< a name=shades>AUG 22/10 - SHADES OF LOVE

“The first duty of love is to listen”.

The above quote, came to me on a business trip this week, from a fellow who does a lot of work in Africa for his fellowman.

What his comments & further events this week made me think, was about Love & it’s many splendored shades.

What is the difference between love for a lost child, in my case my daughter, Lynette, & the love I have for her surviving twin, Michelle? Which do I love more or is it equal?

What is the difference between the love I have for my brother & sister, or Ina? What is the difference in my love for Ina’s grandson, Sam, or my linear direct grandsons, Tyler & Matthew?

What is the difference between the love I felt for my best friend in high school & the love I feel for my very close friends now?

Does love diminish as I widen this circle?

What about compassion? Wikipedia says: “compassion is a virtue—one in which the emotional capacities of empathy and sympathy (for the suffering of others) are regarded as a part of love itself”. So compassion for our fellow beings, no matter race or color, is a shade of love.

What do these shades mean when they are rotated through our emotional washing cycles & is their any difference or do we all end up ultimately absorbing into the etheric ocean of eternal love?

If that ocean actually exists, is that where we came from at birth? If so, why do we ever get off the ‘love’ boat?

Individuality, ego, & free choice, enter the picture, as we mature. Desires, such as greed, lust, & envy, start to tumble through the rinse cycle. We become confused & let emotions run away with our reason. Our actions, resulting from those mixed emotions, lead us down our life path. Often the turmoil does not allow us to stop & consider the consequences. Emotion is a powerful force but there is no more powerful force than love itself.

Greenangels was formed to facilitate love in action. What love did we have in mind? How do we show our love? Did our intent have a personal agenda? Was this an unselfish act or a premeditated prayer for personal salvation? Were we looking for grace to step into our lives & remove the issues surrounding us at the time?

Have we been able to show our love for all those people we have met, since the day we thought that world peace would be enhanced by our actions & involvement?

Being born to this planet was a real gift, I believe we were all the product of someone’s love.

Butterflies internally, goose bumps externally.

Love - a many splendored thing!

David

AUG 15/10 - OUR FATHER, ALLAH, YAHWEH

Over the years I have tried to picture the individual or entity referred to as Our Father in the Lord’s Prayer. I’ve never been able to reconcile an anglo saxon, mature, ‘physical’, gentleman, even though we were ‘made in the image’. Heaven just didn’t strike me as a physical place.

I do believe there is a Universal Intelligence, of which we are a part, a creative force field that is the source of our inherent abilities. In that sense, I can see us being ‘made in the image’. A spiritual sphere where we are one.

Google: ‘British child prodigy compared to Picasso - Kieron Williamson’.

“Williamson is showing that age is just a number and you can do great things at any age. Dubbed mini Monet, Williamson has become Britain’s most talked-about young artist.”

Once we recognize that there is far more to us than the physical shell, there appears a completely new world to be explored. Our inner makeup is a depth it would take many lifetimes to explore. When we start down this path, it is a never ending search.

American Idol is always on a search for new talent, as we sit passively by & watch. Our own inner search can be very personal as we find out just what we are made of & emanate that talent.

To me I ‘see’ a blanket of creativity spread across the ether, of which we are a thread. If we can connect with that spiritual heritage, we can accomplish most anything to which we set our mind.

Does that mean we are capable of doing everything that everyone else is capable of doing? That could be so if we are part of all that is, but I believe we are all unique, that we each have a special part to play. The human symphony, of which we are an instrument, has yet to play in unison.

God’s music has yet to reach it’s zenith. Does that mean Our Father has given up? Have we? As long as one of us holds out hope, all of us have a chance.

We are the manifestation. We were made in the image. We are capable of getting along.

It’s a matter of doing our part, recognizing which instrument we are.

When we find our voice, we resonate unity.

It’s our choice.

David

AUG 8/10 - MIS-FORTUNE

It has become obvious to me that where one person ‘sees’ opportunity, others ‘see’ problems. Opportunities lie on the other side of problems. Solving those problems is the path a fortunate person takes to their goal.

How often have you heard or thought ‘but the problem with that is’? Thinking through the problems can lead to enlightenment but often it leads to defeatism. Why would I start when there are so many hurdles to overcome? Often these hurdles are magnified within our mind.

Doors open when a path is taken. Once one decides to start walking down the opportunity road, many other paths appear that allow for the opportunity to take a fortunate turn. People appear, helping lead to a positive result, that would never have been met if one had not decided to venture forth.

Naysayers lie along the road side, taking focus & direction to stop them dragging us into the ditch. Many voices will provide the traveller directions but only the voyager knows their true destination.

What connotes fortune or mis-fortune? This is definitional at best & setting expectations can lead to failure. Does a world changing event or raising a child connote success?

Can two people agree to or ‘see’ the same success picture? How does one align their physical walk with the emotional path of another? How do the different sexes look at the same physical world?

How do the unpredictable events of a single day churn the viewpoints of numerous observers? What one hears & sees could be the opposite of what their partner or best friend might see & hear. Communication thereby becomes a volatile symphony of disparate moods & feelings.

Emotionally we get dragged down a path that we define as mis-fortune. This can lead us to despair & a feeling of loss. We may have lost nothing, but in comparison to the other person we wonder why they are so fortunate.

These feelings & conclusions are generated internally, as we interpret what we think we ‘see’. Our world is just that, ours. We attract what we feel, think, & talk about.

Words are powerful, what comes out of our mouth is an indication of who we are & what we think.

Our life is our offering!

Our choice!

David

AUG 1/10 - DOING THE BEST YOU CAN DO; BEING THE BEST YOU CAN BE

What is the best you can do? Do we find that place within that we know we are capable of achieving? Do we get the best out of what we were given? What specific talents were we given?

Are our abilities aligned with our daily activities? Are our daily activities aligned with our passions? Does aligning our natural abilities with our passions achieve the best we can do, the peace of knowing that we are whole?

Internal questions & their answers are the path to external contentment. These questions & answers are personal, ours alone. We must decide the path we take every day, every hour. The choices are endless, our time on this earth isn’t.

Delay through busyness is not the solution. Acting in accordance with the answers is.

We can find ourselves facing serious decisions where inaction is not the way forward. We can ask friends for their advice & opinions but the truth lies within. What is truth? That question has been asked through the ages. The truth I’m referring to is your own.

Don’t let days & weeks go by bemoaning what could have been or what could be. Each day portends a new future. Grasping that future, & the new opportunities it presents, is an individual decision.

We are spiritually a compilation of our decisions. Either we connect with that place where happiness & peace reside or we float in a miasma of doubt.

Decisiveness can put things in place & bring closure to a nervous, dissatisfied state of being. Doubt about what the future holds should not stand in the way of choosing a clear course. Taking responsibility for that future is part of spiritual maturation.

We were put here as perfect specimens of the holy grail. We were given the tools to sculpt the clay, our physical body, our journey on earth. Whatever age we may be at this moment has nothing to do with the depletion of that attribute. It is available to us now as it has been from the beginning.

Aging does not deplete youth, in the spiritual sense. It has been suggested that there is great power in the now. Living in the now is difficult, as our mind wants to wander to the past & the future, often worrying about both. Faith is a facility that can replace worry & fear. How many of us use that tool effectively?

I have just completed a week where many people’s lives, in British Columbia & Baja California Sur, where affected by my recommendations & decisions. It was a stressful series of events, but aligning with the best interests of all parties involved, helped me reach today in peace with my choices.

In a paragraph above I mention that aging does not deplete youth, in the spiritual sense. I have mentioned spirituality many times in my prior thoughts. I thought it might be helpful to give a definition which helps explain the way I think of our spirituality.

“Spirituality can refer to an ultimate or immaterial reality; an inner path enabling a person to discover the essence of their being; or the ‘deepest values and meanings by which people live’. Spiritual practices, including meditation, prayer, and contemplation, are intended to develop an individual's inner life; such practices often lead to an experience of connectedness with a larger reality, yielding a more comprehensive self; with other individuals or the human community; with nature or the cosmos; or with the divine realm. Spirituality is often experienced as a source of inspiration or orientation in life. It can encompass belief in immaterial realities or experiences of the immanent or transcendent nature of the world.”

The definition above is not to be confused with Spiritualism which might be considered a monotheistic belief system or religion. I am definitely trying to stay away from any sort of organized religion.
To me this is about being the best you can be, utilizing those internal God given talents that you were born with. Now I have interjected my personal belief in a Universal Mind behind all matter.
What matters is how we utilize our portion of that Creative capability. Giving is the essence of peace, understanding what we have to give is the essence of our being.

David

JULY 25/10 - ‘SWEET SWEET SURRENDER’

I was going to write about dealing with frustration, when I heard John Denver sing Sweet Sweet Surrender. That certainly puts things in a more positive light but how does one really just live in the now?

Do plans, goals, & objectives go out the window & hope, prayer, & faith replace them?

Isn’t frustration a part of daily life & wouldn’t it be difficult to just go with the flow, or take life as the ‘birds of the air & fish of the sea’ do?

Can we really learn anything from nature? Don’t we humans really have a more complicated life, or do we complicate it unnecessarily?

I wrote about ‘Thy will’ last week, & Ina noted that sounds like surrender. I’m beginning to think surrender is a worthy approach but how can a control oriented human say that, let alone accept it?

I do now ‘see’ that frustration is a path that I create. It is something I do to myself. It is a choice.

I can blame others but usually it’s a matter of expectations, mine. I expect more of them than they expect of themselves, I want them to achieve goals that I have set, I want them to act in a way that I believe is the right way to act under those circumstances. If none of the above happen then things can be quite upsetting, quite frustrating.

Who set the parameters to which my frustration levels & blood pressure ran up against? I did. If I remove those parameters or expectations then it is my blood & frustration levels that come down.

When we create circumstances that put us in a vise situation, we worry & fear. If we continue along that same path until things completely get out of hand then ultimately we need to give up, throw in the towel, leave things in Thy hands, or serious damage can result. Heart attacks, stroke, & other physical ailments come from our inability to control our own mind & circumstances. Blaming others won’t alleviate the ramifications, in fact it enhances them. Others will continue to do what others do, as my ex partner used to say “don’t be surprised when people act like people”.

Ok, but how does one go out to earn one’s daily bread & not react to co-workers or clients/customers that continually do things that don’t go according to plan? The answer: accept it , accept them for the imperfect beings we all are.

Is there an alternative? Yes, as Joseph Campbell says:

‘Find your bliss & Follow it’,

David

JULY 18/10 - ‘IF IT BE THY WILL’

The above refrain is from a Leonard Cohen song ‘If it be Thy will’. It has me thinking again who is ‘Thy’. It seems it has to be the Universal Intelligence that energizes the whole system. At least that is where I come down.

The additional question that continues to overlay this conclusion: could that intelligence be us? I have decided that the answer is yes, it is what underlies our life here on the physical plane.

We have the opportunity to access an Intelligence which has all answers to all questions. We block that flow with our own ego, our inability to get past the person who we ‘think’ we are.

Ina believes that the way this intelligence communicates with us, is through our intuition. However, how many of us trust or listen to our intuitive thoughts? Education does not often support the idea of following this inner voice.

Too often organized religion enters this equation & people are taught that the Intelligence is a foreign entity, force, or person, that is located somewhere else.

To me the Universal Intelligence is the collective wisdom of all mankind. We are in this together & come from the same Source. Together we can solve any problem & overcome any issue.

Love is the core of this Intelligence, love is the most powerful force on earth, and love is the path to peace, ours as well as the world’s.

When might we learn this lesson? Has Leonard? Who is he singing to? Who gave him the ability to sing? I think at 73, Leonard has figured it out.

When does competition, individuality, & go it alone, take a back seat to compassion? When do we start teaching our kids that they are a part of something larger than themselves? When do we bring this Intelligence home to roost?

Wouldn’t life get a lot simpler if we ‘knew’ that we could tap & trust a Source that had all the answers to any issues that we face or could face in the future? Wouldn’t that lift a lot of stress from our daily issues?

The famous Lord’s prayer, ‘Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven’, is an admonition or request that the Universal Intelligence be allowed through into our sphere. We are the vehicle for allowing that request to be fulfilled. We can be the instrument & the change that we seek. We were made in the image of the Creator.

If believed, these are phenomenal ideas. What does it take to believe?

It is up to each of us, we have personal choice. We can follow the path of individuality, judgment, & worry, or we can live a life looking for ways to help, to serve, to love. Not a difficult choice but a conscious one.

Perception clouds understanding. Perception is a different way to ‘see’ what is not apparent. Perception can lead us to the path we were meant to travel, happiness & abundance redefined.

Could I start today?

If it be thy will, David

JULY 11/10 - COMPETITION

The Dutch just lost 1-0 to Spain. World Cup Soccer.

Why is it that competition brings together countries & regions of the world, while at the same time dividing? Is it that competition, like most other things, has two sides to it, a unifying & a divisive force?

We can look at competition as healthy or disruptive. Are there two sides to every issue, like two sides to a coin?

Is this a matter of perspective? Is this yin & yang?

How can we be sure we are right when there is always an opposite right? Might this be the reason that it was suggested, we control our judgmental natures, by a young Jewish lad?

It is quite easy to consider someone else as wrong, but we don’t ‘see’ the world or the situation as they do. If we ‘saw’ it from their perspective, might we change our opinion?

Is it possible, given a little time or patience, that any picture may clarify itself & we decide that our initial reaction was not correct? if so, how much time or patience should we have?

Our world is becoming a regulatory nightmare, in many ways, do we have the patience to understand all the guidelines set out to legislate integrity & can we legislate integrity?

Are those, who want to get around the rules of the game, able to do so no matter how many regulations & rules we put in place?

The question for each of us might be, do we want to play the game? John Lennon, sang “I had to get off the merry go round” just before he died. Here was a man who seemed to have it all by playing the game. What brought him to the point where he opted out?

It appeared John was on a ‘self’ realization search of some nature & that overcame the allure of money & fame. He was obviously past the point of staying out of the limelight but apparently turned within at some point along the way.

What leads us to compete with one another? Is our society built on that premise? Isn’t it about what can we accumulate during the journey, rather than how might we help others?

Isn’t the system, that is showing financial cracks, a competitive system, & aren’t the new regulations going to have about the same effect as the reams of current regulations?

Might there be an alternative system, much as we are looking for alternative sources of energy. It takes a lot of personal energy to compete in our society, might that energy be re-channeled? As a matter of fact, might we have an unending source of energy if we turn our compassion switch to ‘on’? Giving rather than getting has an energy of its own.

What is healthy competition?

David

JULY 4 - ATTRACTION

Is there such a thing as a Law of Attraction? If so, what do we attract? Do we even spend much time ‘seeing’ what others ‘see’ in us or don’t see? Are we a reflection of that which we would like to attract?

I met an interesting chap this week, Daniel Statnekov, who provided me the following thought: “we're one of the conscious elements in our self-reflective universe; our eyes are the eyes of the creation which look back (in time and space) over itself and with our brain(s) try to discern the beginnings of things and how it is that we have come to reflect on how life and matter has come to be.”

Last week, I wrote: “Our blood is the same color world wide, the air we breathe is the same, our foods are very similar, & the soil & water that make up our bodies is identical. What makes us different?”

The bible says that we were made in the image of the Creator.

Joseph Campbell says that “we are part of the fabric of all that is & when we harm our fellow being or nature, we harm ourselves”. He adds that “our eyes are the eyes of the Universe”.

If we are that attached to all that is, what are we doing attracting things to us that we don’t want? If we are a mirror image of that which created all that is, what stops us from creating whatever we want?

