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This week I ran into one of our Pender Island trustees, a young carpenter, who said “fifty years from today I believe we will say that the Islands Trust was the best thing we ever did”.

“The formation of the Trust by the B.C. Government in 1974 ‘to be responsible for and to coordinate the future of’ designated Gulf Islands was a bold and visionary experiment in ecologically-based planning and governance of a particularly sensitive, rural area in British Columbia. It was given a special province-wide mandate to protect the islands in the face of predicted land development pressures. Since then, it has endured many reviews, studies and challenges and has yet to be granted the authority to truly accomplish its mandate. Nevertheless, it continues to be an active, dedicated confederation of local governments. Imagine what might have happened on these islands without the Islands Trust.” Peter Lamb, Salt Spring Island 2009

For those of you that might be interested in the story, read Peter’s article at: http://www.islandstrust.bc.ca/pdf/islandstruststory-plamb.pdf

This got me to researching the First Nations Seventh Generation thinking: “Seven generation sustainability is an ecological concept that urges the current generation of humans to live sustainably and work for the benefit of the seventh generation into the future. It originated with the Iroquois – Great Law of the Iroquois – which holds it appropriate to think seven generations ahead (a couple hundred years into the future) and decide whether the decisions we make today would benefit our children seven generations into the future.” Wikipedia

Great Law of the Iroquois: “Confederate Council, in your efforts at law making, in all your  official acts, self interest shall be cast into oblivion.  Cast not over your shoulder behind you the warnings of the nephews and nieces should they chide you for any error or wrong you may do, but return to the way of the Great Law which is just and right.  Look and listen for the welfare of the whole people and have always in view not only the present but also the coming generations, even those whose faces are yet beneath the surface of the ground — the unborn of the future Nation.”

For those of you that would like to read the full text of the Great Law: http://www.indigenouspeople.net/iroqcon.htm

This led me to reading a little about the history of Pender Island: “At the time of Contact, Pender Island was inhabited by Coast Salish peoples speaking the North Straits Salish language. There is an Indian Reserve at Hay Point on South Pender Island, which is home to members of the Tsawout and Tseycum First Nations. The Poets Cove Resort was built on an ancient First Nations village site. The provincial government’s 2007 settlement with the Tsawwassen First Nation included hunting and fishing rights on and around Pender Island—an arrangement to which the Sencot’en Alliance objected, saying those rights are theirs under the 1852 Douglas Treaty.” Wikipedia

In the middle of that paragraph above, Wikipedia refers to Poets Cove, www.poetscove.com. The resort was “built on an ancient First Nations village site”.

What does that mean? Does it make any difference? So what?

What do the First Nations Bands think about that? Has anyone asked them? Does it really matter?

Is Poets managed with Seventh Generation thinking in mind?

“The Hul’qumi’num and Saanich people who have made these islands their home for the past 7,000 years, and whose village sites and graveyards can be found in almost every bay and cove, have been left to retreat further back into their few Native-reserve enclaves, like Kuper Island.” Terry Glavin

http://www.straight.com/article/this-haunted-place

Terry’s article was written in 2005 & gives us one perspective of the interaction between cultures.

If the First Nations were thinking seven generations in advance, how does our changing the environment affect that positively or negatively? Does it matter?

Is the Islands Trust mandate a continuation of that thinking, a true partnership with the First Nations, or a vehicle for modernization, progress in our terms?

Another Ex-Pender Island trustee told me he hoped that our island could become heaven on earth.

Is heaven on earth a physical concept or an internal one?

If internal, is that eternal?

David

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“The biggest mountains we have to climb are in our minds.”

These words came from a song I heard this week & got me thinking about the power of positive energy. The reverse is the drain of negative energy. We get to choose.

Moving from island to island in the Salish Sea, I get to listen & watch these powers in action. It’s amazing what people are accomplishing, that believe they can, & then act. Others are drawn to this power of positive thinking.

When negative energy enters the room, it draws down the wattage of the positive ideas & is often presented as “I’m just trying to be realistic.”

Reality? Who’s?

Intention has a lot to do with the outcome of any successful endeavor. Is this about ‘me’ or ‘us’?

What about love: “the unselfish loyal and benevolent concern for the good of another”. Wikipedia

Creativity is a talent available to all of us. When we combine our creative talents with those of others, we can accomplish almost anything. This process requires allowing for the ideas of someone else besides ourselves. Negativity can often silence the ideas of others.

This is beginning to sound like a real stew, a mixture of emotions, thought, & intention. Our physical bowl holds unlimited potential combinations.

