The world I see...: December 2009

Thursday, December 31, 2009

Intelligence...

It seems that there is an innate intelligence in the life all around me. And it happens without the process of thought. trees have the inner intelligence to grow, to change with the seasons, to reproduce, to repel predators. And even within that, to have symmetry and beauty.

It seems that everything in this world is interdependent, connected. And since we are a part of everything, we too are a part of this web. We too have this inner intelligence.

So what is this intelligence? How do we fit into this puzzle of energy? What is our responsibility?

I think as a race we are just starting to really figure these things out on a global level. There are societies which have known our connection all along. Communities that celebrate this interdependence in a beautiful way. Use it to harmonize and thrive within their habitat.

How do we support the worldwide conversation, worldwide action of this wisdom? That is the question I am most interested in.

I'm ready to learn from this intelligence and act from there.

Wednesday, December 30, 2009

Shadows...

Fears is only shadows. When the lights of consciousness, compassion and love shine, the shadows disappear. Feed these three lights that are one and the fear will retreat. It's a choice to live in the shadows or or to live in the light.

The above came to me last night. I felt inspired and wanted to share it...

Tuesday, December 29, 2009

I am...

In my experience, there is the fundamental 'I am". The part of me which is aware of my existence, aware of my experience. This 'I am' is the core of my being.

The 'I am' is independent of circumstances and events. It is always there. Even if I loose everything, the 'I am' is still there.

I notice that I tend to attach things to the 'I am'. I am female, I am tall, I am American, I am happy/sad, I am cold/hot, I am...

In a way, these things I attach to 'I am' start to cover the simple power. 'I am' gets lost in the ever changing circumstances of my life. I then base the value of my existence on what comes after the 'I am'. I forget that no matter what happens, I still am. No matter what.

I imagine the sun is 'I am' and the clouds are the things I attach to the 'I am'. These clouds cover the warmth and power of the sun. And yet, no matter how many clouds there are, the sun is still there. Clear the clouds and the sun shines again. Clear the words after 'I am' and notice how it feels.

I am... you are... we be...

Sunday, December 27, 2009

Jewels...

In my reality, the world is rich. There is preciousness all around us. It is always there. It's up to me to see it. To recognize that it is there.

It may not be the type of wealth I can put in my pocket and spend later in a store. Or pay the bills with. It is wealth all the same.

This richness of life does provide an access point to joy, wonder, amazement and awe. In a way, these experiences can effect how I live life. And how I live life, the choices I make, can effect my bank account and how I relate to my bank account.

When I am immersed in the richness of the world around me, richness occurs everywhere. When I'm seeing jewels in the grass, I know I'm provided for in this life. My soul is enriched. My spirits are lifted. This wealth is for us, in us, all. We are all rich.

Saturday, December 26, 2009

Family...

We are all a bit different. And yet we are very much the same.

We are all the same family. Related somewhere, somehow. We are all human, we all feel. We all share the same home, Earth.

So how do our differences keep us feeling so separate from each other? Aren't we more similar than different? How is it that we inflict suffering on our family?

On this log are fungus, lichen and moss. All these are different species. And yet, they live on the same log. They live in harmony.

The conflict started somewhere. The conflict ends somewhere.

The first place to look is inside. If I'm conflicted within, I create conflict without. When conflict within is normal, conflict without seems normal. If I learn to manage my inner conflict, the outer conflict starts to shift. The insanity is revealed. My tolerance for conflict is diminished. I find ways to resolve issues in a peaceful manner. A respectful manner. Other people don't seem so "other" anymore. They are all sisters, brothers, mothers, fathers, cousins, aunts and uncles.

I love my family.

Friday, December 25, 2009

Reflections...

It seems that images reflected in water are more interesting than the original. Maybe it's seeing the object it a new way. Out of context, perhaps. Or the way it's framed?

It is similar with people in my experience. To me, we all are reflecting each other. When I see myself reflected back in another person it shifts how I see myself. I see things I was blind to before. In the same way, I reflect back other people to themselves. They see themselves in a way they didn't see previously.

If all this is true, what do you want to reflect back to the people around you? What reflection would you like to get from others? How clear is your reflecting surface? How warped are the reflection around you?

There are amazing things about us all. There are ways we all act when we get afraid. Who are we really? Look deep into the mirror. See your divine reflected back at you in the eyes of another. Open your soul and reflect the greatness of those around you back to them.

Saturday, December 19, 2009

Seeing...