Maybe we don’t believe it!

Maybe, just maybe, we let our false ‘self’ get in the way!

Could we talk our ‘self’ out of the way? Could we die to our small self & be born to the larger Creative Spirit?

The First Nations people felt their connection to nature. We bought the concept of dominion over nature. We don’t live in harmony with nature, we take advantage of it. Sometimes nature’s power is hard to control, such as the oil well in the Gulf, but we still dig like crazy.

I saw Bill Clinton yesterday saying, “we can control the well by having the Navy blow it up, putting mountains of rock on top of it.” He went on to add, “however, we are not sure what that would do to the rest of the eco-system in the Gulf”.

What are we doing here, playing with nature, toying with forces far beyond our ability to understand?

What are we going to attract by taking this path? We believe that we have the right to freedom, to do whatever we want, in the name of capitalism, materialism, or some other ‘ism’. We don’t want to be told what to do. Our ego says that we are the key element here on earth.

We may be the centre of the Universe but not when we bring ourselves down to the small ‘me’. We limit that which we could attract. We make life difficult to handle & create stress on the soul’s carrier, our physical body.

When age finally takes us apart, our physical body back to dust, the air we use back to its Source, our emotions & intelligence back to their Source, what has happened? We will be dispersed back into the ether from whence we were assembled. Will consciousness continue?

There is my ego speaking, the little self that bars so much of the wealth of the Universe.

To be attractive, we must be that which we would like to attract. ‘Do unto others as ye would want done unto you”. Living one life & hoping for another, may be one definition of insanity.

Do we attract toxic relationships, what toxins are we putting out? Do we have to ‘pursue’ healthy relationships or are they automatically drawn to us?

How attractive are we, & do we realize it is the inner glow that attracts, not the physical carrier? Those attracted by the outer shell, find their relationships skin deep, often shallow & disappointing’ at best. Those attracted to the inner core, are friends to be depended on.

What we own is not a reflection of who we are, as a matter of fact ownership is a temporary phenomenon. What we attract with what we think we own, is not the relationships that would bring happiness to the soul.

We are the mirror image of That which created the heaven’s & the earth, when do we decide to act like it?

That day we will ‘hear’ the bird’s sing!

Dave

JUNE 27/10 - THE BOTTOM BILLION

There are at least one billion people on the planet worse off than you & I, at least one billion. That seems a large number. Does that make anyone of us feel extremely fortunate to have been born in our current circumstances, to our parents, & in this country? Does this knowledge make us think we have any responsibility to this bottom billion or was it just unfortunate that they found themselves in their predicament & we owe them nothing?

Are we all connected in some fashion? Does what happens to the bottom billion, good or bad, ultimately affect us? The interrelatedness of our financial system & information technology, the internet, is beginning to make me aware that we are connected, in many ways.

Our blood is the same color world wide, the air we breathe is the same, our foods are very similar, & the soil & water that make up our bodies is identical. What makes us different?

Color & language, the things we can see & hear. These are things that will be left behind as we transition spheres. Why focus on those things which are temporary, at best five score years & ten?

I ascribe to living in the now but not concentrating on those things which are ultimately meaningless. ‘Seeing’ those things which are common to us all, having been made in the image, is a lifestyle shed of egoic images.

We often advance our individual fortune with a pride that assumes superiority to those less fortunate rather than an appreciation for having been in the right place at the right time.

In the beginning we won the billion sperm lottery that was run in our mother’s womb. What separated us from the bottom billion at that point? It was the luck of the draw that our parents weren’t part of the African slave trade, a commerce that has been highlighted since an African American won the Presidency of the world’s most powerful country. Why has the current President of the United States nor Nelson Mandela taken a vindictive approach to governing, based on the way we treated their people over the past few generations?

What allows one person to have compassion & another not? Is this the difference between a leader & the rest of us? Might compassion be good for our health & our planet? Might searching out commonality overcome our differences? Looking after one another would seem to beat fighting any day. War does not have to be inevitable.

The earth provides & we have plundered. Sustainability must be our encore for planetary health. There are enough billions alive today to overpower the planets ability to produce. We are not there yet but the end is in sight. We are intelligent enough to know when the planet has had enough. Wisdom would indicate that to exhaust the machine which provides us life, is to end ours.

It won’t just be the bottom billion. When the eco system shuts down, we all will feel the effects. I am not an environmentalist but have become aware that I am connected to all that is.

I am a creation that evolves over time & now expect that evolution to continue beyond the physical sphere. That part of me which is the same within everyone is the piece that will continue when age brings dust to dust.

My time is timeless, my carrier is not.

David

JUNE 20/10 - BALANCE

Life, to me, appears to be a balancing act. How does one balance responsibilities between work, family, community, education, creative endeavors, & spiritual pursuits?

Just as difficult, how does one balance the range of emotions that circulate throughout our own body? We are that which we feel & think?

We have love for family, partners, & friends? How do we separate that love & not get overcome by a sense of responsibility or confused emotions?

Anger, despair, enthusiasm, & joy can all be experienced within the same day or week. How do we temper the energy that powers these emotions, how do we balance their impact?

Time, how do we balance the time we have in a day? How do we order our priorities to put bread on the table, to deal with family & friends, & to do the things that make us happy, the creative part that makes us who we are?

How do we not overreact to people or circumstances who often feel their issues or priorities ought to be ours?

Could this be considered a juggling act, a tightrope walk, a matter of balance?

The high wire artist is a very focused individual. Might focus provide the answer to the balance dilemma?

Do we have a beacon which guides our ship of state, our temple of the soul?

Spiritually we can feel lost even as our body moves in space. This may mean our guiding light has not been identified. It may be a matter that we allow our body & mind to go where it is demanded, not allowing the soul to dictate the path.

Physical & material pursuits do not a freedom bring. To release our real self from the restraints of the body, our creative soul must be set free to explore new heights. A book, I just finished, portrays a young man emotionally torn & physical suicide his answer. That is not the avenue I propose but a path that brings heaven to earth, the ability to discover within oneself the true nature of reality.

We are the mirror image of that which we seek. We have been honed by life’s stormy edges. We can find calm within the hurricane. Our spirit can skim the waves & vicissitudes of life.

The creative self can be activated by unselfish service. This mechanism allows abundance, in all aspects of life, to flow to the source. Flipping this switch can take a lifetime. Many do not reach nirvana while walking the physical path.

Our direction is guided by the thoughts we harbor. Which path do we choose? Which thoughts lead to our destiny?

Balancing the conflicting emotions & life paths can be a rocky or peaceful ride.

Peace starts with me, balance begins at home.

David

JUNE 6/10 - ‘MY WONDERFUL NIGHTMARE’

“My journey is lonely, I’m on my own, even though surrounded by friends & love”, words spoken by Erin, a 31 year old female ovarian cancer non-survivor, whose last days were lightened & enlightened by a Pender Island healing touch practitioner.

Erin wanted her words to be enshrined for future generations & therein lies Alma Lightbody’s sacred promise to publish Erin’s journals, which were created as she, Erin, travelled this lonely path. As you read the soon to be published, ‘My Wonderful Nightmare’, & watch the video’s recommended below, you will see & hear Erin tell in her own words what she learned as her soul prepared to leave her physical body.

Mack, Alma’s very successful businessman husband, provided love & support to the author as she pursued her calling both in the healing arts & her untold hours with Erin. Erin was the daughter of a good friend of Mack’s & without his loving support, Alma’s concentration on the walk to physical death with Erin, would have been much more difficult.

This is a story about a Pender family who's life became intertwined with a beautiful young woman who found her purpose through her journey to the other side. Mack & Alma come from a traditional business background, both working together in their lower mainland building supply stores. They sacrificed to get where they are today, Mack dreaming of entrepreneurship & taking the risk when it became available to own his own store, mortgaging the family residence, & both of them living in a warehouse for three years, to complete their Pender Island dream home.

Mack was raised with a psychic mother, which led to a very open minded adult, a perfect fit for his love to be, a beautiful Peruvian trained Shamanic healing student. Alma brings light to any room she enters & Mack suggested she keep her maiden name, Lightbody, as it perfectly explained the energy, wave length work she practices.

When Alma attended a ‘Light Body School’ in Peru & the Peruvians told her Alma translated to Soul in Spanish, even the Gods sat up to listen.

For Erin, who had been praying to her God for an answer, this was no coincidence. As Alma says “coincidences are messages sent for us to heed”. In this case, that unknown intelligence that directed these two to meet, was in full gear. Alma’s work with the Luminous Body, which connects us to the Universe & the Earth, reveals our story through this light energy field.

Erin wanted to believe she would get better & Alma helped her come out of her literal world, to help her understand what a great person she was & what she had to offer. Erin learned about her spiritual self, her soul, & came to understand her purpose, ‘to teach others’.

As Alma progressed with Erin through her healing touch, Mack began to see this transform Erin, as she recognized the body is the Temple of the Soul. Many of us never get in touch with our authentic self, our soul, but this couple were blessed by a young girl who died surrounded by their compassionate love.

‘My Wonderful Nightmare’, is a culmination of the journals a young vivacious, advanced ovarian cancer woman left us. Erin realized the end was near & went on to believe that it was not the end but a new beginning. She wants us to rejoice in her passing over & she is out there hoping that you will share her adventure.

Alma in her own words: “I made a promise to Erin to publish her book, fulfilling what she wanted with her journals, that ultimately became her purpose. Erin left her journals to me, which then became my purpose, to fulfill hers. Erin’s message is to listen to your body, connect to your inner self, & know what you are here for. So please meet Erin”.

My Wonderful Nightmare - Erin Higgins - Part 1
My Wonderful Nightmare - Erin Higgins Part 2
My Wonderful Nightmare - Erin Higgins Part 3

David

MAY 30/10 - WOMEN

Having just read ‘Nomad’, a book by a Somali woman who has moved to the West to escape female bondage, it made me think of how women have been treated as second class citizens in many societies over the generations. What got this notion, that women were less or property, started?

In the case of the Somali woman, it was Allah, God, Islam, Mohammed’s interpretation of what he internalized, someone’s interpretation of what Mohammed thought. In reading the Old Testament, apparently Yahweh, God, Judaism, relayed to Moses a similar place for women, or at least someone’s interpretation of what Moses understood.

Studying different religions, it appears that men have been given the enlightened truth & their God has definite opinions about the treatment & place in society for women. This recommended treatment is not favorable for those who would consider equality a worthy goal for the sexes.

Christianity reveres the Mother of God but does not appear to take that as far as daily practice. The priesthood hasn’t considered equality a modern concept.

Women have been considered the salt of the earth. They are the place where even us men were nurtured prior to physical appearance. Our mental & emotional stability counts on a solid relationship with their sex. They exude the love that nurtures our soul. They are the water to our parched spirit. What makes us think or treat them as less than equal?

Women give birth to the children that we are all proud to have brought into this world. They make a house a home. Warmth is the product of their comforting hugs. Bruises hurt less when kissed by their soft lips.

Emotions are fired when a smile lights their face & when they model their latest figure enveloping attire. They are the beauty that is more than skin deep. They are the fulfillment of our dreams.

What makes anyone think women should not be placed on a pedestal, at least treated as equals, as precious?

Men. like myself, have wrapped ourselves in a cloak of superiority & justified it with the words of our Creator. We, of course, have been the interpreter of those words.

It has become apparent to me that we create our own problems by assumption & interpretation, then give ‘credit’ to God. What is wrong with this picture?

We are, David

MAY 23/10 - SPIRITUAL DEMONSTRATION

During one of my meditative wood chopping excursions this week, I contemplated the energy with which we are animated & from whence it might evolve. It obviously has intelligence as part of its nature. What to call it, God, Allah, Creator, Soul, Nature, Natural Creative Ability?

It dawned on me that it was not important what term we came up with to describe it, as a matter of fact as the Taoist’s say, whatever term we use to explain it, that term will never capture the essence.

My thoughts led me to realize that we are capable of demonstrating it in our lives. That seems to me to be the important part of trying to understand the spiritual aspect of our nature.

We can be known as mean spirited or kind. We can be known for being helpful or selfish. We can be known for good works or no works. We can be mentors or role models. The choices are endless & completely up to us.

What we express, on a daily basis, of what we were given at birth, is ours to explore & utilize.

How many of us actually develop our God given abilities? How many of us even know what they are?

Letting the clear light shine through our personality & daily activities, is not only a joy to those around us, but brings unexpected gifts to our own existence here on earth.

Our responses to external annoyances are a part of the flow that we can release. We can meet negativity with acceptance. We can meet injustice with the other cheek.

We are capable of living a sacred life.

Not easy but possible. David

MAY 16/10 - A WALK IN THE PAST

Ina & I just returned from the Old Country, England & Holland, our birthplaces. My question was why are England & Holland called the Old Country? After taking a picture of Ina next to a Cornwall Cathedral built in 520 AD, I no longer ask. Every home we visited was older than our country, Canada. People were amazed that we would build houses with wood, ‘not permanent enough’, ‘no value’.

Value, that is a word that is getting more & more interest for me. What is of value? What do we value?

Our walk in the past included visiting my 98 year old aunt, yes, she has walked this earth for 98 years. What an interesting history. The things she has seen. She & her sister made their livelihood writing romance novels. Their life in the Lake District of England, appears magical. They lived their novels. Did that mean they missed out on ‘reality’? Was their walk here on earth valuable?

We next visited Ina’s aunt in Holland. She lives beside a small canal in a quaint town half an hour from Amsterdam. We travelled north to Friesland, where Ina’s Dad was born, & drove behind the dams that hold back the North Sea. Those dams & the windmills, that helped recover so much land, are true engineering feats. What were they thinking? What value did this bring to the European continent or to the people of Holland?

After our family visits, we then travelled back in time to King Arthur’s history in Wales, Tintagel Castle country. What was Arthur’s value to English history? Did he even exist or like my aunt’s books, a figment of someone’s imagination?

Our next stop was Penzance, Cornwall. From what I can tell the Pirates of Penzance were mainly a musical coming from the minds of Gilbert & Sullivan. However, there is a Castle at Lands End & pirates apparently raided the coast. Jean Shrimpton, the British super model, sister to Mick Jagger’s girlfriend, Chrissie, & apparently the initiator of the mini skirt, owns the Penzance Abbey Hotel. Based on the room rates, it appears the connection to glamour & rock stars, might have some value? Whatever happened to Twiggy, she & Jean modeled at the same time?

Our next stop was Nottingham Castle, close by Sherwood Forest, the home of my childhood hero, Robin Hood. Once again I found myself transported back into fantasy land with a Brit that was reputed to have served in the Holy Land with Richard the Lion Hearted. Were either of these blokes ‘real’ people or just figments of someone’s imagination? Either way, I believe that Robin’s principles underlie many of my decisions to this day.

The closest we got to my birthplace, Blackpool, was Liverpool, the birthplace of a quite well known foursome. We actually descended into the ‘Cavern’ nightclub where the Beatles got started & stayed on the corner of Matthew St. at the Hard Days Night Hotel. I definitely recommend the hotel for good value. We also crossed the Mersey, not in a ferry though, it was an accidental turn into a tunnel beneath it, which cost us ‘one pound forty’. Not much value there, other than to tell you we did it.

This walk back in time, helped me realize that history is about people, whether these people are ‘real’ or imaginary. These are stories about the good & the bad, remember the Sheriff of Nottingham? Different people different places think of value in different terms.

