A Dream

Sitting at my laptop thinking about what to write this early morning...I've been awake since 4am...I fell asleep for a moment and had this brief dream. In the dream, I am the "me" and also witnessing everything from a larger perspective. I see myself walking on a path in a dark green forest. I turn to see a huge cat following me, a mountain lion maybe. The cat leaps forward to chase me, and I remain still and give myself this advice: "It's better not to run." And then I wake up.

It's better not to run. Sometimes this is true. We need to know when to run from danger and when to stand still in the face of danger. In order to know what to do we must listen to that still small voice within...this means taking time to listen...it means knowing our self...as Shakespeare counseled, to thine own self be true...

We cannot be true to our own self unless we know ourself. Otherwise, we may end up being true to someone's else's idea of who we should be. We may be easily led away from our true self, easily influenced by opinions that are not in keeping with our real nature.

As Proverbs 4:5-9 advises, Wisdom is the principal thing; therefore get wisdom: and with all thy getting get understanding.

Understanding ourself, our  true nature, brings the greatest wisdom. Overall, it is better that we not run from anything that arises within us--that we face and seek to understand our inner world. 

Photo by Gary Cook

Happy New Year 2019

The New Year is a Time of Mending and Melding:
The Elders Need the Young, and The Young Need Their Elders
*********************

Long ago, the child of ‘the new year’ was born, when the dark is lifting and the light of day is growing and remaining with us longer. Named Dionysus, the infant was carried about by the old men Silenus and Hermes.

The child, the God in all things, represented bright new life, fresh imagination, sunny impetuosity, joyous spirit without end.

The old man who carried the child in his arms as his protector, represented the senex, that is, the old wise man; the one who had lived long, who knew the preciousness of new life, the locations of the ‘trip and fall-down’ places, the detours and long-cuts, the underground pathways through.

Back in the day, the child and the old man were not separate ideas, but one. The older one did not die in order to be replaced by the younger. Instead, they represented a hieros gamos of sorts, a sacred union. They are the two critical aspects of inner nature, that when melded together by inquiry, plans laid, and actions taken, created a third: a more conscious and awakened psyche.

One without the other, creative life without the long view, wisdom without action of invention, could cause each to falter, eventually go awry, then sicken and die… for lack of their life’s work in balance with one another… enthusiasm and a reliable over-and-inner sight.

In modern time, many older persons remain in high spirit by creating deep friendships with the very young, and/or with ideas and attitudes that carry fresh vitality. Many of the young feel they are living in the shelter of a mountain, because they are near the heart of an elder who is reasonably aged and wise in love, loyalty, praise and prescience.

As a pair, the wise old one and the newly born potential are the essence of creative power that can make ideas manifest through deliberate actions… much needed in our world, so that decent wishes can become manifest in progressions through ‘inspirited’ and focused actions.

Inspired by: Dr. Clarissa Pinkola Estes

Mark Twain

"Nothing exists. All is a dream.
God—man—the world—the sun, the moon, the wilderness
of stars—a dream, all a dream; they have no existence.
Nothing exists save empty space—And you.…
And you are not you—you have no body, no blood, no
bones, you are but a thought."

—Mark Twain, 'The Mysterious Stranger'

🌟 🎶🌟 A New Year, A New You 2019 🌟🎶🌟

As we venture into a new year 🎉 resolve to be open to all possibilities. Welcome the greatness that is here for you. A vast treasure exists for you. Open your heart and let it  in.

Here is an exercise that came to me on 🌟angelic wings🌟 It can help you get clear about what you want and need. Often we confuse wants with needs and desires. You might want something so much that you believe it is a need. You might need something, but not be aware of what it is, because you are so filled with desires.

Resolve to be willing to give up confusion. Confusion is not your friend. Ask the angels to open the windows of your mind and let clarity in. Clarity opens doors and invites the light in.