If what I see is what I get. Then if I change what I see, does what I get change?

I think the way I see what I get changes. Through seeing it differently the way I receive it changes. The way I react changes.

When I see everything as a gift, then I feel gratitude. When I look for the beauty in everything, everything becomes more beautiful. When I see the niceness in everyone, everyone is smiling.

Shifting my interest has quite an effect on the way life occurs. To practice being more interested in what is positive has me focus on what is positive in any situation. And every situation becomes more positive, an opportunity.

In this picture of the scared bark on an oak, I see a humming bird kissing a crescent moon over a heart.

What do you see? What do you get?

Thursday, December 17, 2009

One Grain...

One grain of sand doesn't make a beach. It takes countless grains to make a beach. And when I've studied the grains of sand individually they seem pretty unique. Some dark, some light, some have sparkle, some are bits of shells. And yet, to get caught up in the individual grains has me forget I'm among a beach full of grains.

If life's the beach, then I imagine the grains of sand as moments in life. Each moment is unique, each moment it part of the whole. All these moments together create a life. Each moment on it's own it precious, all the moments seen together make a bigger picture.

What is the gift in seeing the whole beach sometimes? How does seeing the big picture bring ease to this moment?

When each moment isn't the end all, be all, then the beauty of the larger design can be appreciated. Knowing that this moment is like a grain of sand on a beach full of millions reminds me to relax. It puts the moment into perspective. If I focus too much on one grain of sand, I miss the expanse of beach. If I am only aware of the beach I loose the beauty of each grain. Recognizing that every moment is precious and contributes to this life is a way to be in the moment and not take it so seriously.

Like the sands of the hourglass, so are the days of our lives...

Wednesday, December 16, 2009

Roots...

They say that a tree's root system is about as big as it's top. As it grows up, it grows down. It creates hight as it creates depth.

As people, how does this compare? Do we deepen as we grow up? As we mature, do our roots reflect our maturity?

As far as I know, roots are what nourishes a tree. Roots are also a foundation of strength. Without roots, the tree would starve and wither. Without roots, the tree would fall over easily. I imagine the tree uses it's roots to harmonize itself with the earth it sits in, gathering information.

The way I see the comparison between a trees roots and the depth of a person is like this: When a person has depth, there is way more to them than what is on the outside. They have an inner strength that keeps them from getting tossed about in life's storms. There is an inner knowing an experience of connection to something greater. And they use this connection to feed their being.

So what creates depth in people? There are countless everyday opportunities to create depth. Every day life lessons. The sort that just seem to keep happening until the lesson is learned. Or great tragedies. Seeing them or experiencing them. Illnesses and near fatal occurrences are also opportunities for creating depth. Reading and listening to great teachers is also a possible way. Cultivating compassion. Getting interested in what else is out there. Becoming curious about this thing called life. The age old question, 'Why are we here?'. Instead of looking for answers, becoming eager for more questions. Opening our hearts. For each person it's different.

Have you ever looked into someone's eyes and seen their depth? Felt their deep strength?

Look into your own eyes and see yours own. It is there. And it always has been. Feel your roots stretching. Nourish yourself.

Tuesday, December 15, 2009

Waves...

Still, peaceful water is beautiful. A reflective pool is very zen. What about waves? What about huge surging masses of water?

In my experience both hold beauty, both instill a sense of wonder. If I want to get stuff moving though, I make waves!

To create shifts and move energy, often times making waves is the most effective way. Action, turbulence, excitement and movement.

Where are you holding still in your life? Where are you avoiding making waves? Where are you smoothing over turbulent water?

After the waves are done crashing, calm waters always come back. Lots of "stuff" gets stirred up in the swirling washing machine. And it all settles again. It may be intense for a while. Intensity is also exciting at times. I know I feel very alive when life gets intense.

Is it possible to surf those waves? To ride them out? To have fun? Even when we get sucked down into the white water and loose our bearing?

Weeeeeeeeeee!

Monday, December 14, 2009

Variety...

They say that variety is the spice of life. How spicy is your life? How much variety do you include?

If life starts to seem dull, boring or monotonous, introduce some variety. Take a different way to work, strike up a conversation with someone you don't know, explore new social circles, eat at a restaurant you've never eaten at before, learn a musical instrument, brush your teeth with your other hand. Switch it up. Introduce some variety into your day to day.

