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Eclectic Friday
In the “way old days” well before I retired from the corporate world I loved Fridays, not because they were the day before the weekend but because they were “casual Fridays.” Remember that? We could come to work without a jacket and tie. There were still rules: no jeans, shirts with collars, no canvas shoes…we had to look decent. And if we had customers visiting it was most certainly back to the uniform: jacket, tie, shoe-laces…
Then we moved into “flex-time” when we could work longer days and take every other Friday off. Those were the days for play! I loved these Fridays; Rosemary and I would have breakfast together at our favorite little breakfast/lunch shop, we’d catch up with each other and our lives, we’d do some planning and just be casual with one-another. There were still Fridays when travel took me out of town. There were still customer visits that had to be made if they were available on my Friday off. But those free Fridays – what a gift! Three-day weekends that were somehow better than Monday holiday weekends; it was almost like playing hooky – other people still had to work!
Now that I am retired from all the corporate “rules” – no matter how much they “flexed” there were still ways to dress and time-sheets to complete – Fridays are still precious days. Is my sense of a more relaxed day a holdover from my corporate experience? Is there still some excitement surrounding the last day of the week? For one thing Rosemary’s weekly Ezine is published and out; we finish that task on Thursday nights, complete the video, format the email, update the website. Some Thursdays grow into long days and late nights; glitches do have a way to slow the publishing process.
But here it is; the Ezine is out, it’s Friday morning and all I have to do is finish this post. Then I can do with this day whatever comes to mind; whatever opportunity pops up. It’s no longer “casual Friday” or “Friday off” but “Eclectic Friday” for me! And these Fridays are more precious to me than they ever were when the corporate dress-code relaxed and the work schedules relaxed.
But I wonder if we’ve become too relaxed. I just had a conversation with some friends about “jeans to the opera.” I have a fabulous, although now they may be out of style, collection of ties hanging, forgotten, in my closet. I do wear a western-style bolo tie occasionally when I want to feel (or appear) as a Coloradan. But even weddings, funerals, theater, have become the domain for sweats! And the styles seem to reflect this overly relaxed attitude – worn-out jeans, ripped shirts, shoes with missing laces! Or are the attitudes a response to the styles?
Yesterday I wrote about the societal aspects of “connection.” I firmly believe that the human species is a collective creature; we survive because we are social beings; we evolve in community, learning from one-another and growing together. Does it matter how we appear to one-another? Does our style, our manner, our attitude, our demeanor, our appearance matter within the community?
I’m not sure I can even answer these questions for myself. But I do know I love Fridays; and this Friday I am free to be eclectic!
Have a fabulous weekend!
The Power of Connection – Richard’s Commentary
“Connection” is Rosemary’s word for 2014. It is not surprising that early in the year she would choose this to write about. This word, in all of its meanings, can be taken in many directions. Rosemary goes through a long list, connection to Higher Self, connection to guides and angels, connection to others (both positive and negative connections to the people in our lives), connection to our purpose. All of these are important connections to be aware of, to remember; as Rosemary writes:
Connection is an energetic that, at its highest level, we all seek. We want to feel connected to others, to our guidance, to Source. In seeking we sometimes forget that it is not to be found outside ourselves, but to be remembered as an inner truth.
For me her point here is if we are disconnected from ourselves, from that “inner truth”, then can we be connected to anything or anyone on the outside? And how easy it is to disconnect, to fall into isolation, to withdraw. I wonder sometimes if this isn’t at the root of the issues we face as a society, as a country, as a culture looking for something on the outside, some connection we are longing for but have no means to identify or find.
I don’t really want to get into politics here but somehow this word “connection” brings up social concerns. Humans are a connected species. We wouldn’t have survived and evolved over the millennia if we had been an isolated, individualistic being; in the wild we are not strong enough, don’t have all the necessary skills within ourselves to go-it-alone.
How many of the political battles we see raging in this country, whether it is over healthcare or foreign aid, political favoritism or retribution are about social issues, connections. It almost seems that people divide along the lines of: “we are all in this together” or “I’ve got mine; you need to be strong enough, work hard enough to get yours” – a survival of the fittest mentality!
Interestingly, since Darwin comes to mind here, much of the current research on the evolutionary process reveals that it is cooperation that is a primary mechanism for evolution, not competition! And we have to connect to cooperate, connect to survive and evolve!
Connection, beyond the necessary interdependence for survival, does begin within. When we are connected to ourselves, to Source, to Angels and Spirit Guides, we gain a certain level of confidence that can lead us outward to find healthy connections with others. When we are connected to our purpose our connections become productive and benefit society, the greater whole beyond ourselves. These vital inner connections are the ground for our being human, for lifting our spirits to join with others, in connection, in community to move and evolve consciously.
Are you connected?