What weaves its way through all of this for me is the never ending story of life, of nature. It wasn’t the walls or bricks that were animated, it was the people, the flowers, & the animals. We are now back & Pender & the birds were outside our window singing at 5 a.m., just like they were when we left.

This walk in the past shows me what the future will be or could be. Imagination may be our major asset. What comes from our mind, pen, or voice, Gilbert & Sullivan, my Aunt, the Beatles, is where the true value lies. This creative imaginary world comes out of the ether.

This ether surrounds us, this ether surrounds the earth, this ether surrounds the Universe, can Hubble ever discover it? Can we ever ‘see’ it, we live in it. Imagine!

We keep going further to find answers, we pursue answers in material terms, in exploration. The answer that came to me on this trip was that the answers & value lie within. The value lies within our imagination, whether we manifest that or not, is up to each of us.

Do I feel we got value from this trip?

Inestimable!

David

MAY 1/10 - BUBBLE

Last week I wrote about Hubble & the creative action in outer space. Today, Ina, my cousin, Roberta, & I, have been walking through the English Lake District countryside, & my cousin mentioned the financial ‘bubble’. To see the mystery of creation, whether in outer space, through the eye of Hubble, or on earth, through our own eyes, makes me wonder why our inner space gives way to an emotion, such as greed, many people getting burned in the pursuit of fictitious ‘value’, a bubble.

What drives us to chase that next dollar? What makes us think we are gaining something of value? What is value?

Walking, walking through beautiful countryside, walking with family & friends. Connecting, sharing, quiet time; these are the things that settle the soul.

Our soul, now there is a concept that is hard to explain. I believe it is that part of us that never lets us forget that we are connected to something greater than ourselves. It continually urges us to be who we were sent here to be. Sent here, now there is another concept that might be a bit hard to comprehend. If we were sent here, from where were we sent, & by whom?

Does that question really matter, we are here, let’s live to the fullest. While alive we have the choice of many things, living in the past, the future, or the now. It is quite difficult to be present, to live in the moment.

When living completely present, completely in the moment, some people might consider us to be living in a bubble, not living in reality. Their reality is their perception of what reality looks & feels like. Each of us has a reality based on our perception of the world around us.

Learning how to live within our own bubble, our world, without harming others is apparently something that is very difficult to do. We get caught up in the race & let fear or suspicions lead our actions. To live our life without judgment is a feat all to its own.

Our planet is a small bubble in the Universe, our home a small bubble on earth, our body a small bubble in our home, our soul a small bubble in our body?

Bubbles may not only be destructive they may also be the roots of humanity.

David

APRIL 25/10 - HUBBLE

This week Ina & I had a chance to see the Hubble telescope in action. Imax is showing the movie, ‘Hubble’. It was absolutely awe inspiring to see the Universe in action. When you think of the billions of stars, the untold number of galaxies which make up the Universe, & the continual creative process of new stars, what on earth is going on?

As a matter of fact, does it really have any significance, what ‘on earth’ is happening? It seems that things here on earth are really so insignificant as to be totally irrelevant. We take ourselves far too seriously.

We want to believe ourselves special & in a cosmic sense we may be. We have creative power within our makeup. We share that with the Universe. We also have the ability to think, does the Universe? Are we the only thinkers out there? Is there thought behind the Universe?

We have emotion. Are we the only ones? Is the Universe devoid of emotion? Are we that special?

I spoke with an 80 year old artist this week, who told me we have the ability to use our head & our heart but that creativity comes from what he calls the ‘soul’, as he put his hand on his lower stomach.

What I took away from those two encounters, the movie & the artist, is that there is more to us than meets the eye.

There is an intelligence that lies behind all of creation, including us. We can tap that creative intelligence when we stop to listen. It is a process of feeling, a putting aside of our egoistic filter system. Resistance weakens the creative power. Change is eternal, we must embrace it.

We can be part of the process or try to dam it up. When we stop the flow, the body reacts, anxiety & discomfort are heightened, personal peace is disturbed.

Watching Hubble’s pictures unfold led me to ask are we completely insignificant or the heart of the Universe? Does it matter?

As my 80 year old artist said “I am satisfied to have tried”.

In the Universe, the creative process is continuous.

Within each of us, might it lie latent.

It won’t let us forget it’s there.

What to do?

Try!

David

APRIL 18/10 - HERD MENTALITY

Wall Street has just given us a great example of the herd mentality where all wisdom went out the window & nearly cratered the international financial system. The idea of lending money to people with no ability to repay, negative amortizing loans, meaning if they can’t pay, the missed payments & interest, go back to be added to the principal balance, increasing it until it is far beyond the worth of the asset, their home, is sick & with the fraud charges against Goldman Sachs, maybe far more serious.

What takes hold of us, when we start to run with the majority, even when it is obvious they are going in the wrong direction? Why do we question our own common sense?

We want to be accepted. We don’t like to be wrong or made to look the fool. We lack self esteem. These are a few of the reasons that we go along with the crowd.

If this happens, I suggest that we have not developed a strong enough faith in our internal guideposts & falter when we ‘feel’ we should do differently. Our internal navigation system can be quite accurate & if we watch for external signs, sometimes called coincidences or synchronicity, we can often confirm that which we ‘know’ intuitively.

I was recently asked ‘what is our purpose as a human race’. The answer to that is at best philosophical but the answer we give to the question definitely affects the direction our life takes.

We can look to others for the answer & confirmation that what we want to believe is best for us but I’m convinced that the only right answer is the one we come up with ourselves after deep reflection & a bit of jostling from life’s hard knocks.

Standing out from the crowd is often uncomfortable but definitely a growth accelerator. Our completion as a human being & living a life that is complete, is a continuous rebirthing process. We can grow out of last year’s skin. We can ‘see’ the world in a completely different light or perspective. Reality changes when we see the world differently. Looking at obstacles from different directions can turn them into opportunities.

Failure can be one of life’s great learning experiences. Whether we win or lose, if it was our own decision, the results are worth living with & learning from. We can beat ourselves up but that doesn’t achieve growth, it adds to self esteem issues.

Ina suggests at times that I think too much. She is absolutely correct. There comes a point when things need to be offered up to the Universe & wait for answers to arrive. Living in the now is a difficult action. How to calm one’s mind, so it is not thinking about what is to come, to be done, or how things that have happened could have been different, is a practice unto itself.

I chop wood to focus & looking at the scars on both lower legs would suggest that I haven’t achieved perfection. I still have both legs, so that suggests some progress.

When the herd mentality takes hold in any crowd that I am around, one of the first things I ask is why? When I see things differently I check with others to find out where I’m going wrong or what I’m missing. When I get answers that sound logical, I dig deeper. I confirm with others that the answers I’m getting are valid. This process for me is to help me establish a place on this planet for the being that entered my physical temple.

I say temple because of the awe in which I hold the majesty of life itself. Life springs forth everywhere & it is not my right to destroy it in any form. Materiality decays, life is eternal. You don’t destroy life by destroying the temple.

The herd becomes mindless. The herd reacts. The herd loses touch with common sense. The acts of a lynch mob can over-power justice.

Don’t let your God given abilities or right to be an individual, get subdued by someone or others who appear to have more power.

Take your power back.

Right or wrong, act.

David

APRIL 11/10 - I PHONE

We humans are conductors of ideas & messages. Like a computer, that switches back & forward between 1 & 0, we switch back & forward between that which emanates us, let’s call that spirit, & ego, let’s call that self image.

Ideas arrive from out of the ether & we process them through our value system. We make judgements & then let those judgements flow out through our words.

Another person who hears those words, someone we interface with, then filters those ideas & messages through their filter system, their anti-virus software, & hears what they want to hear.

The possibility for our two internal computers to mismatch the idea, may be much like trying to have a Mac & a PC communicate effectively. They don’t.

I brought this topic up this morning, not to think through the communication difficulties between two people but to reflect on our own communication with the Source of the ideas that we get internally.

Thoughts come to us from ‘out of the blue’. How did they get here? Are we the beginning & end of all valuable ideas? Are our ideas not colored by the culture in which we were raised, the parents who raised us, the religion they might have adopted, the schools we attended, the economic system in which we have lived?

When computers communicate they have most of the information stored in their hard drive, in our case that is the brain. Computer logic is not mixed with emotion. In our case the heart enters the equation. Computers get most of their messages today through the ether, wireless internet, iphone. We get our creative ideas from the ether, I Phone.

The place inside, where our new ideas & values mix, might be called our soul. This is not an exercise in semantics or religious expression, but a self realization process that may improve the chance of longevity.

Our ability to communicate with the unseen may be more important to self fulfillment than all the discourse we have with others. Reflection, time alone with our own thoughts, carry value far beyond anything we do to convince others that we have valuable ideas.

The switch we use in our internal computer is colored by the values & judgements that we carry & accumulate. Our self image & self esteem, or lack thereof, can create friction as we express our opinions.

Our viewpoint of taking or giving, as a lifestyle, can seriously affect the value we receive from social interaction. That viewpoint can impact the development of our soul & the balance we achieve, of health & happiness.

The trigger is ours to pull. What we decide, either logically or through emotion, will determine the balance of happiness & health we achieve.

Perfection is nigh impossible to achieve but the closer we come the healthier our lifestyle will be. Our spam & anti-virus filters will provide us a fresh view each morning. Our internal mechanism is ours to rebirth, reboot, any time we ‘see’ the need.

If life, health, & relationships, are just as you would want them to be, congratulations.

If not, close your eyes & turn within. There is lots to ‘see’, lots to learn, lots of growth yet. Life may begin as we overcome that which has stalled our personal program.

Your heart runs this machine, let its product flow.

David

APRIL 3/10 - HEART LIGHTS

“The great ones are lit from within”, Morgan Freeman

I just came from meeting Pender Island’s newest addition, Zephyre Mallett, born March 6, 2010, 7 lbs, 4 oz. Before reading further please read Ina’s poem at her Heartdates page

Ina explains in her poem that it is heaven, that little one. Is Zephyre a gift from heaven? Is heaven the light that lights the world?

It was a light in Ina’s eyes that captured my heart in grade 3. That gift has never diminished.

The light that shines through a newborn baby’s eyes is the light that goes on & off as we age. The light is always available to each one of us but it can get very dim at times. Morgan Freeman suggests that it is the ‘great ones’ who have a light that burns brightly. I believe we all can be the ‘great ones’ if we recognize why our light shines or dims.

When we turn to negative thoughts or comments, our light loses its energy & diminishes. When we view the world or the future with positivism there is a sparkle in our eye, which is often irresistible to others.

When we feel things from the heart, the twinkle is obvious. Our eyes tell the story of our inner energy.

We can come across heavy or ‘light’. People are either buoyed up in our presence or dragged down. There are people we enjoy being with & come away energized but others leave us cold.

It is the light within that makes the difference & that light is always at our beck & call.

The light shines brightly when we are giving & forgiving. It drops to very low voltage as we turn inward, selfishness, or greed. When we turn within, that which is within, doesn’t shine without.

Focusing on our family, our community, & our planet, with a loving compassionate heart, brings new life to the world around us. As plants & trees push towards the light, so are others attracted to that light we carry.

Smiles are known to beam & bring sunlight into the life of those less fortunate. Those less fortunate are friends who find little to smile about. Today’s economic issues give many people lots to worry about. Others adapt & find gems where many fear to tread.

We are creative beings, created in the image of the Original Creator.

Does it matter who or what that was? Can we see the Creator in the mirror? What stops us ‘seeing’ the miracle within? We ‘see’ it in the newborn but lose the ability as life gets in the way.

The light resides in the heart. Letting our heart live a healthy life is to give the light a chance to shine.

Let’s be a beacon. A light for the hungry soul.

There is no cure for love, David

MARCH 28/10 - PERSPECTIVE

How does one keep their perspective during the daily rush of comments & opinions that flow endlessly?

How do you rise above the fray?

How can one keep a balance to life amid turbulent waters?

Where does one find peace, peace of mind?

It all starts within at our core values. Exploring those core values & establishing firmness around that internal beacon, is our ticket to ride.

Letting small deviations creep in over time are ultimately the seeds for a lost path, a wilderness future.

Our own meadow can be established, in the middle of a crowd, as we bring calmness to events. Our words either soothe or foment. It is our choice to rise above & look for a way out of the woods.

None of us are perfect so there will be lapse’s of judgment but we always have the words ‘I’m sorry’ available to mend broken fences. Whether we mean those words or not will determine the healing involved.

It is so easy to be drawn down into the fray, activated by our emotions. Some people are quite good at probing those sensitive spots in each of us.

In the end we are responsible for our reactions & growth comes through understanding & dealing with these daily interactions.

Taking a balanced stance arrives by listening to others’ point of view & measuring that against one’s internal values. Finding common ground & reaching for a shared vision can lead to reconciliation. Reconciliation can lead to peace.

We see numerous global conflicts daily but Ina has gradually brought me around to focusing locally. The small differences within our own community can become quite large to folks involved. It is amazing to me how many counter points of view can be held by a community of less than 2000 people.

When I think about this though, why wouldn’t there be 2000?

What motivates these points of view, personal interests or community interests? Now that opens up the question of intent. Intent is very difficult to determine & many people are quite good at hiding their true intentions. This, of course, leads to deceit & ultimately karma.

Understanding what I just said in that last sentence, ‘one hurting another hurts oneself’, is the common ground for cultivating peace.

Once we truly understand this concept, we will quit slapping ourselves in the face, to which I am as guilty as anyone else.

Quiet time definitely helps us to get perspective back & calm the emotions. I chop wood. That service carries a number of life balance remedies. I find it saves on medical bills as well as calming the nerves.

We were all made in the same image. ‘Seeing’ that image clearly is the path to unity, the path to peace.

I’ve searched for years to answer whether we will ever see clearly & have come to realize that it is not a matter of ‘we’ but me. My part in this play is to understand who I am & where I fit. There is a part I can play, for which I have been given skills. Knowing myself & my skill set, having confidence in that, & then action, is the way to get onto the stage of life.

Certainly we can be part of the audience, while television brings us the action on stage, & we can even heckle the players. Or we can jump in & take a leadership position offering whatever skill set we have.

I have chosen to play & deal with the thrown popcorn as it comes my way. I find some people relate to my chosen role but others don’t. I must learn to deal with the rejection as I indulge in the accolades.

Not everyone sees the world the same way. I must learn to look through others eyes to understand their perspective. Listening & ‘seeing’ issues from different angles helps me to have a clearer vision of the beautiful world we live in.

Might one person, through clearer perspective, make a difference for the future of this planet & thereby our grandkids? Let’s hope so.

Here’s hoping I can leave my fingerprint in the Universe.

David

MARCH 21/10 - ILLUSION

Our grandson was here this weekend & showed us his magic tricks. Once we understood the illusions involved it became apparent how he did what seemed impossible.

Our daughter had given me a Taoist book that has a discussion on the illusion involved in our daily life, that which we believe we ‘see’.

Many of us take for granted that the world we see through our eyes is the real world as seen by everyone else. What we believe, we believe others should rightly believe. This pattern forms the basis of our daily existence.

Any metamorphosis has to be accomplished through our own change not that of the outer environment. We are an evolving being on an evolving planet. Our ultimate destiny is tied up with our levels of awareness.

To break out of preset molds is to overcome the traditional ‘self’. Over the years we develop our self image & invest a lot in our support of that image. To have that image questioned is to believe we are being attacked. An apparent attack taken personally can lead to devastating feelings. To be less invested in the image is to counter those supposed attacks with compassion.

As my grandson does, we trick ourselves into believing much about our life here in the physical sphere. We create loss, fear, animosity, by reacting to people & events through insecurity. Maintaining a healthy balance in our emotional state can overcome many of our supposed challenges while contributing to a healthy body.

