A Persisent Question, Number 1

As I pondered what to post, remembering that I intended to do a series on the questions posed in The Storm Before the Calm by Neale Donald Walsch, I learned that bombings occurred in Kabul just 90 minutes after President Obama departed after meetings.  You know, we've been talking about how change is happening rapidly in our lives - but some things appear to not be changing much at all.  Like political campaign ads.  I mean really, has anyone heard anything new?  Has the platform changed?  I'm not seeing it.  But I digress...

"How is it possible that 6.9 billion people claim to want the same thing (peace, security, opportunity, prosperity, happiness, and love) and  be singularly unable to get it?"

For one, we keep doing what we've always done and expect different results.  I know you've heard this before.  Until we stop and take a look at our beliefs, our "cultural" stories, our history, and whether or not our actions match our intentions - we will continue to get what we've always got.

I was also reminded of an article I wrote a few years ago.  It adds more questions I hope you "conversate" with others about.  I edited the length.
__________________________________________________

Lessons on the Beach

 Listening to the waves was nourishing to my body and soul, digging my feet into the sand connected me to mother earth and grounded me at the same time.  But it was the words I heard spoken by the friends, intentionally and unintentionally, that I took home as true treasures.  Words I could feed on and digest and apply to life.  Lessons on the beach.

At lunch with a friend yesterday, these questions were posed to me:  What causes a person to be civilized? What causes a person to be uncivilized?  As I pondered these excellent questions, he asked, “Well, do you have an answer?”

Yes, of course, love and fear is at the base of every chosen action or way of being.  I am assuming we are using the same definition of civil, meaning what we in America consider civil behavior.  What other countries call civil may be viewed as uncivil by our standards.  Honor, peace, respect, dignity, and other sub-definitions of love could be the causes for civil behavior.  These same aspects could come from a place of fear and cause uncivilized actions.

Not much later that day, I witnessed this same enlightened soul engage in loud, angry, mostly verbal battle on the beach with a complete stranger.  I didn’t, or wouldn’t, believe that any physical harm was going to result, so I did not intervene.  I had a sense that a great lesson was going on. 

When my friend returned to my side, defensive and angry and righteous, I calmly repeated his earlier questions – What causes a person to be civilized?  What causes a person to be uncivilized?

As he started in on what she had said and what she had done and how people should be this way and people should never…I interrupted with “This isn’t about her.  I want to know what ‘caused’ you to react the way you did?”

It took a very long walk down the beach and back to get to his underlying personal issues.  As we talked, I recalled the words I heard on another beach with another friend the previous week about conflict.  Her revelation was “I want what I want.”  And, the other person wants what they want.  Too often, all the individuals really want is to be “right.”

This morning the newspaper ran yet another article on the conflict between Israel and Palestine.  From a distance, we don’t understand why these two peoples can’t create peace from a place of love.  They choose, instead, to use intimidation, manipulation, threats, and violence.  Both sides believing they are right and acting out of righteousness.  This is similar to what I witnessed during the beach battle.  Both wanting what they wanted, both believing they were in the right.  First they tried intimidation.  Then manipulation.  When threats didn’t work, violence happened.

So, what causes you to be civilized?  What triggers you to be uncivilized?  Better yet, what do you want as your ‘cause’ to be either?  Will it be love, peace, honor, respect, dignity?  Is there a particular fear you are still holding on to that could cause you to be uncivil?  

__________________________________________

Share your thoughts with me, too!  Thank you for passing this forward so more can participate in the conversation.  Namaste'

Where Am I? And Why Am I Where I Am?

The second and third questions I'm asking myself are Where am I and Why am I where I am? These questions are presented in Neale Donald Walsch's latest book, The Storm Before the Calm. I already addressed Who I Am - a child of God, one with the Universe, a spiritual being having a human experience. So where am I?

Here. I'm here. And I'm there. I'm everywhere. I'm pure energy connected and in flow with all energy. I am you and you are me. I am here and you are here, I am there and you are there. Confused yet? I get this mostly as a concept, but have experienced (in what seems like small, fleeting moments) Being all that is and Being everywhere. Feels good, really good.

Have I ever told you my silly putty analogy? One day while contemplating the concept of "We Are One" I had an epiphany! Up until that moment I couldn't quite get it. If I was a part of the whole, I was still separate as a part. The jigsaw puzzle theory didn't work for me - I was still a separate piece. I could be willing to be of the "One", but was still removable, know what I mean?

Anyway, I pictured silly putty spread way out, really thin. I hope you all remember silly putty! Then I pictured using my finger to poke upward a silly putty me. I did it again, and that was me, too. Again and again. Silly putty me, and the rest were silly putty yous, which were actually me. I was everywhere! With absolutely no separation. We Are One!