Is it a matter of life or death?

Possibly, David

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I was asked the question above, this week, as we travelled to the other Gulf Islands. As I paused to contemplate that question, I was interrupted by someone else. However, as I think back on the question & my first thoughts, I was thinking about all the things that we have in common.

Many of us who live on the Gulf Islands have a very independent streak, non-conformists, so I was wondering about the differences while trying to explain that we seem to have more in common.

I then read this:

“Ancient Hinduism has long focused on the expression ‘Atman(self) is Brahmin (God).’ This simply states that at the deepest core of who we are, we encounter the realization of our oneness with all things: we are a part of God. The innermost self is the outermost force. This doesn’t mean that you are God, but it does mean that God is you! The words used to explain this vary from person to person, but the ‘experience’ of awakening to this truth is universal.

All of the great spiritual practices have the power to help us reach this point of identity & transcendence in which we realize that we’re a sacred being. They help us understand that every struggle is an opportunity to find a deeper quality of freedom. Every challenge brings a lesson & a step closer to realizing that there’s a force within us that is eternal, indestructible, & beautiful beyond words. After such a realization, we are never the same again. The false self burns away in the light of the innermost spirit, & the soul begins to shine.” ‘Return To The Sacred’ Jonathan Ellerby

‘This doesn’t mean that you are God, but it does mean that God is you!’

So we are individual but one?

‘The false self burns away in the light of the innermost spirit.’

The false self, ego?

We are co-creators but we want to go it alone.

How can we ever be comfortable with our false self?

Wouldn’t it make sense to get in touch with our underlying eternality?

If we could, might the opening question be irrelevant?

Can we ‘see’ through the fog of physicality?

Does our mirror reflect the ‘soul’?

Who are ‘we’?

David

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SOUL MUSIC

I was listening to some music the other day, soul music, which led me to looking up the definition of soul: “The soul – in many traditional spiritual, philosophical, and psychological traditions – is the incorporeal (and immortal) essence of a person, living thing, or object.” Wikipedia

I then reread a quote from Dietrich Bonhoeffer: “It is as though in solitude the soul develops senses which we hardly know in everyday life.”

Picking up Charlotte Gordon’s book, ‘The Woman Who Named God’, she references Adam & Noah: “It seems possible that God had learned something from His experience with these two earlier partners in creation.”

I don’t know about you but this last quote jumped out at me. How could God learn anything from one of us human’s? I thought (s)he was Divine, all knowing?

By the way, is God someone/thing we meet in a future place & time, the Source of all that is today, a part of our being, the soul, or all three?

Is this trip a circle?

Getting back to God learning something from us, Charlotte Gordon does go on to refer to Adam & Noah as ‘partners in creation’. Is that creative ability or instinct, which is part of all of us, connected directly to the Source?

When we tap that source within, are we tapping our divinity? Is it like connecting a battery & allowing the current to flow through us?

If we are tapping the creative Source, then anything is possible. We can direct the energy to positive or negative results. We use our mind & emotions as the steering wheel.

With this co-creative ability, we might want to watch out what we think. Is our soul really ours?

Are we a robot run by an unseen force? Do we have free will?

If we can cut the connection, then I believe we have a say in the outcome. Dust to dust is the trip our physicality takes. Getting in touch with our soul might make for a longer trip, Wikipedia’s definition of soul above had in brackets the word ‘immortal’.

Music has a way of resonating, but I’m not into soul music yet. Maybe I should dig a little deeper, discover the real beat.

Is it the beat of my heart?

David

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What is reality? A question I have thought a lot about lately. Isn’t the world, the way we ‘see’ it?

Marco Tempest might expand the meaning of the word reality:

http://www.extremetech.com/extreme/124657-marco-tempest-tells-the-story-of-magic-at-ted-with-kinect-powered-augmented-reality

Don’t kids have an imagination that stretches even what Marco can conjure? Sam, our grandson, was 5 yesterday & he had everyone dressed as Pirates, a world quite real to him.

“The reason we don’t solve problems is the answers interfere with our concepts.” Samuel Lewis

Each of us perceives the world in a different way. That is our reality.

Meatloaf sings, “No matter what they teach you, what you believe is true.”

When you go to this next video hit skip the ad & start the video at 2 min 30 seconds for the words (or you can watch the whole thing)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lYx4ITSeCtw

How can we actually get along as a Universal family if we all ‘see’ things differently?

