Deciding What You Want to Keep
by Thanissaro Bhikkhu

Look at your life in the same way you’d look through an attic, deciding what you’re going to keep, what you’re going to throw out. You’re moving from a house with a large attic but you’ve got only a small trailer to make the move. Some things have got to get thrown out so that you have space in the trailer for the things that really mean a lot to you. In other words, there are things you’ve got to give up in order to have the time for the things that really make a difference, that really do give substantial results. That’s the underlying insight that informs the teachings on renunciation.

When you think about it, you realize that the time best spent is the time spent developing good qualities in the mind, because those are things that can help you in any situation. You have to devote a certain amount of time to keeping the body strong, but with the body you reach a point of diminishing returns. Ultimately there will come a point where no matter how much you’ve looked after the body, it’s just going to leave you. And sometimes it doesn’t leave you nicely. Sometimes there’s a messy parting. And in cases like that, you’ll be glad for the time you spent working on the mind, because you realize that that’s much closer to home. At the same time, the strength of the mind when really developed doesn’t have to depend on the strength of the body. It doesn’t end when the body dies.

This is one of the things you discover as you meditate. Ordinarily, when people are tired they get in a bad mood. They feel overwhelmed, really put upon. But when you learn how to develop a greater sense of spaciousness in the mind, a greater sense of wellbeing in the mind, after a while you begin to realize it doesn’t depend on the level of energy in the body at all. The mind begins to have its own internal nourishment, its own internal place to recharge.

This is why we spend so much time sitting here with our eyes closed, working on mindfulness, concentration, and discernment, because these are the qualities that will see the mind through any situation. When you see people really “losing it,” this is what they’ve lost. They’ve lost their mindfulness, they’ve lost their concentration, they’ve lost their discernment. So you want to work on strengthening these qualities. Whatever time is spent making them stronger is time well spent.

-Thanissaro Bhikkhu, from “Meditations 2″

In all the world, there is no one else exactly like me. Everything that comes out of me is authentically mine. Because I alone chose it - I own everything about me. My body, my feelings, my mouth, my voice, all my actions, whether they be to others or to myself. I own my fantasies, my dreams, my hopes, my fears. I own all my triumphs and successes, all my failures and mistakes. Because I own all of me, I can become intimately acquainted with me. By so doing I can love me and be friendly with me in all my parts. I know there are aspects about myself that puzzle me, and other aspects that I do not know. But as long as I am friendly and loving to myself, I can courageously and hopefully look for solutions to the puzzles and for ways to find out more bout me. However I look and sound, whatever I say and do and whatever I think and feel at a given moment in time is authentically me. If later some parts of how I looked, sounded, thought and felt turn out to be unfitting, I can discard that which is unfitting, keep the rest, and invent something new for that which I discarded. I can see, hear, feel, think, say and do - I have the tools to survive, to be close to others, to be productive, and to make sense and order out of the world of people and things outside of me.

I own me, and therefore I can engineer me

I am Me and I Am Okay!

by Claudette Rowley -

We all know people who have known from birth almost that they had a calling - to be a dancer or parent or salesperson. A calling that had a life of its own, a force that was so strong they couldn’t resist it. Here’s the truth: We all have a calling, several in fact. A calling is a vocation in any area of life: work, relationship, or lifestyle. Our callings or vocations are the forces that pull us toward being more authentic - toward lives centered around what we want, and even more important, what we love.

We can be called to DO something, like train as a surgeon, publish a book of short stories or start a non-profit venture. We are equally as likely to be called to BE something as well - more creative, more compassionate or more truthful. Any calling we hear is our natural birthright. No calling is better than another nor is one person more worthy than another to follow their calling.

Here are three very general steps to identifying and following a calling:

*Listen. The universe is constantly asking us to follow our callings. When we don’t know what they are, it gives us signs and signals. For example, one client overheard a conversation in a coffee shop that was exactly what she needed to hear at the time, as if the words were spoken directly to her.

*Respond. Once we’ve identified a calling, we need to respond “yes or no” to it. Sometimes we answer consciously, and sometimes unconsciously by turning a deaf ear to the calling. When we hear the calling, but don’t respond, the universe pushes and prods us.

*Take action. All calls must be translated into action at some point or another. There’s an art to the timing of action. When it’s time to take action, the universe will up the ante until we do.

