Thanksgiving

Light lotusThank you THANKSGIVING, thank you family, thank you friends, thank you pets, thank you everyone who provided food for us, thank you Native ancestors for the holiday itself, thank you Mother Earth for fertile ground and good shelter, thank you Sun for sustenance and light and thank you Divine Source for the consciousness to enjoy and appreciate all.

Thank you THANKSGIVING for the daily practice of gratitude, perhaps the most valuable and successful spiritual practice I know.

Proof of Heaven

Here it is, seed germination of our harmonious, golden future. We must nurture it and let it grow.

This is an extraordinarily beautiful picture from the Occupy Wall Street Facebook page of Christians protecting Muslims at prayer. I found this image so moving that I could not stop thinking about it. I take it as proof that we are on the right track toward the golden age that has been promised by so many prophets. It is our birthright.

Take Care of Yourself

The most important thing to do right now in these chaotic times is to take care of ourselves. This does not mean that we should trample on others to do so but that we must recognize our own ability to create abundance and practice that by taking care of ourself first. When we do so we feel powerful and satisfied and can more clearly see how to be of use to others if needed and wanted.

I have seen in the last few days a significant transformation of the Occupy Wall Street movement that may be very good for the spreading of the overall message of OWS. Good because the protesters are now forced to spread out, to find alternative places to protest and to push the message outside the park thus including more people who actually couldn’t even get in there anymore or didn’t really want to go in. In addition the inhumane actions of Mayor Bloomberg in raiding the camp at 1:00am and disrespectfully treating the people, their stuff, their donations and their animals as trash has incensed a lot of people creating more sympathizers. However, we now see too many young people sleeping around the streets of downtown, like the homeless, without enough clothing for the cold nights we are getting into now. I am planning to step up to the people’s open mic and ask them to please take care of themselves first. No one can save others from drowning in the tsunami of problems we all face as a country if they are drowning themselves.

Last night at the people’s mic – Soap Box there were a lot of complaints, injustice stories, inspiring encouragements and some crazy dudes but one woman who got us to sing with her was great. She pointed out in song that this is an awakening, this is an opening, this is love. She get’s it and I agree with her. However, we cannot recognize the blessings in anything when we feel completely unsupported and often grabbing support is necessary. Help will not necessarily just fall all over us.

As community, which was a very big point made many times last night at the people’s mic, we must be responsible for ourself first so that we can then be of great support to that community. From strength we can assist others to be strong.

Here are some more pictures from Zuccotti Park just as the 99% was permitted back into the park on Wednesday night. At the bottom are a few pictures of what Wall Street occupation looked like on Thursday when the protesters marched toward it. They never really got there it was already occupied by the police. There are many pictures of police because I was amazed to see lower Manhattan transformed into a police state. The protesters do not disturb me but the response to them definitely does. I am sorry that I didn’t take any pictures of the crowds of protestors pressing toward Wall Street from all corners a couple of blocks away. There were thousands. I did take pics of the tree people but for some reason only one of the pictures that I took came out.

Any way my principle message for the day is to take care of ourselves so that we can take care of each other. That is how we will know that Heaven is Here.

Divine Practice

Crazy stuff is going on downtown here today for the 2 month anniversary of Occupy Wall Street, helicopters woke us up and have circled all day. Streets are closed. Riot police, mounted police and more police ring Wall Street which is completed barricaded. The chant from Occupy Wall Street is,” Tell me what a police state looks like, This is what a police state looks like.” 60 people were arrested for blocking traffic.

Now we have some choices; engage, disengage or engage with equanimity and grace. The most important thing though is to not get overwhelmed by fear no matter what is going on and no matter what we think about it. In spite of the drama and the police people were engaging in fun. About a dozen people were dressed as trees and carrying signs saying: “Less banks – more Trees”. The drummers were joined by dancers. Occupiers were singing, “Happy Anniversary to you, etc”.

So let’s keep it light, in love, joyful, remember we are all ONE and 100% abundant. Things are shifting and will shift a lot more but we are versatile when light, open and loving.

Out of Sync

This is why I need this blog because one day I’m in the groove and then I’m right out of sync in no time later. Why did the ouster of the Zuccotti Park occupiers drag me down so? I feel a general malaise that fogs my mind and makes me really wonder what kind of state we live in. It looks like a police state out there now, the park is ringed shoulder to shoulder with riot police and multiple barricades. But it is my job only to manage my inner state and not that state out there that is wild and crazy with people pushing and shoving, grasping, arguing, complaining and insisting that they are each right. How can we ever succeed in resolving this duality out there? I personally do not think that we can. So I’m not going out there to try, I instead am going to focus all my attention in here and look very carefully to see where it is in my own mind that I support that duality of discord.

