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Pythia Peay: Weathering The Winter Of The Soul

2009-12-24T11:53:46Z

I grew up on a farm on the Western edge of Missouri, hard by Kansas. This was the prairie landscape of our frontier forebears, and upon its blank canvas the seasons were clearly marked. Year after year I watched as spring, summer, fall, and winter swept before me with all the drama of a Shakespearean play. Pounding thunderstorms, magnificent drifts of snow, glittering ice, perfumed breezes, and hot sun that magically burst seeds into fields of golden wheat designed all the days of my childhood as if by the hand of some great artist.

This upbringing, passed down to me from my father, ingrained in me a deep and sensory awareness of nature's shifting moods. Both a farmer and a flight engineer for TWA, Joe Carroll's work on land and in the air turned on the weather. Schooled by farmers and pilots, he developed a keen nose for the smell of coming rain, and a sharp eye for the sickly yellow sky that precedes a tornado. It was my father who taught me the difference between harmless, marshmallow-light cumulus clouds -- and the ominous cumulonimbus thunderheads that signaled a coming storm.

Weather's brooding omnipresence fused in my childish imagination with God -- as if it were God's great face I glimpsed behind the wind, sun, and clouds. Even today, though I live far from the Missouri plains of my childhood, the weather outside continues to occupy a central place in my inner life. Whenever I'm hurting or my energy is scattered, mindfully shifting my awareness to the scent and feel of the air, or turning my face skywards, always helps to steady my soul.

Attention to weather this way corrects one of the common misperceptions around the "inner" life: That it is self-contained and private -- just me and my soul. But inner reflection is also about attuning to the greater existence within which we all live. Like a Buddhist meditation or a Christian prayer, contemplating a snowfall or even the swath of a hurricane on the weather channel helps to remind us of one of religion's core teachings: Before the infinite mystery of the cosmos, we humans are merely mortal creatures.

Nature's cyclic changes can have psychological as well as spiritual effects. Especially in the winter, when night falls early and the sun glimmers weakly, happiness can plummet into depression and loneliness. Psychologists call this Seasonal Affective Disorder, or SAD. But I wonder if, in our modern-day separation from the rhythms of nature, we've also become disconnected from the naturally occurring emotional cycles of hope, joy, sadness, and melancholy.

Indeed, as we enter the last season of the year, I find myself reflecting on the meaning of winter. As a writer, I find that I work best during the winter months. The recent record snowstorm in the city of Washington, where I live, reminded me of how winter is the season of creativity. The biting cold and thick, falling sheets of snow outside pushed me inward to that receptive space where my inner imagination resides. Some of us, as Donald Hall confesses in "Winter: A Spiritual Biography of a Season," are "darkness lovers. We tuck ourselves up in the long sleep and comfort of cold's opposite ... lighting ourselves by darkness's idea."

Light -- the radiance of spiritual illumination, the burning flame of faith -- has always been celebrated by the world's religions. Yet like a season of the soul, the darker emotions of despair and even depression offer a different kind of illumination. Melancholy emotions press the soul downwards. Nestled among the tangled roots of darkness, like the winter seed in the fallow field, the soul germinates new life.

Those teachers who have charted the inner weather of the psyche have named the plunge from the heights of joy the "dark night of the soul." Like miners, philosophers such as Soren Kierkegaard or mystics such as John of the Cross have tunneled their way into the depths, seeking the vein of wisdom. The struggle doesn't have to mean permanent loss of faith or optimism, but can be seen as a state of fruitful emptiness until that time when we can be filled again by a more expansive state of mind.

The ancients knew this secret of the rhythms of life, constructing their quarterly rituals of Solstices and Equinoxes around the four seasons of the year. The taciturn Missouri farmers of my childhood didn't talk much about the spirituality of weather. But with their slow style of talking and keen sensibility for a drop in temperature or a shift in the wind, they conveyed the well-tempered patience that comes from humbly weathering nature's cycles.

And so, as Winter lays her solemn mantle over the Northern hemisphere, I'll look to the farmers, philosophers, mystics, and ancients who've gone before to guide my way. Mindfully observing the weather outside, I'll let nature take her course -- even with me. Turning within, I'll light the fires of my creative imagination -- and seek the treasure hidden in the long, dark hours before the dawn of emerald spring.

Susan Smalley, Ph.D.: Rejecting Willful Ignorance

2009-12-23T13:18:08Z

Last night I pulled a down comforter over me in a five-star Dubai hotel as I sank luxuriously into the 1000 thread sheets and feather-soft mattress. We arrived in Dubai for a one night stopover en route to Paris from Malawi.

As I lay in that extreme comfort I thought of the mother I had met in a rural Malawi village who was likely pulling a blanket upon herself as she fell asleep. But her blanket and bed were in stark contrast to the lap of luxury of our hotel. This mother of five lived in a small village on the outskirts of Lilongwe, Malawi one of the poorest countries in the world. Her home was a small mud hut consisting of a single large room with a straw mat upon which her five children slept while she and her husband shared a mat in an adjacent room (next to the goats). They washed and dried daily their two blankets (one for each room), tattered and worn to keep the cool of night at bay. The only furniture was a single pot of water kept in the corner for drinking.

My mind wandered to the images of others going to bed and the circumstances that change our experiences in that simple endeavor. In the Dubai paper I read of a young Manila women rescued from a sex-slavery operation working in Dubai. The authorities had saved 9 victims from the abuses perpetuated on young females in this affluent city. I thought of these rescued females in the 'safe-house' awaiting return to their homeland, fearful but at least safely going to bed.

The simple and daily act of going to bed was a reminder of the extremes of inequality in the world and as we sleep in our comfort, the horrors of poverty and gender inequality affecting half of the world's population conveniently ignored.

It is hard to imagine that I may forget the pain and suffering I saw on this trip when I return to the comforts of my Los Angeles lifestyle. But the holidays, Christmas, and day to day activities back in LA will likely make the vividness of the experience begin to fade into the background. It is easy to 'forget' the suffering of others on the other side of the world as I deal with the little burdens of my own life. But herein lies what James Carse called 'willful ignorance,' perhaps the worst sort of ignorance -- one that stems from a conscious ignoring of problems too difficult to solve or too difficult to handle.

I am committed to staying 'awake' to not succumb to willful ignorance again. I see how easy it is to do, lulled into ignorance by the cushion of pleasure. But from the comforts of luxury, we in the West have a capacity to awaken ourselves and make global change. I think of the vast majority of Americans now awash in the virus of affluency, an 'affluenza' of sorts, a toxicity of wealth wherein obesity, diabetes, and chronic illnesses abound. It is a country that has somewhat lost its ability to connect within, to connect to the planet, to connect with one another. But we each have the capacity to 'wake up' -- to jog ourselves out of slumber, and make conscious choices to improve the quality of our own lives and that of others. We can turn it around if we choose to reject such 'willful ignorance'.

In our rejection of willful ignorance, we need look for ways to give back to those less fortunate than us and to make changes in our own lives that can directly improve the quality of life for ourselves and that of others. Choosing willful awareness does not mean you need to give up your lifestyle. We are over-consumers, and can easily reduce to becoming merely 'consumers.' It means making positive changes for self and others.

For example: obesity is now a national epidemic, with over two thirds of Americans classified as overweight or obese. Changing our eating behavior and increasing exercise are two simple behavioral changes that could directly impact ourselves and others around the world. If we were to reduce our food consumption (and perhaps reducing meat consumption as well), we can reduce our carbon footprint, create more food resources for others on the planet, and improve our own health and well-being. And, Americans discard 40 percent of our food on a daily basis! Make less food, eat less food, buy less food (smaller proportions and by food sharing), and discard less food.

Whatever steps we take, the first step is a commitment to stay aware of the problem, to not escape into willful ignorance.

I'm reminded of the family I met in the Malawian village whose Christmas celebration consists of every member in the family getting an Orange Fanta soda. As I return to our affluent lifestyle and the Christmas exchanges likely to take place, I'm thinking of putting an Orange Fanta in my Christmas stocking -- as a reminder to stay awake.

Sebastian Siegel: Sweaty Sex and Alan Watts

2009-12-23T11:06:21Z

In a conversation about the world's major religions, and contextually then about Zen - we were discussing Alan Watts and a friend said, "You know, Watts was just making this stuff up." I couldn't help but sense a fragment of disenchantment with this author who was one of few that could inject radical humor into the subject matter in a way that captured many minds including that of the critic.

I was thinking that many authors and scholars feel Watts doesn't deserve the following and adoration because of his narrowly specified writings on Zen - or that he's a whiskey slinging relative contemporary, or perhaps because he so enjoys paradoxically twisting complexity into deliciously sweet and tangible insight - as if only things both serious and looooong dead and gone should be romanticized. But, I thought, hasn't the deep truth and message of spirituality remained the same and so isn't it gorgeous to bring humor, eccentricity and a delicious expression to it all.

And then I thought about how hierarchically obsessed intellectuals jilt Kahlil Gibran for being pop and fundamental i.e., for young students. But would you jilt the rudimentary and widely observed feelings of loud laughter, sweaty sex, the adoration of a wide-eyed child, or quenched thirst?

Indeed the message IS the same, and it's beautiful, and it's coming out of every one of us - or rather, we're coming out of it. And I think I'll continue to pay attention to those voracious lovers and darers of life, the risk takers, and the committed, like Watts. The voice, the rhythm that rocks my soul to the core and impregnates me with the will to be a messenger of this music in my own ridiculous way - and even if only for a few juvenile ears. If they'll watch the neck of the bull, then let them "see the eye of the angel". Born out of this world and into this magic, and so with wild fun - let it play, let it play, let it play.

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The Sweat

Chade-Meng Tan: Cultivating Compassion: Meditation For Better Relationships

2009-12-22T17:09:41Z

A long time ago, I came across this joke:

Once, a disciple asked, "Master, is associating with people half the holy life?"

The Master replied, "No, associating with people is the whole of holy life".

This joke probably started as a misreading of the famous Upaddah Sutta in Buddhism, where the Buddha told Ananda that friendships with "admirable people" is not half of holy life, but the whole of holy life. Over time, however, I found the humorous apocryphal version to be deeply insightful. There are at least two components to one's spiritual practice, Wisdom and Compassion, and associating with people, especially in difficult situations, helps us grow Compassion. Therefore, you probably cannot live a holy life without associating with people.

I have found three practices to be extremely useful in helping me deal with people.

The first practice is a combination of "Just Like Me" meditation and Loving-Kindness meditation. There are three premises behind this practice. The first is that when we perceive somebody as being similar to ourselves ("just like me"), we become much more likely to feel and act positively towards that person. The second is that kind and loving thoughts towards another can be generated volitionally. The third premise is that mental habits can be formed with practice, so if we spend time and effort creating thoughts of similarity-to-others and loving kindness, over time, these thoughts get generated habitually and effortlessly, and once you equipped yourself with that mental disposition, people start liking you even more, and you become more likely to have satisfying relationships that contribute greatly to everybody's happiness.

The practice itself is very simple. In formal meditation, I would ask my fellow meditators to sit in pairs and I would guide with this script:

Become aware that there is a person in front of me. A fellow human being, just like me.

Let us now consider a few things:

This person has a body and a mind, just like me.
This person has feelings, emotions and thoughts, just like me.
This person has at some point been sad, disappointed, angry, hurt or confused, just like me.
This person has in his or her life, experienced physical and emotional pain and suffering, just like me.
This person wishes to be free from pain and suffering, just like me.
This person wishes to be safe, healthy and loved, just like me.
This person wishes to be happy, just like me.

Now, let's allow some wishes to arise:

I wish for this person to have the strength, resources, and social support to navigate the difficulties in life.
I wish for this person to be free from pain and suffering
I wish for this person to be happy.
Because this person is a fellow human being, just like me.

In real life, I have found this practice to be tremendously powerful in healing relationships. Whenever I have a major conflict with somebody, I would find an excuse to leave the room and after I'm sufficiently calmed, I would recollect that person in my mind and do the above exercise. By the time I'm done, at least half my anger would be gone. It's a very useful practice, both at home and at work.

The second practice is something I call "Multiplying Goodness". It is an adaptation of the Tibetan tonglen practice. In tonglen, you breathe in suffering (of self and others), transform it within your heart, and breathe out relief (to self and others). We found tonglen too difficult for our students, so I made a change to it. Instead of breathing in suffering, you breathe in goodness (of self and others), multiply it in your heart by 10 times, and then breathe out all that goodness to the world. The idea is to use mental visualization to create these three mental habits:

1. Instinctively see goodness in self and others.
2. Become confident in multiplying goodness.
3. Create desire to give goodness to the world.

In formal meditation, I would guide with this script:

Connect with the goodness within ourselves, our capacity for love, compassion, altruism, and inner joy. If you wish, you may visualize your goodness radiating out of your body as a faint white light.

When you breathe in, breathe in all your goodness into your heart. Use your heart to multiply that goodness by a factor of 10. And when you breathe out, give all that goodness out to the whole world. If you wish, you may visualize yourself breathing out a brilliant white light representing this abundance of goodness.

Now, let us connect with the goodness within everybody in this room. Everybody in the room is a good person, possessing some goodness. (Repeat above)....
Finally, let us connect with the goodness within everybody in the world. Everybody in the world possesses at least a hint of goodness. (Repeat above)....

This practice helps us gain confidence in our own inner goodness and equips us with the mental disposition to see goodness in others. The ability to perceive underlying goodness in all even in difficult situations affords us the inner resources to calm ourselves and others in those situations.
The final practice is a mantra I created for myself that summarizes many of my practices. The mantra is, "Love them, understand them, forgive them, grow with them". Whenever I find myself in a difficult situation involving other people, I would silently repeat the mantra to myself. I found that it works especially well with children and bosses.

