You meditate so your mind will be ready for mental and emotional exertion...

You exercise so your body will be ready for physical exertion. You meditate so your mind will be ready for mental and emotional exertion..

Yesterday, just when I finished writing and editing my post for the day, I somehow hit a wrong key and followed that with the ill-advised Control-Z to undo it, and presto....! No more post... All gone... Since I had an aappointment to keep I didn't have time to re-write it. (It turns out the appointment was a complete wash, so I could actually have spent the re-writing time, had I known.)

I told myself, as I frequently advise here, to accept and allow "What is" as normal and fine. On an intellectual level that was pretty easy, but emotionally I couldn't seem to entirely let it go. Especially knowing that the appointment didn't pan out, I started feeling upset and angry about the lost post. Why did it have to happen? I had worked so hard on it, and was very pleased at the way the conclusion brought all the ideas together... Blah, blah, blah....

It turns out, as it always does, that I was asking the wrong "Why" question, but we'll get to that...

My fiance, seeing how this was infringing on my "WA" asked me, "When was the last time you meditated?" I was reminded by her question, that I possessed all I needed right inside, to get over my little spat with the Universe. I began focusing on my breathing, brought myself right to the "blue flame" within myself and within minutes I was back to Buddha like calmness... Yay!

It's very important to surround yourself with conscious people, because their high vibrational level provides you with a benchmark for your own... It is also very important to meditate frequently. Just as you exercise so your body will be ready for physical exertion, you meditate so your mind will be ready for mental and emotional exertion... Physical exercise gives you good cardio-vascular health, and provides you with physical stamina. Meditation is spiritual exercise, and provides you with spiritual stamina. The more you meditate the quicker and easier it is for you to get into a meditative state, sometimes called centering yourself, or even calming yourself. When an emotional challenge presents itself, a practiced meditator can quickly go to that silent place where clarity resides, and thus be able to take creative, straightforward action(s), that are unhampered and unobstructed by the cloud of emotions that typically make for rash and reckless reactions.

Back to the "Why" question. Experiencing the lost post had temporarily set me back to unconscious thinking, to believing the illusion is real. Instead of asking myself why it happened, I should have immediately asked why I wasn't letting the Universe drive the car and deciding that my only job was as a passenger. Instead of whining, "Are we almost there?" thinking that happiness was in the future, I should have decided to happily observe the wonderful scenery and let life BE...

Today, meditate... If you never have,  begin. When you slip off your horse, as we all do, a strong meditative practice will allow you to get right back up, and move forward without another thought. It will help you return to that primordial forest, that still lies deep within your DNA.
Have a splendid weekend!

Duffy

Every act is an act of self-definition...

Every act is an act of self-definition...

If you kick someone when they're down, you're the kind of person who kicks someone when they're down. You are not the kind of person who just happened to kick someone when they were down, but is really a much better person.

You are what you do...

If you cheat on your taxes, you are a cheat. If you buy lap dances at the "ballet" you are an adulterer. If you swear by the words of Jesus on Sunday and screw everyone the rest of the week, you are a hypocrite. You may have a host of jokes and one-liners handy, "First of the day!" or "It's noontime somewhere in the world!" to try to buffer your obvious inebriation too early in the day, but a drunk is a drunk...is a drunk...

Humans have a unique ability to think more highly of themselves than they are due. How great that they can let themselves "off the hook" for their transgressions! They generally do not however give others the same "wriggle room." We figure we can mostly (almost entirely) present ourselves as someone who is much better than what we do, and take full credit for the fascade!

Your Ego NEEDS to be special! It will go to ANY lengths to show itself to be so. It will dig for compliments, tear down others, fabricate the importance of its role in events, rationalize any personal faults, cause you to lie/cheat/steal, even to commit homicide in extreme cases...

The truth however, is you CANNOT ever change the appearance of your character by anything you say about yourself. No amount of advertising ultimately has any effect on how others perceive you. None of your positive "spin" will help. Your character is what it is... It is what YOU do...

Today, begin to embark on a life of 100% integrity. Let Honor be the gift you give to yourself. The Universe experiences itself through you. What kind of experience do you want it to have?

Duffy

Human beings are the only vessels that allow their wake to alter their course...

Human beings are the only vessels that allow their wake to alter their course...

Sometimes a wolf pack is strong enough to bring down a grizzly bear, and sometimes the bear is too strong for the pack. The pack attacks and does its best to outwit, and wear the bear down. On the occasions when the pack fails, do they sulk and whine about it? Do they carry the failure around and let it alter their self-esteem? No, they simply move on to what is next...

Compare this to Humans. Humans take their failures out of the box (the proverbial box in the "attic" where old items are kept) and revisit them over and over, not only harming their self-image with each review, but doing so in a manner that projects the "harmed" self-image onto the future! A two-fer!

Seriously, we Humans live mostly in what is called "Psychological time" (Tolle).  Psychological time is where we spend our conscious energy either dredging up the past, endlessly recycling previous failures, hurts and injuries at the hands of others, whether they are imagined or real, and reliving and thus strengthening their power over us, or we spend it awful-izing about the future. Our Egos know on some level, that they have a tenuous hold, and so in order to bolster their importance they try to set up scenarios where we will fail. These failures lead to chronic worry about this failure and how we can act (draw attention to ourselves) in such a way that we can show ourselves as important enough to escape the imagined danger...

What is the net result of this? We miss the present moment and all of its potential. Our only point of access to life is through the present moment. The past is nowhere except in your head. The future is nowhere except in your imagination (once again, in your head). Most people experience some sort of anxiety routinely. They know something is wrong, but they can't put their finger on it... So, they look to the next moment to provide relief. Once they get to the next moment they are chagrined and say, "Oh no, it's the PRESENT again!" Not to be thwarted they try again...and again...and again. They keep trying because their Ego keeps needing reinforcement that it is necessary and important, and it can only prove this in their imagination (the future). The Ego considers the present moment to be an obstacle, a means to an end, or its enemy...