“Only when we begin to think as an extended global family, that not only includes our own species but all of our fellow travelers in the evolutionary sojourn on Earth, will we be able to save our common biosphere community & renew the planet for future generations.” Jeremy Rifkin ‘The Third Industrial Revolution’

So what we believe is true, what we perceive we believe to be true, how does love enter the equation?

John Lennon:

“Love is real, real is love

Love is feeling, feeling love

Love is wanting to be loved

Love is touch, touch is love”

So do our feelings reveal reality or do they distort the real world?

So was Meatloaf right?

In case you missed the lyrics to his song here they are:

“No matter what they tell us

No matter what they do

No matter what they teach us

What we believe is true

No matter what they call us

However they attack

No matter where they take us

We’ll find our own way back

I can’t deny what I believe

I can’t be what I’m not

I know I’ll love forever

I know, no matter what

If only tears were laughter

If only night was day

If only prayers were answered

Then we would hear God say

No matter what they tell you

No matter what they do

No matter what they teach you

What you believe is true

And I will keep you safe and strong

And sheltered from the storm

No matter where it’s barren

A dream is being born

No matter who they follow

No matter where they lead

No matter how they judge us

I’ll be everyone you need

No matter if the sun don’t shine

Or if the skies are blue

No matter what the end is

My life began with you

I can’t deny what I believe

I can’t be what I’m not

I know, I know

I know this love’s forever

That’s all that matters now

No matter what…”

This song was actually written by Andrew Lloyd Webber for his musical “Whistle Down the Wind”.        What is The Truth?

Only time will tell.

David

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This week a number of challenges arose that made me question my ability to meet them.

The first thought that hit me was ‘I won’t be able to……….’, but I won’t bore you with the details as you can probably fill in the blank from your own life experiences.

I decided to take some time to sit quietly & read thus running into the following quotes:

“The greater danger is not that our hopes are too high & we fail to reach them. It’s that they are too low, & we do.” Michelangelo

“If one advances confidently in the direction of his dreams & endeavors to live the life which he has imagined, he will meet with a success unexpected in common hours.” Henry David Thoreau

“What is now proved, was once only imagined.” William Blake

This last quote led right into: “What would you attempt to do if you knew you could not fail?”

This quote came from an amazing young lady on the following video: enjoy

One of the books that I sat down with this week was the ‘I Am Discourses’. If you are not familiar with those just google them.

The essence, what I believe, I am.

But does that really apply to me, aren’t I limited by circumstances that others don’t have to face?

How can I ever get beyond the difficult circumstances & challenges that are unique to me.

Well, you probably have been wondering why I titled these thoughts, The Homeless Boy.

Should I say enjoy?

http://www.liveleak.com/view?i=a6b_1323559127

On the other side of every problem is an opportunity, the trick is to ‘see’ the other side.

David

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I was reading Wayne Dyer’s latest book & he referred to Jesus’ comments in John 10:34 where Jesus is having the following discourse:

“I have shown you many good things which my Father sent me to do. Which one are you going to stone me for? “

They answered, “We are not stoning you for any good thing you did. We are stoning you for claiming to be God”

Jesus replied, “In your scriptures doesn’t God say, Ye are Gods? So why do you accuse me for saying that I am the Son of God? The Father is one with me & I am one with the Father.”

I have discussed this topic before & have tried to capture the essence of who we are. We all have a creative side, the spark, or the light, that emanates us. Is that the Father that Jesus was talking about? If so, how could we use that aspect of ourselves to further our own well being & numerous others?

Years ago, I read Paul Ray’s book on Cultural Creatives

“Core Cultural Creatives – Paul Ray

Just under half of the CC population, this segment comprises the more educated, leading-edge thinkers. This group includes many writers, artists, musicians, psychotherapists, feminists, alternative health care providers and other professionals. They combine a serious focus on their ‘spirituality’ (Spirituality can refer to an ultimate or an alleged immaterial reality; an inner path enabling a person to discover the essence of his/her being; or the deepest values and meanings by which people live) with a strong passion for social activism.

(Activism consists of intentional efforts to promote, impede or direct social, political, economic, or environmental change.)” Wikipedia

Richard Florida, University of Toronto, has since written of the Creative Class:

“Every single human being is creative. The biggest challenge of the creative age is to lift the bottom up and encourage a prosperous, vibrant and sustainable community for all.” Richard Florida

Reading Paul Ray, he had numbered the Cultural Creatives as a % of the population at large. I see Richard Florida says ‘every single human being’.

It appears we all have this ability but whether & how much we use it, is up to us.

Let me go a little further. Is this ability ‘who we are’? The I Am of us?

