Wisdom from the Heart ~ Page 4

Commentary by Peter Shepherd
It takes many inches to make a mile. We can only move by inches, one inch at a time. It’s when we look miles ahead and wonder “how are we going to get so far?” that we fail to move forward at all.
We can choose to live life fully focused on the moment at hand and live happily, making great progress, moving by inches. Or, we can keep staring “in the rear view mirror,” stuck with thoughts of what could have been, instead of what can now be.
Most important, we must always keep in mind that anytime we suffer a setback while moving forward, it will always be just a matter of inches, never miles.
I close my eyes, and a single strand of pure light runs through the soul of every citizen of the world.
I recognize and honor that being a parent is the most important role I will ever play in life, and that I have the opportunity to be the most influential teacher in the life of my child. So I affirm...
May the light that is You burn as an even brighter beacon to illuminate all in the world that is right and just.
If I were a mountain path, I’d be the trail you blaze.
Steve operated as most true experts do - with total confidence. The pictures I captured in my backyard attest to the kind of confidence required for such a profession because his life hangs, literally, in the balance every minute of every day he performs his airborne magic. On one of his few breaks, Steve told me the average death-per-worker statistic in Canada was 3 in 1,000. In his profession, it’s 20. Much more reason to respect what he so skillfully does, day in and day out.
The desire to make loving service a central theme in our lives all of sudden seems to be shared with many others too, friends, family and Internet contacts alike. This ties in with what lightworkers have been anticipating as we move toward the Dec 21st galactic alignment and the start of a new cycle of the way life is lived and felt on this planet, what they call Ascension.
It occurred to me today that what I’m most afraid of is the Question. The one with a capital Q that haunts my mind like a foreign voice murmuring words that I know are important, but I can’t understand. It’s the Question that interrupts my sleep and draws my attention away from things I know I must do. It churns in my stomach. I hide best I can, but it pursues me relentlessly.
Are you clear about how to connect with that feeling of genuine appreciation? For me it isn’t about trying to convince my ego-mind to feel it, but to recall a time when I did. It doesn’t matter that it’s based on a memory; it’s the feeling that matters. You can call up more than one such memory, but one will do it. Just feel that feeling for as long as you can or choose to, before you have to get back to whatever you’re doing. The more I’ve practiced this, the easier it’s become to go into that feeling at will; and sometimes the feeling just happens, with no thought or effort on my part.
You may own the best of the best and still feel inadequate. You may have an abundance of experiences and still feel empty. You may have been raised on praise and still feel unworthy. You may have every luxury, yet lack empathy for others. This is true not only for the heirs of the “One Percent” but also for those families with enough wealth to give “everything” to their kids.
Do we live in a world of abundance, or a world of lack? It’s a very personal decision, based on your own perspective. I can’t give you the answer, but I’m convinced how you answer that question does make a difference. It changes you attitude, your self- image, and your view of the world around you. Personally, I see a world of abundance, but that’s just me.
If we wonder deeply enough, we spontaneously start to awaken. If you wake up to wonder, you’ll come to life... it’s as simple as that.
My understanding of love is that love is how one must feel when we see through the veneer of separation that seems to divide us and connect with somebody (or with some thing or place or activity) as one with that person or thing. We experience this in our body - there’s chemicals, there’s good feelings, it’s an embodied thing - and it comes from this recognition of oneness.
If we want to awaken, we don’t need to eradicate the ego, we simply need to be conscious of the deep self as well.

Life is amazing but can also be very cruel. There are good reasons to be hopeful and good reasons to be fearful. Both play a role in helping us live well. We need to sometimes be cautious and prepare for the worst. But let’s err on the side of hope ... because that is what pushes us forward rather than pulling us back.
The Gnostic teaching - as found all the way back to the most ancient of literature, such as the Indian Vedas - is not a set of rules that we must follow to become ‘good.’ It is about discovering our own essential nature, which is good already, so that we can live spontaneously. The Gnostics taught that we can liken the truth of our situation to a wheel, with many spokes and an outer rim. Each spoke is an individual. Where we connect to the outer rim is our interface to the physical world, this is our Ego. At the hub of the wheel is Source, a unified quality of creative love. The center symbolizes God the father and the outside symbolizes the Goddess, mother nature.