In order to take full advantage of the present moment you must curtail your Ego. The bliss of living is only available NOW. Also any anxiety, or other negative emotions you might be experiencing can only be healed or otherwise dealt with in the present moment as well. You cannot take possesion of your being when you are not BEing...

Today, make an attempt at staying PRESENT. Whenever you start to call up the past, stop, focus on your breathing. Notice the breath coming in and out of your body. If you feel yourself begin to worry about something in the future, apply the same technique. Recognize that you can only deal with this moment, and focus on that. Do your best with what is at hand NOW, and the future will take care of itself... Leave your wake where it is, behind you, and focus on the wheel in your hands...

Duffy

Don't wait for the crowd to applaud...

Don't wait for the crowd to applaud, look into your heart and start cheering for yourself...

So often we identify ourselves using a litany of external parameters. I'm Irish, I'm a Bostonian, I'm a baby-boomer, I'm a liberal... Most of these attributes are used to describe who I am; by me to others, and by others to categorize me. You're saying, "OK, I don't see anything wrong here..." and there is nothing wrong with using terms to describe yourself for reference.

The problem comes when you start to edit yourself because of them. When you can't acknowledge the Yankees played a great game because you are a Red Sox fan, then you are taking the "identity" to extremes.

People are afraid of speaking their own truth, because they fear being ostracized by a group with which they identify themselves. "Are you with us or against us?" They are asked. If not asked outright, the question is implied by non-verbal tactics like "the cold shoulder," or "stonewalling," or "the silent treatment." Most people are herded back into the corral by this alone. When someone continues to stray from the party line they are spoken of as, "a fair-weather fan," "He's not wrapped too tight," "a freak," "odd," or the worst, "a loner."

The power the group holds is only through the strength of its numbers and the worst crime is that of an identifying member showing independence of thought/word/deed. When a group member crosses over the line separating the circle of us into the circle of THEM, this weakens the "in" group! It can't be tolerated!!!!!

Worse yet, most of us are so indoctrinated that we police ourselves, and here is where the trouble really exists. "I can't talk like that now, I'm a married woman," "I can't vote for a Muslim," "I don't take any crap!" and countless more ways we follow our training/brain-washing with sub-conscious rules.

The truth is there is no circle of THEM. There is only the circle of US. The circle of them is an illusion, that only exists in your mind. The perception that there are others thinking the same thing is simply your own thought, it does not exist "out there," only "in here." The demands of your personal identifying group(s) can be wiped clean in an instant if you have the courage to begin to see yourself only as a member of the Human Race.... all ONE...

Today, look at people you have always perceived as different or, "one of THEM," and seek unity. There are far more qualities that you share than there are areas of unlikeness...if you choose to look...

Duffy

The mountain top may be reached from any side...

The mountain top may be reached from any side...

The terrible tragedy in Norway requires some comment...

We live in changing times. Things are changing so rapidly that fear is becoming the dominant emotion for large chunks of the population. Back when I was in high school (back before 'lectricity?) we called those who wished for a return to the olden days, reactionaries. They brought to mind Disney movies like "Follow Me Boys" and "Toby Tyler," with their gentle longing for the nostalgic past...

Today, those folks have become toxic to the safety and cooperation required of democracy. The psychological diagnosis, "Borderline Personality Disorder," which refers to an individual that engages in Black and White thinking, comes to mind. Black and White thinking occurs when only two alternatives are considered, even when there are addtional options available, which are often shades of gray in between the extremes.

Many religious leaders today are taking advantage of the fear being experienced because of the changes we are experiencing. They are combining the enormous power of media and politics (is there any difference anymore?) and creating/encouraging/ensuring mass "Black and White" thinking. Questions such as, "Whose side are you on?" "Are you with us or against us?" "Are you willing to fight and die for the Lord?" are omni-present. Jesus never asked these type questions, neither did Abraham, Mohammed, Krishna, or Buddha. These questions and their ilk are asked by power hungry religious zealots for the express purpose of psychologically controlling their "sheep." By constantly repeating that YOURS is the only true religion they are plying SEPARATENESS. They know your Ego wants/needs to be special, and through the offer of acceptance by the group (your chosen faith) they gain control of YOU. This Black and White thinking is what leads to Wars. How many wars have there been where each side claims God is on their side, that to give one's life for the Lord is dying for the GREAT CAUSE and will be rewarded in heaven? All of them? Every single one? Are we that easily fooled?

All JUST wars eventually become just WARS! Death/horror/destruction...did I mention death?

I have news for you. Christianity is not the only true faith, nor is Islam, or Judaism, and none of the others is either. We are ALL God's children, EACH as good and worthy as the next. The kernal of truth that is the root of all religions is virtually the same, "Love thy neighbor."  And we EACH have the right to find our own way of connecting with the Universe/God/Tao. The true reason for all religion is to aid one on the road to enlightenment, and they all provide a proven path. But they are each only a single way. The mountain top may be reached from any side...

Today, when you experience fear when exposed to religious ideas different from your own, stamp it back down into the hole where it belongs, in the place where your childhood fears of monsters emanating from under your bed are kept. Instead, seek and offer understanding, find areas of agreement and work from that place. We are ALL one, ALL in this together...

Duffyjw

Nature is totally co-dependent...

Nature is totally co-dependent...No part feels superior enough to go it alone...Every element is constantly in a helpful frame of mind..

Except Man...

No other species on Earth has to be told how to act... You've heard the phrase uttered by a mother watching her son in a parade, "Look, everybody is out of step but my John!" WE, are the "my Johns" of the planet...