Are we Son’s of God as Jesus mentioned? Is there anything about his comment that we should listen to literally? He certainly seemed confident & evidently went around doing some amazing things.

This is not a religious discourse, this is a search for meaning.

If we really believed & actually were what he said we are, then we wouldn’t have to win the lotto to completely change the world or our world. It would be a matter of ‘seeing’ from a whole different perspective.

As straight forward as that sounds, it is very difficult in this physical plane, that daily throws issues our way.

Ye Gads or should I say, Gods!

David

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“The reason we don’t solve problems is the answers interfere with our concepts” Samuel Lewis

The above quote, which I came across this week, got me to thinking about the energy which animates each of us, the creative energy. That creative energy is something we all have in common.

As you can see below, I went on a definition search starting with the word ‘concept’ from the quote.

Concept: “An abstract idea; a general notion” Google Def’n

However, we do ‘see’ the world differently which led me to ‘perception’.

Perception: “The ability to see, hear, or become aware of something through the senses” Google Def’n

And then I ran across the world ‘spirit’

Spirit: “The vital principle or animating force within living beings” Free Dictionary.com

“The nonphysical part of a person that is the seat of emotions and character; the soul” Google def’n

“The principle of conscious life; the vital principle in humans, animating the body or mediating between body and soul” Dictionary.reference.com

You can see that I have now turned up the word ‘soul’.

Soul: “A person’s moral or emotional nature or sense of identity” Google

“The principle of life, feeling, thought, and action in humans, regarded as a distinct entity separate from the body, and commonly held to be separable in existence from the body; the spiritual part of humans as distinct from the physical part” Dictionary.com

The last definition turns back to the word spiritual.

It seems logical to me, that at least, there is this creative aspect that can be directed by our thoughts.

If so, then how we ‘see’ the world, positively or negatively, can have a direct effect on our outer circumstances.

If there is anything in our current circumstances that we are not happy with, then changing that may be as easy as changing our creative energy flow, our thought patterns, the way we look at or ‘see’ our world.

It seems to me that this energy is what connects us all, including nature, which has some of the most beautiful creations imaginable.

Check this out:

www.youtube.com/watch_popup?v=ThFCg0tBDck

Our creative energy leads us to exploit nature or protect it. That is a different discussion, what we do with our energy.

Whatever we call this animating force, it apparently works for or against us as we ‘focus’ it’s power.

The filters we run it through direct it’s power much like a magnifying glass focuses the sun’s energy to start a fire.

We can diminish the power by throwing a wet blanket over it’s burning energy.

All of this activity goes on inside each of us, through our mechanisms of thought & emotion.

It pays to be careful, what we think & how we react, not everything is as it seems to be. Our emotions can color the truth.

There is a famous biblical quote, what is truth?: “Pilate’s response is a fascinating one. “What is truth?”, he says, but he does not voice the question as a genuine query – it is a rhetorical question, a statement describing reality as Pilate observes it – there is no truth, there are only constructed ideologies and practical necessities and people act based upon these and function within the social/economic/political realms generated by these constructs. Right and wrong, truth and justice exist only within the relativistic confines and context of these constructs.” Islam from Inside

So, where we are today is reality?

What change in the way we ‘see’ our issues will change the outcome?

Now that question can lead to an answer for each of us.

It is an individual choice.

Intentionally,

David

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Dr. Wayne Dyer talks of the Spark we all came from. The ‘I Am’ that is our soul.

George Harrison wrote: ‘The Light That Lighted The World’. ‘I’ve heard how some people have said that I’ve changed, that I’m not what I was, how it really is a shame.’

This was the period after the Beatles when George was going through cancer treatment. George went on to sing ‘They live all their lives without looking to see, the light that  has lighted the world.’

So what is this light, this spark?

I believe Bunker Roy discovered it. Take the next 19 minutes & decide for yourself.

As Wayne Dyer says, the wisdom of the Creator is within, it is unconditional love, it is the essence of who we are. He suggests that if we can connect with that state, we can get beyond the dust that we are & will become.

Loving you,

David

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I just finished a book on Tim Smit’s, Eden Project, Cornwall, England. It’s absolutely amazing what some ordinary chaps have done.

Scroll down the series of pictures at:

Eden Project

If Tim & his friends can do what you have just seen, what might we be capable of here at home?

A quote from Tim’s book:

Work like you don’t need the money,

Love like you’ve never been hurt,

Dance like nobody’s watching,

Sing like nobody’s listening,

Live like it’s heaven on earth.

If you have another 3 1/2 minutes you may find the following worthwhile:

Love provides answers!

David

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