The Way I Met the Peaceful Warrior I love the old zen story about the farmer who’s neighbors thought it was a bad, unlucky thing that his horse ran away. The old man’s reply? “We’ll see.” As the story goes, the horse came back with another wild horse, and the neighbors quickly switched to remarking how good and lucky that was! The old man’s reply? “We’ll see.” Then the old man’s son started training the horse for riding, but he was thrown and broke his leg. Again the neighbors switched to how bad and unlucky that was. And again the old man replied, “We’ll see.” Later the army came but could not conscript his son due to the broken leg, …
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 …
Top 100 Spiritual Books
The Alchemy of Love and Joy™ is in the Top 100! Thank-you all for making it happen! “Alchemy” is in the top 100 in the “Next Top Spiritual Author” contest, out of about 2,500 books. While this is a good sign, anything can happen and the bulk of votes are yet to come, so please keep talking about The Alchemy of Love and Joy™, and send people to this link. On May 3rd voting ends and the top 250 books will advance to the next round. In Round Two we write and submit a book proposal to a panel of judges that will make up the majority vote. (Each author in the contest also assesses another author.). Only 25 authors …
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 …
The Forgiveness of Others Does Not Exist
The Forgiveness of Others Does Not Exist Forgiveness Wanted: Dead or Alive Today a slight “off” feeling stuck around my solar plexus for a few moments. I am not “off” much since April—the gift of suffering does not last long as it is just a pointer toward joy, which I gratefully accept. I knew the feeling was related to someone else from my past, who I had been thinking about, and so I began the practice. What do I want? Hmmmm I tried-on a few things like “to love that person,” and “to feel that person’s love,” but this time these things did not match. Nothing filled the gap, until I hit on wanting that person’s forgiveness. Old mind began …
Funeral Rites, and Rights
Funeral Rites, and Rights As I approached the church, there was love and peace was flowing from heart, along with connection and good thoughts of my friend. Very quickly however, thoughts like “Maybe I should not be smiling so much here,” arose, and I began to contain it, and began to slip-out of the Now. Old mind began to arise as the casket was wheeled in. It was definitely a familiar feeling dredged-up from past sufferings at funerals. Yet the watching consciousness knew this was an old habit, and began to bring me back into the present, until I saw her son, and the old mind, which had been given some space to exist said “He must have had a …
Creating, receiving, and allowing feeling are the same
That came to me in the midst of creating very deep relaxation and peace this morning before getting out of bed. It is an overall glowing feeling of well-being throughout. As I created it, I noticed that I was receiving it, and in receiving it, I noticed I was allowing it. When allowing it you lose the sense “you” are doing it. There is simply experience. There is no you, no separation, and the peace deepens and expands yet more. There is just indescribable stillness and peace. What satisfaction knowing I am fully complete; there is nothing that I want. (If there were, I would just give it to myself.)
Waking Joy at a Wake
Waking Joy at a Wake The wake today was an experience unlike any other. Of course they all are; every moment is, because this moment has never happened before. Yet old mind habitual response can make things seem the same. Today, approaching the closed casket, and looking into the bright, sparking, and kind eyes in the photo of my deceased friend, for a moment joy began to arise, then I watched as it was quickly shut-down by a thought like, “yeah but you can’t feel that, that’s not her, she’s not here,” and I felt a familiar old suffering mind try to rise. The impulse was to look away and move away, however I stayed; stayed looking into those eyes …
Joy in Sickness
Joy in Sickness Last night, for the first time since learning how to awaken joy, I felt physically sick, and the phenomena was fascinating. It may have been the orange juice and iron pill that triggered the “pained feeling” in my stomach, which became an overall feeling of sickness so quickly that I did not notice the switch–until I began the practice. As I went inside to seek a better feeling, it was almost like the stomach pain separated from the sickness feeling. As the good feeling grew, the sickness feeling faded, disappeared, and then even the stomach pain felt far away. When I stopped practicing, the sickness feeling returned! So I continued feeling good (while noticing the distant “pain”), …