You can take an ant away from his colony and place him in the same type of colony 1000 miles away and he will accept and be accepted seamlessly.

When slow-motion photography is taken of schools of darting fish, swarms of buzzing insects or flocks of suddenly swooping birds, it always shows they are all voting to cooperate and change TOGETHER for each movement. From insects to primates it is the same, it's in our DNA. The basic element of nature is cooperation and democracy.

Does your right hand ever get into a fight with your left hand? Do your arms compete with your feet? No... This is because you see your body as a whole, a single entity. You recognize that all parts are supposed to work in harmony towards a unified goal.

The contradiction is outside our skin. It is societal, and it is the root cause of our problems....

A toddler of any race or culture will run to pick up something you have dropped and hand it to you. We are genetically programmed to cooperate just like every other species, but we teach each other the opposite, to compete. All of our lives we hear you must, "Separate yourself from the pack," "Winning is the only thing," "Be number one," "WIN!"

Ironically we know this is wrong, because we judge others by the opposite. We say, "He's a team player," "She works well in groups," "He plays well with others," to encourage positve actions. "He's a prima-donna," or "...a loner," or "... a loose cannon" are some of the things said in response to efforts that are uncooperative. We also react negatively to people who are "non-conformists," people who refuse to conform to established customs, attitudes or ideas...

The bottom line is there is a dichotomy here, a wound in our individual and collective psyches. Although the push to teach our children to "out compete" others instead of acting in concert is based on the fear of scarcity and them not surviving drought, famine or other shortages, the truth is we have a far better chance of survival as part of a cooperating group. Why else would we say, "There is safety in numbers?"

Indigenous peoples all over the world value cooperative efforts and distain competitive ones. They are still in tune with nature and recognize they a PART of the whole and not APART from the whole. "Civilized" man tries control with ownership, with hoarding assets, and have built up huge bodies of Law and political ideologies to protect their right to POWER over others...

The next critical step however, in the evolution of consciousness, is for the Human race to re-examine the concepts of competition. Private property, power, hoarding, control of others, in fact all competition, are based on fear not LOVE...

Today, challenge your thoughts when you see yourself reflexively engaging in competition with others. It is holding US back. As Jimi Hendrix stated so beautifully, "When the power of Love overcomes the love of power..."

Duffy

You are a spoke on the wheel of the Universe, not the center...

You are a spoke on the wheel of the Universe, not the center...

Isn't it ironic that we negatively perceive terms like self-pity, self-absorbed, self-centered, self-serving, SELFish, self-indulgent, etc., and then we as individuals go about our day with only marginal regard for "other" or "group?"

Our Egos keep us completely focused on our own wellbeing, but the same Ego is threatened when it notices someone else's Ego doing the same thing... This observation alone should raise a red flag about our own behavior. If we are threatened by seeing our own behavior in others, shouldn't that be a clear indication that our own behavior should be changed?

We HATE to consider ourselves ordinary/common/undistinguished. It sends our Egos into overdrive, searching for recognititon, for some way to be superior. Our Egos' view of ourselves as SEPARATE always leads it to comparisons, and better, superior, and more deserving are always the results at which it arrives.

We also receive an endless assault of daily messages from our culture;  "Rugged Individualism," "Dog eat dog," "Look out for number one," that subconsciously reinforce the Ego. I say subconsciously, because we never stop and analyze these sayings to see if they resonate with our ethical views or even if they make sense! We just assume they are true since they are repeated so often...

They don't make sense...

When we examine snowflakes softly falling on a hushed afternoon, we marvel at how each is different and at the same time PERFECT. We say with authority, "No two are alike!" But we NEVER consider them anything other than snow... They are all SNOW! We are ALL the Human Race! Just as the impact of the snow is a group effort, the meaning of the Human Race is as a group. Our individual differences are minute as a matter of influence, and while just as inspiring of wonder as individual snowflakes, it is the WE that is of consequence...

The wheel might be the dominant symbol of the Universe. The moon wheels around the Earth, the Earth wheels around the Sun, the Sun around the Milky Way, a galaxy, a wheel like billions of other galaxies... The Earth is not the center. The Sun is not the center. The Mily Way is not the center... and neither are you... YOU are simply a spoke on the wheel. WE are all spokes on the wheel...

Today, reign in your Ego. When you begin to compare yourSELF to others stop and see that you are one snowflake and that your only true value is you are SNOW...

Duffy

Your internal dialogue is critical...

Your internal dialogue is critical...

It takes five positive observations to overcome one negative one. So you must keep practicing.

Why is this so?

Your hunter/gatherer ancesters did not live in the controlled environment that we benefit from today. They needed to be constantly aware of ever present and life threatening surprises.

I had the priviledge of hiking through the wilds of Wyoming recently. Trust me, when your environment becomes one where every square yard has some kind of animal tracks and you come across fresh grizzly bear scat during cub season, you become uniquely aware that neither your college degree nor your Nikon are going to protect you from a dangerous encounter.

Those of your ancesters that were predisposed to focus on the negative likely survived at a greater percentage and were thus "naturally selected," surviving to pass on their negative focused genetics to us... It makes sense for us to have an innate fear of spiders and snakes, since the act of learning about them could be deadly, and so these spider and snake survivors passed this on to us.

"Well, we have evolved since then!" I hear you say. No, we haven't... Evolution is a very slow process. Civilization has been on the scene for a remarkably short time relatively (the first roll of toilet paper was only patented in 1871!) and so we are still very much pre-disposed to seek out the negative.

The difference in today's world is the negatives/dangers/worries we spend our time seeking are no longer deadly. This fact, however doesn't stop our inherited brains from their chronic search for the bad... We are also bombarded by negative messages; "Only the strong survive," "You're not good enough," "It's a dog eat dog world," and "Only the cream rises to the top," which further erode our experience and add an additonal helping of NEGATIVE to our plate...

