No, this blog will not be about gas consumption or green living - instead, I am referencing the Big Car that we are all in together. It is the big cosmic truth - we are all in this something together - subject to drought, gravity, sun, and the Finite. With the elements of time and earth bearing down on us, we try to move fast and deliberately.
If I asked you honestly, if God could give you another arm and hand, and another brain, and more time in a day so that you could do more, would you want them? I find myself sometimes wanting another arm and hand, another brain, and more time. If I could just have these things, I could be more efficient. Right?
The Law of Diminishing Returns calmly says, "No". I would not be more efficient in the long run, because I would be trying to do more. Without sufficient stoppage in my efforts, like say, 8 hours only per day, this Law of Economics say that at some point on a timeline, I will be less efficient. Every year, statistics come out that tell us that although the Europeans work less, they are more productive - that is, more quality work done in less time. Lots of time off in the summer and 32 hour work weeks. So, what are we doing?
We are trying to complete everything we have taken on - we are trying to meet our responsibilities. We are driving and eating, talking on the phone and cooking, you know the drill. We are trying to get it all done. We are independent people - we want to control our destinies.
What if some Big Declaration came down in the form of a Loud Voice - the Big Cheese in the sky proclaiming "Effective immediately, all Americans must do less, and therefore, be more efficient." Would you listen?
I think that this voice is already booming its voice Loud and Clear. We hear it in the discontent of our lives. Our private Thought World where we listen to our hopes, fears, and truths. Our body is telling us too. Slow down. Exercise. Re-evaluate. Change.
I am guilty of trying to do more. But, I am in the Big Car with all of you, and I can stop leaning forward. I can let God drive. I can look up. I can look out at the view. And so can you.
Celebrate with me the Law of Diminishing Returns as the proof you need to slow down, take breaks, and become more efficient. Let's get more done with less effort, guilt-free. And, in doing so, let's enjoy more the life we work so hard to create. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Blog for the week of October 23, 2007
BUGS & "BUGS"
I will admit that bugs are not my favorite of God's creatures. Most everyone I know has a most unfavorite bug that plagues them. Crawlly, small, fast, and buzzy. Lots of reasons to not like bugs.
Bugs are like the pesky reminder that something is not exactly as we would like. You know, like a pair of pants with a tugging waistband, or a rogue hair on our head that defies gravity. Our life is full of these pesky, less than perfect "bugs".
I recently was in a convenience store - the local grab n' go. I walked into a scene of discontent. A line like at the state fair, an angry and defiant delivery person, and an adamant cashier. "I'm not paying for those. They have bugs in them. I'm not paying for them!" Days before, I had purchased the very same item - an item that I buy about once a year - Mexican pastries. My stomach hit the floor at the thought that I had unknowingly consumed a bug or two, or that worse, I could not see them. I quickly recovered to an optimistic view - added protein - what a bonus! And, well, that was it for the optimistic view.
Like the reported pastries, my head has had "bugs" in it lately. And, this website has been on my mind alot over the last few weeks, as a blog and new healing tools were due. My world felt like a blob of fast moving colors - lots of "bugs" perhaps not yet big enough to see. I could not pin anything down fast enough to write about it, or corral the thoughts that seemed to stampede out of my head. I have since determined that I have a case of "writer's back up". The bug event at the corner store brought me to my senses, and the colors stopped swirling. I could see the shapes come into form. I could read the words on the wall. "Bugs are good", it said.
Often, I get information in complete form in my head. And, this instance of insight around the bugs came just this way. Bugs are the imperfection, the promise of change. Truly, bugs in pastries are not desireable. But, something like "bugs" afoot in Energy? ... Good.
If you feel the discontent associated with perceiving the "bugs" - the ancestors to the forming energy, can you feel better knowing that the energy will form eventually? Can you remain flexible like a blade of grass, and acknowledge and accept the "energy in progress"? Eventually, the energy does "Get the Bugs out". If you actively intend your life, the flexibility and patience pay off. You can feel presently perfect, despite the waistbands, rogue hairs, shortcomings, moments of fear. You can live like the blade of grass with the bugs.
And so, if you have been feeling plagued by that which is not quite good enough, not quite perfected, not standing still - imagine embracing the movement, the wind, the change - and going with it. Imagine the energy forming. Imagine your life coming into focus - as that healed person, that whole person; that flexible person who understands the importance of "Bugs".
