56:00.000-06:00

It is confirmed. I will be on meditation retreat from August 17 to 28 - 10 days of intense meditation and service. I've no doubts as to the power of being surrounded by others doing such deep practice nor of the removal of distractions. I also count myself blessed to be able to do this retreat before September and the meditation course I'll be teaching at the Centre for Spiritual Living, Edmonton. A perfect way to prepare.

I have also started working on a vision for a weekly meditation gathering in Edmonton. The feedback from the 3 sessions we've done once a month through the summer has been wonderful. I keep getting the sense, signs and comments that it is time to begin creating this.

In a recent meditation I saw myself in the future (more grey hair was the giveaway). I was on stage and sitting on a meditation cushion. As I spent time contemplating this vision I had the distinct feeling that meditation is going to be central to my path of spiritual advisor and teacher. I am still cooking but the sense of something wonderful unfolding is with me every day.

An Interim Home for Meditation Recordings

2011-08-01T08:09:00.000-06:00

I was speaking with a web designer friend in Second Life earlier today and he pointed out that I do not need to wait for the newly designed webpage being available before sharing the meditations I've begun to record. If you look to the right hand side of this page you will see a new set of links with the title Meditation Recordings.

The 30 minute meditation is an abridged version of the first 60 minute session and is designed for convenience. I have also shared the first two stages of the Revealing Eternal Presence Meditation practice. My guidance is to listen to the 60 minute meditation I before proceeding to II. If you meditate for 1 hour a day I would suggest working with stage I for approximately 2 weeks before using stage II.

I hope you enjoy these meditations. Over time I will be sharing more of this meditation practice as well as providing them in Podcast format so that you can more easily transfer them to mobile devices.

A Message of Hope - it is Time to Meditate

2011-07-16T09:19:00.000-06:00

A dear friend of mine sent me a facebook message yesterday. She asked me, if I wanted to use a video at our meditation gathering on July 19th. After watching it, I could only say yes. We'll be watching this after our meditation.

Produced by James Newton Howard, this short film is relating Truth, in a clear and accessible way. We really do have enough books on peace - it really is time to be peace. We really are a part of nature - it is time to take responsibility for what we each need to do. And one of the most powerful practices I know to accomplish this is to meditate - every day.

Meditation really is simple. It is about being present, harmoniously retreating from the past and future, into a perfect Now. When I reveal Eternal Presence I am connecting with my heart. When I connect with the moment, when I shift my focus into that space in between craving and aversion, pure acceptance, I connect with the pure essence of who I am. I connect with Oneness.

These words cannot really convey the truth of what this means to you. I can write about meditation and you can read these words, but it really is for you to embrace this for yourself. Perhaps I write these words out of a calling to invite you, to entice you? Perhaps Mr. Howard was driven in a much more profound way by producing this film? What whatever the vehicle, we must be the drivers.

It is indeed time to remember, who we truly are. The more I practice connecting with Love, with my heart, the more old ideas of fear, forgetting and separation dissolve. It has taken time to wash away old remnants of the world. And it will take time to dissolve the old values, attitudes, beliefs and agreements within that have kept us imprisoned. There is no one way to do this. But my experience has taught me that meditation is a most exquisite method for dissolution.

And when we dissolve the old prison walls of beliefs and prejudice all sorts of wonderful qualities are revealed. Forgiveness, harmony, acceptance, joy and so much more result from choosing Love.

If you are not meditating every day then something has yet to shift for you. If you do not dance through the rhythms of love, gasping at the miracles of every moment, then only you can make that choice. So many teachers are saying so many similar things. We can choose love. We can choose to see that every one, beyond their choices, ignorance and moments of forgetfulness are beings of Love.

You are a great Spirit. If you have experienced resistance to meditation this is really a result of that part of you that is mediocre opposing the Truth of who you are. You are one. All are one. There is no time like the present to realize that now is the time to awaken.

Don't believe a word you hear,
Don't believe a word you read,
Don't believe a thing that you see.
But learn how to observe,
How to directly experience the Truth for yourself.
And from this place of direct experience you will know the Truth contained,
Within every word, sight, and event.

Know the Flow and be happy.

What is Your Meditation Practice?

2011-07-14T08:46:00.004-06:00

You cannot become harmony while focusing on self. It is my experience that meditation ultimately requires that we surrender ourselves to that place between craving and aversion, between like and dislike, and simply become present. Meditation can be a constant practice of sitting in harmony and allowing the revealing of Eternal Presence. There should be no doubts about the present moment, no hesitation to fully allow the embrace of the moment. Any resistances that surface are of themselves opportunities.

This morning I was speaking to some friends about Revealing Eternal Presence meditation. We were in discourse about the nature of meditation. The truth as I see it is that any meditation can be good for you. There is no 'one way' nor is there a way that is perfect for everyone.

The outer way of meditation, where we contemplate something in our imagination or an object of nature, such as a stone, can be a very good practice for refining concentration. It can result in an increase of mental efficiency and the ability to make decisions.

With the inner way of meditation one contemplates questions along the lines of, 'How am I Love? How well do I accept Love?" This can be very good for raising emotional awareness and is particularly good if you are ready to improve your emotional awareness and empathy.

The middle way, such as Revealing Eternal Presence meditation, works beneath the surface. I liken it to deep surgery where, through a process of observing in a state of harmony, we get to witness the Law of Cause and Effect dissolve old beliefs and mental conditionings from the Reservoir of Memories. This process of release is powerful since it gets to the root-cause of all the emotions and thought-patterns we experience on the surface. And so when I was asked if the middle way works at all levels, I answered that yes it does.

Any experienced gardener will tell you that if you simply pull a weed out of the ground you can expect a weed to sprout again in the same place. They will tell you that the reason for this is that unless you completely eradicate the root the plant will not truly be gone. This is the same with thought patterns and emotions. What we experience on the surface, the emotions, thought patterns, are all the result of previous thought-patterns that have carved themselves deep in the Subjective Mind, the unconscious. The Buddha called these Sankhara (in the Pali language) or mental conditionings. Not only do our conscious thoughts influence our conditions but our unconscious, or subjective, thoughts are also creating.

However, the roots of our experience really can be dissolved with meaningful practice. I am not proposing that Revealing Eternal Presence meditation is the only spiritual practice to accomplish the dissolving of such roots. But it is my experience that if one is diligent and perserveres that this indeed will be the effect.

Whatever meditation practice you undertake you should ensure the following:

You feel better when you are done with the meditation than when you sat down
You feel drawn to meditate more and more, to the point that the meditation calls you to sit
You experience an increased perception of radiance and illumination in your life
In those moments you experience fear your reaction is one of recognition and observation (not suppression). The moments of ignorance, when observed with balanced and harmonious awareness, are wonderful opportunities for growth, release, and constitute work at the deepest level of experiential wisdom

In short, if you are left fully satisfied from your meditation then you are on the right track. However, do not expect such results to happen in one sitting with any practice. This may be the case for a lucky few, but for the most part you should undertake to reside with a particular practice for weeks or months. Only when you have given a practice the fullest opportunity should you move on to the next (the exception being if you have a strong aversion). If we flit from spiritual practice to practice we are no more conscious than a mosquito looking for the next meal.

Ultimately, meditation should lead you to seeing past the apparent reality and identity to Eternal Presence. We should feel a total and absolute offering of ourselves to a sense of unconditional Love. Concentration, awareness, the ability to watch oneself is a skill. The more we practice the better we become.

What is your meditation practice? If you are becoming curious and are looking for a practice to pursue then you should know that with the release of the new Know the Flow website I will also be publishing a series of meditation podcasts to take the meditator through the process that has worked so well for me. After all, this blog is just words. And no matter how much sense these words may make, it is only when we experience something for ourselves that we can truly make it ours.

Know the Flow and be happy my friends

A Recap, a Celebration!

2011-07-02T09:29:00.003-06:00

I just submitted an article to a newsletter about my journey over the past two and a half years. I thought I would share this through my blog. After all, this platform has been central to my evolving purpose.

It all began on the 23rd of January, 2009, at a day retreat of growth and celebration with other Practitioners, led by Linda Watson. During that day we were invited to write down what flowed through us about our purpose. I remember writing a piece and reading it out. The reaction of the room was palpable, feeling like a mix between the nurturing attentiveness of a mother to a newborn and the insightful gaze that a veteran teacher brings to the classroom. Except in this case, I was the innocent newborn. How little I realized what this would lead to.

After reading my passage aloud Linda suggested that I should write more. During the next break a couple of people asked me if I blogged. And by the end of the day this insecure adolescent had aspirations to self-publish through the Internet. I knew that I was going to blog (which plainly put, amounts to posting journal entries to a website).

Within a week I had had done my homework, and I reasoned that if nothing else this blog would serve as a compelling way to get me to journal. After all, I had just begun my Practitioner Studies and each class was checking in about our practice. Within a month I started to realize that this experience was transforming me. I had a yearning to bring my spirituality together with my technical experience and knew that the first step had been taken. The innocent newborn was growing. And so I continued to blog through 2009. By the end of the year I had published 100 blogs. But as is the case, when we step into the Flow it steps into us. What had started as a desire to express was now transforming.

During a meditation in early 2010 the idea of logging into something called Second Life popped into my awareness. I’d never used this technology before. But I had vaguely heard about it and after a brief bit of research I discovered that some very clever people had created this virtual three-dimensional world, complete with an economy and over 1.5 million people involved.

I logged in to Second Life and started to learn my way around. After the initial adjustment and learning curve I quickly realized that Second Life contained a multitude of expressions, from social gatherings, cities using it for planning, to churches in celebration. I was staggered by the potential of this and in mind the realization became obvious – such an environment transcended the limitations of the physical world. I was meeting people from all walks and locations of life. The seed of this virtual ministry was planted within me!

I quickly discovered groups of common interest and found a Buddhist meditation community. At the time I was struck by fusion of simplicity and magnificence of it all. Of course people could meditate together through the Internet. The apparent fact that I’m thousands of miles away from those I’m meditating from may be a shift from the experience of being in the same room, but as I meditated with those Buddhists two realizations were revealed. Firstly, I now knew why I was here. Their practice was not quite what I was looking for, but I was here to expand my meditation practice. And secondly, space was a limitation only within our minds.

I spent the next month searching groups, looking for a virtual community that would align with my philosophy, my belief system. And finding nothing that quite aligned, I founded a Second Life group called ‘Community for Spiritual Living’ and decided to start offering guided meditations. People started showing up for my daily 9.30pm meditations. Within a year the group had grown to over 200 members and there were a couple of people showing up every day for Meditation.

One person in particular stands out and after a while I got to hear her story. Whilst I held her in truth and had formed an environment for her to meditate that she could relate to, she did the work and ‘spent the spiritual coin’. From being someone contemplating suicide, who had been unemployed for over 2 years, she has not only gotten herself her dream job but is now leading meditations for others! She attributes much of this to the Community for Spiritual Living and our daily meditations (her testimony even formed one of my demonstration letters to License as a Practitioner).

From this humble beginning a remarkable series of events have unfolded. And whilst this is not the article to highlight all the details, my purpose is evolving. I’m working with a web-designer to upgrade my blog to a fully-blown website (http://www.knowtheflow.ca) that will be released to production at the end of July, 2011. That website will include sections on spiritual coaching (for my Professional Practitioner practice, using tools such as Skype), my spiritual poetry, daily affirmations, affirmative prayers and a practice I call Revealing Eternal Presence Meditation. For you see, what began as a way of strengthening my meditation practice has now transformed into the revealing of a beautiful meditation practice that is a repeatable process of release, that serves as a wonderful tool for releasing those old beliefs, values and mental conditionings that clog that pathway between the objective and subjective mind. I am even recording meditation podcasts that will make this practice available to anyone.

I am signed up to enter Ministerial Studies this September. I don’t know how things will play out, but my purpose is crystal clear. The insecure newborn of 1-23 is now stepping into adulthood, and my purpose to inspire and serve the revealing of Eternal Presence has just begun. If you would add this ministry to your Affirmative Prayers, knowing the perfect of expression and expansion of these teachings, I would be most grateful. Know the Flow and be happy, dear sisters and brothers-in-light.

You Have to Walk the Path Yourself

2011-06-29T14:03:00.000-06:00

As I continue to explore the expressions of spirituality online I am struck by the abundance of quotes, texts and written discourses. Many quotes I read provide something for us to contemplate. Yet, as Krishnamurti once said, 'most of us live as mere technicians.' For all the technical understanding of how to live consciously, even when someone points the way, we must be the ones who make the journey. You have to walk the path yourself.

I once heard a story of a wise man that taught classes for seekers of Truth. Every day a young man would come to hear the master's discourses. He had listened dutifully for a couple of years. One day this same man came a little early and found the wise man alone. He approached him and spoke aloud a question that had been been forming for sometime.

"Master, I have a question that keeps arising in my mind, raising doubts."

"Oh? There should not be any doubts on the path; have them clarified. What is your question?"

"Master, for a couple of years now I have been coming to your classes, and I have noticed there are many different students, older and younger, who come to listen to you. Some of them, I can see, have certainly reached enlightenment or close to it. I can see that many experience change in their lives. They are better than they were before, although I cannot say they are fully enlightened. But I also notice that a large number of students, including myself, are as they were, or sometimes they are even worse. They have not changed at all, or have not changed for the better. Why should this be, master? People come to you, such a great man and clearly a master of Truth, with such compassion. Why don't you use your power and compassion to guide them to enlightenment?"

The master smiled and said, "Young man, where do you come from?"

"Master, I was born in Bombay, India."

"I would imagine that you have thought about returning there. And if asked could tell people the best way to travel to Bombay?"

"Yes Master. I am sure I could."

"And having come from Bombay, having travelled and thought about this path many times, you must know it well?"

"Oh yes Master. I know the path very well. I might almost say that if I were blindfolded I could find it on a map."

"And your friends, those who know you well, certainly they must know you are from Bombay, or at least from India?"

"Definitely. I have even discussed my hometown with other students. And there's no doubt that in between my memory and research I can describe it as well as anyone else, perhaps better."

"Then I've no doubts that others have asked you about the path from here to Bombay. Do you hide anything or do you explain the path to them clearly?"

"What is there to hide, master? I explain it to them as clearly as I can. Very plainly, master."

"And these people to whom you give such a clear explanation, do all of them reach Bombay?"

"How can that be, master? Only those who travel the entire distance to its end, only they will reach Bombay."

"This is what I want to explain to you, young man. People keep coming to me knowing that this is someone who has walked the path from here to enlightenment and so knows it perfectly. They come to me and ask, 'What is the path to englightenment?' And what is there to hide? I explain it to them clearly: 'This is the path.' If somebody just nods his head and says, 'Well said, well said, a very good path, but I won't take a step on it; a wonderful path, but I won't take the trouble to travel it,' then how can such a person reach the final goal? I do not carry anyone on my shoulders to take him to the final goal. Nobody can carry anyone else on his shoulders to the final goal. At most, with love and compassion one can say, 'Well, this is the path, and this is how I have walked on it. You also work and you will reach the final goal.' But each person has to travel themselves, has to take every step, travel every step on the path himself. He who has taken one step on the path is one step nearer the goal. He who has taken a hundred steps is a hundred steps nearer the goal. He who has taken all the steps on the path has reached the final goal. You have to walk the path yourself."

***

The message of this story is obvious. No one can quiet our mind for us. We have to learn what is necessary to quiet the active mind. No one can reveal Eternal Presence within us, we must reveal it within ourselves. In my experience revealing Eternal Presence "comes only when the thinker and the thought are one, when there is no duality such as the thinker controlling thought."

I will continue to explore such ideas over the coming months. And yet I know that this blog, filled with words as it is, is a limited vehicle for such ideas. And regardless of the eloquence of words, it is only when we walk the path ourselves that we can possibly hope to reach the destination. Otherwise, all we will be is a technician of Love, not a Lover.

With the realization of the limitations of words alone to inspire and support you I have an exciting announcement. As you may already know I have been working with a web designer to create a new home for this blog (currently planned for before the end of July). When the new site is released meditation podcasts will be available.

I have already begun recording guided meditations. For those who prefer a shorter time in sitting I shall be publishing two to three 30 minute meditations. However, I am most excited about the series of 1 hour guided Revealing Eternal Presence Meditations, designed to be followed in order and guiding you from the very first steps of this approach through to a fully established meditation practice. You will be able to download these audio files for yourself and be guided by me in the technique of Revealing Eternal Presence Meditation (an e-mail subscription option will allow you to be automatically notified when a new podcast has been published to KnowTheFlow). These meditation podcasts will be yet one more instance of someone pointing the way. However, maintaining a daily meditation practice is a very meaningful step in making your own way toward the destination. More details will be provided once the site is launched.

The goal of making these meditations available freely on this site is to offer you an opportunity to be guided in practicing quieting your mind. Whilst these blog entries are intended to inspire and support you, it is my experience that sharing my meditation practice is a more a more significant contribution than words alone. It is my deepest hope that you are inspired by such offerings and if the time is right embark upon a most wonderful journey with me.

Know the Flow and be happy my friends.

"Thank You for Noticing" - Accepting a Compliment with Grace

2011-06-25T10:57:00.005-06:00

A couple of years ago I was on a retreat and had the delight to spend some time with a teacher called, Kabir Helminski. Along with participating in a Zikr led by Shiekh Helminski I also had the opportunity to sit with him for over 90 minutes as he dissected some of Rumi's passages.

To this day I remember his insightful and loving stare, his gentle passion and eloquence as he explored the inner meaning and mysteries contained within Rumi's prose and poetry. Like a master locksmith he was unlocking hidden meaning for us, bearing the mechanics of the lock and its' secrets, and expressing living evidence of the product of decades of studying and contemplating Rumi's Divinely inspired poetry. And that is what a teacher can be; a key to a lock within life. However, even in such moments of teaching it is for us to turn the key.

At the end of the session I went up and thanked this teacher. In a few words I noted how much I had enjoyed his clarity, the benefit of his contemplation that had laid bare such hidden meaning for me and the joy he clearly had for his task in this lifetime. When I was done he bowed his head, touched his hand to his heart and said, "Thank you for noticing."

We parted ways and I have not seen him since. But above and beyond all of the teachings and sharing of that day, the manner in which he acknowledged my compliment has had the most profound impact on me. I shall explain why.

At the time I was struck by the profound quality of such a response. In contemplating the choice of these words I have come to deeply appreciate their beautiful truth and elegance. I realized that in the past I have tried to deflect or lessen a compliment when it has been shared. I might have said something along the line of, "it wasn't a big deal", or "it was nothing." But in truth, these statements were, I believe, my way of averting taking ownership for my part in the events leading up to the compliment. I believe that in the past I had less than a sense of perfect self-worth, and when using a deflecting statement I was unconsciously putting up a block to fully owning my part in the exchange. I may even have been influenced by a cultural belief that we should be modest in the face of compliments lest our head become so big that we cannot get through doorframes. But regardless of the cause of such responses, by trying to deflect a compliment I was in effect averting a wonderful recognition of my worth in that moment.

My contemplations also revealed another aspect of truth. When he said, 'Thank you for noticing', I believe that Kabir was also acknowledging that in being able to observe his clarity, his expression of Truth and his joy, that I, as the observer, must also have a conscious grasp of these qualities. In effect, he was subtly paying me a compliment. Have you ever heard, 'if you spot it, you've got it'? Have you heard of the idea that what we see in others is a reflection of what is in us? Thus, when we observe truth, joy and clarity in others, that must mean we have a conscious grasp of these qualities. By saying, "thank you for noticing" he was acknowledging in some way that in order to have observed these wonderful qualities in him that I too was embodying these qualities at some level.

I was changed by this event. Since that exchange and my subsequent contemplation I have found myself responding to a compliment by saying, 'thank you for noticing.' What a wonderful subtle practice of Truth this is! When I speak these words I am both consciously claiming the work that I have done to reveal this Truth as well as acknowledging that the other person also has these qualities. With such an awareness I am equalizing the exchange. For in spite of being the one receiving the compliment, I am paying one in return. I am acknowledging that the person offering the compliment must have the awareness to appreciate what is within me and thus is my equal. How could it be otherwise?

This is a subtle practice. With a conscious and deep understanding I can accept a compliment without inflating the ego because I am clearly establishing the value of everyone in the exchange.

Claim your Divine authority! In changing your awareness, accept that there will be times where you will have a positive impact on the world around you. When someone in the apparent reality compliments you, accept these words with a knowing that, even though they are responding to the Eternal Presence expressing through you, you were the one who did the work to reveal the Eternal Presence. And as you accept the compliment be aware that the one paying the compliment must embody these qualities by being able to recognize them in you.

Know the Flow and be happy my friends.

Meditation - Neutralizing Negative Reactions

2011-06-21T13:07:00.007-06:00

When we are ready to hear (or read) a message it will make itself apparent. When the student is ready the teacher will appear.

I am going to assume you've heard these cliché’s before. Before I get to an announcement I'd like to make, I wanted to share a story I heard on Sunday while at a party. A friend of mine was on a cruise with her husband and two daughters. During the trip she had the opportunity to hear Dr. Michael Beckwith speak. Apparently, during this talk Dr. Beckwith suddenly went on a tangent of topic and started talking about what drinking soda does to your body. My friend's perception was that it was clear that Dr. Beckwith was obviously channeling truth, and even though the tangent lasted some 10 minutes or so it had a profound impact. So much so that her daughters got out the 'soda tokens' they had purchased and gave them to their mother, indicating that they had no use for them. Their mother's smile shifted when a woman behind her, obviously present to the very same message, asked if she could have those soda tokens since her children could use them.