My friend, Rigel, suggested that my mantra may also apply to magic mushrooms. Very funny, Rigel.

Natasha Dern: Forgiveness: What's Your Capacity?

2009-12-21T12:44:43Z

One of the misconceptions about forgiveness is that if you forgive the person - you are letting them off the hook. That somehow forgiving them lets them be free and the Gods will smile upon them. This couldn't be further from the truth. The person who has harmed you has his/her baggage to eventually deal with. What you sow, you reap.

Many are called to forgive but few heed the call. Many choose to remain in prisons of their own making and move through life without an ounce of joy or peace. It is a hellish place to live. Day and night, they carry the memories, the pain and the wounds of the past that rob them of so much in the present. A part of you may wonder 'How can I ever forgive what they did to me?' one thing that might change your mind is to realize that holding on to all that pain doesn't hurt anyone but you. For those of you who can't or won't forgive - you are only affirming that the other person has more power and value than you.

Let me state something very clearly here - to force your perpetrator of admitting wrong will be a life long battle and a battle you won't win. Majority of people who harm others will not admit or confess any wrongdoing and some of them have no remorse for their actions. Reconciliation with the person in question is a long shot unless the person has enough awareness to know better. Your ability to forgive is not dependent on the other person's apologies but your ability to rise above and do it because you believe your life will be better and healthier as a result. I will remind you that your capacity is greater than you think or else forgiveness would not be one of your lessons to master in this life. Forgiveness is one of the agents of Divinity. In all of human literature, the hero or heroine, encounter challenge and betrayal, pain and suffering, and through it, they become great men and women.

In other words, what are you made of and what is your capacity for greatness? Forgiveness has an incredible ability to expand every nerve and fiber of your being. It stretches you beyond your own limits. I can honestly attest that if you don't have anything or anyone to forgive - you haven't lived! By having to forgive, it reveals that you have allowed life to touch you, to leave its imprint on your soul. Many of us have undergone such events in our own lives; we have survived, thrived and lived to tell about it.

Now forgiveness of the person does not imply permission to abuse or hurt you again. Forgiveness is about your own sense of well being and peace. This journey is about your own evolution as a person and as a soul. Once real forgiveness has transpired within you then the person will no longer affect you. You may cross paths with them but you will walk on by with only understanding and peace.

Our journey on planet earth is a constant unearthing of our Divine potential. Sometimes the best way to unearth divine potential is by extreme measures or circumstances. So we're all in good company. All of us are on the same divine potential boat. We must learn certain lessons and embody certain qualities that can only come about through conflict and pain. Let's be frank - when we're happy, we have no need to go searching for higher truths or knowledge. It is only when pain enters our lives that we feel compelled to heal it or go in search of its meaning. Therefore, pain and suffering have a divine purpose in our lives.

What makes forgiveness so difficult is that we tend to think or believe that it is a sacrifice, a giving in, losing our 'rightness'. We tend to feel that it somehow discounts our pain. This is a myth. You forgive because you want to be free and at peace. You value yourself enough to do it for yourself and only for yourself.

Suzie Heumann: Spiritual Sex: Holiday Celebrations For Couples

2009-12-18T14:34:13Z

You're in it now or in the planning stages. The next few weeks are going to be busy, to say the least. Keeping your sanity might mean taking a bit of time to focus on your relationship. Celebrating yourselves in a new way might make all the difference in great holiday memories and help to mellow you out, too.

Creating memorable ceremonies is important for couples. Yes, you can buy a 'thing' but research shows that the item will soon lose its value unless it is accompanied by a memory-making event. We tend to put our intimate relating last on the list, especially during the holidays. We are often with family members who can trigger emotional aspects about our partners that aren't our highest ideals of what we would like in the relationship. This can be trying but there are ways to counteract this.

There will be times when you'll be able to take a break from it all. Set aside a couple of evening hours on your schedule. A little planning will make all the difference in both intention setting and the fun factor. Setting the time aside to pamper each other and remember the reasons why you love each other can have the most profound affect at this time of the year. These small rituals can be used throughout the year to add novelty, surprise and erotic juice to your relationship. Whether you're having a birthday, anniversary or it's just the beginning of spring or for no reason at all, adapt and use aspects of these ideas and add your own creative input to make them your own.

To create a magical evening that the two of you will remember use your imagination and don't worry too much about looking silly. The intention, focus and love are the most important part. You'll need to gather a few of items beforehand. Consider champagne, a little chocolate, bits of fresh mango or any favorite nibble food you might want. You may also want to get massage oil and any intimate products you might need. Keep it simple, though. A special gift to exchange with each other might fit also. Any combination of the following ideas will make great memories and be easy on the pocket book, too.

• Make an altar with your partner. Bring aspects of yourself and your union with your lover together to represent your relationship. You can make this on a nightstand, on a bookshelf or even temporarily on a cloth on the floor. Use candles, driftwood, statues, pictures, incense, hearts, rocks or anything that means something to you, both individually and together, can be used.

• Choose flowers for your lover that are erotic looking and sensual. These can go on the altar, if you make one, or anywhere you'll be spending the time together.

• Illuminate! Bring out the candles. Arrange them in safe places that balance the energy in the room and create a feeling of warmth and sensual excitement. Save the last one to light together.

• Design a bathing ritual. Candles, warm towels, music, rose petals floating in the tub, champagne and a few drops of an essential oil in the water will make you feel as if you're at a fancy spa for the evening. Take your time. Wash each other, soak, drink, relax - there is nowhere to go and nothing to do except enjoy every moment of NOW.

• A very light meal might be appropriate but don't over due it. You can eat more later, if you want to. Eating a heavy meal now will weigh your energy down and make you sleepy. Make this one finger food and include vegetables, cheeses and maybe even sushi, as it's light and easy to digest. Consider serving on a beautiful rug set upon the floor with cushions spread around and with an exotic, mystical feel to it. Start by erotically feeding each other and make sure you lick your fingers slowly and sensually.

• If you have a Tarot deck of cards, place them on the altar you've created and do a sacred reading for each other. Be relaxed about the interpretations. Use your intuition to "read" the cards. This isn't serious - it's fun.

• Plan a shared sensual massage. Purchase massage oil with a scent you like and make sure you cover the area you'll massage on with an older sheet as some oils can stain. Consider using a blindfold on your lover for at least a portion of the massage.

• Bring an intention to your lovemaking ritual. At the beginning, face each other, each of you place your right hand on the heart of the other and your left hand over the hand of your partner. You are holding their hand to your heart. Each of you take turns briefly saying what you love about the other and what you aspire to for the coming year together. Eye gaze and breathe, as one, for a few minutes before you begin to make love.

• Have a book by the bed with color pictures of positions in it. Something Kama Sutra-ish will do. The number one thing couples are interested in is new positions to add novelty to lovemaking. It helps if you can look at pictures together. This is what a portion of the original Kama Sutra was for - ideas and instruction!

In addition, these short videos will help you get the best out of your intimate time together. Part of your ceremony might be to watch a few of them together for ideas to get the most out of loving.

There are many other things you can do to add memories and spiciness to your holiday fun. Take care of yourselves so that others get the full benefit of being with you in your best light. The point is to relax and enjoy the holidays with each other. When the stress starts to build up you know what to do! Happy Holidays!

Suzie Heumann is the founder of Tantra.com. She studies, writes, has authored three books and makes films about conscious sex, Tantra and the Kama Sutra. Check out Tantra.com Premium for the most comprehensive tantra training available on the Internet!

Saul Segan: Compassion and Empathy: Endangered Species in Washington

2009-12-18T13:14:54Z

The clamor for relief and understanding continues its futile quest toward the hearts and minds of our congressional and government leadership. And each pronouncement of intentions and methodology seems to be worse than the last.

The most painful emotion to feel is that of frustration. Inattention and indifference follow close behind. And as we progress, or should I say, regress, through the path toward remedy of our various national challenges, it becomes more apparent that we, the constituents and citizenry, continue to be patted on the head and have our wishes ignored.

The Obama Administration continues to self-destruct and to take us along with it. The health care debacle shows the absolute heartlessness of the lawmakers and their incapacity for logical thinking. If a single Senator were to take a crucial stand, right away he would be confronted with a lobbying and special interests groups.

And if that isn't enough, adding insult to the injury of the people of New York, the administration's insistence on trying 9/11 perpetrators in the city exposes it to increased danger and vulnerability. Also worth mentioning is the enormous expense and potential deterrence in tourism and commerce that this will create. Providing a forum for undeserving, avowed enemies is nothing short of nauseating.

Our emphasis on political correctness and reluctance to take action to protect ourselves can only result in needless loss of life. This proved to be the case in the Fort Hood shootings. In the context of international affairs, perpetuating an image of weakness gives license to the world's despots to continue along their destructive course. We are too predisposed with wanting to show the world how wonderful we are, in turn exposing ourselves to more danger. Those who seek to destroy us and those who are envious of us will hate us regardless of a particular set of circumstances. We need not over-promote our virtues to our detriment.

Somehow, we must regain and demand from lawmakers who purport to lead us, the respect for truth, no matter how painful it might be. Political coercion in any form is a pathway to losing who we are and what we could become.

The health care debate is a perfect example of how haphazard lawmaking can be thrust upon us, with the laughable notion that 72 hours would be adequate time to review a 1600 page bill. We find, hardly surprising, that our lawmakers do not pay attention to what they are enacting. Is this any different from a financial officer with a fiduciary duty to his clients who exercises horrific judgment in the handling of their funds? Why should not the Congress be subjected to the same standard of care that a trust officer would have? How do abuses in the banking industry continue to go loosely regulated and cut into the core of the average person's finances, already plagued by a sick economy. Why did our legislators choose to let it happen? And why does the Administration continue to proceed with policies that paralyze our commerce by inducing businesses not to hire, because they have no notion of what they will be facing if they are forced to provide health insurance for the persons they would wish to employ?

Now we find our world of science is not insulated from political dissuasion as the falsehoods of global warming dangers are now being manipulated obviously to placate Washington.

The saddest part is that so many of the answers to our problems are simple and less costly. Why not return the unspent stimulus money to the Treasury and immedi-ately repair a large portion of the deficit...maybe even admit that a gross mistake was made? If Bank of America wants to give back 45 billion dollars, why not LET them? Why not return the unspent stimulus money to the Treasury and immediately repair a large portion of the deficit...maybe even admit that a gross mistake was made?
And why not give tax benefits to those employers who create jobs? Instead of scaring them out of doing so by requiring arbitrary and impossible expenditures.

Maybe a few less wars might save some money. Maybe the Rules of procedure can be amended to require that legislation be limited to the objectives for which they were intended, and that no provisions for unrelated purposes be permitted to be included in legislation that is enacted.

The country does not need to be thrown into a collective state of dejection. Tempers do not need to be frayed unnecessarily and the people of the United States do not deserve to be victims of their own government's whims or lack of parental attention. A perpetuation of negativity in thought and deed will only prolong and impede recovery. These unfortunately are the biproducts of this neglectful indifference.

What is agonizing is the refusal of our governing forces to search their souls, to seek guidance, to look deeply within themselves to ask what is right, what is truthful, and what their duties and special purposes in life happen to be. There are prayers in many religious services for wisdom to be bestowed upon our governmental leaders. I think we should be praying up a storm. Required reading should be materials such as The Seven Spiritual Laws of Success by Deepak Chopra and You Can Heal Your Life by Louise Hay. Maybe some able practitioners can send healing energy to Congress and all branches of government, and dissolve the diseases of greed and obsession with power. And just maybe letters to our leaders urging them to search their consciences every time they appropriate money for a "road to nowhere" or move highway and infrastructure money to another fund other than that for which it was proscribed. JUST MAYBE some one of our role models will ask him or herself whether it is truly in the best interests of the persons whose lives and welfare are entrusted to their care.

Yehuda Berg: Spirituality: Do You Know Where You Are Going?

2009-12-18T11:57:01Z

We spend most of our lives having no clue what we are doing on this earth. We may have a 'to-do' list, or a schedule, but in the bigger picture, most of us are not privy to this information.

We don't have to possess the exact formula. That's for very special people; it is a rarity to know one's previous incarnation, what they did, and what they have to do in this lifetime.

But we all have a sense of some of the stuff we need to do and don't need to do. We are conscious of the directions to follow and not to follow.

My point is, we don't need to know EXACTLY why we're here. We just need to have the certainty that we'll get there and accomplish our mission.

We need to have complete certainty that things will work out, not because we are righteous or wise, but because of the time, the effort, the prayers, and the tools we are using. From the moment we are given awareness about some bigger picture or mission, we have to have complete focus on what to do to get to that place.

Because of that, things will work out. Because of our time, effort, prayers and connection, we'll get to the complete certainty. A person can have real certainty simply by doing the work.

If you are messing around all day and then scream for certainty, you're not going to get it. If you spend energy and do the work and develop that certainty, you'll get to where you need to be, even if you don't know exactly where that is.

Spending time on not having the certainty can also mess you up. We must constantly be moving towards our destination. Exactly what the destination is, isn't that important. Exactly what it is to fix, isn't that important.

If a person's financial situation is bad, how much of his time and energy is focused on finding the money to pay the bills, answering the debt collectors, and so on - a lot. Someone who is married for 5-7 years and unable to have kids, how many ups and downs do they experience because of that situation -- a lot. When someone is battling a health issue -- they spend more time on themselves than they did before they found out about the health issue.

Five years ago I didn't pray for my dad three times a day every single day. Now every righteous person's resting place that I go to, every single prayer I utter, every opportunity I get -- I send that Light to my father. Unfortunately, it's a little late -- not too late, but it's less effective now than it would have been if I had prayed before his health situation came up.

