A drastic change in our weather is occurring. The last several days, it has been hot and muggy. The temperature in the eighties and lower nineties F. Last night a breeze came up and cooled things down and today, the expected high, will be in the low seventies. Nice to have it cool; perfect for working outside.
We have all heard the admonishment, "Be happy". Sometimes we have heard it in the form of a question, "Can't we just be happy?" We can hear the, wringing of the hands, in the voice. Often the squabble turns into a fight, at that point. We hate to feel blamed for being unhappy. We feel like we are being kicked when we are down already. We will show them what unhappy is!
How can we be unhappy when we are in paradise? We might not be seeing paradise. We might be seeing, our projected feelings, manifested. We might be seeing all the work we have to do. We might be feeling unworthy and blaming everyone else. We might be feeling unworthy and blaming ourselves. Certainly we are harboring anger, blame, hopelessness, guilt or a similar feeling. It is, as if, we invited an unwelcome guest into our hearts; who then, elbowed out the love, that was there.
The good news is that that the love can not be 'elbowed' out of our heart. But these feelings can make a deep cloud in our mind disguising what is in our heart. How does this happen? Why do we do it?
We have been carefully programmed to believe we are unworthy. We have been carefully programmed to believe, being in control of everything, is being responsible. Reality is that love exist all around us. All we need to do is let go, of all control, and we will be inundated with love. We have learned the opposite. And the more control we attempt to exert, in our everyday life, the more we block out the love that surrounds us. We are unhappy, we attempt greater control; we become more unhappy.
It is like a metaphor, for what happened, to humankind, in the first place. In our experiment with separation we lost touch with Source {unconditional love} and decided to go it alone. Without Source, we were lost. The world looked dangerous. We needed protection. We developed, group and individual ego, to negotiate with an alien environment. The ego, the tool used to negotiate the environment, soon became confused with our identity. The ego blocked all connection with Source. The ego, being a jealous master, was resentful of our listening to any other voice.
Now, as individuals, we are finding our way back to Source. We are listening for the Voice that we know resides in our heart. The Voice that speaks for unconditional love. It is a powerful voice; yet it is difficult to hear over the clamor of the ego, who is shouting in our ear.
When we are unhappy, the last thing we want to hear is that happiness is a choice. It feels like we are being blamed for being unhappy. And who needs that! Yet, we we need to admit to ourselves, that it is a choice. Being a choice makes it all worth while. Being a choice, means you can decide to be happy.
So.............. what do we do when we feel unhappy? Let us not waste a lot of time wondering why we are unhappy. We need to know we have been listening to the ego who is shouting in your ear. Our ego may be reminding of us of our aches and pains, of our encroaching old age, of our fragile physical health, of our economic vulnerability, of our children's flirtation with drugs, of our own overuse of calming agents, or whatever. If the ego can't bring up something, your really concerned about, it will make up something.
THE CHOICE is, not to listen, to anything the ego shouts, whispers or nudges you about. Nothing. We need no worries, no anxieties, no troubles. We need to be open to the love that is flowing from our hearts. We need to see that we are surrounded and inundated by love. We were never abandoned by love. We feel that love abandoned us, yet, we were the ones, to look for it, where it wasn't. The ego will try to convince you that it is the reality inside you. Don't buy it. The pain, distress, deadness, sorrow etc, that we feel inside, during a funk, is not us-it has nothing to do with us, and, like a noxious weed in your garden, we can pull it up, cast it out, and then listen to our heart.
We are learning to Let Go and Trust All That Is. We will.
Love flows from every heart. The universe is love. Let us be happy this day.
Love and Peace, Gregg
Friday, June 28, 2013
Wednesday, June 26, 2013
JUDGEMENT
We are taught by our gurus, saints, avatars and most spiritual literature, that we must give up judgement in order to be free. We might ask, free from what? The answer is the ego. The ego runs our life until we realize how, painful, it makes our life. It tries to keep us separate from all others and all creation. It continually attempts to define us as separate or special.
We discussed, in a past blog about, the ego's use, of its place in the world; how it constantly urged us to measure ourselves against all others. This measurement extends to occupation, religion, race, class, wealth, body size, attractiveness, nationality, and it goes on and on. These judgements create a huge fabric or matrix, that encompasses our minds and traps us into beliefs and ideas that keep us separate. With some reflection and watchfulness, however, we can extricate ourselves from these preordained judgements. We can see how crazy they are. We know all people are equal. We know all people are worthy. We know the separation is artificial. We know we are one. We are free then; right?
Well......... the ego has lots of tricks up its sleeve. The ego's most basic function is to protect us from danger. This protection has become wildly distorted to include anything, we may not agree with. The ego wants to keep us, in its little box, defined by what it thinks we are. We develop all kinds of little beliefs that fly, under our radar, of being judgements. They can be anything; e.g. people who put cream in their coffee are not real connoisseurs of coffee. If they are not, real connoisseurs of coffee, they can't be as good as us. We meet someone, or some one in our family, is 'guilty' of this habit. We make these judgements automatically. We think they're just observations. We certainly don't think we are better. We all vary in how many of these little propensities for judgement we have. Some of us are layered with these little statements. It, basically, has to do with the ego's convincing us that we are right about something.
