Wednesday, February 25, 2009

Love Letter: 2-25-09

“The intuitive mind is a sacred gift and the rational mind is a faithful servant. We have created a society that honors the servant and has forgotten the gift.”
-Albert Einstein

A few Ideas for making it through these troubling economic times:

  • Use quiet time to clear your mind. It’s hard to make decisions about economic matters when your mind swirls at a hundred miles per hour.
  • Allow Divine Intelligence to intervene. Ask that you may receive divine guidance as the matters of each day unfold. Surrender your concerns to the Divine Solution Maker.
  • Listen as God speaks. Listen for loving words of guidance. Don’t submit to the tormenting voice of panic, and thoughts led by anxiousness.
    db ¤



Two quotes by author, Emmet Fox:
It makes no difference how deeply seated may be the trouble, how hopeless the outlook, how muddled the tangle, how great the mistake. A sufficient realization of love will dissolve it all.


To live in the present moment, and to make that moment as perfect as we can by the realization that we are the instruments and expression of God Himself.


The Comeback
When the boxing manager sees that his boxer is taking an unrecoverable beating in the ring, he may throw in the towel. Literally, from the corner, a towel is tossed into the ring. Doing so is the signal to the referee that the fight is over, and victory is conceded to the opponent.


In these times of uncertainty, many folks are becoming overpowered by stressful financial concerns. They feel like they are fighting against the might of a formidable opponent. Even worst, is the feeling of hopelessness. This feeling arises when defeat seems inevitable. The fight cannot be won. The problem has no solution except to give in. Nothing is left, but to swallow some pride and throw in the towel.

But, is throwing in the towel all that bad? No, not really. It seems bad because in a world where success is demonstrated in a linear fashion, (meaning in the various facets of life, we move from “point a” to “point b” to “point c” to “point d” and so on) succumbing to a counter-force is a sign of weakness or unacceptability. In other words, if we can’t win the fight and must throw in the towel, then we are seen as a loser.

But that’s not really the case. Not really. The only thing truly real about being seen as one who could not make it to the victor’s circle, is that the observation itself is an illusion. Look at the spider, for example. When its web is torn or demolished, it spins a new one.
The spider simply knows that it’s time to start again, then does so.

Experiencing difficulties because of current economic situations can be viewed as an opportunity to start again. It is the beginning of a new life. To start again is to build, not rebuild. It involves making plans from new ideas and new thoughts. It is propelled by new enthusiasm, and tempered by new risks. Starting again is invigorating.

And remember when starting again, you are in good company. Millions of people around the globe will be involved in the same process.

Before beginning anew remember to invite Divine Intelligence into your thoughts. Make choices based on the mental compass that God has given you.

Learn from mistakes. Make the new journey, from new thoughts. Avoid falling into old habits. Ask God to guide you. Listen to what he tells you and your comeback is assured. db ¤

Thinking you can’t do it?
-THAT’S WRONG-
Teachers told Beethoven that he couldn’t compose.

Teachers criticized Walt Disney for his lack of creativity.

Teachers told Albert Einstein that he possessed a substandard intellect.

And of course, there’s the story of Decca Records telling an up and coming band from Liverpool that “groups with guitars are on their way out.”

And for those of you who didn’t know: Elvis was kicked off the Grand Ole Opry

Gene Hackman was told in acting school that he had no talent, no timing and would never succeed as an actor.

Michael Jordon was cut from his high school basketball team.

¤ BE HAPPY!!! ¤

Thursday, February 19, 2009

Love Letter: 02-19-09 'The Garden'

“We choose our joys and sorrows long before we experience them.” – Kahlil Gibran

“Madness is rare in individuals - but in groups, political parties, nations, and eras it's the rule.”
– Friedrich Nietzsche

“This is the true joy in life,

The being used for a purpose recognized by yourself as a mighty one;

The being thoroughly worn out before you are thrown on the scrap heap;

The being a force of nature instead of a feverish selfish little clod of ailments and grievances complaining that the world will not devote itself to making you happy.”
– George Bernard Shaw

“In deep meditation the flow of concentration is continuous like the flow of oil” - Patanjali

“Change is the essence of life. Be willing to surrender what you are for what you become.” – Unknown

Our Limitless Reality
All of us possess a transcendent form of consciousness; which is commonly known as spirit. Yes, you do, I do, and everyone does.