Letting go is the journey and it never ends. Never. It only begins -- over and over again -- each time we can glimpse something higher than our own painful certainty over who we think we are.
Learning is a correction process. Real correction, at any level, always purifies the matter and so leaves it less confused and thus in a higher state. Taking this beautiful idea one step further reveals to us the promise that self-elevation always follows self-correction.
Learning is a correction process. Real correction, at any level, always purifies the matter and so leaves it less confused and thus in a higher state. Taking this beautiful idea one step further reveals to us the promise that self-elevation always follows self-correction.
Human beings are a unique creation in the cosmic scheme of things. Unlike the untold billions of other life forms teaming on the Earth -- whose nature is an open and shut case -- human nature is not fixed. What does this mean to you? Only everything!
To help you strengthen the spiritual YES in you, learn to put Truth first, last, and always in your life. This grand YES will grow to have greater and greater meaning to you as you put it into practice.
Being a perfectionist is a more perplexing matter than simply striving for the best. If you are a perfectionist, the way you deal with tasks is neither ideal nor pragmatic. For despite investing considerable time and effort in whatever you do, you’re frequently upset with yourself and your work. This is no way to live. You deserve better...
Nearly all of us try to keep up a front. We like to give the impression that we are strong, confident, in control, managing our lives okay, and generally don’t need anybody, thank you very much. But inside, we are all much softer and more vulnerable than we may appear. We long for acceptance and love, and rejection cuts very deep. Sometimes so deeply that we resolve never to expose ourselves to the risk of it again. It doesn’t have to be this way. No matter how long you have lived according to this pattern, you can reconnect with your innate capacity to love and be loved.
You are never left alone to fumble in the darkness of a purely physical life. Your inner being is always there with you, expressing itself through the quiet whisperings of intuitive information. Thanks to this inner compass of knowing, you can always sense which choice feels right.
Many of us think we have a reason to feel good and think well of ourselves, and speak well to ourselves, ONLY if and when the outward appearances of our life match the (often) ambiguous model in our mind created from bits and pieces from others, like a patchwork quilt thrown together at random by people not in alignment. This confusion leads us to self-criticism that isn’t deserved or useful, in good times and especially in not so good times. When life is difficult or challenging, it’s more important than ever to say encouraging, loving statements to ourselves. Why is this so difficult for us?
When you choose not to identify with the movement of thoughts and emotions, sooner or later you will have the profound experience of your own Self standing free from the mind - free from the compulsive habit of conceptualization and personalization. Your awareness will become so vast that it embraces all things, while simultaneously being the experience of freedom from all things.
Change is about choice. Life doesn’t happen to you; you happen to it. If you do not like how you are feeling, change how you are feeling. If you do not like the situation you are in, make a change. You can change your situation; you can change your thoughts; you can change your feelings; above all, you can change yourself.
Life is bliss, taste it. Life is a dream, realize it.
Life is a challenge, meet it. Life is a duty, complete it.
Life is a game, play it. Life is a promise, fulfill it.
Life is sorrow, overcome it. Life is a song, sing it.
Life is a struggle, accept it. Life is a tragedy, confront it.
Life is an adventure, dare it. Life is luck, make it.
Life is too precious, do not destroy it. Life is life, fight for it.”
~ by Mother Teresa
Man as such cannot handle too much of truth. If the truth is up to 30% or 40%, he can handle it well. But beyond that, the truth starts transforming him. He feels that the ground on which he is standing is moving away. To tell you honestly, none of us really wants to know the truth. If truth were to be given out honestly, there would be no one willing to accept it, except for a few teachers. The moment honest truths are given, people begin to get frightened. This includes both the teacher as well as the listener!
Jim Hunter speaks about how hard it is to actually change and put into action the principles of servant leadership, and what he’s discovered through his 30+ years of work as a trainer in organizations about what supports the change process. Also Jim talks about the importance of authenticity in creating genuine community, and about love in organizational life.
The secret to mastering trust comes from the practice of learning to trust yourself. There is always that little voice inside you that knows. Your sixth sense is real, and can naturally perceive and know things that are about to happen. It is the all-seeing aspect of your soul and it will forewarn you if you are listening. The key is tuning into it on a regular basis so that you are used to hearing what is coming your way. The more you practice opening your senses (being more sensitive) and quieting your mind, the easier it is to hear. The more you let go, relax and trust the guidance within, the clearer the messages from your intuitive self become.