Write down the following headings. You might find that you put the same sentences under more than one heading. That's fine. Just write what you feel. Feel what your body is telling. What your heart is saying. What your gut is telling. I made a list of three below each heading, just to get you started, but you can list as many as you need — or want 😋

Notice that I have left out the negatives — what you don't want or need. We're keeping it positive here. Positive encourages. Negative discourages.

🌟WHAT DO I WANT
I want …
I want …  
I want … 

🌟WHAT DO I NEED
I need …
I need …
I need …

🌟I WOULD LIKE
I would like …
I would like …
I would like …

🌟I MIGHT LIKE
I might like …
I might like …
I might like …

🌟I WOULD BE OPEN TO
I would be open to …
I would be open to …
I would be open to …

🌟I AM WILLING TO LET GO OF
I am willing to let go of …
I am willing to let go of …
I am willing to let go of …

🌟GOD, PLEASE HELP ME WILLING TO LET GO OF
Help me let go of …
Help me let go of …
Help me let go of …

🌟I SURRENDER 
I surrender …
I surrender …
I surrender …

Love

Love doesn't just sit there like a stone., it has to be made, like bread, remade all the time, made new. -Ursula K. Le Guin 1929-2018

MARCUS AURELIUS

MARCUS AURELIUS --  20 quotes from MEDITATIONS.
(All are signed, so feel free to share one or more.)

Death and life, success and failure, pain and pleasure, wealth and poverty, all these happen to good and bad alike, and they are neither noble nor shameful—and hence neither good nor bad. -Marcus Aurelius

What is divine deserves our respect because it is good; what is human deserves our affection because it is like us. - Marcus Aurelius

Even if you’re going to live three thousand more years, or ten times that, remember: you cannot lose another life than the one you’re living now, or live another one than the one you’re losing. -Marcus Aurelius

The only thing that isn’t worthless: to live this life out truthfully and rightly. And be patient with those who don't. -Marcus Aurelius

If it doesn’t hurt the individual elements to change continually into one another, why are people afraid of all of them changing and separating? It’s a natural thing. And nothing natural is evil. -Marcus Aurelius

Concentrate on this, your whole life long: for your mind to be in the right state—the state a rational, civic mind should be in. - Marcus Aurelius

Forget everything else. Keep hold of this alone and remember it: Each of us lives only now, this brief instant. The rest has been lived already, or is impossible to see. -Marcus Aurelius

Doctors keep their scalpels and other instruments handy, for emergencies. Keep your philosophy ready too—ready to understand heaven and earth. In everything you do, even the smallest thing, remember the chain that links them. - Marcus Aurelius

Is it your reputation that’s bothering you? But look at how soon we’re all forgotten. The abyss of endless time that swallows it all. The emptiness of all those applauding hands. -Marcus Aurelius

Things have no hold on the soul. They stand there unmoving, outside it. Disturbance comes only from within—from our own perceptions. - Marcus Aurelius

Not to live as if you had endless years ahead of you. Death overshadows you. While you’re alive and able—be good. - Marcus Aurelius

And then you might see what the life of the good man is like—someone content with what nature assigns him, and satisfied with being just and kind himself. -Marcus Aurelius

Note: If you're enjoying these quotes so far, then you should definitely check out The Meditations, which is where these quotes are pulled from.

When we describe things as “taking place,” we’re talking like builders, who say that blocks in a wall or a pyramid “take their place” in the structure, and fit together in a harmonious pattern. - Marcus Aurelius

If we limited “good” and “bad” to our own actions, we’d have no call to challenge God, or to treat other people as enemies. - Marcus Aurelius

To pass through this brief life as nature demands. To give it up without complaint. Like an olive that ripens and falls. Praising its mother, thanking the tree it grew on. -Marcus Aurelius

The whole is damaged if you cut away anything—anything at all—from its continuity and its coherence. Not only its parts, but its purposes. And that’s what you’re doing when you complain: hacking and destroying. -Marcus Aurelius

“To live with the gods.” And to do that is to show them that your soul accepts what it is given and does what the spirit requires—the spirit God gave each of us to lead and guide us, a fragment of himself. -Marcus Aurelius

