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A FRIDAY POEM FROM “RHYTHMS AND CYCLES” – Will We Survive?
In Rosemary’s”Exploration” this week she speaks of change and evolution – a frequent theme for both of us. As we move deeper into spring, the season of growth, change, we approach the Grand Cross that has the astrologers buzzing. Everyone is talking about change. Will it bring growth or will it bring destruction? The choice, as always, is ours!
Will We Survive?
The great wheel turns
Through the black cosmos
Always returning to the
Beginning,
Surviving another ending.
The cycles repeat
Monotonously consistent;
Yet each repetition
Carries change,
Signaling adjustment.
We return again
To a place of origin;
One more karmic turn,
Wondering.
Have we changed enough?
Will we survive?
©2012 Richard W. Bredeson. All rights reserved.
Survive or Thrive? – Richard’s Commentary
The Divine Feminine challenge us in Rosemary’s article to make the key choice in this life: we can either scrabble for survival in what many think is a “dog-eat-dog world”; or we can step up and out to live our True Purpose, the reason the Universe supported our birth in this time and space, and thrive!
It really is that simple. And it really is a choice. Here’s how They put it through Rosemary:
Many people on Earth in 21st Century Societies are greedy for what they don’t have – riches, power, control, freedom, pride. These people are distracted from what is really important.
When one seeks to live one’s purpose, one finds that collaboration with others supports thriving in life.
There are the choices: survive or thrive.
Interestingly They do bring up karma, more as a threat than a factor in our choice. They say: Don’t think that you can thrive by pushing someone else to the brink of survival. Those who believe that this is acceptable will learn exactly what the rules of karma are. But doesn’t karma affect our choice, our purpose? Are people merely in survival mode because they have past “debts” to work through?
I am in the middle of asking this very question of myself, working through the process of purging karma, some from my younger days and likely a whole lot from past lives. I am practicing an intense “yoga” in preparation for Kalachakra Initiation, known asKalachakra Tantra Six Session Yoga composed by the First Panchen Lama. And things are coming up. Some days in the midst of practice I ask myself if I am making any progress, if all this is worth the effort. Can we really purge, burn up, karma? And, is this part of the choice we must make to turn mere survival into thriving?
When I ask the hard questions I am often blessed with answers. Today I received two “replies” to my deepest seeking. The first is from Autobiography of a Yogi by Paramahansa Yogananda. He quotes his guru, Sri Yuktesvar: “Forget the past. The vanished lives of all men are dark with many shames. Human conduct is ever unreliable until man is anchored in the Divine. Everything in future will improve if you are making a spiritual effort now.”
My second answer came from my Goddess Cards, art by Susan Seddon Boulet and words by Michael Babcock. Today I drew Hathor, a Great Mother Goddess. And here is what Babcock says of her: “Hathor reminds us that we, too, must acknowledge all parts of ourselves, that what we call destructive is sometimes necessary to allow our creativity and compassion to flourish.”
Wow; thank you, Universe! Ask and you shall receive!
I have full permission to step into my purpose and thrive. I will most certainly continue the Six Session Yoga to see what comes up next.
And you, too, have the permission of the Universe, in fact the demand, that you step into your purpose and thrive! The choice is yours!
ROSEMARY’S EXPLORATION: Survive or Thrive?
A message from The Divine Feminine:
“Dear Ones,
To merely survive is not the same as to thrive. The Universe is set up so that each individual can thrive unless that opportunity is taken away from them.
Every plant is poised to thrive unless it is deprived of soil, nutrients, sunlight, water. Every animal has the tools it needs when its natural habitat is allowed to thrive. Human beings have been able to thrive on Planet Earth until the population has reached billions.
Some might argue that earlier peoples did not thrive and were wiped out. While it is true that some populations are no longer on the Planet, all who have lived as a part of a tribe have had an opportunity.
Some groups are no longer on the Planet because others conquered and destroyed them. Some were deprived of light or sustenance because of natural disasters. In modern times, greed of one sort or another has resulted in huge numbers of deaths.
War comes about because of greed, for power or money or territory. Governments who suppress the power of the people are greedy for power and control and, often, riches. Those who can kill others easily do it out of a sense of superiority over others and are greedy for a position of pride.
Many people on Earth in 21st Century Societies are greedy for what they don’t have – riches, power, control, freedom, pride. These people are distracted from what is really important.
