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Monkey-Mind (What Is This? – An Example) Deep Peace
OK, so I referred to this Korean Koan in my post yesterday, February 7, and as things go I had the opportunity to use it today. As it always does, it worked out very well; so, I thought it would be a good thing to share, to let you know how to apply it in a real situation and how it turns out.
I was writing my pages this morning, my “Morning Pages” – one of my practices taken from The Artist’s Way by Julia Cameron. And I found myself completely awash, all over the place. Now, this is OK; these Morning Pages are suppose to be a “dumping ground” – a way to clear the mind of all the clutter so there is room for creative insights, so we can hear the muse, right? Well, today I seemed much more scattered than usual. I drifted around and wrote about fragments of thoughts that crossed my mind. This does happen to me from time to time. I even get blocked and then just write nonsense to get through the three pages. But today I didn’t like the feeling I was getting, and then I asked:
What is this? And so it began:
What is this?
It is monkey-mind that chatters away on endless loops of to-dos, to-worries, with no to-bes.
What is this?
The complexities of modern life.
What is this?
Life in the 21st Century.
What is this?
Now.
What is this?
Breath, Singing Bowls, Sleeping Dog, Rest.
What is this?
Deep settling.
What is this?
No-thing. Stillness
And this is deep peace.
Ahhh… And from there I was able to get back to my pages and wrote a very nice final third page. It was a deep exploration of our “spinning Universe” in all of its wonder and extraordinary quantum behavior.
And then, I asked: What is this?
Life.
What is this?
Consciousness.
What is this?
Love.
What is this?
The only “thing” left at the end, at the beginning.
What is this?
Love is the Alpha and the Omega. It transcends consciousness. It births consciousness so it can reflect on Love.
What is this, this it?
Call it what you will: God/Goddess, Mother/Father, Source, Alpha/Omega, All/No-thing, Tao.
I like Tao.
Next time you get stuck give this koan a try. See what answer you get!
Question your Questions! –Richard’s Commentary
Questions, questions! Where do I go for answers? Seems like we are constantly assessing and reassessing as we move through the early years of this 21st Century. Now we are in the teens! Is it time to begin to grow up into this era?
And sometimes we don’t want to hear the answers so we don’t ask even the safest of questions. How many of us are really interested in hearing the unvarnished truth about the environment? Our youngest “child” is back in college at NC State and taking some classes in environmental studies toward his geology degree. Some of the new facts coming up in his course work are scaring him! There are some serious problems out there: melting ice, ocean temperatures, ocean currents, salinity changes, bio-mass expansion, methane build-up, it goes on and on. Our computer models can’t even keep up because the data is off the charts!
Then there’s the “soft science.” I just finished a book by Drunvalo Melchizedek, The Mayan Ouroboros. Yes, I read some far out books, and no, I don’t believe every word. However, I do enjoy counter-balancing all the so-called “facts” of science with information coming in through various channels, including my own and Rosemary’s. And more often than not, 80% of the information we read in some of these “far out” books corroborates our own information! OK, so maybe sometimes we are a bit far out there too.
But here’s what Rosemary is offering in her message this week: “Question everything!”
I start with questioning myself; and yes, I question my questions. Am I listening to my inner guidance? Am I double checking my inner guidance? Are my practices right for this time? Do I need to change my diet? Am I spending too much time practicing and not enough doing? Am I sleeping too much, or too little? Are my priorities set correctly? You get the picture, right? This is about awareness. This is an awareness practice!
I am reminded of a Korean Koan that I frequently fall back on; actually it’s like another practice. The koan is simply to ask: “What is this?” when faced with an issue. Ask it inside and listen for the answer. And when you get that answer, ask again: “What is this?” You keep drilling down as deeply as you can go until the issue is resolved or the answer to the question is satisfying. When facing a dilemma I often fall back on this practice and simply ask myself: “What is this?”