I’ll share an example from my own life. About four years ago, I knew that one of my callings was to be a coach. I knew it like I know my own name. I started exploring the field, registered for a training program and told friends and family. I was taking action, right? Well, the universe wasn’t satisfied. I was still working at my social work job, a job that I had described more than once as “killing my spirit.” I continued to work there for the salary. (Let me be clear: sometimes continuing to work for your salary is a necessary leg in your journey). The universe upped the ante, and gave me a wake up call. I was presented with a scenario at work that compromised my personal integrity so much that I couldn’t write my letter of resignation fast enough. A colleague later commented, “The universe really gave you a swift kick in the pants, didn’t it?” She was right.

Here’s a sampling of possible signs that you are being prompted to follow a calling:

*Synchronicity. For example, three people recommend the same book to you in the space of the week. The message is clear - go get the book.

*Wake up call. An unexpected turn of events occurs, for instance, you become ill, you lose your job or a relationship ends abruptly.

*Intuition. You know in your gut that there’s a new direction in which you need to head.

*Body signals. Your body is wise, and will communicate with you when you’re not getting the message. For example, if you have a persistent pain in your neck, what’s a “pain in the neck” in your life? See if the two are related.

Take a look at the spectrum of your life right now. What’s calling to you? Which calls are you answering right now? Is it time to translate a calling into action? In the end, we are called to be ourselves more fully - to give expression to what resounds in our souls.

metavoice.org

At the root

of virtually all spiritual practices

is the notion of forgiveness.

It is perhaps

the most healing thing

that you can do

to remove the low energies

of resentment and revenge

from your life completely.

Your resentments

will destroy you.

They are low energies.

Think about every single person

who has ever harmed you,

cheated you,

defrauded you,

or said unkind things about you.

Your experience of them

is nothing more than a thought

that you carry around with you.

These thoughts of resentment,

anger, and hatred

represent slow,

debilitating energies

that will disempower you.

If you could release them,

you would know more peace.

First, you have to get

past blame.

Then you have to learn

to send love to all,

rather than anger

and resentment.

Not being offended

is a way of saying,

“I have control

over how I’m going to feel,

and I choose to feel peaceful

regardless of what

I observe going on.”

With that sense of inner peace,

you’ll find yourself free

of the negative energy

of resentment,

and you’ll be able to live

a life of contentment.

About me…

“when you are asked into the intimacy of a persons life, you must go bare footed, bare hearted, and bare headed and treat it as sacred ground.” –author unknown

I will not occasionally judge you. I will continuously judge you.

I have my own standards. I will not compromise them for any reason.

Everyone is subject to reality. We do not project reality. Reality exists beyond what you want it to be.

If you do not like me, you are welcome to leave at any point. If you do like me, what do you have to offer?

If you demand something of me, you must have something to offer me in return.

If you attempt to force your will upon me for any reason, I will walk away in an instant.

If I truly love you, I will always love you, no matter what.

If you ever leave me, I will not chase or follow. I will wait for your return.

If at any point you think I am acting irrational, consider all of the facts, you will find that I have sound reason.

I do not care if you do not understand, It is not my responsibility to make you understand.

I love life. I will make the most out of mine.

I love shaking my foot when I sit.

I love nodding my head when I don’t pay attention.

I love colouring on paper table clothes with crayons.

I love observing people and getting scolded for staring.

I love mimicing your speech pattern.

I love taking on your body language.

I love making you smile without moving your mouth.

I love pausing in the middle of a kiss and saying “Hi.”

I love knowing that there is always something bigger to catch.

I love knowing that you aren’t beautiful until I know you.

I love keeping things sacred.

I love being for just one person.

I love watching your hands move when I should be listening to you speak.

I love knowing I’m saying more when nothing’s coming out of my mouth.

I love asking hobos if they have spare change.

I love how boxing rings are square.

I love having a tight grip.

I love feeling your expressions change when your face is buried in my neck.

I love the scent of your voice, the taste of your beauty, the sworn secrecy your eyes give me when I’m spilling, the one millionth of a millimeter between our skin; just enough room.

I love breathing in what you breathe out.

My body is a temple.

Don’t try to get inside me and then use it to claim sanctuary.

I want to grow to think you’re the most beautiful creature; not lust over you at first sight.

I am not afraid of satan.

I am afraid of God.

My hands are chaotic.

My scent can be felt.

My ears are brilliant.

My eyes can taste.

My lips can hear.

My sexuality will make you melt.

My honesty will make you freeze.

My world is provocative.

I’m here to offend you; to make you uncomfortable.

Don’t expect anything from anyone but yourself.

Don’t give people permission to let you down.

Don’t act famous.

People will be quick to notice you, but they’ll forget you even faster.

Live simply, emotions can be cluttered easily by things.