When one seeks to live one’s purpose, one finds that collaboration with others supports thriving in life.
For some people struggling with survival, they have been put into that position as a direct result of some other person or people and greed.
Homelessness is not the natural state. Even in Nature, orphaned babies of one species are often taken in and raised by a mother of another species. Humans are meant to be communal and to support each other but, when greed gets in the way, people can end up struggling to survive.
Don’t think that you can thrive by pushing someone else to the brink of survival. Those who believe that this is acceptable will learn exactly what the rules of karma are.
And if you are surviving then it is your work to live your purpose and thrive.
Make the choice to thrive and all other choices become clear.
And so it is.”
The Divine Feminine guide us into position so that we can take an honest look at the life we are leading, especially as it relates to living our purpose, the reason we incarnated on Planet Earth at this time. We were meant to thrive!
There are so many ways to merely survive – physically, mentally, emotionally, spiritually. And, yet, we are conscious beings who have the ability to create our world with our thoughts.
What if we become ‘Conscious Creators’ and focus our intentions on thriving? What if we decide that it is important to help others not only to survive but to thrive? Can you imagine the energy that is generated when that becomes the focus of our thoughts and behaviors?
Thrive because you have found your purpose. Set your sights beyond mere survival and Live Your Richest Life.
Many of my clients are doing ‘okay’ in their life but they feel that there is something more, something calling to them. A book to write, a program to start, a foundation to create, a new product to develop. For some it is the search for peace within so that they are free to live the purpose they know they were born to manifest. Mere survival is not what drives them to thrive!
But it is important to clear the way, to get rid of those blocks that prevent the energy of ‘thrive’ and throw us into the energy of ‘survive.’
Reaching for the higher purpose brings a joy, a peace, an excitement that creates a beautiful energy in which to thrive! Accept that the Universe will help you to survive and jump on the bandwagon to thrive!
MONDAY’S POEM: The Most Popular from 2013: Karma
For the end of 2013 I did a scan of poems I published here on Mondays and discovered the most popular one, by the number of “likes” was Karma. Here it is again; and thanks to all for your following and reading through the year!
Karma
There’s always more to burn:
Fuel to feed the great fire.
Travels through life in the mire
Lead to more lessons to learn.
Brothers of three generations
Differ in extraordinary ways.
Their life-paths twist through a maze;
Destinies driven by their limitations.
Karma is complex to unwind;
The source is a tangle of lives.
The weaving together of so many tribes
Forms a patchwork, one of a kind.
When love is the thread for the stitches,
The patterns emerge in fine hues.
The patchwork of reds, purples, blues
Renders a tapestry depicting life’s riches.
©2013 Richard W. Bredeson. All rights reserved.
And, have a safe, wonderful, happy and prosperous 2014!
PS: Next year will be wonderful! How do I know? Because I listened to a message from The Divine Feminine channeled by Rosemary on the Winter Solstice; and they offered guidance and advice on what we might expect in 2014 and how to approach the year’s upcoming energy. Expect more change! The transformation continues! If you missed the message it is now available as an MP3 recording for a modest price; check out the details here: Winter Solstice Message
The Karma of Time – Richard’s Commentary
I have had a life-long struggle with Time. No, not the news magazine! I am emphasizing the word to indicate the importance of this phenomenon in modern life, at least this modern life.
Do you have enough time? Do you “spend time” like coinage? Do you catch yourself wasting time? Or even worse, do you “kill time” when you are waiting for something to happen? How many ways do you look at time? It sometimes seems almost alive. Often it seems like a commodity. Sometimes it’s the rarest of possessions. Other times it slips through our fingers like sand.
My struggle with time is I don’t seem to have enough of it. And knowing that time is nothing but a state of mind doesn’t necessarily help me reconcile the need for “more time.” I have had many teachers help me with this concept of time and my sense of it as a commodity that I need more of. I’ll get to Rosemary’s article in a moment but first I want to examine time from an indigenous world-view.