The body, our physical vessel, provides us a vehicle for travel in the material sphere. It needs care & attention as does any vehicle we might travel in. One serious illusion is to get wrapped up in the idea that we are our body. This concept can lead to a life lived in a realm that allows appearances to dictate actions.

Hollywood is built around that concept & it is easy to get caught up in that ephemeral world. What one does not see on the surface is the emotional price paid often for that illusion of fame, fortune, & happiness. Many of the participants have relationships based on borrowed time & money. Recently, we have witnessed our world financial system crack under that type of debt lifestyle, or as the Wall St. types call it, leverage. My grandfather called that living ‘beyond one’s means’, an illusion.

This leads to the question what is ‘real’? Therein lies the search for Self, the source of all being, the Tao. Where did we come from, to where do we return?

Is this all there is? Is it all about illusion?

Are others a reflection of our self?

Might we ‘see’ clearly soon?

David

MARCH 14/10 - THE MIND & THE HEART -

Our attention is generally focused on the exterior world. When it is not, we often allow our mind to wander into the future or the past. This creates a life that is rarely settled.

Our world, & the life we live within it, is a reflection of the things on which we concentrate or those things that come within our perception field. Our reality is just that, ‘ours’, no one else’s.

Last week I wrote of ‘thy will or mine’. Our will can become quite inflexible. We create an idea in our mind about someone or something & we can get quite defensive about our position. We can even get quite agitated or hate others that aren’t smart enough to ‘see’ it our way.

We do not live simply & learn to bend like the willow in the wind. We accumulate, protect, & fight for that which we believe to be ours. That, can be things or thoughts.

Our life can be one constant stress, convinced that what we ‘see’ is the only reality, or we can accept that, reality is in the eye of the beholder.

When we entered this realm we saw the beauty & the love. When we first woke up, there was the light. As we grow up we often move further from the light & life becomes detached from its centre.

When doors appear to be closing we fight to keep them open as we fear the result. I have always found that when one door closes, another opens. Having faith, that that will be the outcome, is sometimes difficult.

When disappointment sets in, it is hard to ‘see’ the positive side. Time smooths over those rough spots & looking back it is often easier to ‘see’ that the change was in our best interest. As a partner long ago said “you never know when you are having a good day”.

That partner also said “don’t be surprised when people act like people”. We can’t dictate how people will act, the only thing we can control is our reaction.

Rather than living in our minds or being controlled by our emotions, a healthy combination of the two reduces stress. By not ‘wanting’ things or power, & putting others first, we get out of our own heads & find our heart.

Live simply, want little, put others first.

David

MARCH 7/10 - ‘THY WILL NOT MINE’

Is there a will that is beyond ours?

If so, who’s?

We have free will, don’t we?

Who has the final word?

We ‘are’ in control, ‘aren’t’ we?

I’m the final answer, aren’t I?

My will not thine?

The questions go on & on. Religions try to answer them.

Wait, whose religion?

“Deep down all religions are pointing towards the same wisdom: the wisdom of love & compassion, peace & generosity, service & serenity egoless-ness & self-realization.” Satish Kumar, ‘No Destination’

Is it possible that the Higher Will is above all religions?

If so why doesn’t that Will choose the right course for us all?

Is this a spiritual issue or is there a practical answer?

Might that Omniscient Will be available through listening?

It strikes me that the answer is yes & that the answer is within. Listening to that inner voice is the place to find the answers to these questions & the path meant for each of us to follow on this physical journey.

This Will is not male or female but ethereal. It is the accumulation of the whole which has the brightest outcomes for its creations. We are part of that creation, that mosaic of beauty & love.

We can complete that mosaic or help tear it apart. That choice is ours, free will.

When our will finds us in deep water, uncomfortable, dis-eased, it may be that we are concentrating on our own advantage versus the age old admonition ‘to do unto others as ye would want done unto yourself’.

Is it possible that by looking out for the other person’s interest that our own health is assured? Is it possible that this may be the path to success?

Does focusing out-wards bring inner peace?

A number of years ago, I asked the question, of the Universe, ‘how does one person or couple influence world peace?’ The answer that has arrived, why so long, is to achieve peace within.

The centre of the Universe is at the centre of our soul. You might want to have me describe ‘our soul’ but that answer has not arrived yet. I am confident that that which connects us all is the Higher Will that can provide the answers each of us needs.

We need to go within to get out of our own way. Our developed sense of our own worth, whether monetary, materially, or self esteem, are the challenges to finding out who we really are & why we are here.

When we enter a transaction to win, rather than to help the other not to lose, it takes a piece of that gift we were given at birth & diminishes its light.

We entered the physical world from the light & to the light we will return. How much baggage will we take back?

It won’t be anything material but it will be possible to return as a much less bright light. Heaven to me is keeping that light bright from physical entrance to exist. Hell is letting that energy run down, a true sustainability issue.

We arrived in this Garden of Eden & we have figured out ways to contaminate the garden, whether through ignorance or on purpose. It would seem appropriate to wake up & clean up after ourselves, leaving a clean garden to the next lights that appear. Why not a sustainable model rather than blowing up the garden as we leave?

This is not only thinking of others but thinking of those who have not entered our sphere yet.

Let’s leave a legacy that future generations thank us for not a recycling nightmare.

Does this make me an environmentalist?

Simply, this to me is heeding ‘Thy Will not mine’.

Trying to be greater than the little ‘self’.

Overcoming my ego.

Letting go.

David

FEB 28/10 - VANCOUVER 2010 OLYMPICS

The Vancouver Olympics are finished today. Canada & our neighbor to the south are in the Hockey finals for Gold.

The energy, excitement, & pictures that are coming out of Vancouver, a city just across the water from us, is palpable.

As a city, as a province, as a country, we have come together as one. We join in celebration with those speed skaters from Quebec who won the Gold. We overcome our political differences & get behind anyone wearing the Maple Leaf.

We can pull together, we can pull in the same direction, when given a reason to do so, when provided an opportunity to get beyond our daily issues. We can rise to the occasion.

We have a spirit, an inner energy, that connects through the ether. some might call that heaven. When the energy turns negative, it could be called hell, as in ‘when all hell breaks loose’.

A country can be brought together behind a team or to coordinate genocide. The direction of this spirit can be energized by one man, a Gandhi or a Hitler, but is the responsibility of us all.

Each day we have the choice to channel our energy into positive or negative thought patterns. Paying attention to what goes around in our head or comes out of our mouth is a way to understand how our life will proceed. Our path is unfolded as our thoughts unfold.

We can’t expect the gold if our thoughts tell us we are no better than bronze. We are the epitome of an Olympic champion, made in the image of perfection, but as limited as we believe.

Where we live is the Garden of Eden & we can keep it that way, unless we soil our own nest. The world sees the beauty of our city & province. When they come to visit will it be as beautiful as they remembered it on television. That is up to us. We set the standard for the place in which we live. We either respect the garden we live in or pave over it.

Our energy can be dissipated in any number of ways. It is up to us as to how we let others drain or feed us. It is our choice as to who we hold as friends. It is our choice as to groups we support.

We are a light, we are a magnet. We have electricity to offer. We have energy to spare, we can share.

When we share there is always more where that came from. The light we provide for another is a light that won’t ever go out. The hand we provide to another is a hand that won’t ever be forgotten.

The Olympic flame may be passed on today but our flame, love, can burn brightly for generations to come.

Let’s cheer our country’s team today. Tomorrow let’s support our local community. Winning the gold starts at home. Knowing one can win starts within.

Let love guide your steps.

David

FEB 21/10 - THE WORD

‘In the beginning was the word’.

Words are extremely important in our daily chatter & can mean many different things. They definitely create emotional reactions depending on their use.

Words used without thinking first can hurt the intended receiver. What caution must we use? Who’s responsibility is it to insure that words don’t offend?

We cannot be responsible for people’s reactions but how we help form those reactions becomes a subtlety that is worth pondering.

To irresponsibly contribute to unfounded rumors is a way to allow words to get out into the public realm with no confirmation that they might be correct. This, each of us, must take responsibility for curtailing.

When is opinion unfounded content?

I have recently become quite active in our community affairs & it has become quite apparent that even naming a specific impetus means many different things to different people.

How does one locate a middle ground & what does one give up in doing so?

Our world is a place of give & take. We must compromise but stand for justice. This concept is a tough one to determine. Our standards are set within & our way of viewing the world is from that platform.

We need to spend much time determining the values we live by. Those values are our beacon for rough times.

We should not get stuck in a groove when faced with change. We should welcome new ideas & differing opinions. It is often times difficult to listen to another’s point of view if it drastically differs from our own. This is a circumstance where careful listening & consideration is required but very difficult to achieve.

As words flow forth we might often find ourselves anticipating what is being said & thinking about our response without listening to the speakers full meaning.

Why do I belabor the point about words we use? I have watched communities be divided, millions of dollars be lost, & friendships ruined, over bitter or misunderstood words. This has been particularly relevant where other cultures come into the picture. Mexican friends who speak English often have quite different meanings for English words they choose, than we do in North America.

How to listen actively is a skill.

How to send proper messages is an art.

Words to the wise, David

FEB 14/10 - COMMUNITY

"Traditionally a 'community' has been defined as a group of interacting people living in a common location. The word is often used to refer to a group that is organized around common values and social cohesion within a shared geographical location" Wikipedia.

The word community has within it the word unity. It considers a collection of common values. How does a community come together around common values?

It is very easy for us to see our differences & often express them quite vehemently. We can quite easily see the world from an individualistic or ego perspective. It's often about my ideas not those necessarily benefitting the comunity as a whole.

How do we bring our focus to those things where the community can agree? These questions have become quite relevant to my journey on this planet, specifically here on Pender Island. Recently, I was asked to be the President of Pender's Chamber of Commerce. Apparently, the folks that asked, were introduced to the Greenangels 'making a difference while making a dollar' concept.

This concept, in our mind, incorporates, 'values based investing' with 'triple bottom line' business practices. I could give you a wikipedia or academic definition of these concepts but I thought it might be more appropriate to tell you what they mean to us from our journey to this point.

It actually hit us in Cabo, when we had successfully completed a resort project with 5000 members, that the following local development, on the twenty miles of beautiful beaches, had brought with it numerous social & environmental ills. A fresh water deficit, when we started, had been compounded by seven championship golf courses. A small fishing village had turned into a city with barrio's holding 30,000 people trucked in from the mainland with no power, water, or proper sanitation, living 5 miles back in the desert.

Baja California Sur is a small farming community & could little afford to be left with a massive social & environmental problem. The BCS economy had revolved around the ocean for centuries. The Sea of Cortes was & is being depleted rapidly. A friend of ours has documented that sea life is down 90% since he started going there 40 years ago.

Crime, prostitution, & drugs, came to be a part of the local community, that prior to the tourism invasion, probably thought taking more fish than one could consume in a day, was a crime. The Admiral of the Navy told me that if we were to take the fishing nets off the indigenous people that he would wind up putting their kids in jail later, as the economic alternative, drugs, was there awaiting. We began to realize that our business, development, could have dramatic effects on a community whether they liked it or not & whether they saw it coming or not.

Since realizing the above, we have explored the idea of education, as a way to provide for future communities to 'see' what might be on their horizon. We have now experienced Canadian counterparts to our BCS sojourn. Communities back home here are torn apart at times over development within their boundaries. Recently, I was told that our tiny island is evenly divided when it comes to any changes.

How does a community come together when evenly divided on separate sides of issues. How can we contribute to our own home community's future without creating divisions?

To Ina & I, it involves thinking about the social & environmental impact of those decisions that we make for financial reasons. When we go out each day to earn our daily bread, is the work we are doing somehow harming or helping the greater community?

What about our investments, whether that is our time or our retirement dollars? Do we invest our time in beneficial activities for the community as a whole & do we know whether our dollars are invested in companies that line up with our own values? Have we spent much time thinking about what our values actually are?

Does it really matter to us whether we just ride this ship of life to its destination or take an active role by becoming involved? Does it matter to our kids & grandkids? More & more people seem to be taking these questions seriously, in some cases, apocolyptically. We have seen the U.S. elections come down to a few hundred votes separating the winner from the loser & just look at the decisions the winner made versus those the loser did. One took the nation to war & the other made a movie called 'An Inconvenient Truth'. What might our world look like today if a few hundred people had voted differently or at least had voted?

Partisanship is dead, says a recent U.S. business magazine, everyone is voting along party lines. Our island is a small cosmos of that division. It appears we may be evenly divided over what's next. It appears to me that a few people could make a difference in this community & I asked myself whether I should be one of those people. Who else if not me? I certainly have experienced the outcomes of unbridled development from one perspective, profit. Why not me?

So I answered, yes!

Yes to my community.

Yes to my involvement.

Yes to listening to everyone's point of view.

Yes to try & understand without judging.

Yes to unity.

It's been a month. Is it easy? No, but no is not part of my lingo, nor acceptable.

We can be an example.

We can be a light.

The light radiates from here.

The world can use en-light-enment.

The world can use our love.

Happy Valentine's Day, David

JAN 31/10 - MEANING

"Waking up is realizing we are not pleasure machines, that there is a spiritual meaning in life that alone can make us happy", Michael Nagler

It isn't what we do but who we are that makes a difference.

What is it about who we are that makes a difference?

Who are we really?

The seeds of our own destruction or success lie buried within our breast. Our life path is the culmination of our internal desires. Emotions surround our logical choices. Feelings pervade our every action.

This is the way we 'see' the physical world.

Our world is described in our daily thoughts & utterances. 'In the beginning was the word'. Our words reveal who we are & the intentions we hold within.

What gives meaning to our existence? What do we get from our daily toil besides daily bread?

Is there meaning within our work? Do we try to get away from our job to find solitude?

Does solitude allow fertile ground for meaning to grow? Is meaning something that sneaks up on someone or just pops up one day?

Have we ever found that quiet place where the waters are still, the thoughts calmed? Do we visit there often? Can that place be held while turmoil broils around us?

Is money the goal of our daily efforts or satisfaction of a passion well done?

The difference in the two parts of the sentence above is the difference between earthly peace & hell on earth.

Life's meaning is different for all of us & thank goodness there is a never ending list to choose from. We can all be different but equal. Equal in the eyes of love.

Love allows! Love nurtures! Love creates! Love is self worth!

Love is a storehouse of riches. Dwell in the depths.

Let's immerse ourselves in the tranquility.

Let's not let this moment escape.

Enrichment for all!

David

JAN 24/10 - ENOUGH IS ENOUGH

When is enough, enough?

Last night Ina, my sister, & I saw 'Serengeti', an IMAX movie of the African plains. Part of the commentary referred to the animals hunting & eating just enough to satisfy their immediate hunger.

What is it about us humans that finds enough is never enough? We find ourselves saving for a rainy day. We create anxiety & stress when the animal kingdom would be peacefully resting.

We find it difficult to disconnect from future thoughts, plans, & worries. Our life is lived out in thoughts of the past & of the future. We have a difficult time living in the present. The present is the only part of eternity that we are capable of experiencing during this physical journey.

Living in the place, where no issues affect our day, is the 'peace beyond human understanding'. The fact it is beyond human understanding, is why we have a hard time reaching that place of peace.

Often our consciousness is flooded with thoughts of 'needs', that are produced directly from our sub-conscious & not necessarily needs at all. Our constantly fertile mind can drive us to continuous distraction. The 'needs' of others also weigh heavily on our mind & particularly when the folks involved are close friends or family. It is difficult to turn down friends & family but taking control of our own life removes the 'victim' role & frees the spirit.