Now I could look around at all the silly putty me's and say, "Wow, look what I am doing over there!", and over in another direction, "Fascinating the choices I'm making over yonder." In my daily reality, the "over theres" are You. Me being you. Of course, I forget that.

I recently had another "epiphany" around my silly putty analogy. Remember how you could take the silly putty, press it against a comic strip and create a "copy?" That's what I did. I put a "face" on all the finger beings I created- You now have a face! Ha! My illusion, my show!

What was the questions? Oh, yeah, Where Am I? My conscious human self is in Traverse City, Michigan, United States, Earth, Universe. I am in the Higher Self Bookstore at this moment - at least that is where my focus is. Talking to you, out there everywhere, where I am as well just not feeling it at the moment. Words are so limiting, aren't they?

Why Am I Where I Am? I figure there's got to be a good reason. I need to go a little deeper, but not just yet.

I attended a retreat with Neale Donald Walsch some time back. One wonderful thing I took away from that experience was this: "You are in the room to heal the room." I'm sure it is in one of his Conversations with God books, but I remember it from the gathering. To me this means that wherever I am (in a room, a park, a convention, a friends house, a family reunion), I am there to do what I can to raise my vibration and the vibration of those around me. To bring in positivity where there is negativity. To make the "room" and those in it feel better.

More on these questions and the next question in my next blog. My women's group has already started discussing the questions. If you are interested in meeting for A New Conversation, let me know and we will plan a get-together! And feel free to leave comments here. Namaste'

Can We Have a New Conversation?

Neale Donald Walsch's latest book, The Storm Before the Calm, was on my "to read" list, having to do with 2012 and how we can be proactive in our collective future. I'm a big fan of Neale's works, all of them, the Conversations with God series being my "go to" books for answers, inspiration, peace, love - and remembering who I am.

My sister, Cindy, received The Storm Before the Calm as a birthday present in January. Her friend also told her about a group in her area meeting to have "conversations." She called me very excited about the book and the group, so I brought the book home the next day. On the cover reads "Conversations with Humanity."

Neale encourages us to ask ourselves seven questions, and have conversations with others about these topics. He presents the questions as early as pages 43 and 44. When I first read them, my reaction was "Oh, hell no, I do not want to go there." Which is exactly why I am going to go there. It's time to dig deeper. We all could use a deeper dig. In fact, I believe our future depends on a deeper dig.

My women's group is going to work the book and the questions. I am considering having the Higher Self Bookstore host a "conversation" group. You may want to join in right away, so I am going to share four of the questions with you now:

1. Who am I?
2. Where am I?
3. Why am I where I am?
4. What do I intend to do about that?

Who am I? I answer this without labels, such as mother, store owner, daughter, woman, feminist, writer, artist, cook, housekeeper, blahblahblah. I am Divine, a child of God, I am spirit now having an human experience, I am God individuated. I forget this as I am doing all the things my "labels" seem to require of me. And like many of my neighbors, local and globally, I have been very, very busy focusing my attention on survival. Except when I'm not. It has been way too easy to forget who I am.

But now, as encouraged, I ask my self that question everyday and am automatically reminded who I am. Wow, this conversation has already changed my life! I am also going to the web site to participate in conversations there, http://www.TheGlobalConversation.com

What impresses me about the "Occupy" movement is that conversations are happening. It may not be clear what the solutions are, but with enough people talking to each other and sharing what they know, answers can be developed, declared, and demanded. We can go even bigger.

We are going through many changes and we feel we have no control over the future. We are way more powerful than we think. As the line goes in an Indiana Jones film (something like) It's Time to Ask Yourself What It Is You Believe.

If you are interested in participating in the "conversation" at the Higher Self Bookstore, send us an email and let us know: higherselfbooks@aol.com

As I dig into my own answers deeper, I promise to share them with you. I'd love to hear your answers as well. Let's talk - it's important, and it just may be our saving grace.

Why this book, and why these questions and not some other? It is the one before me, it talks to me, I can relate and connect. Neale's has laid out some great guide lines, and has "started" the conversation, and it's a good one!

Truth, or Wannabe?

I was reading through some of my older articles (before blogging) and ran across Truth, or Wannabe? It was written, obviously, not long after 9/11. As I read, it occurred to me that 2012 could easily replace 9/11 in the article. 2012 is a hot topic and much has been written and much is currently being discussed, well, everywhere!