I am blessed, we are all blessed with great teachers to help us in these “interesting” times. Today I finished a lovely book, “Angels in My Hair” by Lorna Byrne and I was reminded to employ my angels to resolve any problem that drags on me or anyone I wish to pray for. Excellent advice. In times when the problem seems insurmountable this is a great time to employ our angels and pray. That focused and yet surrendered practice creates abundance of inner space for our consciousness to shift thus allowing our reality to shift with it.

Again I was emailing my niece, Gillian and she reminded me of the Bhagavad Gita, a book I have read three times and love. It is perhaps the best guide to dealing with and understanding duality and conflict ever written. I am ready to read it again. The most valuable advice I remember from the book is to, “perform inaction in action and not action in inaction”. Which I take to mean do everything with a clear mind devoid of noisy thought, judgement and justification and don’t get so tangled on thinking that you can’t do anything. This is how the whole book started with Arjuna collapsed in a puddle of fear when he perceives the battle is about to begin.

Finally, because this is a heavy day and I need a lot of support to lift my state I am going to practice my mastering alchemy lessons and do some exercises to contemplate my own attachment to the drama outside as well as some exercises to sever the tendrils of those attachments.

I keep thinking about that quote by Einstein I referred to a couple of posts back: “You cannot solve a problem from the same consciousness that created it. You must learn to see the world anew.” I am working on that and have been for my entire life and it is working for me. Byron Katie said something a couple of weeks ago when I saw her at a talk. She said that she had an epiphany where she saw that we are all one mind, that we share one mind, that our thoughts may not be ours but are all floating around in one mind and we get washed with them and then think they are ours or something like that. It struck me how amazing and true that is. So if I change my mind then the whole of one mind is now changed.

So this is how I will deal with the seemingly insurmountable problem of the injustices of today – I will change my mind by introspection, self-examination, diligent practice to recognize and root out self-destructive thought patterns and I will be HAPPY even when I am feeling low. Because the truth of it is that legions of angels support us all, our God (whatever you call THAT) loves us unconditionally and gives us the gift of absolute free will, we are made of star stuff and we live in God’s back garden so what is the problem.

In the Groove

Yesterday I was riding in a bus. There was a little girl, six or seven years old sitting across the aisle. For the duration of our short trip she was complaining to her mother about the girls she knew at school. In precise points; 1 – 2 – and so on up to 5, 7 and even 9 reasons she listed why she didn’t like or even hated those other little girls. I have to admit I heard one point which I thought was quite valid; her ‘friend’ would deliberately distract someone she was talking to away from her. That is a very astute observation indicative of a keen, sensitive and somewhat introspective mind. Her mother was patient, listening and giving tips to her daughter but I was saddened that she didn’t ask the girl to list as many things about her friends that she LIKED as well.

Complaining is an insidious affliction. It is distressing to see it take hold of someone so young. I know this from personal experience; complaining is a personal problem that has taken me years to overcome and I know I still do it entirely too much.

Complaining wears a groove in our brains, it creates an addiction of complaining and shifts our perception of the world and of our relationships in it. When you complain a lot you don’t notice the damage that it does to you or feel the way it drags on your energy field and your relationships.

The first time I had to acknowledge my own addiction I was riding an elevator with some work colleagues. Within a three floor trip I had complained about the weather, the heat in the elevator and a missed opportunity. One of my colleagues said, “Wow, you do complain a lot don’t you?” suddenly I heard myself every time I complained. It was a deeply entrenched habit, a habit that caused me to see just about everything from the point of view of – “What is wrong here?”

But I am blessed with great teachers and a sincere desire to break out of lifetimes of entrapment so I chose a very simple and effective cure for the disease; gratitude. Every time I caught a complaint working it’s way through the complain groove of my thoughts I would try to stop as quickly as possible and turn it into a thank you. Even if my complaint seemed justified and worthy I would insist on finding some thing about the situation to be grateful for. Sometimes it was just – how lucky and blessed I am to be here in this wonderful world and offered this unique opportunity to examine my own consciousness of this great world.

For me the proof is in the pudding, years of awareness and deliberate management of my attitude have bourn the fruit of contentment and a greater awareness of the power of gratitude not only to shift my state but even to shift my good fortune. Blessings abound for those who can see them and an attitude of gratitude instead of complaining creates the space to see and then seize those blessings.