Before we come to a challenging situation, before the universe squeezes us, how much of our effort is geared toward the reason we came to this world? The more focu s we have on the front end, the less focus we end up needing on the back end. We won't need to be thinking about what to do tomorrow -- how to face the lawyer, the doctor, the bank -- freaking out waiting for test results, how to pay the third mortgage.

The bottom line is: We must be working on arriving at the destination for which we were put on this planet.

While doubt is not an option, questions must be asked. We can ask God. We can turn to our teachers - What can I do more? What am I not doing? What can I do differently? Being a defeatist, a doubter, saying it's not going to happen doesn't work.

This week, let's get (back) on target. Know that with the effort you put into your transformation, your connection and your growth, you WILL arrive at your destination.

And if you're not sure that you're on the right track, reach out and ask for help in getting your bearings.

All the best,

Yehuda

Charles Shaw: Exile Nation: Drugs, Prisons, Politics & Spirituality

2009-12-17T18:11:27Z

The follow excerpt is taken from Exile Nation: Drugs, Prisons, Politics, & Spirituality, by Charles Shaw (2009, Reality Sandwich)

"Dead Time"

The Cook County Jail is part of the Cook County Department of Corrections, a sprawling 96-acre detention complex situated next to the Cook County Criminal Courts along California Avenue in Chicago's Lower West Side neighborhood. Most refer to it as "26th and Cal" even though the jail stretches all the way south to 32nd St, a distance of nearly a mile.

The first County jail in Chicago was built in 1871 on the now historical site of 26th Street and California Avenue scant months before the Great Chicago Fire. That building is long gone, replaced in 1929 by what is now the oldest remaining building in the complex, Division 1. This squat art-deco structure has over the years, they boast, held a fine pedigree of criminal luminaries including Al Capone and Frank Nitti, Tony "Big Tuna" Accardo, gang leaders Larry Hoover, Jeff Fort and Willie Lloyd, and serial killers Richard Speck and John Wayne Gacy.

Between 1929 and 1995 the jail complex was expanded into eleven separate divisions that range from minimum security to super-max. Cook County is the largest single-site pre-trial detention facility in the United States (Los Angeles has a bigger overall county jail, but it is split into two separate facilities). CCDOC employs more than 3,000 correctional officers and support staff and admits over 100,000 detainees a year, more than twice that of the entire Illinois penitentiary system. The reported average daily inmate population is around 10,000. The real figure, however, is quite likely higher since, due to overcrowding, it is a regular practice to put a third man in a two-man cell, sleeping on the floor.

It is also one of the most controversial correctional facilities in the nation, referred to by inmate and officer alike as the "Crook County Department of Corruptions."

In recent years the jail has come under fire for overcrowding, violence, and, naturally, corruption. There have been all manner of federal and Grand Jury investigations, and plaintiff lawsuits, into excessive beatings and inmate deaths at the hands of correctional officers. And if they didn't already have enough bad PR to defuse, between 2005 and 2006 there were a series of high profile escapes.

In June of 2005 an inmate named Randy Rencher walked right out the front door wearing a correctional officer's uniform and proceeded to rob a series of Chicago banks, sparking a nationwide manhunt featured on America's Most Wanted. On February 10th of 2006, Warren Mathis became the first inmate to escape from the new Division 11 "Super Max" unit by hiding in a laundry truck. Two days later, six inmates were allowed to escape in what the Chicago Sun Times called "a plan to give a political advantage to a former jail supervisor [Thomas Dart] running for sheriff" by making then-Sheriff Michael Sheehan look incompetent. It worked. Rather than face defeat, Sheehan, who had been Sheriff for sixteen years, retired, making way for Dart (a Chicago Democrat) who took over in December of 2006.

Welcome to Chicago.

Anyone who has had the misfortune of being behind its walls knows all too well about the violence, corruption and squalor that characterizes this institution. Simply put, Cook County Jail is a harrowing, unforgettable experience for anyone. It is so awful that for many of its detainees a quick guilty plea and a trip to the penitentiary, even for twice as long, is preferable to staying in the County. It is the proverbial lesser of two evils.

Or at least that was how I saw it when I was arrested in March of 2005 for possession of fourteen capsules of MDMA and was facing one year in prison.

To be fair, this was my third time in County. My first stay was for a month in December of 1998 when I was busted for the second of three drug related convictions I have on my record. The first two convictions came in the late 1990s, the result of nearly a decade spent in high-intensity guerrilla warfare against a cocaine addiction while in my twenties. The MDMA conviction was seven years (and really, a whole lifetime) later, a week after my thirty-fifth birthday.

I had just returned to Chicago after spending most of the previous year on the road writing for Newtopia, an online magazine I published at the time, and organizing for the Green Party and other related factions of the progressive-to-radical anti-war and green movements. I was back in town to face a court case I had that stemmed from an assault by tactical officers (TAC squad) of the 23rd District of the Chicago Police Department, Addison Street station one year before in April of 2004. I was illegally stopped and searched, and ultimately beaten and arrested on false charges, by four plain clothes police officers who discovered I was connected to a local peace and justice group that was involved in fighting police corruption.

The charges against me were dismissed and the judge who heard the case acknowledged wrong doing by the police. From that moment forth I can only assume that, fearing a civil rights case which I fully intended to file, these cops were committed to stopping me somehow. I was watched, I was followed, and a few weeks later I was rousted, and ultimately arrested for having the ecstasy by TAC squad officers from the same precinct house, one of whom I later identified as one of the four present the night of my assault.

It's important for me to take a moment here and explain that I was not using ecstasy recreationally. I wasn't a "raver" and I didn't merely transfer an addiction from one substance to another. I was reintroduced to MDMA in a therapeutic context in 2004. Prior to that it had been since the early 90's that I had even taken a single dose.

Friends from my community in Chicago, who were fellow drug war activists, were also intimately connected to the Multidisciplinary Association for Psychedelic Studies, who had done pioneering work on MDMA therapy for those suffering from Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder. Many of these friends, as well as psychotherapeutic professionals I knew at the time, helped me to see that I was suffering from a form of PTSD brought on by the effects of violent experiences in my past and my prolonged addiction to cocaine, and that some form of MDMA therapy might help me.

Although at the time there were no clinical studies available in the US, much less a regulated program of treatment (in other words, because I couldn't do it legally) I had enough information and guidance to feel comfortable, and risk, experimenting on my own. Although later on in the book I will go into detail about the specifics of the therapeutic work I did that began with MDMA and other substances and then led to more traditional therapies, it's important to understand that this was the reason I was in-possession of the MDMA at the time of my third arrest, two weeks after my 35th birthday. It was a risk I was willing to take, and I do not regret it. The experiences chronicled in this book led to a complete transformation of consciousness which would over the next four years completely transform every aspect of my life.

I understand I broke the law, and so, many will see my punishment as deserved. The case I will make is that the laws surrounding drug use are unjust, particularly for those drugs with the capacity to heal, the punishment does not fit the crime, and in fact does far worse damage, and that my experiences reveal that the system itself is broken, a self-perpetuating machine of dysfunction that remains in place for reasons wholly separate than either drug enforcement or criminal justice. In many ways, it is about cognitive liberty above all--the freedom to learn, heal, and grow however you wish by whatever methods you choose, the freedom to experience life in the manner of your choosing.

After I was arrested I would spend three months dealing with my case until it became clear to me and my lawyer that with a third conviction and a precinct house full of over-zealous cops hell-bent on covering their collective asses, I could not avoid prison time.

This was a particularly bitter pill to swallow for two reasons. The first and most galling was that I was no longer a drug addict. I took great pride in that. Breaking that addiction was the hardest thing I had ever done, and I was long past engaging in any of the at-risk activities that led to my first two arrests and convictions. The second reason was that the substances I was being punished for having in my possession had helped me immeasurably, in a very short time, begin to face demons that had been consuming me my whole life. I considered them my friends.

What was all the more ironic was that as I was recovering, probably as a direct result, I spent a few years investigating the drug war in great detail and had begun writing about it. I also got involved in activism trying to reform drug laws through various lobby efforts. I had been building a respectable body of work, and in that work I had been steady about one thing: our national drug policy was absurd and had no impact on either drug use or supply. It was economics, moral policing, and social control, and it disproportionately punished the poor. I constantly argued that warehousing drug users as prisoners was a waste of public resources that were better spent on our communities, and that there were better things drug users could be made to do. The irony was not lost on me that I was now living proof of my own theories.

Thus I returned to Cook County Jail on July 1, 2005, after accepting a guilty plea and taking a two year sentence (one year in the penitentiary and one year of parole) let's be clear...for having a few pills in my pocket that made me want to give everyone I knew a hug. But that's an argument for later on.

I had to surrender myself in the courtroom and be led away through that mysterious back door behind the judge that the public never gets to see. As I stepped through it, I turned and smiled goodbye to my friends gathered in the courtroom for support, and I didn't take a normal breath for months. As the door closed behind me I literally had to put on another persona, one which I would keep until they let me out and I could go back to being myself, which would take far longer than I ever imagined. In many respects, I never did.

I entered what is known as "Dead Time," or the time a convict spends in the county jail awaiting shipment to the penitentiary system, which, no matter how long it takes, does not count towards the overall sentence. It was also literally dead time in my life, vita interruptus, weeks and months taken from me. Though I harmed no one and nothing, I was now part of an exile nation of American radicals, convicts and detainees millions strong, where I would burn off my "sins" in service to the State, in what is commonly known as the "Prison-Industrial Complex."

Exile Nation will appear in weekly excerpts throughout 2010 on Evolver & Reality Sandwich.

Read the complete text of Chapter One: "Dead Time."

Bella DePaulo: "Our Bodies, Ourselves": 40 Years on, Still Circling the Globe

2009-12-16T12:12:29Z

In 1969, 12 women shared stories of their experiences with their doctors and their knowledge of their own bodies. Within a year or so, they had put together a stapled booklet, which accomplished the early 1970s version of going viral. The group became the Boston Women's Health Book Collective, and the booklet morphed into the classic Our Bodies, Ourselves (OBOS), which sold millions. The book was translated or adapted for readers around the globe. So influential was OBOS that it generated not just new editions and spin-offs but even a book about the making of the book.

There are some truths about women's health that may now seem self-evident, but perhaps would not be so obvious if it were not for the ideas espoused, starting so long ago, by OBOS. They include, for example:

That women, as informed health consumers, are catalysts for social change

That health consumers have a right to know about controversies surrounding medical practices and about where consensus among medical experts may be forming

That women comprise the largest segment of health workers, health consumers, and health decision-makers for their families and communities, but are underrepresented in positions of influence and policy making

That a pathology/disease approach to normal life events (birthing, menopause, aging, death) is not an effective way in which to consider health or structure a health system

As Publishers Weekly noted, "More than a book, OBOS is a health movement."

I had nothing to do with any of the previous editions of the book, but I was delighted when the editors working on the latest revisions for the 40th anniversary edition asked me, along with many other people, for suggestions.

In turn, I asked the editors if I could invite the readers of my blog to post their ideas, and I got an enthusiastic reply. They don't promise to use all of the suggestions they receive, but they are interested in hearing them. My own emphasis is on strengthening the sections on single women (including the lists of resources), and if there is any singlism, getting rid of it.

Revisions are being made to the most recent edition, the 2005 version (the one with the pink cover). If you don't have your own copy, you can use the "Search Inside" feature on Amazon. Take a look, then if you have recommendations, e-mail them to me or post them to the comments section.

Here are some specific questions to consider:

A. Any rewrites?
Are there specific passages that could be updated or rewritten or expanded? Here's an example of something I will recommend: On p. 315, the authors say, "Those of us who choose not to have children are often judged by those around us." (I love their inclusive way of writing; they use "us" and "we" throughout.) I'll suggest that something similar be added about those who choose to stay single.

B. Any new (since 2005) books, websites, organizations to suggest?
In the back of the book, as well as online, there are great resource sections, with lists of relevant books, articles, videos, websites, and organizations. There are 32 chapters, arranged in 8 sections:

1. Taking care of ourselves
2. Relationships and sexuality
3. Sexual health
4. Reproductive choices
5. Childbearing
6. Growing older
7. Medical problems and procedures
8. Knowledge is power

The authors make a serious effort to speak to a wide range of experiences. In Chapter 12 on sexuality, for example, the resources are listed under these topics:

1. Aging and sexuality
2. Bisexuality
3. Disability and sexuality
4. General sexuality
5. Lesbian, bisexual, transgender, and intersex nonfiction
6. Relationships
7. Religion, spirituality, and sexuality
8. Teens and sexuality
9. Transgender and transsexual

Take a look at their lists and see if you have any suggestions for additions or deletions.

C. Any personal experiences to share?
The book includes all sorts of interesting first-person quotes and stories. Some are just a sentence, others are much longer. Here's an example, from p. 198: "For me at 73, masturbation is better than a sexual relationship, as most of the time, I'm more interested in nonsexual pursuits. Sustaining a relationship with all the time and thought involved would be a nuisance." Take a look at the many different topics addressed in the book (and any others that should be addressed); if you have experiences of your own you'd be willing to contribute, please describe them.

Thanks in advance for any ideas!

Over at my Living Single blog at Psychology Today, I also discuss remakes of other classics in children's books and movies, and readers have started posting their comments about OBOS.

Natasha Dern: Change: How Willing Are You?

2009-12-14T14:03:00Z

Why does it take loss for people to make a change? Why does it take tragedy to wake us up? Why does it take public humiliation to do so? Why don't we change willingly? Are we such creatures of habit that habit becomes more powerful than common sense? Like food, everything in our lives has an expiry date. Unhappiness in any area of life is a precursor for change, a red flag so to speak that the expiry date is drawing near. Imagine how powerful it would be if we all perceived change as a blessing and worked with it rather than against it.