Awaken; return to yourself. Now, no longer asleep, knowing they were only dreams, clear-headed again, treat everything around you as a dream. -Marcus Aurelius

It’s fortunate that this has happened and I’ve remained unharmed by it—not shattered by the present or frightened of the future. It could have happened to anyone. But not everyone could have remained unharmed by it. -Marcus Aurelius

To be like the rock that the waves keep crashing over. It stands unmoved and the raging of the sea falls still around it. -Marcus Aurelius

Take the shortest route, the one that nature planned—to speak and act in the healthiest way. Do that, and be free of pain and stress, free of all calculation and pretension. -Marcus Aurelius

How does it injure you anyway? You’ll find that none of the people you’re upset about has done anything that could do damage to your mind. But that’s all that “harm” or “injury” could mean. -Marcus Aurelius

It’s time you realized that you have something in you more powerful and miraculous than the things that affect you and make you dance like a puppet. -Marcus Aurelius

If it isn’t ceasing to live that you’re afraid of but never beginning to live properly . . . then you’ll be worthy of the world that made you. No longer an alien in your own land. No longer shocked by everyday events—as if they were unheard-of aberrations. -Marcus Aurelius

Because to be drawn toward what is wrong and self-indulgent, toward anger and fear and pain, is to revolt against nature. And for the mind to complain about anything that happens is to desert its post. -Marcus Aurelius

Finding Peace

It is only after you have faced up to this fundamental rule and learned to distinguish between what you can and can’t control that inner tranquility and outer effectiveness become possible. -Epictetus

Keep the Season Holy

This Christmas and holiday season, you are offered a gentle reminder to spend your energy wisely. Respect yourself and your money. This means living within—or even better—below—your means, so that you do not place unnecessary burdens upon yourself or create debt.

If you find yourself feeling lonely or stressed, wanting to give gifts you can't afford, or receive gifts that are not coming your way, remind yourself, "Now is enough." When you experience any sense of lack, loss, fear, or limitation, tell yourself that now is enough.

There is no fear or limitation when you know that you are enough, that there is nothing that can be added to you that would make you more.
The only thing you have to share with anyone is your own state of being. Many people want to uplift the world, but live in such anxiety that this is what they end up sharing. We can uplift the world only to the extent that we live expansive uplifted lives.
   

Happiness as defined by the mind can lead only to unhappiness, because the mind can never be satisfied. As soon as one desire is achieved, the mind creates another.

    
This Christmas and holiday season remember that you are enough. So is every other human being, whether they know it or not.
    

Whatever You Celebrate

Keep the season Holy

A Gift Worth Giving:

 The Clear and Simple Way School.

Happiness is Contagious!

". . . researchers found that when an individual becomes happy, the network effect can be measured up to three degrees. One person's happiness triggers a chain reaction that benefits not only their friends, but their friends' friends, and their friends' friends' friends. The effect lasts for up to one year."

Death

Have you wondered what happens when you die to this earth? Some people think they go to heaven. Some people think they go to hell. Then angels say: All you take with you when you leave this body is you—yourself—your own state of being. This is your inner state. This goes with you.

Healing

Body/Mind Relaxation Practice

Dear Classmates,
I am including here a question (scroll down) and the answer I gave. Notice, I am not saying anything about the medical conditions this person is diagnosed with. I am addressing only her anxiety and nervous exhaustion. I include this here because who hasn't (doesn't) suffer from anxiety and nervousness from time to time? Or other habits and problems you'd like to be free from? You can try this. Change it according to your particular situation. Rewrite it if you like. Do not depend upon me to do everything for you. The school is not about anyone doing your thinking for you, remember? 

Your school encourages you to think for yourself. It supports you along your way. It's hard to go through life, especially a spiritual path all on our own. Human beings are social animals. We are an interdependent species. We need each other. That's how God made us. That's why God made angels to assist us. Somehow, I broke through to the realm of angels, though I wouldn't recommend the way it happened to me, to anyone. But, alas, it happened.