Spirit, is the source of our Enlightened Power, and is one with the mind of God. God’s mind is accessible to everyone, and by calling on the mind of God, we are enabled to move beyond the limitations of our own predictable judgmental thinking. We possess the power to access this mind at any time. We can be one with this Enlightened Power at any place of our choosing. To enact the mind of God we need to call on it, then allow its powers to prevail.

When the mind of God within us, is synchronized with the mind of God that reigns throughout the cosmos, then the thoughts that arise from this unity become our sole source for wisdom and guidance. Nothing is more powerful. When united with the mind of God, we are transcending human consciousness. We are one with Divine Intelligence.

The mind of God knows only love, so it does not think harmful thoughts. It knows freedom so it does not judge. It knows only strength so it does not condemn or overtake. It is fulfilled, so it doesn’t recognize jealousy. It is innocent, so it is not guided by guilt. Condemnation has neither meaning nor value, so there is no reason to blame.

When we choose to listen to the voice of God within us, we are listing to a message that flows directly from the mind of God. This same Divine Intelligence flows to and through every part of everything in creation. To receive it, we need only to ask for it.

When we are unified with the mind of God, our reality is altered. Judgmental thinking is thwarted. Condemnation evaporates. We no longer take meaning from making comparisons of our self to others.

God knows only love. As we make a shift in reality from human consciousness to Divine Consciousness, we simultaneously modify our way of thinking. We see the world through loving eyes. We see that our choices change. We no longer rely on old preset logic patterns for making choices. We willingly give others a break, and are less inclined to immediately dispute those with a different opinion. No longer are we insistent on having our way, or showing others that we have the “right” answer.

Daily life becomes an easier and satisfying journey. We are one with peace, love and inner-contentment. We no longer feel limited by the restrictive thinking.
We are no longer held hostage by judgmental opinions and bias perceptions. db¤

Happiness
Realize that true happiness lies within you.

Waste no time and effort searching for peace and contentment
and joy in the world outside.

Remember that there is no happiness in having or in getting, but only in giving. Reach out. Share.

Smile. Hug. Happiness is a perfume you cannot pour on others
without getting a few drops on yourself.
--Og Mandino motivational speaker

T H E G A R D E N

Come to the garden alone, while the dew is still on the roses…

FOR THE GARDEN OF YOUR DAILY LIVING, PLANT THREE ROWS OF PEAS:

1. Peace of mind
 2. Peace of heart
 3. Peace of soul

PLANT FOUR ROWS OF SQUASH:

1. Squash gossip 
2. Squash indifference 3. Squash grumbling 
4. Squash selfishness

PLANT FOUR ROWS OF LETTUCE:

1. Lettuce be faithful 2. Lettuce be kind 3. Lettuce be patient 4. Lettuce really love one another
NO GARDEN IS WITHOUT TURNIPS:

1. Turnip for meetings
 2. Turnip for service
 3. Turnip to help one another

TO CONCLUDE OUR GARDEN WE MUST HAVE THYME:

1. Thyme for each other 
2. Thyme for family 
3. Thyme for friends.

WATER FREELY WITH PATIENCE AND CULTIVATE WITH LOVE. THERE IS MUCH FRUIT IN YOUR GARDEN BECAUSE YOU REAP WHAT YOU SOW.
- Unknown

Until next time -

Remember to love yourself,
And Be Happy! db¤¤¤

Wednesday, February 11, 2009

A love letter from Don

BE HAPPY!!

“We often talk about people as if they have particular attributes as 'things' inside themselves -- they have an identity, for example, and we believe that at the heart of a person there is a fixed and true identity or character (even if we're not sure that we know quite what that is, for a particular person). We assume that people have an inner essence -- qualities beneath the surface which determine who that person really 'is'.” – Michel Foucault – French Philosopher

“When we honestly ask ourselves which person in our lives means the most to us, we often find that it is those who, instead of giving advice, solutions, or cures, have chosen rather to share our pain and touch our wounds with a warm and tender hand.” - Fr. Henri Nouwen (Priest and Author)

Being Light and Love
By Mother Theresa

People are often unreasonable, illogical and self-centered
Forgive them anyway.