The recent Tiger Woods drama illustrates this perfectly. Here's this guy with a beautiful family, a mega career, and financial abundance who was unwilling to make the necessary changes in his personal life. Rather than face it head on, he chose the path of infidelity to avoid doing so. His unwillingness to tackle the issues within himself, his marriage or life has culminated in a public humiliation. What you resist will persist. You can't tame the monster forever. What you feed in the darkness will demand to see the light of day. He may be a golf icon but he's also a man who needs to do some soul searching. When one is too busy with matters of the physical world, the inner life suffers.

However, Tiger is not the only one among us who resists or avoids change. The majority change direction during or after a breakdown/crisis occurs. If it were left up to us, we would choose to live stagnant lives. Change is the one constant in life. We can learn to either deal with it or face the consequences. In Tiger's case, he's facing the consequences. Had he sat down with his wife for a heart to heart, or expressed his unhappiness, or perhaps even asked for a divorce it could've saved him from such a fate. Instead, he chose to test fate. Because of this folly, he put his reputation and career, marriage and family on the line. From all accounts, Tiger is known to guard his privacy but how much of it was really privacy and not secrecy?

As the year draws near, sit and reflect where change needs to happen in your life. Try to be as honest as possible and implement some small changes to start with, at least get the ball rolling in your favor. Do not wait until things are so out of control that they can no longer be contained. If there are issues in your marriage - talk it over with your spouse before you run off and risk everything. If there are issues in your family, try to clear the air before closing the door forever. If your job is causing you angst, begin to look for a new one. We need to be proactive. We need to read the signs. I have coined the following analogy: the universe gives you three signs - the first is a whisper, the second a tap and the third a bat. The bat is always dramatic, intense and outrageous. Which one of the signs have come your way lately? Its always good to make changes when its still a whisper or a tap because at this stage you can still control the outcome. But when the bat enters the scene you can bet fate is in control.

Change is the means through which the universe uses to get us out of a rut, helps us to expand, and to bring more good into our lives. Most often, we overlook the problem, cling to the problem, defend the problem, hide the problem, act out the problem and justify the problem. When we do this we are not solving the problem or issue, in fact we're making it worse. If something in your life is not working, why not look at it? If something feels off, why not explore it? If something doesn't look right, why not investigate it? Change is an invitation to leave one life behind for a new one that is yet to begin. Will you choose to remain in your comfort zone or will you open your arms and embrace the MORE that's waiting for you? Will you at least meet it half way? How willing are you? Do not wait until a crisis comes for a visit because crisis favors the unwilling not the willing.

Eliezer Sobel: Why I Am Not Enlightened

2009-12-11T14:35:59Z

I finally figured out why I'm not enlightened. Over 30 years ago, when I had just made the proverbial first step on a "journey of a thousand miles" I heard the following well-known tale: A man approaches a Zen Master and asks to be shown the path to enlightenment. The Master replies, "Okay, follow me," stands up, and walks the man to a nearby river and into the water. Without warning, the Master forces the man's head under the water and holds it there as he struggles violently for his life, until he is nearly dead. At last the Master pulls the man up, gasping for air, and says, "When you want to be enlightened as badly as you wanted to take your next breath just now, come back and see me."

At the time, as a youthful spiritual adventurer, the story inspired me and got me fired up, and fueled the years of seeking, meditating, and exotic travels to distant lands that followed. Yet now, looking back, I'm wondering if I could have saved myself a lot of trouble had I simply answered the question implied by that story honestly: No. No I do not want to get enlightened more than life itself, more than I would crave my next breath in that situation.

Again and again in the spiritual literature, and particularly in the fierce world of Zen, we come across stories that are similar. In ancient China, it is said that Hui-ka came to Bodhidharma's cave and waited for the monk to accept him. After standing there for days with no sign of the teacher coming out to greet him, it began snowing. When the snow had reached to Hui's waist, Bodhidharma finally came out and asked,

" What is it you want?"
"My mind is not at ease," Hui replied.
"The Way is long and difficult," said Bodhi, dismissing him.

Hui took out his sword and chopped off his left arm and handed it to the Master, and was accepted.

Another tale tells of the Zen master who was once threatened by a gruff Samurai holding a sword over him, saying, "Don't you know who I am? I am someone who could cut your head off without a second thought or batting an eye," to which the Master replied, "And don't you know who I am? I am someone who could offer you his head to cut off without a second thought or batting an eye." In one of his previous incarnations, the Buddha is said to have offered his body as food for a hungry tiger.

And so forth and so on; the message seems to be that enlightenment, or the realization of Truth, is not a casual affair for mere spiritual tourists, but only for the very rare individual willing to sacrifice any and everything, including his or her very life, in its pursuit.

Alas, most of us, myself included, are merely in search of, at best, "feeling better," while possibly surrounding ourselves with consoling aphorisms and beliefs, incense, and countless books on esoteric subjects written by others who themselves have not made the final cut, so to speak. (The late Douglas Harding, one of the few who seemed to know of what he spoke, titled one of his books, On Having No Head.) But let's face it: of all the people that you and I know who have spent a good deal of their lives sitting on meditation cushions, chanting in Sanskrit, gulping psychedelics like M & Ms, and subscribing to The Yoga Journal, how many have achieved the pinnacle of human possibility that all of the great spiritual teachings insist is available to anyone, if only we wanted it as badly as air and life itself?

It would mean putting enlightenment at the top of our To-Do list and priorities, ahead of career, family, comfort and security, things which, speaking for myself, actually comprise some of my favorite parts of being alive. In the Christian world, of course, Jesus was a "fisher of men" and told them to put down their nets right then and there and "follow me." Like the Moonies in the early days, those who joined up never even called home or checked in with their parents. (Perhaps today the families of Peter, Judas and the rest would kidnap them and deliver them to a deprogrammer). Same for the monks who divested themselves of all worldly goods and personal attachments to traipse through the forest with the Buddha. The Jews, naturally, didn't have much choice. Following Moses into the desert for 40 years seemed at first as if it would definitely be a step up from brutal slavery, but a lot of them bitched and moaned about it anyway. Even they didn't always want their freedom more than the familiarity of the less than optimal life they knew.

Ram Dass, the well-known teacher and author of the canonic Be Here Now, once spoke of a picture he saw in the newspaper of an abused and battered infant wailing as it was taken out of the arms of its mother, reaching back desperately for its abuser. The message was clear: we are wired to choose the familiar and the comfortable at any cost. I attended a two-week retreat in Rishikesh, India with contemporary guru Andrew Cohen once, and he made it crystal clear at the outset that it was imperative that we "want to be free more than anything else," and that we needed to be "deadly serious about it." I've never really been deadly serious about anything (except maybe my record collection) so that put me off a bit, especially since the most enlightened people I had come into contact with over the years always had at least one thing in common: they laughed uproariously and often. (Actually, to be fair, so did Andrew.)

I've just finished reading Spiritual Warfare by Jed McKenna, who, like Andrew and many others who walk among us these days, presents himself as someone who is "done," in the sense that prior to enlightenment, we are all perpetually in a state of "becoming," as distinct from finally being released into the vast mystery of Present Being, with no further demands of life, only curiosity and radical amazement. Jed is done with all becoming. So he, too, naturally, makes statements like, "All that's required is an arm and a leg? That's it?" He can't believe his good fortune to learn that "waking up" is such a bargain. Living without a few limbs, he says, is far preferable to even one more moment of living a lie.

Okay, I think I've made my point: the reason I am not enlightened after all these years is that I value my arms and legs too much, not to mention my wife and family, and last but not least, air. (My favorite.)

Now, for the opposing view: the most provocative statement I ever heard Werner Erhard make--yes I know he is controversial and either adored or despised, but this is worth considering--was that over the years, he had witnessed thousands of people literally give up everything in their pursuit of enlightenment. He had seen them give up their jobs, their families, spend their fortunes, devote years of their time, meditate until their knees were destroyed, "ANYTHING," he said, "except the ONE THING required in order to be enlightened. That, no one will give up." He paused for emphasis, then shouted, as was his style, "PEOPLE WILL NOT GIVE UP THAT THEY ARE NOT ENLIGHTENED. IT'S TOO TERRIBLE TO GIVE THAT ONE UP! THEY HAVE TOO MUCH FUN DOING THINGS THAT ARE GOING TO ENLIGHTEN THEM!" He went on in a softer voice, "Now, did I just say you shouldn't do things that are going to enlighten you? No; do them. But do them because it's fun to do them! I would do them. I do do them. But not because they're going to enlighten anyone. You can't get enlightened. But you can be enlightened."

It's the perennial paradox. There are many spiritual teachers and schools of thought who remind us continuously that, "this is it," that we are, each of us, always already enlightened. That it is impossible to be otherwise, and any effort whatsoever in the direction of enlightenment can only, by definition, be a journey further from it, since it is where, unbeknownst to us, we are starting out from. A religious way of stating this would be to say that we are always already in the Presence of God. If God is Omnipresent, the Source and Substance of Everything/Everywhere, (and for the non-dual people, also the Non-Source and Non-Substance of Nothing/Nowhere, and really neither of those two, nor both; confused yet?) then there is absolutely nothing any of us could do, obviously, to either bring in or remove God from the scene.

Our True Nature is who we already are, not something we can become or attain in the future. The paradox becomes that we somehow don't recognize this fact and spend years searching for something that was never lost, and if we're fortunate, we'll run into a teacher along the way who will simply, as the Tibetan Dzogchen tradition puts it, "point out" what is perfectly obvious. Jed McKenna calls it "opening your eyes," Gurdjieff and many others refer to it as "waking up." It has been called God-Realization, Self-Realization, Enlightenment, Liberation, or simply being real and authentic, resting in the center of our original, True Nature and living life from that place rather than looking for it.

So those seem to be our two main choices: Either we're presently, already enlightened and simply don't know it, and there may or may not be teachers or methods that can help us achieve the recognition that there is nothing to achieve; or, we're clearly very far from enlightenment and we need to be willing to sacrifice our very lives to get to the Truth, and there may or may not be teachers or methods that will help us achieve that. In either case, good luck! In the meantime, it seems to me that it behooves we spiritual seekers to get on with our day.

Lama Surya Das: Jung's Secret Red Book

2009-12-11T13:54:19Z

"My soul, where are you? Do you hear me? I speak, I call you----are you there?"

Don't these simple questions somehow resonate deeply? Aren't they timeless, evergreen, universal?

These poetic lines were written by Carl Jung, the renowned 20th century psychologist, in a journal entry of his long-hidden diary-like work entitled The Red Book. The other day I was fortunate to see the first-ever exhibit and published translation of The Red Book at the Rubin Museum of Art in New York City. Until this exhibit, The Red Book has never before been seen in public; Jung's Swiss nuclear family apparently feared that its publication might harm Jung's reputation.

Jung often said that everything he wrote about and developed in his thought over the years-- including his principal theories of archetypes, the collective unconscious, and the process of individuation-- stemmed from a lengthy, intensely visionary period of spiritual breakdown and breakthrough before World War I. During this time, he experienced countless visions, dreams, hallucinations, and out-of-body experiences. Jung created The Red Book between 1914-1930, majestically chroniclling a multitude of these experiences, observations and oracular intimations.

The Red Book itself is a gorgeous, oversized volume bound in red leather, replete with many wonders-- all documenting this extraordinary personal psycho-spiritual journey. The Red Book completely captivates and transports its readers. Carl Jung's writing is beautiful, his calligraphy exquisite in places, and the brightly hued images are stunning. Some pages look like an illuminated manuscript or an ancient, visionary bible, while others display his visionary drawings, some of which have a mandala-like quality.

The journal entry continued:

"I have returned. I am here again.... After long years of wandering I have come home to you [my soul] again. Should I tell you everything I have seen, experienced and drunk in?"

Although he wasn't addressing these questions to me personally, as I stood reading these lines at the exhibit, I couldn't help but answer "YES!" I wanted to hear more of his journey, his intense inner exploration and spiritual evolution. The Red Book is a striking example of how seeing the light in another can help us find the light already burning gently, burning brightly inside of us. Some of the Master's multicolored drawings seem intent upon ascending from the darkened colors up into the light, as if from ignorance to wisdom and from death to immortality-- to parse lines from Mahatma Gandhi's favorite prayer, from the ancient Hindu scripture called The Upanishads. Others draw one in as if along an ever-deepening tunnel-like path, through a psychic energy vortex and into the inner maze of consciousness and the clear light of the higher spiritual mind and its recondite mysteries.

Walking through this modest-yet-potent museum exhibit of The Red Book, my friend and I couldn't help but become inspired and even a bit giddy. Reading his journal entries, I felt connected to an unusual aspect of our multi-faceted spiritual path. Looking at his drawings-- secret cryptograms of the self, as he put it-- I felt inspired to gaze reflectively upon my own original face, as zen teachers call it, and to let my own creative juices flow more freely.

In addition to being a pioneer in the field of western psychology, Jung also helped introduce Eastern thought to the Western world. I have long admired his observations in the Introductions to books I always have near at hand such as Richard Wilhelm's groundbreaking translations of the I Ching (Book of Changes), and The Secret of the Golden Flower (a classic book of ancient Chinese healing), as well as Evans-Wentz's translation of The Tibetan Book of the Dead (a vaunted Buddhist Dzogchen text about both the bardo---intermediate states between life and death---and how to awaken spiritually through recognizing such transitions in life as well as in death). In these Introductions, Jung brings the modern, psychological and Western world to bear on the perennial wisdom of the East.

Back once again to the exhibit, his journal entry continued:

"But one thing you [my soul] must know: the one thing I have learned is that one must live this life. This life is the way, the long sought-after way to the unfathomable, which we call the divine."