I think we can all agree that the “real” world as described above is created and shaped by people. And for the world to change, since we are the ones creating it, it seems obvious that “we, the people,” need to change. We need to move beyond the beliefs that are binding us to the same old patterns and worn out solutions. Changing the laws, changing the type of government, changing the leaders, changing the monetary system and other retreads are not working.
Because we are beings of discourse, of speech, and because we live in a world of constant communication, the ability to speak our truth without judgment or blame is as important today as it always has been. When we take up the journey into consciousness, when we determine to discover what our life is trying to teach us, we necessarily arrive at the seventh initiation. The action of speaking the truth without expectation, or the anguished imperative for change, is a great adventure in itself. It is one way we discover the nature of our personal truth as well as our self-deception.
All of our awareness, personal responsibility and inner work do nothing really until we bring them into reality through action. As the British commanders used to say when presented with a good idea from a subordinate, we need to, “make it so.” With scholarly work we can all become great pundits but, in order to learn what life is really about, and in order for the changes we want in our lives to take place, we are definitely required to take action.
How can we discover our basic goodness or essential perfection, our “OK”ness? One powerful way is to develop the practice of speaking to our self in the language of these true conditions. We nourish and enhance our self-esteem by talking to ourselves in a loving and supporting manner, replacing the voice of the inner judge, the “merciless rider”, with the voice of the heart, the voice of wisdom and compassion. For many of us this is like learning a new language.
Many of us want to be of service in the world, and are inspired to make our lives and our work useful to others. The desire to help others is noble, however, our most effective and powerful service is offered from detachment rather than based in fear. The detachment we speak of here is defined by Angeles Arrien as “the capacity to care deeply or maintain compassion from an objective place.”
We can start working with fear by becoming aware of the thousands of tiny fears we live with each day. We fear peer opinion. We fear the voices in our heads, which say, “You should do this” and, “You must do that.” We fear financial troubles; we fear encounters with certain people; we fear authority; we fear the future and the past. We fear for our lives and we fear death. We fear pain. We even fear quiet. We fear that we will never have enough. We fear the judgment of strangers; friends and spouses. We fear loneliness and anger. And the list goes on. For each of our fears we have developed one or more strategies, of avoidance, indulgence, smothering or denial. In addition, many of our most unskillful behaviors come from fear.
Every belief system (or BS) colors experience in a different way, rosy-red or gloomy black or some unique personal flavor…. We can all see how other people’s BS makes them blind and “stupid” at times, but we find it very hard to notice how our own BS is doing the same to us…. The world is not governed by facts or logic. It is governed by BS (belief systems).
The singing voice is a vehicle connecting us with the flow of life that gushes through our being at full force. The singing voice, through the media of breath and sound, supports the process of transforming energy patterns, creates measurable beneficial effects in the physical body, and influences consciousness more efficiently than any other form of sound. Like no other sound, the voice becomes a link with our spiritual life by revealing deeper aspects of the Self.
The mind is like a parachute, when it opens up it will save your life. With an open mind you don’t have to try so hard to only think positive thoughts. You can allow for any life experience to show up and simply open your mind to seeing the positive outcome out of it. It is a constant moment to moment choice to have an open positive mind. If you can just choose to have an open mind, you’ll be able to manifest anything and everything you want in life.
Without our willingness to channel the best, we cannot even begin. Whether it is creating a new life, or a new world, or a piece of art or music or writing, it all begins with being open.
In their desire to improve the quality and/or length of their life, many individuals today are following inner guidance to cleanse themselves – not just on a physical level, but also on an emotional and mental level. They are eating less, preferably light food. Emotionally, they are also ‘processing’ and letting go of emotional baggage – emotions of fear, hate, guilt, worry, anxiety, anger, etc. – which, when unresolved, are stored in the various organs of the physical body.
Do we now know what fear is? Is it not the non-acceptance of what is? We must understand the word ‘acceptance’. I am not using that word as meaning the effort made to accept. There is no question of accepting when I perceive what is. When I do not see clearly what is, then I bring in the process of acceptance. Therefore fear is the non-acceptance of what is.