I got a chance to examine my Big Rocks recently when I went away to see my family. It is good to look because there are alot of rocks in the world. There are alot of rocks in my yard. There are alot of rocks under the soil that I can't see. There are alot of Rocks in my life.
In my life, there are things that I would call Big Rocks, and things that I would call Little Rocks. The Big Rocks are the priorities, the things that if they went away would be dire. Important people, some parts of my personal infrastructure - like my health - these things are Big Rocks.
How often the little rocks take over. I can find myself distracted by the demands of life - phone calls to return, the actions of others, events in the world - these things can pull me away from the mindful awareness of my Big Rocks.
My Big Rocks cannot fit into a bag, so I need to carry them with me at all times. They can feel heavy, unless I remember that they are the things that matter. Determining which Rocks are the Big Ones is the art, because they do not always identify themselves as Big Rocks.
I remember a funeral I did not attend some 20 years ago. I so adored this woman, my friend's mom. I lived 600 miles away at the time, and my transportation effort fell through. I have regretted not being there since. She was a Big Rock. Not going to her funeral could have become a Big Rock in my Regret Basket, but I have relegated it as a Big Rock in my Learned From Basket. As it turns out, I should have moved heaven and earth - a train, a plane, an auto, then a camel, and then a rickshaw to get there. Now that I know that such a thing is likely a Big Rock, I assume it is, and I act accordingly. I dutifully reserve the camel.
One of the greatest hardships associated with life can be determining the Big Rocks. Our demeanor towards a stranger that we pass on the sidewalk can be a Big Rock. How we think about others in our private thoughts - without judgment for example, can be a Big Rock. Rallying against injustice and illness can be Big Rocks. Surrendering can be Big Rocks.
Sometimes a rock is so Big that we do not want to look at it. You know, the Big Rock that could make us sad if it left, like a person we could lose to death. We need to remember that the Big Rock in such a scenario can be the love and presence of that person. We can relinquish all else, and convert the rock to a rock of doable size.
As we approach the rest of this year, I encourage you to identify your rocks. Wash them off and tend to them. Put them in the container of your life first. Then add the smaller rocks. Finally, add the sand that is the filler - faith, proactive intention, acting within the will of God, and the other things you consider to be the sand of your choice. Once you have your Big Rocks safely identified, live with the awareness of what they are. Do not allow other things to get in the way. Turn off the news, banish the ill-will of others, engage with healthy food, move your body. Breathe.
We are clever - us humans. We think we know what we need to know. We think we know what we need to do. We think we know what we need to think. We think we know what we need to feel.
Enter the Rules of the Universe regarding the transformation of energy. These Rules function around the notion that we feel what we need to know. We feel what we need to do. We feel what we need to think.
These Rules relate to the mechanism of directed intention - our directed intention, the directed intention of other beings with free will, and the intention of God. God has the process down well - given that God set up the rules, that makes sense. Our brain leads us to believe that we have a handle on All Things Life. We reason the heck out of everything, including our feelings. Take love for example. We often make a mental exercise out of examining our feelings. Our feelings cannot be examined this way. We at most, can only observe them fluttering around us, creating intentions.
When we realize that Feelings are a result of the connection to God and the Self, we can create the most effective intentions. Directed intention functions best when we send out an intention that we have concluded is one we wish to send based on our feelings. Then, we simply let go, and we let go again. Our brain is not part of this because its primary function is to observe and interpret so we can navigate our environment ------ our external environment. Our internal environment is definitely the domain of our feelings. And since this is so, we feel our way to the intention, send it out of us into the Universe, and then let go.
When you want to listen to those Divine Voicemail messages, you need to let go. Let go of all thought. Let go of all fear. Let go of what you think you want or think you need.
When you let go, you can understand that sometimes, all you are required to do is let go and show up. Not so hard, letting go and showing up. When we try to apply our version of how something should be, we change where we have showed up. We may be at the less than ideal bus stop as a result.
When you let go, you acknowledge a time frame other than your own. You acknowledge a wisdom other than your own. You simply Are.
If you are brain smart, you must quiet your intellect, because your intellect and your ego are best buddies. Refrain from judgement. Refrain from figuring it out. Just show up and Feel.
Once you are Feeling most of the time, you will be able to talk with God in real time, and not have to rely on Divine Voicemail so much. You will also be able to hear the voice of the Divine in You - whispering the Truth about You - You are Loved. You are important. You can live the next moment fully. You can Rejoice in your life, simply because you are Feeling and You are showing up.
