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