If there is real relationship between two people, which means there is communion between them, then the implications are enormous. Then there is no isolation; there is love and not responsibility or duty. It is the people who are isolated behind their walls who talk about duty and responsibility. A man who loves does not talk about responsibility - he loves. Therefore he shares with another his joy, his sorrow, his money. Are your families such? Is there direct communion with your wife, with your children?
Sympathy, forgiveness, the relationship of possessiveness, jealousy and fear - all these things are not love. They are all of the mind, are they not? As long as the mind is the arbiter, there is no love, for the mind arbitrates only through possessiveness and its arbitration is merely possessiveness in different forms. The mind can only corrupt love, it cannot give birth to love, it cannot give beauty. You can write a poem about love, but that is not love.
At some point in your life, you look up from the hypnotizing clamor of daily existence and seek meaning in that which is above the physical realm of existence. In that moment, when your attention is focused on whatever higher consciousness may bring, you are receptive to new ideas and new information.
Consider the amazing gifts problems give us, free of charge! Problems challenge us. They stretch us. They make us creative. They teach us things and force us to learn from or collaborate with very smart people. Sometimes I think of problems as God’s gift to the human race!
Our mind can use us or we can use it. We can believe we are our mind, that we are our thoughts. We aren’t, but we often act as though we are. Practice watching your mind think. Then practice realizing that you are the watcher, the observer, watching the mind think; that you are not the same entity. If you were your mind, you couldn’t watch it from an observer’s point of view. The mind is a tool for us to use; it is not the Being we truly are, just as your car assists you to go places but you are the driver, separate from the car.
The way to evolve, to expand awareness, is to open to it; to put what we learn into practice; to observe and assess the before, during, and after aspects; and to appreciate what we witness, including and especially at the feeling level, because this holistic or multi-faceted process teaches us about ourselves, Source, and what’s possible for us. How we develop an intimate connection with Source is as individual as we are. This relationship, if nurtured and experienced, can calm any and all discontent or insecurity... because we can absolutely know who we are and can behave, act, and create from there... more often than not, and as we evolve.
One of the secrets of true happiness is gratefulness. When gratefulness rules in a person’s heart and is evident in his/her attitudes, then crazed ambition, greed, entitlement and negativity are eliminated. Bottom line, the more gratefulness you exhibit, the more positive and productive ... and yes, happy ... you’re going to be. Here are six ways to build your senses of gratefulness...
If you want more of anything ... greater productivity in your organization, higher morale in your department, better communication in your family, or more of anything else ... you’ve got to make some changes. Period! There is simply no way to get around this “fact of life.” You can’t do the same old thing the same old way and expect to see any improvements in your work or personal lives. The good news is ... positive, productive change is entirely possible if you follow a three-step process....
Many of the skills children need to regulate their behavior and navigate the challenges they face every day are taught and practiced in the family meeting. They learn to listen to others respectfully, they get to see and be a part of the problem solving process, they experience the value of a cooling off period before tackling an issue, they come to understand that accountability is an important part of moving past mistakes, and they see cooperation between children and adults in action.
Change is a journey into the unknown. It means creating a “new you!” Of course there will be doubts, surprises, set-backs, and failures along the way. What did you expect? If your goal is worth doing, it’s going to be difficult at times. When you find that something is harder than you dreamed or didn’t work like you expected, you’ll need internal motivation that pulls, pushes, and drives you forward! You need to pick yourself up, brush yourself off and try again. Only a heart-felt DESIRE will do that! Discipline and determination, even pride, are not enough. Only DESIRE will keep you going forward.
As I step out of my door, I step out of my mind. The mind that can be so full of day to day concerns, the ever pressing need to fix what is problematic, the desire for things to be different than they are. But as I step out into nature, I invite God to walk with me. I welcome him to show me the gifts that can only be embraced in the present moment...
At some point in your life, you look up from the hypnotizing clamor of daily existence and seek meaning in that which is above the physical realm of existence. In that moment, when your attention is focused on whatever higher consciousness may bring, you are receptive to new ideas and new information...