Irecently had the experience of showing up and watching the world change. I was scheduled to go out of town for a business trip. Still recovering from a good whack to my body from a freeway guard rail, I wondered to myself how it would be to land and take off, sit for a full day's work, and generally be confined to the beauty that is my work schedule - no naps, no times for stretching.
Don't get me wrong, I so wanted to go. But I wondered, how I would fair? I knew my work would not suffer, but how would my body do? I was ready to go a full four weeks sooner, but my family called out the calvary, and it was clear I needed to re-schedule the trip. So, I showed up. And, aside from the positive transformations for clients, I also watched the world change on my flight home.
The security risk at orange, the airport was thick with security. I had boarded my flight and taken my seat. The last person to board was a gentleman from India - north, mid, or south, I do not know. He took his seat next to me, flustered. He seemed rushed. A few minutes later, a flight attendant came to him on a cell phone and demanded his passport. She seemed to have the attitude that a person would have who was at a spa counter and felt you cut in front of her - you know, she needed that massage yesterday. You could have cut her stress with a metal implement. He handed over his passport, and she ran down the aisle to the cockpit. She was then nowhere to be found. While she was gone, I did the unthinkable. I reached out and literally touched this man. Without saying a word, I put my hand on his upper arm. He turned to me like I was stealing something from him. I looked into his eyes, and he understood that I was intending to assist him. He took a breath, exhaled, and told me that he had missed his connecting flight - 5 minutes late. And now, they thought badly of him. I never spoke, but kept my hand on him. Funny, that. The white woman with her hand on the far eastern man's arm...
Well, the flight attendant showed, and gave him back his passport. He leaned back in his seat and closed his eyes, visions of now unlikely interrogation floating in his mind. We waited, and the plane didn't pull away from the gate. For a half-hour, we waited. Most seemed to know that someone was deciding whether we would stay or go, and some seemed to realize that this man, if he were taken, might find himself in the position to not even entertain whether he wanted a lawyer, or tell his family where he is.
I got the sense that his life was a stressful thing, and that he could have freaked out a little sitting there, waiting for his passport. I realized that I had assisted in changing his situation - that he would not have an uncontrollable outburst. The powers that be would not take him away because he was stressed, and from a profiled country. Then our plane pulled away, but did not move for another fifteen minutes. I could see that he had the sense that he would be fine, and I knew because of that, we all would. We would lift off and fly home.
Sometimes we just show up and intend to do our best. And sometimes, we do more than we dreamed.
Occasionally, I will reference some aspect of my practice in these blogs. I often find that there are trends of issues and themes in my practice.
This week I call Ari Gold Week. Ari Gold is a character on the HBO series "Entourage" who I think reflects some aspects of the buddhist warrior in current culture. If Ari has something to say, he will sometimes say it, and sometimes not, depending on whether he has taken steps to protect himself beforehand. If he is faced with an army raised against him, he will show his sword and then state his case. He constantly taps into what is true for himself. He innovates, thinks on the fly, frightens those who would wreak havoc in his world and the world of those he protects. He tasks his mind to remain focused, tasks his body into maintaining its excellent form, and is a master at his profession. He also is sometimes callous and scrupulous, if not ruthless. These latter qualities I believe are necessary in his world - he is a talent agent.
My practice was full of Ari Gold moments this week. A client told of being robbed under her nose by a supposed colleague. Two clients talked about not having what they want in their lives and feeling defeated. Another spoke of fear around a security breach in her building. In every instance, I wanted to hand out "Ari Gold" Bobblehead dolls with the divine power to remind that one can be on a "spiritual" pursuit and take care of oneself at the same time.
Sometimes this world brings to us the timeless choices of turn the other cheek or turn over the temple tables. Clearly Christ faced occasions where he chose one of these approaches, and at other times, the other choice. We often focus more on turning the other cheek then looking to action that we need to take to further our just cause and indeed our just survival. For some reason, we often assume that we are to aspire to be the United Nations for all others, leaving ourselves to be a disadvantaged fourth world nation. We look to people like Ari Gold, and consider him to be off the grid in terms of desired behavior. But, Ari Gold sometimes holds the key to our taking appropriate care of ourselves, and in doing so, honoring the God(dess) within.