ROSEMARY’S EXPLORATION: The Power of Connection
Who are you, really? Are you connected to your inner essence or are you going through the motions of your daily life, waiting for ‘someday,’ or retirement or the kids to leave home? Are you truly connected to your Life Purpose? Do you feel you have a connection to inner wisdom and guidance when you have a question?
‘Connection’ isn’t just about the electricity that flows through your house, waiting for a lamp to be plugged in and connecting. Sometimes we can fool ourselves into believing that we have to do something to get connected, just like that lamp.
But the truth is that we are always in a state of connection. All we have to do is to remember that this is so.
You are connected to your Higher Self at all times. Do you take advantage of that connection and access the wisdom that is available there?
You are connected to Source Energy, the energetic flow that is the source of abundance in the Universe.
You are connected to the Angels and Spirit Guides who can help you in your life but they are waiting for you to invite them in, to remember your connection.
And you are connected to other people through the cords of connection that have been established throughout time. Some of these connections are working for the highest good of all involved and others are drains of energy that aren’t supportive of your personal growth. Do you know how to determine the difference and what to do to disconnect the energies that don’t sustain you?
Connection is an energetic that, at its highest level, we all seek. We want to feel connected to others, to our guidance, to Source. In seeking we sometimes forget that it is not to be found outside ourselves, but to be remembered as an inner truth.
Are you seeking Connection? Are you feeling disconnected or connected to energy drains instead of supportive energies? What are you going to do about this?
Let 2014 be the year that you decide to connect to the parts of yourself that you have disowned, have disconnected yourself from. Decide to connect to the energies that support your personal growth this year. Find experts who can help you connect/disconnect as you need.
Start with connecting to your inner guidance. How do you do this? Meditation is a good way to start. Get still and listen to that inner voice.
Pay attention to the signals you receive from your intuition. Journal and allow yourself to write whatever wants to flow through your pen. Take a class that gives you an opportunity to make the connection to inner guides, your Higher Self.
Sometimes you are connected to energy that drains you. Learn how to disconnect or find someone to help you disconnect the cords that are holding you back from growth. Connection is as much about connecting to the energies that are supportive as it is about disconnecting from those that are not. You might need expert help to detach from energies that you aren’t conscious of being there. You will feel free when you have taken care of this.
Connect to like-minded people who support you along your path and with whom you can share your gifts to support them. This is not the time to be isolated from what is going on around you. The world has fewer boundaries than it used to and you are called to reach across the miles to those with whom it is time for you to connect. With 21st Century technology you can stay connected around the globe. It is no longer necessary that you find a tribe with which to connect in your own back yard.
Most importantly, connect with your higher purpose, the reason you are living this life on Planet Earth. Discover your Life Purpose and commit to it. When you connect to Purpose you feel fulfillment and joy. You will find your days opening before you with wonder and light. And you will be connecting to the other souls who have been waiting for you to show up and connect.
Do it now!
PS: Do you want to create some new connections in 2014? Come to Rosemary’s playshop, in person or by video link, and connect to a great group; and lay out your play script for 2014! January 25. Details Here
ROSEMARY’S INSPIRATION: Connections for 2014
Rosemary’s Two-Minute Video for this Week: Connections for 2014
PS: Do you want to create some new connections in 2014? Come to Rosemary’s playshop, in person or by video link, and connect to a great group; and lay out your play script for 2014! January 25. Details Here
MONDAY’S POEM: Practice
I mentioned in an earlier post this year that my “word for 2014” is Patience. Some days I think it is my word for this lifetime! But I am actually in conscious practice of all Six Paramitas, the Six Transcendent Perfections. My thought-poem for today is my meditation on these Paramitas:
Practice
Generosity begins with self, home.
Giving of oneself, even life itself,
Gains everything: Peace, joy, long-life
And the Transcendent Perfection of Wisdom.
Ethics begin with the mind, thoughts.
When the mind is clear, present,
The words of speech and
The actions of body follow, as does
The Transcendent Perfection of Wisdom.
Patience is the pivot point of all practice:
Anger is the teacher,
Patience is the lesson,
Long-lasting happiness is the path to
The Transcendent Perfection of Wisdom.
Joyful Exertion is the power
Fueled by courage and determination
That propel ordinary beings to Buddhahood,
And the Transcendent Perfection of Wisdom.
Meditative Contemplation is the only
Pathway home, to neutral mind,
To virtuous mind, to True Self,
And the Transcendent Perfection of Wisdom.
Wisdom, the exact nature of things:
All is impermanent,
All that is impure is suffering,
All is emptiness:
The Transcendent Perfection of Wisdom.
©2014 Richard W. Bredeson. All rights reserved.