From that dark and frightening experience, the light of the angels came to me, saved my life, and made me return here to my body, to be of service, to let the light of the angels speak through me. I know it sounds crazy—even to me, when I speak of it, so I usually don't. Nevertheless, it is the way it is. I never could have written or spoken or seen as I do all my own. Never. It’s not that I am not intelligent or that I don’t know things. I am a trained psychotherapist, so I know what I learned. I have many experiences I can draw upon. I have my own intuition. I have all that.

And over all that, I have the love and guidance of the angels. I have the understanding that this human life is fleeting. I know that I don’t exist, anymore than you do. And I have a life here in this human body, which I am completing, just like you. I don’t pretend to be at the end-point of Realization. 

I say instead that there is no end-point. That for so long as we are here in a human body, we are evolving. This applies to every single human on earth, no matter who they are, no matter how enlightened they may seem. Never put anyone so high above you that you lose sight of the Divinity that exists equally — equally — within everyone — or at least the possibility to contact and live from that divinity exists equally. When you elevate another person, teacher, guru, lover, anyone at all, to a position higher than your own, you have created duality. Duality is what you seek to be free from.

This doesn't mean that someone can't know more than you, be more enlightened than you—otherwise, who would we have to learn from? It doesn't mean you can't revere and respect great beings. Even musicians or writers or leaders. Even your friend. Maybe even your wise and wonderful dog. It doesn't mean you can't do puja or ritual to a saint or enlightened being, if that puts you into a sacred space in your heart.
 
It’s about what happens inside yourself — when you elevate someone and put yourself down — when you give away your power — when you revere another person and forget that person doesn’t exist, anymore than you do. THAT’S when you enter the danger zone of  “me and you”. You are not here to worship anybody — any body. Bodies all die. Why worship a body? No individual exists. Why worship an individual? That is living in illusion, delusion, and seclusion from Truth. You must know the difference between honoring someone and turning that someone into an object of worship. You must never let anyone else do your thinking and feeling for you. You must consistently find out what is true for yourself.

As to what happens when we leave this body — I can say a lot about that too — but the important point is that each soul’s journey, once they leave, is between that soul and God. Death doesn’t end a journey, it  begins a new journey—a new birth in a new land.

STUDENT QUESTION: Background: Self-diagnosed anxiety. Medical diagnosis of Hashimoto's thyroiditis. Current issue is Tachycardia and heart palpitations, especially when I sit and stand, but sometimes my heart surges to 160 when I am sleeping. Though there may be medical reasons for this, which have not yet been discovered by my doctors, I would like some help with anxiety in case that is the main because of the heart issues. Nervous exhaustion as well. Thank you!

ANSWER: Mind/emotions/body are interlinked. This takes time and work — but you can try this — when you are lying or sitting still in your safe place, feeling relaxed, begin to imagine — yourself slowly, slowing standing, slowly. Slow as a flower opening. Let yourself be a flower.

As soon as your heartbeat increases, or you feel any anxiety at all, stop the imagination and bring yourself back to your body, safe, relaxed, lying or sitting down. Stay there until you are relaxed again, heartbeat normal. Then try again. Each time, go only so far as can. You are in control. Stay aware and notice what you are experiencing, feeling, giving yourself all the time you need to come into touch with mind, spirit, emotions, body.

Remember, you are doing this in imagination. This puts you in control. It can help with the fear. I am not saying this is a cure-all. I am saying that we are whole beings. Everything is part of everything else. The body/mind/emotions so easily fall into habits and patterns—and keeps these, even when they are harmful. It's hard to break free from ingrained ways of being. So you may want to softly, gently try this — teaching, guiding yourself to peaceful, relaxing responses as you grow and evolve and learn about what is going on with your body.

I wish you well.

Letting Go

Like a sandcastle, all is temporary.
Build it, tend it, enjoy it.
And when the time comes
let it go.