If you always do what you always did, you'll always get what you always got. -author unknown

See what shifts in your life when you alter your patterns. See what becomes possible that seemed impossible before. Sometimes a small shift alters the course dramatically.

Spicy!

Saturday, December 12, 2009

Endings...

I love watching the sun go down. The way the sky and clouds light up. The way the colors change and deepen. It's never the same sunset second to second.

Most people stop and take in the display with awe. Many people go to watch the sunset from a favorite spot. A ritual to say goodbye to the day.

What about the sunsets in our lives? How do we feel about the ending of something? A life, a relationship, a job, a living space, a car, health, a vacation. How open are we to these sunsets? Do we pause and take in the shift? Do we have a ritual to say goodbye?

I know that, for me, there is a certain level of resistance when something comes to an end in my life. I notice that I tend to get grumpy and easily agitated. I feel sad. I want to run and hide. Since I became aware of my automatic pattern around endings, I watch my emotions and desires to react just like watching the sky as the sun sets. There's a level of acceptance and simply being with all the feelings. Taking it all in.

Then it's over. There is darkness for a while. And then a new beginning. There is always a new beginning.

What would the value be in becoming aware of your automatic reactions to endings? Would creating another way of being around endings support acceptance and ease?

Write about a time when there was an ending and you remember reacting. Notice if this way of reacting often come up for you when an end is imminent. Then write out how you choose to be when an end is coming. Create a ritual if you like. A way to transition easily into the next beginning.

Friday, December 11, 2009

Seeing...

How does the world look through a broken window? How well can you see?

Consider our perception as similar to seeing the word through a window. Our perception is a sort of filter of what we make real and important in the world. Everyone perceives a little differently.

If our perception is like a window, then how clear do I want my window to be? If I'm seeing the world through cracks in the glass, I'm seeing the world as cracked and broken. If the window is clean, I see things clearly.

So where do all these cracks and breaks come from? How to keep the glass clear?

First place I look when I notice the world looks broken or hazy is my judgments. As humans we developed a quick way to process information: good, bad, like, dislike, dangerous, safe, want, don't want. It simplifies and quicken the decision making process. And sometimes we mistake them for the truth. "She's mean!", "He's a jerk!", "They're bad people!", "I'm stupid!". Are they the truth? Or are they simply cracks in the glass?

What would happen if I simply listened to the judging part of me without seeing it as the truth? What if I thanked it for sharing and still went about my day? If I didn't attach myself to these thoughts, would they still have the same power?

Make a list of your top ten judgments. Then really look at them and next to each put a 'true' or 'false'. Consider that they are all false, just some dirt on your window. Keep whipping them clean.

It is the mark of an educated mind to be able to entertain a thought without accepting it.

-Aristotle

Thursday, December 10, 2009

On fire...

What lights you up? What sets you on fire? What are you passionate about?

I love being around people who are on fire with inspiration. Their whole being is animated with energy. Ask a person what they're passionate about and watch their face light up.

Being around such people is one of the things that lights me up. I start feeling creative and energetic. I've also noticed that when I'm sharing what I'm passionate about, others get inspired as well.

So it seems that passion and it's flames are contagious. It seems they have an attractive effect. That when you're sharing your fire, I'm lit up. And when I'm sharing my fire, you may be lit up. When I'm feeling passionate the people around me are more receptive. They engage in conversation more, smile more. The world seems like a wonderful place full of friends.

How important are your problems when you're lit up, passionate, on fire? When you're inspired, how much time do you spend worrying? When you have that burning feeling inside you, what sort of place is this world?

Share the flame!

Tuesday, December 8, 2009

Black And White...

I've heard the expression "It's not all black and white.". And it's not all shades of grey either. What about color? What about the vibrancy all around us?

Sometimes it seems like a grey world, or a world of black and white. A world where the colors are muted. A world of blah...

And then I get a glimpse again! I see colors so intensely! I get reminded of what's always there! I feel in awe of the world around me!

So what changed? How come I see the green of a leaf as shockingly green now, and yesterday that same leaf was just a leaf?

Opening my eyes is how I describe it. An internal opening of my eyes. A feeling of coming to, as if from fainting. Seeing the world again as if for the first time. Really looking, noticing. Putting my attention on what's around me, instead of thinking about what I'm doing tomorrow or a conversation I had yesterday.

Be here, now! And see what you see...

Sunday, December 6, 2009

Silhouettes...

The dark shapes make the sky seem so much more bright. These dark outlines. These simple black voids of color.