Give it a try and see what you think:

There has been a plethora (I love that word!) of articles and books written since 9/11. They offer advise on how to go on, how to grieve, how to face your fears, how to cope, how to change the world, and even some proclaiming the end of the world. In my opinion, some were written from the heart, while others were written to make a buck. Some reinforce religious dogma, and some would have us building bomb shelters. Some are meant to exalt, and some are meant to tear down.

Like anything you read or intend to read, you’ll know the truth when you read it. The trick is knowing what is true for you, and what is merely evidence of what your ego wants you to believe.

For example, if you are holding a belief, or wanting to believe, that extraterrestrials are our only salvation, I’m sure that you could find written material that will support that. I call it “gathering evidence.” If a certain religion must be blamed for the world’s woes, I’m sure you can find evidence for that as well. In fact, for several weeks after 9/11, an acquaintance filled my email box with attachments of “you need to know!” propaganda against Islam. He doesn’t know me very well.

When I’m reading something new, I first tap into my good ol’ common sense. If I can’t make sense of it, I go to step two – what am I resisting here? What do I believe that blocks my understanding? If I come up with something, great! This is my opportunity to look at what’s up with me, what do I believe, and does it serve or limit me. If it is not working for me, I get rid of it. Now I’m more open to new ideas, new truth for myself.

If I come up with nothing, I pass on it. I know my truth, and this isn’t it. Or, I’ll search for further explanation of the text.

I trust myself to know the truth when it is presented. How do I know truth? It is an “Aha” moment, an excitement in my body, or a warm feeling of confirmation, a flash of light in my mind and heart, and a desire to be the messenger of truth.

How do I know what’s not true? A “no” whispers, sometimes shouts, throughout my being. I feel sad and heavy. And I want to be the messenger of what is NOT true.

If I feel anger, I go directly to step two, because anger is a clear signal to me that fear and self-righteousness are present.

These steps do not always work for me the first time. A previously dismissed truth will re-present itself to me repeatedly until I “get it.”

You may recognize yourself taking these same steps, consciously or unconsciously. I hope this is so, because there is a “plethora” of soul-feeding, peace-creating literature out there.

I’ve talked a lot about my truth, and your truth. The truth is, we are all one, each one of us is “we”. When one of “we” gets right down to it, right into the heart-afire, glory be, connected-in-love truth of it, we will all get it. If what I believe separates me in any way from you, it is not the truth. If what you believe separates me from you or you from me in any way, it is not the truth.

Some tips on what to read post-9/11: If it ain’t about love, it’s about fear – skip it. If it ain’t about unity, it’s about separation – save your money. If it ain’t about peace, it’s about war – read it only if you’re looking to justify and collect evidence pro-killing. If it’s a very, very old book written by old men – just know you may also need a library of other books offering definitions, explanations, interpretations, expansions and modernizations.

And guess what? This is not the truth! It’s my truth, what I believe, and you must find your own truth. You and your Higher Self.

2012 - I'm Not Redy!

Yep, that is my thought as we enter this highly proclaimed, prophesied, talked-about, mysterious year. 2012, with December 20th being the last day on the Mayan calendar (as well as other ancient timetables). What does it mean? What do we do?

Lucky for me (luck?), I just happen to be the owner of the Higher Self Bookstore where there are not only many books on the subject of 12/20/12, but lots of conversation as well. And, I have had the privilege of listening to the authors and speakers who have done the research, not to mention the channelers and psychics, those renown and those lesser so.

Several times over the past year I have been asked what I think is going to happen, and I must admit that my response changed as I received new information (new to me:). What I believe boils down to this: Huge changes are already happening. The Earth will do what the Earth needs to do. The planets will line up as they will line up. We have the power to direct the outcomes.

I am particularly inspired by the science (you will not learn these things by watching the news). Science has proven that our energies have a definitive affect on the Earth and the outcomes of the changes we are facing.

So, my intentions in preparing for 2012 were simply to: 1) get fit and 2) raise my vibration. Doing just these two things will make it easier for me (my body, my spirit) to move through whatever does happen. And what I do for me I do for you. Good intentions, yes, but my progress wasn't what I'd aimed for.

I know they sound like typical New Year resolutions - lose weight, meditate more. But my heart and soul know this is a bigger game, and when one chooses to play a bigger game, the challenges get bigger as well. Just because I'm saying "I'm not ready" does not mean I've given up.

Progress has been made, for sure. I am more in the moment, I am listening to a voice I never paid much attention to in the past, I take action when the voice speaks, I do what's in front of me to do, there is far less pain in my body. I look for the miracles everyday with excitement, and I love.

I just love everyone. You don't know that I am loving you? Well, I am! Fear has a hard time stepping in when I focus on just Being Love. Can you imagine if everyone picked Being Love to be their focus, everyday? It's our "heart vibrations" that will determine if this is the time of saving grace, or apocalypse.