Buddha

“Your days pass like rainbows, like a flash of lightning, like a star at dawn. Your life is short. How can you quarrel?”~Buddha

Gianni Crow

I was very young when Someone called me "Sinner" I got curious because in our language there no such word so I decided to ask my grandfather about it, he said; there is no such thing, our consciousness does not recognize this kind of words because it was made to manipulate and put guilt in our hearts, there are no sins what we have is choices and sometimes we make mistakes. Fear is what people use to take away your freedom, do not allow anybody to do this to you again grandson. -Gianni Crow

A story

According to a 19th century legend, the Truth and the Lie meet one day. The Lie says to the Truth:

Painting by Jean-Leon Jerome, 1896.

"It's a wonderful day today!" Truth looks up to the sky to find out for herself, and nods. The day really was nice. Truth and Lie  walk together and come to a well. Lie says, "How lovely the water is. Let's bathe together."

Truth tests the water and agrees it is the perfect temperature. So they undress and jump in. As they are bathing, Lie sneaks out of the water, dons the clothing of Truth, and runs quickly away.

Truth jumps out and chases him, so she can get her clothes back, but she can't find Lie. The world, seeing Truth naked, turns its eyes away in shame and contempt.

Truth returns to the lake and disappears there, hiding her nakedness. Since that time, Lie moves through the world dressed as Truth, satisfying the desires of society, because the World that man has created has no wish to meet the naked Truth.

Compassion not Competition

Essie  (Esperanza) Chihuahua/Dachsund

Science is proving that the basis for survival of a species is compassion rather than competition. We've been sold a bunch of competition hoopla to keep us small and divided. The world of man, of media, of politics, seeks not to guide us into Oneness, but divide us into parts. This is because the world that man has created is a world of ego, which is a world of darkness, which is a world of pain. Wake up! Come out of the world into your true nature and find a world of peace.
____________________________________

DO IT AND YOU WILL SEE.

By being aware, one discovers how one is conditioned. By being aware, I know I am conditioned as a Hindu, as a Buddhist, as a Christian; I am conditioned as a nationalist: British, German, Russian, Indian, American, Chinese; I am conditioned. We never tackle that. That's the garbage we are, and we hope something marvelous will grow out of it, but I am afraid it is not possible. Being aware doesn't mean a chance happening, something irresponsible and vague. If one understands the implications of awareness, one's body not only becomes highly sensitive, but the whole entity is activated; there is a new energy given to it.

Do it, and you will see. Don't sit on the bank and speculate about the river; jump in and follow the current of this awareness, and you will find out for yourself how extraordinarily limited our thoughts, our feelings, and our ideas are. Our projections of gods, saviors, and Masters—all that becomes so obvious, so infantile. —Krishnamurti, The Collected Works, Vol. XV,138, Choiceless Awareness

How the School first began

The idea for this school came to me as a sudden inspiration, as if a light flashed into my mind. I was filled with joy and enthusiasm. I was surprised because I wasn't thinking about writing anything ‘spiritual’ at all, and the idea of having an email school had never occurred to me. Just the opposite.

Money! Honey! (From Lesson 66)

How do you handle your money? Do you have a savings account? Are you saving for your old age? Do you have a special fund you could live on if you suddenly were without an income? Do you keep track of your money? Do you know where your money goes each month? Do you earn enough for your needs? Do you spend more than you earn? Do you rely upon someone else to support you? Do you work hard and earn very little? Are you a workaholic? Is money your god?

Are you greedy with money? Extravagant? Generous? Foolish? Do you think carefully before making a big purchase? Are you gullible when a salesperson comes along trying to sell you something?

Do you fret and worry about money? Do you envy people with more money? Do you think you are superior to people with less money? Do you think you are inferior to people with more money? Do you associate money with fear? Are you in debt? Are you a borrower?

The better you handle your money, the happier you will be. Some people have a great deal of money, but don’t handle it well, and this brings friction into their lives. Some people don’t have much money but they handle what they have very well. They live below their means. They do not covet what they cannot have. They are content with what their money can buy.

Ramana Maharshi