Obviously, there were different levels of awareness unfolding in that exchange. Her daughters were ready to hear Dr. Beckwith's message and make a choice accordingly. The mother sat behind them was not. This is not to pass judgment, rather to provide a concrete example that relates how our present level of awareness has a great influence on our choices. And when I consider my own personal experience I am often struck by how much my awareness, and consequently the theme of my choices, has changed over the years.

As a part of being a Teaching Assistant for the Centre's current Spiritual Practices class for these past 10 weeks I've been re-reading, 'Can we Talk to God?' by Dr. Ernest Holmes. I've read this book before (or at least, thought I had read it before). However, this time around the experience has been substantially different. Apparently, I am now ready to appreciate messages that passed me by before. How do I know? Well, not only am I highlighting new sections but there are some instances where it takes me several days to get through a page or two. It's taken me about a week to get from page 85 to 91!

I wanted to highlight a few passages that have really resonated with my current focus, and with Revealing Eternal Presence Meditation in particular. On page 87 of the 1992 edition, Holmes writes:

"It is not our spirit that needs to be made whole; it is our mental reactions to life that need healing. These mental reactions are both conscious and subjective. Successful mental treatment must neutralize negative reactions on both the conscious and subjective planes. Proper teaching does this for the conscious mind, and proper mental treatment will do it on the subjective side of thought.

Mental healing is not accomplished through a coercion of the consciousness, but through it's illumination."

This passage jumped out me because I have decided at some point to grow at that inner level of Intelligence. I wasn't ready for that passage a couple of years ago. But as I read it now it jumps off the page. How we react to life, to the sensations that surface from beneath the surface of our consciousness, is central to our experience. Every reaction is a thought. Every thought is a prayer. The Buddha taught that the blind reaction to a sensation is how we condition the unconscious (or what I call subjective) mind. In my experience meditation is the ideal vehicle to practice being aware of sensations and practicing not reacting blindly to them. During meditation if I have an itch, I do not scratch it. If I have a pleasant memory, I do not crave it residing. If I have a pain I objectively observe it, not wishing it would go away. And so on, until I have practiced such a balanced reaction to the point that equanimity (or balance of the mind) becomes a habit.

And at this time, and during the re-reading, a beautiful yet subtle wisdom is becoming apparent for me. If one looks at mental treatment as being meditation (and not just prayer, of Scientific Mind Treatment) then suddenly what was a mystery to me is decrypted within the passage. What I read in this passage is that Dr. Holmes is telling me to use meditation as a vehicle to neutralize negative reactions to what I experience, both consciously and subconsciously. And he's also advising us that proper teaching will be very important to master this consciously.

It seems like common sense, and yet it took me over two years from reading this passage for the first time to begin to delve into the deeper mysteries of this particular snippet of wisdom. This approach has yielded great illumination for me and requires no coercion. It is no coincidence that after having stepped up to claim a new idea for myself recently that this passage should take on such significance.

A little later he writes:

"There is a subtle element here - that of knowing the truth and then letting go so that the truth may demonstrate itself. Perhaps this is one of the most difficult things to understand in spiritual work. Our thought is creative, but we do not make it so; it was so before we realized it - not will but willingness; not coercion but conclusion."

The theme for meditation continues. We must let go of any knowing we think we have of the truth and allow the truth to demonstrate itself. Certainly, we must aspire and be ready to hear the message, but we must not crave hearing a message either. And this is indeed one of the most difficult things to understand in our spiritual work. Truly letting go, neither craving nor averting, is to surrender. Yet, how hard is it to fully surrender? Think of something you care deeply for. Now consider that if the object of your caring is a thing or relationship that exists in this apparent reality then how ready are you to surrender should it pass away? And as you contemplate this consider that the Buddha taught that, suffering results when we wish things to remain unchanging in the constantly changing apparent reality.

Dr. Holmes continues:

"Conviction compels the attention of the intellect; it is Reality which floods it...The Originating Power descends into the consciousness that meditates upon It and receives It."

And with those two sentences I knew I had to blog about this. One of the central purposes of Meditation for me is to practice being aware of Eternal Presence, or 'Reality'. It is inspiring to hear Dr. Holmes confirm in his experience that, if I meditate upon the Eternal Presence, then I will reveal Eternal Presence.

I want to acknowledge that one of the challenges with communicating such ideas in this blog is that unless you directly experience this for yourself then these are just words. Until you make something your own it cannot become your wisdom.

To that end I am delighted to make a few announcements. I am currently having a new site for http://www.knowtheflow.ca/ built. This will be a new incarnation of this blog, with a much greater degree of organization as well as the ability to subscribe to the content that most appeals. And, perhaps most significantly, I will be incorporating podcasts as a part of this site. What does this mean? Well, I plan on recording some of the Revealing Eternal Presence meditations I lead. If you are unable to meditate with me, either in real or second life, then you will be able to download some of these meditations to play on your iPhone, computer or any other suitable audio device. It is my vision that by recording these meditations that I will be able to support you in discovering one potential of meditation for yourself.

In the meantime, here's the new logo for the site. Know the Flow and be happy, dear friends.

Purpose, Excitement, Revelation and Authority

2011-06-18T12:27:00.001-06:00

Sitting in the presence of someone who is Divinely inspired can be likened to being a tree in a forest fire. It doesn't matter how big the space is between you, what may physically be in the way to break the fire's progress, if the fire is intense enough sparks will reach and ignite you in turn.

Last Sunday was like that for me. In this case, Reverend Patrick Cameron, Senior Minister of the Centre for Spiritual Living Edmonton was talking about purpose. From the moment he started to speak I could tell he was on fire. That passion and sparks of Divinity caught my attention as he explored the idea of purpose in our lives. Asking what you want was one thing he said, but it's more profound to ask, "What do I get excited about?" His reasoning, inspired by Tim Ferris, was that this trumps working out 'what do you want to do.'

As I considered this question I felt a feeling of certainty. In my mind my purpose statement of, 'inspiring and serving the transformation of knowing Love' came to mind and I felt excited about it. I still do. In fact, in many ways I will restate my purpose statement at least once every day. And after a few years of doing this I am probably more excited today than I was the day my purpose became clear to me.

However, he didn't stop there. Patrick also suggested that we not only set a purpose that excites us, but that we also set unreasonable goals for ourselves. These goals should be extreme, stretch us, and definitely require help. If you can do it alone it's probably not a big enough vision.

In my mind I realized that the work I am doing to build a spiritual platform through http://www.knowtheflow.ca/ excited me. The next thought that came to mind was in response to setting an unreasonable goal. I immediately knew that my goal was to build a platform that touches over 1,000,000 people. That's right, one million. I know what I'm doing is oozing with Truth and Love. I know that I am deepening in awareness of the Eternal Presence. And so, surely building a platform of over 1,000,000 people is unreasonable. Such a goal stretches me and I cannot do it without help. With the mental certainty that I'd need help to accomplish this goal I realized I could turn to those who I've already connected with and share this goal.

But like any forest fire, once a tree catches fire it explodes into flames at some point and keeps smouldering long afterwards. This week has been a cascade of wonderfully synchronous events, the Divine exploded through and around me in a dazzling display of light. On Monday I was reading a book by Ernest Holmes called, We Can Talk to God. On page 85 I read a sentence that talked about finding the peace and stillness when we slow down and commune with Eternal Presence. That got me to thinking. Over the past 6 months I've been piecing together an idea I'm now calling Revealing Eternal Presence Meditation.

I set the book down and leaning back I felt a sense of restlessness. I knew I was close to finding the next piece to the puzzle I had working on for the past 6 months. Fortuntely, I had enough awareness to set this down and release it to the Universe. But as I released this knowing a realization came to mind that I had a blog to write on Tuesday. I didn't know what about, but I knew I would write one.

If you read my last blog then you surely know what came of that. The idea for 'Revealing Eternal Presence Meditation' jumped in my mind during my Tuesday morning meditation. I had a powerful realization emerging and felt an exquisite certainty. With the blog published I set about posting about it through Facebook and Twitter. I also sent out an email to those friends I had in my address book (something I rarely do). Out of curiosity I took a look at the blog stats and observed a spike of 5 times the typical visits following a post. I realized that whilst I hadn't hit the 1,000,000 visitors it was certainly a move in the right direction.

The next day I received a completely unexpected email from the Centre for Spiritual Living, Edmonton, asking me if I'd like to teach a meditation course in September. At first I thought they were asking me if I'd put together a little course on meditation. It turned out that they were asking me to teach the 200 level meditation class (an accredited course with ICSL). Not only was I surprised from the perspective that Staff Ministers are normally the teachers of such courses, but it struck me that being asked to teach meditation really lined up with the vision and purpose of 'Revealing Eternal Presence Meditation'. Within a day of claiming my authority on this I was getting yet one more sign.

However, it didn't stop there. On Thursday, I was speaking with a friend of mine who also happens to be an amazing musician. We chatted for a while about him coming to Edmonton to play in September and after suggesting a couple of places he could play he said that an idea had just jumped into his mind. What would I think about doing a night of meditation and music with him? With a big smile on my face and in my heart I let him know that would be a fabulous idea.

And finally, at the end of Thursday I led a group of 5 people at a friend's house through Revealing Eternal Presence Meditation. The experience was beautiful. Everyone had their own perspective to share and the discussion that ensued was wonderfully inspiring. There was even encouragement for me to record these meditations (which is something I plan on doing and serving up on the knew rebuild of the soon-to-be revamped version of this website). In closing, we scheduled the next night for July 19 and I came away with the sense that this was yet one more sign.

I have shared this story of my week as both a chance to journal my gratitude and to offer inspiration. It is a powerful practice to journal gratitude. However, when our awareness and consciousness are ignited by the Divine Spark from others I believe we should stop, take note and share such stories. I am so very grateful for the various signs that have shown up this week. And yet I know that this particular phase of my journey has only just begun. I have shifted this week. I have discovered a deep sense of Divine Authority in this week, a clarify that I have never had with this intensity. I have an unreasonable goal of building a platform of over 1,000,000 people, and I'm letting you know that I need your help to do this. If you know someone that you think would enjoy reading this blog then please forward this to them.

And yet through it all, from the fire in Patrick's belly to the ignition of my spirit I have constantly been blown away by the sense of humility and peace, the revelation of Eternal Presence in my life. Indeed, revealing eternal presence is more than just 2 hours of meditation a day. It is a constant practice now.

Know the Flow and be happy, dear friends.

Revealing Eternal Presence Meditation: A Practical, Relevant and Simple Spiritual Practice

2011-06-14T13:53:00.005-06:00

It is my experience that I am surrounded by people with intelligent and enquiring minds. It is also my experience that there is a growing realization that simple faith and worship are no longer enough in this day and age. There is an increasing intensity of enquiry when it comes to spiritual teachings that are relevant to daily life. The typical process of enquiry for me runs along the lines of: Is it relevant, is it practical, is it simple? If these three questions of enquiry yield a 'yes' for me then I will invariably dig deeper into said teaching. And I suspect that, even if many people are not aware of this kind of process going on within their minds, any teaching that is relevant, practical and simple will find significant appeal to our present-day society.

And so like many others in this world that have encountered a personal moment of profound spiritual transformation, I've been seeking teachings to help me understand what is going on and what my purpose in life is. I've been a seeker of Truth for about 15 years now. I wanted to use this blog to introduce an idea that has come to mind that I have called, the Revealing Eternal Presence (REP) Meditation. But before I share more about REP Meditation I will provide the necessary context for this idea that comes in the form of two teachings that I've been working with for a while.

The first of these teachings is one I've been studying for the past 6 years. Arguably the most notable of Dr. Ernest Holmes prolific writings was a book he authored in 1926 called, the Science of Mind. The Science of Mind is both a philosophy and a way of life. After much contemplation, reading of spiritual texts, and building upon the ideas of great thinkers before him, Dr. Holmes presented us with a number of significant ideas, a few of which I would like to introduce.

Firstly, he proposed that there is a Power for Good in the Universe that is always contemplating and expressing. You might call this Power God, Spirit, the Cosmos, Oneness, or whatever label that best defines the idea of Creator to you. Secondly, that within this Infinite expression known as Spirit is the Creative Medium, or Soul. And Thirdly, that Form results when an idea is impressed upon Soul by Spirit. One of the more common analogies is that when I think or feel, I plant a seed (thought) in the soil (Soul), which in turn manifests as a sprouting plant (Form).

To put it more simply, Dr. Holmes proposed that effects are what we see around us. Thoughts and feelings are what cause effects, and because we are an individualized aspect of God our thoughts and feelings are the cause of effects. And the Law is always obeying us by making manifest our thoughts and feelings as forms. The idea of Spirit, Soul and Form were not new, but what Holmes did do was to get very clear about a process called the Affirmative Prayer, that one can use to repeatably manifest through conscious and intelligent use of Soul, or as he called it, the Law.

The second teaching I've been enquiring about of late concerns the Buddha. Specifically, I've been studying Vipassana meditation. It is argued that the Buddha had no interest in a religion (that would go on to be called Buddhism) but focused on a process for enlightenment, that he called Vipassana. Vipassana is about observing the sensations that arise in our body. The central idea of Vipassana meditation is that if we can learn to observe sensations, know them for what they truly are and neither crave or avert those sensations we will become liberated. In other words, we come to know true peace, where we are liberated from attachment to sensations and break the cycle of suffering. This is what the Buddha meant by the 'middle way', neither craving nor averting sensations, being liberated from the apparent reality and thus being able to know the Ultimate Reality. I like to think that this is what Jesus meant by, being in the world but not of the world.

Obviously, both the teachings of Ernest Holmes and the Buddha go well beyond what is practical to cover in this blog but I did want to share my experience around them. When I discovered the Science of Mind it struck me as practical, relevant and simple. If I can change my thinking I can change my conditions. So much so that through the use of a tool called Affirmative Prayer, I can repeatably demonstrate changes in my conditions. This is extremely relevant and practical (although not, in my experience, always simple).

When I discovered Vipassana meditation I was immediately struck by how compatible the Buddha's ideas were with the Science of Mind. I was deeply moved by the idea that by observing sensations that arise in my body, old mental conditionings (or Sankhara as they are known) would be released. And Vipassana meditation is also a repeatable process that is simple and realistic (although going on a 10 day course to discover this is not necessarily practical). I realized that the potential of this idea given the creative process of Affirmative Prayer was huge. In short, a repeatable process that will inevitably help one clear away the old stock of conditionings (or what I consider to be beliefs, values, attitudes that no longer serve me) would be invaluble, particularly to a Practitioner of Affirmative Prayer.

For you see, after some 6 years of study of the Science of Mind and its related teachings I had never encountered any reference to a repeatable process for clearing the old 'stuff' out of the way. Of course, through various techniques and tools for self-enquiry we could reveal old causal beliefs but the process is lengthy. It is not simple. And there's certainly no page or chapter in any book that I've read that has really shown me how to shift into a feeling of complete and total peace. That is until I discovered Vipassana.

And what is the idea I promised to write about earlier? Well, it goes along these lines. We can use meditation to be aware of the effects, the sensations, that arise in our experience. At the same time we must be aware that they are caused by the Eternal Presence, Spirit (this is where my idea begins to diverge from Vipassana). In this state of awareness we can know that effects pass away because they are effects in the changable, apparent reality. We must be aware that effects are the product of the Law and ultimately of the Causal Spirit that created them. In short, we can use meditation to practice being aware of both the Cause (Spirit) and the Effect (sensations and feelings). This approach results in a most complete Revealing of Eternal Presence.

What stands out for me is that every effect, every sensation is a product of contemplation. In becoming aware of the Cause and Effect we liberate ourselves from effects, of attachment to them, particularly when we see Spirit as their Cause. When we tie together this realization we can more fully experience the Cause, we are practicing being attuned to Spirit and liberate ourselves from changing nature of Effect. It is my experience that this approach to meditation empowers Affirmative Prayer because, as a repeatable process, it clears the baggage beneath the surface that impacts our affirmation work.

As you can imagine one blog entry is nowhere near enough space to fully explore this idea with you. I will be using future blogs to continue sharing my contemplations and enquiries about Revealing Eternal Presence. However, if you are in Edmonton this Thursday June 16 at 7pm, then I would like to invite you to come to an evening of meditation where I will be exploring this idea through guided meditation and discourse. If you would like more information then please email me at carmien_owen@shaw.ca. You can also check out the event on Facebook event.

Ultimately, writing about Revealing Eternal Presence Meditation is like someone telling you the food is good. Practicing this technique, like any spiritual practice, is where you get to know for yourself that the food is good. If you can't make this event you can connect with me on Second Life where I lead meditation every morning and evening. Alternatively you can connect with me and enquire further with me through Facebook. So what are you waiting for? Don't take my word for it; connect with me and experience this meditation for yourself!

Know the Flow and be happy.

U2 and their Platform: Please Remember the 3,000+ Non-Violent Protesters in Burmese Prisons

2011-06-03T10:27:00.000-06:00

I had the joy to go to the U2 concert in Edmonton on June 1st. I was aware of their activism but to see it directly in action was inspiring. Through their talents and gifts they have built a massive platform that touches millions of souls. And right in the middle of what will likely stand as the best concert in my life my heart was moved.

Towards the end of the concert Bono asked us to please remember the 3,000 plus non-violent protestors in Burmese prisons. The dictatorship has renamed the country Myanmar but changing a country's name does not hide the truth. And here U2 is using their platform to spread a vital message. I wish the media would pick this sort of thing up but then I suppose that is not how news works. And for those of you who weren't there I uploaded the song to YouTube below. It was recorded in HD so you can switch to fullscreen for a clearer view.

Did you notice all those white lanterns? Each of those had the Amnesty International sign on them. And even now as I replay this video I am moved. I may not have a massive platform in this lifetime, but I am delighted by U2's effort to make such a meaningful use of their influence. Thank you guys!

It is possible that I might be in the uncertain land of copyright infringement, but I'm going to take a gamble and assume that U2 won't object to me forwarding this message. This sort of message needs to be more broadly put onto platforms. This world we live in may only be an apparent reality, but unwholesome actions warrant compassion. And sometimes compassion involves standing up for what you believe in. And raising your voice to defend others unable to defend themselves whilst you retain a balanced mindfulness and are centred in your emotions is, to my mind, a beautiful example of making the most of this life. Those 3,000+ non-violent protestors have in effect been put in prison for the crime of 'democracy', punished for the desire to express freedom and support a duly elected leader.

Influenced by both Mahatma Gandhi's philosophy of non-violence and by more specifically Buddhist concepts, Aung San Suu Kyi entered politics to work for democratization, helped found the National League for Democracy on 24 September 1988, and was put under house arrest on 20 July 1989. She was offered freedom if she left the country, but she refused. She was released after 20 years of house arrest, but over 3,000 more like her are still incarcerated. More can be read about her here.

I would not consider myself overtly political. I'm actually not interested in efforts to rule countries, where the focus is on power over things and people. However, I've got a deep respect for people like Aung San Suu Kyi and Mahatma Ghandi. To stand up for the unwholesome behaviour towards others speaks to selflessness. And yet the 3,000+ non-violent protestors that are still locked up are just as prized in my heart. I am adding them to my daily prayer list. As Bono says in the video, please remember these victims, hold them in your hearts, hold them in your prayers. 3,000 souls...

Side note: If you want to see a few other pictures of the concert I've uploaded them here. 4 of them were taken on my iPhone with a photostiching app. This offers a wider field of view but may look a little fuzzy in places.

Know the Flow and be happy my friends.

The Humbling of Purpose, the Insight of Visioning

2011-05-28T11:11:00.001-06:00

After the last blog about my story of getting clear on my purpose I was struck by a number of conversations with some readers. During the ensuing conversation one comment really jumped out at me and reminded me of something I'd forgotten about in my own journey; how overwhelming it can be to start the journey of working out what one's purpose should be. I was reminded that when we start delving past the ego into the Truth of who we are, to that part of us that is Source, we may begin to experience all sorts of resistances, subtle or gross.

Doing work on purpose is not an exercise that should be taken lightly. On one hand, we may find ourselves experiencing the flow of inspiration as we effortlessly pen our purpose. On the other hand, we may sit down only to stumble upon a pile of blank rocks blocking the way. Now that I think about it I believe I had quite a lot of rocks to move before my purpose revealed itself. And as I indicated in the blog on purpose when you find your soul's purpose you'll know. It'll move you in a beautiful way.

When looking to clarify my purpose I uncovered resistance that was about worthiness. Some lofty ideas had started to reveal themselves through the process and it wasn't long before feelings around self-worth started to emerge. This is not to say that everyone will face this same challenge, just that my journey has involved significant doses of low self-esteem. A number of people in my younger years got me to agree that life is hard, that I wasn't worth much and that I would always struggle. But then I am far from being alone in having heard such beliefs and, in the innocence of youth, making an agreement with them.

And so when the conversation turned to a sharing about reading the blog on purpose and feeling overwhelmed I was reminded of more details in my own experience. I remembered that before I had come to a realization of purpose I had tried visioning.

Visioning is a process that was refined by Dr. Michael Bernard Beckwith. Simply put it's about the coming together of meditation and questions asked of that part of us that is Spirit to reveal more about purpose. The questions below were significantly inspired by him, with only minor modifications on my part.

Rather than delve into the thinking or history around the process of visioning I now offer it for your consideration. Don't take my word for it. Try it out for yourself. If it works, and you get clarity around your purpose, then let us know. And if it doesn't work for you, then set it aside. Please leave comments regardless of the outcome. There can be much we can learn from the shared success or differences of others.

Meditation and Visioning
You will need to get your journal (or some paper) and a pen for this. Writing is an important part of visioning.

Begin by making sure you are physically comfortable. Now focus on your breathing through the nose. Maintain this focus on your breathing. Observe the breath as it enters your nostrils, as it pauses at the peak of full lungs, and then continue observing the breath as it departs your body. You may notice that your breathing softens and becomes lighter. However, do not try to control your breathing. Just observe your breath exactly as it is.

