Saturday, June 4, 2016

Mind If I Play Through?

Some think I talk (type) too much. That I never use one word when ten are available. They're right. So, for all you 'succinctists' out there, let me make a concession. I'll put it as simply as I ever have.

"I am the Source and I am the Course." 

You get that, you've really got something.

Friday, June 3, 2016

Back Stage

The dynamic of what just took place on this blog was rather interesting, wasn't it? Take another look at the last paragraph of the May 30th post, "What Next?" Now look at the last sentence. (That's  what's next...) The June 1st title was, "I Knew That Was Going To Happen!," where I smugly admit G-G-G is like the scientific theory of determinism. And yesterday brought us "Manifestation," a first time ever (for this site) guest blog by Robin Lee.

Know this--I first became aware of Robin Lee May 4th of last month. I read an article about soul mates at "Rebelle Society," that happened to be penned by her. I was curious and looked to see if she was on Facebook. She was, so I 'messaged' to tell her how much I enjoyed her article. Her reply was gracious. No further contact was made until yesterday (though I had made comments on her thread) when I asked permission to use "Love Letter." That article was actually written a year ago--June 1st of 2015. Here is Robin's explanation for posting it on Facebook: "One year ago today I published this piece after writing while shaking from the very core of my being, in the midst of one of the most deeply painful (read: transformative) periods of my life so far. May it be of service to you as we transition gradually out of spring and into the full bloom of summer. Trust, and let go."

Know this--within an hour of my post of June 1st, I had read Robin's Facebook entry and messaged Gwenn. (11:10 AM PST) I asked her if it was possible to place an entire article (and picture) in the blog rather than 'linking' it. She didn't respond until the next morning, June 2nd. (6:12 AM). She said that yes, it could be done, but to e-mail it to her. I said I would do so after obtaining the authors permission. By 6:47 AM I had Robin's authorization. The rest was a waiting game. Gwenn is a very busy girl. I knew she was teaching a yoga class that morning and the best case scenario for getting the post back would be mid-afternoon. It was 7:27 PM when Gwenn let me know I could look over the results. At 8:44 PM it (Manifestation) was published. The importance I placed on getting it posted in one calendar day had been realized. (I felt the whole dynamic to be so wonderfully revealing that it became, in my mind, time sensitive.)

Know this--nobody really likes to hear how sausage is made, you just want to enjoy them. And reading about the nuts and bolts that go into a post, or a series of posts, is boring. But think: What Next--I Knew That Was Going to Happen!--Manifestation. It doesn't get any more overt. God is hitting you over the head with a spiritual 2 x 4. And if you can't recognize God when He appears, how will you be able to test the validity of G-G-G?

Thursday, June 2, 2016

Manifestation

I teach Gift-Gratitude-God. Taking events in your life, no matter there outward appearance, and perceiving them as a 'gift.' I have suggested that if you do so, and are genuinely grateful for the gift, an aspect of God will be revealed. Today, I am going to share with you how this would look. One manifestation of the Infinite. The article below was written by a young woman named Robin Lee. I asked her permission to use the piece. I ask you to remove your sandals* before reading it.




A LOVE LETTER TO THE TIME YOU GAVE YOUR POWER AWAY



Remember this moment — where you remembered your heart. Remember the messages — pounding deep inside, rising up with a howling and a headdress on.
It was you, saying to yourself, “I’m sorry.” Remember how, when you breathed, you felt the tightness in your heart, in your chest. You gave the pain a location. Your desire to be loved, but not because you are needy, because you have so much love to give, and you are getting even better at it.
Remember the call to return to yourself, for you have now experienced leaving once again. An experiment. The time you chose to hand your power over, almost entirely, to see how it felt. To see if it was indeed a release, as it can be for some, sometimes.
Remember that the aching you feel is not a longing for a person, it is a begging to return to your truth, to your light, because that is your purpose, you golden soul. The healing is hard because the path of the warrior is not easy, yet here you are, coming home with your battle cry laced with hearts.
A confusion about what lifts you up, what serves a purpose, what is meant to be — the questions don’t always have easy answers — but one thing is for sure, the only constant is change. The only question worth focusing on is where to find more kindling.
How to grow the flames, how to lace up the armor, how to break down the walls with your bare hands and your smile large and your laughter echoing just loud enough to emanate to the very core of the earth. And blossom you shall, my love. Now, as ever before, as always.
To rain your words and presence upon the world like a perfect summer burst, caught with your tongue out, trying to catch it all. The lesson driven home: your power can never really truly be taken, but it can always be reclaimed.
This process makes you stronger, and here you are, with arms like wings that still stretch wide to embrace. They welcome, because life is nothing if not the ultimate training in just showing up, and eventually, fearlessly.
Just arriving. Just breathing. Just descending upon the present moment with every ounce and atom and captivating sparkle that you, my love, are composed of. Cosmos and dust and skin and bones and every beautiful twist and shake this Universe has ever dreamed up, all in one place, uniquely.
Just fanning the flames of others, and doing the circular dance where all that love will always come back to you in the end, some way, somehow.
Openness is the quality of your eyes, mind, and windows, of your limitless heart, of your perfect mouth speaking words and slinging sparks and licking the horizon with such gentle ease — it speaks volumes and stacks novels while you think you’re just dreaming out loud.
In tiny tremors echoing somewhere to someone, or many, who are finding their way to you with magnetic force — the earth quakes with how full of life you are. It trembles for you to keep touching the tender parts of everyone around you in the way only your silver-strand-spooling fingers know how.
You weave fields and quilts of secret messages and quiet kisses everyday. Even when your thoughts are heavy, the stars are still showing up to meet you. The moon is still rising to lull you and call you and piece out your wildest notions to compose your Sunday best. Your most elegant outfit. You, exactly as you are.
A wave and song of indescribable molecules that make the world spin one breath at a time. You inhale and exhale with the force of every god or goddess incarnate while you strut down the street, and you think you’re just walking. You, my love, you radiate.
Your constellation is burnt into the ether, into the everything, making your stamp and your mark with every letter you bind together. You were never lost, but you are always being found, uncovering, peeling back the layers, seeing just how far you can expand. That’s the big secret, the giant adventure; your smallness is an illusion.
Nothing can be taken from you, because it will only ever fit into your perfect form, your gilded container, my love, you breath of grace. In the hour of feeling reduced, of feeling diminished, of feeling vacant — may you always know that you, my love, you radiate.
In the moment you notice, you are already on your way home, and there will be flowers for you.
 ---------------------  
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* "remove your sandals," is a reference to Moses' meeting with God on Mount Sinai. (Exodus 3:5)