Wow! We can find this a daunting task. When are, our opinions and observations, just opinions and observations, and when are they judgements? Good God! Yes, we might need him, here; or Allah, Great Spirit, The Source, All that is, Krishna or what ever pops in our mind when we are flummoxed. No matter what we call it, your Higher Self, God, whatever. Help is available. These little judgements {actually there are no such thing as little judgements- all judgement separates us} are often seen as inconsequential. We don't realize the impact they have.
How do we know we are judging? When we make an observation; we may note the other person has different taste, preferences, wishes, dreams, etc, than we do. We may wonder if we would like or not like their choices. We see that they are on a different path. That's it. No better or worse. No inkling of thought in that direction.
When we make a judgement; there can be smugness, lip curling [on the inside or outside], irritation, dismissiveness, some inside response that says 'one is better than the other'. The ego is tricky. The smugness, we might feel, can be very subtle. After all, we are right aren't we? Whenever, we feel uncomfortable on the inside we are generally involved in an egoistic program. We are ensnared in some kind of judgement.
What can we do? We can know that we do not have to be right. We can know that, any other's thoughts, feelings, opinions, and ideas are no threat to ourselves. So much of this type of judgement is an attempt to protect, who, we think we are. We need no protection.
Much of the solution has to do with learning to live in the present and letting the past go. All these mechanisms have their origin in the past. The past is a heavy burden. We can lay it down. Would it be so hard, to accept, that we know nothing? Accept, what is here, now? All our preconceived ideas are faulty.
The solution, of course, is love. When we are secure in our own worthiness and lovableness, it won't occur to us to judge. I ran across a phrase, yesterday. "Be the change you want to see". At first it may seem like practice. It may seem like we are, just, practicing loving everybody. It may seem that we are, just, practicing being non-judgmental. Love is the most powerful force in the universe. If we practice it - it will be real. Love takes over, when it is invited. Invite Love in. Judgement will become a memory.
Love and Peace, Gregg.
We discussed, in a past blog about, the ego's use, of its place in the world; how it constantly urged us to measure ourselves against all others. This measurement extends to occupation, religion, race, class, wealth, body size, attractiveness, nationality, and it goes on and on. These judgements create a huge fabric or matrix, that encompasses our minds and traps us into beliefs and ideas that keep us separate. With some reflection and watchfulness, however, we can extricate ourselves from these preordained judgements. We can see how crazy they are. We know all people are equal. We know all people are worthy. We know the separation is artificial. We know we are one. We are free then; right?
Well......... the ego has lots of tricks up its sleeve. The ego's most basic function is to protect us from danger. This protection has become wildly distorted to include anything, we may not agree with. The ego wants to keep us, in its little box, defined by what it thinks we are. We develop all kinds of little beliefs that fly, under our radar, of being judgements. They can be anything; e.g. people who put cream in their coffee are not real connoisseurs of coffee. If they are not, real connoisseurs of coffee, they can't be as good as us. We meet someone, or some one in our family, is 'guilty' of this habit. We make these judgements automatically. We think they're just observations. We certainly don't think we are better. We all vary in how many of these little propensities for judgement we have. Some of us are layered with these little statements. It, basically, has to do with the ego's convincing us that we are right about something.
Wow! We can find this a daunting task. When are, our opinions and observations, just opinions and observations, and when are they judgements? Good God! Yes, we might need him, here; or Allah, Great Spirit, The Source, All that is, Krishna or what ever pops in our mind when we are flummoxed. No matter what we call it, your Higher Self, God, whatever. Help is available. These little judgements {actually there are no such thing as little judgements- all judgement separates us} are often seen as inconsequential. We don't realize the impact they have.
How do we know we are judging? When we make an observation; we may note the other person has different taste, preferences, wishes, dreams, etc, than we do. We may wonder if we would like or not like their choices. We see that they are on a different path. That's it. No better or worse. No inkling of thought in that direction.
When we make a judgement; there can be smugness, lip curling [on the inside or outside], irritation, dismissiveness, some inside response that says 'one is better than the other'. The ego is tricky. The smugness, we might feel, can be very subtle. After all, we are right aren't we? Whenever, we feel uncomfortable on the inside we are generally involved in an egoistic program. We are ensnared in some kind of judgement.
What can we do? We can know that we do not have to be right. We can know that, any other's thoughts, feelings, opinions, and ideas are no threat to ourselves. So much of this type of judgement is an attempt to protect, who, we think we are. We need no protection.
Much of the solution has to do with learning to live in the present and letting the past go. All these mechanisms have their origin in the past. The past is a heavy burden. We can lay it down. Would it be so hard, to accept, that we know nothing? Accept, what is here, now? All our preconceived ideas are faulty.