Do not be concerned with thoughts that enter your mind. If you should realize you've forgotten to focus on your breathing smile to yourself; for in this realization you have now gifted yourself the opportunity to return your awareness to your breath.

This focus of the breath can be a great way to soothe an agitated mind. Do you feel relaxed yet? Excellent, then continue. When doing work on visioning it is important that we have a relaxed state of mind. When you feel at peace, with a calm and relaxed mind then continue. Spend as much time as you need to reach this state. There is no time limit to meditation and if you need to come back to this another time that is perfect as well.

Now shift your focus to your heart. Instead of focusing on the physical sensation of the breath focus instead upon the physical sensations around the heart area, at the centre of your chest. As you proceed through the following questions be aware of any sensations, emotions, feelings, images, sounds, memories, ideas, visions or even smells that arise. Open your eyes and write down whatever comes to your awareness.

What is the highest vision or Divine idea for the expression of my Soul purpose?
What must I become to be an avenue through which this vision manifests?
What must I release?
What must I embrace?
What must I commit to, in order to live this vision?
Is there any other information that wants to be revealed in this moment?

After asking each question return your awareness to your breathing for a few minutes (I liken this to the equivalent of tasting the ginger in between sampling a sushi cucumber or tofu roll - this brief focus on breath will be like cleansing your mental palette and clearing the path for the next question). Once your mind is still once more, return your focus to your heart area before asking the next question. Repeat this process for each question.

Like any practice it is pointless to predict if this will work for you. My only advice is to try this visioning exercise. If it works for you, if it conjures inspiration and ideas then that is wonderful. If you try this exercise and have questions then please feel to comment below or email me at carmien_owen@shaw.ca. And if nothing seems to happen then do not be concerned. In fact, during my first attempt at visioning nothing much came up at all. I seem to recall feeling a discomfort in my body and nothing of note. If you really feel this doesn't work for you then set it down. However, if you can I suggest that you keep trying and regardless of the apparent success or failure. And if you do find something in this tool that works for you then know that visioning is more than a one-off exercise. It can be something you do several times a year.

Know the Flow and be happy.

What's My Purpose? A Way to get Clear on Why

2011-05-20T15:57:00.000-06:00

If you've ever asked yourself, why am I here, did you fail to come up with a meaningful answer? Are you currently struggling to manifest an experience that lines up with what you know you really want? If the answer is yes to both questions you may want to read on.

Have you ever read a vision statement and been confused by it. A high level and long-term vision that's hard to understand doesn't strike me as a good foundation for inspiring myself each day. But I think a vision is more than simply a pie-in-the-sky paragraph. For me a vision should clarify why I'm here, how I'm going to go about living my purpose and how I will think, speak and act as I go through life. In this blog I am going to focus on the first step of building a personal vision by answering the first question, what's my purpose?

In my experience, one of the great challenges to creating a life that really excites us, a life that pulls us out of bed and turns work into pleasure, is knowing what we want. Even if we do get clear on what we want, what happens if our desire turns out to not be quite as satisfying as we originally thought it would be when we get it? Personally, I want to be inspired about the life I live and the work I do. I want to be clear about what I do and why. I want to have a vision for myself that clarifies all this.

Perhaps the challenge is that on a personal level we need to get clearer about why we are doing things rather than where we are going? Perhaps this is why visions so often end up clouded and unclear? A couple of years ago I went through the process I'm about to share with you. The result was my purpose statement:

My purpose is to inspire and serve the transformation of knowing Love.

How did I get to that? Well, I started by thinking about what I really wanted to do in life, my self-determined reason for being in the world. In my case I had begun training to become a Licensed Practitioner (RScP) with the Centres for Spiritual Living and was very clear that I wanted to do two things. Firstly, I wanted to get my own life in spiritual order. And secondly, I felt a deep yearning to serve others in doing the same. I realized that I needed to get clear on an overarching reason for being. It wouldn't do to have someone else tell me this, or to read about it. I would have to delve into my experience to get to the heart of it.

The first realization was that with spending so much time focusing on spirituality I needed to define what spirituality meant to me. After some contemplation I came to the conclusion that spirituality for me is about the transformation of knowing Love (and note the capital L - this refers to unconditional love, the Love of the Divine). In that moment it became clear; all my work, all the classes on the path to becoming a spiritual coach, were all about transforming my knowing Love in my life.

As I dug deeper into my own purpose I realized I came back to the yearning I had to serve others. As you have no doubt already experienced as we deepen in our spiritual awareness we begin to realize that we're all connected. In turn, this connection reveals compassion and a deep-rooted desire to help others. For a long time I have been driven by a feeling of compassion as I see the suffering of others and have committed to a lifetime of service in a spiritual capacity. I arrived at the realization that I would love to help others realize what I've discovered for myself. And so the idea of inspiring and serving came to mind. It was a simple step to bring these two ideas together and in turn my purpose statement was born.

It's been some two years since I developed my purpose statement. I did make one minor change recently, tweaking the word support to serve. Your purpose may evolve over the years, but if it changes quickly or radically then maybe you've got work to do.

In closing, get clear on what you really want to do with your life. Is this something you yearn for? When you think of this it should make you smile, make your heart leap, or both. Once you're clear then finish the sentence, 'My purpose is to...' When you're done and you read it you should feel your heart move or a smile appear on your face. Reading your purpose statement should leave you with a feeling of excitement, of certainty, and a knowing that you are clear on why you are here. And you'll know you've got it right when you look at it a year or two later and it still moves you.

The Quality of Compassion

2011-05-14T07:54:00.001-06:00

I was on a meditation retreat when Osama Bin Laden was killed. As a consequence I got to read and hear about his assassination when I returned from days away focusing on awareness and equanimity. What I also recall hearing whilst away was that the harm we do to others we do to ourselves. For you see, we are all connected. We are all a part of an Infinite Spirit that gives us all life.

Imagine then for a moment the state of my mind upon being hit with newspaper photos and television images of people rejoicing in joy and screaming in delight at the news of Osama Bin Laden's death. And it has not ended there. In the press a debate is waging about the relevance of patriotism and the appropriateness of vengeance. There is a school of thought that because Osama killed so many that he deserved to be shot in the face, and that the release of his 'death face' photo is appropriate because it will bring a sense of closure.

I do not share these views. I will honour them as the choices of individuals but this tide of celebration at the death of anyone is not, and will never be, my choice regardless of the extent of their unwholesome actions. Why would I say this? In short, because I believe that compassion for all life is a paramount value and I am willing to go on the record to state this. I have compassion for those who were killed as a result of Osama's orders. I have compassion and love for those close to his victims that suffer.

However, when I think about the the harm Bin Laden did I know that in harming so many he harmed himself. There is another school of thought, one that I did not invent but I feel compelled to raise. This school of thought was taught by the Buddha and by many other masters. Simply put, one should have compassion for any agressor of any unwholesome action.

My mind boggles at the numbers surrounding Bin Laden's unwholesome choices during his life. I cannot begin to comprehend what it means to be responsible for the death of thousands. I cannot begin to comprehend the pain that many tens of thousands more have suffered as well. But I do believe that Bin Laden deserves my compassion. When I heard the news I cried. Why did I cry? Well, after a period of contemplation I have come to realize that I cried for two reasons. Firstly, I cried out of compassion for the suffering of the victims. And secondly, I cried out of compassion for the suffering of Bin Laden.

This may be a response that shocks you. Whether you agree or disagree with me you are invited to comment on this blog and share your opinions. However, before you post bear in mind that I am being guided by the idea that in believing in God I seek to emulate the qualities of God. I cannot believe that Spirit 'rejoiced' at Bin Laden's death and I do believe that compassion is a quality of God worth living in all moments, regardless of conditions. Just because Osama Bin Laden chose as he did does not invalidate that he was a living being, and as such an individualized expression of God. To celebrate his death is to set aside compassion and a knowing that everyone is God in action.

I choose compassion and loving-kindness regardless of conditions or opinions. Know the Flow as you go and be happy.

The Journey to Love

2011-03-29T09:26:00.000-06:00

In the face of provocation,
I can be love.
As I walk beneath tree canopies and streams of light,
It is easier to be love.

In the fire of ignorance,
I can be love.
As the mist of the waterfall clings to my face,
It is easier to be love.

As my ego strives to 'be right',
I can be love.
As I gaze upon the dew-coated lilly,
It is easier to be love.

As surprise pulls at my harmony,
I can be love.
As my sight is dazzled by diamonds in the snow,
It is easier to be love.

As I allow my awareness to wander,
I can be love.
As the mountains sway alive with the wind,
It is easier to be love.

As I prepare my ego for its ultimate disappointment,
I am love.

The Equanimous Impact of Vipassana Meditation

2011-01-30T17:42:00.002-07:00

I recently attended a 10 day Vipassana mediation course. This experience was inspiring and peaceful. However, there are no words that can possibly come close to expressing what Vipassana is to me. I could try and tell you that with Vipassana one learns how to break the link between sensations and how one reacts, and that deep, deep healing work occurs. That said these are just words; they may be truth to me but until you experience Vipassana for yourself at best you could only draw an intellectual understanding from these words.

I am reminded of a bad habit I used to have as a newlywed. For some reason I would leave my dirty cereal bowl on top of the dishwasher. After a short while my new wife, having so sweetly allowed me a few transgressions, decided that it was time to communicate that this action was impacting her peace of mind. And so she informed me that, particularly in those situations where the dishwasher was empty, she would appreciate it if I would put my bowl in the dishwasher. I laugh at myself now. What madness it was; I was not even being asked to wash the bowl! After some time, and a number of events where I forgot to put my dirty bowl in the dishwasher, I eventually realized how to change this behaviour. At first I reasoned that if my wife wasn't happy, there would be disharmony in the household. And then once I started to put my bowls away my wife had the opportunity to thank me for being so thoughtful. In that moment I gained wisdom of knowing, understanding, and most importantly of experiencing.

I shall explain the analogy. When I was leaving the bowl I had no knowing. Then my wife informed me of a practical truth for peace and harmony. I now had an understanding. I then went through a process of reasoning to conclude that it would be the moral thing to do to put the bowl away, and over time (and with many sweet, tender reminders - bless her heart ;) I changed my behaviour. And only then could I actually know the benefits of putting away my bowls at the experiential level.

And so it is with Vipassana. I could try and explain to you what this practice as taught by Gotama the Buddha is, but until you experience it for yourself any words you hear will only be an intellecual knowing at best. It cannot be a wisdom you know at the actual level. For such a wisdom around Vipassana one has the option of attending a 10 day course.

Rather than explaining what Vipassana is to me I shall settle for explaining its impact; what has changed for me concerning meditation? I have taken a vow to practice only Vipassana meditation for the next year. I suspect it will be a lifetime practice, but a year is a time span I can relate to given my limited experience with the technique. This is certainly a change for me. Over the past 5 years I have wandered from meditation technique to technique, sometimes staying with each one for months, weeks or even days. I must have tried, and even shared with others, over 20 different techniques. But now, there is just one meditation practice for me - Vipassana. Yes, it is 'that' good. As a side note I have begun a project related to Vipassana that, for now at least, I will call my "great Mind experiment."

The next change concerns my having led meditations over the past year. In particular I have been leading a meditation circle every night in an Internet based virtual world called Second Life. Before I went I remember saying to my friends in Second Life that I looked forward to bringing new knowledge to share with them. By day three of the course I knew I had a dilemma. Firstly, it was plain to see that the practice is deep. If I were to teach this I would require much more experience. Secondly, as a basis for my Spiritual practice and service I have made a number of moral commitments, one of which is, abstaining from taking what is not given. And lastly, I have not been given the instruction to teach this practice. In short, I will happily direct you to www.dhamma.org and even speak with you to support you on making the decision to go. But at the experiential level I know that I cannot supply the level of support or guidance required, that one gets through a dedicated 10 day course, at this time to anyone in Second Life. So what does this mean for my service in Second Life. Well, I am not entirely sure but as is a central truth through Vipassana, "this will change."

I started this particular meditation circle a year ago (at the beginning of February 2010 as it happens). The intent at the time was to provide guidance and support around both meditation and spirituality. I consider myself fortunate to have touched hundreds of people through this practical service and to have witnessed some incredible transformations in those that have come regularly (you know who you are :)

However, there has to be change in all things. In this case I am recognizing that this experience is shifting, albeit subtly. And so what will this mean is:
- I will be meditating twice per day as per my personal vow for 1 hour. I will meditate at 5-6am (4-5 am SLT) and 10-11pm (9-10 pm SLT). This means that I will have 6 hours in between these times for sleep. At the end of each meditation I will have to leave promptly. It is also possible that life will mean I occasionally have to meditate earlier or later from time to time.
- I will strive to log on and meditate in the same place during the above times. If you are present I will include you in my Metta portion of the meditation (the final five minutes where a Vipsassana meditator shifts to a focus outside the framework of the body and offers their merits, peace, harmony, loving-kindness, compassion, and a wish for hapiness and liberation in all beings)
- If I can log in early for spiritual discourse and discussion as a (very soon to be) Professional Practitioner I will do so. However, if you desire a dedicated Practitioner session with me please send me an IM.

And so in closing, my role in Second Life has changed. I will still be around and seeking to inspire and support the transformation of becoming Love in action. However, I am setting down the role of meditation 'facilitator' for now. That said I am also a Vipassana meditator now, and the reality is I am more aware of the law of change and impermance than I have ever been. Not only has a portion of my ego been shed but I have spent 10 days intimately observing the nature of this change for myself.

Becoming One with that which I Meditate Upon

2010-12-26T12:53:00.001-07:00

For years now I've been hearing the same thing again and again. It doesn't seem to matter where I hear it, or the setting I hear it in, but whenever someone asks what makes the difference in our spiritual journey most teachers will invariably say the same thing; you must meditate daily.

The interesting element of all this for me is that for years I'd hear this and really want to believe it. There'd be classes during which I'd start off with the best of intentions. And after about week 3 or 4 I'd have lost the habit. Fortunately, I also came to discover for myself a couple of years ago that such words were trying to capture an idea so much more profound than could possibly be contained in the words themselves. And since then I've been meditating at least once a day.

In fact, it's gotten to the point that I now meditate at various points in the day. Sometimes I'll take a full 30 or 60 minutes and at other times I'll snatch a few minutes of clearing my mind. Regardless of how I might feel about all this, the result is something that cannot be expressed through this blog in words. And the irony of all this?  If you're reading this and do not have a daily practice, or have not discovered what meditation means to you, then these are just words. No amount of intellectual positioning will cause an internal shift for you. You alone must make the decision. You may be influenced, but in the end you will have to come to this place for yourself.

And yet, if you are curiously reading on or have already discovered this practice for yourself then you might have a care to read about what meditation means to me and what I am coming to discover on this particular aspect of my journey. Perhaps the most fundamental impact of this spiritual practice is that it has been an integral part of what it is to open my eyes and to be conscious. Being conscious of what I am doing has helped me to look critcally at those parts of me that had become so well-versed at listening to instinct. Much of my life was filled with a lack of knowing what it was that I wanted. Meditation has been instrumental in helping in this regard.

But don't be fooled. This has been far from an easy journey. For a long time I meditated and believe I did not get the results I might have. In my experience the time I spent meditating was significantly more than compared to the time being taught, or reading, about it. I've never found a 'guru' to teach me or had the opportunity to spend any time with a master. For the most part I've had to work it out as I've gone along. If the saying 'when the student is ready the teacher will appear' is true then clearly I've not been ready. And so until I'm ready I'm going about it all as best as I can.

I think I've had hints at what to look for but another challenge is that there so much information out there. Yesterday I Tweeted that, "we hear the same spiritual teachings ceaslessly because such repetition pales against the number of teachings from the noise of instinct." In short, there are so many teachers and aspects of the Truth out there because it's needed. The amount of unconscious noise in the world is so loud that it's causing the need for Truth to be ever clearer.  You only have to consider how many millions of moments you have acted unconsciously to realize that millions of conscious choices will be required to replace old habits with new ones. This is the essence behind the need for daily spiritual practice. We have many bad habits of our sleep-walking to overcome. However, for all the noise I believe some elements of Truth around meditation have managed to make it through. And God knows I've put enough in the way in the past.

At the heart of what I have heard is a realization about what it is to be alive. Within me there is a force for good, that is steeped in Light, joy, peace and a profound sense of mystery. The more aware I become of the mysteries of life the more I realize that I don't know. Yesterday I also Tweeted that, "any path I take to Truth will bring me to 'I don't know'. Words, like any belief I have of my identity, will never be what I must become." In short, I have come to believe that the more I surrender to the mysteries of life, the more faith I place in that sense of alive-ness within me, the more I realize how little I know. I cannot explain why it is I know that at certain points within meditation I am one with everything. I cannot explain how the Universe created everything that I know and have yet to discover, yet I know beyond a shadow of a doubt. It is a paradox to both know and to not know. And within that paradox is faith.

Central to all of this has been a discovery of meditating upon a vision for my soul's purpose.  I have come to realize that I must ask myself what I want to be. What do I want to experience and to realize in my life? But asking what I want to be has always required faith. I cannot count the number of times I have thought about wanting to be a metaphysical Minister or to change the world of business through the collaboration consulting that I do only to hear a part of me express, or feel, doubt. And so, in the face of not knowing how it could be done I have taken off smaller bites. I have opted to settle for smaller goals, smaller reflections of what I wanted to realize. I have come back again and again to such visions. I have worked hard at critically assessing my doubts and beliefs. The spending of this spiritual coin has yielded a change in my conditions and I have in turn witnessed a manifestation of my vision. Over time I have come to build my faith in how things work. How they work is simple; God takes care of it all. I once heard a great teacher remind me that no matter what difficiencies I have it will only take one rain shower to fill in all the ditches.

Not knowing when it will rain is insignificant when compared to my making a simple choice to examine the ditches of my psyche. I might not be able to conjure rain from the sky but I can look at them and focus on filling them with love, joy, and a peaceful knowing that they I am willing for them to be filled.  For me meditation has been instrumental in my journey, and again and again I have turned to it only to realize how important it has been. I am becoming clearer upon the meaning of meditation for me; it is the practice of looking at those ditches and seeing the gaps are God, that the rain will come and fill them, and that in time the rain will eventually cause the ditches themselves to change shape.

But beyond all this is a simple realization. Meditation is becoming a training ground in being alive. I am coming to realize that when I meditate I must focus on the Truth that I AM, the Light and Source within me and everyone. Each meditation is a moment where I stop and apply myself wholly to the purification of my heart. Every deep inhalation is becoming a physical cue to deepen my faith in all my needs met, my trust in not knowing, and my desire to embody God in every thought, word and deed. In essence, I am coming to realize that meditation is my cue to focus on Source.

I do not meditate to become anything or to attain a goal. I meditate to become one with that which I meditate upon. I meditate upon my being the drop in the ocean and know that it is the ocean. I meditate upon my being the ray of light and know that it is the light. Any sense of self, or ego as it is so commonly termed, must be embraced to the point of surrender. If there is a goal in meditation it is growth, where my sense of self grows to a sense of One, where an instinct to plan, analyze and worry become an indescribable urge to merge my awareness with the Allness of the Creator.

If you have read these words and are not certain what to do with them then I cannot help you; only you can decide for yourself what your journey must be. But in the meantime, until you discover what meditation means to you, I would suggest that you start by focusing on your soul's purpose, what you want to be, mix in some honesty and humility, and then meditate to be what it is you are meditating upon. Close your eyes and try to imagine Infinity. Be awed by it. Imagine yourself a ray of light within the Great Light. As you do so, merge your sense of soul's purpose with this awe-inspiring sense of that which is beyond the beyond, and pay homage to it.

Spirituality and Social Media

2010-12-17T11:00:00.001-07:00

I was sent a link to a USA Today article about Pastors flocking to Facebook. This article came as no surprise to me. After all, I've been using this blog, Facebook and Twitter as a Practitioner. However, elements of this article did stand out and inspired this blog.

"Social media use hasn't won universal blessings from religious leaders. Last month, a New Jersey minister called Facebook a marriage killer. A group of New York rabbis blogged about whether people should "fast from Facebook" during Passover. And last year, Pope Benedict XVI warned Roman Catholics not to allow virtual connections to overshadow real ones."

There are a few points that come to mind as I read this. Firstly, Facebook is not a marriage killer. Facebook is a way to connect with friends. If a marriage is already at risk, then Facebook will make it easier to connect with others. But if a marriage is already suffering from emotional connection and intimacy then Facebook will not be the cause of the end of the marriage. I would much rather look at cause than symptom. But then as I prepare to enter Ministerial training such comments help me to clarify my own vision for Ministry.

The idea of 'fasting from facebook' is actually quite interesting. The key though I think is to be clear about why you've chosen to fast in the first place. If this is about separating oneself from the attachment from Facebook or blogging (such as I have just done for a couple of weeks) as a part of showing an attachment whatfor, then I think there is value in that.

And as for the Pope's comment, I think there's merit to human and real life connection. But I think the comment is a bit of a glossary. It provides a snapshot into an idea that is much more complex than how it's presented. Do you honestly think that people will choose sending you a facebook message when they're face to face with you? Of course not. Is it possible that I might be motivated to go out less often because I connect with you on Facebook? Maybe. But then, sometimes it is nice to sit in the comfort of your own home and engage with friends on your own terms. Don't feel in the mood for chatting? Then review your inbox at your own pace. However, the real benefit of Facebook is that it actually provides a way to build relationships with your real life friends because it offers a chance to build on that real life bond. In addition, it also provides opportunities to connect with friends of friends.

But beyond all this is an unshakable reality; humans crave relationship. I have come to believe that a central reason for this is that relationships provide us a mirror for our journey. Our friends and experiences with them provide us with awareness and fulfillment, and a chance to evolve in ways we could not do so alone.