I’ll just acknowledge that I still have a lot to learn.

A Sad Reality:

No matter how wrong something is, if followed, many will believe it to be right. That is the power of incompetent people: they gather. There is great power in numbers. Those who are able to realize right from wrong are left with only their mind(s) to face the opposing army of the omnipresent body of ignorance.

Conduct:

Remember not only to say the right thing in the right place, but far more difficult still, to leave unsaid the wrong thing at the tempting moment.

Your character is the fruit of your habits which stem from your actions that branch from your words and finally we arrive at the root of who you are, your thoughts. Mind your thoughts they are the seed of who you are.

Who I’d Like to Meet:

Good, Honest, Straight Forward, Driven, Logical and Rational People.

I realize that:

“Perfection is achieved, not when there is nothing more to add, but when there is nothing left to take away.”

“You enter a room at your own risk. Use common sense and rational thought. If you communicate with people, be aware that they may be dishonest. Notice that identities are unreliable.”

General

“The Weak man believes in luck, things beyond his grasp, and failure. The Strong man believes in cause and effect,his own abilities, and knows nothing of failure; it is instead viewed only as another challenge.”

“People believe a lie because they want it to be true or because the truth is to hard for them to accept. Truth offers no sense of purpose, It is only truth.”

Whatever it is you want, however you want to have it, no matter why you want to have it, you can have it faster if you can first be happy without it.

Make Peace With Your Past

by Michelle Beaudry -

Forgiveness resolves the past so you can live happily in the present. Here are the top six reasons to forgive yourself and others.  No one can change the past, but you do have the power to upgrade how you feel about it, and that makes all the difference.

You can take your power back from all those painful memories, and make peace with your past. Forgiveness heals the guilt and the hurt, and does this quietly, privately, and thoroughly. Forgiveness does not mean that you let anyone off the hook, it means that your present happiness is more important than your past suffering. Forgiveness does not mean that you condone the hurtful things done to you, it means that you reclaim your right to run your own life.

Right now those hurtful things are running your life, and how is that working for you? The people who hurt you may have ruined your yesterdays, but only you are in charge of your tomorrows. And if you feel guilt over people that you have hurt, forgiving yourself will heal you and allow you to move forward with a happier attitude and a healthier body.

Top 6 Reasons to Forgive

1. You will feel better and laugh more. Resolving all that negative spin from your past allows you to enjoy yourself and have the daily fun you really want. Your buttons will stop being pushed because they will be gone. You see, guilt and hatred resolve nothing, they just sustain the negativity that continues to stop you from reaching your personal and professional goals. Forgiveness, on the other hand, undoes the stickiness that binds you to all those unhappy yesterdays, and this returns your personal energy to your present life, and you get more done. Forgiveness is excellent for improved prosperity and success in every area of your life.

2. You will be healthier. Carrying negativity appears to cause many physical ills. The body and the mind are the same thing. Just as ice and steam are still basically water, your body and your mind are simply different manifestations of your spirit. Relieve your mental stress and your body will be happier too. Nothing relieves mental stress like forgiveness. Forgiveness heals.

3. People will like you better. You will be a more enjoyable person to be around, and will attract more positive people to your life. Humans are imperfect, and we all make mistakes. One trait of positive people is that they take life less personally, and readily forgive mistakes as they happen. On the other hand, perfectionists are often miserable people, having standards way too high to be reached. Would you settle for mere excellence? Then do so, and your relations with others will improve immediately. Perfectionists are all about judgement, whereas happy people are all about smiles. Sure, there are fights worth fighting, but if you live is one long series of fights with other people, the exhaustion must be terrible for you. Forgive and life improves. It really is that simple.

4. You will stop the constant suffering. Forgive others exactly because what happened was not your fault. Ask yourself: What was done to me? How long ago did all that happen? Are those hurtful people still in my life? Why should I keep suffering for what someone else did? Since it was not my fault, why am I still paying for it? Of course you have suffered way too long and way too much already. And those hurtful people have probably been gone from your life for years. So let the suffering stop right now. Forgive them.

And it may be that complete, one hundred percent may not be possible for you at first, and that is fine. Not to worry, because you can start with a small percentage of forgiveness and work up. How about forgiving them ten percent? Twenty? Eighty? Even five percent forgiveness is an excellent step in the right direction. The more you forgive, the better you will feel.