If you are kind, people may accuse you of selfish ulterior motives.
Be kind anyway.

If you are successful, you will win some false friends and some true enemies. Succeed anyway.

What you spend years building someone could destroy overnight. Build anyway.

If you find serenity and happiness, they may be jealous. Be happy anyway.

Give the world the best you have, and it may never be enough.
Give the world the best you have anyway.

You see, in the final analysis, it is between you and God.
It was never between you and them anyway.

A Zen Quote by Langya “Just think of the trees: they let the birds perch and fly, with no intention to call them when they come and no longing for their return when they fly away. If people's hearts can be like the trees, they will not be off the Way.”
Our Limiting Self-Reality
by Don Brun

We may think that problems just automatically show up in our lives, but they don’t.

Oh, I am not saying that problems don’t blind side us and appear unexpectedly. Of course they do. And I’m not saying that we consciously invite difficult situations into our lives. But we are wise to remember that, on some level, we draw into our lives the problems that we encounter. We are creators of our own personal issues. How does this happen? How do we draw problems to ourselves? Here is an explanation for you to consider.

First of all we form a belief system about ourselves, and our relationship with the world around us, then we adapt to it. Next, we try to behave within the boundaries of those beliefs about our self and how we fit into the world. In conforming to this belief system, we draw on many judgments of both our self and others. Using these judgments we, in turn, make choices. Problems are then drawn to us by virtue of the way we perceive, judge and choose; all of which are predictable and repeated.

When we perceive behavior, or the outcome of some activity that does not conform to our way of believing we judge it as objectionable. It’s a problem. On the other hand when actions and behavior conform to the belief about who we are and how be fit in the world then a positive judgment is made.

Lets say that a landlord wants his rent by the fifth day of the month. The renter is already two month behind, and tells the landlord that the rent will be paid in its entirety, but another month’s time is needed before he can put the money together. The renter, Tom, acknowledges the problem, and immediately blames the landlord for lack of empathy, and the unwillingness to be patient.

Tom feels guilty about his problem because he was raised to believe that bills must be paid on time, and people should live within their financial means. As a matter of fact Tom has criticized a couple of his friends who he claims are in debt because they spend more than they earn. One friend has obligated himself to huge car payments, while the other is deluged with credit card debt.

How was Tom’s problem created? Tom brought this problem to himself. He created it. Tom has predisposed himself to financial problems and more specifically the issues presently developing with the landlord. He has surrounded himself with men and women who perpetuate high-spending lifestyles. He and coworkers are struggling for recognition. Most desire a promotion; an admirable professional title; and a higher salary. He works in an office inundated with shakers and movers. All of who are hell-bent on demonstrating that they are “money.” To a large measure these co-workers are flagrant spenders.

Tom not only finds the behavior of debt-ridden friends; competitive co-workers; and insensitive landlord to be unacceptable, but somewhere deep down within his self he realizes that he is the source of his own problems. He realizes that he is incessantly in pursuit of acceptability. This knowledge intensifies his frustration, because it increases the level of guilt that he carries.

Tom is in a pickle. On one hand he believes in the values that were espoused by his parents, but on the other hand he rationalizes his thoughts and behavior with the idea that his parents lived in a different time. Life was easier for them. Simple values were more applicable when his parents were younger; things were more black and white. They enjoyed more freedom, and experienced less stress; and were not judged as harshly by friends and peers. His justifications are tethered to the idea that his parents did not have to live in a world that was as demanding as the world is now. They were not burdened with the idea that they must continually prove their acceptability. Tom has convinced himself that he has no choice other than to live what his parents call a “charade.” If he wants to be successful, he must demonstrate that he possesses the spoils of success. Hence, he obligated himself to the foreboding situation with his landlord. Toms says that this so-called “charade” is in fact his reality.

This whole attitude in which Tom spends his day is congruent with causing and perpetuating his problems.

Like Tom, most of us learn from our earliest years on, to determine good from bad; and right from wrong. More profoundly however, we learn to differentiate the acceptable from unacceptable. Then, we organize our thoughts and activities so we are perceived as acceptable.