The solution, of course, is love. When we are secure in our own worthiness and lovableness, it won't occur to us to judge. I ran across a phrase, yesterday. "Be the change you want to see". At first it may seem like practice. It may seem like we are, just, practicing loving everybody. It may seem that we are, just, practicing being non-judgmental. Love is the most powerful force in the universe. If we practice it - it will be real. Love takes over, when it is invited. Invite Love in. Judgement will become a memory.
Love and Peace, Gregg.
Monday, June 24, 2013
STILL CRAZY AFTER ALL THESE YEARS
I was going to name this blog responsibility, but Paul Simon's song kept going through my head.
Responsibility is not obligation, duty, guilt any kind of IOU. Responsibility is knowing we are responsible for our thoughts and feelings. And being so.
I have been in a funk lately, and pretending I didn't know, what was causing it. Due to our late Spring[?], I haven't finished things that I normally would have completed by the middle of May. My amaryllis are still in their Winter pots, the gladiolas are still hanging in a burlap bag in the basement, the chickens are sweltering in their coop because, I haven't got the mechanisms up, to hoist the windows, we put in last Fall and the recent storms brought down branches all over the yard. I can't mow until they are cleaned up. I did get the dead tree cut up, that fell on our garden fence.
Yes, I have been in a funk and I knew I felt overwhelmed. Surely, I was much too spiritually evolved and certainly too cool to let, a long string of unmet tasks, actually depress me. Sure Gregg, your somehow different from everybody else on the planet; just way, way too cool to be bothered by that. Ya, right. It is funny how we can fool ourselves, especially when the truth is not that difficult to face. The chickens haven't suffered a bit. The amaryllis are fine in their pots and the gladiolas may not bloom until frost; that isn't the end of the world.
The ego is tricky. I didn't realize that was the problem. The negativity came in the form of feelings; there was little thought involved. The feelings made me cranky and hypercritical. One of the things we humans like to do, when we are feeling bad about ourselves, we zero in on those closest to us.
But we are responsible for our happiness and everything else about us. If we sit with negative feelings and act as if there is nothing we can do about it, we are not being responsible. The good news is that we are responsible; we can change things. The bad news is we are responsible; that is how it feels sometime. But it is never bad news. Knowing you are in charge, means you have the key. We don't have to accept any negativity from any source [ultimately the source is always ourselves].
We need to let go of all expectations of ourselves. Everything is changing so fast, that, any expectations, we have of ourselves, may be obsolete, as well as unrealistic.
Being responsible, is being responsible for the Love you are. It certainly isn't doing things your little self thinks are important. With love we can elevate our little selves to a grander vision. We can see the love we are, and the love in our neighbors. We know we live in paradise. Why cheat ourselves. "Are we still crazy after all these years?"
Love and Peace, Gregg
Responsibility is not obligation, duty, guilt any kind of IOU. Responsibility is knowing we are responsible for our thoughts and feelings. And being so.
I have been in a funk lately, and pretending I didn't know, what was causing it. Due to our late Spring[?], I haven't finished things that I normally would have completed by the middle of May. My amaryllis are still in their Winter pots, the gladiolas are still hanging in a burlap bag in the basement, the chickens are sweltering in their coop because, I haven't got the mechanisms up, to hoist the windows, we put in last Fall and the recent storms brought down branches all over the yard. I can't mow until they are cleaned up. I did get the dead tree cut up, that fell on our garden fence.
Yes, I have been in a funk and I knew I felt overwhelmed. Surely, I was much too spiritually evolved and certainly too cool to let, a long string of unmet tasks, actually depress me. Sure Gregg, your somehow different from everybody else on the planet; just way, way too cool to be bothered by that. Ya, right. It is funny how we can fool ourselves, especially when the truth is not that difficult to face. The chickens haven't suffered a bit. The amaryllis are fine in their pots and the gladiolas may not bloom until frost; that isn't the end of the world.
The ego is tricky. I didn't realize that was the problem. The negativity came in the form of feelings; there was little thought involved. The feelings made me cranky and hypercritical. One of the things we humans like to do, when we are feeling bad about ourselves, we zero in on those closest to us.
But we are responsible for our happiness and everything else about us. If we sit with negative feelings and act as if there is nothing we can do about it, we are not being responsible. The good news is that we are responsible; we can change things. The bad news is we are responsible; that is how it feels sometime. But it is never bad news. Knowing you are in charge, means you have the key. We don't have to accept any negativity from any source [ultimately the source is always ourselves].
We need to let go of all expectations of ourselves. Everything is changing so fast, that, any expectations, we have of ourselves, may be obsolete, as well as unrealistic.
Being responsible, is being responsible for the Love you are. It certainly isn't doing things your little self thinks are important. With love we can elevate our little selves to a grander vision. We can see the love we are, and the love in our neighbors. We know we live in paradise. Why cheat ourselves. "Are we still crazy after all these years?"