One of my teachers about time is Martín Prechtel. Growing up in an indigenous culture and then working and healing as a shaman in Mayan society in Guatemala, Martín has a very different understanding of time. And he works very hard to impart this indigenous understanding to his students. There are many native (Martín would say “natural”) languages that aren’t based on the verb “to be.” Entire languages developed without this sense of past, present, future as a central theme, understanding, and therefore, world-view. For me this has been a concept I’ve wrestled with. Martín suggests the best way to grasp it is to learn a language which has no “to be” verbs. I have, as yet, not taken on this assignment. And maybe that needs to be my next step to better understand, and more importantly, to let go of my obsession with time.
For Martín and his indigenous family time is more like ripples in a pond, echoes on the breeze, a spiral dance of moments that swirl and evolve gently. It is most definitely not linear. Past and future both are echoes of now. It’s a beautiful way to look at time. And it is certainly more relaxing than never having enough, running out, spending it foolishly!
My other teacher about time is Rosemary. We have always had a different take on time and I have always both wondered about this and admired her understanding. She always seems to have enough time, just enough. She seems able to take the time she has, all of it. She doesn’t waste it or spend it foolishly. And she doesn’t seem to hold on to it or grasp for more. Rosemary’s NLP (Neuro-Linguistic Psychology) teachers, whom I studied with as well, described two types of people: “in-timers” and “through-timers.” The in-timers are people who seem to float along as if they have plenty of it; this describes Rosemary. I am a through-timer who seems to be constantly running to catch up, to be on-time, to maximize the use of time.
I am learning to let go of this constant obsession with time. Rosemary’s view certainly helps; her article helps. But I think there is more to my “learning” about her concept of time, of the indigenous concept of time than an intellectual pursuit. Time, after all, is nothing more than a human invention, a concept. So we can imbue this concept with attributes that are more to our liking. But we also have to experience it with those attributes we would choose. Experience must support the change, the learning, the growth.
“All time is in this present moment.” Do you get this? Is this easy for you to understand? I’m working on it because I think there is a vital key here to unlock a very precious piece of knowledge. And all I need to do is fit that key to the lock and turn it!
ROSEMARY’S EXPLORATION: The Karma of Time
When you understand the concept that ‘All time is in this present moment,’ then you start to get an appreciation for the ‘karma’ of your present life.
Time is not really the linear construct that we use to schedule what we will be doing tomorrow or next week. We THINK it is, but time is a human construction so that we know when to meet a friend for lunch. Time is really a dimension, the Fourth Dimension, and we live within this dimension always.
All time is in this present moment. Your Past, your Future – all lives right here, right now, with you in this present moment.
We usually speak of karma as some seed that we sowed in the past that is coming to fruition now to haunt or uplift us. In actuality, we are constantly putting out into the Universe the energies that attract like energies into the sphere of our life. What we think in this moment creates our next moment and the one after that. We live with the decisions, beliefs and thoughts of all of the moments of our life. And we create what we call ‘the Future’ with the energies we attract in this present moment.
As you move forward during your day today, notice how your thoughts jump from one idea to another. Notice the connections between thoughts. Now notice if one thought that uplifts you leads to another uplifting thought and then another. Also notice if a disturbing thought leads to another disturbing thought and then another.
It is very easy to get drawn into a spiral because the energy of one thought attracts like energy. This is why it is so important to live a conscious life wherein you are catching yourself thinking the thoughts you have and choosing what to think next.
For example, have you had the experience of seeing someone you admire and then finding yourself moving into envy? That leads to listing all the things that are ‘wrong’ with you and why you don’t measure up to that standard. Then you might start finding someone/thing to blame for that. It becomes a downward spiral.
You have a choice. When you see someone you admire, you can admire them and choose to bless them with your thoughts and then think about someone else you admire. You can bring to consciousness things about yourself that you admire, too. You have a choice to catch yourself thinking ‘good thoughts’ about yourself!
Life is about being conscious of the energies you are transmitting to the Universe. Take charge of what you think and do in this moment so that you are transmitting what you want more of in your life. BE the person you want to be in your Future. BE that person in this present moment.
There is no ‘there.’ Just BE. It is all ‘HERE’!
PS: Through the month of Rosemary’s birthday, August, she is offering a very special price on a Reading with Rosemary: $65! Get help with direction, with next steps, with living with the Karma of Time. This special expires August 31. Purchase Here
ROSEMARY’S EXPLORATION: The Heart of Humanity
A message for you today from The Divine Feminine:
“Dear Ones,
We are here today to speak of the Heart of Humanity. This is not about the individual heart of a single person but, rather, the collective heart of the humans both alive and in spirit.