This is where I go for the answers: inside. And if the answer doesn’t bubble up I go to external sources; and then I test their answers inside. How does the answer feel; does it resonate; is it off the grid? And if I can’t feel for the answer I sometimes use an intuitive tool, like a pendulum (I carry one with me almost all the time). And if I don’t have one I can even test something with my body. Here’s an example of that:
When I am looking for an alternative health support item, like an herbal preparation to boost my immune system if I feel a sniffle coming on, I usually face an array of possibilities at the health-food store. So, I narrow the field just by reading labels but still face several options. What I do is a form of muscle testing: I close my eyes and hold the products, one at a time, near my heart and sense the energy. I am usually either pulled a bit forward or pushed a bit back for each item. I reject the ones that push me back (repel) and keep the ones that pull me forward (attract). I continue this selection/elimination process until I am down to the one that’s most effective.
Our body, our heart, our intuitive senses know the answer well before our brain, especially the left side, kicks in with a “logical” one.
The array of questions out there can be overwhelming. There are many complex issues coming forward in the early teen years of the 21st Century! Narrow them down to the important ones and seek for satisfying answers on the inside.
Then be at peace!
INSPIRATION FROM ROSEMARY: Take Care of YOU!
Rosemary’s video for the week: Take Care of YOU!
PS: To start 2013 off with incredible guidance from The Divine Feminine you can get the 8 recordings Rosemary made at the end of 2012 during her Wisdom of the Week (WOW) calls. Get them here.
Monday’s Poem; and the I Ching for the Month
I have two offerings for today to start your week and your “moonth” as the New Moon from this past Friday begins to swell into our consciousness. First Monday’s Poem:
I wrote this as a reminder of three important virtues I want to hold firmly in mind as I work to transform my too often negative and troublesome emotions to these virtues to lift my consciousness and grow a healthier attitude.
Love, Forgiveness, Gratitude
Three acts for 2013:
Love, where it all begins
And ends.
The circle of everything
Turns with the tides
As the Moon loves down.
Forgiveness, in the middle,
The hinge.
It all turns on this act
Swinging round and round
As a gateless gate for passage.
Gratitude, the end,
No end.
Turning about the center
Where it all rests
As we give thanks and praise.
Love, Forgiveness, Gratitude:
Grace.
©2013 Richard W. Bredeson. All rights reserved.
The I Ching Gua I cast for the next four weeks, the last month before the Chinese New Year, February 10, is an interesting one. Using my yarrow stalks I cast five yin yao, all 8s, before I cast the final yang yao, a 7. The hexagram looks like this:
This is Bo and using Alfred Huang’s The Complete I Ching it means “Falling Away.” The lower trigram is Earth or Kun and the upper trigram is Mountain or Gen. So we have the mountain resting on a stack of yin lines which is pretty unstable. Think of a landslide as the mountain tumbles down to the low lands.
The Decision of this Gua is:
Falling Away.
Unfavorable to have somewhere to go.
For those of you interested in the I Ching you can pursue the meaning of this gua farther as you will with your trusted references. Here’s my take on the gua and the timing of it:
This is a good time to go inside, look inward for stability. This is the last month before the New Year. It is a good time to seek stability in this unstable time. Clean up, clean out, get organized. Sweep away the decaying underpinnings and get ready for the year of the Snake.
Contemplate all of those things that are not working. Let them go. Meditate on new things that might work better and bring some new stability. The mutual gua of Bo is Kun – Earth over Earth, Responding, Receiving. Again, look to receive some inner guidance.
Note also there are no changing lines in this gua. So the situation is stagnant. Again the message is to wait it out and seek inner guidance.
This is my interpretation of this gua for me at this time. It may or may not apply to you and your situation or the times themselves. But as our government seems locked in turmoil and stagnation this just might be an appropriate gua for others. In any case it is always good to go inside to seek guidance.
And this mid-winter time is a great time to just be with what is.
PS: To start 2013 off with incredible guidance from The Divine Feminine you can get the 8 recordings Rosemary made at the end of 2012 during her Wisdom of the Week (WOW) calls. Get them here.
“Shift or Stay Behind” – Richard’s Commentary
The Great Shift
Are you with us? It takes a community. We can’t do this alone; no one can. It may be trite now but I am still fond of that catchy phrase: “it takes a village.” I’ve known what this means for most of my life. I grew up in a small rural village in Wisconsin. At that time I felt throttled, held back; but I was also protected, very safely held in that community.