I really did appreciate the example about a single mother posting a thank-you comment. The pastor's response was great and an excellent example of my earlier point; Facebook offers an opportunity to connect away from real life meetings and to build on the relationship overall. And in my opinion those spiritual leaders that talk about connecting with younger community members really are getting the idea.

I am glad to say that the Centres for Spiritual Living already operate a very democratic way. The Religion I've brought into is all about suggesting ways in 'how' one might think and leaves the 'what to think' to the individual (and I'd have it no other way). And the upcoming merger of the International and United Centres for Spiritual Living excites me on so many levels. Not only is this a reverse of the trend of religious organizations splitting, but more importantly the definition of member communities (Centres and the like) is being relaxed to allow the inclusion of virtual, or on-line, Centres. Dr. Kenn Gordon, the current President of the ICSL really gets the potential of the Internet and spiritual community.

My vision around spirituality, and my Ministerial vision, and the Internet has evolved over the past 5 years or so. I won't be surprised to reflect on this post in 5 years time and smile at how much it has evolved since now. But regardless of what technology offers, and how it influences the human dynamic, it is still an expression of form. It is the consciousness of the people behind the form (the technology and tools) that matters most. Personally, I don't self-censor my posts based on who might read them. I look to Social Media as a mirror. If my comments, tweets and blog posts are depressing that's probably a reflection of where I am at. And when you think about it, aren't your friends also a mirror?

Acknowledgement

2010-11-14T22:18:00.001-07:00

This past Monday I went through the final step of my journey toward becoming a Licensed Practitioner with the International Centres for Spiritual Living. After some 6 years of study and in particular the past 2 years as a result of Practitioner training I am now a submission of paperwork away from this milestone. In turn, next year I plan on entering into Ministerial studies.

And yet for as much as this milestone might have brought me delight I have spent the past week in contemplation. I did not rush to blog about the success. At first I was not clear on this. I did post a tweet and an update to my Facebook account. I was struck by two sides to this experience. On one side many friends offered me lovely comments and congratulations. I remarked upon this to my wife and she offered me deep wisdom. She spoke that for as much as I might have spent many hours posting blogs and tweets, many of such words shared were more about an ideal than about me. The news of my passing the oral panel was a real story about me. This real side of me is something that others can relate to, and in turn respond to. The flood of comments compared to any other tweet or blog was significant. I do from time to time get a comment or an email about the inspiration that my words will sometimes provide. But in truth as I consider the deep wisdom shared with me I realized that something was shifting within.

I am, I confess, evaluating the motive behind my blogs and tweets. Back in January 2009 when I started this blog as a way of committing to Journalling on my Practitioner training I was telling myself that my entries were a form of spiritual practice. However, nearly 2 years and close to 200 blog posts later I believe that an examination of motives is well overdue. I realized that over time I had sometimes blogged because I felt that there would be expectation from others that I blogged. And then as is often the case I found my period of reflection interrupted by a comment around acknowledgement. The central idea is that if we seek to put ourselves out 'there' we must be mindful of whether we are actually seeking acknowledgement. And if we are seeking acknowledgement from others there is this subtle sense of separation that comes from forgetting that the truest acknowledgement is not to be found from outside of ourselves.

I thought about this and came to a conclusion. I do not believe I have shifted into blogging with this desire as the central driving force. But I will confess that this experience has awakened in me a realization of the deep work I have to do. I do not need to check the site statistics to see who visits this blog. And yet I have been. I do not need to be concerned if one or one thousand people come in a month, a week, or a day. In fact, if we do things with the motive of inspiring consciousness it should be because we have the deepest faith that God is in all. And the risk of seeking to write blogs with such eloquence will do little for me if through my words I create an artificial barrier to who I really am.

I have a longing and a deep yearning to live in awareness. I think that in subtle ways I have become to distracted to this. The road to Practitioner is an allure in this regard. It is a path that focuses on training you to enter into service to others. And yet for this, or the path of Ministry, all work must start with the self. I realized that the deepest work I have yet to do is to find myself in such a state that I am inspired and transformed in the ways of knowing Love. In such a state of awareness Practitioner consciousness and Minstry will effortlessly follow.

And so, for as much as I share this good news with you, I do want you to know that I am going through a form of transformation. I may blog less frequently, or more. I may tweet less frequently, or more. I will be deleting the site monitor after this blog and most certainly not checking on the number of followers on Twitter. But whatever I do, I shall be connecting to a deep and abiding knowing that in the One Mind I have perfect acknowledgement. Any other form of acknowledgement is a shadow that pales under this Light of Truth. This is who and where I am, and is an expression of intimacy. I am allowing you to see into me through these blogs. And whatever you may see there know that I am focused on the deep work I must do. If such sharing should inspire you, then I shall be humbled, but my need to be acknowledged by you will be silent.

That is good work indeed. Perhaps I am ready to be a Licensed Practitioner after all. Know the Flow as you go, brothers and sisters in Light.

The Dalai Lama Tweets. How Cool is That?

2010-11-03T08:41:00.003-06:00

Have you heard of Twitter? No? Well, I've got to tell you that it is actually a profound tool for spiritual practice. Don't believe me? Well, did you know the the Dalai Lama tweets? That's right. He tweets as @DalaiLama and I love that pretty much every day he tweets a nugget of consciousness.

Today I got a tweet from the His Holiness the Dalai Lama that read as follows:

"I am convinced that everyone can develop a good heart and a sense of universal responsibility with or without religion."

Given the consciousness of this living avatar I'm never surprised by the awareness that he brings to his tweets. But his tweet today really jumped out at me. As I got to the word 'religion' a word jumped into my mind - Attachment. And then, as is often the case in such moments, I shifted into contemplation mode. The conversation in my head went thus:

"Oh that's interesting, I wonder why the word 'attachment' surfaced in that moment?"

"Well, it surfaced when I got to the word 'religion'"

"Ooooo...interesting. Perhaps these words are associating themselves because the DL is trying to say that the outcomes associated with religion (acting with a good heart and maintaining a constant state of universal responsibility) don't require religion? It feels like an inner message is that religion is just a path, a vehicle, that helps us to develop and refine such a state?"

And then I paused. At that point the conversation shifted to the level of feelings and words that would be harder to capture in writing. But in short, the point that I wanted to make with this blog, and that was inspired by HHDL, is that religion is as slippery slope as anything else that can lead us to attachment. What do I mean by that?

Anything, any practice, or any belief system that we have that distracts us from allowing the Divine to shine through us warrants mindfulness. And as I started to think about this I was inspired to look at the words of Jiddu Krishnamurti:

"Religion is the frozen thought of man out of which they build temples."

"All ideologies are idiotic, whether religious or political, for it is conceptual thinking, the conceptual word, which has so unfortunately divided man."

"I maintain that Truth is a pathless land, and you cannot approach it by any path whatsoever, by any religion, by any sect."

Granted, Krishnamurti and the Dalai Lama are examples of individuals who made the decision very early on to awaken. And I acknowledge that when Krishnamurti talks about a 'pathless land' he is speaking about an ideal. For many of us religion is a wonderful path that can allow, supports, and empower us to expand the knowing of success, abundance and love in our lives every day. But the message within these words, inspired by Twitter, is that if religion becomes a path that you insist is the only way then you have become attached. And in attachment you cannot find liberation.

The Dalai Lama's genius in this morning's Tweet was many-fold. However, a couple of things are clear to me. I agree that the path to Truth is littered with good hearts and universal responsibility. Our conceptual thoughts about our religion are only worthy if such thoughts are allowed to empower acceptance and loving debate. And the path we each take is a moving, fluid set of experiences all designed to stimulate us into remembering why we are here. If we find ourselves frozen upon the glacier of dogma and theology the attachment is as self-defeating as harming another.

The Dalai Lama Tweets! I hope that in reading this blog you now have an appreciation of how a technology such as Twitter can be a tool to support spiritual practice. His tweet inspired me to write this blog, and given that you've gotten to this point in my post, his tweet has also inspired you in spiritual contemplation. How cool is that?

Vipassana Meditation and Effortlessness

2010-10-26T08:44:00.003-06:00

Last Friday I applied to go on the Vipassana Meditation course in BC with the Vipassana Foundation from January 19th-30th (http://www.dhamma.org/). This morning I received a response indicating that they are processing my application. Assuming that it is meant to be I shall be on retreat for the second half of January, 2011.

I am looking forward to this meditation course with a deep sense of knowing, allowing, love, peace, and joy. From what I have heard and read this will be a profound experience and opportunity to deepen my understanding of meditation, and to immerse myself in the deepest form of observation. The idea of meditating for 10 days in silence, without making eye contact, and not moving for hours at a time are physical elements that I know I am ready for. And from an even deeper perspective I know that this is a very powerful opportunity for me. I will confess that there was a part of me that upon reviewing the requirements and expectations did pause. But the sense of knowing around this was so deep that I brushed this thought aside within seconds.

Over the past 9 months I have been leading a meditation every night in Second Life. In addition, I have had the chance to support the teaching of a meditation course at the Centre for Spiritual Living, Edmonton. I know that this course is coming at the perfect time. Conditions in my life have made way for this opening in an effortless fashion thus far. And as someone who leads meditation every day the idea of deepening my knowledge around the spiritual practice of meditation with others who have dedicated their lives to this service strikes me as Divinely right.

I have been impressed with the Visassana Foundation's website. The whole process so far has been effortless, and I think it is a powerful statement that the organizers would offer such a course on a donation basis. But 'effortless' is a word that seems to keep cropping up in my consciousness of late.

Taking a step back I am reminded of an axiom I live by; often, when things are meant to be, and we are truly ready, events and conditions will unfold effortlessly and with grace. This is not to say that everything will unfold effortlessly all of the time, but the past couple of days have reminded me of this once again. In Second Life we have been meditating at the same location since the group's inception. However, upon logging in on Sunday night I was struck by the desire to change locations for the meditation circle. And heeding this inner pull I sent out a message to a friend who is involved with a group that owns and maintains a number of sims (a sim is a virtual space in Second Life, often in the form of an island). I asked if I could move the meditation circle to one of their sims. The answer was an immediate yes, and upon arriving last night I was struck by the beautiful words and presence of my our new hosts. When something is so effortless one cannot help but stand back and simply allow. How beautiful is that!

Know the Flow as you go, brothers and sisters in light.

Being and Repression

2010-10-24T00:03:00.000-06:00

I was speaking with a friend yesterday over tea and he mentioned an observation he had had during a retreat he had been on. He spoke about the idea of repression, and that he believed that in many cases those walking the spiritual path had listened to the guru or the teacher, who had said 'do not be angry or sad' and had decided to repress this. In time, this might lead to depression or some form of imbalance.

As I contemplate this I think that the guru's words are right but the manner in which the words have been interpreted is off. At least, this contemplation is a work in progress and what I understand in this moment. It occurs to me that "do not be angry" must be examined. If your spiritual teacher said that to you what would you do?

Perhaps you might hear it and figure, I must not be angry. You might respond by thinking that you should never get angry, that you should not lose your temper. This might sound like a good idea. But it is not liberating. As the Buddha advised we must neither cling nor deny. We must take the middle path. Extending this idea to this topic that would mean that setting an intent to never get angry is a denial. You would in effect be pushing anger away.

And this would apply to fear. This would apply to a physical reaction where the body reacts by producing adrenelin. This in turn might cause physical shaking. Would it be of value to berate yourself for feeling fear or anger, or for the fact that your body produced chemicals to heighten your awareness?

I think what the key word is BE. Do not BE angry. Do you not lose yourself to it. Observe the anger. Say, 'oh look at that, I am angry.' Ideally you would be an obsever of the and sit with the emotion until it had left of its own accord. You would observe the body, its reactions, sensations, as well as your emotions, feelings, and other responses in your mind. As a wise man once said, it is well to acknowledge the anger and to not collapse into it.

Being on the spiritual journey is key. Repression is a lost opportunity to observe. Practicing being with your emotional reactions and feelings is an opportunity to come to know yourself better. I shall share a final story. Tonight I was stopped by the police whilst driving. The reason, when I turned at a turning light I shifted into the right lane instead of the left most lane. He didn't give me a ticket, but merely said that everyone does it and they want to educate people. As I contemplate this event a few things occur. For one thing I remember a while before turning on another turn during an orange turning light. I think they spotted me then and wanted to pull me over. I think that he was looking for a reason and all he had was that flimsy excuse. I recall feeling adrenalin and my hands shaking as I pulled my license out. I was less aware in that moment. As I look back a part of me knows that I am still barely a beginner on this journey. I am working on waking up. But one thing is for sure, if I was posting about disappointed I am in myself and that I should focus on not having shaking hands in the future, or experiencing adrenelin working through my system I would be missing something. I might miss that at some level this experience was God in action. The insight of the orange light tells me that had I slowed down the cop would not have noticed me and then followed me for 10 minutes until he found his flimsy excuse. As I look back I knew he was going to pull me over and was waiting. I even chose the gas station to pull over at to offer him the option to continue on. But in that turn I broke a rule and he had what he needed.

And do you notice the irony? In subtle and small ways I was asleep. I was focused on him, not clearing my mind. I was focused on what he would do, how I should drive. When stopped, I was focused on my shaking hands. I didn't have fear, but as I look back I know I am only just beginning the process of waking up. I celebrate this experience. And as I contemplated this later I was inspired by thoughts that led to this blog. But thankfully, at no point have I denied what I should be, or doing. I recognize that I simply need to be the observer. Repression is not being.

Meditation Stories

2010-10-17T21:05:00.001-06:00

I've been meaning to write this blog for nearly a week now. But with how things have been moving it's simply not happened. The story I really wanted to share concerned sitting in an airport lounge waiting to board the plane. I happened to be meditating as I often do when things are quiet when my 3 and a half year old daughter obviously felt the need to engage with daddy. Noticing that my eyes were closed she said, "Daddy, stop meditating!" Of course, I immediately stopped and enjoyed some time with her before we eventually got onto the plane.

But really stood out for me, above and beyond how adorable that experience was, was that my three year old daughter not only knows the word meditation but can recognize it. I was certainly never exposed to such ideas as a child and I get the feeling that as the population that's beginning to awake starts to expand that more and more children are going to grow up with such examples. And in turn this just gets me to thinking about the unfolding consciousness that is ever expanding. When people try and tell me that things are getting worse I simply cannot agree with them. I believe this is a very exciting time to be alive. I also look forward to the younger generations coming into their own.

On the topic of meditation I did have an amazing experience to also share. The Centre for Spiritual Living, Edmonton, had a Board retreat yesterday. My being involved stems back to the Circle of Love. At the retreat I'd happened to mention to Patrick Cameron that I was applying to be a volunteer instructor with the Board Development Program in Alberta (and I have an interview this Wednesday). This is an excellent opportunity to serve non-profit boards in delivering best practices in governance. When he heard this he asked me if I'd like to observe the upcoming Board retreat. I agreed, but on the condition that I could simply observe and hold the space as a Practitioner.

Well, that day was yesterday. I arrived at 9am, pulled up a chair at the back of the room, and then spent the day in meditation and prayer. I cannot stress how beautiful the experience was. Ironically, a couple of years ago I had served on the board as Vice President but had stepped back for a few reasons. Firstly, I was beginning my Practitioner studies and wanted to focus. I also felt that the board experience and how it was functioning was off for me. In short, I don't believe I was ready for the role.

Yesterday though I got to sit in silence. In fact, even when questions came up about the past, that I could have answered, I remained silent. I spent the day focusing on the Divine within everyone present expressing itself. At many points during the day I was entranced by the expression and explosion of Spirit in the room, marvelling at the gifts and talents being revealed. A few times my mind did wander, but in 5-10 seconds I found myself pulling myself back to empty mind. I also felt my heart filled, as if as Rumi put it, I was looking through the eyes of the heart.

As I think on this 7 hour meditation experience I was truly gifted to have been in such service. I can still feel the echo of yesterday and would enter into such service again in a heartbeat. As I compare the experience of being on the board and being a Practitioner for the board the latter is undoubtedly the more profound experience.

Acceptance and BS

2010-10-12T09:01:00.000-06:00

Last night's meditation was followed up with a great series of questions and discussion. One of the words that kept coming up was the idea of acceptance. And wouldn't you know it - when I am busy contemplating an idea something lands in my lap to stoke the flames of consideration and empower the refinement of the idea.

The idea of acceptance is central to the idea of 'interfaith'. As a concept acceptance might be regarded as difficult to some. This might be because truly accepting the idea of interfaith, as the Dalai Lama would suggest, calls upon one to evaluate their relationship with one's own religion. But what is religion? http://www.dictionary.com/ says that religion is:

"a specific fundamental set of beliefs and practices generally agreed upon by a number of persons or sects: the Christian religion; the Buddhist religion."

So religion is about beliefs and practices then? I found this course of enquiry interesting. As someone who is preparing to enter into Ministerial studies I am clear about my beliefs in this moment and look to my spiritual practices as a key foundation of my life. And yet as was pointed out by a participant last night even attachment to our beliefs has the potential to lead to suffering. What if the Dalai Lama is indeed correct in saying that no one religion can meet all of humanity's needs? Or more interestingly, what if the point of religion is to help us find and then embody our own spiritual yearning? And what might I mean by this?

More and more each day I am reminded that the spiritual path is a truly individual one. Spirituality for me is about becoming love in action. And I am not talking about romantic love. I am talking about deep spiritual love. The kind of love that sits and has tea with other words like kindness. The kind of love that inspires me to get up in the morning, do my yoga, and as my forehead is touched to the ground to say, "may I be allowed to serve this day."

In my relatively short life I have also come to realize that my unique journey has brought me to where I am today. I would have it no other way, nor do I practice regret. I celebrate that I am continually evolving my ideas of understanding my Belief System (or BS for short). All of the challenges I have encountered have deepened and stretched me. I have never been given more than I can handle. And as I look to my life I am filled with gratitude for who I am today. I spend as many moments focusing on love and acceptance as I can. Compassion and a sense of overflowing love for all that I see fills my days. If I took any any experiences of the past would I be where I am now? Would I benefit from Divine subtraction? I cannot know. Perhaps only the Infinite consciousness of the Divine can know that.

A belief I have then is that any effort to convince another of what they should, or should not, believe in is flawed. No individual person, or organization has an infinite consciousness. No one person, Minister, Rabbi, or Guru can know what is best for you. Only you can discover what your truth is to you.

Another question that was asked centered around the idea of having the urge to convince others about the Belief System (or BS) that you have that has you so excited. But to this I urge you seek silence before words. So what if others are asleep? What does it matter to you? I once read that the urge to convince another about why your BS is so amazing is really a projection of your own insecurities about the beliefs you live and carry. Certainly, I am here blogging about my beliefs, but I have no expectations of you regarding what I write. In fact, I wholeheartedly invite you, as Don Miguel Ruiz would suggest, to not believe a word that I say. Every night when I start the meditation circle with an affirmative prayer I encourage participants to accept what resonates as truth and let all other words pass them by.

Acceptance is tied very closely to compassion. And it might be debated that the spirit of compassion forms the ethical heart of all religions. I think that the starting point for those who follow a set of beliefs and practices, and prescribe to religion, is to respect the right of others to hold their own beliefs. And in turn, I think a more refined level of awareness is to celebrate that others have come to where they are, and are striving to live the spirit of compassion in their lives. As I prepare for Ministerial studies you can bet that this will be a core element of the platform upon which I stand.

I really would have it no other way. I am seeing less bad in the world, mainly because there is less bad in me. More and more each day I come to recognize the changable nature of this world we live in and the eternal nature of the Infinite Consciousness I like to call God. What if all the stuff you've been labelling as bad is actually God expanding an awareness of itself? What if the challenges, trials, and objectionable content of life that you label as bad is actually the fuel of an expanding awareness? If anything, the clearer I become about my spirituality the more I celebrate that I had to make some really interesting choices while sleepwalking to be who I am today.

Or put more simply, has anyone ever really managed to change your belief system because of something they said, or did to you? I would suggest that if you looked back on your life that you might come to conclude, as I have, that the true shifts in my BS came because I came to a realization for myself. Certainly, I may have heard an intellectual idea, or have been inspired by the feeling an event or person evoked. But in the end, my choice to change who I am was always my choice. And my choices have always been made upon the foundation of who I was at that point. Why would I want to take that from you as you live your life?

No, I would have it no other way. And if anything, should an individual, organization, religion, or event, trigger discomfort and the reaction to resist (not accept) within me, then I see that as an opportunity for contemplation. What part of my BS is offending my Divine self?

Infinite Tide

2010-10-03T15:45:00.000-06:00

I have spent a couple of days contemplating what the Circle of Love meant to me. In truth words cannot capture what transpired. Yet, I did write a poem. Perhaps this will serve to convey a little of what I experienced and experience still.

Infinite Tide
I looked into the heart of love,
And You gazed back at me.
Like a seeker, drunken, devoted,
We were beyond that sparkling sea.

Amongst the lines of blue mountains,
Was the thirst that I had brought.
Often I would achingly know,
That it was You that I sought.

Yet You pour this Oneness through me,
Me, lover's goblet to be seized.
Overflowing awe and rhapsody,
Tumbling tears amidst Your breeze.

I see You, everywhere now,
Through heart cracked open wide.
You, my sea, those eyes,
Us, riding Infinite tide.

The Circle of Love (Part 1)

2010-10-01T21:04:00.001-06:00

Today I returned from spiritual retreat at the Circle of Love Gathering 2010. Words cannot describe such an event. However, I feel inspired to throw words onto the screen just in case they manage to evoke a pale shadow of what was, and what is.

I am still trying to place the pieces in my mind. The many beautiful servants of the Divine, the teachers, the structured program, the content, the sharing, the atmosphere, the beauty...but most of all, the love. There was a spectrum of love and in the circle we entered there was indeed much of the deepest sharing through the heart.