The good news is we can reprogram our own brains! Think of a map where all the cities and towns are marked but no roads connect most of them. When you focus on a thought you build a tiny road. The more often you travel that road the bigger the road becomes. You can actually build a superhighway from the city, "How am I feeling" to the city "Look at all the positives surrounding me!"

Seriously this takes practice, and it takes five positives to overcome one negative thought because of our genetic inheritance, but the more you seek the positive, the more you will reprogram your brain to notice them. Your existence will steadily become a more positive one!

Today, notice when you hear the negative messages begin to play their loop in your head, or when people say things like, "Same shit, different day," and pull a 180. Immediately look for something good right then. Practice doing this all day, everyday and you life will become brighter, more positive...HAPPIER.... Trust me, trust me!

Duffy

Do not move when stillness is appropriate...

Do not move when stillness is appropriate...

There is nothing for you to DO...

That is not a typo. I know it goes against everything you've ever been taught, but we are human BEings, not human doings.

You were born connected to everything. It has been documented that newborns are not able to distinguish where they end and everything else begins. But then comes the indoctrination. You are given a name, pumped full of separate identity, and forced to enter the Earthly struggle; for success, for attention, for acclaim, for reward.

You were told you belong to a particular race not the human race, a certain religion and not that spirit is the same everywhere, that you have a narrowly defined ethnic background, instead of that we all evolved from the same woman 160,000 years ago, and on and on and on...

Why?

Because it is easier to control you. Because it is easier to instill you with fear. Once you have been convinced of your separateness, the self (the "you" you identify with) is constantly striving to fit in. You strive to conform, to shave, sand and scrape off qualities that you are told are wrong. You begin to apply make-up to your existence, to create a story that is not only acceptable, but is an improvement on you, a story that will show you are superior... You jump onto the merry-go-'round and COMPETE, trying to excel, to beat, to win, to be SUPERIOR...

Alas none of this brings happiness, for happiness is an inside game. You may out-compete all the other "selves" and accumulate a giant hoard (which you will then spend all of your energy trying to keep from the "horde") but happiness will elude you.

If you meditate (in whatever manner appeals to you) enough times to get to the point where you merge with the little blue flame, you can stop reading here. You already know.

If not, happiness will come to those who can begin to see beyond the illusion of separateness, and see that WE ARE ALL ONE... Moving in the direction of connection will lessen the fear and all of the training will begin to fall away. There are powerful forces that have a vested interest in you not doing this; the ones making all the profit off of your work, the ones paid to continue plying you with fear through the media, the ones who on Sunday tell you that you can only experience God through them, and the ones who feel exceedingly SUPERIOR, for their Egos rely upon their separateness...

What can you do? Learn to meditate and practice it daily. Yes, you do have time, for when you "get it" you will truly see there is nothing for you to "do", that all the "doing" is a construct of a world populated by fearful, separate DO-ings and your need to DO is based unpon the expectations you have been brain-washed with from birth. Recognize that stillness, silence, is the voice of the Soul. I say "the" Soul instead of "your" Soul because in reality there is only ONE Soul. It is not "in" you, it "surrounds" you as it does all people, all things, the entire Universe, God...

Today, whenever you notice how you are different from those around you, cancel that thought and replace it with an observation of how similar you are to them. Look for connection and you will begin to see it everywhere. Eventually your "separate" self will dissolve. You Ego will hate it, but the evolution of Consciousness will glide you from YOU to US...

Duffy

Open your heart to Love and Love will fill it...

Open your heart to Love and Love will fill it...

We could just as easily say, "Open your heart to good and good will fill it..." or, "Open your heart to God and God will fill it..." or, "Open your heart to the Universe and the Universe will fill it," for they are one and the same...

We humans have been given the greatest gift, to be a species chosen to experience and create the evolution of CONSCIOUSNESS. God/Tao/the Universe experiences consciousness through us, and we get to experience God/Tao/the Universe through it, simultaneously!

Each newborn child is tapped into the collective consciousness from day one, and each is invited to move the bar forward through the creative power of their own thoughts, joining with the vast creative power of the collective...

Your thoughts are very powerful. They literally create your existence. If your thoughts tell you that your life is miserable, then that will be your reality. If your thoughts portray a view that life is wonderful and all people are pulling and struggling together to make a better world, then that will be the reality in which you live... How Cool!

When your thoughts are joined by like thoughts, they are magnified geometrically. An enlightened Master once said,"Wherever two or more of you are gathered in my name..." This is THE collective consciousness he was referring to.

The caveat to this uniquely special opportunity, is that unconscious (negative) thoughts have the same power. The collective "unconscious" is able to do great damage. The Nazi atrocities were the result of millions of thoughts of hatred and blame misplaced onto the Jews. The internment of American born People of Japanese decent during WWII resulted from the same collective unconscious...

Everyday we have the opportunity to throw off the shackles of hatred, fear, shame, guilt, superiority, pride and all of the negative attitudes we have been bombarded with since birth and open our hearts to PURE LOVE. If you open your heart, LOVE will fill it!

Today, when you overhear someone, even that little voice inside your head, express that some are not as worthy as others, stop and ask, "What if I were them?" because you are...

Duffy

Choose to love "What is" and you will love life...

Choose to love "What is" and you will love life...

Whether you have actually ever gotten married or not you have probably heard traditional marriage vows enough times to be able to repeat them by rote "...for better for worse, for richer for poorer, in sickness and health, to love and cherish, to death do us part..."

Imagine now that you adopted that attitude towards LIFE... Life is actually your real partner. Think about that... You could get married and divorced 5 times, more even, or never marry at all but life would still be your partner all the way along. Your family may be the strongest unit you can imagine, but one by one they leave you... Life never does.