I reached well beyond that community when I went off to Ethiopia to be a Peace Corps volunteer. And I found myself in a small community in the southern province of Gamu Gofa. Again I was isolated, held within narrow limits of both behavior and opportunity; and I was protected, held in a community that took good care of me when I was injured in an accident.
One of my favorite village experiences has been in Gavilan, Northern New Mexico, in Martín Prechtel’s “Bolad’s Kitchen.” It is a small village with ample opportunity. We are held there and hold each other in great love and respect. We learn, share, trade, offer and are given all that we need.
And now the Great Transformation is beginning to unfold. The world may not have ended on the Winter Solstice 2012, but the change began. We are changing. Life around us is changing. Can you feel it? Rosemary has been writing and channeling about this time for years now. Many others have as well. And people are waking up in this changing time. It is very exciting!
So, what do we do? We pay attention. The signs are all around us. We listen. The voices, especially that inner voice, speak the words of truth that we test in our hearts. And we ask, what is mine to do in this time of change? What is my purpose? How do I live into my Soul Purpose that I have been called to now?
If you don’t know your purpose or if you are troubled when someone asks you this question, it may be time to explore this deep issue. Another way to ask this is “what is your big WHY?” In the greater scheme we are all asked to wake up! We are asked to join in community with everyone in our soul groups, to form the villages that it will take to make the shift. And we each have a role or roles to play within those villages. Identify your role; hone the skills you need to perform that role. We need you to be at your best!
There are many paths inward to discover your “Big WHY.” There are gradual ways and fast tracks. For example Rosemary offers Scientific Hand Analysis, a body of proven techniques to reveal much about whom you came here to be through the examination of your finger prints and the lines in your hands. In one session she can reveal your Life School, Life Lesson and Life Purpose. Another way is to become aware of your intentions: when you first awaken set your intentions for the day; and when you are going to sleep examine your day through a “nightly review” to see how well your intentions were met, not in a judgmental way but through an analytical approach to help discern areas for improvement.
Awareness and intention are the basic tools of an awakened mind. An awakened mind is an essential component of the New Community. We are on a trajectory for major change in the way we are living on Planet Earth. This is The Great Shift.
Are you with us?
PS: You can learn more about Scientific Hand Analysis on Rosemary’s site!
Inspiration from The Divine Feminine: “Reach into the Future for Your Power”
Rosemary’s message this week suggests that we push our limiting beliefs and negative thoughts about ourselves into the past; then to reach forward to a “future self” we visualize as empowered and to bring that power back into the present. Please watch:
PS: Have a wonder-filled Holiday Season and many blessings in the New Year!
ROSEMARY’S EXPLORATION: “Gratitude and Loving Yourselff”
Here’s Rosemary’s commentary on her weekly video I posted yesterday:
In this season of Thanksgiving and holidays we focus on being grateful for the blessings in our lives and for the people who are sharing our journeys with us. But have you taken the time to move into gratitude for yourself?
What traits do you have that you can feel grateful for? What aspects of yourself do you need to learn to love? Gratitude for yourself in all your parts is the first step toward loving yourself.
Most of us find it very easy to be grateful for the friends we have in our lives. Some of us can be grateful for our families, or at least some family members. But what about YOU? We are so good at analyzing ourselves and finding fault when we would give someone else a lot more leeway. Have you ever felt self-critical? Do you catalogue your mistakes or the things you wish were different and focus your energy on these things? Do you find it easier to focus on what you don’t like about yourself rather than those aspects that you do like?
If you answered ‘yes’ you’re not alone. But consider that every single aspect of you is important to the WHO YOU ARE at this time in your life. Every bit of you is lovable, whether you believe that at the moment or not. WE asked you to come to Earth to be a part of the process of the unfolding of the Plan of the Universe and you agreed to join us. Thank you.