Here, in western words, written about 1913, is a sublime expression of Buddhist Tantra: It is through this life that we can find the unfathomable, the divine. We can find the sacred, he tells us----and as he shows us so generously in The Red Book---- if we continue on our psycho-spiritual journey and plumb our own depths.

So, let us follow in the footsteps of Jung and the Dzogchen masters and "live this life" so that we too can find the unfathomable.

If this sparks an interest, The Red Book will be on display at The Rubin
Museum in NYC until 2/15/09 (http://www.rmanyc.org). You can also buy facsimiles of The Red Book (translated by Dr. Sonu Shamdasani) on-line.

Visit Lama Surya Das' website at: www.surya.org/

John Morton: Spirit Of Peace In All: Part I

2009-12-11T13:00:00Z

Leigh Taylor-Young and I participated recently in the Parliament of the World's Religions in Melbourne, Australia. We gathered with over 10,000 fellow peacemakers, including His Holiness the Dalai Lama. Although this was Leigh's first visit to the Parliament, I attended in 1999 when the Parliament was held in Capetown, South Africa. At that time, I spoke during the Peace Pole dedication ceremony on Robben Island, the site of the imprisonment of Nelson Mandela. Nelson Mandela attended that Parliament as well and spoke of his "debt" to religion throughout his life.

A prime theme of the Parliament this year focused on "Healing Ourselves, Healing Our World". The Parliament brought together the religious/spiritual world with the scientific/secular world as a means to address our environmental crises, including the global warming so powerfully affecting our planet.

Early on Saturday morning this year, Leigh and I presented an "observance" --- a category of presentations at the Parliament where a religion or group offers a form of worship, practice, meditation, or invocation. We chose to present an Invocation of the Light along with chanting Ani Hu, a form of worship and chanting that we teach in the Movement of Spiritual Inner Awareness (MSIA). We called in the Light, and then the group chanted together Ani, an ancient term that brings forward the quality of empathy, and Hu, an ancient name for God.

Following a moment for the group's quiet inner contemplation, I presented an annotated version of the Gathering of the Peacemakers meditation that I had recorded in 1989. During the guided meditation, I described our crossing through a river that cleanses and purifies, serving as a baptism of the Spirit in All. This meditative baptism gives us the opportunity to let go of the past and move forward refreshed and renewed. In addition, I spoke of the opportunity we all have to join other peacemakers in this inner journey, which I see as a calling for all peacemakers.

Leigh introduced her long-time ministry which supports planetary healing and restoration of the natural world. She spoke of her many years of devoted service as a representative to the United Nations as well as the Institute for Individual and World Peace (IIWP). Leigh then presented a new version of the Spirit of Peace meditation that she had recorded in 1989. This new guided meditation invoked a beautiful presence of peace and healing for ourselves and our planet as Leigh noted repeatedly "and it is good".

A quintessential moment at the Parliament occurred as part of a presentation on the "Green Patriarch", a reference to Patriarch Bartholomew, the Ecumenical Patriarch of the Eastern Orthodox Church which reportedly has over 250 million followers at this time. The presentation was sponsored by the Forum on Religion and Ecology established by professors at Yale University. Patriarch Bartholomew traces the oldest uninterrupted lineage of Christian Church leadership, long before the Popes of the Roman Catholic Church, all the way back to the first of the Patriarchs, none other than the Apostle Andrew. Since 1997, Patriarch Bartholomew has led an international effort through joint symposiums with leaders from Christian, Catholic (including the last two Popes), Muslim, Hebrew, Buddhist, Hindu, Jain, Sikh, and several indigenous traditions along with prominent ecologists and scientists.

During this presentation, we viewed a film in which a group of over 200 leaders and major news media personnel traveled by ship to an arctic location in Greenland where the largest ice cap in the world has been melting at an alarming rate. On the bow of the ship which was anchored at the foot of an immense glacier, the religious leaders joined hands with Patriarch Bartholomew while he led the group in a prayer. The group continued holding in silence and then turned to face the glacier with their prayerful offerings. At the same time, the local Inuit and Saami tribes gathered in kayaks upon the waters below.

As the environmental crisis appears to be worsening, many people fear that the combined measures taken so far are insufficient to correct and restore our natural world. Many fear we are not able to provide what is needed to avert increasing cataclysmic occurrences from affecting the entire planet and everyone of us on Earth. A significant portion of the ecological and scientific world is acknowledging that what is called for now is a leadership of the masses of humanity. What is needed is inspiration on the order of the miraculous --- actions positively affecting millions upon millions across every land and into the seas and the skies.

Religious leadership is seen as a far greater influence upon the masses than any other form of leadership, including political or ethnic groups. More of the religious leadership, involving hundreds of millions and billions of people around the world, need to call upon their followers locally and globally to take corrective measures that would turn the tide. Suggestions include churches, temples, and shrines around the world demonstrating energy and pollution-reducing measures, such as the use of solar panels and more greening of their many land holdings..

We are certainly being called upon to send our prayers and Light for the highest good of all. Our individual and collective actions are vitally important to help make our individual world and the world at large a better place. What do I see? With God all things are possible. With the highest God, we are not called into fear and worry nor the callings of those in the line of Cassandra or Chicken Little. We are called upon to move into the presence that loves and cares for all, including all the natural forms of the creation.

Those leading this call to action at the Parliament, including Mary Evelyn Tucker and John Grim of Yale University and Martin Frick of the Global Humanitarian Forum along with many other presenters, encouraged us to move to the awe and wonder of our world. With that inspiration and hope, we can then become full participants in change for the better. Such change begins with you and me.

At a follow-up discussion for Patriarch Bartholomew, Pope Benedictine, and other prominent leaders of the world's religions, Leigh initiated a petition for that leadership to make an appearance at the upcoming Copenhagen Climate Conference. Can you envision the leadership of the world's religions calling upon the entire world to make a radical change to heal and restore the planet to its harmonic balance with flourishing becoming the result?

John-Roger. D.S.S. said, "What You Can Behold, You Can Become." What we can behold for the world, can become. Our imagination is not limited unless we allow it to be so. It begins with each one of us individually.

Perhaps right now you can pause for a moment to call upon God and the Christ within you to bless our planet, envisioning all who are in leadership and those who are called upon to help to make a change for the best. Let us also invoke the Spirit of Peace in All and see ourselves enjoining in the Gathering of Peacemakers. Let us become the blessings that already are for ourselves, for the world, and for all of God's creation. Let us let go and let God.

Baruch Bashan (the blessings already are)
-----------------------------------------------------
John Morton, D.S.S. is the author of two inspiring books, The Blessings Already Are and You Are the Blessings: Meditations and Reflections on Life, God and Us. To learn more about John's works, visit www.theBlessings.org. Contact John at JohnMorton@theBlessings.org.

Daniel Ladinsky: Maybe the Best Lay in Town Is a Poem

2009-12-09T08:54:05Z

I hear I am one of the most successful living poets in the world these days. And if someone asked me, "How in the hell did that ever happen?" I could respond, "Well, I worked my butt off, and I have been lucky at poker, and the heart is more powerful than I knew." The Unseen, I think, is willing to back our efforts if one's tears have fermented. What might be called God, I have learned, is somewhat helpless before any real love and courage a person can have. That is, to my ken, a Higher Power -- our Beloved -- would rather be a servant to us, than be served ... would rather worship us, than be worshiped. Probably, there is no movement or sound or scent or thought -- or awaiting experience --that did not come from something She cooked up in a wild mood one night, rang the dinner bell for, and started the myriad souls vast migration to chow down on the Infinite, on the Divine, that someday we will swallow whole.

But for now, maybe the best lay in town is a poem, or any art that merits an ovation from you -- be that applause just a lingering twinkle in your eye that someone else can get a hit off of, or the corners of your mouth turned up in a grateful silence. I believe art can be a lover, as wonderful as any. But all forms, and especially names, become a prison at some point that can cause mental illness if one cannot consciously escape them at interludes.

I like these words, I have published, from one of the poets-seers I have studied. They both honor the heroes -- in marriages, families, work places. And then the words point, hint at our fundamental destiny to unite with that beyond our common understanding of self, gender, and all the crazy dividing flags.

Great lions can find peace in a cage
but we should only do that as a last resort
so those bars I see that restrain your wings
I guess you won't mind if I pry them open.

With the Christmas month upon us, and talking about art, here is a Rumi poem I have worked on, this is a rendering by me, aimed for a book called The Purity of Desire, 100 Poems of Rumi, which is under contract with Penguin.

The Body Is Like Mary

The body is like Mary and each of us has a Jesus inside.
Who is not in labor, holy labor? Every creature is.

See the value of true art when the earth or a soul is in
the mood to create beauty,

for the witness might then for a moment know beyond
any doubt, God is really there within,

so innocently drawing life from us with Her umbilical
universe,

though also needing to be born, yes God also needs to be
born,

birth from a hand's loving touch, birth from a song breathing
life into this world.

The body is like Mary, and each of us, each of us, has a
Christ within.

I had a sweet conversation with HuffPost Living Editor, Alana B. Elias Kornfeld, before she turned me loose here, on this blog I was invited to write. And while we were talking, and I was telling her about my life and how I am so drawn to nature and was planning to spend more and more time at a wilderness farm I have in the Ozarks, it occurred to me that nature and art were royal twins. And that people who lived in cities can so need to associate with art simply because it helps to keep one sane at the least, and can deeply nourish and inspire at its best. Nature and art are sacred breasts we can feed on to grow. They are vital to our evolution. They offer a jailbreak or leave from the madness and demands we can get caught in. Of course love does that, too. Love dissolves boundaries and ultimately removes any contour that is not luminous.

I have worked with some of the greatest freedom fighters in history and from studying their lives and writings came up with an anthology, an avant-garde portrait of their work, called Love Poems from God, Twelve Sacred Voices from the East and West. As one might take a class called religion 101, I think that anthology gets into God 10,000; it is engaging and beautiful with no-holds-barred -- as creation is. And the poet who I have worked most with is the 14th century Persian poet Hafiz. Ralph Waldo Emerson translated Hafiz and remarked, Hafiz is a poet for poets. And Goethe said, Hafiz has no peer. And I think Goethe knew what he was talking about.

The heart suffers when it cannot see and touch beauty,
but beauty is not shy it is synonymous with existence.

Those words are in one of my Hafiz books, and I think they are true. And is not suffering (the avoidance of it) a full time occupation we are all deeply engaged in. Intelligence as we know it, if it has any real usefulness is only in part valued because of its ability to avoid or lessen pain. For most, an honest gauge of intelligence might be how often one has a sense of peace, comfort, well-being, excitement, happiness, generosity ... or that contagious twinkle. I think in some ways real cerebral dexterity and power is all about liberation, surely not control. And I think a rational mind comes to value discipline or restraint only because of a faith or hope ... one might then reach an inner realm where there are less and less rules and laws, and gravity.

All acts and thoughts are inherently selfish -- of course they are, we are in a constant-natural state of negotiation to better our circumstances (inwardly and or outwardly), except in our moments of ecstasy, or our deepest sleep. But at some point one selfishness becomes more intelligent, less confining, and helps unfurl the spirit. And the height of intelligent selfishness is what one can call enlightenment or realization -- simply just seeing what a miraculous, fucking knockout everything really is.

Santa usually looks like he has some clue to this Alice In Wonderland where we are camping, as does any half-baked Zen master, or any rabbi or priest worth respect. If I had a son or daughter who was shopping about for some kind of spiritual teacher to help with the knowing -- to help catch the Buddha's fantastic grin, and they happened to ask if I had any advice, I would say, "Yep." And then if they said, "Well, spill the beans old man." I would respond, "It is right there on page 217, just open the book." Then if they said, "I am too lazy." "Alright then," I would pipe back, "I will read it." Here goes:

The words guru, swami, super swami, master,
teacher, yogi, murshid, priest -- most of those
sporting such a title are just peacocks.

The litmus test is to hold them upside down
over a cliff for a few hours. If they don't wet
their pants ... maybe you found a real one.

Now there is a practical Love Poem from God if I ever heard one, for why would the Princess want us to get fleeced!

I don't think we will feel complete until our consummation with the Sun. Maybe smooching with a poem will help bring the Beautiful One closer.

Michelle Renee: Saying Yes to Love Again, or Just Getting Your Flirt On

2009-12-08T17:55:12Z

I hadn't been grabbed around the waist and kissed like that in so long I could hardly remember what warm sensual lips felt like on mine. I loved every second of it but still something inside of me rang as loud and clear as the three-o-clock whistle on a Friday when school let out and my feet... They wanted to run that fast too. I had no idea how to handle the situation and the only thing I could say is "I gotta go." The old familiar runner was back and she was winning... Again.

Connecting with men on an intimate level since being attacked by three men 9 years ago has been nearly impossible. I told my best friend the other night that I have felt crippled in that department. But lately, as my daughter turned 16, I have begun to understand that it is my time to finally face my fear of intimacy and sort through my issues with men that began when I was a little girl growing up in a home where abuse and fear governed everything. The attack by three thugs that ripped me and my daughter's world apart broke open my past; one that I had been hiding from and running from my entire life.

Since the attack and kidnapping, I chose to take time to get to know me; the Michelle I never really knew at all, and for the first time in my life, really begin to understand what makes me tick. I forced myself to spend time with just me, get underneath the surface and dig into all that had been the driving force behind my past behavior, relationship choices, self-sabotage, and total workaholic madness. I told myself that it was time to stop judging myself and start loving who I am and started by listing every major life altering experience I have ever had and next to it, wrote down one gift it has brought into my life. I began to focus on that gift, on all that is in front of me and not what is behind me and choose to be empowered and powerful-the gift I wanted my daughter to receive from me the most. The other gift to her, and to myself, to enjoy my life...every part of it.