It might be wise for each of us to take a look around & decide what we are accumulating, that which we really don't need. Rather than add to our material hoard, lightening the load, downsizing, shedding, & retiring debt, are alternative strategies that lighten the mental & financial strain.

'But how do I get rid of this & I definitely need that', are just figments of the imagination that become reality when materialized. 'I just can't get no satisfaction' may be the Stones lament but does not have to be our heritage. Satisfaction is a state of mind. Our world can be seen from two very different viewpoints. We choose how we see the world. We choose how we react to the events that history throws our way. We can't do much about the way the world turns but we can do a lot about the way our head does.

International events seem to be spiralling towards an uncertain future. Our neighbourhoods are feeling the effect of reduced tax bases. Friends are out of work, jobs are tough to come by, plenty of issues to keep us up at night. The quickest way to overcome these thoughts is to find someone who needs our help. If we are not employed ourselves then we have time to give. We always have something to give.

If we are thinking about giving then we are not thinking about getting. If we are not thinking about getting our chances of having 'enough' becomes more likely. The question becomes 'what can I give away' not what else do I need to add to my stock of assets.

We all know we have a physical life for which we accumulate supposed treasures, treasures that we can't take with us. Some of us may realize that we have a spiritual life that could use a bit of embellishing, a place where any additions can be taken with us. When we depart the physical plane and our spiritual life takes over, that which we have stored internally will be the only thing that enriches that trip.

Storing internally does not mean adding calories to our physical frame, that body which ultimately decays. Internal wealth is the polishing of our inner light which lights the world. We are the beacon of hope that we seek. We are the children of love. We are what we deeply believe we are.

We are enough.

David

JAN 17/10 - ENERGY

There is an energy that emanates our body, which is controlled by the thermostat of our intentions.

We can be energized by those around us & lifted by the experience or we can be brought down to earth, depressed.

How do we vibrate & resonate with other people? Do we lift souls or do we depress others?

Do we create harmony or division? What brings people together? What allows a whole nation or a community to rally around something larger than themselves?

What goal in our life can be bigger than just surviving or creating more personal wealth?

Do I have the energy to take on a new project? Does it matter to me that our community or planet has some significant challenges?

Isn't it better to let those other folks figure it out? Don't 'they' know the answers? What do they expect from me? I'm just your average citizen sitting in front of my television & internet connection watching events.

Then it struck me this morning as I turned on this computer, the energy that emanates it came from somewhere. I looked at the wall socket & knew the socket was attached to the power lines connecting our whole community. We are all relying on that same source of energy. But, where did the lines get the power? I believe there is a source much further away, unseen, at a major dam or two. That dam collects the power from a rushing river that emanates from the mountains or an ice field further away from our home & our community.

How does that apply to the energy that emanates my body & gives me the ability to operate effectively each day?

Humanity is energized by the same energy, called life, spirit, or whatever you please. When we back upstream, we find that we are all connected to that Source of all life. We all rely upon that energy through the growth of plants & animals for our daily sustenance. Those plants & animals also rely upon this Source of energy for their daily sustenance. If we dam the river to run our computer, the salmon may not be able to spawn, & we possibly wipe out another source of our daily sustenance.

Everything is tied together & ought to be managed in a sustainable fashion. That is sensible but who cares?

Is it possible that if one of us cares that the rest of the world might sit up & take notice? Certainly our community just might & then who knows where it goes from there.

I have heard that we are all just 6 steps removed from anyone on the planet.

As we receive the energy from the unseen Source, we manipulate it through our subjective intentional filter system. We judge & decide. Each of us does the same thing. Starting as a young babe, we are a pure filter of the energy. We race around & yell at full volume. Gradually we are trained to inhibit our natural urges & slowly pick up the wisdom/judgement of our older role models. Through religion, education, & politics, we are able to polarize our positions & then settle in to defend them through argument & military means.

As I write this, I can definitely understand why a young Jewish chap many decades ago, suggested 'we become as little children'. He wasn't suggesting a rebirth through our mother's birth canal, he wasn't referring to a physical act at all. He was talking spiritually & referring to the clean energy that emanates our physical body, not the dirty energy that often comes out of our mouth.

Which brings me to 'In the beginning was the Word'. Our words are backed by energy & can be quite forceful. Our words can destroy. Our words can provide hope. Our words reveal our intentions.

Our words can create a new world.

The power behind our words is the power behind the Universe.

Recognizing that, it seems we should let them out wisely.

A slip of the tongue can have an enormous financial or emotional cost.

Storing energy is much wiser than wasting it through antagonistic musings. Gossiping is the leakage that fritters away that valuable resource that keeps us all alive.

Words in anger have launched battle ships. In the future they could launch nuclear missiles.

Where does it all start. It starts at home. That little one that is listening is the next Warrior or Peace Ambassador.

The balance lies within, not at U.N. Headquarters.

We are the Source of all peace.

We are a miracle in human form.

We are whatever we decide we are.

We can come together.

Energetically, David

JAN 10/10 - INVICTUS - UNCONQUERED

Ina & I just returned from the Clint Eastwood movie, 'Invictus', about Nelson Mandela.

Morgan Freeman played the part & quoted the following lines, on behalf of his character:

"I am the Master of my fate, I am the Captain of my soul".

This was from a man who had spent 27 years in a tiny jail cell & who then became President of a Nation.

How many of us, under far less desperate circumstances than those, would believe that we are Masters of our fate?

What really amazed everyone in South Africa, & I think in the rest of the world, was that once Mandela was out from under the oppression of the apartheid regime & in a position of power, he did not seek revenge.

How does a human being have the capability for that kind of forgiveness? It just goes to show me that there is more within us than we could have ever imagined. We can arise to greater heights. We can be more than we give ourselves credit.

Leonard Cohen, the singer, apparently lost $35mil, all of his money, to a manager of his finances. At 70+ years old, he was back on stage in London recently, one of the best concerts that Ina & I have seen in a long time, singing these words:

"I've studied philosophy & many religions but cheerfulness kept breaking through, there ain't no cure for love".

Many of us have given up long before we reach the age of these two gentlemen. These two, like Ray Kroc - the McDonalds Founder, began their new lives after they were well into their senior years.

Mahatma Gandhi was another gentlemen who received much of his acclaim later in life. I believe he was the fellow who said 'the 1st 30 years are for learning, the next 30 for earning, & the last 30 for returning'.

Would any of us have blamed Mandela, if he had come out of jail bitter, & exacted revenge upon those who had oppressed, confined, & beat him for nearly 3 decades?

How would we have remembered or thought about him if he had started a civil war? He, versus Gandhi, supported violence for a number of years, to achieve change. However, before his life was over he recognized the need to change himself & became the purveyor of peace & reconciliation.

How can we be all we were meant to be, the capacity held within?

What inner strengths, that have not been released yet, lie within our inner soul?

Love brings out the best in us. Love performs miracles. There ain't no cure for love.

Could we have the strength to face 27 years of hardship & still show hope, compassion, forgiveness, & love to everyone around us? Often we get wrapped up in our daily concerns & feel that the world is a very tough place in deed.

Here in our cozy 1st world environment, we have been going through a financial hiccup. Apparently our wealth bubble has had a bit of air let out of it. The resulting wealth, far surpasses the vast majority of this earth's population, those who live on less than $2/day. We don't always compare our conditions with those folks but with the supposed 'wealth' we had when the bubble was expanding.

We look at the 'cost of living' in our society which really is the inflated 'needs', we believe we have, brought on by our consumerist lifestyle.

How do we get caught up in the merry-go-round, as John Lennon sang?

Are we unconquered? Are we the Master of our fate, the Captain of our soul?

Each one of us get a chance to answer this question every day that we awake on this planet. One day we won't awake on this physical planet & it may become apparent that what we did to enhance our soul, while here, was more important than what we decided to wear.

Our careers can be a measure of who we are. We can change our approach at any time. We can start anew as Mandela & Cohen have done & we can do so with humility & compassion. Giving is the opposite of receiving but you can't have one without the other. The seeds of our future are planted today. We should not be surprised by what we harvest.

'Love is a many splendored thing' & there ain't no cure for it.

Invictus,

David

JANUARY 3/2010 - HAPPY NEW YEAR - A COCOON OF LOVE

"Somewhere out in outer space
Long before the human race
Something stirred.

A vast & timeless source began
Intelligence was born & then
there was the Word.

Powers filled the Universe
Matter formed & broke the curse
Of nothingness

Love became an ageless soul
Nature reached her highest goal
Breathed the breath of life
Everlasting life.

For life is love
And love is life"

Elvis Presley

Nothing has changed over the centuries. Love has always been & is the most powerful force in the Universe. Love is everlasting.

My birthday is New Year's Day, so you can imagine that is quite a special day for me. It was the day that I arrived in physical form & it is a day that I spend quietly reflecting on from where & how I arrived.

This New Year's Day, I was reflecting on what stops any one of us from fully developing that from which we came. We emerged from a 'Cocoon of Love' & the Universe is surrounded by that ultimate force.

What stops us from fully manifesting & personifying our heritage?

As humans we vacillate between love, selfishness, & judgment. These are not the only emotions that flood our body but they are representative of the feelings we experience daily. Is it possible to overcome the tendency to analyze & judge the actions of others, & let them be? Might it not be better, to make whatever changes we believe are needed, within our own self?

What reasons do we really have for worrying about our prosperity? Does giving really come back tenfold? What stops us giving freely?

Is love active or passive?

Is a year full of love more healthy than a year full of stress?

Love brings out the best in us. Love develops our soul.

We live in a physical world of materialism & consumerism, but many folks have been sensing & discussing lately that there may be a paradigm shift underway, in our approach to life & living. Is age the only barometer of change or can we change at any age? As we age, does wisdom help us 'see' things differently or are the young the only ones who welcome change?

Those of us who come out of the sixties, are we finally getting our voice? In the sixties we were the Peaceniks & the Hippies, today we are the decision makers we wanted to be, are we the decision makers we hoped to be? We are now in a position to leave this world the way we believed it could be, when we idealized our way through the turbulent sixties.

It will take an effort to work with our kids & grandkids, to turn the tide of destruction that has always been a part of our physical existence. My life experience includes Russian nuclear laden ships off the coast of Florida, Mahatma Gandhi peacefully taking India back from the United Kingdom, the first man to walk on the moon(why did it have to be a man), Martin Luther King peacefully reminding North Americans that slavery was over, the British invasion with music rather than war, & John Lennon's fabulous song Imagine.

Enough of the last 30 years.

What are all of us going to do with the next 30 years?

Chances are most of us reading this have 30 years ahead of us in which we can redirect this spaceship earth. Our collective voice will be heard, do we have one, can we voice it?

We might be careful about what we ask for, we just might get it.

When we look at our young ones, this week, we might ponder what we will leave as their heritage. The environmental movement appears finally to be taking strong root. Might a peace movement take as strong a hold on our collective psyche as well? What does it take to bring peace to this planet? Can the ageless priority of military investment for war be changed to balancing the budget towards human rights? Might investing in human rights be the antidote to conflict? Might that return on investment be far superior to the one we chase individually & collectively today? Does the idea of personal sacrifice still have it's own significant rewards?

Can we get beyond self this year? Can we realize the oneness of nature & humanity? Are we capable of being bigger than ourselves?

This is our time to shine. We are the light. We are love.

Let's not let this resource go to waste.

Share it willingly & randomly.

Love, David

DEC 27/09 - THE END OF A DECADE

The year 2000 began for most of us without the words terrorist or Osama bin Laden as a natural part of our jargon. The decade is ending, this week, with one of Osama's fans trying to bring down an American Airlines plane over Detroit.

Yesterday was Boxing Day & the stores were full of bargain hunters. Shopping, it is hoped, will pull us out of one of the worst recessions since the great depression.

However, a new feeling seems to be surfacing within our consciousness, the need to take more concern for our environment & fellow beings.

A culture of downsizing & living within our means may be part of this process but it may also stem from realizing the lack of intrinsic value in things.

It has been said that value lies with that which we take with us not that which we leave behind. To understand the full value of that idea, we must understand where we are going.

If our life consists of that which we own or that which we do, then understanding our spiritual inheritance is a difficult concept to grasp. The making & remaking of who we actually are, is an internal concept, a spiritual reworking of how we 'see' our selves.

The days after Christmas may be a good time to stop & take stock of all the gifts that we have. This idea is not about what we were given in the past few days but what we give out every day.

We are the sum total of that which we share. We reap what we sow. The Universe is abundant, harvesting is understanding the laws that operate, within this Garden of Eden, that we call home.

Giving is more valuable to our soul than getting. Do we even realize that we have a soul & are we prepared to put it first? If our soul is what emanates our physical body, what do we do daily to feed & develop it? What we put into our mind, comes out through our heart. What we think is who we become. What we choose to do is a reflection of our internal growth.

In one week, we begin a new decade, starting with 2010. How might we develop differently over the next 10 years, than we have over the last few decades? What things have been in the back of our minds to change if only we had the time? On the assumption we will be given the next 10 years, what is important to deal with, from a personal standpoint?

Is the answer to the above question a financial & physical one, or is the most important change internal & relationship oriented?

After a few decades in my physical space, I would put forward that whatever needs changing on the outside, starts from changes within.

It might behoove each of us to take this next week in contemplation of our internal gifts & how might apply them in the coming decade. A time of reflection, a look at those things that don't seem to be going the way we would like them to.

Our soul is the engine that powers our car, our physical body. The engine's power is drawn from the ether. The ether is the place our dreams lie dormant. We empower our dreams by elucidating our vision.

If we want to see a different world unfold in the next decade then we have to first 'see' it in our mind, in our reality. What we see is not what others see & we have to accept that fact. Leave judgment out of the equation. It doesn't matter what others think of what we 'see'. It is what makes us happy that should be driving this bus.

Can we live on less, while aspiring for more? Conflicting thoughts are hard to overcome. Small is beautiful, less is healthy. Cutting down on calories is thinking differently about how & what we eat. A healthier body comes from how we exercise each day.

A healthy mind is aided by the service we give each week. To feel at peace is to accept that which we are & what we have. If we want more we must learn to give more.

To live fully is to love fully.

David

DEC 20/09 - TWELVE DAYS OF CHRISTMAS

"Anything else you're interested in is not going to happen if you can't breathe the air & drink the water. Don't sit this one out. Do something. You are by accident of fate alive at an absolutely critical moment in the history of the planet." Carl Sagan

Here we are celebrating Christmas this week & out shopping for our friends & loved ones. I don't know why the twelve days of Christmas came to mind but after reading the quote above, it struck me that it is time to apply the Christmas giving & sharing concept to 365 days of the year.

What keeps us from feeling good all year round? Might it be just our own approach to life? If we changed our approach, to the Christmas feeling, would our own life improve immeasurably? I'm thinking that is exactly what would happen.

Our life is a reflection of our thoughts. The external is a manifestation of the internal. Expect to reap exactly what we sow. Is this the Christmas message? Is it as simple as getting to know our real self?

Are we the mirror image of that which we reflect to the world? Were we made in the image of that which is pure goodness? What tarnishes the reflection we give out? Do our eyes dim when we don't 'see' clearly?

Can we shine as a light in the dark or is that just an old wives tale?

Singing Christmas carols can make one feel comforted. Could that feeling be extended far into the New Year?

The 1st day of Christmas, my true love (Ina) said to me - "please keep your thoughts short this week" - so I will end this Christmas note with a reminder for the coming year - 'Don't sit this one out'.

