Wednesday, August 24, 2011

Courage

Te Kouma, Coromandel, New Zealand

It seems so simple. All that we have to do is bring our attention to the present moment and all of our problems will be solved. We will find our life's purpose. We will be as Gandhi was, as Buddha was, as Jesus was. We will be a light unto the world. People in our presence will start to awaken.

If it is so simple, why does it seem so difficult?

It is difficult because the pull of obsessive thinking is so strong that we believe that if we give up our thoughts and our beliefs that we will die. Our identity, everything that we believe that we are, is completely intertwined with our thoughts and belief systems.

How do we awaken? Once we make the decision to do so, there are an infinite number of tools available to assist us. There is yoga, meditation, nature, books, and films. Many films such as JERRY MAGUIRE, AS GOOD AS IT GETS, AMERICAN BEAUTY, THE MATRIX, STAR WARS AND AVATAR all share this theme of becoming conscious and learning how to love. Merely being in the presence of people who are awake triggers an awakening in us.

It requires discipline to continually bring our attention back to presence no matter how lost in thought we become. It requires courage to face our darkest thoughts, which we have pushed deep into our subconscious.

Let's have the discipline and courage to awaken to presence in this very moment.

Sunday, August 21, 2011

Awareness

Tahapuke Bay, New Zealand

Awareness is attention to the present moment without judgment. It is like working out a muscle. The more time we spend bringing our attention to the present, instead of being lost in obsessive thought, the easier it is to do. The more often we bring our attention to present, the more we are in harmony with Infinite Energy.

When we are aware of our thoughts, we soon realize that almost all of them are gibberish. The thoughts that we have make no sense and do not enhance our lives. Our thoughts primarily consist of remembering past events and imagining how the future will unfold. They are filled with regret, envy, worry and fear. When we bring our attention to what we are doing, our thoughts fade into the background. Our fear subsides and our compulsion to be lost in thought fades.

Let's bring awareness to our thoughts and actions.

Saturday, August 13, 2011

Peace

Zen Garden, Kyoto, Japan

Can we find peace in the turmoil of the city? Regardless of where we live, we are deluged with information nearly every moment of the day. The media tells us what we should be worried about and envious of. Corporations inundate us with ads confirming that who we are and what we have is not enough. Our friends and family want us to think and believe the same things that they do. Our churches, temples, clubs and schools instill their dogma in us and charge a mental and emotional price for belonging to each of the groups that we belong to and identify with.

The onslaught of information and conditioning is continuous and omnipresent. Never before in history have we been presented with this much information.

We can find peace. It does not require effort. However, it requires a determination to surrender all of our thoughts and beliefs and be open to what is. The information and advertising rolls off us and is never absorbed into our psyches. We consistently bring our attention to the present. We reject all thoughts and belief systems which we do not consciously choose to enhance our lives. We receive more joy from being present with Source than we can ever receive driving a new car or wearing new clothes. When we realize that, material things lose their pull over us.

We are immune to the overt and subliminal advertising and the thoughts of others. We have no need to convince others that what we believe is correct. We are fine with other people believing that we are wrong (or worse).

We find peace in the simple things of life. The simple act of breathing consciously makes us feel whole. Peace is not something that we have to find. All that we have to do is shed all of the extraeneous material clogging our minds. Peace is never far from us because peace is what we are. We only have to recognize it.

Let's surrender to peace.

Sunday, August 7, 2011

Gratitude

Coromandel, New Zealand

If we were terminally ill, and today was our last day in our physical manifestation, would we be able to feel grateful that we had one more day being present? If this was our last day, would we fritter it away with worry and fear, or would we embrace the beauty of Life. Gratitude is the key to abundance, peace and grace. We will receive everything we need, if we are grateful for what we have.

I offer this prayer of gratitude: Thank you Divine Spirit (which is what we are) for giving me the opportunity to recognize the peace, love and joy that I am in this very moment. And I wish for myself, and everyone who reads this, peace, grace and gratitude when it is our time to pass over.