As you might know I actively tweet as @KnowTheFlow. I kept my iPhone with me and would tweet as something came up that needed to be captured. This was a wonderful opportunity to broadcast nuggets and at this point provides a sweet way to share these moments. Below are the Tweets I made during the retreat. Each came to me through a mixture of inspiration and insight. But above all, the more I opened to spiritual love the clearer my sight became. As Rumi would say, these tweets were seen through the eyes of the heart:

As I surrendered, like a wave to the ocean and a leaf to the wind, I could feel my heartbeat beating me.
As I show up in silence and immerse myself in the moment I realize that the greatest service is to quietly be the Truth of who I am.
Love is this annihilating force that devours itself. You can be afraid or you can surrender knowing the source of that love.
What if we are not here to change the world? What if the world is here to change us?
Today is that day of realizing that presence, of making that presence real.
I bring my noble, great need to the Beloved, to the One that loves to satisfy that need.
If you want to know God fall in live with we.
I am content, nay delighted, to be the shade of the tree of love.
Spirit loves the self. It's only through the self that it can be expressed.
What has to die was never real anyway.
We are here to express and build our knowledge of spiritual love.
Entwined within acceptance and openness is that which created the need within us that desires to satisfy our yearning need.
Without disappointment how could we treasure ecstasy?
I don't engage in conflict. I stand in my power (of spiritual love)
We don't create the effects on our life, but we participate in the cause.

I am inspired to call out two tweets in particular though. I have had a purpose statement that captures why I am alive. It is central to my devotion to service. I made a subtle change, replacing 'consciousness' to 'knowing love' at the end. It now reads:

My purpose is to inspire and support the transformation of knowing Love.

Any progress to simplify an understanding always feels closer to the Divine. And yet the next tweet also deserves a mention. I had forgotten this affirmation but was reminded of it during a conversation. I now speak this when I am in child's pose during my morning meditation. There is something powerful in placing your forehead upon the floor in surrender and saying, "May I be allowed to be of service this day."

And now I must close this post with a promise to complete and present a poem that has begun to write itself. I shall share this in part 2.

Acceptance and Being

2010-09-24T11:00:00.003-06:00

Last night at the daily meditation in Second Life I had a most wonderful experience. What was so wonderful, you might ask? Well, I realized how much acceptance is playing a part of my perspective and how clear I am on the Divine being through everyone.

After the invocation (a brief affirmative prayer designed to set the intention for sacred space for the meditation) a question was posed by a newcomer. "What is the goal of meditation?" He asked. I started by thanking him for the most excellent question. I then responded along the lines that for me the goal of meditation is learning how to think. Following my expanding upon the answer and I was asked another question.

"How do you deal with the forces coming to you?" He asked again. I explained that I believe that God is Omnipresent, in, as, and through every thing, every event, and every one. Therefore, I do not believe that any forces come at me or to me. I believe that God is being through me, through the centre of my being, and as a consequence I have the creative potential of God within. And it is only my thinking, my feelings, old thought-patterns, beliefs and attitudes that get in the way of this potential.

As you might imagine, by this point, I was enjoying some great questions and the opportunity to contemplate some thoughtful questions. However, that previous question had waved a flag in my mind. I had a sense that there was a motive in the mind of the questioner that was confirmed by the next question.

"Jesus said in John 14:6, 'I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.” He said. This comment was clearly a shift from question to declaration. And to this I replied that whilst I view Jesus as a Master teacher, ranking him alongside the other great masters and prophets such as Buddha and Muhammed, I do not believe I need a mediator to commune with God. Whilst I honour and accept all the beautiful paths to devotion this is not my path. I closed my response by sharing that whilst we had different belief systems and are traveling by different paths I believe we are headed toward the same destination.

In the meantime the rest of the group had been silent. But following this last comment someone then responded with a quote from Matthew 5:8. "Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God." This was an interesting counter-reference since it implies that one need only be pure of heart to see God, which obviously provides a striking contrast to John 14:6.

At this point we went into meditation and in spite of inviting the visitor to stay and join us in community after the meditation they left. I offered them blessings and entered into spaciousness.

Upon reflection I celebrate this event. I felt, and feel, a complete sense of love for this visitor. At first I contemplated memorizing Matthew 5:8 for such conversations in the future. But then I had a realization. What is the point of debating theology? The idea of trying to convince someone of a theological standpoint is not what I feel drawn too. I feel drawn to supporting others convince themselves. If our visitor is in love with Jesus and is focusing on inspiring and supporting the transformation of consciousness who am I to get in the way of that in any fashion? And besides, God isn't interested in my theology, rather in the love, acceptance and compassion I fill my heart and my life with.

Truly he is blessed by God being through him. But then so am I, as is everyone for that matter. I feel a deep sense of peace and joy around this conversation, as I did last night. I celebrate my acceptance of all paths. I celebrate that God is being through me. I celebrate that perhaps a year or two ago I wouldn't have held such love in my heart as I did last night when speaking with him.

Celebration is a spiritual practice. If you notice you have made progress toward your vision in a way that brings you peace and joy, then take the time to celebrate this, just as I am in this blog posting.

I celebrate that the path that I follow does not ask me to go forth and "make disciples of all nations." I am coming to realize that my gospel in this regard is to, "go forth and live in love and acceptance." If others feel drawn to ask me why I am so peaceful I shall share the story of my path with them. And if they feel drawn to walk with me for a while I shall celebrate. And if not, then with acceptance in my heart I will offer them blessings and know that ultimately their destination is as beautiful as mine.

Transition

2010-09-21T13:10:00.000-06:00

It has been a while since I was inspired to write a poem. But this one flowed after a meditation and a deep moment of peace.

Know the Flow as you go, my brothers and sisters and in light.

Transition
I trust that you will remember,
how Divine you really are.
As you transition to the fullness,
beyond the seas, the lands, the stars.

Did you live each moment,
being the change you wished to see?
Return to Oneness is delightful.
I am sure you would agree.

The thought of transition stirs me.
Not stirring saddened heart.
I know not to truly mourn you.
for we shall never be apart.

Yet regardless of who you tried to be,
I cannot help but shed these tears,
For the beauty of transition has,
meaning through all reflected spheres.

Connection and Service

2010-09-19T21:51:00.001-06:00

This morning I had the pleasure to be in service with the Practitoner Team at the Centre for Spiritual Living, Edmonton. I have to confess that I love arriving at 9am and beginning the setup for meditation. By the time 9.30 am comes I feel beautifully aligned and ready to serve.

For this morning I had an intuition to introduce the mantra I blogged about yesterday. I wrote the phonetic words on the white board and then proceeded to spend a minute or two explaining about meditation and mantras in general. After that I invited them to either use the Buddhist mantra or to say God Is, or I am that I am. This felt right as it offered people an option depending on where they were.

However, in the interests of it being a 15 minute meditation and that mantras are not normally done in this setting I invited them to focus on this mantra mentallly before starting the meditation with one round of chanting this mantra out loud.

Specific feedback was not needed but I felt very connected after that meditation. The exchanged glances were of peace and joy, and I was left with the sense that we had all been moved.

After that the service was a delightful blur of awareness and peace. My Practitioner-Intern friend who had recently been in hospital (and for whom I'd been visiting and offering affirmative prayers for) had sent a testimonial letter to the Practitioner team, which Reverend Patrick then read in both services. I have to say that I cried as he read her letter. There was something so very real. Perhaps it was my state of mind, perhaps it was the simplicity of a story of healing where someone who, according to the surgeon, was not supposed to live through this experience? But then I don't think that knowing the answer to this question is what matters.

Today I was reminded of what beautiful connection and service are. I touched in with the Divine today and I will confess the day has been a wondrous morphing of smiles, tears, and mantras. Awakening is truly a delight.

My New Favourite Meditation

2010-09-18T23:44:00.000-06:00

Over the couple of weeks I've been leading a series of meditations through Second Life and focusing on sharing thoughts about different practices and approaches. Over the past few years I've enjoyed many meditations but this one was quite exceptional. I can still feel the resonance and the vibration through my body.

Not only will I be including this meditation in my 'heavy rotation' list but I thought I'd come and blog about it with you. It is a Buddhist mantra that goes, "Gate Gate Paragate, Parasamgate, Bodhi Svaha" It is pronounced:

GAH-TAY GAH-TAY PAH-RAH GAH-TAY PAH-RAH-SAHM GAH-TAY BOW-DEE SWAH-HAH

The meanting is, "Beyond, Beyond, the Great Beyond, Beyond that Beyond, to Thee Homage."

I am not certain why I had waited all this time to lead a mantra meditation but I am delighted that I did. There is something very special and yet I am thankful to the teachers in the books I've been reading of late for introducing me to this particular meditation practice.

Know the Flow as you go, brothers and sisters in Light.

Love Simply Is

2010-09-16T08:30:00.001-06:00

Last night I had the joy to start supporting the Meditation is more than you Think class at the Centre for Spiritual Living, Edmonton. As you can imagine after spending those three hours in a meditative state or discussing meditation that by the time I came to lead the daily meditation in Second Life that I was feeling very inspired. But what struck me was the bearing of those I interacted with. I witnessed much courage and authenticity last night and I felt humbled by it.

At one point I recall saying the following: Fear is where love got forgotten. A question had been asked by a participant about thinking they had moved past fear and yet had seen fear within them during the meditation.

Fear, like the ego, will always be a part of the human experience. Ego has its place. It is the mediator between the physical and the spiritual world, it is the analyst, and the editor. In the right context it can bring me value, so long as I do not collapse into it. I have for some time now taken the stance that I seek to integrate my ego, not deny it. I honour my ego. After all, if God is expressing through all then God definitely had something in mind when creating ego. If I can assume God knows what they are doing, then surely this is a good basis upon which to accept ego whilst remaining aware of it.

And so it is with fear. Fear has its uses. If I am caught in a burning house fear will activate adrenalin and provide me with enhancements to my physical body so that I can seek survival. Fear is healthy so long as I am aware of it and do not collapse into it. But much like the ego it is not so much the reaction of fear than the response to it that really counts. If I collapse and lose myself within fear, then I have forgotten love.

And with this still in my mind I felt inspired to tweet and post Fear is where love got forgotten to Facebook. This post inspired a comment. What about the fear that love is being ignored? The authenticity of this question struck me. The one posing the question was obviously touched by the comment at some level and felt inspired to ask a meaningful question. I cannot say that my response is the right answer, but it was my answer.

Love does not need acknowledgement and so cannot be ignored. Love simply is. When we live in love we honour the most profound quality in the Universe. And so even if the person or event that is the target of an expression of our love should be ignorant of or ignore our expression this in no way invalidates that the love has been given, just like the clouds do not invalidate the sun. And yet love given with the expectation of acknowledgement is love with an attachment; and attachment leads to suffering. We should love regardless of our love being ignored, and tap into it in an unconditional form.

Yoga and a Journey Through Healing

2010-09-10T23:33:00.001-06:00

I suddenly realized today that the past 3 months have been subtle, yet a change in my health has snuck up on me.

Perhaps I should step back. Probably around 6 months ago I had an urge to try Yoga out. However, for one reason or another it just didn't seem to happen. And then about 3 months ago, during a meditation, an idea came to me. Why not go online and search out a nice, gentle Yoga routine?

And so I did just that. For the first couple of months I would do my gentle yoga routine (only 8 stretches by the way) before meditation. And then about a month ago I started to get up at 5.30am and do some yoga as well as my morning meditation. Not being one to settle for the easy stuff all the time I decided to take it up a notch. Two days ago I looked up Sun Salutation. Talk about shock to my system! The past two days have been very gentle efforts to try and go through this set of poses.

Ultimately, I've enjoyed doing yoga as a solitary practice. I am sure I could benefit from a teacher guiding me in my poses. And yet, I also realized that my back pain is a thing of the past. I can lean over to brush my teeth in the morning without a problem now. In the past some mornings and such motion would result in pain and my needing to lean on the sink. In fact, about 4 years ago my chiropractor diagnosed me with spinal degeneration. Not only do I have 6 lumbar vertebrae (instead of the normal 5) but the they were starting to wear down, the bone becoming serrated and chewing down on nerve and ligament. This would even result in locking of the back, not to mention excrutiating pain. In fact, my back problems go back nearly two decades and my days of martial arts.

The healing journey began on February 9th 2009. At the time I was in Practitioner studies and was inspired to use the assignment to treat for a change in condition in my life as an opportunity to know perfect health for my back. And after a couple of months my back had gotten better. The severe locking stopped, and my need to visit the chiropractor greatly reduced. In fact, in reviewing my visits to the chiropractor in the years leading to the middle of 2009 I would have an average of 1 visit per week. Over the past 12 months that's dropped to one visit per month. And now that I think about it, I have only been to see my chiropractor twice in the past four months.

The past 3 months and embracing yoga as a practice, have completed this journey through healing. Obviously, I have released old beliefs, and am embracing a new vision for what health means to me. I celebrate the days without pain, and with only the occasional moment of discomfort currently in my experience I look forward to continued perfect health, particularly around my back. And there is no doubt in my mind that Yoga has played a part of this journey through healing that I have taken.

The Power of Love

2010-09-01T22:32:00.000-06:00

Over the past few days a wonderful lesson has unfolded for me. During the weekend I had been struck by a series of events that had challenged me to grow and to live in awareness. And as is normal during my meditations in Second Life I try to relate an experience I have had, the Spiritual Principle that I've spotted, and how I've applied in life. The goal of these sharings is to try and learn more about living spiritually and by exploring my transformation more deeply.

Well, unbeknowst to me (at the time) one of the people who had been in one of the aforementioned events had shown up at the meditation. I had never intended to single them out but they came away from the experience feeling less than positive and had sent me a letter explaining what had happened for them.

I wanted to share the reply I sent them. After that I will share their reply (removing their name of course). This letter was written after an experience where I had showed up with less than my very best, but I like to think showed up with love when it most mattered.

I love you, I am sorry, please forgive me, and thank you.

As I read your note and processed what happened I realized that the only thing for me to do is to look within. The Truth can only be found within. Any effort to explain why I reacted to your words and actions will distract me from Truth; but I can look to understand what beliefs I have and neutralize them with Spiritual Truth. Any effort to explain what I meant by the use of the word 'projection' is to focus on the past and to take me from the present work that I must do.

I had initially spent some considerable time writing a lengthy response. However, upon reflection I believe that what needs to be said is much simpler than that. I forgot two very important spiritual principles:
- do not take anything personally
- do not make assumptions

I managed to forget both of these spiritual principles. I do not regret what happened. I am grateful for the choices that both you and I made as they have served to bring me insight through experience. And in turn I hope that this letter, and the experience that we have shared, serves to support you in your journey. Relationship after all is an opportunity for awareness, fulfillment and healing.

I love you, I am sorry, please forgive me, and thank you.

Know the Flow as you go.

And when I logged in today here's the reply I got:

Hahahah! I have to laugh because your note was so awesome and came as such a relief

Your words made my heart sing, "There's hope in the world yet for more compassion, real relationship and authentic community".

I value your response very highly. As Abraham says, we are all allowed to comment on the affect others have on us when they attempt to create their reality in the proximity of our experience. It would be my dream to see this coming to fruition in Second Life ... and moreso that we begin to be masters of *beneficial effects upon one another.

But honestly, reading the words " I love you" were the most soothing balm I could ever hope to read and worth more than a thousand Lindens. It helped unlock love as my response to you as well... and THAT's the type of attitude I want to pay forward. And I will.. thanks to you.
: )

In Inspiration and Spirit and with Love

I celebrate this experience. What a wondrous connection and learning I have had. And what a gift this person gave me. Thank God I managed to set my ego aside.

Touching the Heart

2010-08-30T10:06:00.000-06:00

Last night I was touched in a big way, by a couple of little things. As you may know I facilitate a meditation circle every night in Second Life.

One of the regular participants, Elizabeth, had sent out a message to another Second Life group letting them know about the meditation circle. But what struck me was what was in the message. In short, she wrote that she was enjoying seeing that people who had been showing up to do the work and regularly practicing meditation were seeing transformation in their lives.

When you set an intent to go into service, to inspire and support the transformation of consciousness, there is nothing quite like hearing the stories of the transformation people are going through to crack your heart open. And so you can imagine my joy when as we started another regular participant shared her story of the past week or so. Not only had she manifested abundance in her life to meet a critical financial need, but she spoke about the deep realization she has been having. She explained that the deep challenges of the past few days had really taught her about the joy of living in the present and recognizing fear as thoughts. She was truly learning, she said, for the first time in her life that fear is not real, it is an illusion conjured by our thoughts and hidden beliefs. Her story spoke not only of the work she has done but the realization she is having, and the way in which her life is being transformed.

Last night both these friends touched my heart. I have been showing up every night at 9.30pm, since February 8th, 2010, to lead a meditation with people through the Internet. Some might wonder how this works? Some have wondered if meditating with others through the Internet isn't a little strange (it is different, but connecting at the spiritual level doesn't require time and space to happen; Spirit is in the now). And others have celebrated the Internet being used in such a way. I have always said that I would show up to meditate alone, regardless of who else shows up (although I realized last night that in over 200 sessions that there have always been others choosing to show up and meditate). And those that show up are doing amazing work. I have watched them change their lives, and start stepping into an amazing consciousness. It is impossible to put into words the impact to see people make these changes for themselves. And it is very humbling to witness God in action. I'm just someone who shows up holding consciousness for the transformation of consciousness, and yet how blessed am I to be able to witness the work being done!

But the greatest blessing of all? Becoming clearer every day of my vision to live in ministry. And it has already begun.

Know the Flow as you go, my brothers and sisters in light.

Some of the Pleasant Stuff

2010-08-28T21:38:00.000-06:00

And so, at the end of the day, following my previous blog I found myself in a meeting with a client. Not only has more work showed up instantly, but more importantly, I have begun a period of transformation.

I am not clear on the 'how', but that is good. I am starting a process of visioning. It has been a while since I last did a visioning for myself and I am drawn to feel that this is a good time to do so. I do celebrate what happened to me that day. Not only did I learn to let some old beliefs and ideas go, but I have become just a little clearer about how to live in surrender.

God is in All, Especially the Unpleasant Stuff

2010-08-26T11:13:00.001-06:00

I am writing this having experienced a series of interesting events. A couple of weeks ago I had asked for a sign regarding what I should do regarding my business. Over the past couple of days a situation went south on my current business engagement. In fact, it seems the Universe executed a pincer maneuver on my plans. On one hand, a technology upgrade from the software vendor bombed (big time, and completely beyond my control). On the other hand, the client informed me that they've just discovered the reason the project has been installed for a month was that their IT department in head office is working on a strategy that undermines the whole project (also completely beyond my control).

And yet I cannot help but know that God is in this. Over the past year I've tried to expand my business to the next level on two occasions and both times things did not proceed. Recently I was reviewing what had happened and concluded that perhaps the business was not expanding because I've also been focusing on my spiritual ministry. From the point of 'where am I putting my creative energy' I have to confess that I've been imprinting mixed messages to the Divine.

Even as I started to write this blog, I got an email from the administrator with the client saying that they couldn't restore the technology because their Database Administrator didn't have the backup from Sunday (again, completely beyond my control). I asked for a sign, alright!

And yet I cannot help but know that God is in this. With this in mind I have begun re-evaluating my business vision. An idea came to mind to send an email to a business contact. I see it was putting out a feeler to God. If I am truly meant to shift into a new business role then I surrender to events as they unfold. If I have an intuition to email someone I had met for lunch about a business partnership to see if they're interested in bringing me into their organization, then I know God is in that.

As I write this a part of me is very calm; even as everything that I know regarding my business and the professional efforts of the past 2 years is experiencing a series of challenges. Yet, I am not attached. The old me would have struggled with things like, this being my fault, my having been a failure, or whatever. Instead of suffering I am sitting here in faith. Yes, it is not very pleasant. A part of me feels a little sad, but that sadness is fading as I write this blog, as I embrace the spiritual practice of journalling, as I share and live my growth and transformation with strangers through an Internet blog, as I retain my awareness that God is in every event.

God is in all of this, ESPECIALLY the unpleasant stuff. If you feel drawn to hold me in your prayers I would be grateful. I know that the right and perfect outcome is already so with regards to my business and professional expression. I know that I am excited by the opportunity to share my gifts and talents within a business environment, where I am valued and inspired by the opportunity bring amazing solutions to clients ready for the talents I bring, and working within a culture that resonates with my philosophy and passion.

Know the Flow as you go my friends.

Meditation, a Powerful Tool for Transformation

2010-08-17T22:19:00.000-06:00

Sometimes things happen and are said that just blow you away. Tonight I logged into second life and was greeted with the following message:

"Thanks to the meditations that i came to and the power of positive thinking you have helped me lose 50 lbs and i am now down to 255 pounds."

I like to think that I do not do this for recognition. I don't log into Second Life every night to facilitate meditation to have someone say something like this. But it is very inspiring to hear this sort of testimony. This person has shown up and done the work. I actually did very little except perhaps remind them of what they had within, the potential of their own power.

More importantly, it's clear that they have embarked upon a daily spiritual practice. I was thinking earlier on that for me the daily practice at clearing away the chatter and quietening the mind has helped me to become more skilful at managing my mind. In turn, my life has been transformed. And as I read that message I can see that they are showing up and practicing.

Meditation is only a tool. But it is one of the most powerful tools I know to support one who travels the spiritual path. I have the feeling that this person has only just begun. Once you see a transformation like this in your life as a result of daily spiritual practice your belief and faith grows. The only suggestion I would add is; keep it up! If you know a tool is working for you, keep using it.

Know the Flow as you go, my friends. If you knew how much love you are surrounded by you would never know fear again.