So if you are perfect right now, in this present moment, and your role is to learn lessons and to help everyone around you to learn their lessons, then every thing that you have done and every aspect of who you are contributes to all of the lessons being learned. Just as you are grateful for those around you, be grateful to yourself for being just what you agreed to be.
Everything that you see as a fault in yourself has some purpose, even if you don’t understand it at the moment. If you wish to change something about yourself, then change it. But do so from an energy of gratitude for the lessons that you have learned and from the space of not needing to be that way in the future. This is a much higher energy than to be in disgust or frustration with yourself!
Each of us is on a path of personal growth if we are living a conscious life. We are constantly moving forward by assessing our lives, changing that which we wish to change, lifting our awareness to higher perspectives and moving on to the next level of being. We are learning lessons all the time. Whatever we see in ourselves is serving a purpose or has served a purpose on our journey. Being in gratitude for ourselves is the starting place for loving ourselves.
Accept yourself and every moment of your life up until this point. Every backward glance over your timeline can carry with it an appreciation for all that you have learned. Some lessons came clearly and easily and others were difficult or tedious to learn. You might still be in the midst of some tough lessons or you might be in a more peaceful moment in your life. And every single lesson has brought you a step further on the path of personal growth. Every aspect of your person has been a loving contributor to every lesson. Be grateful. And love every aspect of yourself.
Loving yourself is not just an emotional thing. It is an important step along your personal journey. I declare today ‘Love Your Wonderful Self Day’! I love you just as you are. Now take that to the mirror and say, ‘I love you!’ to the reflection you see there. And express your gratitude for at least 1 part of you. Smile. Congratulations!
PS: Did you know you can get these video messages and my commentary directly by email every Friday? When you subscribe I also include a GIFT as a thank you for joining my list: a professionally recorded 7-minute audio recording to help you relax and de-stress. Subscribe Here
“Writing” a Commentary from Richard
Have you reviewed the video and commentary by Rosemary from her FREE weekly MuseLetter? I posted them over the past couple of days; if you want to receive them directly you can subscribe here. And today here are my thoughts on the support Rosemary offers for living a conscious life and her theme of the week, Writing:
As I’ve written here before one of my practices to seek inner guidance is from The Artist’s Way by Julia Cameron. In her book she recommends several practices; the key one I’ve adopted is to write 3 pages of “stuff” long-hand, every morning; these are called “morning pages.” I’ve actually been following this practice for many years; I have stacks of notebooks filled with my scrawl! And, no, I don’t get to this practice every single day. And there are stretches of time when I lapse and don’t write for days, even weeks. But I do very much benefit from the practice when I am disciplined in doing it.
I don’t always get to my practice first thing in the morning either; today it was 3:00 pm! But I do know that the day goes much better after I write so I do most days get to my writing position after yoga, qigong and tea in the AM.
I make a ritual of this practice and embed it in other rituals. Rituals are like good habits; they are both comforting and support the discipline. I light a candle on my alter (see my post last week) and I light incense to clear me, the alter, the space and the writing (including my decks of cards for divination). Then I sit cross-legged with a pillow to support the notebook. I also use a nice fountain pen; this is obviously not a requirement but I like fine tools!
I sit and write the three pages straight through. The content is not always noteworthy; in fact it rarely is! This is not the point; Cameron’s point in doing this practice is to clear the mind, clear the clutter from sleep, dreams, any junky thoughts, unprocessed emotions, mental cobwebs that might otherwise get in the way of clearer, more creative writing. Most often my pages begin with a dump of this kind of mind-trash. But I’m finding with the years of practice this often only takes a page or even some days just a few lines. Then I can get down to more meaningful inquiry.
So, I do use these pages to go inside, to meditate through the use of words, to let my mind go and my writing to follow the thoughts as they come. While Rosemary is a clairaudient and a clairvoyant my information comes through word flow; I don’t hear the words or see them, they just seem to form almost of themselves when I am in that clear space of receiving. I wish I could say this happens for me every day! But it does happen often enough to be extremely rewarding.