Often, I find that the themes I see in my practice start to reflect in my life and my families' lives at about the same time. Sure enough, one of my family members told me today of needing to defend against an onslot of angry managers in a "sit down" over a memo she had written. Having discussed Ari Gold's way with me recently, my relative cut them off and said "We are not going to agree here. What is it that you want?". The entire table of managers went quiet. It immediately showed them that she was not afraid and directed the conversation to the topic at hand. Then, they said that a higher up wanted her fired, but they offered to intervene and talk about it. The conflict as they stated it was over who she had addressed the memo to. She pointed out that she had followed department policy in that the memo was addressed to the proper person. They then admitted that it was a higher up she had cc'd on the memo that had caused the trouble.
She told them factually that no written policy existed prohibiting that person from being cc'd. She went on to point out that they could fire her if they wanted, but since no policy existed to support her firing, she would win any dispute over unemployment compensation. Needless to say they backed down, realizing that she would not be intimidated, which seems to be the real reason for the meeting. She walked out of that meeting truly smiling. She had taken Ari Gold into that meeting with her. More to the point, she had acted on the truth without fear. She had stood at the battle line and showed them she was very able with the sword, and she was not afraid to use it. Sometimes a peaceful warrior needs to carry a sword. Roosevelt's comment "Walk softly and carry a big stick" also applies here. We are in a world of paths and other things on the path with us. Thus the big stick. Thus the walking softly. The two can exist together. The sword can be shown and never raised.
It is this balance between the enlightened and the mundane that we all try to walk because we live in a world of peace and a world of swords. It is this line between the two that we all try to find and walk to survive here. In the end, it is conscientious empowerment, which I define as Connection to God, which tells whether we have found it.
The
New Age or Metaphysical Movement is full of theories and the people who
make them that assert that if you are not getting what you want, you
are not manifesting successfully. If I had a blessing for everytime I
have heard a figurehead in the movement say this, or a client tell me
that there is certainly something wrong with the way they are living
because their life doesn't reflect what they want, I would have
ascended by now in Pure Light. I am surely still here, as many are
still driving home this point of view.
I am not suggesting
that intending to manifest one's life is unimportant or unattainable.
Intending to manifest is both important and attainable. The issue is
whether we are doing something wrong when we don't get what we want.
We may think we have followed all of the right steps, only to feel that
we have failed somehow. Our waistlines or lack thereof, our bank
accounts, our relationships, our work - if our life does not reflect
our ideal, we can be in a state of discord. This discord then leads to
fear and negative thinking, which puts a stop to things manifesting.
The truth is there is a harmonious balance being struck by every moment
coming together with every other moment. We can intend. We can be
faithful. We can have hope. And still, we may not manifest every
aspect of our intended life. A life less than manifested just the way
we want, can be a happy life. We can decide to want what we have,
instead of having what we want. This is the secret to happiness in a
nutshell.
In my private life which I will sometimes open up
to the public eye and ear, my significant other and I have been trying
to conceive for nearly three years. All modes of effort have failed in
that endeavor. We have intended, hoped - the works. Enter May 14th:
a clear and pleasant day that found me driving down the interstate. At
approximately 4:15, I was hit from behind, and crashed into a guard
rail. What was clear to me early on was that the guard rail is only at
that one place - at the concrete pillar of the overpass. I sent
gratitude up by the truckload for that - I am writing this because I
was at that one place at that one time.
What dawned on me
later and nearly punched the air right out of me was that if we had had
a child, that little person would have very likely been in the car with
me. And instead of writing to you about issues of manifesting
intention, I could be grieving the loss of that little person. In
vetoing my manifesting a child thus far, the Universe chose well.
So, how do we live? One approach is to intend what we want with a
mindset of faith and conscious hope. (See my Weekly Healing Tool for
the Week of July 9th on this site under "Healing Tool of the Week").
Another is to intend what we want with an intention that whatever
manifests in our life be within the Will of God (or choose your term
for your Greater Power). In intending to have things manifest within
the Will of God, we yield to infinite possibilities, not just the ones
that our mind can muster. And in doing so, we live a life best lived.
LEADING THE MEDICAL PRACTITIONER PRODUCES HEALTHY RESULTS
It is common to wait to see your medical practitioner. I specify here our primary medical and health practitioners - western medical doctors, osteopaths, acupuncturists, naturopaths, chiropractors ~ (all of these practitioners have primary practitioner standing in California, so I will use this list as a partial list which is intended to be informative). Yesterday, I waited 2 hours to see my osteopath, who got saddled with every medical practice's patients in his building, due to the July 4th holiday. I had just a few minutes to say why I was there. Recovering from a car accident, I was discussing physical therapy options with him. His view was to get started right away. My view was that my muscles swelled like balloons from massage - how would they respond to physical therapy? Wouldn't it be better if we waited to begin physical therapy? He agreed. I had to point out to him something that I felt was important. That task was up to me.