Love and Peace, Gregg
Friday, June 21, 2013
THIS AND THAT
We had a terrific storm, last night, to usher in the new season. There are branches down and a dead sugar maple, that Jamie has been urging me to cut down, split in half and fell on our garden fence. I love dead trees and marvel at the food and home space they provide for a variety of birds. I have a lot of clean up to do; plus I am behind on many chores, I, normally, would have completed, over a month ago.
I saw a mother Sandhill Crane and two babies, the other Morning. This is the first time I have seen baby cranes. They are a darling little replica of their parents. Nature abounds this year. Blooming plants have rarely been so prolific. Garden flowers are amazing in their beauty. The two and a half inches of rain we received last night, however, wreaked havoc on our roses. The ground is strewn with pink.
Although, the light shines brighter and brighter and more and more people are aware of the unconditional love that surrounds us, as individuals, we find ourselves having irritations. We may be short tempered, at times, or act irrationally, to something or somebody. We are dealing with ghosts from the past. Old programs, hidden in the psyche; you can't put words to them, but they are there. They generate feelings of unworthiness. Do we feel worthy of unconditional love? Do we need to punish ourselves, for a spell, until we know our worthiness? It is important we don't feel bad, if we see this is true of us. We have been programed all our lives, and the culture for thousands of years, to feel unworthy. It is understandable, that it might take a time to catch up.
One thing that is helpful, is to make a conscious effort, to see everybody else as deserving of unconditional love. Exempt no one. Everybody. That will help greatly in knowing your own worthiness.
Another thing is meditation. We don't have to be accomplished meditators. We don't need a mantra. Find some time, twice a day, if possible, sit down close your eyes and pay attention to your breath going in and out of your nostrils. Concentrate on your breathing. When we do this our thoughts will generally slow down. If thoughts, continually preoccupy the mind, one can use a mantra, such as, I AM. When we repeat a mantra to ourselves it tends to help calm the mind and attenuate the stream of thoughts.
Our attempts should not be aimed at reaching a state of absolute peace. Few of us can do this. We don't want to make another life challenge. We want this experience to be one of letting go. We don't need to examine any of our thoughts. We can just let them dissipate without further attention. We will feel a welling up of peace. Perhaps, not the first time, but it will happen.
We should not be afraid to ask ourselves for help. It doesn't matter if we are a devout Christian, Muslim, Jew, Atheist or whatever. We are the creators of our experience and contain, within us, the help we need to reach the Unconditional Loving state, we long for. When we are in a peaceful place, we may have a conversation with ourselves. We will get help.
I titled this piece THIS AND THAT, because I intended to talk about the storm and make a few observations and close, because I need to get out and clean up the branches, etc. So much for planning. I will leave the title as it is. I haven't even set up the dishes, yet, and it is almost noon. The branches will be there tomorrow too.
Love and Peace, Gregg
I saw a mother Sandhill Crane and two babies, the other Morning. This is the first time I have seen baby cranes. They are a darling little replica of their parents. Nature abounds this year. Blooming plants have rarely been so prolific. Garden flowers are amazing in their beauty. The two and a half inches of rain we received last night, however, wreaked havoc on our roses. The ground is strewn with pink.
Although, the light shines brighter and brighter and more and more people are aware of the unconditional love that surrounds us, as individuals, we find ourselves having irritations. We may be short tempered, at times, or act irrationally, to something or somebody. We are dealing with ghosts from the past. Old programs, hidden in the psyche; you can't put words to them, but they are there. They generate feelings of unworthiness. Do we feel worthy of unconditional love? Do we need to punish ourselves, for a spell, until we know our worthiness? It is important we don't feel bad, if we see this is true of us. We have been programed all our lives, and the culture for thousands of years, to feel unworthy. It is understandable, that it might take a time to catch up.
One thing that is helpful, is to make a conscious effort, to see everybody else as deserving of unconditional love. Exempt no one. Everybody. That will help greatly in knowing your own worthiness.
Another thing is meditation. We don't have to be accomplished meditators. We don't need a mantra. Find some time, twice a day, if possible, sit down close your eyes and pay attention to your breath going in and out of your nostrils. Concentrate on your breathing. When we do this our thoughts will generally slow down. If thoughts, continually preoccupy the mind, one can use a mantra, such as, I AM. When we repeat a mantra to ourselves it tends to help calm the mind and attenuate the stream of thoughts.
Our attempts should not be aimed at reaching a state of absolute peace. Few of us can do this. We don't want to make another life challenge. We want this experience to be one of letting go. We don't need to examine any of our thoughts. We can just let them dissipate without further attention. We will feel a welling up of peace. Perhaps, not the first time, but it will happen.
We should not be afraid to ask ourselves for help. It doesn't matter if we are a devout Christian, Muslim, Jew, Atheist or whatever. We are the creators of our experience and contain, within us, the help we need to reach the Unconditional Loving state, we long for. When we are in a peaceful place, we may have a conversation with ourselves. We will get help.
I titled this piece THIS AND THAT, because I intended to talk about the storm and make a few observations and close, because I need to get out and clean up the branches, etc. So much for planning. I will leave the title as it is. I haven't even set up the dishes, yet, and it is almost noon. The branches will be there tomorrow too.