Wednesday, June 1, 2016

I Knew That Was Going To Happen!

The following is from Sean Carroll's (theoretical physicist at California Institute of Technology) new book "The Big Picture." (Dutton-Penguin Random House 2016)

"There is a bit of a mismatch between Laplace's (Pierre-Simon Marquis de Laplace) notion of determinism and what most people think of when they hear the 'the future is determined.' The latter phrase conjures up images of destiny or fate--the idea that what will eventually happen has 'already been decided,' with the implication that it's been decided by someone, or something."

"The physical notion of determinism is different from destiny or fate in a subtle but crucial way: because Laplace's Demon doesn't actually exist, the future may be determined by the present, but literally nobody knows what it will be. When we think of destiny, we think of something like the Three Fates of Greek mythology or the Weird Sisters of Shakespeare's Macbeth, wizened oracles who will use riddles to indicate our future path, from which we will try to escape from and fail. The real universe is nothing like that. It's more like an annoying child who likes to approach people and say, 'I know what's going to happen next!' Then, when you ask what will happen, the child says, 'I can't tell you.' And after it happens, they say, 'See? I knew that was going to happen!' That's the universe for you."

I can't begin to tell you how amused I was by this example. And it was difficult not to add my own emphasis or italics. (the paragraphs appear exactly as they do in the book, with the exception of giving you Laplace's full name) Here is a theoretical physicist saying determinism is like a bratty, know-it-all kid, messing with your mind. Which reminds me exactly of how I come across! The whole process of G-G-G is determined. If you follow the formula, the outcome is assured. If you don't follow the formula, the outcome is assured. ('I know what's going to happen next!') The choice people make is obvious--easily detectable in body language, facial expression, and what is at the core of their conversation(s).

So why do people make the choices they make? Here is the beginning of the answer: "The most serious lying is when we know perfectly well that we do not and cannot know the truth about things and never act accordingly. We always think and act as though we do know the truth. This is lying. For instance, we know nothing about ourselves, and we really know we know nothing, yet we never recognize or admit the fact; we never confess it even to ourselves, we think and act and speak as though we knew who we are. (emphasis mine) This is the origin, the beginning of lying." ~Ouspensky The Fourth Way

Tuesday, May 31, 2016

What Next?

Regarding your spirituality, nothing. Visiting this site indicates you have probably done more than enough. Enough reading, workshops, meditations, prayers. I advise you to simply stop. Stop trying to be, and just be. So how does one get out of one's own way?

Obviously my answer is G-G-G. In another post I called it a "hack". (as in altering the software of your neural network--which has a propensity towards negative interpretations. See 'Source of Gratitude' 11-15-15, as one example) However, if I were to be more precise, G-G-G is a spiritual algorithm. A set of instructions that allows you to solve a problem. The problem? You tell me. I am reduced to painting with as broad a brush as possible, given I write to an unspecified, general audience.

To allow for an overview, though, I have taken on the most obvious issue's that beset people, (not being good enough, unworthy of love, inability to forgive oneselve, general self-loathing, ongoing self-sabotage, etc. etc. etc!) and have addressed them throughout the blog. My contention is to view what you are going through (whatever it might be) as a gift. That the answer you need, are looking for, is what life is bringing you. God (the Presence, Ultimate Reality, Infinite Intelligence--whatever you are comfortable calling It) is knock, knock, knocking on your door saying, 'this is Me. Let Me in.' And when it is something we think is nice, beneficial, or beautiful, we swing the door wide open. Yes! God loves me! When the opposite occurs, however, we expend tremendous amounts of energy slamming the door shut and pushing our weight up against it to bar entry. 'No, no, no! I can't handle the loss, I don't want the pain, I've had enough humiliation. Please, go away!'

So the experience is denied. It becomes what you run from, suppress. It terrorizes you. If, at some point, it bubbles up from the subconscious, you ruthlessly repress it. And so an aspect of God is rejected. "But Pat," comes the angry retort, "God isn't _____!" (fill in the blank) Really? How would you know? What is below the pain, loss, grief, or rejection? What is it that's actually there beyond the emotion of the experience?

That's what's next...