5. You have punished yourself long enough. Self forgiveness stops the overwhelming feelings of guilt that obstruct your happiness. Ask yourself: What was my crime? How long ago did that happen? Am I still doing stuff like that? If I had been imprisoned for it, would I be out by now? You have likely already punished yourself way too much, and it is time to grant yourself a full pardon. Forgive does not mean forget, it means accepting responsibility, and moving on with your life in positive ways, having learned your lessons. You can stop spinning over how you used to be and get on with creating the good life you have always deserved. So forgive yourself. Today. Right now. Since you cannot undo what you did, you must do the next best thing, and that is to face what happened, and then let the blame go.

6. No one needs to know. Forgiveness happens privately, between you and God, or between you and your higher self. You do not need to call anyone up or write any letters. Forgiveness is an internal healing, and it is all about you. Other people will have to forgive themselves for what they did. Your concern is you. You evolve all the time anyway, so why not evolve for the better?

How to do Forgiveness

As you remember past events and the people involved, feel forgiveness flow from your heart out to them and back to yourself. Visualize what happened and who was there, forgiving everything and everyone involved. If you are not particularly visual, that is not a problem at all, since you can just sense and feel what happened, and process from there.  Sensing and feeling work just as well as visualizing.

If anger arises when you think of some people, then in the privacy of your own thoughts, confront them. Tell them how you feel about what happened, and spend all of that anger you feel toward them. Tell them all the things you would never say to their face, but need to express. And then forgive them.

You may need to feel forgiven by your higher power. Please know that God forgives you the first time you ask, so only ask once. If you have to ask twice, then it is you who is not forgiving you. Forgive yourself fully knowing that God never needs to be asked twice.

source - beaudryhypnosis.com

Peeling Away The Layers

Trees Shedding Their Bark

Trees grow up through their branches and down through their roots into the earth. They also grow wider with each passing year. As they do, they shed the bark that served to protect them but now is no longer big enough to contain them. In the same way, we create boundaries and develop defenses to protect ourselves and then, at a certain point, we outgrow them. If we don’t allow ourselves to shed our protective layer, we can’t expand to our full potential.

Trees need their protective bark to enable the delicate process of growth and renewal to unfold without threat. Likewise, we need our boundaries and defenses so that the more vulnerable parts of ourselves can safely heal and unfold. But our growth also depends upon our ability to soften, loosen, and shed boundaries and defenses we no longer need. It is often the case in life that structures we put in place to help us grow eventually become constricting.

Unlike a tree, we must consciously decide when it’s time to shed our bark and expand our boundaries, so we can move into our next ring of growth. Many spiritual teachers have suggested that our egos don’t disappear so much as they become large enough to hold more than just our small sense of self-the boundary of self widens to contain people and beings other than just “me.” Each time we shed a layer of defensiveness or ease up on a boundary that we no longer need, we metaphorically become bigger people. With this in mind, it is important that we take time to question our boundaries and defenses. While it is essential to set and honor the protective barriers we have put in place, it is equally important that we soften and release them when the time comes. In doing so, we create the space for our next phase of growth.

We wish to speak with you today about the powerful healing tool called acceptance. That’s right, acceptance. Many of you think of acceptance as giving up. You think of it as being passive. That is not what true acceptance is.

Acceptance is letting go of the struggle mentality around something. When you struggle about something, you are exerting a lot of effort that can be better put to use. When you struggle, you are so busy fighting and pushing away, that you are unable to see the problem for what it is and find the solution. When you push something away, you deny its existence and therefore you cannot heal it. You cannot heal what you do not experience. Many of you spend years and perhaps lifetimes trying to avoid something, trying to keep something at arms length because of fear. As a result you are keeping yourself at arms length too.

The very act of acceptance is in itself a very loving and compassionate act. When you accept something happening in your life, you are embracing a part of yourself. Everything that happens to you, your entire life, is a part of you. If it is painful or difficult, you can bet there is an orphaned part of you, that wants nothing more than to come home and be nurtured, accepted and loved. When you accept, you open the door for yourself, instead of shutting yourself out.

Allowing yourself to be loved (by loving yourself), is the most important part of acceptance, and what makes it a extremely powerful healing tool. Love is the energy that underlies all of life. Love heals. When you love what is, you find the healing it contains. You do not have to go searching for answers or techniques. The pain and anguish of denial and struggle are gone. The fear of the situation is gone. You are left with the experience of discovering that there is nothing to fear at all. You may find the situation changes (it most likely will), or it may not. However, it no longer matters. When you remove the fear about something, you disarm it.