A silhouette shows what's there in a bold way. The details become secondary. Our imaginations come into play. There is nothing to see except light and dark.

Would silhouetting certain things in your life have value? Just paying attention to the outline and focusing more on the light?

Where does your attention "need" to be?

Saturday, December 5, 2009

Delicate...

Have you ever noticed that something so delicate as a flower can have an impact? Or that something as insubstantial as a spider web can hold such strength? Soap bubbles are barely there and I find them absolutely fascinating.

What is the magic of delicate?

Think of all the delicate things in this world that capture our attention. They seem special, cute, precious and amazing. How powerful are they, really. If they initiate a strong reaction in us they may be the more awesome than we realize.

Friday, December 4, 2009

Gratitude...

What about gratitude for the little things? What about a smile, someone letting you go ahead of them at a stop sign, the wind in the trees, the moon rising, a hug, a beautiful flower, the line at the bank being short, having exact change, the wagging of a dog's tail, dew drops in leaves.

For some reason when I look at this pumpkin, I feel gratitude.

Noticing opportunities to be grateful enriches life. What if wealth and richness were based on how grateful a person we are? There is such a satisfaction in gratitude.

Take on practicing little gratitudes. Like before a meal, pausing and feeling grateful for the food. Or saying thank you to the every day occurrences. As in, the light stayed green for me! "Thank you!". Feel the feelings of gratitude as much as you are aware throughout the day. Notice what sort of day you have.

Thursday, December 3, 2009

Yummy...

When I say something looks or is yummy, I'm not always talking about food. So what is the word to feeling relationship? How does a flower, hug or a sunset feel yummy?

First I investigate the feeling of yummy. For me, it's an open, warm desire type feeling which is localized behind my belly button. It feels good.

Then I look at where in my life I feel that way. What people, places, situations and things feel yummy? Am I in a certain mood? I notice how broad the range of yummy things there are. I also notice that when something feels yummy, I feel closer to it. I feel one with it.

What I like about the word yummy, is that it is such a "feeling" word. If yummy doesn't work for you then use another "feeling" word. Ask yourself questions about this feeling. Investigating feeling and what has these feelings shift is important to me. I have all these "feelings" and when I'm not being aware of them, they control me. When I get curious about what my feelings are and what triggers them, I am in a position to manage my feelings. I use them to enhance my experience, to avoid emotional patterns, to be empowered in my day to day life.

When I act instead of react life is a whole new place.

Wednesday, December 2, 2009

Image...

On one level, life is all about 'image'. That act we put on. We dress in character. Even if that 'image' is falling apart. That in itself can be an 'image' just as much as the polished 'image'.

An 'image' is something we can identify with. And we welcome people with the same 'image'. Often excluding others of different 'image'.

Call it style, self expression, or lack of regard. If it is to enhance the outer you and hide the inner you then it is possibly an 'image'.

I catch myself acting out my 'image'. I say things and take on certain gestures. I can feel this outer persona take over and the real me hide. I replay the incidents later in my head and laugh at myself. I said what? I did what? I also look at what had me feel that I needed to hide. That usually tells me a lot about myself.

What is your 'image'? Who are you without it? Do you notice other people's 'images'?

Tuesday, December 1, 2009

Chaos...

I hear the term chaos when events seem out of control. When life is overwhelming, and nothing makes sense. So what does chaos really mean?

If you look up chaos theory, you will most likely find a lot of mathematical terms. I don't understand the math, I understand the theory. Basically it is an infinitely complex system in which one variable will produce dramatically different effects. One tiny variable ripples out to effect the whole. Like weather patterns. Nature uses chaos in it's designs all over the place.

What does this have to do with day to day life? Why does nature use such a complicated model?

My guess, is that nature is a whole system. No part is separate or independent. It all works together as one system made up of infinitely smaller systems. From the universe to atoms.

To me, this means that how I act and who I be effects the whole. If I'm being fearful, it ripples out to effect everything. If I'm being loving, it ripples out to effect the whole. I like to think of my life as separate sometimes. That it doesn't matter if I'm in a bad mood. It's me, it's my world. It turns out I am responsible. I do make a difference.

So if chaos is just a complex system then what makes it challenging? What if we shifted how we related to chaos? What if we danced with it, instead of resisting the flow?

You must be the change you want to see in the world- Mahatma Gandhi

By the way, this is a picture I took of the gages in a car at night. Precise instruments of measure turned into chaos!