Love and Peace, Gregg
Wednesday, June 19, 2013
WHAT IS ALL THIS FOR?
Sometimes I need to step back and ask myself, "Why am I blogging?" Often, I don't know what I am going to write about, until I sit down in front of the computer. I may have a general idea, but, only occasionally, do I have it worked out.
I have said, what I thought was important, more than once. Still, I know, I need to read things more than once. Repetition is okay.
For many years I have felt there were great changes coming. I was always keenly aware we could be living in a saner world. As a child and a young man, my mind was boggled by how crazy the world was. I was one of many, many children who could see that "the emperor wore no clothes" It was easy to see, most problems would be solved, by loving and respecting each other. I think people saw me as a rebellious child. I had no sense of that. I didn't know, what was going on, and I didn't know, how to fit in. I had no wish to be rebellious. That is a story I don't want to launch into now. Perhaps some other time.
I wasn't a successful student, until I was able to reinvent myself, when I joined the Air Force. I studied electronics and became a Radar technician. I excelled academically for the first time. I learned much in the traditional twelve grades. I could read by the time I went to school and I read widely. By high school I read a book a day. Yet, I wasn't able to translate my learning into good grades.
When I was in grade school I doubted my intelligence, because, I could not please anybody. But, somehow, I knew I was bright. I joined the Air Force so I could get the GI bill. I knew college was my only escape from the quasi working class environment that surrounded me. I saw my peers graduating from high school and then working for the rest of their lives. Work, being something, you would rather not be doing.
I often had fantasies, of how the world could be better, if we could only start over. But I didn't start seriously musing, about such things, until I was out of college and established professionally. I loved college. Whatever plagued me, in my earlier years, was gone. I was married, had kids, and owned my own house, while working almost full time, so I wasn't the whiz kid I may have been. I did well enough to go to graduate school.
I always knew that love was the answer. Even when I was in the Air Force, we would sit around a table at the NCO club, drink beer, and argue philosophy. In those days, the military was populated by all types, because of the universal draft. There were many borderline pacifist and out and out pacifist because it was easier to, give in and join the military, than be a conscientious objector. CO's were treated horribly, in the culture of the time, and most kids hadn't formed that strong an opinion by the time they are eighteen.
About the same time we got into Homesteading, I started reading the Edgar Cayce [The Sleeping Prophet] material. Although, I had been reading philosophy for many years [I read the complete Mentor series on philosophy when I was in the Air Force], through Edgar Cayce, I got a new slant on our history and how our knowledge of spirituality developed. I was fascinated with man's cultural and intellectual origins, where we came from and why. I studied anthropology, in college, and read widely since, but the academic pursuit has many built in limitations. I became fascinated with the rise and fall of civilization. Why did it take us a couple thousand years to reach understandings that were commonplace in Classical Greece? What happened to the Sumerians? Why are most of the accomplishments of the Ancient Egyptians shrouded in such mystery? Civilizations have met collapse, time and time again, in the past. Some seemed to die of decay, others seemed to be swept away by disasters.
Some forty years ago, I began to feel strongly that it was happening again. Civilization, as we know it, was again at the crossroads. The old was to be washed away. It might be accompanied by climate change or Earth changes, but it is over.
When I first started writing this blog, I felt the most important thing was for folks to become self-sufficient. Since we are well versed on how to live off the land, I saw myself, as one, who could facilitate that change, and encourage people to move back to the land. It seems like plenty of people are doing that. Folks, all over, are making gardens where vacant lots or waste areas stood before. They are motivated by many things, good nutrition, good taste, economic necessity, and a compelling interest, to get ones hands in the dirt, and watch things grow. How many people feel a change coming; I don't know?
As I began to write, my interest, emerged more and more. The change in consciousness, that is happening, and is needed. I saw that, whatever happened in the material world, more important, was our understanding, of who we are, and how we can facilitate the changes we want. I perceived that we were about to make a huge evolutionary jump. That this leap forward would occur, with or without, Earth changes. I believe that if we focus on, how we can grow, and learn to love each other, our survival will take care of itself. I think our renewed interest in gardening and all things natural is all part of the love we are experiencing for ourselves, others and our wonderful Mother Earth. It is incidental to our survival, of course, but if we discover how much we love each other, we will do what we need to do.
A teacher teaches what he is trying to learn. I want to experience the wholeness of 'oneness'. I want to feel the freedom of Unconditional Love. I want to be free of all judgement. I want to see the perfection, of every person, my eyes fall on. I want to eliminate all negativity from my life. I want to be free of all anger and be incapable of an angry retort. I want to walk outside and feel the oneness with nature. I want to feel my oneness with the trees, the grass, the flowers, the clouds, the Sun, the stars, and everything.
So the focus of my blog, well for the most, it is going to be about what I am trying to learn.
I can write a lot, when I don't know what to write about. My dish water is getting cold. I better get to them.
Let the Universe feel you with Love and shine it on your neighbor.