The Heart of Humanity is an energy of immense, unselfish, unconditional Love. This love for all humanity is the impetus behind humanitarian efforts of all kinds. Great spiritual teachers of all traditions have cared very deeply for the well-being of the people around them and for humanity at large. In fact, ‘humanitarian’ implies that the caring is only for human beings but this kind of caring and love extends to all Life, to all Beings, including animals and even plants.
Think of the teachings attributed to Jesus and Buddha about compassion and love for all. They were teaching about the Heart of Humanity. The Dalai Lama and other holy people of contemporary times teach the same message of caring for all.
Now notice how many preach a different story of separateness, of difference that allows one to feel ‘better than’ others, of deservedness vs. undeserving. There are those who are preaching the concepts of ‘mine vs. theirs’ with no concern for the common good. This does not come from the Heart of Humanity but from the source of greed that depends on fear of lack. This has no heart energy in it at all.
Some who claim to be religious people have embraced the teachings of separation and greed but have couched their preaching in a language that they think speaks to a common good. They have either deluded themselves into this belief or have chosen to mislead others by consciously using language to cover up the energy of greed and separation.
Great spiritual teachers offer their teachings to those who are ready to hear. They share from a place that they realize is greater than their own ego. They do not attempt to coerce or to impose their beliefs on others. They have too much respect for the free will of humans to try to convert someone to their way of thinking. They merely offer and allow the hearers to decide for themselves what they will accept.
This attitude for sharing spiritual teaching comes from the Heart of Humanity. The energy of ‘allowing’ is a more loving energy than that of ‘coercing’ or ‘converting.’ The Heart of Humanity is a gentle energy.
But this same energy can become fierce in the face of threats to the common good. When energy is needed for the preservation and protection of a group of people the Heart of Humanity spurs human helpers into action. This is the response you see in outpourings of help after disasters on Planet Earth.
The Heart of Humanity also compels people to work for the evolution of consciousness on the Planet. Teaching about the connectedness of all, that what is good for one is good for the group, that each individual has a responsibility to all others – these teachings stem from the Love and Compassion in the Heart of Humanity.
‘For the good of all.’ This does not have qualifying factors as some would propose when they separate people into groups who deserve and those who do not. When one makes a choice that seems good for an individual or small group at the expense of or that harms others, then one is not operating from within the Heart of Humanity.
‘For the good of all.’
Let this become your mantra. You cannot separate yourself from the matrix of all humanity. You can only choose how you will make your choices as one node in that matrix connected to all other nodes.
When you choose to work for the highest good of all humanity, you light up your node and add light to the entire web that connects all humans on Planet Earth. Your choices for yourself become clear as this light shines upon the possibilities. And YOU benefit from these choices as well.
The connectedness is a fact. There are those who know this fact and there are others who misguidedly believe that they are isolated from others and that they can make choices for themselves without regard for others or even at the expense of others. Sadly for them, they cannot choose to be isolated from the connection. Thus, the energy of harm stays in the energy grid and seeks to attach to like energy. It will be enhanced by similar nodes and will come back to them magnified.
This is what the traditions teach about karma. The energy you put into this grid seeks like energy and returns to your node magnified.
Choose to energize the Love and Compassion of the Heart of Humanity!
And So It Is.”
PS: Your next opportunity to participate in a Conversation with The Other Side is July 13 at 7:00 pm Eastern. You can join the Conversation online via a video internet connection, or voice/phone; and if you can come to Annapolis, join me live! Get the details here.
Monday’s Poem: “Will We Survive?”
We made it through the Solstice! And now we are heading into Christmas 2012. We have come through another circle, another year. And as we wind 2012 to a close I do consider where we are going. My “team” from the future, my “Floating Heads” – QRS – are whispering in my ear. It’s time! It’s about survival! And I think they must have dictated this poem to me. Happy Chirstmas Eve!
Will We Survive?
The great wheel turns
Through the black cosmos
Always returning to the
Beginning,
Surviving another ending.
The cycles repeat
Monotonously consistent;
Yet each repetition
Carries change,
Signaling adjustment.
We return again
To a place of origin;
One more karmic turn,
Wondering.
Have we changed enough?
Will we survive?
©2012 Richard W. Bredeson. All rights reserved.
Men and The Goddess 