Sunday, March 27, 2011

Peace

East Cape, New Zealand

Peace is what we are, our natural state. If we do not feel peaceful, it is because we are telling ourselves stories of who we think we are. The stories often involve worry about the past or dread of the future. We tell these stories to people that we encounter and people repeat these stories back to us. The cycle of reinforcement (and conditioning) started when we were babies and continues until we wake up to what we truly are: love, peace and joy.

How do we break the cycle of addictive thought? By bringing awareness to our thoughts, our emotions and our actions. The light of awareness will allow us to release our stories and surrender to our natural state, which is peace. What is the light of awareness? It is simply attention without judgment. Let's be aware of our conditioned thoughts and beliefs, look at them without judgment or labels and let go of our stories, which are boring anyway.

Let's return to what we are. Let's embody peace.

Saturday, March 19, 2011

The Instrument

Sedona, Arizona

Our bodies are our instruments for interacting with the material world. When our bodies are operating at peak efficiency, it is easier for the energy to flow through us. When we clog our instrument with fast food, drugs or alcohol, our awareness becomes foggy. When we do not get enough rest, or stress is being held in our muscles and organs, our connection to the Infinite Energy Source can be blocked. We can nurture our body by being conscious about what we eat and drink, exercising, and getting sufficient rest and relaxation. In addition, unused parts of our brains can be activated through meditation. We should care for our bodies as we would a beloved classic car. On the other hand, some believe the physical vessel is of no importance whatsoever. Up to you.

Let's bring awareness to our physical manifestations.

Friday, March 11, 2011

Outside In

Nara, Japan

A way to access our inner selves is through fully inhabiting our outer selves. The way to activate our inner senses and experience our inner dimensions is to be fully aware of our 5 three dimensional senses. Let's see with our eyes, without labelling or judging what we see. Let's hear the sounds all around us without thinking about who or what is making them. Let's feel the ground below our feet and be aware of the taste when we chew our food. Let's bring our attention to our breath going in and out. When we are fully inhabiting our bodies without judgment or thought, we are in harmony with Source. Our awareness grows and new dimensions of being will be activated. We will see things we have never seen before.

Let's bring our attention to the present moment.

Friday, March 4, 2011

Stress

Waipoua Forest, North Island, New Zealand

Many experts teach us how to manage stress. They assume that there will always be a certain level of stress and that is a good thing as long as it is not too excessive. We try to make sure that our stress levels do not become so high as to be debilitating. We should not be managing stress, but eliminating it. No amount of stress is good. Stress literally kills. It can cause an otherwise healthy heart to shut down in a moment. Or it can kill us slowly over a period of years. 75% of doctor's visits are stress related. In addition to its adverse physical effects, stress makes us unhappy, frustrated and unfulfilled. Our relationships suffer. We are unable to communicate with others. We lose touch with our spiritual selves. Our lives are out of balance.

Stress is caused by the accumulation of "negative" thoughts (mostly fear) reinforced by our present thoughts. The only value stress has is to give us a shot of adrenaline when we are being chased by a sabre tooth tiger. We do not have to live with stress. When we surrender our thoughts and feelings and bring our attention without judgment to them, they will start to dissolve under the light of awareness.

Let's release our fears and replace them with love for others, for animals, and for ourselves.