You can make a difference.

David

DEC 13/09 - THIRTY, THIRTY, & THIRTY

It was said by someone, possibly Mahatma Gandhi, that the first 30 years of our life are for learning, the next 30 for earning, & the last 30 for returning.

I have thought about this quite a bit lately as it relates to the by-line that Ina adopted for Greenangels, 'making a difference while making a dollar'.

The first idea above compartmentalizes our life into a series of actions that can leave us quite out of balance with our very nature, the spirit within. The second quote suggests a balance to our life that provides a different perception to the normal competitive, not enough, thought process that leads our typical material day to day actions 7 decisions.

Materialism brings out our self nature, as in bettering our self in the marketplace, or acquiring perceived wants. Thinking daily about how to help others, goes against our cultural grain.

If I thought this was a healthy lifestyle, I wouldn't be writing these thoughts. Expressing myself in words weekly, is my way of sharing a life in progress, that experienced the downside of material success.

Stress, anxiety, overweight, high blood pressure, secrets, all led to an out of balance entrepreneur who didn't know the price of compartmentalization. Might the balance evoked in the 'making a difference while making a dollar', have been quite a much healthier life path? The answer from this creative human being is a resounding yes.

Might what I have learned be passed on to future generations? Yes, this is the reason why Ina & I work with the Entrepreneurial students at Royal Roads University. It is also why I write these thoughts weekly, to give each of you, the reader, a chance to 'think' about your life path, & how much you have to offer the next generation. Each of you has been & are going through a journey, a physical journey, in which your unique experience holds many jewels of wisdom for the next generations.

By sharing what you have experienced, I am suggesting enriches your own life beyond measure. Why accumulate that which we can't take with us, when our soul enrichment thereby passes from the physical to the spiritual realm weak in energy. Charging our soul batteries is learning 'Howe' to directly connect to the spiritual source. As someone recently told me, "wealth will be redefined as how much we share versus how much we accumulate". This approach charges our batteries so that we become a bright light of inner space in the dark universe of outer space.

If we are well into our 2nd thirty or beginning our 3rd thirty on this planet, might we conclude it is too late to change now? The answer is that we only live in the now, there is no other time, & one's life path can change with a thought. It is never too late to live a full-filled life.

You might be thinking, 'but Dave you don't understand what I have been through, I didn't have the opportunities that others had, I didn't get an education, I never spent much time pursuing a career, I settled down to raise a family early in life, I have lived a sheltered existence' or you could be saying the opposite, 'Dave, I have had to provide a life for myself, no one to help, a busy career, a single Mom, how could I find the time to pursue soul searching activities'.

In that last paragraph I was thinking specifically of women, & my next comment is directly to you gals. You are the heart of the Universe, you are natural nurturers, as Ina says 'what could be more important than raising a family'. I am suggesting you can be the Mother's of the human family. You are love incarnate, plant those seeds wherever & whenever you get the chance. Those opportunities present themselves daily. 'Seeing' them is a whole other topic, as is 'listening'.

It doesn't take education or money to help a lost soul. That can help but that isn't the life giving water that has been referred to since early AD.

So 30-30-30, what point are you at in this chain? Wherever we are can be the best day of our life, the day we 'wake up' in more ways than one.

Our world is awaiting our enlightenment. Our soul is rejoicing at the thought. Our health will be the recipient of the exercise.

Take 30 minutes a day to share your way into a loving lifestyle. 'See' what miracles this creates over a month of Sundays.

Wake up, wake up, the harvest awaits.

David

DEC 6/09 - LET IT BEGIN WITH ME How does one really comprehend that all actions 'begin with me'?

What I mean to say is that anything we want in this world, from a material standpoint, has to emanate from within. Every action has a reaction.

The material world is a manifestation of the spiritual. That which appears comes from a thought. 'In the beginning was the Word'.

What one sows so shall ye reap. What one puts out will come back tenfold. Are all these sayings just rhetoric or do they actually have direct application to our lives?

We are the seed, we just need to get planted. What grows from our thoughts & actions is the fruit of our being.

We are the tree that life's juices flow through. We are a creative instrument with all the possibilities of our Creator. We are a wave that has all the possibilities of the ocean.

Together all things are possible, if our focus is on cooperation rather than separation. Ego leads to separation & open minded listening leads to harmony. Looking at the world from the other's viewpoint helps remove disagreements.

It is an empowering thought to realize that what flows through our subconscious can be brought to the physical world through a process called enlightenment.

Discovering the universe through an internal search of our core being leads one to realize that eternity resides within. What gave us life can't & won't take it away. Connecting with that life-giving core is the final step to overcoming physical death. Birth & rebirth are material concepts. The life giving spiritual aspect of our being has no beginning nor end.

Is it possible to connect with this life force? Can we ride the unseen forces of energy rather than those of physicality? Do we create our own world of want & thereby discover lack?

Spreading seeds of doubt should result in a crop of frustration. Spreading seeds of hope should produce a bountiful yield.

Every action has a reaction. What actions we take deliver reactions in kind. What results we expect should be directly related to what we put out.

Do unto others as ye would want done unto you.

At this point you might be thinking that these are just old worn out sayings from the past but all religions of the world have them as a common core. This is the place to find unity.

Unity is the core of universe. Might we find a way to evolve by returning to our core?

It all begins with me. David

NOVEMBER 29/09 - LAW OF ATTRACTION

We attract what we are.

How do we become what we would like to see come into our life?

Digging deep, peeling away the layers, gets to the root of our creative selves.

All that we want flows through the internal makeup of our minds. We ‘see’ the world we ‘think’ we see.

We interpret internally everything we see externally. This gives us the picture of our life.

It would appear to be the other way around. We believe we ‘see’ the world in clear terms but our prejudices & upbringing color everything we see, hear, & read.

How do we escape this cultural trap? How do we bring on the abundance that we all would like in health, happiness, & wealth?

We must define what we mean by those terms as they could be in conflict with each other. Chasing money, as wealth, might not be in the best interests of one’s health or happiness.

Does earning a living put us in competition with our fellow beings whom we would like to call our friends?

Does worry & fear about the economic conditions of the world’s latest financial upheavals cause us sleepless nights & does this lead to the opposite of attracting what we want in our lives?

Do we want friends who are happy & upbeat but find we are surrounded by the opposite, those who help drag us further into our own state of misery?

Might our attitude & assumptions about conditions be attracting those of like mind?

If we want financial security do we live a life of abundant thinking or do we continue to discuss & focus on that which we lack?

Generally, people like to have others around who have a positive world view. It is more fun to discuss possibilities than impossibilities.

Can a positive world view be overly optimistic in light of current conditions, can one overstep the bounds of realistic expectations? Yes, therefore being reasonable about what one’s limits are, is wise but internally we have the creative attributes to create any life we choose.

Money is not the impediment; it is how to attract the resources we need. By living the life that we ‘see’ internally we manifest the same in our material world.

The opposite of attracting what we want, is the fact that we repel with just as much force. If we hold enmity for anyone or anything, we repel those opportunities in our life. When we plant seeds we should not be surprised when that plant grows.

If we want peace that peace must start with us. If we exude peace then peacemakers will be attracted to us. Interacting with peacemakers has more chance of helping the world find peace than arguing against war with those who find advantages in applying force to relationships & issues.

Finding solutions is the opposite of focusing on the problem. There are two sides to every coin. Opportunities are the flip side of every problem. How to ‘see’ that opportunity when the problem is clouding our sight is the essence of stepping back. Removing one’s attachment to the outcome & letting the universe enter the equation is easy to say but hard to follow. Religions refer to this concept as faith.

Do answers naturally flow? Does water run down hill?

Be who you want to be, you just might become.

We are human ‘beings’ after all.

We are divine potential.

I Am, David

NOV 22/09 - AN ENTREPRENEUR’S SOUL

How does an entrepreneur detach from the grip of the dual sirens, competition & deal making?

Born entrepreneurs have a knack of pulling together pieces of a puzzle that when successful; cause a ‘high’, an adrenal rush, I imagine much like taking mind expanding drugs.

The chase is part of the game & the chance of turning within for soulful reflection has little chance of success. The hurly burly activity of entrepreneurial schemes gives little chance to living in the now.

Who might be an entrepreneur? Everyone that has God given unique attributes can ultimately be an entrepreneur. That includes you.

Whether one uses their inherent talents or allows them to lie dormant, is a product of one’s life choices. We all daily make the decisions that bring our creative abilities to the surface or depress them. Practice helps to hone our natural talents but negative thoughts & excuses override the ‘drive’ gear. The entrepreneurial path was handed down through our family & took hold of the writer in his early teen years. Failure was a different way of uncovering the gem, success, quicker. As fast as the rewards rolled in, they were reinvested in the next big thing.

This continuous drug that was an external chase for self worth & image, dissolved into a lifelong bout with mind altering stimulants. What could reverse an apparently successful material race?

Emptiness!

Lack of fulfillment!

Facing oneself in the mirror when left alone!

What flicks on the light which gets one off the roller coaster? In my case, it was coming face to face with the lack of value inherent in that which I’d always valued.

Value is often in the eye of the beholder. Holding value in what others think or value, is a road to emptiness deep inside.

We are a product of that from which we were created & have the ability to recreate ourselves at will.

Our physicality is only a limiting factor to the degree we accept. Whatever circumstances, led to this day, are past. What happens from here on in is up to us, if we are willing to let go of the past & not be chained to those prior events.

My soul is free & waiting for me.

I need to come home.

No more to roam.

Freedom!

Peace!

Now!

David

NOV 15/09 - ACTIVATING LOVE

‘In the end, the love you take is equal to the love you make’, The Beatles.

My new computer just congratulated me for activating Microsoft Office.

A young Jewish chap once commanded that we love one another. What does it take to activate our personal source code?

Definitely practise makes perfect & faith without works doesn’t work.

I might have titled this In Search of a Soul. Our natural state is one of love. Our peaceful state is one of love. Loving our enemies is still difficult to comprehend but possible.

How might each of us be the instrument of love in this world, a light in difficult places?

Have you ever thought of yourself as the example for your group, your peers? Do you realize the inherent goodness that can shine in what are seemingly difficult times?

When others look for inspiration, can we be the source? The Beatles brought untold joy to millions. Could they have done it if they were three? Did Woodstock do it without them?

Ina & I have been quite involved in the idea of micro lending. This is a place where a little goes a long way. This is an opportunity to make a difference while making a dollar. This is a financial investment in which all of us can participate.

When I think back to the sixties peace thoughts were in the air but gradually most of us had to get on with life. What course might history have taken if the energy involved in that movement had been carried on for the last 40 years?

There are always those voices, Gandhi & King in recent times that call to our inner soul. For the rest of us, covering our daily financial needs has a way of taking up most of our time.

Balancing daily bread with daily giving is to balance one’s lifestyle.
‘I am the vine ye are the branches’ was an old message to let us know that we are a spiritual being, as well as a physical entity. Our lives are often taken up in actions & thoughts relating to our physical or material concerns, not balancing that which we take with us, our soul’s development.

If you glance back to the Beatles words at the top of this page, you will see that they put it in balance. Another way of saying this might be ‘what you put out comes back tenfold’. The math of this concept is starting to get profound if actually applied in one’s life.

Peace on earth starts with me. Activating love begins the process.

Once we start down this path our search will never end.

Spiritually speaking, David

NOV 8/09 - UNITY WITHIN THE SILENCE

‘Those who know do not talk
Those who talk do not know’
Tao Te Ching

Talk fills our lives. Talk show hosts, talking heads, background noise, phone calls, all those other people who appear to know so much or at least guessing at what might be going on.

We listen & absorb. What is sacrificed is the sacred silence where the ‘real’ truth lies.

How do we get away from the noise & enter the silence so that we can ‘hear’ the truth directly from the Tao, from the place we came, from the One who is indescribable?

The root of our being is the place to look for answers. Once we realize this truth & trust that Source, we can move towards unity.

Unity with others puts us at peace. If we live for others & not for compensation, we can find peace within. Go within to find that place that is unity with others.

Call that love if you need a description, practice it daily whether you do or you don’t.

Unity is first bringing both sides of our personality into alignment & then our head & our heart. Getting these pieces of our being to align is aided by detaching from material possessions & desire.

Wanting, regretting, & coveting, are emotions which keep us from personal happiness.

Finding that to which we excel, cultivating our passions, is the road to personal unity.

We are perfect beings, made in the image, as a drop of water is a perfect image of the ocean. What is ‘it’ of which we are a perfect image? This is that which we cannot ‘see’ but which we can hear.

Developing the ability to hear the answers that are right for each one of us is aided by not accepting the answers that others believe are right for us. Let them talk.

Practice quality listening. Quiet time is a must.

We cannot know other peoples intentions but we can certainly try to understand our own. Our life is directly related to those intentions.

It behooves each of us to understand why we make our decisions. It is wise to establish our principals & align our action, thoughts, & words, with that rudder.

Alignment, unity, peace, happiness, these are not just words but a way to slow down time. Most of us would enjoy the idea of a longer, worry free, life. Adding years to our life on this physical plane comes with the comfort of knowing our core being.

We can settle down & accept the way things are, we can live in the now, realizing the beauty around us, rather than the past & future worries that haunt us.

Are there other people who cause aggravation & worry in our life? Can we let them be & accept however things will work out?

What other people do will come back to them tenfold, whatever they think they have done to us is only ‘real’ if we harbor it in our minds.

Forgive & forget.

Unity lies within!

David

NOV 1/09 - UNIVERSAL LAWS

Who came up with our Universal Laws?

What brought them into being?

The laws of nature are something we usually accept but don’t necessarily understand their roots.

Were the laws intelligently designed or randomly created? Are we intelligent beings or a random assortment of parts?

What fuses the two sides of our personality, the good & the evil?

This world lives within the Universe, we live within this world, we live within communities, we live within families, & we are at the core of all that is. Within each of us is that which ties everything & everybody together.

What makes us tick? What motivates our actions?

We have choices; we live from a place that sets a standard. What standard guides the ship of our state?

As young folk we were provided a path of right & wrong by our elders. As years went by we developed our own sense of self & decided what made sense for our lifestyles. Mistakes taught us the agony of divisiveness & comfort came from knowing when we were accepted.

It has often been said that ‘laws were made to be broken’ but if nature took that approach, what could we count on?

The solidity of our life in this sphere depends upon an unwavering grasp of our own humanity.

When love permeates our very marrow & seeps from all our pores, the choices become natural & peace comes to earth.

We are coming up on a time of year when much to do will be made about peace on earth goodwill towards others. These thoughts will bring joy to our day, giving us pause, as to whether they could be adopted as a permanent lifestyle.

Might ‘do unto others as ye would want done unto you’ become a personal goal? This concept is a part of all world religions but rarely practiced by the participants of those different denominations.

What is it that we can’t ‘see’? What keeps us apart?

Somewhere within our makeup a crack appears. That crack is allowed to grow until we find ourselves searching for purpose & meaning in life.

The separation comes between our head & our heart. Those two organs separate logic & love.

Can we love & let go? Is control our nemesis?

What makes me think so?

There’s the issue!

David

OCT 25/09 - COMMUNITY

“Recognize that people hunger for a world that has meaning & love; for a sense of aliveness, energy, & authenticity; for a life embedded in a community in which they are valued for who they most deeply are, with all their warts & limitations, & they feel genuinely seen & recognized; for a sense of contributing to the good; & for a life that is about something more than just money & accumulating material goods”. Rabbi Michael Lerner

What community makes you feel alive?