Do you ever worry beyond reason? Does your mind tend to overestimate the risks of life and underestimate the powers and resources you have to handle those risks? Do you feel a subtle, yet persistent, sense of anxiety that runs like an undercurrent just beneath your conscious awareness? If so, you’re not alone. Most of us have some of that going on. Let’s talk about what you can do about it...
Without our willingness to channel the best, we cannot even begin. Whether it is creating a new life, or a new world, or a piece of art or music or writing, it all begins with being open.
Too many of us believe “work” is something to be avoided, and these people dream of a path to instant wealth, because then they would “never work again.” I suspect that’s why the universe makes sure most of them never achieve the success they desire! I see work as a great honor and source of fulfillment, although clearly there is both “good” and “bad” work. I also believe the difference between “good” and “bad” work is one of the most important distinctions in life! It makes all the difference between a life of success and fulfillment, and one of disappointment.
Before you can conquer your fears you first have to open your eyes and look at the monster objectively to realize its size and its impact before we can decide how best to face and diminish it. Sometimes we are not even willing to look because we cannot handle what we see. Looking in the dark entails seeing that there is always a way out, there is always a door or a window open somewhere, we just need to close our spiritual eyes for a few moments and evaluate the situation, then when we open our eyes again... everything will be brighter and easier to see. It is about realizing that we CAN see I in the dark! Even in the midst of the greatest storm of our lives, we can still see if we would only look because it is only our fears and inhibitions that blind us. We are not really blinded in the dark, it is just a perception.
How do you make a decision? You just do. There are no logical processes or rational models to substitute for pure courage, faith, and trust. That’s what this life is all about. Choosing and acting on your choice. And then choosing again. It’s impossible for me to choose wrong or live my life wrong. There is no correct way that someone has already outlined for how to live my life. It’s my life - one that has never been lived before. It’s my choice - and mine alone.
“But to the bright side, there is also a higher consciousness, a Oneness, we share. We can wake up to that lower self, see that it has never served or protected us, and let go... into the Silence and Stillness where there already exists the freedom and peace we long for.”
When all is said and done, there is only one freedom that cannot be diminished, and only one place where its abiding peace can be found: all that your heart longs for lives within your True Self.
Do you make a genuine effort to process through and beyond negative emotions? If you don’t, and these emotions get stuck in your energy field, life can become one drama after another. You’re here to live and to learn from your day-to-day experiences. You can allow your experiences to be toxic to you energetically, mentally, emotionally, spiritually, and bodily, or you can transmute your experiences into opportunities, especially to expand conscious awareness and Knowing.
The world is a mirror, reflecting whatever you send out in your thoughts and words and actions. If you complain, everywhere you go, you will meet resistance, anger, hostility, and plenty to complain about. When your heart is filled with gratitude, your thoughts and words and actions are kind and loving and helpful. Your thoughts open doors.
What are your top values? Do you have a list? Is it written down? Do you review it frequently? Have you shared it with loved ones, your closest colleagues and friends? And perhaps most importantly, do you have a system for measuring your progress? Does your actual behavior reflect your top priorities in terms of time, effort, thought, and investment? Are you closer to living the life you value today than you were a year ago?
With awareness we are able to see when we have left the present, and we have the opportunity to come back to it. The present is right in front of us, what is happening right now. When we enter the present, we simultaneously let go of our fear filled fantasies, negative thoughts, worries and ancient resentments for a moment. This in turn brings inner peace. And here is a bonus. Wayne Dyer says that, “To be immersed and surrounded by peace is a great definition of enlightenment.” Awareness is looking even better!
As humanity evolves, we have to earn the raising of our vibrations in our etheric soul through good works and selfless service. Maslow said that self-actualizing individuals are motivated to continual growth. They are also aware of their primary goals in life and are devoted to fulfilling them, both for their own benefit and as service to others.
All too often our personal development has already ended by the time we reach adulthood. We’ve ‘grown up’ and know enough to hold down a job. If we are fortunate we find our niche and as much as possible solve the problems of survival, then we stick with those solutions. But our upbringing hasn’t taught us most of what we need to know in order to make the most of our potential, to have truly fulfilling careers and relationships.
We all have a variety of ways that we guard and protect ourselves from getting hurt. The fortress built around the heart which protects us from the slightest possible pain, is also what’s blocking the softest, sweetest, most gentle healing energy from finding its way in. When our inner fortress remains too rigid and strong, it can push away those who are trying to give us love. When this occurs these walls no longer serve our highest good and its vital that we dismantle them. It’s only through dissolving these wounded walls that we can truly relax, lighten up and become receptive again to let in love.