11.11.11

GillianThis is it, all of us standing side by side – tall, free, in love and ready to create the harmonious heaven that is our birthright. Here is the hope for the future from my niece, Gillian, in Manchester, England. She emailed this just this morning.

“It was amazing.  I thought about the responsibility we have of peace, that we have a responsibility to those who have died because of ignorance, who have lost their loved ones lost in war, to heal ourselves.  This better world won’t happen until we accept the mantle of responsibility to be better people to each other and ourselves, to share what we know and show others how to heal – not in hidden yoga studios, congratulating ourselves on our secret achievements out of secret fear that nobody will accept us or an egotistical need to be ‘special’ – but in public; in front of the bums and working people who don’t know anything about this, who need it most.  It’s time to share and show how this stuff works.”

So she stood in the square and chanted 108 Gayatri mantras, attempting to be heard over the construction sounds behind her.

Here is one interpretation from the mantras:

“O Effulgent Light of creation! Let the Sun of Truth illuminate my divinity. And meditation allow my thoughts to be inspired by Thee.”

I have had the experience of the power of mantra and hope that one day all may feel that power, sound is the foundation of the universe, it forms our reality as we know it and mantra is our opportunity to be in co-creation with that power of creation and sustenance. Mantra is the vehicle of miracles and with focused dedication to that we will all experience heaven here.

Bravo, thank you, and bless you Gillian.

11.10.11

I’m on a roll with the blog right now because this is such an important time energetically. Tomorrow there is a beautiful portal opening of cosmic light that will create incredible opportunities for us all to recreate our reality. Think of it this way it’s kind of a reboot, the quirky, corrupted and hacked programs of our reality are being reformatted and the new refreshed programs booting back up. This means we have an extraordinary opportunity to install fresh and clear programs to move forward as a collective, inspired and uplifted humanity. It’s another chance to get it right, to establish Heaven on Earth for all. Yes, we are in Heaven already but now we have the opportunity to make it easier to remember that. Miracles abound already and yet there will be more.

Think of this day as the day surrounded by angels see the one’s in 11.10.11. The zero in the date is this space, this world, this consciousness and open arena for us to step up our consciousness and our commitment to manifesting Heaven on Earth. Tomorrow there will be another angel standing in that open space ready to help us with our commitment.

Last night I met a lovely woman Lorna Byrne, writer of the book, “Angels in My Hair”. I have only just bought the book but I look forward to reading it. Lorna spoke last night about her experience with angels, how she has seen them since she was a child, how she has met with God and how she prays everyday. She is very clear and sweet and humble. She would rather hide, as she says, but God commands her to come out to remind us that we all have a guardian angel. That we can feel free to ask the help of any angel or arch angel at anytime that God listens to us always and knows every single thing about us. We are not alone. Lorna said many times that we do not pray enough and that if we do we will create an extraordinary future, she has seen it.

Lorna’s purpose for coming out to speak is to exhort us all to overcome our differences and to recognize that there is only one God and that we are all brothers. She says that when she looks at anyone she sees their guardian angel with them regardless of their religion. We all have a guardian angel and they never leave us. We are so blessed with unseen support and with seen support like Lorna.

I told her that I wished I could see the angels like she does but that I have had the experience of feeling them. A few years ago I rolled our new Land Rover, I was avoiding a skunk and the SUV started fish tailing until it rolled. I thought I was done, but as the car rolled I felt as though strong hands were holding my head firm to the back of the car seat and the arms were crossed over my chest. Later when I examined the totaled vehicle I sat in the driver’s seat and realized that the upper left corner of the front had crunched in to within and inch or two of where my head was. If my head had moved forward a bit I probably wouldn’t have climbed out of that wreck. What a blessing. So I do not believe in angels, I know angels.

That is the consciousness that we need to move into; gnostic apprehension of Heaven, belief is great and will hopefully create the space for the experience of the unknown but knowing is so much better. A shift in consciousness to looking with hope, gratitude, acceptance and granting of blessing, self-love, contentment and delight will all create space for the knowing of Heaven.

Meditate and pray tomorrow, be with loved ones, send blessings, make art, read uplifting stuff and expect miracles; in general do things that will set the tone for the next age.

Occupy Your Heart

Tibetan prayers at Zuccotti ParkYesterday I went over to Occupy Wall Street again as I do just about everyday and I got inspired to take a few portraits of a day in Zuccotti Park. SO here they are. If you have not been to Zuccotti Park you need to know it is not filthy or dangerous, they are not rabid communists or greedy hippy students who want someone to pay their school loan or lazy unions wanting a free ride off the company. I am tired of people telling me they know what’s going on and then making outrageous statements and they haven’t even been over to participate.