“Breakfast with Buddha” – A Book Review
I mentioned this book in my post yesterday as a sign of alignment of my path with the Plan of the Universe. It was a delightful Christmas gift and I raced through the book anticipating each new scene and experience: a good laugh, a shed tear, an unfolding story well told. Here is my short review:
I had not read anything by Roland Murello before I received this book. And I haven’t read a good “road-trip” story in a long time. Both encounters have been very rewarding. And perhaps the rewards have been deeper because I could so easily identify with all of the characters!
You don’t have to identify with any of the characters, however, to enjoy the book. If you are interested in a story of the movement of a fairly typical upper middleclass, middle aged American guy moving through early spiritual awakenings, then I highly recommend this well written book.
Otto Ringling is the main character. He grew up as a Lutheran in the Midwest (North Dakota) on a wheat farm. (I grew up as a Lutheran on a dairy farm in Wisconsin.) He is comfortable in his life: loving wife, two teenage kids whom he adores, great job publishing food books (he loves to eat fine food accompanied by great wine); all is going really well for him. But he has these nagging little discomforts with all of this; small inner tremors that begin to shake things up a bit.
Otto has a sister, Cecelia (mine is a sister-in-law). He calls her Seese (I call mine Cees). He claims his Seese is “as flaky as a good spanakopita crust.” (I won’t say anything here about my Cees, except that I love her!). Otto’s journey truly begins with the sudden death of their parents, the bigger tremor that really begins to shake his foundation.
Otto’s gradual awakening is guided by a Rinpoche, a “friend” of Cecelia. The story unfolds as a road-trip (just Otto and the Rinpoche) from Cecelia’s home in New Jersey to their parents’ farm in North Dakota. There are hilarious scenes through the whole trip, well described, often involving the search for the perfect meal along the meandering journey, as Otto serves Rinpoche a dose of true Americana and Rinpoche serves Otto a dose of the true way to awakening.
The book is light, fun, poignant, silly, profound and just plain enjoyable as a spiritual awakening travelogue. Perhaps I enjoyed it so much because it rang so true for me. But I think anyone who is beginning to get in touch with the truth and their own spiritual awakening will also enjoy the book.
And the best news for me is there is now a sequel: Lunch with Buddha. I can hardly wait to get my copy; and I’ve got a B&N gift card to spend!
Dreaming BIG!!! – Richard’s Commentary
How are you doing with those New Year’s Resolutions? Did you make a few, a lot? If you are anyone like me you have given up on trying to change your life that way. No, I made no resolutions, but that doesn’t mean I have no big dreams!
The Divine Feminine are spot on when they address this issue of resolutions, dreams, transformation and how to manifest the changes you want to see:
Where are you looking for your resources? Are you waiting to win the lottery? If so, are you buying tickets? Are you using the word ‘someday’ in your vocabulary of dreams, always placing that dream in the far distant future? Do you know what you actually need to take a step in the direction of your dreams?
You need Clarity, Commitment and Consciousness.
For me, clarity means “clear intention.” If we are muddled in our thinking, unsure of what it is we want to change, hesitant about reaching for the big goal, then the Universe can’t support us. Clear intention lets the Universe know our direction and can then offer the resources to help us realize our goals. This is the first component of manifestation.
Over the past few months I have become very clear in the direction I want the rest of my life to take. And the Universe is responding! Just as a trivial example of this, I received a book as a gift from a dear friend; it is Breakfast with Buddha by Roland Merullo. My friend had no idea when she picked this up for me that I have moved firmly back onto my Buddhist path. She had no idea that I am planning my own journey this year to return to my roots. Merullo’s novel and his characters have so much in common with my own life that it’s almost silly. My friend was moved by the Universe to place this book in my hands! (I’ll have more to say on Breakfast with Buddha in a future post.)
Now, I have studied, practiced, sat Zazen, read and explored in most ways possible this notion of Buddhism for many years. But I have never really committed to this path. This is the second component of manifestation. The Universe needs to know we are serious about our clear intentions. All of my past studies and practices, while I took them very seriously, were not true commitments to the path. They were exploratory, forays into the fascinating world, but with no real committed intention of remaining there.
This has changed. I am committed. My living habits are changing to support the commitment: diet, drink, sleep, dream-time, meditation are all much more focused, real, and supporting my commitment. Again, the Universe is responding to my commitment with the resources I need to continue.
And it’s really all about changing our mind, isn’t it? One of Rosemary’s expressions I’m fond of is: If you want to change your life, change your mind. Reality is after all nothing more than consciousness, the third component of transformation. We all encounter blocks along our way. Most of these stumbling blocks, scattered across our paths, are mental blocks, maybe old beliefs planted in us from childhood. Much like the main character in Merullo’s book, Otto Ringling, I was raised as a Lutheran in the Midwest. “Lutherans don’t become Buddhists!” We don’t even think about Buddhists, unless they are setting themselves on fire in Viet Nam when we are burning our draft cards at a safe distance at the University! I’ve been changing my mind about a lot of things over the past 60 years; it’s time for this once-upon-a-time Lutheran to admit his true colors. Through many cycles of birth, old age, sickness and death, I’ve traveled the road as a Buddhist! I think I’ll finish this one the same way!