God is Everywhere and Every Time

2010-08-15T18:08:00.001-06:00

This past weekend has been a wonderful retreat. I have to say that comparing this retreat to previous experiences, where I went away to a beautiful setting and was taught by experienced spiritual teachers, that I feel just as wholly alive and wonderful. It’s not that beautiful settings and very profound expressions of the Divine wouldn’t quicken the opportunity for direct experience and transformation. It’s that I figured out that for all the preparations I’d been making to go on retreat, the only thing I really needed was me…and a shift in my state of mind.

Perhaps therein I can observe an interesting spiritual trap. Speaking for myself at least, I have grown accustomed to the idea that going away on retreat somehow adds to the experience. Or that having experienced spiritual masters will somehow make that difference. And yet if God truly is everywhere and through everyone then surely God will be found wherever we are? Or to put it more simply, I don’t need to be on the top of a mountain listening to someone playing the bagpipes in the valley and speaking about their methodology and mythology for living as a mystic to directly experience God. My great learning for this weekend – I found direct experience and a wonderful sense of peace right where I was.

Would it have been nice to have the retreat with James Golden? Sure. He actually delivered a 2 hour talk this afternoon. Given that my day so far has consisted of yoga, meditation, reflection at Church, and then his 2 hour session, it actually felt like the day of one of those special retreats. And in the end I found myself connecting with many wonderful people in the process.

If I were to be asked what did I learn from this retreat? Well, the answer would be a list of things:

Looking for the right spiritual path, spiritual outcome, or right teacher (or all) is like looking for a tool, when the important thing is actually your hand. A sculptor wouldn’t say their chisel created the statue after all.
The path is your own. Whatever you decide about the outcome is actually insignificant to how you go about living life. There are as many spiritual paths as there are individuals. The reality is that the only teaching that is for you is your spiritual journey (which really is the essence behind the idea of how I can say I had went on retreat by myself and am having a beautiful direct experience as I write this blog).
Living your spiritual journey is not a part-time effort. Trying to take the spiritual journey as a hobby simply won’t deliver the depth. However, having walked and lived my spiritual path during this weekend has helped me make some considerable progress.
I had previously blogged about wanting to get clear about my goals and around business and ministry. My goal is now to have a state of mind that my spiritual practice is something that fills all of my time. I also know that I will not intentionally set this practice down. I may lose touch with Divine feeling and the inspiration I am currently aware of. There are many expressions of forgetfulness around us that Ernest Holmes would call race consciousness. I like to call it cultural consciousness myself. In short, people are very much caught up in limitations and beliefs around all sorts of things: People aren’t doing it right, politics are wrong, we’re headed into a double-dip recession, there’s not enough to go around, and the Earth is being brutalized. Don’t get me wrong, it’s good to help and support others and the needs they have. Caring is an extension of giving, and giving with love means you will receive with love. And yet, living as a contemporary mystic is a delicate balance between participation and involvement. Figuring out how to bring your spiritual values, how to be impeccable with your thought, word, and deed, into every aspect of your life is your spiritual path.

I did learn more, but occurs to me that not only will I benefit from processing this weekend, but you might benefit from not having to read pages and pages in one sitting. Besides, as James Golden so beautiful pointed out this morning, as he took about 90 seconds to prepare to deliver his talk on stage, take your time. There’s nowhere to go, nothing to do, but to simply be and surrender.

I will sign off with the final thought for now. Ernest Holmes once said that ‘God is everywhere’. This is actually a foundation of the Science of Mind teachings. I’d like to elaborate on that. God is everywhere and every time.

Know the Flow as you go, my friends. You are more loved than you could possibly imagine.

A Shout out to Citizen

2010-08-15T17:13:00.000-06:00

This weekend has been filled with many wonderful insights, and a transformation or two (which I will blog about later). However, before I get to that I wanted to make a shout out to Citizen.

This morning at church the guest soloist was introduced with the statement that they'd never had a Hip Hop artist perform at the Centre. And so Citizen got up and proceeded to perform two of his songs. The easiest way to describe his music is to call it spiritual hip hop with a hint of drum and bass. Of course, I'm perhaps showing my age and my background. Allow me to explain.

When I was in my late teens I went through a huge rap, hip hop, and breakdancing phase. It was the thing of the time amongst me and my friends. And given the poet I am it should come as no surprise to you to read that I spent some moments of my own on the mic.

And with his CD in my car player I had the opportunity to spend the rest of the day driving around with the music of Citizen. He's good live, but man, his CD is one the best rap mixes I've heard in a long time. But what's got me so excited? Well, the lyrics. This is an artist who fits lines like 'Om Shanti Om' in his rhymes.

If you want to take a look for yourself, go to mastrzofthayoonavrce.bandcamp.com and take a look at the music of citizen.

Know the Flow as you go, my friends.

A Sign

2010-08-14T23:40:00.000-06:00

I have had the great blessing to spend the past day or so in retreat. I did want to share a onederful moment. If you've read my blog over the past few months you might have picked up on something I have been working through. Since December of 2009 an interesting series of events around my business has been unfolding. In fact, I starting blogging about these events in January of this year.

After my blog of last night I realized this morning that my vision is still right. My purpose in life is to inspire and support the transformation of consciousness. It then occurred to me that perhaps the reason I have experienced what I have around my business has been because through it all I desire to serve. My vision fills me with joy. The work I do through various online formats to inspire and support others in their consciousness and awareness lifts me up each day. Is it any wonder then that with a focus so clearly on service that my creative energy is divided, and my business is just doing 'ok'?

This morning I was talking about this with my wife and I realized that my vision did not need to be revisited. Rather, I need to embrace being my aware self more and more. Her words of support had a deep feeling of truth. And in that moment I was more clear than ever that through this journey self-knowledge will be key. I do not need to try and be a teacher, or try to be a Practitioner, or Minister. I simply need to bring my awareness to every moment, to live my vision by inspiring and supporting consciousness in myself, and therefore in all. There is a beautiful guarantee; if we show up and do our part, God will take care of the rest. This is really all I need to know.

And so with this thought in my mind I was driving this afternoon and asked God for a sign. I wanted something obvious to tell me if these realizations were the path that would carry me forward toward my purpose. Tonight in Second Life one of the students stepped up. She had taken the time to prepare to take over the meditations by preparing and making sure the announcements went out. She then went on to share her story over the past 6 months. And that for the past 5 months she had been coming to the daily meditations I facilitate. I was struck by her words as she explained that Eckhart Tolle, a Course in Miracles, and I were the teachers closest to her heart. With those few touching words I felt the realization, the sign that I had asked for.

Over the past 6 months I have been simply showing up in Second Life to lead a daily meditation. I have not necessarily been trying to teach per se. Rather, I started this with the basic premise that I would meditate every day. Why not bring this into a virtual setting through the Internet?

And so thank you, Pat, for being an expression of a sign I had asked for. Your self-professed journey over the past 6 months is a living embodiment of my purpose to inspire and support the transformation of consciousness. I am clear now. I simply need to bring my awareness to every moment, to live my vision by inspiring and supporting consciousness in myself. So long as I do my part, God will do their part. Everything will unfold exactly as it should. How do I know? Well, a sign is a start, but if truth be told, I have faith.

Know the Flow as you go, my friends. You are more loved than you could possibly imagine.

Life is a Teacher, a Retreat a State of Mind

2010-08-13T22:46:00.000-06:00

A most interesting thing happened tonight. After 7 of us were gathered in a room to begin the retreat the facilitator, Dr. James Golden, explained that we would not be proceeding with the retreat. Strangely enough I did not feel alarm or disappointment at this news, but nodded as he explained that normally the retreat format he followed required a minimum of 15 people and that such numbers in his experience empowered the process of consciousness and unfolding.

We did sit around for a couple of hours though. A couple of attendees asked questions. One was about meditation and another about spiritual teachers (James Golden has studied with some very well-known and notable teachers). As I consider what he shared I have no doubts as to his depth and perspective as a metaphysician, and I celebrate him showing up with integrity and authenticity to know what felt right and what did not.

As I sit back and reflect upon this I am drawn to the idea that life is a teacher and that I do not need a special weekend with a special teacher to go on retreat. Even if I break events down I can see clearly that arrangements have been made for my daughter until Sunday and that my wife has her weekend booked with Fringe plays. It occurs to me that this weekend is obviously a gift for me to go on my own little retreat. And so I shall know the Flow as I go, and allow the Divine to guide me in working with my Sacred Self.

I celebrate this realization. One of the things that James shared was that in his mind that a 'spiritual teacher' ran the risk of being a trap. It is a fine line to live the role of 'teacher' whilst managing the egoic mind wanting to advance its agenda, and muddying the waters of who the teacher actually is. And in turn, for the student it is also a fine line to live the role of 'student' whilst managing the egoic mind wanting to abdicate responsibility to someone wiser than they, as if the answers would come from someone who is 'closer to God' (as if such a thing is actually true). After all, ego notwithstanding are not all teachers and gurus ultimately sourced the same, just inhabiting a different body?

It is no coincidence that over the past few months I have been thinking about the idea of whether a teacher might enter into my life. I even wondered at the timing of such reflection and the arrival of Dr. James Golden's retreat. It cannot be a coincidence that the very same person should speak about the 'trap-potential' of a teacher also cancelled the retreat. And as I journal this experience I am clear that life is a teacher, and that I can enter into retreat at any time. All I need is to choose the state of mind to do so.

Know the Flow as you go, my friends. Even when the most unexpected events transpire.

Preparing for a Spiritual Retreat

2010-08-13T09:22:00.000-06:00

Yes, as of 6pm tonight I will be re-treating myself for a weekend. I get to spend three days with Dr. James Golden at the Centre for Spiritual Living in Edmonton.

The past couple of weeks have been interesting from an emotional point of view. It would seem that in order to prepare to treat myself in retreat that stuff under the surface is now making it way outward. Only yesterday I was speaking with my wife, describing the emotional struggle I have been facing over the past couple of days. She pointed out that the timing was interesting; that I should be feeling turmoil around my current business efforts was likely a part of preparing for the retreat.

My wife often has great wisdom to share. I am certain that in that moment something was unlocked. And a little later that day I was reminded of the idea that it is embracing the mystery of life that makes for the most profound of journies. I might not know the how of but that's actually alright. If anything it is knowing that the Divine is in all things that counts.

And so as I go through this preparation I am inspired with a realization that two central ideas have surfaced for me:
- It is time to revisit my personal vision for my professional life
- I am ready to release the emotional reactions that have been hindering me for so many years

Interestingly, yesterday was a very intense day for me emotionally. It was as if the result from my Practitioner exam was a sign saying that I am moving toward Ministry while the emotional rollercoaster ride of my business consulting, along with a series of contradictory experiences, was saying the self-image around myself as a consultant was being shattered.

Each day I venture further into being a Practitioner is another day I am reminded that ultimately my desire to serve and support the transformation of consciousness is the greatest calling of all. Yet I am finding myself in this no-mans-land of not being a Minister or in full time ministry and the need to continue in my role as a business consultant. However, even the journalling (sharing of this with you in this blog) is surfacing the realization that this is exactly as it should be. How things will unfold is a mystery. I can content myself with the knowledge that I have stated the intent to live life in service as a Practitioner. The Universe is conspiring to support me in this and the only thing that can get in the way is my forgetting this.

The wonderful bonus of all this - if any questions about what we want to work on during the retreat are asked I will have an idea or two.

Passed my Practitioner Exam!

2010-08-11T14:00:00.001-06:00

I got the news today - I passed my written Practitioner exam. We wrote the exam on June 12th, 2010. I studied very hard for it and feel delighted with the 97% I scored. That is a major hurdle taken care of in this process.

I also celebrate that all 8 Practitioner candidates in the class passed! This is a magnificent accomplishment and speaks to the quality of both the teachers and the students. What a privilege to be counted amongst so many wonderful expressions of the Divine.

The next steps are: Finalize the Practicum requirements (I am in the process of getting demonstration letters), and an oral panel around September to October. Once we successfully complete the Oral panel we're done! At that point I'd apply to be a Licensed Practitioner. Following that I am hoping to go on and take Ministerial studies.

Sweet, Raspberry Abundance

2010-08-03T08:22:00.000-06:00

Yesterday I had the great pleasure, for the second consecutive weekend, to pick raspberries from my garden. I would suggest that if you ever want to be reminded of abundance pick fruit. For that matter, if you are so blessed with a garden, I thoroughly recommend growing some form of vegetable or fruit. There is something truly magnificent about getting down and dirty with nature.

This is my third year of picking from these raspberry bushes. Each year I get a little wiser and a little smarter in the ways of picking. This year in particular has seen this activity become a fabulous meditation. I clear my mind and with a stool, a pair of gloves (raspberries are a little prickly in case you didn't know), and my trusty bucket I go forth and gather sweetness. And yet as I moved through those thorny bushes I could not help at marvel at the analogy to life. I would be constantly amazed as I turned over a new leaf only to find a cluster of sweet, juicy, ripe raspberries. Those little berries were often hidden from plain sight but when I searched with a knowing I always found more. If anything, after nearly two hours I had to stop, some 7 pounds of raspberries the richer.

After a couple of weekends picking I am now 8 large jars of raspberry jam the richer. I shall have the pleasure of enjoying jam that was the fruit of my planting, picking and preparing. To have an opportunity of producing what I eat is quite humbling. Nature may be beautiful to behold, but awareness of the Truth behind all things, of the Infinite source and supply that surrounds us is a richer blessing still.

Know the Flow as you go, my friends.

The Empty Box of Zen

2010-07-09T00:15:00.000-06:00

So today was one of those days. It seemed like everywhere I turned, little things were happening to delay me, to make sure that I really wanted peace. I'd like to share what I think is the highlight.

After a busy day of little things going wrong (or not meeting my expectations) I went home knowing that I had a hospital visit to make. The visit was at 6.30. However, on the way home I received a call from a courier telling me that they've got a package for me. Thinking through how things could be timed I figured I'd wait for my wife to get home, go pick up the package, and then head to the hospital.

However, in between some emails I was trying send before I left not going through (computer problem) and the trip itself taking longer than I expected to get to the courier I arrived at around 6.25pm. I guess a part of me was feeling a little uncofortable with being late. Imagine my surprise when I get inside and after searching for the package they hand me an empty box!

Opening the unsealed box to find some bubblewrap I looked at the customer service rep and asked them why the driver couldn't have left the box outside my door. With an ernest expression she asked me, "Did you have a notice on your door saying a signature is not required?"

"No," I answered. "I wasn't expecting an empty box and the problem with such a sign is that the laptop I'm waiting to receive would be left unattended."

"Well, we can't leave any boxes because someone may get upset."

"Of someone stealing an empty box?"

"Well, that box may be valuable."

"But it's empty and unsealed?" However, at that point I stopped myself and smiled. Looking at her with that smile I closed the conversation, with the statement "I think this is silly, but thank you."

I left with my empty box. Sharing this story at meditation tonight I was asked what I could have done that was different. In thinking about it, I think a better approach would have been:

To be aware that everything is perfect, and that I would arrive at the hospital exactly when I needed to (thus removing the self-perceived pressure of arriving to visit my friend when she was expecting me)
To laugh upon opening the empty box, and with a humourous tone of voice and heart tell the customer rep how perfect it was to be slowed down while trying to visit a friend in hospital to pick up an empty box (thus bringing some humour to both our days)

Everything is an opportunity for awareness and transformation. I am compassionate toward myself. I recognize that in the past, after a day of continual delays and things going wrong that at some point I would have gotten frustrated. I kept my centre today and I celebrate that. But far from resting on my laurels, I gently remind myself that this is just a beginning. There's always an opportunity to be more aware, to be a greater field of grace. I am learning, one empty box at a time.

Personal Learnings in Relationship

2010-07-05T08:59:00.000-06:00

It is amazing how learning can occur. After yesterday's blog, Lessons of Relationship, I found myself including key ideas with the daily meditation circle I lead in Second Life. As a part of the sharing I related a little about my mother and my experience of relationship. One of the participants asked a most profound question. "How do your words relate to your relationship with your mother?"

Oh yes, even those sharing meditation are in relationship with each other, and here was a participant reflecting to me and asking a powerful question to teach me. As I answered I realized that the true learning for me was that relationships are indeed all about us. My mother may have made transition over 5 years ago but here I was, looking within, at myself, and seeking to understand what I had brought to the relationship. Her death in no way prevented me from bringing the relationship to a close and doing the work I needed to do.

When you gain that perspective suddenly ideas like, I wish I'd told them I loved them before they'd died take on a whole new feel. If anything, someone dying is actually the perfect opportunity to look within and to complete your work of awareness around the relationship. The other person is no longer in that expression and will not distract you with their own expectations on relationship. You are freed to do the work in the most perfect of ways (assuming you can see past a broken heart; this may take time).

I then got to thinking about other recent contemplations. I had recently exposed, and have been working through, a belief around abandonment. At first my reflection had centred around the fact that my single mother had had to go to work behind the bar each night (or go out and drink), and would literally abandon me, the solitary seven year old, in our tiny flat to entertain myself. As I write this I am reminded that it got to the point that around the time I was ten or so I would find myself actually avoiding my mother returning home (and this remained for many years). I'd gotten so primed by fear of a drunken mother coming back from the pub (either working or drinking) that when I would hear her coming up the stairs I'd turn off the lights and the gas fire, and pretend I was alseep. Is it any wonder then that I learned as a child that relationships were to be avoided; after all, if I would either be abandoned or abused through a stupor of alcohol why would being in relationship draw me?

However, upon reflection I realized that the lessons of abandonment didn't stop there. My father had also abandoned me when I was 4. He'd chosen heroin over me, and had allowed my mother to leave him, thereby abandoning me. How many times had I lied to other children at school saying that he'd died of bone cancer. As a young boy I remember hearing that bone cancer was one of the most painful ways to die; I projected that idea of a painful death on his part to mask the buried agony that was being ineptly handled by a scared child.

And with this latest realization I am now empowered to find fulfillment with my father. He's not been in my life since a young age but that does not matter. Both he and my mother have, amongst other things, provided me with the gift of awareness. I am so very grateful to have awoken to my Sacred Self in this moment. Thank you Roger; thank you Judie. I love you both!

In my previous blog I commented that no relationship is an accident. Everyone we have in relationship is there for a sacred exchange of growth. My relationship with my father is about me; it is about me forgiving him completely, and knowing that he did the very best he could. I know that when my mother came home each night and found me asleep that that part of her that was God knew that I was pretending to be asleep and she felt pain. I hold a knowing of love for her right now, asking her to forgive that scared little boy, for he did not know what he was doing, nor was he equipped to deal with his fulfillment of that relationship in that time. I know she was doing her best, and I am sorry that she had to suffer so that I could remember in this moment. I know that God is with me, that I could not truly be abandoned, and that I am now healed of the hidden beliefs of being abandoned by my parents. I claim love for myself, and for them both. I thank them for the opportunities they have given me. After all, they gave me the gift of abandonment so that I might in this moment come to savour the lessons of relationship so much more right here, right now.

Lessons of Relationship

2010-07-04T21:51:00.000-06:00

Ram Dass once said that if you think you are enlightened you should spend a week with your family. I smile every time I think of this. For my experience with family has been like a tale of two cities. The first city was with my mother. By the age of 21 I had left England to follow love and adventure. However, whilst I never really returned it took until my mother's transition for me to fully embrace the life I was meant to live. Interestingly, I didn't discover the Centre for Spiritual Living, Edmonton, until the Sunday after I had buried my mother.

The tale of my mother will wait for another time, but the tale of the second city is with my wife and daughter. I also get to witness and experience the dynamics of extended family. For you see I was a single child to a single mother. I had a sister by birth but due to a choice on my mother's part Chloe was given up for adoption. I was the child who my mother kept. I have had to learn a whole host of definitions of what family is. And yet at this point in my life I am becoming clearer that those closest relationships I have are here to provide me with opportunities for awareness, to stretch me to fulfillment, and to honour a process of healing.

I had the honour to be asked by a friend to visit her in hospital today. As I heard her story I realized that in her own way she was moving through lessons of awareness with her family. And yet as we finished our time together I was inspired to tell her that when she was able to approach her family with acceptance and unconditional love then the lesson would be fully fulfilled. I am not quite certain why I said what I said, but I am reminded that the lessons of relationship are often the most vibrant springboards for growth of awareness that I know.

There is no such thing as an accidental relationship. God is in every event, and every relationship is a series of events that has meaning for us. Even a brief exchange with a stranger on the other end of a telephone conversation is an interaction with the potential for meaning. Yet the first and most profound dangers of relationships is when we come to them expecting others in the exchange to fix us, or to think as we do. Some (or many) of us believe that finding that 'someone special' will improve all aspects of our lives and bring us incredible joy.

I have a theory that when we greet others in relationships that there is a sacred exchange occurring. The God in us greets the God in the other person. Subconsciously we are integrated at the most profound level. But when our own awareness is clouded by so much distraction and emphasis on illusion we find it harder to grasp the Truth. The clouds take on more emphasis and before we know it the rain is calling the tunes. The person we are when we began the relationship is the essence of what we will attract. We tend to attract exactly those that we need to help us realize fulfillment, awareness and healing. This may be obvious, but I believe that for the most part the sacred exchange that is occurring is much more subtle. It can take great insight to work out why a relationship exists, and what those involved have agreed to on a Divine level. However, a conscious awareness of the purpose is not the point. The opportunity to transform and raise our awareness is.