For many of us, this is going to be quite a roller coaster ride - one of terror or one of excitement. You get to choose. I say, "Bring It On!” with a smile and a wink. Happy New Year! And I do mean "Happy" - Be Happy, Be Love!

Playing the Game

On a lazy Saturday afternoon during vacation, we were sitting around playing a game called Skip-Bo. The object of the game (in order to win, of course) was to get rid of the 30 cards in your stack. The strategy in winning was to not play cards that would allow another player to play a card off their stack.

During the fifth (I think, I kinda lost tract) game I had a thought come to me about changing the intention of the game. As this idea developed it became more and more uncomfortable to play the way I had been playing, which was basically a cut-throat strategy.

So, for the next game, I presented this idea: The intention of the game is to play in such a way as to help everyone else to win. You still had to follow the rules, and you absolutely had to play the card at the top of your stack if it could be played. I called it taking care of yourself.

One of us became quite disturbed at first, not because she didn't want to play with that intention, but because she no longer knew how to play. Changing the intention changed the strategy, and she had the strategy on how to win the game the way it was played before down pat. There were no rules for the new intention; the rules of the game remained the same.

There was a little confusion as we focused on playing the cards in a way that best served the other players. The old strategy had to go out the window! Where the focus had been on the "most important card" being the one on top your stack and playing all the cards possible to get that card off the top of the stack, that stack now actually became a nuisance. That card sometimes blocked another player's chance to play their card, which blocked them from winning.

Some gambling was attempted as well. Do I play all the cards in my hand so I can get another five cards that may help the other players win, even if playing all the cards in my hand blocked someone else's play? This consideration was played out in different ways by the different players. No judgment, just see what happens.

The game took at least twice as long as the previous games. An interesting result was that at the end, everyone had just a couple cards left in their stack. Playing the old way, the remaining stack counts would often be very unbalanced - one player may actually have most their cards left!

Once the confusion was gone, once everyone let go of how to do it right, the feel of the game was awesome! It felt good, really good.

So, how can we apply this new intention to other games? Well, maybe some of you already play this way, so it's not so new. How can we apply this intention to the game of life? What are the rules and how do we do it right? It really doesn't matter about the rules or doing it right. What became obvious in the new-and-improved Skip-Bo game was that if you held the intention for everyone to win, you knew what to do.

When everyone wins, well EVERYONE wins! When we help everyone be successful, it just makes sense (well, now it's much clearer to me - gotta love visuals!) that we, too, achieve success. We Are One, after all, don'tcha know:)

Are you ready to play a new game, use a new strategy? Just imagine if we were all out to help everyone else win - what a game of life that would be! I wanna play! I wanna play!

Happy Holidays to everyone! Come on over - we'll play some cards!

The Drama Demon

Drama. We all get sucked into it at times if we aren’t awake and aware. I refer to awake and aware as being in my right mind. I am totally guilty of being asleep at the wheel, jerking awake to look around and say “What the hell just happened? How long have I been here?”

What gets me is that I know better. I have practiced standing in that neutral space, separating the facts from the stories and blocking the energies shot in my direction. Still, sometimes I’m caught unaware. I am grateful for the years of practice that help me “wake up!” much sooner than later.

This ever happen to you? You get wrapped up in your perceptions, or someone else’s perceptions, making up stories and proclaiming what is right and what is wrong - rather loudly! Then you proceed to bring others into your drama, convincing them that you are right and justice must be served! Well, maybe not to that extreme. Maybe you just start feeling bad, your vibration takes a dive, and you just want to feel better.

Is it possible to avoid the Drama Demon? Yes. Let me give you a couple examples.

First, take a step back. Now, identify what is fact from the parts that are made up. By fact, I mean, those things that are tangible, touchable, etc. As in “these words were said.” Leave out all the emotion. Now, the rest is all perception. We give meaning to the “words said” (we fill in the blanks) and draw from our past to make sense of what we just heard. Don’t get me wrong, our past serves us well, unless it doesn’t. Our past experiences can keep us safe and help us from making “the same mistake.” But sometimes our past remembrances can cause us to assign an experience that just does not apply in every situation.

Second, ask yourself “what else can it be?” Again, we make up the stories and there are always lots of stories that be imagined in any situation. Try to get more facts. If this isn’t possible, stick to the story that works best for you. One that comes from love and helps you to feel good. Do not judge – discern.

A little practice and you may find you can avoid a lot of drama. Besides, no one likes having to say they made a mistake and have to make amends after playing with the Drama Demon. Been there, done that, too.