Love and Peace, Gregg
I have said, what I thought was important, more than once. Still, I know, I need to read things more than once. Repetition is okay.
For many years I have felt there were great changes coming. I was always keenly aware we could be living in a saner world. As a child and a young man, my mind was boggled by how crazy the world was. I was one of many, many children who could see that "the emperor wore no clothes" It was easy to see, most problems would be solved, by loving and respecting each other. I think people saw me as a rebellious child. I had no sense of that. I didn't know, what was going on, and I didn't know, how to fit in. I had no wish to be rebellious. That is a story I don't want to launch into now. Perhaps some other time.
I wasn't a successful student, until I was able to reinvent myself, when I joined the Air Force. I studied electronics and became a Radar technician. I excelled academically for the first time. I learned much in the traditional twelve grades. I could read by the time I went to school and I read widely. By high school I read a book a day. Yet, I wasn't able to translate my learning into good grades.
When I was in grade school I doubted my intelligence, because, I could not please anybody. But, somehow, I knew I was bright. I joined the Air Force so I could get the GI bill. I knew college was my only escape from the quasi working class environment that surrounded me. I saw my peers graduating from high school and then working for the rest of their lives. Work, being something, you would rather not be doing.
I often had fantasies, of how the world could be better, if we could only start over. But I didn't start seriously musing, about such things, until I was out of college and established professionally. I loved college. Whatever plagued me, in my earlier years, was gone. I was married, had kids, and owned my own house, while working almost full time, so I wasn't the whiz kid I may have been. I did well enough to go to graduate school.
I always knew that love was the answer. Even when I was in the Air Force, we would sit around a table at the NCO club, drink beer, and argue philosophy. In those days, the military was populated by all types, because of the universal draft. There were many borderline pacifist and out and out pacifist because it was easier to, give in and join the military, than be a conscientious objector. CO's were treated horribly, in the culture of the time, and most kids hadn't formed that strong an opinion by the time they are eighteen.
About the same time we got into Homesteading, I started reading the Edgar Cayce [The Sleeping Prophet] material. Although, I had been reading philosophy for many years [I read the complete Mentor series on philosophy when I was in the Air Force], through Edgar Cayce, I got a new slant on our history and how our knowledge of spirituality developed. I was fascinated with man's cultural and intellectual origins, where we came from and why. I studied anthropology, in college, and read widely since, but the academic pursuit has many built in limitations. I became fascinated with the rise and fall of civilization. Why did it take us a couple thousand years to reach understandings that were commonplace in Classical Greece? What happened to the Sumerians? Why are most of the accomplishments of the Ancient Egyptians shrouded in such mystery? Civilizations have met collapse, time and time again, in the past. Some seemed to die of decay, others seemed to be swept away by disasters.
Some forty years ago, I began to feel strongly that it was happening again. Civilization, as we know it, was again at the crossroads. The old was to be washed away. It might be accompanied by climate change or Earth changes, but it is over.
When I first started writing this blog, I felt the most important thing was for folks to become self-sufficient. Since we are well versed on how to live off the land, I saw myself, as one, who could facilitate that change, and encourage people to move back to the land. It seems like plenty of people are doing that. Folks, all over, are making gardens where vacant lots or waste areas stood before. They are motivated by many things, good nutrition, good taste, economic necessity, and a compelling interest, to get ones hands in the dirt, and watch things grow. How many people feel a change coming; I don't know?
As I began to write, my interest, emerged more and more. The change in consciousness, that is happening, and is needed. I saw that, whatever happened in the material world, more important, was our understanding, of who we are, and how we can facilitate the changes we want. I perceived that we were about to make a huge evolutionary jump. That this leap forward would occur, with or without, Earth changes. I believe that if we focus on, how we can grow, and learn to love each other, our survival will take care of itself. I think our renewed interest in gardening and all things natural is all part of the love we are experiencing for ourselves, others and our wonderful Mother Earth. It is incidental to our survival, of course, but if we discover how much we love each other, we will do what we need to do.
A teacher teaches what he is trying to learn. I want to experience the wholeness of 'oneness'. I want to feel the freedom of Unconditional Love. I want to be free of all judgement. I want to see the perfection, of every person, my eyes fall on. I want to eliminate all negativity from my life. I want to be free of all anger and be incapable of an angry retort. I want to walk outside and feel the oneness with nature. I want to feel my oneness with the trees, the grass, the flowers, the clouds, the Sun, the stars, and everything.
So the focus of my blog, well for the most, it is going to be about what I am trying to learn.
I can write a lot, when I don't know what to write about. My dish water is getting cold. I better get to them.
Let the Universe feel you with Love and shine it on your neighbor.
Love and Peace, Gregg
Monday, June 17, 2013
AND WE GO ON
Second beautiful day in a row, on this spot, on planet Earth. We haven't been able to experience, two nice days in a row, all Spring. I am not complaining; my life is about as perfect as it can get. Well; okay, okay. I could cut down on the jerkiness a bit. Perfection eludes me.