If we study our existence, it seems that moment to moment, we are either experiencing or manifesting life. We dance these 2 steps continuously. We are touched by life and then we respond and touch life back. Let’s review the basic 2 steps in our dance through life...
Defense mechanisms protect us from everyday hurt. We all use them. However, rely on them excessively and you distort ‘what is’, leaving yourself totally unprepared for the day that reality catches up with you.
To laugh is to risk appearing a fool
To weep is to risk appearing sentimental
To reach out for another is to risk involvement
To expose feelings is to risk rejection
To place your dreams before a crowd is to risk ridicule
To love is to risk not being loved in return
To go forward in the face of overwhelming odds
is to risk failure
But risks must be taken
because the greatest hazard in life is to risk nothing.
The person who risks nothing
does nothing, has nothing, is nothing.
He may avoid suffering and sorrows,
but he cannot learn, feel, change, grow, or love.
Chained by his certitudes, he is a slave -
he has forfeited his freedom.
Only a person who takes risks is FREE
As a cardiologist, Dr. Terry Gordon dealt with life-and-death circumstances on a daily basis. He learned that life is precious and tenuous; it can change in an instant. Such a dramatic shift occurred when his son, Tyler, was involved in a car accident, sustaining a severe spinal-cord injury that left him paralyzed. Leading his family through the experience, Terry’s journey resulted in a spiritual awakening to a clearer understanding of life and the truths it has to offer.
Love is the source of universal truth, therefore the perfect guide in our lives, and we each have an unlimited supply within us because it is who we are. We are made by Love, we are made of Love, and we are made for Love.
The aborigines celebrate no holidays in our yearly manner. Morgan writes, “They do honor each tribe member sometime throughout the year--not on a specific birthday, but rather to acknowledge the person’s talent, his contribution to the community, his personal spiritual growth. Everyone is recognized by a special party, but it has nothing to do with age or birth date. It is in recognition of uniqueness and contribution to life.”
They believe that the purpose for the passage of time is to allow a person to become better, wiser, to express more and more of one’s BEINGNESS. So if you are a better person this year than last, and only you know that for certain, then you call for the party. They do not celebrate getting older. What they do celebrate is when someone is becoming better. The Real People say, ‘We celebrate if we are a better, wiser person this year than last. Only you would know, so it is you who tells the others when it is time to have the party.’
One of the cornerstones of reducing your stress is to know what you value-what’s most meaningful in your life. Yet when our life is all about completing the millions of tasks on our “to do” list we often lose our perspective. We lose our ability to discern between what’s important and what’s not because everything feels equally urgent - equally critical. No matter how frantic life gets, no matter how much frenzy seems to be present, the most successful people are able to rise above the pandemonium and maintain their perspective.
It’s still all to play for. Life is an adventure, a grand game. If we’re writing the book of our lives, best make it a good one with plenty of reversals, ups and downs, triumph and tragedy sometimes, and preferably, a brilliant ending that makes sense of all that comes before.
Most day-to-day talk in work and home relationships does not strengthen the relationship. It is merely “functional” talk, such as “Customer Y needs that product shipped today ... We’ve got until this afternoon to finish the project ... The kids will be home at 5 ... and ... Let’s have pizza for dinner.” It gets a job done, but it does not increase the excitement level or bring the people any closer together. To build strong relationships, to manage all your relationships for the better, you’ve got to get beyond the fluff and the superficial. You’ve got to ask and answer brave questions. You’ve got to get to the real meat ... and you will be blessed with teams that work and relationships that work.
We are all masters of our individual sphere. Every person we meet; every interaction we have is an opportunity to open the heart. We know what this means without any special training. We need no degree, or religion or special education. Kirpal Singh once said, “How can we tell if we are developing spiritually? We can tell by how well we tolerate others.”
I want you to believe that we can all learn to master fears and present more creatively to amuse, inspire, even captivate any audience. At one time I couldn’t even imagine presenting with confidence; now I can’t imagine presenting without feeling supremely self assured. You can too. Begin your journey to powerful presentations today - you can be a charismatic, memorable, confident presenter sooner than you think.