Is it a dog walking group? Is it your local neighborhood? Is it the resort in Mexico that you go to each year? Is it your spiritual group? Is it the people you live with in a foreign land?

What connects us to others in some full-filling way?

There is an energy that stirs & warms our physical body when we encounter those to whom we relate.

We are social animals that thrive on relationships. Do we give energy as much as we receive? Do we contribute as well as take? Is our community life a two way street?

Fulfillment comes through contributing. Life surges when energy flows.

Questioning one’s purpose in life is a sign of interrupted energy flow. Connecting passion to purpose burns our internal light brightly.

Turn on with enthusiasm rather than synthetic substitutes. Life can be as exciting as we interact with purpose.

Don’t let money get in the way. You might want to take a moment to go back to the beginning & read Michael Lerner’s quote again.

‘Money is a means to an end, not an end in itself. It is a medium of exchange.’ How often have I heard those words but not heeded their advice. How to disconnect from its powerful draw is a trick in itself.

Another saying ‘money makes the world go round’ has captured my attention for decades.

I find chasing monetary goals is a game that winds up separating me from community. Community is a place to share without thoughts of compensation. Giving is a healthy lifestyle.

Friendship & family are more valuable than gold. A life of poverty lived in love has greater rewards than a life of luxury lived alone. Ina taught me that.

Where do you find your heart at rest?

Where do you find you do your best?

That’s the place to look for peace.

That’s the place!

Find it, David

OCT 18/09 - THE AGE OF EXPLORATION

“Since 1816 British explorers had been roaming the world”, ‘Fatal Passage’ Ken McGoogan.

For the past couple of centuries we have been exploring our physical planet & off into the Universe beyond. Might it be time for an Age of Internal Exploration?

Certainly medical doctors & psychologists have been probing our inner mechanisms & thoughts but how often do we look within & discover unknown worlds?

“People never think there way into new ways of acting, they always act there way into new ways of thinking”. Erich Fromm.

What motivates our actions which create our new ways of thinking?

If our life on this planet comes from the way we act, might the answer to that last question be one of the most important in our visit to this physical plane?

Do ethics & values have anything to do with this equation?

Is our life path built on a solid foundation? What constitutes a solid foundation?

These questions only we can answer for ourselves.

Many are willing to give us their advice or tell us what they ‘think’ we ought to do but only we get to live inside this physical shell & run the course.

We were ‘made in the image’ & we definitely create an image as we grow into our new found ‘self’. Our place on this planet is surrounded by material possessions that create an image in the eyes of others. Might that not be who we truly are?

Might we have to live up to an image that does not leave us comfortable in our own skin?
Can we be who we are & comfortable with that? Herein lies the basis of the question, are we true to our ‘self’?

The foundation of our life here is as solid as our understanding of what values we live. Connecting with our purpose is a journey not just a thought.

The path we follow has many twists & turns, many whys in the road. If you haven’t read ‘The River Why’, David James Duncan, then there is a treat in store.

Can we walk this path of internal exploration together?

Finding one’s true inner self, one’s true purpose, is through works, through giving, through sharing. Taking & accumulating, as a lifestyle often creates separation, as I mentioned last week.

‘Seeing’ one another, looking deep into another’s eyes, helps us ‘see’ deep within our own soul. That last word is not meant to be religious but to describe the core of our being.

To find that place within, where peace resides, provides space for personal fulfillment on this physical journey. Expressing oneself, happy with one’s place in this physical sphere, content with the way our daily bread arrives, are all different ways of saying that we are touching upon that core.

To describe that core is to define one’s values & then to live true to that ‘north star’. Might we waiver from that course, yes, does a ship not traverse with the winds & the waves? Life brings with it wind & waves but as long as we can ‘see’ the north star our journey has that underlying peace & stability.

We are who we think we are. We are how we act. We are what we give.

I am! Thou art!

Could it be that simple?

David

OCT 11/09 - THE LIGHT, SEPARATION IS NOT ETERNAL

“They live all their lives never looking to see, the light that is lighting the world” George Harrison: ‘Living in the Material World’.

If you haven’t had a chance to listen to George’s CD, get a copy as the words to a number of his songs are truly remarkable. Did George ‘see’ something as death approached that the rest of us miss while living in a material world?

“The words one thinks manifest on the ground, the scars of emotions are spread around”.

To me, George was already starting to live in the ether of unity, as John Lennon’s words in Imagine, lead me to believe he may have been also. What took two very talented relatively poor young men from the Liverpool docks through riches to other worldly thoughts while still living on the physical plane? Did they capture a piece of heaven?

A young Jewish chap suggested years ago that some would be able to achieve that state while still living in a material world.

Is it sacrilegious to suggest that modern era rock musicians might achieve that exalted state?

If we are all born in the image, then no!

Separation is the state we achieve as we grow into our own personality, a sense of our differences. Growing out of that state prior to leaving this plane is the difficult part.

As we develop our individuality we ‘attach’ it to material possessions to give us a sense of self worth & supposed security. This is done for many reasons, fear & image being two others.

We then become that which we own or to say it another way, what we have owns us. What we have separates us from our real ‘self’.

We move from the light to ego to material possessions. Each step can lead to feelings of insecurity, fear, lack, & competitiveness. These steps accomplish a state of separation. How does one move back toward unity?

Physical death achieves the full circle & we reenter the light, ‘the light that lights the world’.

Separation is not eternal.

Energy animates the Universe, energy animates us. What words can describe the power within, that power which is indescribable?

Living a life of unity is not living a life of separation, competiveness, ego, image, attachment, insecurity, or fear.

Together all things are possible! God is another way of saying the same thing. With God all tings are possible!

‘God’ is just a way of trying to describe the indescribable, that which gives us life, that which animates our physical body.

Angels are thoughts sent out to us by others or our thoughts sent out in aid of others.

Heaven is the ether surrounding our thoughts & feelings. We create our own heaven or hell. We live within that cocoon, the world we ‘see’.

Don’t let the sun catch you crying, rain drops on the good & the evil. Good & evil are just two sides of a coin; we each have the capacity for both.
Separation is the choice we make.

The statement ‘do unto others as you would want done unto you’, pretty well sums up the actions we might take anytime we are faced with a decision. Unity or separation is spawned from that concept.

Giving & sharing are the seeds that provide plenty, it has been said that ‘comes back tenfold’. If the reverse is true, then don’t we hurt ourselves by hurting others?

Isn’t separation a concept that starts with us?

Can’t we enfold everything we want through love?

A good relationship starts with us. A secure future results from our decisions & choices.

When might the ‘light’ go on?

It doesn’t take joining a rock band.

For some, maybe!

The Beatles were fabulous but it is the words George & John left with us that I find most en’light’ening.

It is interesting that these words they wrote were written after they left the Beatles.

They were more than the Beatles & it appears they found themselves. John sang ‘I had to get off the Merry Go Round’ & George sings ‘People say that I have changed’.

Did these two talented musicians finally ‘see’ something that many of us never get a chance to ‘see’?

Listen closely to John’s words in Imagine, talk about unity! ‘Imagine no borders, no heaven or hell, & no religion too’.

I realize that many will say these two artists are far too idealistic. How would a world full of people who act like people ever get along? Unity, a pipe dream!

Could global warming & nuclear war, the ability to blow ourselves up in any umber of ways, be the unifying force that finally overcomes separation here on the physical plane?

Eternally separation doesn’t have a chance but we humans have a choice. Individually what’s yours?

Someone said to me recently ‘I count on the power of money’.

For my money I bet on the ‘power of love’.

Money disintegrates love is eternal.

Namaste, David

OCT 4/09 - THE MYSTERIES OF THE UNIVERSE LIE WITHIN

I came to the conclusion or have been coming to the conclusion that all answers lie within, that our inner space incorporates Universal Intelligence. I struggle with a way to describe that which I know I feel is truth.

This week I read: ‘The Biology of Belief’, Bruce Lipton, Ph.D., in which he discusses the outer coating of the human cells within our body, as having intelligence. If that is not the essence of the book, then please read it & send me your interpretation. However, he is definitely searching for the answers within each of us, not outside.

I picked up another book & read: “The turn from the Deity above to the Deity within is an enormous shift.” Eternal Life: A New Vision, John Shelby Spong.

The word Divine refers to us humans not some outer space Being. We need to be willing to accept that. We are certainly made up of parts that express self doubt. We have choices, we are not automatons. We have feelings & those feelings often times conflict with our logic.

Sometimes logic should prevail, when we get angry or judgmental, & want to strike back. At other times, emotion should take the lead, when love & caring are required.

How do we live a life that calls for that switch to be flipped back & forward depending upon the circumstances?

Therein lay the mysteries of the Universe.

When we reverence the divine within, we accept the unique mystery each of us enfolds & unfolds. Life came to this planet, through some mysterious course, & we embody the intelligence that came with it.

As usual, since this is not a religious commentary, but a man’s search for himself, the answers to so many questions come to life when the search is focused within.

In looking back over the years that consciousness has lived within my being, I can ‘see’ the journey in terms of learning. Do I accept my mistakes, yes; do I agonize over them, at times?

Am I sorry for my ignorance, yes? Did I learn from my mistakes, I believe so?

Would I do it differently, if I had the chance? If I did, I wouldn’t be me.

The mystery of the intelligence which lives within or behind all life, lives within each of us. How we tap that force, or even recognize it, is up to each of us individually.

Organized religion has explained these mysteries as an out of body Deity that we will meet some day, somewhere, & be judged by Him.

The two books I mentioned above are suggesting a way to get beyond that type of rote thinking. We do not need to perpetuate that which is historical but as human intelligence can begin to think beyond.

Getting along with others comes more naturally once we are comfortable with who we are. When we reverence the uniqueness of our being & the space we take up in this Universe, a star is born.

The light we can provide is dimmed only by our own dynamism. The switch we can flip has positive & negative sides to it. The energy our body puts out is commensurate with the light we believe we are to humanity. We are a living example of something.

What?

I have definitely come to the conclusion that the place to be looking is not out there but within. We are one with the Universe.

Take some time each day to go within & ask yourself questions. Stop & listen for the answers in the silence. The answers are there. We can call it meditation, we can call it prayer, we can call it whatever makes us feel comfortable in the practice but for peace of mind, practice we must.

Look at your newborn child or grandchild, isn’t he or she a mystery unfolding? That is us in pure form. What changed? Choices!

There is that pureness lying beneath the surface, if we scrub hard enough we will find it. We are the example we are looking for, we are the answers to our own prayer.

Now is that a riddle lying within an enigma or what?

Can we uncover the flame of eternal life while living in physical time or do we need to hope someday, somewhere, somehow, it will be revealed to us? This mystery is ours to accept.

We can reveal those mysteries through our life here on this plane.

I am that, David

SEPT 27/09 - WITHDRAWAL or REBIRTH

John Lennon sang “I just had to let it go”. He was singing of the Social & Economic Merry-Go-Round that he realized he was living. John’s withdrawal from a very public life was not well understood by most of his fans or those who made a lot of money from his creative abilities.

The Merry-Go-Round is really an economic machine that we are all prepared for through our educational system. Some of us, like John, rebel earlier or later, some never. Many of us raised during the 60’s questioned the system that was our inheritance, & then became a part of that which we questioned. Were we forced into the path that our parents created?

Did we understand what we were questioning or were we just going along for a ‘flower power’ ride?

Now there are calls for a new way of looking at our world. Will we understand the need to help found this new world or will we leave it to our kids & grandkids to figure out?

We have been using up the natural resources of this spaceship, planet earth, as though there was no day of reckoning. Rachel Carson was a voice in the dark so many years ago but foreshadowed that which is now upon us. New voices are joining hers with books such as ‘The Last Child in the Woods’.

I came from an entrepreneurial family that led me to a business career where the educational system was well developed. There was no consideration in this system for the environmental or social costs that were inherent in the pursuit of more.

Now a new set of voices is joining the fray, suggesting that we need a new business paradigm if this planet is to survive for our grandchildren. ‘Agenda for a New Economy: From Phantom Wealth to Real Wealth’, David Korten: “The frontier is no more. Now it is the spaceship rules or death. Real wealth makes the case that the human brain is wired to support caring & sharing & that we humans have long dreamed of a world of vital, healthy children, families, communities, & natural environments: the world we must now create if we are to have a future.”

Korten’s definition of real wealth involves the intrinsic value of our children. I had no sooner finished his book than I picked up a recent Fortune Magazine & read this next quote on value & children.
‘Assessing the Net Value of Children’, Fortune Magazine, Sept 14, 2009, p26: “The U.S. birth rate is falling. One explanation: a diminishing return on investment. What is the net present value of a child in N. America? Often it is difficult to find much & thereby hangs a question mark over our future as a nation, at least as we know it.”

What the heck is this writer trying to say, do we put economic values on our child, or we don’t reproduce? Isn’t that an archaic notion, when children were conceived with the idea that the more we had the more chance of being looked after in our old age?

That is quite a different value than Korten suggests for real wealth. Ina has often said that her main purpose in life was her children. Is our main purpose here on earth to reproduce? How important is it to reproduce the Creative Spirit?

Like John Lennon, I have found withdrawal from the economic merry-go-round, the power of money, difficult. Is that withdrawal ‘seeing’ a different way, a rebirth, while alive here on earth?

Is birth & rebirth a cycle?

Is the pursuit of money as much an addiction as that to any drug?

What we attach to often become our addiction, including outcomes.

When we withdraw have we been reborn?

Is a new life possible when we withdraw from the world as we know it & begin to ‘see’ a completely new future?

Do we need to see a new future to manifest it?

When one ‘sees’, it is possible for all to ‘see’!

Prophets may have advantages over profits when it comes to inheritance for the next generation.

Can we sacrifice for our children, are we sacrificing, or is it the way we look at our world that creates the concept of sacrifice or gain?

When is having less, more?

When is letting go, winning?

When is knowing, truth?

I would say I was reborn, I conceived a new inner child.

I am a creative spirit conceived in the Image!

We can remake anything that we want to change within our outer world.

Being a part of all that is, gives us the freedom to fly through, around, or over any obstacle.

We are energy brought to earth through the reproductive faculties of our human parents.

We are thought!

David

SEPT 20/09 - HOLY SPIRIT or FATHER

Is the Holy Spirit a religious concept or a choice of ours?

I have never really understood this concept. I just couldn’t get my head around the idea that a dove brought peace to earth through mankind.

I may be off base, but it struck me that the human spirit & the Holy Spirit are two sides of the same coin. Within us are the seeds of good & evil. We have the chance to cultivate that which we choose.

Which internal seeds we give focus to, determines the life we ultimately will grow.

Those things we do & say on a daily basis become our reality. We are a product of our own choosing.

Thoughts of kindness & sharing, followed up with positive action, bring a far different outcome than negative thoughts & doubt.

This world is energy, we are a storehouse of energy, & the energy we put out attracts like kind. Positive thoughts energize our physical frame while negative thoughts wear us down.

A young Jewish fellow, in the Book of Wisdom, was asked to explain the Holy Spirit & he did so through numerous stories. These stories all pointed to the same conclusion; the answers lie within.

When we focus on our own internal garden & cultivate that space, the results are assured, universal laws are activated.

The words ‘Holy Spirit’ have led me to believe this was an organized religious concept. The young Jewish chap referred to the Holy Spirit as Father & that has helped me to ‘see’ the relationship we can have with those internal children, our thoughts.

But how do we carry that Spirit into a world where there are so many daily issues with which to contend? Herein may lay the secret to our health & happiness.

It is how we react to those daily issues!

We cannot control what happens out there, it is within that we can absorb & deflect the blows.