After I write out my three pages I then draw two cards from two decks of cards, as I’ve written here before. I write a half-page of notes about each card, what I think it means for me and the energies of the day. This fills my fourth page of writing for the day and these paragraphs are always meaningful (I’ve cleared the clutter with the pages). I use a separate, slightly nicer journal to record these divinations; and I use a better pen (more of the ritual).
And some days I am motivated, inspired to write a poem – a third writing practice I use. And on Mondays I’ve begun sharing some of my poems here on the blog.
I’d love to hear from you about your writing practices. What works for you? Have you tried “morning pages”? Please comment!
Meanwhile, “write-on.”
ROSEMARY’S EXPLORATION: Write Your Way to Success
Here’s Rosemary’s commentary on her weekly video I posted yesterday. She continues her exploration of tools for accessing our inner guidance, this time focusing in on writing as one such tool.
Rosemary writes:
This is the time to decide what ‘success’ means for you. For most people on the spiritual path, success is not measured by the numbers in the bank account. What is ‘success’ for you?
We’re not talking here about writing a best-selling book that makes you lots of money, although it is fun to be a ‘Best Selling Author,’ but about the kind of writing that comes from your heart. Journaling, meditative writing, channeled writing, letter writing, poetry composing, music composing, drawing, notetaking. So many ways to write!
Let’s talk about letter writing. When is the last time you wrote a letter? I’m not talking about typing an email, but taking pen in hand and actually allowing the words to flow from your mind and heart onto the paper through the pen. When is the last time you received a handwritten letter or note? It feels good to write a personal note on a birthday card or sympathy card. And when did you last send a handwritten thank you note?
When you tune in to another person as you focus on them while you write you are making an important energetic connection through the space-time continuum. There really is no separation in space and time so taking the time to connect through letter writing is a special energetic that can support both parties.
And what about problem solving when there is an issue or conflict between parties? These are the times when you want to be deliberate and take the time to re-read what you have written before you send the letter. You also want to copy your letter so you have a record of what you wrote. Most importantly, though, you want to take the time to make sure you are being congruent with your values before you send a letter in the heat of the moment.
When you write, connect first with your inner guidance to get into harmony within yourself. Then connect to the intended recipient of the letter, energetically inviting the connection for the highest good of all. Do all of this before you put pen to paper.
And sometimes ‘forgiveness’ comes into the picture. Do you need to forgive yourself or someone else before you write that letter? Remember that forgiveness is not about excusing behavior that is hurtful. Rather, forgiveness is saying, ‘Although I have felt hurt, I refuse to allow this energy to stay in my energy field or physical body. I release all energy associated with this and hold myself in gratitude for the lessons I have learned.’ Sometimes it can help in this process to write a letter and then burn it as you release the hurt and choose to stand in your own power. Forgive yourself, too, if you are focusing on having missed the mark in something. Give up the energy of feeling bad and decide that you will hold gratitude for lessons learned.
Sometimes journaling can be a great tool for self-knowledge that can support your success. Try journaling at different times of day to decide when you best connect with your inner being.
Writing is a good way to connect to your inner guidance, too. Your guides are always ready to speak to you when you quiet your mind-chatter and listen. If you hold a pen in hand and invite them to write to you, you can find that the pen captures the thoughts and the words write themselves.
Ask questions and write the answers. Ask about relationships, finances, business, life. The answers are inside. The pen brings them out and places them squarely in your conscious awareness.
Try it! And while you are at it, try writing a poem or drawing a picture or making up a story. Let your creativity flow through a pen or pencil or marker and watch how the clues to your success emerge.
PS: If you are enjoying these written messages you may be interested in my Monday calls when I channel The Divinine Feminine. These are FREE calls for your support and guidance through these fascinating times approaching the Winter Solstice of 2012. The calls are scheduled at 8:30 PM Eastern Time every Monday. Sign up here for the call details
Inspiration from The Divine Feminine: Writing
In this video Rosemary suggests writing as a way to tap into your inner guidance.
PS: If you would like to hear more from The Divine Feminine Rosemary offers a FREE short call every Monday evening, 8:30 pm Eastern time. She channels a message about the energies for the week and offers other information to guide us toward living a more conscious life. Register to receive the call-in number!
Men and The Goddess 