On Friday, got a notice from the hatchery that our chickens would arrive, today. Good I thought, we got Saturday and Sunday to prepare a place for them. We had a new place planned for them. The place in the barn where we usually raise chicks has some holes in the floor where hungry skunks etc. can get in. It will need to be repaired and it is a fairly big job, if done right.
Saturday Morning the mail depot in St Cloud called saying they had our chicks. It was too late for them to be shipped to the Ogilvie Post Office, for that day. The gentlemen was concerned about these chicks being confined to their cardboard shipping box all weekend. We were too, so we raced off to St Cloud, a distance of 45 miles to the depot, and picked them up.
We got them all settled in their new digs. I had to string a wire for their light and do a little prep work. It went smoothly. They settled in well. It is always a little worrisome the first night. Do you have the light [heat lamp] at the right height, to keep them from piling up, etc.? I went out at midnight Saturday to check on them and make final adjustments with the light.
Yesterday we had a great Father's Day celebration. When we were in St Cloud we stopped at an upscale grocery store and bought some good steaks and cheeses. I wanted blue cheese dressing for the salad and we bought a couple extra blocks for an hors d'oeuvre. I grilled twice as much steak as we required and, how do you say it, I really pigged out. Is that fair to pigs? I guess so. We have had a few of those lovely creatures.
The world is changing. That is good. From our perch in the universe, it sometimes looks like the dark is taking over. It is all smoke and mirrors. They are desperate to hang on to power and they know they have lost. They will continue to foment war. They won't succeed. People are waking up. A majority of the people, now know, war is not fought for them, but is to enhance the wealth and power of a few. In the near future people will realize, going to war is preposterous.
Hidden information, about the corruption of our institutions, is beginning to emerge. Soon it will be a flood. The stuff about the NSA is a tiny sample of what will come out in the coming weeks. Nothing is how it looks. As it has been said before, we will be shocked.
We need to keep in mind that, the dark uses fear and anger to further their cause. In their desperation to hang on to power, they well might create situations that are ugly and violent. Of course, these events will always be blamed on some target group, the cabal wants for an enemy. At the present time, it is probable that most, so called, terrorist attacks are really caused by this group.
We need to be awake enough to understand what is going on. However, being angry or fearful plays into the hands of the dark ones. We are beginning to see that. People are expressing their amusement at the craziness rather than being threatened. We know better than to take them seriously. We are beginning to realize our power. They are very few. We are many. Without our cooperation, they are helpless. They can do nothing by themselves. As a group, all we need to say is, "Hey we are just going to love. We won't help you anymore with your craziness. It is over." We will send, the dark, love. That will confuse them. It would be nice to have George Carlin around. I am sure his Spirit will inspire us to see the ridiculousness of the world that is passing.
Love and Peace, Gregg
On Friday, got a notice from the hatchery that our chickens would arrive, today. Good I thought, we got Saturday and Sunday to prepare a place for them. We had a new place planned for them. The place in the barn where we usually raise chicks has some holes in the floor where hungry skunks etc. can get in. It will need to be repaired and it is a fairly big job, if done right.
Saturday Morning the mail depot in St Cloud called saying they had our chicks. It was too late for them to be shipped to the Ogilvie Post Office, for that day. The gentlemen was concerned about these chicks being confined to their cardboard shipping box all weekend. We were too, so we raced off to St Cloud, a distance of 45 miles to the depot, and picked them up.
We got them all settled in their new digs. I had to string a wire for their light and do a little prep work. It went smoothly. They settled in well. It is always a little worrisome the first night. Do you have the light [heat lamp] at the right height, to keep them from piling up, etc.? I went out at midnight Saturday to check on them and make final adjustments with the light.
Yesterday we had a great Father's Day celebration. When we were in St Cloud we stopped at an upscale grocery store and bought some good steaks and cheeses. I wanted blue cheese dressing for the salad and we bought a couple extra blocks for an hors d'oeuvre. I grilled twice as much steak as we required and, how do you say it, I really pigged out. Is that fair to pigs? I guess so. We have had a few of those lovely creatures.
The world is changing. That is good. From our perch in the universe, it sometimes looks like the dark is taking over. It is all smoke and mirrors. They are desperate to hang on to power and they know they have lost. They will continue to foment war. They won't succeed. People are waking up. A majority of the people, now know, war is not fought for them, but is to enhance the wealth and power of a few. In the near future people will realize, going to war is preposterous.
Hidden information, about the corruption of our institutions, is beginning to emerge. Soon it will be a flood. The stuff about the NSA is a tiny sample of what will come out in the coming weeks. Nothing is how it looks. As it has been said before, we will be shocked.
We need to keep in mind that, the dark uses fear and anger to further their cause. In their desperation to hang on to power, they well might create situations that are ugly and violent. Of course, these events will always be blamed on some target group, the cabal wants for an enemy. At the present time, it is probable that most, so called, terrorist attacks are really caused by this group.