Often, otherwise good and righteous behavior must be trumped by actions that elevate one’s perceived acceptability. Tom’s self-promoting actions are created out of the desire to be judged by others as acceptable. More specifically he wants to be perceived as a savant amongst his peer group and career competitors. Any input that challenges these aspirations is viewed as a problem. Vigilantly, his “high-roller” self-image is guarded.

After continually making judgments based on pre-determined beliefs about our acceptability and how we fit into the world, we then habitually repeat, with slight variation, an automatic way of behaving.

Tom feels guilty because he is behaving in a way that inconsistent with values passed on by his parents, however the contradictory behavior is predictable because his desire for acceptability overrides the inclination to conform with learned values and beliefs.
Tom continually contradicts his beliefs. And, he denies that he does so. He rationalizes his contradictory actions by convincing himself that if you want to have money, you’ve got to look “money,” and he says he is just walking his talk. His self-talk provides the needed justification for living above his means. It promotes the identity that he is so ardently trying to project. Defining who he is, in a large part by his home address, gives Tom a needed edge in sustaining the perception of one who is earning a high income. It gives him prestige and makes him feel like he belongs to a more acceptable group.


Our identity is defined by boundaries that mark the limits of our reality, and retard our ability to enter another reality. So our perceptions and judgments are confined within those boundaries. Thusly we may live an entire life with only a glimpse of the Divine peace and freedom that lies beyond the limits of our self-promoting thoughts. So we continually roam the same reality, with the same thoughts, in search of a way to justify who we are and how we fit in the world.

A dog confined to the boundaries of the back yard will eventually revisit and reinvestigate every inch of that space. Like the pet dog, we roam a territory confined within the limits of our own reality. Because we remain within the established boundaries of our reality, we do little more than revisit the thoughts that we have previously entertained. We rehash the same thoughts and project the same point-of-view. And, this is why we repeat old patterns over again. We become very predictable in the choices we will make. Thusly we draw into our lives problems that fester because of this mental confinement.

It is difficult for us to get beyond our own self-confining perceptions and judgments. Like the dog that eventually finds himself over again in one particular spot or another, similarly we find ourselves re-roaming the same mental and emotional turf. We process our thoughts through an established conduit of preprogrammed parameters, an end up presenting the mind with the repeated expectation to process the same issues, concepts and thoughts. We judge present situations just like we did prior situations. So, our choices seem to be determined automatically. This repeated pattern of choices causes the same problem to surface over and over. It may manifest itself in a new way, or with a different person. But all the same, each problem grows from the same source root.

We may look for a way out of particular problems by jumping from person to person, relationship to relationship, friend to friend, and job to job. We may look for a way out through spending money. It’s not uncommon however to discover that the next romance, person, job, activity or purchase is not the way out. Why? More next time. Hint: There is another way.
Speaking of ANOTHER WAY, ‘There are as many great Simpsons quotes as there are Republicans in hell, which is another way to say “a lot.”’ JAMES A. (BLOGZARRO)

Pablo Picasso quote: “Painting is just another way of keeping a diary.”

Quote by José Saramago: “Reading is another way of being in a place.”

“Example isn't another way to teach, it is the only way to teach” · Albert Einstein.

Be Happy!!!!

Thursday, February 5, 2009

Divine Consciousness – Human Consciousness

The following excerpt was taken from "The Summits of God-Life: Samadhi and Siddhi" by Sri Chinmoy.

Human consciousness is made up primarily of limitation, imperfection, bondage and ignorance. This consciousness wants to remain here on earth. It gets joy in the finite: in family, in society, in earthly affairs. Divine consciousness is made up of Peace, Bliss, divine Power and so forth. Its nature is to expand constantly. Human consciousness feels there is nothing more important than earthly pleasure. Divine consciousness feels there is nothing more important and significant than heavenly Joy and Bliss on earth. Human consciousness tries to convince us that we are nowhere near Truth or fulfillment. It tries to make us feel that God is somewhere else, millions of miles away from us. But divine consciousness makes us feel that God is right here, inside each life-breath, inside each heartbeat, inside everyone and everything around us.
“We can never judge the lives of others, because each person knows only their own pain and renunciation. It's one thing to feel that you are on the right path, but it's another to think that yours is the only path.”

Paulo Coelho “We can never judge the lives of others, because each person knows only their own pain and renunciations. It’s one thing to feel that you are on the right path, but it’s another to think yours is the only path.”