From the day of your birth until your final day as you are presently manifested, "What is" is your constant and most dependable companion. It will never abandon you or leave your side even for a moment. Most of us take this loyalty completely for granted, so much so that we gripe and moan constantly. "Life sucks and then you die."

Love is a choice. If you choose to Love "What is," no matter what it is, you will Love life. You've heard people say, "I'm lovin' life right now!" Shouldn't we all be saying that, all the time?

When someone asks you, "How's your love life?" Shouldn't your answer be really be about your love of life, your love affair with LIFE? This journey, this brightly lit movie that you get to experience everyday, that is constantly changing, with no editing mistakes, no holes, and never once gives away the ending, this life that is constructed in such an awesome fashion that if you look for the positive it is ALWAYS there to be seen and so too that there is plenty of negative if that's your taste! How could you possibly choose to give this life anything but five stars!

Today, when you feel any inkling of negativity towards life, consider the alternative, give yourself a "dope slap" and smile, 'cuz you know this life is the best!

Duffy

You could be feeling the bliss of snowflakes on your tongue, at this moment...

You could be feeling the bliss of snowflakes on your tongue, at this moment, if you'd simply stop labelling what is happening NOW as less...

What is the difference between the bliss of laughter, puppies, new babies, catching snowflakes on your tongue and "lesser" experiences?

Your label of "lesser"...

You have decided that some experinces are lesser than others. In fact you have a whole hierarchy of "lesser" ratings. Each of us has our own unique list, but commonly most events are looked on as, mildly annoying, irritating, downright irritating, "You're pissing me off!" and intolerable.

What is even worse is that these classifications don't begin somewhere in the middle of life's events, where an equal number of experiences are in the "good" half and "lesser" ones in the second half,  but strangely YOU call everything south of "unbelieveable," as in a gorgeous sunset, "lesser!"

In truth, YOU are not giving yourself much room for happiness. Almost everything falls on the "lesser" side of your ledger... Seriously, is it any wonder that you're constantly having "lesser" experiences, plagued with living a "lesser" life?

The solution is to begin to look at all of life as normal and fine, perfect in its design. In doing this the natural bliss of living starts to show itself everywhere, since YOU are no longer blocking it with labels and judgements. How cool is that! Stop calling some things "not as good" and they become AS good! The bliss of living is everywhere. Ask someone who just escaped a near death experience and they see bliss in all things, they'd be happy watching paint dry...

Today, when you see yourself in a "lesser" place recognize that it is only YOU that is encountering something "lesser"...

Duffy

There are no coincidences. They are messages BEing sent to you...

There are no coincidences. They are messages BEing sent to you from the Universe to help guide you. Notice them. Read them. Live them. BE them..

You walk into a seminar, or a meeting, or the mall, or a bar, and you run in to someone you went to school with 10, 20, 40 years ago. "Wow!" you say, "What a coincidence!"

It is not a coincidence. It is not random... It is ordained. The Universe/God/Tao has put you in contact... Because you each have a message for the other. It may not be easy to dicipher what their message to you is, but there is one. The messenger may actually have reached out to you after a period of being out of contact...same thing, they have a message for you.

Let's suppose this person is a former girlfriend/boyfriend, one you have secretly pined away for, years after having lost touch! What might your message BE? It might BE an answer to your prayers (Law of Attraction). It might be a message to you that you have grown enough to have a successful relationship with this person now. Perhaps it is an opportunity for you to compare and see how much better the relationship is that you are now in with another...and that it is time to let all that go...

A former friend/coworker bumps into you. Amazingly they have recently started a new business that is closely related with yours! What's your message? That you should consider broadening your business to include this person and their expertise? Does this person have information about your business (from the outside) that in critical to your success? Maybe it's a sign that your industry is getting too crowded and you should start to branch out/get out...

Sometimes what appears coincidental is small, and hardly noticable as such. A new client calls for a repair and it turns out they are an avid guitarist and YOU ARE TOO! The Tao has put you together, the Universe has caused what could be labeled as serendipity, but is actually synchronicity, to happen! God is saying, "Focus here..." You've heard of wild animals abandoning an area shortly before a fire, or an earthquake? They're paying attention to and taking their "coincidences" seriously...

Whether these and similar events come to you as a whisper or hit you aside the head, they are to be heeded. The more you begin to notice them the more you will see them as significant memos/bulletins/missives/aids to you. Read them. Dicipher them. Follow them, BE them.

Today BE on the outlook for anything that seems coincidental, and take a moment to reflect on it and regard its true value to you... Your life or life as you desire it may depend on your attention and discernment...

Duffy

You can't fill a cup that is already full. If you want a new life you must empty your cup first...

You can't fill a cup that is already full. If you want a new life you must empty your cup first...

Most people are so stuck on their beliefs that they appear frozen in time, as if a time capsule of them and their life was buried years ago...

To the ancient Greeks beliefs were a process, as in believing. They worshipped in a way that celebrated the process of believing, and not one of righteous absolutes as so many do today. The rituals of worship were a giving up of oneself to what may come versus telling others what is true in no uncertain terms.

Where does this leave us? For most people, the rules and regs they learned/absorbed/adopted at some earlier (read less experienced) time in their lives (generally in childhood before they actually had the opportunity to examine things with their adult mind) have become rigid parameters completely confining their thinking. They are not able to or have become unwilling to see anything outside their box because of this. This is what is meant by a full cup...

Alas...they are experiencing unhappiness, misery, worry and FEAR...

If you want to change your life you MUST change your thinking. There is no other way. So, in essence you must empty your cup. This is no easy task, as you must address each one of your (rigid) beliefs as they come up, and open your mind to different possibilities, different labels.

Suppose you are an ardent opponent of abortion for example. Then your own daughter gets raped and impregnated. You just might change your views when it gets personal. I use this particular example only because people generally have a completely closed opinion on this subject, and also because maintaining this adamant, inflexible position could lead to a great deal of unhappiness for those involved.