This is an awesome, inspiring action by brave and committed people of all areas of our culture. I met a World War 11 veteran who is angry, a family from the suburbs who are motivated to hold signs, a teacher, mothers, fathers, union workers, artists, musicians and many more who have something to say about the inequity of our current system. This movement is important to all 100% of us, we are in this together.

In Zuccotti Park everyday there are spontaneous and organized discussions on what needs fixing. Everyday there is a meditation. Everyday the sacred space is refreshed and continually in use. Food is offered to all and clean up is very conscious with a grey water cleansing system complete with growing plants in it. The library has been growing all along from a small pile of books to the entire northeast corner of the park and there’s always someone browsing through. It has been amazing to watch the growth of this community over the last month or so. From 20-30 students with sleeping bags and backpacks to bedrolls on mattresses, to blue drop cloths draped in trees, until tents sprang up over every inch and now the military grade weather proof tents are moving in for the winter weather. The self organization of the community is quite amazing.

All ideas are on the table, this is the place of consciousness that is willing to shake up everything and rethink from the bottom up. That is why the movement has caught on worldwide and is showing up in various forms on all continents. On a white board in the park all discussions, events and meetings are listed for participants to join if they choose. There is always some kind of open discussion going on right in the middle of the park and many more sprinkled around the area in various public spaces from an atrium on Wall Street to Charlotte’s Place community center.

This week I learned that the intention is to gather the consensus of gripes and solutions over the winter from Occupy groups all over the country and then to meet in Philadelphia in March to aggregate everything into concise demands of congress. You may think this is slow and tedious, a very un-soundbite universe way of doing things. People say, “What do they want?” “Why don’t they have a leader?” and “This will never succeed.”  But the prevailing sentiment in Zuccotti Park is that the way we do things now is NOT working so let’s do it all a very different way. Maybe you’ve heard the quote, “A problem cannot be solved within the space in which it was created”? Who said that? If you know please tell me, I can’t remember. Anyway it’s true, there needs to be an alchemical shift in consciousness for a solution to any problem to present itself, so the Occupy Wall Street movement is making space for that shift in consciousness to present us all with some choices. If we are left up to the devises of the banking/corporate/government hydra we will have no choices but to hand over even more of our wealth to them. We see the media machine labeling this movement and I know for a fact that some media are trying to stir things up to get the sound bite they want. I watched a guy that I talked with last week who is very grounded as he was hounded by a camera man to say that he wanted violent revolution and was ready to kill another person. Don’t believe what you see about Occupy Wall Street on TV.

SO this IS another Heaven is Here post, this is to say that we do have choices, your vote counts, your sign on your chest counts, your voice counts. We are the 100% and we are the smartest ones in the room because we have common sense and we listen to our hearts and we take our time to allow wisdom to blossom into good action.

Magical Magenta

I don’t know how but since I was a teenager I have known that we were heading into magical times. I am just thrilled to know that we are in them right now. I have been writing these posts in order to remind myself and whoever else is interested that we actually do live in Heaven, this is it. The only way it isn’t it is if we refuse to notice, acknowledge and practice the consciousness of Heaven. So when that happens and consciousness slips into the nihilism of Heaven we need reminders. This is where I come in with this blog.

A very interesting thing has been happening this year of the shift of the ages, if you haven’t noticed the bizarre weather effects or earthquakes and tsunamis I doubt that you have seen the magenta light of the heart entering the earth and making it’s love visible. For some strange reason this year I have been aware of this magenta light. At first I didn’t see it I just kind of knew it, I felt it’s presence. So I began looking for it and found it was very illusive, but somehow I knew it was here and it’s appearance only a matter of time. This weekend I was working in my driveway splitting and stacking wood and guess what – there it was, brilliant, shimmering, incredibly strong and vibrant.

Magical MagentaNow, here’s the image but it’s not nearly as bright and sparkling as the colors actually were. You may say, well it’s the sun reflected off the window and maybe it was but, in over 10 years of sun reflecting off that window this has never happened before. Also we live in form and form informs us of our spiritual frequencies.

To ramble on a bit further in this reminder of our true state if we should choose it. In light of that idea that form informs us of our spirit we are so blessed with devices, technologies and comforts of the time that imply our transcendent abilities: the connectivity of the phone and internet reflect that natural clairvoyant connection we all share as ONE MIND. The comforts and abundance of our world are evidence of Heavenly riches we are all entitled to. There is enough and we will see this very clearly once we have fully integrated and welcomed the magical magenta light of the heart into ourselves.