Relationships can be the mirror that reflect what we need to complete ourselves, and most often in ways that alone we could not accomplish. We are always moving toward healing those parts of us that are wounded. Sometimes the road is rocky, and the pain that our relationships surface can be soul-wrenching. When this occurs with a life partner a great deal of trust and depth is often required for the relationship to survive through to its natural conclusion (as opposed to leaving it before we should, if at all). God will provide us with everything we need for our healing. If we have attracted someone who pushes our buttons, then this 'wrong' person will likely be our greatest teacher. And when it comes to family, those we did not consciously choose in this lifetime, we may find ourselves with parents, siblings, and extended family who can upset us in ways that no one else can. Family adds an additional dimension in that it is generally harder to disconnect with such people and relationships. In this fact alone family becomes a special teacher.

Relationships will bring us the deepest lessons that we need to learn, those that we could not learn alone. And yet as is the case with another person we meet, we are not supposed to change others. Our opinions on those we are in relationships with serve only as a distraction. What if they are not supposed to change? And if we could change them, would we not be dishonouring their journey, their quest for enlightment and growth? Or to put it more simply, if we would not want our family to dictate who we must be, should we try to dictate to them how they must be in order to fit into our sense of what is right in the world?

The wonderful news is that if you find your buttons being pushed, that means there is a belief influencing that feeling and emotion you are now experiencing. Belief is a product of experience and can be changed. And when we gain the insight (either as presented to us by others we are in relationship with or our own) then we can often look to others in relationship to support us. I cannot count the times my life partner has both called me out on an issue and then been there 110% supporting me. She knows I love her, and she loves me; our natural condition, our inner desire, is to support and help the other with everything we have.

Growth is never accomplished by telling another what they must do and how they must change, or making them better. It is always about you. And those you are in relationship are always reflecting what you need to see. And yet all too often we can rid ourselves of the relationship before we have rid ourselves of the problem and the underlying cause within.

The use of questions can be profound when understanding relationships and our role in them:

Is how I give and receive love reminiscent of how love was modelled for me as a child? Is punishment and reward the manner in which I show and accept love?
If abuse exists in my relationships did I experience abuse as a child? Have I work left to do on my inner child and the unhealed pain that remains?
Did we witness our parents caring for each other joyfully and lovingly?

Whether we are staying in a relationship out of hope for it changing, or because we believe it will work out on its own, we will eventually have to come to a realization; if the relationships you are experiencing are not in alignment with your vision for love and your worth then it is time to change them. We must also let go of the specific expectations of what the future will look like, how our partner or family will be, and what they will do to change. A dear friend of mind recently told me that they had realized that their definition of being "in love" was about complete dependance on the other. Even our expectations of love itself can hold us back from the growth, healing and awareness that we need.

Relationships unfold exactly as they are meant to. The more we can remember this and place our expectations of others in the relationship aside the more fulfilling our relationships will become.

Joyfully Reverent

2010-06-30T19:19:00.001-06:00

You may have noticed that I posted a new picture on my blog (as well as my Twitter and Facebook profiles). The latest picture was taken last week at a restaurant (Lit in Edmonton - AMAZING food by the way), where my wife and I were celebrating our 11th wedding anniversary. Not only does the picture capture how much fun I was having but I think represents how I am feeling these days. The term that comes to mind when I look at this picture, and when I think about my general state of mind is 'joyfully reverent'.

After this phrase came to mind I took a look at the definition for reverent; "feeling, exhibiting, or characterized by reverence; deeply respectful: a reverent greeting." The word reverent really does nail much of my state of mind. I have a feeling, and I exhibit this feeling wherever I go, of a deep respect for life. In each moment (or as often as I remember) I respectfully greet God in the most profound of ways. And through all that is a sense of joy. I am finding joy all around me, but I know that this is a reflection of the way I look at the world.

After these past 5 years of serious spiritual study I have a dual sense of how things are. On one hand I feel like I am only just beginning. On the other hand I feel like I have made great strides. The past couple of days in particular have exemplified this sense of emotional well-being. I celebrate that of late I have made a significant leap forward. The types of situations that would have caused me to lose my centeredness to an emotional reaction are now receeding. And yet, I know that this is just a beginning. But why would I say that?

For one thing I know that spiritual practice and the development of mindfulness is a daily affair with God. Each day is an appointment with life. The contempary mystic cannot content themselves with getting a permit from the Bishop to go and hide in a cave somewhere. In the modern day you get to go out into the world and LIVE. The value of this is significant. At the very least the challenges of life stretch you and teach you to hold compassion for others who are living life. In short, when you set the vision of being a contempary mystic and you live mindfully you show up in an accessible way.

And yet, each day is a reminder in humility. If I am to live my vision of inspiring and supporting the transformation of consciousness, each day will require my full and present attention on the Divine. As I look to my actions I celebrate the journey that is just beginning for me. These blogs are a step in this direction. I also tweet as @KnowTheFlow, and these tweets are forwarded onto Facebook. I am hearing wonderful feedback from people who say they really enjoy reading my messages. But behind all this is a sense of being joyfully reverent.

When I tweet as I do I am capturing where I am in the moment. Not long after finding Twitter I discovered that it is a wonderful tool for practicing the Presence. I find myself pausing at a mindful thought and turn to my iPhone to share it. It has become a virtuous circle, where the idea of capturing and publishing such thoughts is reminding me to practice the Presence, and the more I practice the more I find myself with joyous thoughts to post.

And so when you read these blogs and my tweets know that I really am joyfully reverent. The picture is another expression of this. Know the Flow as you go.

Surprising Gifts

2010-06-27T20:46:00.001-06:00

Sometimes it can be an interesting moment of courage to know that you need time for yourself. This past weekend my wife and I were invited to a wedding on Friday night and a house concert on the Saturday night. However, the Friday night was also my wedding anniversary. On Thursday evening my wife and I decided that we needed some time to ourselves. At the time it just felt as though I was drawn to peace. We had a lovely time and took time for ourselves, to share time and space together.

My wife shared the following poem with me. It turns out she'd been writing it for three days. As I consider the past couple of days I celebrate that I honoured the needs of myself and my wife. Yes, this was selfish, but then what is selfishness next to an unauthentic effort to attend a wedding. If your heart is not in the giving, then what is the point of the gift?

Between Space and Time

The rain fell that day
Tiny prisms of captured moments
Arms outstretched, you embraced
Your unguarded heart
And the fullness of your potential.

Moment by moment I've watched you
Unfolding, yielding to your truth
Replacing the bitter stains of disillusionment
As each new experience peeled away
The masque
And only your brilliance remained.

Today you stand
Where soul meets body
The point of intersection
Between space and time
Answering the challenge
To remember the Truth
In thought and word and deed
Walking through mirrored light
To stand in Source.

She told me that she had written this poem about me and for me. After 11 years of marriage we have indeed travelled far and wide. We have explored our oceans and our shores. We have encountered storms, feel the mainsail stretched to its limit. Yet the ship has come now upon a calm stretch of ocean. The cries of a seagull can be heard floating overhead. The waves lap upon the hull and as I look my sight is set upon my centre and my horizon. Here is the partner I have chosen to spend my life with reflecting through this poem what she has perceived in me. She was perhaps the first person in my life to believe in me. I cannot speak for what might have happened had I not met her. But here I am now speaking for what has happened. And for all my blogs, poems, and tweets I believe she has done a better and more artistic job of capturing me than I could ever done.

Relationships can become partnerships. The lessons of relationships are about awareness, fulfillment, and healing. Somehow, and I am not certain as to that how, I attracted my wife into my life. She has ever raised a mirror to me, reflecting the truth of who I am. Her belief in who I am has allowed me to come to experience fulfillment. And yes, all this and more has supported the healing I have done for myself.

Thank you, dearest partner. This is a magnificent path we walk together.

Workshop Idea: "Awakening the Sacred Self"

2010-06-21T22:02:00.001-06:00

On Sunday afternoon I was reading, meditating, and generally enjoying a chance to relax. At some point an idea jumped into my head. "What about a series of workshops designed to awaken the Sacred Self?" I knew that it was an inspired idea because I was suddenly filled with a great sense of peace, joy, and energy. I then proceeded to begin to sketch out an outline. Tonight I returned to this outline and after a couple of hours suddenly found myself having drawn 4 different books from my library, and had in short order written the content for the first evening of this workshop.

As I sit back and prepare for meditation I cannot help but smile at myself. It would seem that this little innocent 'idea' is becoming a serious project. I'm not certain quite how it will end up but I suspect that it's going to be a lot of fun to put together. For one thing, I still have an outstanding assignment for my Practitioner Intern training to write up a workshop outline: I'll be checking THAT one off the to-do list soon enough!

But perhaps more interestingly, this is playing on an internal conversation I've been having for a few months. When I first started the daily meditation circles in Second Life (we meditate every evening at 9.30pm PST) I had wondered at bringing SOM cirriculum into that environment. However, it was not long before I discovered that there would some challenges with that. For one thing, the general practice is for Ministers to deliver such training (at least if it is to be accepted for credits for students). In addition, the organization that owns that content is apparently preparing to expand this cirriculum online. I'm a big fan of 'effortless' and once I realized that such an approach would actually be quite complex I released the idea to the Universe.

Then about two months ago I began to consciously sprinkle Science of Mind teachings in the form of 10 minute snippets before each meditation. To help set the context you should know that each evening we open with an invocation to set sacred space, I share the context for the meditation for the evening along with spiritual truths that come to mind, we meditate for 20-30 minutes, and then I close with an affirmative prayer. We then rest for a while and share in community. Sometimes this is 30 minutes and sometimes we've stayed chatting for 2 hours.

As I look at what has started to unfold I'm excited by this. For one thing, a selfish motive is behind this; I want to take this journey that is being revealed to me myself. For another thing, it would be wonderful to share this journey with others in Second Life. This workshop would take my online efforts to another level. And of course, by authoring this body of work (but drawing on some well trodden spiritual pathways and ideas) I bypass any concerns about stepping on toes. It really does strike me as a win-win.

I also realized that such a workshop would require a different approach. I've yet to determine quite how this will look but I'm drawn to the idea of a weekly event, likely around 7.30pm PST on Sundays. And unlike the meditations I shall be approaching the 150 or so members of the Second Life Community for Spiritual Living for a commitment. The central idea being, that attendance is expected and some exchange of energy will be required. The idea that comes to mind is that even if just 1-2 truly committed people show up, that will be 1 or 2 people who will be sharing this journey with me in consciousness.

If you're someone who frequents Second Life and are intrigued by this idea please feel free to IM me, send me a Notecard, or leave a Comment with your SL name below. I cannot make any promises, but if the fit feels right then I'd love to share this journey with you.

Know the Flow as you go,
Carmien

PS. Now, I've really gone and done it! By blogging about this I HAVE to deliver on this project. :)

PPS. And obviously, this workshop will be something that can be delivered in Real Life as well.

The Fifth Agreement

2010-06-19T08:19:00.002-06:00

I recently finished reading a wonderful book and thought I'd review it for you. I can wholeheartedly recommend The Fifth Agreement, by Don Miguel Ruiz, and Don Jose Ruiz. As a book it offers a clear and accessible way of considering how to live your life.

The First Agreement is: Be impeccable with your word. In short, this means to be mindful of how you think, how you speak, how you communicate. Are your thoughts and words in alignment with your highest self? When you are impeccable with your word you do not gossip, or slander others. Rather, your words and thoughts support an idea that everything is perfect. You speak with integrity, and use the power of your word in the direction of truth and love.

The Second Agreement is: Don't take anything personally. Truth is that we are each living our own story. You, me, and everyone else is experiencing the world through our own projected reality. In turn, nothing that others do is because of you. Anything that someone thinks about you is not a thought about YOU, but a thought about THEIR IMAGE OF YOU. Once you realize this it suddenly becomes obvious that any opinion is only valid for the holder of the opinion. It's not valid for you.

The Third Agreement: Don't make assumptions. Don't assume that you know what's going on for people as they are immersed in their projected reality. If you believe someone is doing something and you do not feel good about it, then communicate with them. But be clear that what you feel is a product of how YOU have interpreted your projection of reality. And with meaningful communication we can avoid the sadness and drama that so often goes hand in hand with assumptions.

The Fourth Agreement: Always do your best. Actually, this one really is, for me at least, about knowing that we are ALWAYS doing our best. Our best may change from time to time, but we are always doing what we can in any given moment with what we have, believe, feel, and think. Always know that you are doing your best. When you can know and accept this you release self-judgement and regret. This applies to others in your experience. Always know that they are trying their best.

This is where the Four Agreements (obviously) left off. For me the key is, when I am impeccable with my word, that not taking things personally, not making assumptions, and knowing that I'm always doing my best seem to make more sense. It all starts with being impeccable with my word. However, the first four are only a setup for what I believe may the most important agreement of all.

The Fifth Agreement: Be skeptical, but learn to listen. Don't believe a word that anyone says, or that you say for that matter. But learn to listen. Learn to doubt. Learn to listen for the intent behind the words. Learn to listen to your higher self. The power of doubt is the fuel of the seeker (or what the author calls the warrior). The seeker will switch between knowing the five agreements, the Truth, and forgetting them. Our spiritual practice requires that we doubt, and listen for the intent and Truth in everything. We should ONLY accept that which resonates as truth and let everything else pass us by.

I have never done a book review on my blog before. However, I feel this was worthwhile. The Fifth Agreement really is a wonderful book. Everything I read in it lines up with what I believe, but the author did a fantastic job of clearly articulating a process and mindset to follow. And the bonus - the Four Agreements are included with the Fifth in this book. If you haven't read The Four Agreements then do not worry; you get five for the price of one in this special deal.

Celebrating Manifestation

2010-06-15T22:20:00.000-06:00

Perhaps my second favourite spiritual practice (the first being Meditation) is to celebrate. As I was driving home tonight I was struck by the past two days and how much I have to celebrate. What better place to celebrate than through my online journal (or blog - my third favourite spiritual practice)?

On Monday night I had the pleasure, as a Teaching Assistant to the Edmonton Centre for Spiritual Living Foundations class, to witness half the class complete their course and present their final projects. The level of consciousness was amazing. But perhaps the most touching moment for me was something that resulted from a seed planted on my part many months ago.

Back in October of 2009 I had the great honour of sponsoring Michael Bernard Beckwith, the spiritual leader of the Agape centre and inspiring spiritual liberator, coming to Edmonton. I run a business and when I heard that the centre was looking for corporate sponsors I immediately grabbed the sponsorship package. Within about a minute I was writing a significant cheque to be the headlining sponsor. At the time I knew that this was not about marketing, or getting business. I had heard Michael Beckwith from afar (on the movie The Secret and a couple of videos) and had resonated with his passion and his spirituality. I knew that my sponsoring this event was really a form of giving to help bring Michael to us in Edmonton.

So imagine my surprise when two of the students that shared their project informed us that they had come to the centre after attending Michael's event! My heart filled with love and in that moment as I considered the growth they'd shown over the past 16 weeks and what they were presenting that night that I had had a part, albeit tiny, in helping them to discover the philosophy I love so dearly. In effect, I was witnessing a manifestation of exactly the intent I had set back in late 2009.

What is interesting is that last week I had been working through perceived challenges around abundance. It seems that I have been wrestling additional hidden beliefs around worth and last week involved a lot of prayer and meditation on my part. I did not blog about this challenge but I did share it with the Second Life meditation circle. By Wednesday I had identified the belief, prayed for it and could feel the shift within my heart. By this Monday a sign of my abundance became clear. The money I have is God's money. When I serve God with the money I earn through my business it WILL be magnified and returned in wondrous ways. The testimony of those two students came at a most Divine time!

The message of this blog is perhaps centred around celebration. Every day seems to present me an experience or an event that humbles me, that reminds me of how beautiful and perfect life is. And each day it is for me to discern the perfection and to celebrate it. And the more bitter the challenges and trials, the sweeter it will taste when you come through the other side.

Know the Flow as you go

What I Believe...

2010-06-14T00:04:00.000-06:00

Tonight I thought I would keep the blog very short, and to the point. The following video does a magnificent job of capturing what I believe:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PG2GXGyVfk8&feature=player_embedded

It inspires me. For one, I believe it is time to clean up the first few chapters of the fictional spiritual story I began a couple of months ago. And for two, I think a spiritual podcast would be an interesting project.

Know the Flow as you go

The Game of Spiritual Risk

2010-06-11T08:50:00.001-06:00

With my Professional Practitioner written exam tomorrow morning I have spent much of my spare time this week studying. However, I did want to take some time to share a story with you. On Monday night I had the great pleasure to be at a Science of Mind Foundations class where students were delivering their projects. There were many wonderful presentations but one in particular is begging to be told.

One student told of a story of a game of Risk he had played the night before. He was playing it with 2 other people, one of whom had been working in the field of professional development for over 20 years. He decided to apply spiritual principles as he played. His opponents were apparently quite vocal in their efforts to dissuade him from this approach, since, apparently, the game could not be won this way, and well, that's just not how it is played. "It's all about taking risks," they said.

Unflinching, he forged on with this approach certain that it would work. For example, he applied the principle of taking only what he needed by stopping as soon as he took one country. As they played he would explain each principle that he was applying.

And much to everyone's surprise he won. What stuck me was that he explained that when he won he didn't get excited. He simply had a calm feeling of, "that was cool...now let's move on.". Of all the things that he said this stood out as the sign that he had truly embraced somethingi beautiful in his life and that his understanding and experience had grown. In my experience when I act from a place of calm knowing I am on course with the Divine.

As I consider this young man and that night I am struck by a perceived shift. Even as I think back to 5 years ago and the consciousness of students coming into class and what I witnessed this week it is becoming ever more apparent that there is a definite elevation of awareness and grasping of spiritual principles. I am sure this evolution of consciousness has been going on for eternity. In addition, it is one thing to talk about a spiritual idea, but quite another to apply them and to be able to explain them in such an accessible way to others.

Certainly his oratory ability had something to do with the delivery and its impact. However, all told I was graced with about 10 project presentations. Each one was unique, different, and yet extremely profound. Each student stepped forth and demonstrated the realization that sharing how they understand living life mindfully is not a risk, but an opportunity.

Depending on your perspective you might believe that every choice is a risk. There is the possibility that our choices could lead us down a path that we did not intend. But I know that the consequence of every choice is a gift. And the gift of life is to make our choices with a clear understanding and knowing that every condition is not a risk that materialized, but an opportunity to gain a greater self awareness. When we hold such a consciousness we can only grow, and our experience will become a virtuous cycle that leads us ever back to the One. And as this student proved applying spiritual principles as you take risks really is a sure way to win.

The Experience of Surrender and the Deepening of Faith

2010-06-05T13:45:00.000-06:00

Last night I had the honour to support someone in their moment of need. Someone who meditates with me in the daily meditation circles in Second Life wanted support with an experience they were having. They wanted to talk with me as a Practitioner. By the time we were done I was deeply moved along my own path.

Those of you who follow my blog will likely recall my writing about studying to become a Professional Practitioner (RScP) with the International Centres for Spiritual Living. Such sessions are a part of how a Practitioner serves. In effect I am training to be a spiritual coach. A Practitioner listens from a place of love, knowing the God and perfection in the person coming to them for support, looks for the mental cause behind the condition through listening and questions, and then offers an Affirmative Prayer to complete the process. The basic idea is that we have everything within us to reveal Wholeness, but sometimes we need a little help. A Practitioner is trained in the art and science of revealing Truth.

During my Practitioner internship these past few months I've had the honor of supporting a number of people. However, as I sat down last night and began to listen I had a most interesting experience. I started to feel fear. As I listened to them share their story I felt as if I was out of my depth. Have you ever had that sense of feeling like a fraud, as if you were not qualified or experienced enough? Well that's how I felt. The more I heard the more intense the situation sounded.

And then a beautiful thing happened. I suddenly felt a surge of love and in my heart I had this sense of surrender. I knew that I had to simply hold a knowing that both I and the person opening their heart to me were coming together as two aspects of the Divine. And so I released the fear. I told myself that I should listen and allow the whispers of Truth to reveal what needed to be revealed for perfect healing. And in that moment I suddenly knew that everything that needed to be revealed would be.

As I sit back and consider this experience in the light of hindsight I believe that my spiritual practice and placing my faith in God in that challenging moment resulted in a magnificent outcome. For you see, as the session unfolded I became the observer centered in a knowing of Love. Questions from nowhere jumped into my mind. Those questions helped the person I was working with to dig deeper and past the 'story' toward cause And then we had it: in a flash the Mental Cause was realized and the true healing began. I felt that surge of connection and love, every fibre of my being knowing that something had shifted. And in turn, their voice and their tears confirmed the realization.

I am reminded of the saying, "I might not know what to do, but Something within me always does." Surrender is not about giving up or giving in, it is about giving over everything, all our fears and doubts to God. For me last night was a precious experience. I allowed myself to truly surrender and then got to witness Divine experience move through us. My belief and faith has shifted and been strengthened for this experience. The more we are reminded that God can take care of all our needs, if we would allow it, the stronger our faith becomes.

A Request for Thought Support

2010-06-02T10:26:00.000-06:00

Dear friends in consciousness,

Something magnificent is happening! I am writing to you to ask for thought support in making a Big Leap. I shall explain.

As you may already know I have been blogging here since January 2009. I started this blog with the intent to learn more about a yearning within to bring my spiritual ideas into technology (and in particular embrace the spiritual practice of journaling). I’ve been playing with technology professionally for over 15 years now (and I've blogged about my story in the past). It’s now gotten to the point that I’ve even invented a word (techaphysical/techaphysics) to help me describe the coming together of these two ideas.

Since then, I’ve jumped into Facebook, started a daily meditation group in Second Life, and now I Tweet on Twitter (@KnowTheFlow). This ‘techaphysical’ journey is truly transformative. At its core, technology is a powerful platform for my spiritual practice. Blogging brings together contemplation in the form of written ideas and spiritual poetry. Twitter allows me to post inspirational quotes throughout the day, and express my moments of practicing the Presence. I direct some of these tweets automatically onto Facebook. And Second Life supports the daily practice of meditation.