Emptying your cup shows up in a myriad of unexpected ways. You must adopt a Conscious attitude, freely observing each stimulus as it arises and then adopting what expresses WHO YOU ARE NOW...in relation to it...

Today, observe yourself. Watch how often you reflexively react to events and attitudes and of the unhappy/angry/fearful emotions that accompany your attitudes. If you want to experience happiness, you just might have to empty your cup...

Duffy

The more your Unconscious Ego rules you, the more you will only see the Unconcsious Ego in others...

The more your Unconscious Ego rules you, the more you will only see the Unconcsious Ego in others. Seeing their faults strengthens your Ego.

Is Unconscious Ego the most destructive force on the planet? It's right up there on the list. It is probably ruining your own life as well as harming those around you...

In order to understand Unconscious Ego we must first visit unconscious thought. Unconscious thought is when you fully identify your thoughts as YOU, the real you. In reality the thinking mind is simply a tool on your tool belt, one that is great for solving problems, but it is not you. It should be returned to the tool belt when the problem is solved. The true YOU is the BEing BEhind your thinking mind. Most people are so overwhelmed by the cacophany of voices and thoughts in their heads, that they have lost sight of their true self, and have abdicated THEMSELVES to the thinking mind, which by the way is largely conditioned and habitual, playing the same loops over and over. Thoughts like; "You are not good enough," "You're a quitter," "You don't measure up," keep playing and playing and playing... You cannot see the bottom when the water is constantly stirred up...

The Ego is the part of you that doesn't recognize your connection to the Universe. It is always seeking ways to promote itself as separate and thus superior to others. It is strengthened by anything that reinforces its specialness, its uniqueness. It is threatened by anything that increases connection; sharing, consensus, accord or UNITY...

When we combine these two forces we have people who are unable to stop their quest to draw attention to themselves, and their superiority... Imagine these people in positions of power!

The Unconscious Egoist is fully engaged in fault finding, because seeing the faults in others strengthens the Ego. The strengthened Ego feeds on others' faults, and since the YOU that identifies with the thinking mind has no control over your thoughts, this sick cycle repeats...

Have you ever known someone who is always knocking others down as a way of making themselves look better? Unconscious Ego. "He/she is so low-class!" Unconscious Ego. "He's a fag." "She's an airhead." "He's an ass-kisser." "She's clueless!" The Unconscious Ego, striking again and again...

The only step required to end this is to BEcome CONSCIOUS. The moment you BEcome AWARE that there is a BEing, your true self, BEhind your thoughts, when you BEcome the OBSERVER of the thoughts, you BEgin to take control of them. You'll start to notice that they are just thoughts. Once you get in the practice of observing, you will notice how many destructive and Egoic thoughts you're having.

After you put the thinking mind back in the belt, you will BEcome present and you will BE amazed at how easy and nice the flow of living is when uninterrupted by the endless thoughts. You will BEcome pro-active and stop being reactive. Your "reactive" will BEcome "creative." Your life will no longer be dependent on external events. Obstacles will go from being impasses to passing...

Today, try to observe yourself when you engage in conversation. Simply seeing yourself react will be enough. Once awareness BEgins there is no going back...

Duffy

God doesn't demand anything...God allows...

God doesn't demand anything... God allows...

The rules of the Universe have been in place for eons. Our understanding of them is still a growing thing. Newtonian Physics have given way to Quantum Physics. Things change. Attitudes change. Much of what we used to think of as "wrong" is now "right," and what we used to think of as "right" we now see as "wrong."

Many people don't want to believe it when Quantum Physics states that a particle can be in two places at once, they want to hang on to what makes them feel comfortable. But the Universe is not going to rewrite the rules simply because you are more comfortable with an earlier understanding. The world was once flat, and the Sun revolved around the Earth...

Today we have to face the same attitudes. People are told something is true when they are children, brain-washed in a fashion, and then refuse to change their thinking as adults even when faced with overwhelming evidence to the contrary! Cognitive Dissonance is alive and well...

The problem is when these people try to make everyone else believe as they do; through influence, coercion and even death (what do think Wars are?)

From God's perspective everyone is right about their views. God doesn't demand allegiance to a particular view. God allows us the freedom to change as we grow, and grow we will. You may take your personal views to the grave, but you cannot force someone else to think differently than they do. Their thoughts represent who they are. They will change their thinking when and only when those thoughts no longer embody their personal mindset. Then their thoughts about what is right will change. Their new thoughts will depict their updated context; WHO THEY ARE NOW...

Today, when you come across an idea that seems outmoded or ignorant or insensitive or wrong-headed, remember that God allows us each to believe what we want as long as we want until we decide these thoughts are no longer "us."

Duffy

We are as but a drop of spray off a breaking wave, for the moment appearing separate...

We are as but a drop of spray off a breaking wave, for the moment appearing separate, but we fall back as part of the whole vast ocean...

Imagine a cartoon where a drop of spray sought, indeed demanded to be recognized as superior to all other drops. This drop constantly looked for opportunities to draw attention to its specialness, its uniqueness... Pretty ridiculous huh?

Just as the drop falls back into the ocean and returns to what it always was, we will all return to the Earth (the Universe). None of us are special or unique. Those qualities, which we falsely attribute to individuals, are qualities of the Universe BEing manifested briefly through you and I. We don't possess them any more than a chisel possesses the ability to sculpt. We are instruments of the ALL...

The greatest quality the Universe experiences through you and I is Consciousness. We have been selected as the tool through which the Universal Consciousness can evolve. This evolution happens when we become AWARE, when we wake up. Awareness is made manifest through conscious thought, LOVE, compassion, kindness, acceptance, allowing, connection with ALL, BEing one with the ONE...