I started getting out again, going dancing and feeling like it was time to begin my new 40 something and single life a few months ago. This time going out meant something different than it ever has before. I am healthier in many ways then I have ever been, emotionally and spiritually, after taking years to focus on healing and embracing my life. Looking for Mr. Right has taken a back seat to being true to myself, honoring who I am and knowing that eventually this kind of light will attract the man that is right for me. But in the meantime, as my best friend challenged me to do, I need to have some fun and start dating again. In her words, "Michelle, you need to stop working and helping everyone else so much, have some fun and have some sex while you're at it." What are best friends for, right?

I hadn't really thought about it too much until that kiss. It made me realize that if I was going to open my heart up enough to ever let anyone back in, or even just go out and have some fun and get my 40 something flirt on or as my daughter calls it, see if I still have "game", I had to let go of one more thing that was holding me back. I sat in my car in my garage when I got home that night and looked down at my hand and stared at the simple gold band on my pinky finger and asked myself, "How can I ever begin a new love story if I am still wearing my old love story on my sleeve, actually on my pinky."

The next day I sat my daughter down and began to tell her about the day her dad and I were married. We had no money. We didn't even have rings for the ceremony. But we were in love and that is all that mattered. When we could finally afford a simple gold wedding band that is what I wore with as much pride and joy as if it were bejeweled with the world's most exquisite diamonds. It symbolized our love and it is that love that created her. When we divorced 16 years ago, just after my daughter was born, I didn't even know how shut off and shut down I became. I shifted into the survival mode I knew so well; the mode that kept me alive on the streets as a teen runaway; the mode that clicked in every time I had to hussle up a way to pay the bills or get through trade school to become something other then a tragic homeless teen story. I went over in my mind just how my choices in men had been shaped by, not only the deep wounds of my childhood, but the pain and betrayal I felt as my marriage crumbled. I never realized it until the other night when I looked down at the simple gold wedding band that was on my pinky finger now-the ring I had not taken off in 23 years.

I slipped the gold band off my finger and, with tears of release streaming down my face, held it out to my daughter. "This is your ring now. It's value is unseen and symbolizes the love that created you; a love that I will always cherish." I was finally ready to let go of him and all that we could have been and every dream we had that was never realized. I was ready to stop seeing myself as divorced damaged goods. I was ready to start a new story of love and awakening to myself and all that is possible.

She slipped the simple gold band on her finger and hugged me for the longest time then said, "It's okay. I think it is time for you to have fun after all these years just raising me, mom. And besides, it's cool now to be a cougar!" We laughed as she wiped tears from my cheeks.

The simple truth is...I may never see the guy who grabbed me and kissed me that night and who cares if I do or don't. That kiss woke me up to the realization that I am a woman in my 40's who is smart, fun, sexy, and, as one of my favorite movies says, a woman to love. Cougar? Maybe. I just know I am now giving myself permission to be open to receive love and all that the universe has in store for me.

Srinivasan Pillay: Depression: Illness Or Stuckness?

2009-12-08T09:54:54Z

It is incontrovertible that depression itself accounts for much suffering in the world. It is estimated that approximately 16.2 percent of adults will have one major depressive episode at some point in their lives, and that in any 12-month period, about 5 percent of people in the US have depression (that is approximately 1 in 18-20). When people are depressed, they are not just "down in the dumps", but also have trouble sleeping and eating and may find their energy and concentration "low" with little interest in day-to-day activities. In the worst cases they may also be suicidal. Thus, this state of being can lead to tremendous diminutions in productivity and life can seem to pass by unless this problem is addressed. Antidepressants and certain forms of psychotherapy have been found to be helpful. Still, there are times when, despite the suffering that depression causes, I wonder: what makes this an "illness"? And does thinking of this as an illness help in the long-term?

In other aspects of medicine, illness is usually quite obvious. We either see organisms that should not be there under microscopes, or we see cells dividing as they should not be. This kind of "evidence" helps to convince us that something other than "ourselves" is causing what we have. While this is also debatable, it is not within the purview of this article. What is, though, is depression, and whether we have enough "evidence' to support thinking of it as an illness.

Points in support of depression being an illness are: (1) brain imaging studies that show that the brains of depressed people do not look like the brains of other people; (2) that the syndrome can be diagnosed using set criteria; (3) that when we put chemicals into peoples' bodies (like SSRIs), they feel better; (4) that sometimes, until people are "treated" they are stuck in their lives for years. These and some other factors support the view of depression as an illness, but I do not find them convincing or without some doubt.

It is clear from studies done so far that depression is part genetic, and part acquired. and that things that happen in our lives can make us feel badly. Divorce, separation loss and boredom can all lead to depression and the stuckness that depression brings. But why do we need to think of this as an "illness" in order to take it seriously? Is the suffering of depression not enough to take it seriously anyway? Do we do so because we have to refer the problem to psychiatrists? That is, because depression was defined by people in the psychological field who have to justify why you should consult us, is there not something biased about "marketing" the idea of "illness" to justify a living? Is it possible that people feel too ashamed about being "human" and being victims of this inert state, that since this state is pretty widespread, we all come to collude that this must in fact be an illness since thinking otherwise would have many deleterious impacts: it would mean that we are somehow responsible for being a way that appears to have come on suddenly; it implies that insurance companies would not reimburse for this and that somehow, if we do not call it an illness, then we can't "justify" our suffering.

Clearly, the world is growing in its perspectives about how to manage depression. Sports enthusiasts will swear to the benefits of physical activity (to eliminate an illness?), yoga practitioners will swear to the benefits of movement and new spiritual perspectives (to eliminate an illness?) and still others will swear to changing around one's life (new partner, new job, new place to live) to address this threatening quality of stagnation.

My objections to just widely accepting the "illness" view are these : (1) People come to integrate their "illnesses" into their identities, and in the long-term often bring more suffering into their lives; (2) People tend to hold a secret 'shame" about their illnesses; (3) People tend to feel disempowered to do anything about their illnesses; (4) People think only in terms of psychiatry, when in fact, coaches, physical trainers, yoga instructors and friends can all make a huge difference.

My view here is that depression is serious, affecting, needs to be attended to and well within the purview of psychiatry, psychology and related fields. We can be helpful. But the "label" of "illness" is best handled with questions: Am I really "ill" or am I experiencing something very difficult to handle? If I change my brain chemistry, what else am I doing to my brain? Is this a short-term or long-term state? How much of this is a part of being human and what are the other 80% of people who appear to never have depression doing?

My recommendations: even if you suffer from depression, always ask questions about this "state". Within the field of psychological and psychiatric research, we ask questions all the time-so why shouldn't you? What would it mean to you if depression was not an illness? Why would this matter?

Perry Garfinkel: The 7 Laws Of Inconspicuous Consumption

2009-12-07T16:54:08Z

Tis the $eason to be $pending. That's the less-than-spiritual message retailers are blasting from radios, TVs, billboards, newspaper and magazine ads, circulars, direct mail, Facebook walls, tweets, and e-blasts (have I missed any media?) in these last weeks before Chanukah and Christmas.

Far be it for me to put a damper on spending when the economy clearly needs some good old-fashioned consumer consumption - the more conspicuous, the better.

Yet, speaking personally as a professional in a field (namely, print journalism) that was disappearing before our very laptops even before the meltdown, I am sure I am not alone in confessing the most creative writing I do these days is balancing my own checkbook.

But I have found a way to have my consumer cake and eat my holiday fruitcake too. When I first heard the phrase "inconspicuous consumption," it sounded like an oxymoron, especially coming from a California-based luxury hotel CEO I hold in high regard. By all logic, he should have been promoting "exorbitant expendituring," but there is something of the Buddha in this gentleman. And when I got to thinking about it, I realized that he was onto something that makes very good sense from a Buddhist perspective. Inconspicuous consumption - I.C. for short - is more of a Zen attitudinal adjustment than budgetary. Indeed, I.C. may be the new P.C.

I.C. is not about spending less or wearing a fake mustache when you run to the mall. It's about spending wisely, spending for the right reasons, spending not to feed your face but to feed your soul - and others' souls.

Herewith, then, a guide to spiritual spending that is not likely to be proposed by Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner.

#1: Buy to enlighten, not to impress.
Things that have worth inform, motivate, inspire and teach you something that shifts your paradigm, and can mean something personally. Gucci and all other brand names have no intrinsic value or meaning other than that which we assign them. We usually buy them just to keep up with the Joneses, the Schwartzes or the Patels. Some enlightening gift ideas might come from this website: Educational Games.

#2: Buy quality over quantity.
Good stuff lasts longer, to put it most simply. Yes, you pay a little more but amortized over the time it ably serves you, you come out the smart buyer. Compare the lifespan of K-Mart tube socks, $12 for a dozen, against the $30 pair of Mephisto socks I bought in 2004 (that can practically walk by themselves by now). Yes, Mephisto is a brand but brand schmand: this was about quality, not hype.

#3: Make anonymous gifts.
I love the "Curb" episode ("The Anonymous Donor," season six, episode 52) when Larry David and Ted Danson both make generous gifts to the Natural Resources Defense Council. Then Larry finds out Ted made his gift "anonymous," making Larry look like a royal celebrity egoist. Larry justifiably boils over, though, when he learns Ted outed himself to several people as the "anonymous donor." "It's faux anonymity," Larry fumes. Why does it feel so right to give anonymously? Because then the motivation is guaranteed to be literally selfless.

#4: Buy things that leave a small carbon footprint.
Yes, Virginia, there is a Santa Claus who knows from green. And if your Santa does not have a green clause, you can elucidate (and illuminate) him with energy-saving light bulbs. Or with some surfing before he boards his sled. For starters, Wiki now has a green page dedicated to techniques for reducing carbon usage that "cost nothing, zero, zilch, zip," as the page enthuses. To measure exactly how much damage you already are causing to the planet, the Nature Conservancy can help you calculate. And for those dreaming of a green Christmas, click here.

#5: Buy local products and produce.
One more way you can deplete the environment a little less. Veggies and manufactured products that don't have to travel 2,000 miles save gas and therefore the environment, as does not having to drive to some suburban mall to buy them. You'll save even more ordering online, though someone else will still have to drive the merchandise to your home. Lots of towns and communities have launched their own "buy local" campaign. BigBoxToolkit.com provides a PDF file on how to start your own Buy Local Campaign.

#6: Buy small.
Recycled E.F. Schumacher? Probably. The British economist, who argued as early as 1970 that a modern industrialized bigger-is-better economy is unsustainable, would love being considered a recyclable. "Man is small, and, therefore, small is beautiful," he wrote in his book of essays, subtitled "Economics As If People Mattered." The E.F. Schumacher Society can explain it better than me but at the level I understand it, buying bulk brown rice looks cheaper at the checkout counter, but it will take up shelf space and probably become a science experiment before I get down to the last grains. On a larger scale, imagine the costs of that brown rice sitting in a warehouse in Elizabeth, New Jersey.

#7: Buy, buy.
There may be a tendency to scrimp and save this holiday season, understandable since this is still a time of great economic uncertainty. So Law #7 may seem counter-intuitive. But I believe we as individuals can generate our own micro-economic stimulus plan, and let it expand outward from there, especially if we follow the 6 previous laws. Look, conspicuous consumption got us into this mess; I truly believe inconspicuous consumption can get us out.

Margaret Ruth: The Intuitive Life: How to En-Lighten Up This December

2009-12-07T13:26:39Z

Looking for Joy in All the Right Places seems like a good personal theme song for each of us, and in December we just might find it in the dark. In the Northern Hemisphere, December's shorter days of course mean much less daylight, so many people find themselves wishing this dreary time of the year was over.

With just a small switch of awareness though, you can take advantage of this season and find wonderful ways to not only enjoy the time ahead, but also expand your own inner awareness and personal intuition. During these darker days, focus upon allowing less doing and more being in your life. This is after all, something you have been meaning to do for a while now...but just cannot seem to find the quiet time to do it...can't quite find a way to be able to focus on just yourself... Hey! This month you can!

So, tell yourself this can be a month of less left-brain and more right-brain time, and that it will be a FUN project. Put away the To-do Lists and make December's darker days and holy-days help enlarge your spirits. There are many great ideas on how to do this. One potent way to expand your own sixth sense is to intentionally focusing on your five physical senses. Experience, deeply, in these quieter shorter days, the delights of sound, smell, taste, touch and sight. Light a scented candle or a fire. Watch the flames; smell the aroma. Close your eyes and experience the heat.

You could also stare at stars, taste snowflakes (well, you can do this in Utah), inhale holiday cooking or pine needles, tingle to evocative CDs or the sounds of children getting excited at the mall. You can splurge and bask in the touch of a cashmere scarf or velvet gloves.

If you dread these darker days, you can also take this time to focus on your own spiritual growth. If you feel bored or cooped up, try some of these ideas: Meditate. Read spiritual and metaphysical books and poetry (you know -- the ones you've been meaning to read). Curl up in a comfy chair with hot cocoa and watch Christmas videos.

December is also a great time to release. Experience my friend Mark's Releasing Ceremony designed to let go of old inner gunk like hurts and fears that are getting in our way. In short, he recommends creating a ceremony that invokes all five senses: Get exotic ceremonial tea or juice, light a fire or candle, play meaningful music and release old hurts and sorrows by drawing symbols of them on papers and then burning these (following safety rules certainly). Releasing is great way to spend an evening and can be quite healing for some.