Judo teaches how to work with the “energies” of push and pull. It teaches that when someone pulls you towards them, instead of resisting and trying to pull away, if you move in their direction, working with the momentum they have provided, they have no power over you. Acceptance likewise involves going with the flow, using the energies present in a situation, regardless of how adverse it may seem, as a partner in your healing process. Acceptance means rolling with the changes, the punches. Nowhere does Judo say that it is about allowing yourself to be punched or harmed. And although Judo is referred to as self defense, we prefer to think of it as common sense.

We hope that this writing has added a little bit of light and insight to the concept of acceptance. We wish to remind you that the most powerful and wonderful healing tools are often the ones that are manifest around you in everyday life. This is because they work! Sometimes it is easy to miss them because they are not flashy or popular, or because they are misunderstood. Healing does not have to be a struggle. We wish for it to be a gentle, and easy pleasure. You deserve it.

Peace,

Linda White

The Sun Always Shines

by Carrie Hart

Even when the sky is cloudy, the sun shines behind the clouds.  Even when the storm blows, the sun shines above the storm.  Even when the wind howls through and blasts the trees with its awesome power, the sun is there, up beyond the clouds and wind, shining as brightly as ever.

Even in the darkest night, when you feel lost and unable to find your way, the sun is shining on the other side of the world, and you have only to wait for the cycle to complete, and the sun will be rising brightly on your life once again.

Sometimes you have only to run for cover during the storm and wait for the sky to clear; it always does.  Sometimes you have only to stay still and wait for the sun to rise again in the coming dawn; it always does.

But here is the true miracle of it.  You can access the sun at any time, even during the worst storm, even during the dead of night.  Still, even then, the sun is shining in your heart.  Still, even then, you can become quiet, breathe deeply and bring all of the wonder, all of the love and light, into you own heart of peace.  You have this power inside you, right now.

And so then, use these two powers.  Use the power of time, knowing that change is constant and that what is today will be other tomorrow.  And use also your own power, the power to create light and love inside you, no matter what is happening outside.

And thus does your life proceed in peace and connection, in joy and love.  And thus does your own light shine out brightly, even in the darkest of times, so that you light not only your own path, but help those around you to see a way to theirs.

You are the light.  You are the beacon.  You have all the power you need to shine out, no matter what others say, no matter how dark it seems, no matter how strongly the wind blows.

The sun always shines and you are the sun.

*
www.carriehart.com.

The Presence of Love

by Gloria Wendroff

God said: It is enough to be in the presence of love. Love does not have to be personally given to you. You do not have to have more love than someone else. You do not have to have the love of one particular person. No one’s love belongs to you anyway. Love is for everyone. Be secure in love. You do not have to have greater love as proof that you are love-worthy. You are love-worthy now.

No more either are you to choose where your love is directed nor are you to choose where anyone’s love is directed. You are not to bind love. Why do you think you need more anyway? Do you not have all of Mine?

Why would you give less love than what I have given you? And why would you demand more love from anyone? Love cannot be commanded nor demanded. If someone does not love enough, then you, beloved, I ask that you give love enough for two. If no one else in the world gives love, then I ask that you give love enough for everyone in the world. Never are you to stint on love, nor are you to count it. Love is to be given, not accounted for. Who are you? You are one who loves.

Patient ocean waves lap against huge rocks. Rocks cannot withstand waves forever. Let your love be like ocean waves with infinite patience. It is not even patience. The waves do what they do without thought of outcome so patience does not enter in. Let your love go out in waves without thought. Your love comes from the Mighty Ocean and will never run dry.

Giving love everywhere is not effort. Love is, or it isn’t, and I tell you it is. You are not faking love. You are not making a big show of it. You are simply allowing the love in your heart to go out, and in that process, love refurbishes itself. No heart is empty. Your heart is full of love, yet love is not to be crammed. Love is to be given, and you are to give it. Don’t make it hard to give love. Just give it. Do not keep your love within. Love is to go out. Do not stop love midstream. Do not stop love at all.

Be glad that you are one who can give love. Be glad that you are one who can receive love. Be glad you are one who can see love. You see love in action. Love moves. It is encompassing. Love is a world traveler. It cannot stay still. It must always be given. Love does not have to be sought. Like the sun, it is simply there.

You do not have to mine for the gold of love. It is right out there for you. It is yours to pluck at will, and it is yours to give at will. But receiving love is not like picking raspberries where you pick one berry at a time. Love is all at once. Love is valiant, and it is all-embracing. There is no possibility of the source of love running dry. The only possibility for love is of abundance.

Love is not new, nor is it old. Love is attribute-less. Love is like Me, eternal, universally for all. Love is a legacy. It is not a pittance. Never more will there be a dearth of love on the Earth. Love is taking over the world, once and for all.

source - heavenletters.org