Seeing God

I wonder, I wonder if you really knew, that I see God in you

And I wonder if you can see, how much you mean to me
I know you cannot read my mind, but I hope you feel my vibe
I think it's time I let you know that, I see the God in you

From Acoustic Soul by India.Arie 

Pulling back projections begins with recognizing that we are projecting onto others parts of ourselves that we are not comfortable with, the Shadow. As is true with shadows in the real world, it is when we shine light on them that they are visible and so is also true with psychological shadow material. What is not commonly known however is that our individual Shadows are composed of not only the dark and not so nice parts of ourselves but also hold the Gold, those aspects of our personalities which hold our not yet recognized gifts and talents. When we begin to make all these foreign parts conscious, that is to say bring them to our awareness, then we can also allow others to be themselves without projecting ourselves externally. We can begin to see the Divine in others, to see the God in them.

We are all here to learn. And, in that way, no one is immune to all the lessons of life on the physical plane and we are equal in that respect. We are all sparks of the Infinite Flame, we are all experiencing our Humanity while remaining part of the greater whole, of the Tao. As we begin to recognize the God within ourselves, then we can also see God in others, in everything.


Questions: How am I projecting my own self onto others? How can I begin to see the God in others?

 
Photo The Dancing Saints at St Gregory's Episcopal Church, San Francisco

Right Timing

"I don't let my mouth say somethin'
my head can't stand"

Louis Armstrong

When it the right time to speak and when is it not?  Our thoughts tend to be constant as a continuous stream of ideas, perceptions, judgments and all manner of things which keep us trapped in what seems like mind-focused but can be mindlessness rather than mindfulness.

Enough mind patter to keep us distracted and busy rather than calm and centered.

And if our thoughts aren't enough to keep us tangled, there is the tendency to speak what we are thinking. Too often we step into another's space by offering our ideas; I know what you should do, how to solve your problem. Get out of your relationship, tell your mother what you really feel and so on and so on.....The faultiness of this approach lies in the assumption that we know what is right for another person and that it is our place to say what we think which in fact imposes our opinions on them. When we supply our friends, family, and anyone else with our non requested perceptions it interferes with their ability to solve their own dilemas, to create solutions based on their own internal processes.

Louis Armstrong, the brilliant trumpeter, coined the phrase "I don't let my mouth say somethin' my head can't stand." He was referring to the tendency to say whatever comes to your mind without considering the consequence of that action- when we speak so quickly isn't it likely that we may not have taken the time to consider with care what we are saying? Even if we are asked for our opinion, then taking a moment to gather your thoughts in order to express what you feel with clarity and non judgment can do much to foster positive communications.

We engender trust as we develop the ability to know the appropriate time to speak, providing the space for active listening and careful responses. Yes, it does take a little practice to put these principles into place, but once they are, then you will likely find improvement in your relationships as well as a quieting of your own mind which is all to the good.

More Michael on Choice 2

Michael: "In the early stages of the process of evolution having to do with physical plane incarnations, there has been minimal experience having to do with the overall ramifications of choice and this includes interference with the choices of other fragments which can lead to karma if extreme. The choice made by the entity to begin the process of ensoulment is made from the perspective of essence rather than the more limited perspective of the personality from the vantage point of the physical plane.  And when the fragment is ensouled then it is challenging to grok if you will the larger concepts having to do with the validity of choice due to the interference of the chief features and fear.

We would describe the process of learning about choice much in the same way a small child learns to walk in that there are many trials and errors which occur in between the first moments of upright posture to sitting, crawling, toddling, walking, running and eventual mastery of the physical body. An infant soul fragment makes choices which lead to both positive, negative, and all levels of in between outcomes which then slowly instruct the fragment in which choices are advantageous and which are not. As infant souls we learned about choices having to do with survival, as baby souls choices having to do with moral codes and ethics, as young souls choices having to do with mastery of achievement, as mature souls choices having to do with relationships, and as old souls choices having to do with the nature of oneness with the Tao. An infant soul would therefore not understand the choices of an old soul although an older soul would likely have more understanding of the nature of younger soul choice having had them."


excerpted from a private session with permission

Creating Spaciousness

Creating Spaciousness


Life is busy, things to do, calls to make, work to be accomplished. 


Details, information, tasks, all of which can create a bit of a frenzy in our lives. We rush from one thing to another, barely breathing, losing conscious awareness of our bodies, hearing only the mindless chatter of our thoughts which urge us to keep going.


Tired after reading my first paragraph?  That's because I jammed a whole lot into it much in the same way we jam activities into our lives.


So what if we were to cultivate spaciousness in our lives?  More open time, less rushing.


Sounds good doesn't it? But, there are so many things I have to do! Yes, that may be true but begs the question how many of them do you absolutely have to do right now?. Are there some that you may feel are urgent, that you want to cross them off your list, but aren't really that time sensitive?