Questions, comments and ideas are welcome and encouraged. Contact Psychic Margaret Ruth on her Facebook page, email mr@margaretruth.com or call 801-575-7103. You can also get details on private readings, Margaret's classes and blog at www.margaretruth.com. Margaret Ruth has been on radio, television, published in newspapers and magazines and major websites. She is the author of Superconscious Connections: The Simple Psychic Truths of Perfectly Satisfying Relationships (Sept 2010)

Deborah Calla: Madonna, Kabbalah, And Spiritual Trends

2009-12-03T17:29:17Z

So I’m here in my native town Rio de Janeiro, Brazil,
producing a Canadian film. About two
weeks ago Madonna was in town collecting money for SFK and her Raising Malawi
charity. SFK stands for Spirituality For
Kids, a Kabbalah Center
effort and Raising Malawi is a Madonna, Michael Berg (son of the Kabbalah Center founder) project.

Her stay here was very profitable; it seems that she was
able to get a $10,000,000 pledge from a couple of business men as well as a
commitment from Rio de Janeiro’s mayor to apply
the educational and spiritual methods of SFK to Rio de Janeiro public schools.

While I believe that every child in this planet is entitled
to help, I wonder why these same business men don’t usually invest in taking
the thousands of children off the streets of their own towns as well as help
the other thousands that live in favelas (shanty towns) that surround their
homes. The answer is simple:
Madonna.

Don’t get me wrong, I think it’s great that she’s using her
popularity to supposedly do something good but the fact that she could waltz
into Rio and collect this money while so many children right here could benefit
from any type of help puzzles me.

I spent some time at the Kabbalah
Center in Los Angeles about ten or more years ago. The first couple of months I couldn’t stop
talking about having finally found a home for my spiritual quest. I’m Jewish but have always had problems with
organized religion so the Kabbalah
Center seemed to offer me
an alternative through the study of the world in a mystical fashion.

The first lessons were about how the world was created and
existed through the power of different types of energies. Bravo, I thought. Yes, everything is energy. It makes sense and science collaborates with that. I went to the center many times a week to
study, attended talks, holidays, wore a red string and signed up to volunteer to
work at soup kitchens when the center went out to the poor areas of town.

One day I got a call from the center’s office asking if I
would go visit a homebound woman. I said
of course. I thought it was probably an
old woman who didn’t have friends and family and just needed some
companionship.

To my surprise when I arrived at the address given, the woman
was my age and was dying from a botched breast implant. The silicone got into the woman’s blood stream
and as a result her cells were losing their ability to stretch, so her mouth
could barely move, her lungs were shutting down and she looked like a living
mummy. The woman was shocked when she
asked me to start her Kabbalah lesson and I told her I had been a student for
only two months and therefore had very little to teach her. I too was shocked as I was not prepared to
see a woman my age with sores all over her body lying on a bed with an oxygen tank
blowing air into her sores. After some
awkward moments we decided that although I had nothing to teach her I could
certainly be her friend and come visit her every week.

Four months after my first lesson at the Kabbalah center I
started to have the feeling that they were just making stuff up. What had been brilliant at the beginning was
now quickly becoming “you got to be kidding me”. The icing for me was as the center became
more popular so did the presence of celebrities and how they were treated in a
different way from all of us common folks.

At six months from my first lesson I asked to have a private
meeting with one of the rabbis who was also my teacher. Our conversation started with the question of
why I had been sent to visit a woman who was very angry and sick without any
warning. It quickly became clear to me
that the woman had been calling the center and to get rid of her they sent me
there. The rabbi commented that my new
friend was very angry and therefore would have to make up for her anger in some
spiritual way and basically the center had no time for her. I told him there was a very good chance that
he too would be very angry if he was dying the way she was.

My next question was about the different treatment
celebrities received at the center. I
mentioned that I had come to the Kabbalah center because I thought it was a
place that honestly was seeking out a different way for people to be in the
world. His answer was that indeed I was
correct, quickly followed by “don’t you know how celebrities are? If they are not catered to they won’t come
back and we need them to publicize and promote the center.

Even before my meeting, it had become clear that most of the
rabbis and teachers at the center were not real scholars of Kabbalah and their
interest was more about becoming rock stars of spirituality than really
promoting a more significant way to exist.
I guess my need to meet with my teacher was also more about completion
than actually hoping to be mistaken about my feelings.

So I don’t know why the mayor of Rio de Janeiro is pledging
to follow the guide lines of SFK except for the fact that it was brought up by
Madonna and I wish the businessmen who pledged the $10,000,000 to help the
children in Malawi will now give the same amount to help the children of Brazil
as many are born and die in the streets and in the case of Rio de Janeiro,
right under Christ’s outstretched arms.

David Whyte: The Poetic Narrative Of Our Times

2009-12-03T11:22:30Z

Night mist hangs on the Conamara mountainside above Mameen, hiding the immensity of its sleeping, background bulk and at the same time magnifying its presence, bringing out its depth and making known to us its essential rough, unspeakable mountain-ness even as it veils and takes full sight of it away from us. Over stone precipices, the lazy movement and hanging drifts of fine-silvered water vapor outline and enhance what we call the beauty of the mountains, by enabling us to see them again and again, as if new and reborn through each shifting pattern. We are strangely delighted by our imagined fears of what it would be like to be abroad in the dark and the mist and the stones, out on their ridges and peaks, in that night where so much is hidden. Then, above the ridgelines, a full moon suddenly appears from between clouds, accentuating its own luminosity and the luminosity of the mountains by its swift appearance, seeming to demonstrate its very essence through a sheer, round, isolated contrast with what it looks down upon.

Looking up from the lit door of Keanes's Pub in the heart of Conamara, these clouds, landscapes, and even the Irishness of the night seem fuller and more essential through their disappearances as much as through their appearances. Human beings stand at the center of these sometimes swift, sometimes slow, always moving patterns of presence and absence, but rarely intuit their own essence might be revealed and magnified by what is veiled and hidden, or by what has been taken away. Yet this form of subtraction may be the very hallmark of our time. At the present time we are asked to live in companionship with patterns and dynamics that are either disappearing, have not fully emerged or can never be fully named; patterns perhaps already changing into forms for which we have yet no language.

It is tempting, in this limbo time between the traumas of a world once said to be in ceaseless war with terrorism and a not yet fully formed future ideal, to feel righteously lost. Everything seems to be paused and hanging in a mist- wrought, barely moving dance. The world's economic systems, the world's ecological systems, the relations between haves and have-nots, the sovereignty of nation states upon which many millions of individuals have based their identities, all these are taking forms which we cannot quite recognize, and in that movement through form seem to be on the verge of disappearing. Even the recent worldwide enthusiasm for the American presidential elections has waned, as the poetic narrative that put Obama so enthusiastically in the White House is dissipated by the cares of office and the sense that he is already half-captured by the very denizens of Wall Street that brought everything so dangerously to the brink. The problems seem immense; the forces at play absorbing and able to deflect the need for reform.

Little wonder then that if we prefer the appearance of stability or clear unobstructed vision we will manufacture fake narratives to replace the complexity, changeability and raw beauty of real ones, especially if the stories we always wanted to be true seem to shimmer and disappear. The flat earth vision of Thomas Friedman is well articulated, but ultimately based on a human identity parsed solely through economics, as if human life can be defined by whether one is more productive or educated than the next person. It is the task of poetry, and the poetic narrative, to bring our eyes to bear on the raw immensity of these patterns and the heart breaking nature of our disappearances, which are unavoidable no matter our economic standing or our education; what Yeats called the terrible beauty that is a consequence of being alive in this world, no matter how relentlessly positive we may be. It is the province of poetry to be more realistic and present than the artificial narratives of an outer discourse, and not afraid of the truthful difficulty of the average human life. A good poem looks life straight in the face, unflinching, sincere, equal to revelation through loss or gain. A good poem brims with reflected beauty and even a bracing beautiful ugliness. At the center of our lives, in the midst of the busyness and the forgetting, is a story that makes sense when everything extraneous has been taken away. This is poetry's province; a form of deep memory; a place from which to witness the intangible, unspeakable thresholds of incarnation we misname an average life.

I think of a good friend, once robustly healthy, adventurous, hard working, inventive and entrepreneurial, now confined to a wheel chair and barely able to function intellectually after a terrible accident. His wife and children have lost many of the outer stories they had told themselves about their future but the central story, the one that lives under the busy surface of a family's life, the one that was always there, still remains clearly, luminously at the center. His wife has spoken many times of the essence of his spirit and the essence of her love for that spirit, which remains as a thing of beauty in and of itself, informing all the work that must be done to adjust and adapt to the new outer narrative.

It might be liberating to think of human life as informed by losses and disappearances as much as by gifted appearances, allowing a more present participation and witness to the difficulty of living. What is real can never be fully taken away; its essence always remains. It might set us a little freer to believe that there is no path in life - in the low valley, in the shelter of Keane's comfortable bar, snug by a turf fire or abroad in the mountain night, that does not lead to some form of heartbreak when the outer narrative disappears and then reappears in a different form. If we are sincere, every good marriage or relationship will break our hearts in order to enlarge our understanding of our self and that strange other with whom we have promised ourselves to the future. Being a good parent will necessarily break our hearts as we watch a child grow and eventually choose their own way, even through many of the same heartbreaks we have traversed. Following a vocation or an art form through decades of practice and understanding will break the idealistic heart that began the journey and replace it, if we sidestep the temptations of bitterness and self-pity, with something more malleable, compassionate and generous than the metaphysical organ with which we began the journey. We learn, grow and become compassionate and generous as much through exile as homecoming; as much through loss as gain, as much through giving things away as in receiving what we believe to be our due.

It may be that we live in a time of collective heartbreak, where for the first time in history we are being asked to witness the disappearance and reappearance on a global scale of what it means to be fully human; to give away our identity and see how it is returned to us through a sincere participation in the trials and necessities of the coming years. Part of that heartbreak is the sense that we might not be equal to the ecological, political and economic transitions that are necessary, that our own selfishness may be writ too deeply into our genes and that the future is therefore untenable and unreachable. We do not as yet know if this is true, but the old humanistic story around ourselves as a successful species, always on the up and up and appointed to some special destiny, is fading and silvering into the night air, and we are left, at this point in history, contemplating the unknown immensity of the night behind it.

MAMEEN

Be infinitesimal under that sky, a creature
even the sailing hawk misses, a wraith
among the rocks where the mist parts slowly.
Recall the way mere mortals are overwhelmed
by circumstance, how great reputations
dissolve with infirmity and how you,
in particular, live a hairsbreadth from losing
everyone you hold dear.

Then, look back down the path as if seeing
your past and then south over the hazy blue
coast as if present to a wide future,
recall the way you are all possibilities
you can see and how you live best
as an appreciator of horizons
whether you reach them or not,
admit that once you have got up
from your chair and opened the door,
once you have walked out into the clean air
toward that edge and taken the path up high
beyond the ordinary you have become
the privileged and the pilgrim
the one who will tell the story
and the one, coming back
from the mountain,
who helped to make it.

- David Whyte
from RIVER FLOW: New & Selected Poems 1984-2007
Copyright 2006 Many Rivers Press

Shana Ting Lipton: Beyond 2012 Hype, A Scientist And Mayanist Faces The Evolution Question

2009-12-02T15:57:21Z

Two-thousand-and-nine is drawing to a close. We’re at the end of the decade and inching towards the culmination of the ancient Mesoamerican Mayan calendar...nearing the epoch of who knows what?

Literally, philosophically, pop culturally and sociologically, the zeitgeist points to the fate of the world hanging in the balance. The Hollywood disaster flick du jour 2012 (which grossed $165.2 million in its international debut), brought to light the doom and gloom position on the end-date. Interestingly enough, this year was also the 150th anniversary of the publication of Charles Darwin’s modern science-shaping work On the Origin of Species.

Great timing for Swedish biology expert/ Ph.D and leading Mayan author Carl Johan Calleman who just released The Purposeful Universe, his latest tome on human evolution and Mayan cosmology. As Calleman explains in his book, the Greeks held two understandings of time: Chronos (literal clock time) and Kairos (synchronous mystical time, or ‘the right time’). In light of this and the relevant millennial mindset concepts he covers, one might say the author has it both ways--in synch with Chronos and Kairos.
This isn’t the only manner in which he has it both ways, so to speak. Early on in his book, Calleman talks about the age-old feud between the die-hard Darwinist mainstream scientific community, and religious zealots/ new Creationists. He sets forth on a bold mission--bound to ruffle feathers on both sides -- systematically building his case: the scientists and the creations are both wrong ... and right.

This wouldn’t be the first time Calleman had introduced a revolutionary but contentious theory. In his previous books The Mayan Calendar and The Mayan Calendar and the Transformation of Consciousness he presented his belief that, based on his calculations and research, the end date is not December 21, 2012 (as most believe) but October 28, 2011. Furthermore -- at odds with another leading Mayanist John Major Jenkins -- he explains that the Mayan Long Count was not a calendar of physical planetary/galactic alignment and movement (Chronos) but a calendar of increasing energy pulses of evolution (Kairos) which would reach a zenith on 10/28/11.

The fact that Calleman’s findings predicted the month and year of the global financial collapse (almost a decade before it happened), among other assertions, has helped his work gain merit and respect....unless of course you’re one of those hard-nosed scientists who believe in separating your peas (science) from your carrots (spirituality). Albert Einstein, incidentally wasn’t. He was famously quoted as saying: “Science without religion is lame. Religion without science is blind.”

So, how can Darwinists and Creationists both be right and wrong? Calleman’s core theory, implied by the title The Purposeful Universe, is that evolution is no accident. In some circles the culturally problematic term “intelligent design” might seem to apply. One of the core points for Calleman--a spiritual but not religious scientist--is that evolution does not happen gradually but in quantum leaps. He points out, “the lack of survival value for an organism to have a nonfunctional organ, such as half a wing.”