At the bottom of this blog I’ve included a visual graph that shows a jump in visitors to this blog (which since you're reading this includes you - thank you!). The 237% increase over the previous month (for 370 page views during May 2010) is an interesting story, but it’s not the real story. The real stories are the ongoing messages I hear, and the conversations I have with people that I meet through this techaphysical ministry. I’m hearing stories of people telling me that their lives are being transformed. It’s a joy to hear someone say that since they’ve been meditating every day they’ve started to notice their life changing for the better.

I know this much: The original ideas I had about how I would go about this have dissolved. As this journey has progressed it has been a delight to constantly discover a bigger idea unfolding, and invariably I have very little to do with this process. The Divine knows best and the unfolding of this path often reminds me to gasp in wonder. I don’t know where this is going, but something with me does. What I do know is that I feel an incredible sense of peace and passion around this techaphysical ministry.

A few nights ago during a meditation I had a new and bigger idea come to mind that will unfold over the coming months. As I have been contemplating this new techaphysical idea over the past couple of days I’ve had moments of uncertainty and fear. I have been catching myself, but having allies in such endeavours is always powerful. And so I am making a request for thought support to anyone reading this message.

Please hold my techaphysical ministry in your prayers and thoughts: That Carmien knows clarity, focus, ease and grace at all times!

Know the Flow as you go.

The Art of Perception

2010-05-29T16:04:00.000-06:00

I once heard a story about a plane flight. The plane hit a rough patch of turbulance and pretty soon everyone was holding onto their chairs and checking their seatbelts. That is, except for a young boy near the front. After a few minutes of 100 feet dips and climbs he started to shout out, "WEEEEEEEE...." The boy it seemed had no notion of fear in that moment, and decided that the rollercoaster ride was worth celebrating.

That has to be one of the most profound stories about perception I've ever heard. That said were I to start shouting WEEEEEEE during the next flight of turbulance I'd better be very sure that I really mean it. Trying to emulate that boy with anything less than complete instinctive joy would make Emerson turn in his grave. And yet, I am resolved to inwardly know joy and gratitude toward all events, choices, and expressions with integrity (regardless of belief driven prejudice, or my 'likes').

I was reminded of the above story when earlier today I read a tweet that I'd like to paraphrase. A great way to embrace a spiritual life is to practice the art of gasping. It begs the question, when was the last time I gasped in wonder? There's something about simple that always reminds me of the Divine.

At the same time I have to say that Twitter is a lot of fun. Capturing a thought in 140 characters or less really strikes me as a great constraint for simplicity. Twitter is, in my humble opinion, a great tool for practicing the Presence.

Over the past few days I've found myself reading a great many Tweets, and in turn being inspired to share my own. As I reflect upon this phase of my journey I am struck by how applicable perception is to the Twitter experience. I've seen a multitude of expression from the virtuous to the wicked, across a spectrum that starts from inspiring introspection to extroverted judgment. Yet I cannot help but be reminded that my perception is instrumental to my experience. Taking exception to the expression of others is a sure way to slip down that slippery slope, you know, where toward the bottom we become that which we detest; our inward criticism bursting forth to become words that fail to accept. And yet with a practiced hand at the art of perception we will find criticism dispelled in the light of Truth.

I have a sneaking suspicion that this blog entry is actually motivated by a selfish desire on the part of my higher self to recall acceptance and mindfully practice the art of perception. And in that vein I shall quote one of my own Tweets posted earlier today:

I cannot find any place where the created is separate from the Creator. A failure to live in spiritual acceptance then is to judge God.

Find me on Twitter as @KnowTheFlow

Getting Techaphysical

2010-05-26T08:55:00.000-06:00

A friend of mine recently posted a comment on my blog about my living a noble purpose for technology. As someone who is learning how to listen each day I paused and made an effort to dig beyond the surface.

After some moments of reflection I'm deeply touched by what she is reflecting in me. When I am moved (an emotional reaction) I like to enquire as to the feelings being expressed and the beliefs influencing how I feel. As a part of some self-enquiry I then got to wondering what actions I might be taking that would support such a statement. Why can I believe in what she sees in me? And why would I be so touched by her words of love?

Yesterday, with less than 24 hours on Twitter and convinced that it is a great tool to practice the Presence, I invented a new word. Techaphysics (or being techaphysical): the use of technology concerned with abstract thoughts related to Spiritual Truth. Or put more simply: I see technology as a tool to enable the sharing of ideas around 'mindfuless, awareness, wisdom, and kindness'.

Around 5 years ago I took the first step on a path that I now view as the most significant journey of transformation in my experience thus far. After discovering the Centre for Spiritual Living, Edmonton, and The Science of Mind, I started on a phase of my life journey that has been a complete re-invention of who I am and how I live my life. In short, I started to learn how to think.

However, I'd been playing with technology for many years already (regular followers of my blog will have read posts about this part of my story, including how I met my wife on-line). And then about 3 years ago an idea began to form. What if I could combine my passions for spiritual living and technology?

In January 2009 I began this blog. On February 9th, 2009, I began leading a daily meditation circle in Second Life. A short while later I created a Facebook page. And as of yesterday I created a Twitter account called KnowTheFlow.

But what does it mean to get techaphysical? In short, I've invented this word because I felt drawn to create a label that encapsulated the idea of living my highest self with loving-kindness through technology. There is a spiritual principle that when I give joyfully, and without attachment to an outcome, I shall receive in kind (the Law of Circulation). The same spiritual principle applies when you are giving to others through technology. I don't tweet, blog, or share on Second Life with any expectations. I simply share what is longing to be expressed, and I celebrate that the Divine extended the gift of being able to express myself through the written and spoken word.

When I have a thought that jumps into my mind I tweet about it (and I can forward my tweets onto Facebook). When I have a string of thoughts, or a bigger idea, I blog about them. And each day at 9.30pm PST I lead a meditation group. I am truly humbled by those that gather each day to share this time with me, and the 130+ people that have been touched by this community in some way. The daily meditation group in Second Life is another techaphysical joy. The community that is forming there, the wonderful expressions of the Divine I have met and come to call friends, truly is a wonder. Each day I get to hear wisdom, and to learn from, so many wonderful people. Each day I marvel at how much wisdom and loving-kindness there is in the world.

My life's purpose is to inspire and support the transformation of consciousness. When I first started visiting Second Life someone suggested that people went to this virtual 3D world to escape reality. My reaction then (and it remains the same) was that if I am thinking in Second Life then surely I am escaping nothing, for wherever I go and wherever I think I perceive my reality. Getting techaphysical is, simply put, one way of my living my purpose. Every tweet I read is a gift to recognize the Presence, and every tweet I make a chance to practice the Presence. Every evening I spend with the Community for Spiritual Living in Second Life is a chance to learn and bask in loving-awareness. And every blog I post is a chance to reflect, contemplate, and celebrate.

In short, my getting techaphysical has enabled me to effortlessly bring two passions together. Now isn't that worth a new word?

Now on Twitter: @KnowTheFlow

2010-05-24T21:19:00.000-06:00

I've been on Twitter professionally for a short while now. After some thought I've created an account called @KnowTheFlow.

I'll be using Twitter to share thoughts as they come throughout the day. My thinking is that Twitter can actually be a tool to support mindfulness. If you set the intention to be 'impeccable with your word' and post to Twitter as you think and speak in a spiritual way then you'll benefit through more opportunities to be aware. Of course, such opportunities require awareness and practice. But we all know that's a part of the art and heart of life; finding ways to be aware so that we can connect with the higher self is why we're here. To see Unity inspite of the perceived duality that rages around us.

At any rate, if you're on Twitter I'd love to connect. And if you're not, take a look and let me know what you think.

Reflections of a humbling experience

2010-05-23T00:13:00.000-06:00

During meditation tonight I was asked a profound question. A day after my hospital visit how did I feel? What had I been reflecting upon?

The question was profound for me because the past 24 hours have been filled with much reflection and meditation. As I look back upon last night I find myself even clearer about my life's purpose. Everything I believe, my faith in Oneness and the creative process, and the purpose of experiencing challenges as we do, is all about our opportunity to awaken from being asleep, to live life from a place of love and acceptance. It is like each experience really is a calling to shift from being a channel of self to a channel of Grace.

And yet, I realize that all I did was to reflect consciousness yesterday. It was a little thing, to listen to Mary from a place of love and acceptance. I use the word 'little' because I feel humbled in the exchange of her gift, her story, and her current experience. I feel like I was a mirror and realize that these past few years have been about polishing the mirror that I am, ensuring that cracks are smoothed and chips cleaned up so that what I reflect to others might be clearer. And as I consider this analogy I suddenly realize that I've been using the word 'reflection' as a tag for many of my blogs.

Humbled to witness the gift in cancer

2010-05-21T21:08:00.000-06:00

As a part of our Practitioner training we are asked to make a hospital visit. When I mentioned in class that I did not know anyone in hospital another Practitioner Intern asked me if I'd like to visit her cousin. It turns out that Mary (not her real name) had had cancer for over a year. As I entered the elevator with my Practitioner friend she informed me that her cousin was on Morphine every 4 hours with an option for an injection every hour. She then commented that that was the same dosage level that her mother had been on when she had died.

When we entered the room it was clear that Mary was surrounded by family. There were already 4 people there; it felt good to know that she was surrounded by love. At that point I had a chance to spend a few moments in meditation. I realized that I'd not had the opportunity to re-read the study materials on hospital visitations. But a wonderful thing happened. As I meditated I felt a sense of peace accompanied by my thought that I would know the right and perfect thing to say.

After the welcome and greetings I found a seat (a wheelchair as it happens) and listened. I focused on seeing Mary as perfect, with all that she needed for perfect health within her. As the conversation began I soon realized that healing had started happening before I had arrived.

A year ago Mary had had a tumour in her bowel removed. However, they had also treated her with radiation and chemo. And then two months ago she had had another tumour as well as a part of her bowels removed. Work had been done to stitch her insides back together again but such was the blackened damage from the chemical and radioactive treatment that things had started falling apart from the inside. The prognosis is currently that the cancer has been completely removed but she'll need another month for her insides to heal.

But then an interesting thing started to happen. I noticed that for someone on such a regimine of pain-killers that she appeared very lucid. I commented on this and asked her how she was feeling. She felt good, she said. And turning to her partner I asked how he was doing. He was doing well, but as you can imagine much of his non-working time was now living in her hospital room after he returned from work.

Before long other signs of the real reasons for healing started to be revealed. Mary had used to be, as she put it, a 'control freak'. She was learning to let go. I commended her and asked her how she was with all the friends and family surrounding her with love and supporting her. She answered that she was also learning how to receive love for the first time in her life. It was clear that she was learning how to accept. I asked her if that was the case and after a few rounds of conversation I asked her what she felt about the idea of 'surrender', the idea of completely releasing and letting go. Her response showed that the shrinking of her world over the past year had brought wisdom and profound realization to her.

She then shared that she had started praying alot, a somewhat new practice. She believed in the 'Creator' and spoke about an experience of praying with her husband for the first time ever. The conversation flowed and topics such as meditation were discussed. She had heard about the practice but was not quite sure how to 'do it'. I suggested a simple way of focusing on her breathing, perhaps starting for a minute to keep her mind clear. She nodded at that and for a while the conversation then shifted to the two cousins sharing stories about their family. Mary's 4 children were now staying with her mum and dad, but it turned out they had been with her sister for a while before her sister had become overwhelmed.

She reminisced on this for a while and spoke about how at first she had struggled with her sister asking for her forgiveness after having become overwhelmed at being a surrogate parent to her four children. Mary shared the story of her forgiving her sister. At around this point I could sense my intution raising the Good bumps on my neck. After further sharing of the work she had been doing she then shared her vision for the future. She was clear that she was now done with cancer, and that when she was healed she would go out into the world to share her stories and help support the transformation of others.

With moist eyes I suddenly felt incredibly humbled. Here was a woman recovering from cancer, a hole in her belly, only allowed ice to drink, living on an IV for food, and a bag to go to the toilet in, and yet in spite of all that she was talking about receiving love, forgiveness, acceptance, and using her story to inspire others. I was deeply moved.

And then my Practitioner friend asked her if she wanted a treatment. In a place of great knowing I shared a prayer. Mary cried after I had finished and I was left with the feeling that a release had occurred. I looked at her and my final words were to tell Mary that she had everything she needed within her for perfect health.

As I look back on this experience I'm left with the feeling that I am clearer on my own purpose. Mary has, like me, experienced alcohol and drugs as lessons in her life. I could relate to her background and am grateful for not having chosen cancer as a lesson. And yet I have been deeply touched and humbled. My meeting with Mary only confirmed my beliefs about cancer and healing, and how the Divine works in, as, and through all. To have witnessed the gift of cancer through this individualized aspect of the Divine may well be one of the most inspiring experiences I will ever have.

One Sentence Demonstration

2010-05-17T08:04:00.001-06:00

I have a wonderful story to share. A few days after we shifted into the role of 'Practitioner Intern' (you know, where we are actually able to take on clients for affirmative prayer) I was in conversation with someone in the parking lot outside of the Centre. We had been speaking and they had mentioned that they had been struggling with purpose and being clear. As I heard this I responded by offering to support them in Visioning and affirmative prayer. As they took my email down I told them that regardless of what happened I knew that Divine Power was within them and they had everything they need. They never did follow up with me and book a session. However, each time I remembered the conversation I knew that their choosing to not book a treatment with me was perfect.

Yesterday they approached me at the Centre and made a point of cornering me. They wanted me to know that what I had said in that moment about their being Perfect and having everything they needed within them right here and right now had worked wonders. They went on to say that they had not booked a treatment with me because the moment had been so profound that it had struck them that everything that had been needed as a treatment had been enough; the simple decision to know the Divine in them with conviction had reminded them of what they needed to know.

How sweet is that? They were ready to believe and to know for themselves and do the work from there. The event reminded me of how powerful even the briefest of moments can be.

Intention and Meditation

2010-05-16T00:19:00.000-06:00

How interesting life can be, particularly when we recognize the Divine whisper of Truth.

Earlier today I was in a mini-retreat with one my teachers, Rev. Patrick Cameron. He said something that jumped into my awareness and clarified for me something that I do and know. But he put words to it that made so much sense. He said that when he treats now that he starts from a place of purpose. He gets clear on why he is here, and everything else unfolds from there.

That thought and moment stayed with me until it was time to log into Second Life. As you may know each evening I go into Second Life and spend time in spiritual community, facilitating a meditation as a part of my spiritual practice. Tonight's meditation that came to mind was to be silent, focusing on breath.

But then, as I was settling in and getting myself into that 'space', an idea came to mind. What if we meditated on the idea of purpose and intention?

To set the context I shared a few thoughts on values and intention. A value is a personal principle, standard, or quality. Values are some of the most powerful motivators we have. Our values add a lot of fuel to the creative process, and are often quite central to the intention we set. If we are unaware of our values our ability to get clear on our purpose, and to be motivated by it, will suffer. On the contrary, learning about our values is something that provides a deep and holistic support to our experience.

The question then becomes, how to understand what our values are? We all want something. Everyone has desires and aspirations. However, that 'want' can sometimes be unclear or unknown. Or worse still, wants can be unacknowledged when we do not take the time to ask ourselves, what do I want to be? What is my life's purpose?

And through this comes the idea of intention. But it is important to first ask oneself, what do I want to be? Once you know what you want to be, then you can ask yourself what do you want to do? In turn, it can become very interesting when our intentions conflict. For example, what if you want to take a trip to an exotic location but are scared about getting sick from a tropical disease? Such conflicting intention should be a prompt for us to examine our intentions, decide which one we want, and then focus on that. In my previous example I expect most would set the tropical disease down as a belief that needs to be released and focus on the desire to travel.

With a knowing of the limitless potention of the Divine and that thought creates, and believing that the Divine Power is within yourself, it's then time to know exactly what you want. The final thought before starting the meditation was that if any were present did not know their purpose then they should pray, or hold a knowing, for clarity and focus on their purpose. To ask the Divine to let you know what your purpose is a great question I think. It's like asking, how can I serve, how can I help? Do you think the Divine is going to ignore such questions? I think not. With this premise and context set we then meditated upon our life's purpose, our intention.

As is always the case when the meditation is done I invite those gathered to share their experience if they feel comfortable. The sharings from the circle were stunning. I felt honoured to be a witness to such insights and realizations from those who had turned up this evening.

Of the many comments and questions a couple are with me still as I write this weblog. Someone asked, does the Divine acknowledge unfulfilled intentions? My response to that is that our thoughts, our intentions, are always imprinted upon the Divine and thus creating. However, if there is a delay in a demonstration (our intention not showing up) then this simply means we are not ready; that a thought or belief needs to be neutralized and replaced with a new idea based on Spiritual Truth (a topic for another blog methinks). Another spoke of the peace they felt as their awareness was drawn to a book of theirs that is currently being printed. And as I heard her speak it was clear to me that her emotion of peace was like the Universe providing this signpost that was saying, "Yep, that's good work...keep it up." Emotions are a wonderful indicator of when we are living life's purpose. If you feel unhappy then perhaps it's time to work on your values and intention. And if you feel great and at peace all the time the chances are that your choices are lining up behind who you are meant to be.

And to think, this all came from a single comment shared by someone earlier in the day. This whole event was completely unplanned, but it felt wonderful to behold. But then, my life's purpose is to inspire and support the transformation of consciousness. Is it any surprise then that the Universe should inspire as it did today?

Feelings

2010-05-14T22:13:00.001-06:00

I was reading a passage tonight that jumped out at me. "Feelings get our attention. They give us clues to the buried beliefs of past experience. They are built-in guides to what needs to be released to make way for a greater expression of God. They are a part of us that enables us to be self-healing entities."

There's something profoundly beautiful in this statement. I have been working on understanding my emotional reactions, seeking to understand the difference between reaction and response. A part of my internal work has been about contemplating the way in which my feelings express as emotion. And yet, if the above is true (and it sounds like the truth to me) then the matter of import is not that I react but that I critically think about how I can heal through the experience of emotion. I think I am seeing that emotions can help me understand what needs to be released by way of belief, value or attitude.

In this moment, as I write these words, I have a sense that something is unlocking for me. I've been drifting on a sea like driftwood for a while now on the topic of my emotions. How timely this is. Tomorrow I spend a day in retreat as a part of the final day of class as a Practitioner Intern. On June 12th we take our final exam. September will see our oral panel and I am already receiving letters of demonstration as a Practitioner. On one hand I feel like I am making breakthroughs so often now. And yet on the other hand it feels like I am just beginning. How beautiful the idea of emotions seem to me now.

My feelings better describe what God means to me than my words ever could.

Know the Flow as you go.

Living in Grace

2010-05-10T23:55:00.000-06:00

The word Grace appears in many religions. Whilst the word Grace may be a finite idea, as a word I believe it is an idea that is seeking us. We may struggle for the meaning of Grace through the use and understanding of a single word. But ultimately, grace is a deeply personal ideal. Grace will at best be a poor vehicle to describe such a deep and potentially Infinite idea. And with that in mind I shall share a few thoughts on what living in Grace means to me.

Perhaps a definition to start with is that Grace is the Divine nature. When we are living in Grace we are aware of the Divine nature within us. We are each individualized aspects of the Divine. Our natural condition, the state that God would want us to live within is one of Grace. However, it is the tension of separation that pulls us away from this ideal.

You may have felt Grace in the past. It might have felt as a lightness, as if energy and electricity coursed through your entire body, as though your sight were filled with a white haze, or all that you saw was on fire. Or maybe you felt complete and blessed? Whatever the feeling that Grace has expressed itself within you it strikes me that the definition of grace remains a deeply personal experience, unique in subtle ways to us all.

Perhaps you have felt as though Grace were working in your life and that you were a witness to it, marvelling at the effortlessness with which things seemed to magically come together? Whatever the expression it is my belief that we are most likely to experience Grace when we surrender. When we can place our desires, our need to make others understand, our urge to control and grasp at power, we begin to clear the way for the Divine to work through us. In such moments it is almost as if we are getting out of the way. Perhaps the art of observing life, and being still within that which passes about us, is to become the witness. A witness can observe what is taking place.

The more we learn to surrender and allow ourselves to witness the world the more we can learn to release attachment to the urges of self to control and influence events and others. When we truly surrender we come to a place where we think first of how the Divine made all this come to pass. In such a state we start to recognize the effect and marvel at the cause.

As we come to behold the cause and recognize its Source we sense that everything is unfolding as it should be. Knowing that God is behind everything that occurs and unfolds is deep surrender. And with such awareness we enter a life of Grace. And when we are living in a state of Grace the Divine flows through us. A virtuous circle begins to operate through us and suddently effortlessness begins to be a core effect in our experience.

A teacher called Joel Goldsmith once wrote about the importance of being a transparency for God. In this place we do not give up our individual power or highest intentions. Rather we align our entire being consciously and mindfully to living from a place of the highest and best intention. Our sight of the Divine sits next to our awareness of the ego.

In such a state we can recognize the urges of the self and the unfolding of God, understanding that integrating both these urges is an idea central to our existance. If all was created by God, then the idea of the ego, of individual personality seeking to survive within the experience called this world, was also created by God.

Ernest Holmes, the author of the Science of Mind, once wrote the following. "How much can any man experience? As much as he can embody. These is nothing fatalistic about this. We are so constituted that we can continuously increase our embodiment. We grow in grace, as it were. We grow in power annd theoretically there should be no limit to that growth. But right today we can expect to demonstrate, or to have our prayers answered according to our belief and the embodiment of that belief."

And now that you have read these musings of what I believe Grace to be, ask yourself the question, What do you believe it means to grow in Grace? And then, mindful of your thoughts and feelings, consider how you are allowing Grace to manifest in your life?