This topic has come to my own mind because tomorrow I am presenting a workshop, and it's my usual mode to create alot of personal space starting about 3 days before a workshop to about a day afterwards in order to allow the spaciousness needed to let my ideas come to the surface in a relaxed manner. It's been a busy week for me, and it wasn't until last night that I realized I needed spaciousness; not just space per se, but relaxation and calm. 


Today I am devoted to creating more spaciousness in my life. Are there ways you can do the same?

More Michael on Choice

"The matter of personal choice is then one area of experiential study while the matter of karmic choices, that is to say when a fragment chooses to impose their choice on another fragment which then interferes with that fragments ability to complete the chosen life task, tends to require equal measure of time in order for the lessons to be inculcated. Within the range of personal choice and responsibility lies the misnomer that choice is unavailable to a fragment but we will say again that a fragment can always choose how they will respond to a particular event and when a fragment comes to the realization of this truth then great progress can be made. "  -Michael

excerpted by permission from a personal session

The Art of Becoming

                                                                                 

INCHOATE

Definition: Just beginning; incipient, rudiementary, not yet developed. (adjective) To begin (verb)

This morning my husband John woke with this word in his mind: Inchoate. Being the inquisitive sort, he got the dictionary out and looked up the definition, "To begin, rudimentary form".

A discussion ensued as I suggested that maybe this had to do with the creation of his new business which is in the beginning stages. Always the realist!  On the other hand, the word itself has far greater implications  in that it suggests that something is occurring which is not always seen with the naked eye, or not just yet.

Are not we always in the process of becoming?  From the time we are young, we are maturing, growing, learning, evolving, many of such processes cannot be seen easily but more than likely can be felt or perceived as some vague sense that change and growth is occurring. A thought crosses our mind; it would be nice to plant some roses, call an old friend. Or, on a larger scale, when a major life transition is on the horizon perhaps we feel that something is coming but we don't know what it is.

All are processes with tangible product which require trust and awarness, a being in the moment to know when is the right time to take action and when is the right time to allow the process of becoming to continue without the need to solidify it into form, at least not yet.

Being In Limbo

Being in Limbo.....what exactly does this mean?

I think of it as a state of not knowing, non action, and reflection. To look at these words one would not automatically assume them to have a negative meaning though many of us do experience limbo as uncomfortable. Could this discomfort be because we want to know, to resolve, to be sure?

I thought it might be helpful to look up the official meaning of the word.....

Word History: Our use of the word limbo to refer to states of oblivion, confinement, or transition is derived from the theological sense of Limbo as a place where souls remain that cannot enter heaven, for example, unbaptized infants. Limbo in Roman Catholic theology is located on the border of Hell, which explains the name chosen for it. The Latin word limbus, having meanings such as "an ornamental border to a fringe" and "a band or girdle," was chosen by Christian theologians of the Middle Ages to denote this border region. English borrowed the word limbus directly, but the form that caught on in English, limbo, first recorded in a work composed around 1378, is from the ablative form of limbus, the form that would be used in expressions such as in limb, "in Limbo."

Having not been raised Catholic I had no idea that Limbo was referring to a religious concept. Or wait, maybe I heard about this in What Dreams May Come?  :)  No matter, it seems that the common useage of the word now implies a state of waiting, of being on the fence. In our culture this waiting period is not often honored as we are pushed toward deciding, knowing, doing.

One of my spiritual teachers once said that when we are waiting, we are in the "Land of the Gray Clouds". Such a beautiful image which simply states that we cannot see clearly yet and as we know, eventually the skies clear up and we regain our vision and then our choices become more clear. The trick is to allow ourselves to wait with grace and without discomfort. 

Today I will practice the art of not knowing.


Photo El Granada Sky January 2010 
Fence photo courtesy of photo stock

Quote of the Day

Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only light can do that. 

Hate cannot drive out hate; only love can do that. 

Martin Luther King

Water at the Well

"Don't Look for Water at an Empty Well"  


There are several ways to interpret this saying but the primary idea is that you can't find what you are looking for in a place where there are no resources. 


The Well as a metaphor can represent the always flowing Divine source where the well is always full. It's when we look for something or someone to be the Well instead of remembering the Divinity of the Well that we find emptiness, for no person, place, or thing can ever provide us with continuous nourishment in the way our connection to the Divine can. 


Another possible interpretation of this saying is seeing the Well as your own energy that, when empty, can't provide you with the necessary energy for life. I used to have a recurring dream when my energies were drained; I was standing by my car at the gas station with an empty gas tank!  What a great dream message to remind me that it was time to increase my true rest, take some time off from work, and replenish myself. True rest can provide us with rejuvenation and can fill up our own personal Well.


Finally, the Well can also be seen as another person or "thing".  Often times we look to resolve issues within ourselves through our relationships as we create situations where we come face to face with our losses, expectations, and fears; We seek love from a person who cannot freely love us and find the Well empty. We seek compassion from those who are not compassionate, honesty and truth from those who are not honest, integrity from those who do not know themselves. We seek to be filled by substances which are merely substitutions. All of these attempts to find connection through externals will find us with an empty bucket at the Well as no one person or "thing" can ever be the Divine Well which is always present and flowing. 