Unconscious thoughts, FEAR, hatred, guilt, shame, apathy, pride also add to the Universal Consciousness, albeit negatively. Any thoughts/attempts at separateness/superiority are the "drop" thinking it is something precious, special. The Universe allows this knowing that evolution will eventually go forward, as it must...

Your choice is to be a part of the Universe, or apart from the Universe. You will in either case fall back into the vast Ocean. None of the things you think you are, or that you think you own will make the journey back. The Universe will simply give another "drop" the chance to move the evolution of Consciousness forward. It is the WAY of things...

Today, will you BE manifesting the WAY, or will you be pulling away....

Duffy

The water and the moon make no effort at reflection...

The water and the moon make no effort at reflection. It is achieved through stillness. BE still and reflect your own divinity...

You are completely surrounded by the Universe in the same way the fish is immersed in water. You are likely as unaware of this as well. You busily rush through your world, your day, dizzyingly pursuing whatever goals seem "required" for success, without seeing the big picture...

In truth there is nothing for you to do... You are as much a part of the natural Universe as are the Moon, the Ocean and the air. They make no effort at existence, they simply ARE.

The world of Man is a world of illusion; you are taught to constantly drive forward, to push, to strive, to struggle... TO NEED! There is nothing that you need, there is nothing that you need do. Simply BE...

Still water reflects beautifully precisely because it is still and natural. You are your most natural when you are not needing (needy), not chasing, not struggling... When you are struggling you are saying my existence is not enough, my part in the Universe is not enough, what I am is not enough. All of the material gains you may accumulate however, will never make you more than you already are. The great masters know/knew this and have taught us this message over and over. "Behold the lilies of the field. They strive not..."

Striving is recognizing scarcity. If God is all things then the Universe is ALL God, and you are as well. There is no scarcity associated with God. Through DOing (striving/struggling) you are denying your divinity, saying you need more. Only through stillness, contentment, joy are you reflecting your true nature, your divinity...

Today, put down your list, stop rushing around. Take in a deep breath, focus on your breathing, simply BE a part of the Universe...

Duffy

Stillness brings clarity of mind...

Cloudy water will become clear when allowed to stand still. Stillness brings clarity of mind as well...

Oh Dear, the weekend is coming! The kids are arriving tonight! I've got to make a reservation for the restaurant for tomorrow! I've got to pick up items for the BBQ on Sunday! I've got that hike tomorrow morning, and have to get my gear together! I still haven't folded the laundry! Got to change the sheets in the guest room! Oh God, I'm running late here, got to get out to work! One more day...Oh crap I forgot to get gas on the way home yesterday...!!!

Sound familiar?

Everyone loves the look of sparkling clear, still water, but you're running your life like a stirred up mud puddle! We all hear songs, "Running on Empty," "Always Runnin' Behind," etc., but we don't listen to our OWN SONG. It is blocked out by the noise in our heads. We have too much to do! "Oh no I forgot to...!"

This isn't healthy. Stress is a killer and doing all this stuff, getting out ahead of everything, actually prevents any kind of personal growth as well. There simply isn't time.

We are not Human DOings, we are Human BEings...

There are no headstones that read,"I wish I had done more chores!" Only YOU can take control of your life and say enough. Only YOU can begin to say no more. Only YOU can create the space you need; for reflection, introspection... and stillness... Stillness promotes clarity, and allows you to enter into a state of balance;  all activities in their place...with time to breathe in between.

Today, take notice of your list of DOings. Will any of them mean a thing six months from now? Will you even remember them six months from now?
Breathe...

Duffy

Self-definition is the death of evolving...

Self-definition is the death of evolving...Stop defining yourself and come alive!

Have you ever seen one of those old, faded, black and white snapshots from your childhood, or maybe the childhood of your parents? The ones attached by little adhesive black "corners" that would hold them to the page? "Wow, that was how we used to be!" you say.

Snapshots are like that. Even though life was flowing at the time it was taken, just as it is right now, the snapshot froze in time how we were then. Sometimes we appreciate the "shot" because it presents us in a good way, and other shots we dislike because it represents a part of ourselves we're not too fond/proud of...

Self definitions work in a remarkably similar fashion. Such portrayals freeze us in our personal evolution. They are always out of date, as we have always moved on. Still many (most?) of us will repeat these "selves" over and over, stuck on an old version of ourselves. Mostly we are "stuck" because of Ego, we fancy ourselves as important and want to represent ourselves as noble; "I always tell the truth!," but do you? ALWAYS?

A very wise young man once said to me, "I will marry the woman that understands that the concept 'I am' is fluid." Aristotle would have been proud...

How much better to take life as it comes and leave the old "snapshots" behind. A portrait of a past (less experienced) you is never going to be as good a fit as the PRESENT you, the you that has lived, grown and evolved since then...

Today when you hear yourself begin to state by rote how you define who you are, ask if those renderings really depict who you are at this moment. Choose who you are anew!

Duffy

The cause of Happiness isn't your situation...

The primary cause of unhappiness is never the situation but your thoughts about it. The cause of happiness isn't the situation either...

A homeless person searches all day for something to eat. It is hot out and the places he/she has to search are filthy and quite possibly dangerous. He/she miraculously finds a dollar after 8 hours of searching!

A waiter/waitress receives a dollar tip on a twenty dollar round of drinks. Five minutes spent in air-conditioned splendor and he/she is furious with the dollar!

What is the difference? Their thoughts about the situation are creating happiness and unhappiness. The primary cause of happiness/unhappiness is never your situation. How you allow yourself to look at your situation is responsible.

Your thoughts are not automatic. They may seem so after a lifetime of you letting them run you, but you can learn to shut off this cacophany of thoughts and choose to see things in a manner which coincides with the kind of life you seek to create.