If we take the world head on, we can expect to be carrying a heavy load. The world is not our responsibility alone. However, we can impact the world on a daily basis, just as a stone thrown into a pond, creates ever larger concentric ripples.

Intentions live at the root of our actions.

Is the Holy Spirit the other side of a negative intention?

Does the Holy Spirit lie dormant until called upon?

Is the Holy Spirit the Creator, our Father, lying patiently until activated by our creative thoughts?

Does the power of all creation lie within our breast? Yes!

Love!

David

SEPT 13/09 - THE HUMAN SPIRIT

“Talent hits a target no one else can hit, genius hits a target no one else can see”, Arthur Schopenhauer.

The human spirit is something we cannot ‘see’ & because we cannot see it, is it therefore not there?

Doesn’t genius come from an unseen place?

Don’t solutions come from a place that most people can’t see until someone sees the solution?

Isn’t the ability to see beyond, within each of us?

How many of us don’t get the opportunity to see beyond, burdened by our day to day issues, blinded by our self image, or lack of self esteem?

This week my brother, sister, & I, are going to explore the opportunities that Victoria’s homeless offer, Woodwynn Farms. Is that a place to find talent?

Is that a place to find genius?

Why not? Is natural talent & genius reserved for those with education &/or economic means?

If we don’t think we have the education to help others, it seems to me that that thought process would not apply to the homeless.

Might there be a Mozart or a Picasso asleep on the street tonight?

What would it take to discover that spirit?

Does encouragement have value that money can’t buy?

Are social programs often a handout rather than a hand up?

Do we view the homeless as a problem or an opportunity?

Do we view those less fortunate as an opportunity or a pain in the butt?

Do we look away from those who are down & out & watch the Lifestyles of the Rich & Famous?

Can we lift ourselves by lifting others?

Is the Good Samaritan just a story or a real life opportunity?

Is the way to internal peace an ‘other focused’ life?

Can we ‘see’ into a world that has not materialized yet?

Is manifestation our Creator given creative ability?

Do we manifest the life we want or focus on the things we don’t have?

Are there spiritual ties through blood?

Can a community recreate itself?

What do we ‘see’ that we don’t see?

Can we look into the future & ‘see’ a better place? Can we then begin to manifest that result?

The human spirit has proven time & time again that it can overcome the worst mankind has thrown at it.

Isn’t it interesting that mankind has those two natures, the ability to overcome & the ability to create that which needs to be overcome?

Which side of our own nature do we nurture?

Have we taken the time to ‘see’ that which is not readily apparent?

Are dreams left unlived?

Did life knock us off course?

Of course, life runs away when our emotions get involved.

We fell in love, we lay together.

New life brings responsibilities.

Love takes a different course.

We wake up, we have choices.

We act or we die.

Spiritually speaking, David

SEPT 6/09 - NEVER ENOUGH - SUSTAINABILITY

A farmer in India was quoted as saying: “I’m worried that the water I’m pumping onto my fields will disappear, but what can I do? I have to live, and if I don’t pump it up, my neighbors will.”

This is a similar quote to one I heard from the fisherman in La Paz, Baja, Mexico, in relation to the ever depleting fish stocks in the Sea of Cortes, “if I don’t catch them, someone else will”.

One of the above quotes relates to water & the other to fish, but could the same be said for trees? Actually, could it be said for almost any resource?

Do we not live life feeling as though we don’t have enough, particularly money?

When does downsizing enter the equation?

I just read that 79% of British kids have a television in their bedroom & that the other 21% feel under privileged.

How much of our world’s resources does it take to make all these ultimately throwaway toys? Where do we throw them?

How disconnected from nature are our kids today? Do our children know what resources are? I watch our younger generation shuffle between iphones, ipods, & laptops, often times carrying all three on vacation.

Our ferry system travels through some of the most beautiful country in the world, a diversity of wildlife, but eyes appear to be glued to screens & ears plugged.

The idea of downsizing is not yet prevalent but might be a counter strategy to the large body of people that are entering middle class status these days.

Downsizing is an act that goes against the flow. One has to stand up to the emotional tug of the advertising world. Electronic messages bombard us with the idea that new, bigger, & more, is beautiful. Schumacher’s ‘Small is Beautiful’ is not a best seller yet.

Materialism versus spirit is the name of the game.

How much of it can we take with us?

Soul preparation appears to get short shrift. Where & when do the educators address that shortage? Talk about sustainability, it’s the ultimate.

How do we develop that unique feature which all our children possess, the real self?

Violence in computer games plays to the animal within us. Nothing about gory action triggers the love quotient inherent within our true nature.

Love is the subject of most popular music. What draws our interest to happy endings?

We came from a Sea of Love & to it we will return. What did we add along the way?

Is hell missing the Love boat?

One thing we can’t use up is love, the more you give the more you get; the ultimate sustainable product.

Love is not a material substance but has tangible results.

Material gifts are an expression of love but not a replacement for the real thing.

True love is a connection. It is the tie that binds.

Might we actually have a sore heart?

Yes, I know!

Is love a soothing balm?

Yes, I know! Might love be something that one can never get enough of & be sustainable at the same time?

Bingo!

David

AUG 30/09 - WYNN-WIN

Before reading further, please click on the following link: Woodwynn Farms and quickly review it’s mission.

Ina & I were raised on Woodwynn Farm. It was owned by a great lady, Wynn Woodward. This lady & her husband started a regional department store chain. She was extremely generous within her community.

Ina’s father & mother worked at her main house by the Bay, I threw hay bales for her to get through college. She was the Godmother to my son, Troy.

Upon graduating from University & preparing to leave the farm, I asked Mrs. Woodward how I could ever repay her for all the help she had given me. Her response: “when you are in the same position, do the same for others & you will have paid me back tenfold”.

You can read Ina’s & my personal story, a love story Greenangels. This story had a 27 year blank spot. This week, 17 years after getting back together, we were back on the farm asking how we might help with their project.

There are conflicting forces surrounding the project as there is with everything. The words of Leonard Cohen (we watched his London Live Concert DVD last night) came to mind: “There are cracks in everything, that’s how the light gets in.”

While Ina & I were chatting with some of the volunteers at the farm, one of them came up with an idea that he referred to as win-win for the neighbors. In a discussion Ina & I were having later, when I repeated the win-win comment, Ina came up with today’s title for my thoughts, Wynn-Win.

Back when I was a young man, things looked hopeless as to a University future for a Howe boy. That’s when Mrs. Woodward stepped in & said “I hear you won’t be going to University. Let me tell you how I’m willing to help if you are willing to work.”

The rest is history.

I graduated, went to the States for my Masters, have traveled the world, worked in many countries, & amazingly have come back together with my grade 3 sweetheart.

“There is no cure for love”, Leonard Cohen.

So where does love start & stop?

I have been very fortunate; I’m back where I started & much better for the trip. I always wanted to be with Ina & I am. Do I now ride out the rest of life’s journey or do I step up to the words left me by a great lady.

When hope was the only thing I had, might I now pass on some of the same to those that I am obviously in a position to help.

Do I have the time? Do I care?

Mrs. Woodward’s words keep echoing in my head. We are all in a position to help someone. I have walked by street people many times & made a silent judgment. Is there one out there tonight that really needs our help?

Mrs. Woodward didn’t say “I will help you but I want this or that for myself in return”, she said, “When you are in the position to help someone else do so”.

There is no cure for love.

What is a win-win formula, might Wynn have discovered it?

While we were touring the farm, we were asked how we irrigated the fields. I mentioned taking the tractor to the creek. How fortunate that a creek runs right down the valley, through the 200 acres, I remember hooking the pump up to the tractor to generate water & for the 1st time hearing a British Group singing ‘I want to hold your hand’.

How many people on the street might be looking for a hand up tonight?

I know the tendency is to judge & say you mean a hand out.

How did Mrs. Woodward choose me?

Wynn didn’t have any preconditions, she just did.

Might she have made a mistake?

If you knew more of my life story, you might say ‘for sure’.

I reached a very low point & Ina came to my rescue.

Can substance abuse be overcome?

Yes! I know!

‘All we need is love’, that British Group again.

If love is the basis of the Woodwynn project, then it will grow.

Mrs. Woodward loved that farm. Ina’s & my love story started there.

Love lies like a mist across the fields. I could see it in Ina’s eyes as she looked at the beautiful oak trees.

There may be a limited amount of water on the farm but there need be no limit on love.

Now given all the rhetoric about love, is it economically sustainable?

That’s where I come in.

David

Aug 23/09 - SEEDS

You might want to take a moment to read Ina’s poem below. She is talking about the hole that is created when we are missing from the picture of life.

My thought for today is, that we can not only fill a hole in our community by being present, but can change the whole picture with our contributions & our beliefs.

‘No matter what they tell you, no matter what they teach you, what you believe is true’ Meatball

I was listening to the Meatball CD, the other day, & heard those words. The first question that came to mind was how many of us act on our beliefs.

We ‘see’ the world through our rose colored glasses, eyes which are focused through belief lenses. We sow seeds of our convictions.

Those seeds planted over time will reproduce tenfold, whether good or bad. Who decides what is planted? We do.

Who receives the harvest, positive or negative? We do.

Who receives nothing if nothing is planted or nurtured? We do.

Who decides on our belief system? This gets a little trickier. As Meatloaf points out, it is up to us, even though others tell us or teach us what to think & believe.

The seeds planted in our head & our hearts are the beginning of the garden we are going to grow & live in. What is really terrific is that we have the capacity to plant different seeds anytime we choose.

Any picture we can imagine can be materialized.

Some people don’t believe that last statement, as it is believed by many that money controls our future. The focus on money, which is a medium of exchange & can bring us as much misery as glory, is an external focus when the seeds are internal.

Love is a seed, hate is a seed, sharing is seeding, money is a tool, hoarding is not sowing. The motivations behind the use of money are seeds. The lack of money is a perception. The lack of money is a malady of want. Disappointment comes from attachment to the results expected.

Spread seeds that can multiply & brighten faces. Don’t hoard positive thoughts.

Let people know that you care.

Don’t expect the results to come from the exact same place that you sow your seeds. Expect miracles to happen. We are sowing seeds in the ether; expect the crops to come from any direction.

I heard Madonna singing ‘This is a material world & I am a material girl’, yesterday. The words made me wonder if Madonna actually ‘sees’ the material world in an arms length way or she actually believes that she is a material being.

There may be more to this woman than I had realized.

Once again I found myself questioning my assumptions about someone. When we live in a world of assumptions, life often times passes us by, we don’t ‘see’ reality.

Wonder at every moment, just like a child.

Why not a life full of wonder-ment?

Can we find the best in everyone & everything around us? That is not to dismiss the negative, just not highlighting it.

Finding the yellow brick road as a wandering path is often more exciting than a straight highway for miles into the future.

Seeds of positivism planted along the sides of our life path, allow for beautiful plants on our return visit.

Do people enjoy seeing us return? Do people enjoy having us around?

Maybe the feelings we leave behind, are the seeds of our future invitations.

Ina was a major part of my life from the time she was ten years old, when she sowed seeds of love into my heart. At the age of twenty, I left for twenty seven years having no contact whatever, but those seeds kept pulling at my heart strings. At forty seven, I made a phone call & Ina returned it, today we are sharing the Garden together.

It took action on my part, faith without works is dead.

I ran away. I had to return & face the music. I can now say it is romantic.

Ina is sitting here reading as I write. Ina shares my bed. I dreamt of that for years. Dreams do come true.

Seeds are planted in our internal as well as external gardens. Seeds are planted within our friends & our community.

Seeds not weeds.

Love not hate.

David

Without Us
I bought a puzzle of the world,
A picture on the box,
With many, many pieces
Lakes, mountains, fields & rocks.
And scores of little people,
In varying shapes and hues,
I spread the pieces on the floor,
So I could pick and choose.

A deal of hours, weeks in fact
It took to sort it through,
Yet slowly, slowly growing,
Into a most grand view.
A little piece seemed missing,
I searched and searched in vain,
With puzzle all but finished,
That piece became my bane.

Then I stood back to view the scene,
Twas all in miniature,
My magnifying glass I sought
So I could be quite sure.
For where the piece was missing,
The little people cried,
The sky was dark and gloomy,
The flowers and trees had died.

I recognized those people sad,
They were my friends and kin,
This was my neighbourhood, my place
And much to my chagrin
They lived around a giant hole
In their community
A hole they found so hard to fill
Now, I began to see!

Each one of us,in our own way,
Contribute to the whole,
The picture never quite complete
Without our varying roles.
The scene may change and alter
The people come and go But it takes you and you and me
To finalize the show.

Then, just like that, the missing piece,
Appeared before my eyes,
I picked it up, it slid right in,
And then I realized,
The people smiled, the town was bright
The sun began to shine,
The face upon that little piece,
Well known to me, was mine!

Ina

AUG 16/09 - HOPE

“Hope is a belief in a positive outcome related to events and circumstances in one's life.
Hope is the feeling that what is wanted can be had or that events will turn out for the best. Hopefulness is somewhat different from optimism in that hope is an emotional state, whereas optimism is a conclusion reached through a deliberate thought pattern that leads to a positive attitude.” Wikipedia’s definition.

Hope, an emotional state, optimism, a more logic rooted approach.

Who is to say that hope will not lead to manifestation of the hoped for result? Can hope overcome reality? What is reality?

Would our life be different if hope dwelled daily within our breasts?

Is it possible to live a life in which we believe everything ultimately turns out for the best?

Whenever my father was asked how he was doing, the answer was always ‘In the Pink’. We inscribed it on his headstone.

Was he living in a fog?

Could hope bring someone back to life or keep someone alive in our heart?

Is hope a lifestyle choice?

We live in uncertain times, when was it ever different? What goes on outside does not have to affect what goes on inside. Stability lies at the center of our being, unless we let the winds of adversity play havoc with our emotions.

Being attached to outcomes tears at the fabric of our self esteem.

A balancing between head & heart, or a softening as Ina would say, leads to health & harmony.

Peace is an internal, eternal state. Live in hopefulness & peace & feel time slow down.

Planning for the worst & hoping for the best isn’t a program for living a negative lifestyle. Belief that things will always work out for the best, brings peace & comfort internally, while planning for the effects of time, helps support that inner harmony.

Attachment to the outcome is a recipe for stress. Attachment leads to judgment & judgment leads to conflict.

‘Where have all the flowers gone’, is a Peter, Paul, & Mary song that best reveals the never ending conflict cycle we experience & ends with the words “will we ever learn”.

My hope is that we will be able to achieve a paradigm shift. I realize that shift has to start with me.

Reality & hope intermingle as do logic & the emotions.

We are a mixture of the eternal soup.

Thought & love arrived in this physical entity, I call my body, & the result was me. Getting carried away with the ‘me’ part & forgetting who I really am, is a recipe for lost hope.

We find our self wandering in the desert, the prodigal son or daughter.

Hope is where the future lies, to envision & imagine it, is the path.

‘See’ the future approach. ‘See’ your path into being.

Our journey through space & time is not an end in itself.

Let’s ‘hope’ not.

David

AUG 9/09 - NEVER ON SUNDAY

How about everyday being Sunday?

For the last couple of years, I have been trying to treat everyday as Sunday. Many people have commented that I must either be retired or semi retired. My answer is ‘no, I decided to live’.

The life I’m talking about is not being attached to outcomes or timeframes.

I was once told by a friend, that what happens during the business week has to be kept separate from what we live on Sunday. Why?

Why can’t Sunday be everyday?

Who or what says we can’t have a week of Sunday’s? It’s our life.