Our own work is to develop awareness of the Divine Well and to connect to it through daily prayer and meditation, always finding the overflowing source of abundance and grace.

Reactions and Perceptions

I hear the dog barking outside and immediately tense up- how can I do my work while he is interrupting me?  I reconsider after taking a breath- perhaps he is alerting his master about something important and serving as protector of his home.


My plans include a trip to the store and once in my car I see that the road is blocked for repair and by the time I wait and resume my trip, the store is closed. I reconsider after taking a breath- perhaps by going another time I will meet the best person to help me in my process, or run into an old friend.


A relationship ends after many years, the loss of which is difficult and emotionally painful. I reconsider after taking (many ) a breath- participating in the relationship itself was draining energy from me on a daily basis creating health problems, anxieties, and depression. Perhaps letting it go will in time allow for more healthy relationships to develop.


All of the above are examples of how we often automatically react to life changes, both small and large. Our first reactions may be fear based but we need not stay in fear and can instead "regroup" by taking a breath, releasing the fear, and then allowing our perceptions to expand which then opens our awareness. Only in retrospect can we easily see what did in fact happen, that it all worked out so to speak, and wonder "Why did I worry so much about that?".


The past teaches us that life unfolds in it's own way and by being in the present while applying this perception of the natural flow of life, we can release the hold of fear and experience more joy. 

Prayer

"You pray in your distress and in your need;

Would that you might pray also in the fullness of your joy."  

Kahlil Gibran  The Prophet

Creating Reality (part one)

CREATING REALITY



How does this creating reality thing work anyway...

Do we really create every experience in our lives?
Are there accidents?
But what about karma?

There is simple answer here in that yes, we make choices every day, some of which are conscious choices which are easier to see as "ours" and which we can "own" and understand that we are creating our personal reality. There are also patterns which are under the surface, running as currents which steer us in certain directions: past life influences, current life childhood issues, and karma. There are also the choices made by others which impact us. It is the combination of all of the above which blend together and form our physical plane experiences or reality.

So what of the idea that if we think something long and hard enough, want something to happen, align our vibration with it, that it will manifest?  This approach looks only at the conscious awareness aspect of creation and does not acknowledge the currents, past life influences, or other people's choices and states that so long as we focus our intentions, that we can create what we want in life. I have seen this approach create mountains of disappointment and a resulting "there's something wrong with me, it's not working" when the external world doesn't match the desired outcome. Frustration ensues.

What we can do is look at how we respond to "life". From our human personality vantage point it is very difficult to see the bigger picture which includes our essence plans. We may be revisiting experiences which we did not resolve fully in the past: Take for example a person who seems to have alot of relationship "issues" in this life and who, in several past lives put himself first, ignoring the needs of others. In this life, now a female, is experiencing powerlessness in relationships which is the balancing of the previous experiences as she learns to understand the nature of equality. Another example would be an individual who massed great wealth in a past life at the expense of others and who is now experiencing financial frustration and difficulties. Of course, not all current experiences resonating to the past are hard but we do tend to focus on what isn't working in our lives.

The Birth of 2010

BIRTH

from The Velveteen Rabbi

In Hebrew, "compassion"
shares a root with "womb"
and God is the One in Whose womb
creation is nurtured.

On Rosh Hashanah we say
today the world is born.
Or: this moment right now
is pregnant with eternity.

In each human life
as in the cosmos writ large
infinite possibility waits
to burst forth.

What mystery do you carry?
What stirs in you, faintest flutter
growing into the insistent kick
of change, ready or not?

Elul: the leaves turn
and we turn
toward our Source, toward
who we haven't yet become.

Don't be afraid.
There are blessings here
even if you can't see them.
Open and let them come.

Charge of the Goddess: Namaste

I am the Great Mother, worshipped by all and
existent prior to their consciousness.
I am the primal female force, boundless and eternal.
I am the chaste Goddess of the moon,
the Lady of all magic.
The winds and moving leaves sing my name.
I wear the crescent Moon upon my brow and
my feet rest among the starry heavens.
I am mysteries yet unsolved, a path newly set upon.
I am a field untouched by the plow.
Rejoice in me and know the fullness of youth.
I am the blessed Mother, the gracious Lady of the harvest.
I am clothed with the deep, cool wonder of the Earth
and the gold of the fields heavy with grain.
By me the tides of the Earth are ruled;
all things come to fuition according to my season
I am refuge and healing.
I am the life-giving Mother, wondrously fertile.
Worship me as the Crone,
Tender of the unbroken cycle of death and rebirth.
I am the wheel, the shadow of the Moon.
I rule the tides of women and men and
give release and renewal to weary souls.
Though the darkness of death is my domain,
the joy of birth is my gift.
I am the Goddess of the Moon, the Earth, the Seas.
My names and strengths are manifold.
I pour forth magick and power, peace and wisdom.
I am the eternal Maiden, Mother of all, and Crone of darkness,
and I send you blessings
of limitless love.