Ask yourself the question, "Is this situation/event personal?" If the answer is no then you simply put on your objective hat and go forward accepting and allowing... If the answer is yes you put on your subjective hat and find a way of looking at things in a way that keeps your Ego out of it and lets you continue without editorializing, without the "Why me?" or "Poor me."

This is not easy, but with practice it becomes natural. Today when something happens to "rain on your parade" stop and choose the thoughts you like, thoughts that "allow" you to experience happiness...

Duffy

Nobody got to HOARD the "loaves and fishes"...

Jesus was a SOCIALIST...sharing, caring, loving all as ONE...Nobody got to HOARD the loaves and fishes...

Did Jesus ever say, "I've got mine, don't come to me with your litany of needs?" For that matter did Buddha, Krishna, Lao Tzu, Mohammed or any of the other great spiritual leaders or teachers?

NO...

If 85% of people are considered "People of Faith" then why do we accept a culture that excoriates the weakest/helpless/neediest for being the
weakest/helpless/neediest? Not only do we accept it, for the most part WE promote it! Why indeed? Is it the LIES we are brain-washed with from childhood so we will keep our shoulder to the wheel of profits, or our FEAR of being ostracized, our EGOS needing to see ourselves as superior to those "beneath" us.... ALL of the above?

At a BBQ over the holiday I was asked, "Why should I work hard when there are "others" who don't, but get paid the same as me!?!" I responded, "When one of your children gets good grades while another doesn't do you stop feeding the one who doesn't, or do you still give them love, understanding and nourishment...encouragement?" "Well that's my family!" I was told indignantly... I replied, "We are all children of God are we not? Isn't God ALL-LOVING? And are WE not made in God's image and likeness?"

That short conversation illuminates the entire problem; "Give me your tired, your poor, your huddled masses..." no longer applies, at least not in America. It has been replaced by, "I've got mine, don't come to me with your litany of needs!"

Today when you hear someone, or watch someone on TV, or listen to someone on the radio disparaging the "weakest/helpless/neediest" as being lazy or shiftless or a burden, rebel against the brain-washing! Recall the "loaves and fishes" and the love for ALL...

Duffy

The more intelligent we become the less connected we are to the source of that intelligence...

How strange that the more intelligent we become the less connected we are to the source of that intelligence...

"Uncivilized" man was/is far more connected to his "Source" than is civilized man. But that's because uncivilized man is able and willing to adapt to his surroundings; using what is needed and leaving no mark, leaving nothing disturbed to the point it can't be readily replenished naturally. Civilized man on the other hand cannot adapt to his environment and thus must constantly try to adapt his surroundings to him...

We are only an infinitesimal part of the Universe, but we think we can do a better job at restructuring and recreating the natural world than did the Universe that gave us this wonderful and bountiful Earth... How is it then that we are running out of fuel, clean water and food? And that we have millions of tons of garbage that is not biodegradable?

We are blessed to be the species that the Universe chose through which to experience the highest order of intelligence and consciousness. But we have lost our way. In our arrogance we have not been good keepers. In our delusion of self-importance we have lived as defilers instead of protectors.

Our Egos have convinced us that we are each separate; separate from each other and separate from God... In truth there is no separation. We are all ONE, all from the same source, which is GOD; all things...

If we are not too late, we can begin returning Earth to her former glory, and ourselves to our proper place as part of the process of the Universe. It will take a great shift in the thinking of mankind, but we must move rapidly forward in the evolution of consciousness to overcome the huge deficit we have caused.

The first step is to accept and recognize that we are ALL ONE. The second, is from that point onward we need to ask ourselves, "What would LOVE do?" before every decision and then choose that response... It's the only way...

Today, notice whenever you think of yourself as separate, and see how that is pulling you away from the group effort, from the intention of the Universe. Give the Earth a chance and just maybe if enough of us make this choice WE will survive as well...

Duffy

Being happy doesn't mean everything is perfect...

Being happy doesn't mean everything is perfect. It means you have accepted "what is" as normal and fine, and feel accordingly...

Someone dies, you lose your job, you suffer an injury, plans fall through... What do these have in common? That they cause suffering? Well there is that, but deeper than that they all are elements/events/situations that are part of the physical world, the world of the body.

There is the world of the body, the world of the mind and the world of spirit (soul)...

Most people live entirely in the world of body. They are all about acquiring; possessions, sex, stimulation, power, money, etc. They don't want to THINK at all. "Tell me what to do," "Make it simple for me," etc. are their mantras. They don't even want to experience God directly and abdicate that to some organized religion...

There is a much smaller group who live in body and mind. Their concerns are: creativity, learning, new ideas, personal growth, goals, communication...

The third and by far tiniest group also inhabit the world of the soul; spiritual growth, consciousness, life purpose, personal evolution...

The first group live a "stymied" existence for the most part. Their constant need for more results in them seeing the world as a place of struggle, of scarcity. Even the ones who "have it all" are miserable trying to protect their "hoard." The residents of this group will never experience happiness, only temporary ups and downs tied to accumulation or not...

The second group will find ways of alleviating their suffering through analysis, historical comparison, and rationalization. Their world is infinitely more tolerable, but their happiness is still connected to external events.

The third group recognize that "What is." IS. And know, that what is, is fine and normal regardless of the particular circumstances of any occurrence. We are all ONE, onboard the journey of the Universe. Everything is happening as it must. Happiness is chosen above experiences of the body and mind. LOVE is the motivating emotion, for we are spiritual BEings having a human experience. Happiness is constant.

Today when dissatisfaction creeps in, try to look at the larger whole and see how your "piece of the action" is contributing to a greater movement. Take solace in the fact that you are contributing, and on a remarkable voyage! Understand that suffering is a passing thing. Choose happiness and it is forever...

Duffy