The Joy of Being Seek joy! Seek joy until you cause joy! Cause joy until you know you are joy. –C. Teevens When I urge people to seek joy, usual mind may think that means vacations on sandy beaches, a shiny new car, ecstasy with a lover, or a rich bank account. That is the usual way people try to make themselves happy. The blatant reality is that all of them come and go. All of them are impermanent and unreliable. Because we have needed them, we believe in free will so we can try to make them happen. And it may be that you do get them. Once, twice, or even more. Yet still, they do not stay. And …
The Alchemy of Death
The Alchemy of Death Ring…Ring… “Cindy! The phone’s for you,” my friends called. This was unusual. I was in college and had just turned nineteen. I did not often get calls up there, in New Liskeard, 160 km north of North Bay. On the other end an unrecognized voice said words I will never forget: “Hello, this is your long lost Father.” In some kind of limbo, I thought of my Dad and, partly stunned, I said, “My Father’s not lost.” Reaching around in my memory, thinking about my Dad at home who raised me and how this was not his voice, I remembered what was not high in my consciousness; that I had another “Dad”. My blood father. It …
Seeing eye-to-eye
Seeing eye-to-eye I looked and blinked. And looked. And blinked. Something was not quite right with him. Something about his face. That was a year ago, and our first meeting. It was not until the third meeting that I could see what was obvious–he had one green eye and one grey eye! And here it was happening again. I looked up at the doctor and noticed something “off”. Then she asked me what I was there for. On the weekend I headed out for my walk but found myself being drawn deeper and deeper into the woods, and into the stillness. Onto a log, I layed on my back and released into it. Then sat up and sank further. Then …
True Infinite Love
True Infinite Love A gift arose with the early morning sun on my stroll today. I had been contemplating the massive changes in my life and my experience of life since last April (when I discovered the joy we all are), when a big picture understanding struck me. In Neuro-Linguistic Programming (NLP) it is known that we hold values that drive our attention, intention, behaviour, and beliefs. Beliefs cluster around values, and while we can loosen, erode, and replace beliefs one by one, it is a tedious and slow process because there can be many of them, and also perhaps because they are important to supporting the more important, larger value they are linked to, and so we cling to …
A smelly realization
On the Easter weekend I spent some time with a friend, and after emerging from the bathroom she asked me, “Are your systems working o.k.?” or something like that. As I had just been in the bathroom I “mind read”, or guessed, that she was commenting on the bathroom being smelly, and then mind read that she thought something was up with my bowels. I went back in memory to recall if there was a smell left last visit. No. Looking at her perplexedly I replied “Yes.” To which she repeated, “Are you sure?” “Yes,” I said. Then quite content to let her suspicions go, I almost turned my attention elsewhere when I had another mind read. “Why–are yours off?” …
Today is not the day that Dad died
Today is the seven-year anniversary of my Father’s rebirth into spirit. Notice how much less a “charge” there is, how much less suffering there is, how much more truth and presence there is in the statement of the anniversary. Today is not the day that Dad died. That day was a long time ago, and that day, that experience, has nothing to do with this day, this experience. This day is not that day, and we do not have to try to “reincarnate” that day now. If I had not been reminded, it would not have been top in my consciousness and may have passed unobserved. That is not a suppression or avoidance of any kind. It is a simply …
My silence has broken
My silence has broken The moment that I fell to my knees in the woods crying with intense love, joy, and laughter is not one that I thought I could ever explain or share. I still don’t. That “direct seeing” happened January 30th (2010). I’ve been quietly absent for a month, contemplating what to do with something I had never experienced before, and had no reference point for which to understand it myself, never mind to share it. It is ineffable. Unspeakable. Yet, a few months ago when considering the things that were coming to me, a thought “I can’t share that.” was immediately countered by “Don’t hold back!” Indeed, I have not held back since being gifted with joy …
Celebrate Life!
Celebrate Life! In memory of Dawn On New Year’s eve day I called a friend I had not seen in a few months, and learned she was in hospital, dealing with 4th stage cancer. Fourth stage means that the cancer has moved elsewhere, beyond it’s origin. Her liver was the largest problem; it was not doing a good job purifying the blood of toxins. The day I arrived she had enough energy to occasionally sit-up on her own , smile, and hug. But the disease had progressed fast. At 46 she looked 80, her skin was jaundiced and drooping. New Year’s eve dinner was a salad in the hospital, sitting near her, and it was one of the greatest gifts …
You never know and oh what a gift
You never know and oh what a gift When you stop thinking that you know how some experience “should” be, about what “should” happen, about when you “should” arrive, about who “should” or “should not” be there, and what they “should or should not” be doing, then things flow, you are in alignment with life—and suffering ceases. When you respond and not react, when you become natural and spontaneous, the same way life unfolds, life becomes rich with possibilities and adventure. I don’t know how many times I thought I was “late” only to find that I was perfectly on time to not be in a car accident. I have also given-up on the idea (and these are just ideas, …
Why do we hurt those we love?
Why do we hurt those we love? It is said that every attack is a cry for help. When someone is hurting sufficiently in some way, that kind of pain can motivate them to act-out or try to hurt others, even those they love the most. This is an attempt to stop their suffering by getting their needs met. They turn to the (person/thing) outside because they believe it is the outside that is hurting them. Anyone who is hurting simply wants to feel good, and so the core intention is good. However, if you hurt someone you love because you were hurting, you will later regret it, whether you got what you wanted or not. Simply put, with this …