You do have the freedom to choose the kind of world you call your own. Why spend your life in a steamy jungle of roaring thoughts, or in a dark valley filled with sad and worried emotions when, by choosing higher, you can live happier? Your days can be as cool and relaxed as a clear mountain stream, if you decide that’s the life you want.
Philosophers refer to this principle as the Hegelian Dialectic: Thesis, Antithesis, Synthesis. It is the process of arriving at Truth from two opposing viewpoints. It is not a debate where each side tries to win the other over to its point of view. Rather, it is an attempt to use reason to determine the best possible solution to two seemingly irreconcilable alternatives. Oftentimes, a “third” way is discovered - a synthesis of the two opposing viewpoints. This is more than just a simple storytelling device - this is the basis of all growth and creation. Without an opposing force or viewpoint, nothing happens!
Truthful principles can only act as agents of change for us when we choose to enact them. Their capacity to restore self-command, grant us a mind at peace, or deliver us from fearful dark states is only as great as our willingness to call upon their powers. That’s why we must do the personal work it takes to put higher principles into practice. Napoleon Hill, one of the early great pioneers of personal development, asserts: “We can become complete masters of ourselves, if we so desire. The main thought to hold in mind is first to gain the knowledge, and secondly to act upon it.” And then act upon it! Wisdom is the seed of freedom, but only in action do we see it flower.
Jung saw in unconscious material, especially dreams and fantasies, an unfolding of a process of individuation - the idea of continual, lifelong personal development. The barriers to individuation which we must seek to explore and resolve are contained in our ‘Shadow’ personality: those qualities that one would rather not see in oneself, as well as unrealized potentials. The Shadow of beauty is the beast. Because they’re repressed, such beliefs and feelings are typically unconscious; they influence our entire lives, tell us what we can and can not do, and drive our behaviors. Even when we’re conscious of them, we tend to hide them because we’re ashamed or embarrassed. We don’t want anyone to know that we feel unworthy of love or that we’re not good enough so we try to suppress such beliefs and deny them.
We are a collection of tens of trillions single celled animals that inter-be. How then are we alone? What is this sense of separation we have been conditioned to cling to and assume is real, and why this simultaneously dichotomous stance of superiority and entitlement? It is all simply a lack of awareness.
The late Stephen Covey became a household name when “The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People“ was published in 1989. The book summed up his philosophy in seven behaviors such as taking personal responsibility (“Be proactive”), having a road map or mission (“Begin with the end in mind”) and defining one’s priorities (“Put first things first”). He presents a pathway for living with fairness, integrity, service, and human dignity - principles that give us the security to adapt to change and the wisdom and power to take advantage of the opportunities that change creates. Click the link above for an excerpt.
Love is such a beautiful expression. When we feel the passion of romance, the gentle touch of kindness, or the simple gaze of a willing smile, we are lifted into a higher awareness of life’s potential. In these precious moments, the impossible melts into infinity itself where all things are possible.
It’s strange that we live in an age in which we’re healthier, wealthier, safer and living far longer than previous generations ever dreamed of; yet, it doesn’t seem that we feel more secure. Indeed, the more we know, the wealthier we are, the longer we live, the more fearful many of us become.
This is a wonderful world of duality. Sometimes it doesn’t feel so wonderful when confusion or negativity seems to prevail. However, the physical world as we know it could not exist and grow, nor could our consciousness expand, without duality. It is essential that each one of us makes an individual choice for the light.
One of the most challenging and rewarding things you are here to do on this planet is to learn how to truly connect with people. This means being able to engage freely with others on the deepest emotional, spiritual, mental and physical levels. When you are connecting with others in these intimate ways, you open up new energies of love, lightness and power within yourself, and this allows you to explore the most hidden and mysterious aspects of your being.
These insights can inspire us to awaken and see the world differently,
with new motivation and possibilities for success...
Spiritual Awareness
Success and Abundance
Happiness and Wellbeing
Communication & Relationships
Motivation and Leadership
Parenting and Education
Emotional Intelligence
Transitions in Life
Social Community
Creativity
Humor
“Be grateful for whoever comes, because each
guest has been sent as a guide from beyond” –Rumi