Every health appointment we have is an opportunity to say what we feel is important for our health practitioner to know. We must realize they are all not infallible. All we know about them is that they passed the board exam - usually only with a 70% or better. There's a saying among lawyers- "What do you call a person who finished at the bottom of her law school class, and then was last passing the Bar Exam? Answer: A lawyer." In truth, we know nothing more than that. That we should then assume they are psychic or perfect is too great a stretch.
Sometimes, we may not know what needs to be said, or brought up for discussion. This is where we must realize that we need to seek out relevant information. The internet can be a great source, as well as books and magazines, and others we know. When we have something change in our body, we need to take note. We need to investigate it, and be proactive in seeking help. Just as a parent does this for a child, we need to do this for ourselves.
I am constantly put in the position of advocating important health information for my family and my clients. I once traveled 1200 miles to go to my father's monthly doctor's appointment. My father and his doctor got to chatting, and it looked like I would not be given a chance to speak. So, I interrupted them, and told his doctor that while he was focusing on my father's heart, my father's lung function was being ignored. I told him that if the lungs were not attended to, then it wouldn't matter what the heart was doing. He would end up with right-sided heart failure (since the pulmonary artery flows from the right side of the heart into the lungs). First, he just stared, and I braced myself for a foreseeable response. Instead, he said "You know, you are right". That caused a whole examination of my father's lung function, medications, and the like. My father told me later that that one moment changed, and he believes, prolonged his life. I have since resorted to notes that my family hands their doctors when I can't be there. It has resulted in a resolution of conditions and symptoms due to medication changes and additions, and a great improvement in their health.
Recently, I was struck by the stark importance of the need for patient input when I witnessed a relative stop breathing in a local Emergency Room. She had gone at the advice of her physician, having experienced severe uterine bleeding from a miscarriage.
The ER Staff commented that they only had one gurney for pelvic patients, and my relative was in it. Once they decided she did not need surgery, they were keen to discharge her. The nurse told her to "get up, and go into the bathroom and get cleaned up". I had been watching her blood pressure via the monitor, and thought at the time that it would be wise to check her sitting and then standing - taking a blood pressure reading in these positions insures that the blood pressure is stable enough for the person to be standing without a dangerous drop in blood pressure. But, I assumed that this must have happened when they took her gurney out of the room for a moment. In truth, at that moment, I fell into the habit of relying upon the judgment of the health practitioners there to manage my relative's care.
She stood up walked to the doorway, said she didn't feel so good, sat down, went into convulsions, and stopped breathing. The nurse stood there, mouth open. She did not move. I did. We got her onto a gurney where she started breathing on her own.
If my relative had voiced her concerns, which she stated later she had about being able to be upright, or I had voiced concerns, my relative might not have almost died. She was admitted to the hospital, and it took more than 24 hours to stabilize her blood pressure enough to send her home. By the time we got her into a hospital bed, the official story told to the hospital staff was that my relative "wanted to go get cleaned up", and not that she was basically booted out of bed. I realize I fell short of what needed to be done before she got up - voicing the need for that blood pressure reading to be taken. Assumptions I made about what was or was not was costly.
The good news is that beyond anything else, practitioners will often follow up on something you mention to avoid being sued over it in the future. The nurse in the ER said in response to our asking whether the doctor would be in to talk with my relative "The ER doctors only do that in areas of the country where there is a high rate of litigation, but normally, they don't." When the doctor did poke his head in after she stopped breathing, he did not speak, and when spoken to, he outright ignored my relative. At that point for any patient or family member, it becomes paramount to pull the pedestal out from under the doctor and remind her/him why they are there ~ to help. Voice concerns, ask pointed questions. Don't cower in the face of EGO.
The ability to be educated or voice concerns is available to all of us. Sometimes, we need to seem socially inappropriate - interrupt or insist. We must step up and be an advocate for ourselves and
those we can assist, because lives and quality of life depends on it. Only then, can our health system truly reflect
our needs. And, only then, can we know that we are ultimately responsible for our health, happiness, and well being.