The Divine Feminine conclude: Dream BIG!!! With Clarity, Commitment and Consciousness you can live that dream!
And I do have Big Dreams for 2014. I hope you do too!
ROSEMARY’S EXPLORATION: Dreaming BIG!!!
Guidance from The Divine Feminine that gives us all Hope.
“Dear Ones,
Now is the time for you to fulfill your fantasies for a dream life.
How far will you go? Do you realize that there is nothing holding you back?
Oh, you might think that you need more money or time or a different job or a different location, but the truth is that you have all that you need for your dream life inside you NOW.
Where are you looking for your resources? Are you waiting to win the lottery? If so, are you buying tickets? Are you using the word ‘someday’ in your vocabulary of dreams, always placing that dream in the far distant future? Do you know what you actually need to take a step in the direction of your dreams?
You need Clarity, Commitment and Consciousness.
Clarity will bring that distant, hazy dream into clear focus. You will see what it is that is truly your heart’s desire, instead of something that is ‘out there’ in a vague form. The more you can clarify the vision, the easier it will be to concentrate your energies in that direction. The more details that you can identify, the easier it will be to take specific steps to manifest that dream.
In gaining clarity about your dream, you must also ask yourself if this is your dream or someone else’s. Does this dream start in your Heart-Mind or does it come from something you think you should desire? Be very clear about the source of this dream! When you dig deeply into where it was born, you might surprise yourself to see that it is something you have dreamed for a long time but it is not really what you desire for yourself. You might hear someone else’s voice describing that dream. Or the long-held dream might have been the desire of a younger you but is no longer relevant as you have grown and matured and expanded your consciousness. Be sure about that dream.
Once your dream is clear to you, Commitment is required. It is easy to commit to a bold dream that comes from your own Heart-Mind! You WANT to make it happen. It is compelling and draws you forward into the new you. Your commitment to realizing this dream is not based on someone else’s measure or the ‘shoulds’ that live in your head. It is, instead, a vision of you living your best and richest life with the fullness of your energy working toward your own happiness and joy.
With Clarity and Commitment compelling you forward, it is time to bring your Consciousness into alignment with the vision of your dream life. If you have a vision of yourself living this dream life, but you cannot imagine that you can possibly get there, then your Consciousness is what must shift before anything in your physical reality can allow the manifestation of that dream.
What thought patterns have you been living that have held you from already realizing that dream? What beliefs have you held that have kept that dream at a distance from you? What are you holding onto in your life that is energetically holding you back from living the vision that you hold?
Shifting your limiting beliefs and any negative thoughts allows you to fully embrace that vision and sail forward toward the destination. And what you will find is that the destination continues your journey, for living your dreams creates the belief that you can continue to dream even bigger dreams and that you can make THEM come true, too!
Dream BIG!!! With Clarity, Commitment and Consciousness you can live that dream!
And so it is.”
Rosemary’s Comment: If this seems like too big a task, then start with Clarity. Work on defining, in great detail, what it is that you desire for yourself and your life now. Take the step and the leap will follow!
PS: Rosemary can help you with your big dreams! She channeled an hour-long message from The Divine Feminine on the Winter Solstice; they offered guidance and advice on what we might expect in 2014, and how to approach the year’s energies. Expect more change! The transformation continues! This message is available as an MP3 recording for a modest price; check out the details here: Winter Solstice Message
ROSEMARY’S INSPIRATION: Dream BIG!
My Two-Minute Video for this Week: Dream BIG!
PS: Rosemary can help you with your big dreams! She channeled an hour-long message from The Divine Feminine on the Winter Solstice; they offered guidance and advice on what we might expect in 2014, and how to approach the year’s energies. Expect more change! The transformation continues! This message is available as an MP3 recording for a modest price; check out the details here: Winter Solstice Message
MONDAY’S POEM: Patience
Patience has been a life-long lesson for me. I have committed to learn it, probably not finally but fully, this year. My “word for the year” is Patience. And with that announcement and commitment, my first poem of they year is just that!
Patience
Always rushing, always late.
Bly: “It’s already too late.”
What’s the hurry, why the haste?
Are we afraid death will win the race?
Ignore the signs, sharp curve ahead.
The moon is waxing, move briskly ahead.
But after the waxing, the moon will wane.
All that briskness; All in vain?
Waiting, always waiting, never enough.
Patience, learning patience, more than enough!
Where is the action, why just sit?
Are we afraid Death won’t fit?
Rushing or waiting, all the same.
Waxing and waning, cycles the same.
Let life catch up; it has its flow.
Be as patient as death; keep it slow.
©2014 Richard W. Bredeson. All rights reserved.
Men and The Goddess 