The author admits that an unfit and weaker species can be phased out, but does not view survival as the driving force behind evolution. Its catalyst, says Calleman, is consciousness. In other words, God, or the energetic current behind life itself or however you choose to dub it, is driven to evolve because it wants to know itself.

His aim in the book is to show how the quantum leaps in evolution actually follow a pattern based on the Mayan Long Count calendar (ending in 2011). The Mayans came up with some advanced cosmological concepts (like the precession of the equinoxes) without the use of sophisticated technology and tools.

Calleman leads the reader through a theory of holographic resonance--which incidentally has been to some degree written about by venerated scientist scribes like Rupert Sheldrake (who Calleman mentions in the book). Sheldrake sought to explain how a bird, for instance, could learn a new behavior and suddenly that same species of bird, on the other side of the world, would adopt this behavior with no contact to the original animal, via morphogenetic fields.
After the Big Bang -- the moment of ‘takeoff’ -- these fields (or in Calleman’s book ‘halos’) allegedly began forming as an ascending interconnected system which has progressed consciousness from simpler life forms through to today’s highly complicated human beings.

Calleman’s theory is called the “Tree of Life,” and it ties in the archetype present in many cultures’ mystical roots -- Judaism, Norse religion, Hinduism, Mayan culture, etc. In the book, he also discusses esoteric topics like the Golden Mean, the Fibonacci Sequence and sacred geometry while referencing mainstream science journals like Nature, and archeologically verified facts about the Mayan civilization and calendar.

Calleman is not alone in mixing ancient knowledge with science and spirituality. One might argue that this hybridization really took off during the early Millennial years. In the environmental science field, James Lovelock’s Gaia Hypothesis (‘the earth is a single organism’) was initially scoffed at but today it seems to have proliferated, resonated and gained new ground.

Yet, his writings seem more aimed at swaying the rigid and uncompromising members of the old guard scientific community than at selling books to questing New Agers. However, Calleman smartly begins his journey of science and consciousness on a philosophical note before getting into the hard data.

The core of the book is however largely scientific -- including theories that something other than DNA acts as ‘chief organizer’ in higher organisms. This can of course put off the science and math-challenged. But the native Swede -- whose English writing is excellent--conveniently sums up many of his points in italics.

Calleman’s methodology recalls for me the meticulousness of Leonard Shlain’s The Alphabet Versus the Goddess (another great philosophical/spiritual evolution book by a member of the scientific community). Both writers and thinkers were keenly aware of how their out-of-the-box theories were likely to be received. They therefore went to extremes to leave no stone unturned.

So laymen need not be afraid to read The Purposeful Universe even if they are not predisposed to science. As deep and challenging of a read as this book might be for the Average Joe, it’s well worth the effort. Calleman is a large part of the zeitgeist of symbiosis between science and spirituality that I suspect will only increase with time.

The nay-sayers can cross their arms, shake their heads, sit back and call it pseudo-science because it doesn’t fit into the their box. But it takes a real scientist (and evolved human) to look beyond the tried and true and shed meaning on the unknown and unquantifiable. It is, after all, the age of ‘dark matter’ and quantum physics.

Calleman, in my opinion is that true scientist who has intelligently intuited the meaning behind the chaos. To paraphrase the Einstein quote, 'God does not play dice with the universe.'

Isha Judd: Where Does True Beauty Lie?

2009-12-02T15:32:56Z

Beauty really is in the eye of the beholder. It is a subjective vision, a unique perspective that reflects our internal perception. Our individual memories consider certain things to be comforting or beautiful; for others, these same images may seem mundane or even unattractive. My British Bulldog Elizabeth is a perfect example of this. I have never seen anything more beautiful. The love she radiates, her special personality, her devotion; I find delight in all her idiosyncrasies. Yet as I walk down the street with her, mothers tend to grasp their children, desperately pulling them away from the clutches of this ferocious creature. Such is the nature of perception.

Our perceptions have been tainted by the experiences of our lives. Often, the fears and shocks of childhood have blinded us from the beauty that surrounds us, as we have shut down to the world, in order to protect ourselves from potential danger.

But how can we clean the glass of our perception, to see the beauty of the world anew, like a child?

Whenever you see something in your surroundings that you don't like, go inwards and see what it makes you feel. Often, you will find that you have some cellular memory of an event that happened in the past, which left an emotional charge in relation to what is happening now. If you allow yourself to feel that emotion, you will find that the internal discontent disappears, and you are able to embrace what is happening with more innocence and joy. In many cases, the external cause of your distress will also change, or even disappear completely. This is especially important in our personal relationships; the closest people to us are often our clearest mirrors, and more than often than not, the things we reject in those people are aspects of ourselves that we are not willing to accept.

I always tried to change the world; ultimately I ended up changing myself, and then the world changed automatically. Any attempt at changing the world that does not begin with internal change will ultimately fail; if I am focused on what is wrong, I will find an unending list of problems. Even in paradise, our whole focus will drift to the one plastic bottle that's been washed up on the shore, or the garbage bag blowing in the wind. All of a sudden, our paradise loses its splendor, as the restless mind claims it as yet another project to be fixed; something else to worry about.

When we start to become the love, we perceive beauty in everything. It could be a champion golden retriever at Crufts, or a scabby street dog - with dubious pedigree to say the least - in each individual representation of unconditional love, we start to discover beauty. This beauty can only be perceived from emptiness: devoid of the comparisons and opinions of a persona constructed through our interactions with society, the true beauty of creation reveals itself to us. In emptiness, the mirror of the world reflects only the light of love.

They say that beauty lies in the eye of the beholder; if only we could all perceive beauty with the eye of totality, each unique expression of existence on this planet perceived in its perfection. If only we could see beyond the judgements and opinions that separate us, that divide nations, races and ideologies, that create the illusion of "us and them", the need to defend what is "ours" and to protect ourselves from a seemingly hostile and unpredictable world.

Where can you find beauty? If you look, you will discover it. And if beauty is in the eye of the beholder, then by changing the beholder, we can indeed change the world.

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Isha's latest book and movie, Why Walk When You Can Fly? explains her system for self-love and the expansion of consciousness. Her website is www.whywalkwhenyoucanfly.com.

Lisa Haisha: Create Travel Memories And Friendships That Last A Lifetime

2009-12-02T13:37:30Z

Think about a recent trip you took. It could have been across town, across the country, or across the ocean. When you returned from your trip, did you come home with the contact information of new friends? Did you create memories that go beyond places you visited? Did you connect with people on your trip on an emotional or even spiritual level?

For most people, the answer to all those questions is "no." While they may have taken a day trip to a nearby location or a month-long retreat to a foreign land, they usually interacted with the locals on a superficial level ("Where is the museum?' "Do you know when the next bus arrives?"), and they took from their trip more than they gave.

What a shame. One of the true joys of traveling, especially to a foreign land, is to bring home memories and relationships that last a lifetime. While seeing the sites and buying souvenirs are great, you also want your travels to enhance your personal and spiritual growth. You want to get more from your travels than just a few nice photos you can hang on your wall--you also want photos you can hang on your heart. Only then can you experience the inner rewards that travel has to offer.

Most people don't travel with memories or friendships in mind because of one simple word: fear. They fear that the people they reach out to won't like or accept them. They fear that they don't have good enough social skills. They fear that if they reach out to a stranger, they may get laughed at or taken advantage of. But realize that any fear rests only in your head. The majority of people you'll meet (95% or more of them) will be eager to make a new friend as well. Someone simply has to make the first step. Why not you?

If you're ready to get more from your travels and create new memories and friendships, remember the following tips:

• Attitude is everything.
Leave the past behind and live like the locals do. Wear clothes in their style, learn some key words of their language, and keep a smile and positive attitude at all times. Remember that you want more than just souvenirs of your travels; you want memories that will transport you back to that place. Open up to people and they will be receptive to you.

• Look at odd moments as a way to connect with people.
When you travel, "things" happen. You bump into people on the street, you spill your soup on a waiter, or you nearly get run over by an out of control camel. Whatever happens, use the situation as an ideal opportunity to meet new people. For example, suppose you're on a bumpy bus ride. The bus is full, so you're standing and holding onto a bar for support. When the bus hits a very large bump, you slip and fall right into someone's lap. Most people would feel embarrassed, pick themselves up as quickly as possible, and apologize for the "faux pas" without making eye contact with the other person.
But what if you rested in the person's lap for a moment, gave him or her a big smile, and shared a good laugh together? Even if you can't verbally communicate with the person, smiles and laughter transcend all languages and cultures and are a great way to create a connection. These are the moments that define a trip and that you'll talk about for years to come.

• Be curious of others.
Be respectful and find out what people are doing. Don't just go someplace and be a taker. Ask people about their life, about their family, and about their culture. People love talking about themselves and talking about their homeland. They also love giving travel advice while you're in their country. So don't be arrogant, abrupt, or rude when you interact with people. Use the old standbys of common courtesy ("please" and "thank you"), and be respectful at all times. A little curiosity goes a long way to getting people to interact with you.

• Allow your travels to take you on an adventure.
Too many people try to control their trips. They plan to see certain things and to spend a precise amount of time at each location. Don't have your travels all scheduled out like that. In everyday life we all have appointments that we must keep, and we often feel that life is too stressful because of it. Therefore, when you're traveling, loosen up. Yes, you want to see it all. But it's better to see two good museums rather than six in a rushed way. Take the time to just sit and relax and people watch. You never know where one conversation with a stranger may lead you.

• Get involved while you're there.
During your travels, take on a job or get involved in a cause in your new location, such as working in a school or volunteering in an orphanage. Before you travel, look up some place where you could volunteer. Or, ask your hotel concierge if there are any schools or orphanages in the area (or any other causes that could use some help). Volunteer with the locals for a day to get a deeper understanding of the culture. People are always grateful to expose themselves and their children to someone from a different country.

• Use technology to your benefit.
When you meet people by using the various approaches presented, don't just walk away when the encounter is over. Get the person's name, address, email, and any other information you can. With today's technology, you can easily keep in touch with people no matter where they live. You can send a fax or an email, connect on Facebook, talk with instant messenger, or even send twitters. And even in the most remote of places, people do have access to these technological tools. If they don't have it in their home, they can go to a café or a friend's home to access technology.

Endless Opportunities Await

Ultimately, it doesn't matter if your trip away is for one day or one month - it only takes five minutes to develop a relationship with someone. If you want to get more from your travels in terms of memories and relationships, then you need to reach out to others and travel in a whole new way. Always remember that home is where the heart is; however, it's up to you to open the door and invite others in.

Natasha Dern: Love: Destiny Has Two Faces

2009-12-01T17:25:51Z

All of us to a certain degree believe in destiny. We especially believe in destiny when it comes to the realm of love and romance. But destiny has two faces - it can either be your redeemer or your destroyer. That is why when you are walking on the path to love the ability to discern the face of your destiny is so important. When love or romance enters the scene of your life - learn to discern what this love or romance is here to do. Is it here to elevate you or is it here to degrade you? When there is no discernment on your part, then drama or trauma will ensue in the area of love and relationships.

We are a culture that deeply misunderstands the meaning of love. We associate love with recreation and superficial activities, disposable relationships and instant gratification. We think love happens overnight, we confuse sexual attraction with love, and we follow our FEELINGS. I hate to tell you: love is not a feeling, it is deeper than that. We project our ideas on the other person and we hope that our projections stick, we distort and conform to keep love, we disqualify ourselves and avoid better judgment all in an attempt to keep the charade moving along. We confuse destiny with forever after. Everything in life is destiny - meeting a man at a grocery store and going on a date is destiny - but this is where we need to stop and reflect about what this potential destiny will trigger or bring to light. I know this bursts our romantic bubble but love requires maturity of insight, not some fantasy we are desperate to play out.

It is unfortunate that we are more diligent about our financial life than our love life. Think about it. Would you invest your money with someone who has no experience? Would you hand over your money to just anyone? I'm betting the answer would be no - so then why be so careless with love? Why do we hand it over so easily to someone who may or may not deserve it? Why do we invest our love in people who do not value it? Is money more precious than love? If not, then why don't we show it more consideration? Our love is our life. It is our greatest resource and measures need to be taken to protect its value and prevent it from falling into the wrong hands. Rather than taking the proper measures, we lament and despair that love is impossible to find. Is it any wonder then why so few people find it?

Love will evade us until we understand what it is and respect what it stands for. Searching for it on the outside is a waste of time, because love is on the inside. Are you willing to 'go in' and meet love in the center of your being? From this space, all you do, say, feel and think will be imbued with the fragrance of love and those who are able to smell this delicious scent will either be drawn or repelled by it - it all depends on where they are on the journey.

Inviting love from this space makes you a clear mirror and all who look upon it will either run out of fear or at last rejoice that the perfect reflection has arrived. That is why you should never take things personally when the person chooses to run. You were the mirror and they did not like their own reflection. Such individuals are not yet ready to dive into the ocean and retrieve the precious jewels that lie beneath the surface. They are trapped in a deluded state that says the more partners they encounter the more desirable they really are. But let me bring something to light - the more partners one has the deeper the issues are. We confuse dysfunction with desirability. It is more satisfying to be desired by the right one than a hundred wrong ones. The hundred wrong ones will create an energy pattern within you such as: 'What is wrong with me? Why don't they stay with me?' which over time completely distorts your self-image. The question is this: Are you ready, willing or able to become this mirror?

Becoming this mirror cuts away illusion and puts you in a position to CHOOSE whether this love/romance relationship is worthy of pursuit or not, whether it will enhance your life or not, whether being with this person will bring you closer to the light or not. When one ignores becoming the mirror or runs from the mirror, painful lessons continue until you CHOOSE to see the face of your destiny with clear eyes.