We need to be awake enough to understand what is going on. However, being angry or fearful plays into the hands of the dark ones. We are beginning to see that. People are expressing their amusement at the craziness rather than being threatened. We know better than to take them seriously. We are beginning to realize our power. They are very few. We are many. Without our cooperation, they are helpless. They can do nothing by themselves. As a group, all we need to say is, "Hey we are just going to love. We won't help you anymore with your craziness. It is over." We will send, the dark, love. That will confuse them. It would be nice to have George Carlin around. I am sure his Spirit will inspire us to see the ridiculousness of the world that is passing.
Love and Peace, Gregg
Friday, June 14, 2013
THE ONGOING BATTLE
Perhaps I should call it a struggle; but, it is not that either. Perhaps, a relinquishment? At some point it is all of those; a battle, a struggle and finally a relinquishment. I am talking about how we deal with our egos.
The ego is that part of us that is attached to this world. It is interested primarily in survival and always invites fear as an ally. It stands between us and Love. As long as we experience life through our egos, we will always love conditionally. Is it love if it is conditional? If the person we relate to, has to meet certain conditions, for us to feel love for them, is that love?
The ego always wants to be in control. It hates what it cannot predict. It is the part of us that keeps us trapped in the scenario, of being anxious of the future, because of the past. It is hard for us to relax enough to enjoy the now. We are constantly missing the present. Many of us, skate through the day oblivious of what is in the present. We wait for the time when we can sit back in the Evening with a libation. Only then do we get a taste, of just being, and experiencing the now.
The ego has many aspects of control. One, I would like to discuss here, in some depth, is our need to maintain or gain a position in the world. We spend a lot of attention on, how we measure up with others, in our small and large environments. Most times we don't even know we are doing it. We find ourselves evaluating other peoples' place in the world. He or she is just trailer trash. He or she is a loser. He or she is certainly not using their education. They certainly can't afford the big house they live in. I wonder if he or she will ever get a real job. We can see how this can go on and on to infinity. Every one of these judgements adds to the moat, we build around ourselves, and cast a deep shade over our capacity to love.
We are carefully taught that our position in the world is important and that what, others think of us, has value. Even after we begin to wake up and understand what I am talking about here; we still find ourselves worried about what others think.
This ongoing judgement becomes a barely conscious factor; but it joins with everybody else's judgements, to create a fabric of respectability, and like a deep cloud of doom, blocks the love we have from flowing.
We are beginning to recognize, that the value of an individual or group, has absolutely nothing to to with their position in the world. The next homeless person we meet on the street, may be sending more loving energy into the world, than the ten most prominent people in our community. The value, we have to the rest of us, is in our capacity to love.
The more we give up the idea of having a position in the world, the more we will recognize how truly loving we are. We will see through the fog, we have created, and see how all are equal, and all are deserving of love. The more we love the more we see love in others.
As the light increases, as our ability to see that we are love, becomes more a reality, we will give up the dominance of our egos. I talk about the ego as if it is real. In fact it is non-existent. When we separated from Source, we created this part of our persona, to warn us of danger, because we felt vulnerable, with a lack of connection to each other and Source. Over the years the ego took on our identity. We became confused and thought we were, that aspect of ourselves, that interrelated with the world. As we discover, we are much more than ego, and in fact, may not need it; the ego panics, it has pretended to be ourselves so long that it thinks it is. The ego thinks you are trying to kill it. It acts like a very spoiled child having a tantrum.
Getting back to; is it a battle, a struggle or a relinquishment, Giving up the ego can be all of these, depending on what stage we are in, or it can be a surrender to our true selves.
The light is increasing exponentially, as each person begins to see, without their ego, the light multiplies; this provides energy for the rest of us to see.
If we remember that we are already Unconditional Love because we are part of Source which is Unconditional Love; we may see, our way, into sinking into, or surrendering to, that Love that we already are. We can give up the pain of the battle and feel the Love.
We need not worry about failure. We cannot fail. We are, only, recognizing what already is.
Love and Peace, Gregg
The ego is that part of us that is attached to this world. It is interested primarily in survival and always invites fear as an ally. It stands between us and Love. As long as we experience life through our egos, we will always love conditionally. Is it love if it is conditional? If the person we relate to, has to meet certain conditions, for us to feel love for them, is that love?
The ego always wants to be in control. It hates what it cannot predict. It is the part of us that keeps us trapped in the scenario, of being anxious of the future, because of the past. It is hard for us to relax enough to enjoy the now. We are constantly missing the present. Many of us, skate through the day oblivious of what is in the present. We wait for the time when we can sit back in the Evening with a libation. Only then do we get a taste, of just being, and experiencing the now.
The ego has many aspects of control. One, I would like to discuss here, in some depth, is our need to maintain or gain a position in the world. We spend a lot of attention on, how we measure up with others, in our small and large environments. Most times we don't even know we are doing it. We find ourselves evaluating other peoples' place in the world. He or she is just trailer trash. He or she is a loser. He or she is certainly not using their education. They certainly can't afford the big house they live in. I wonder if he or she will ever get a real job. We can see how this can go on and on to infinity. Every one of these judgements adds to the moat, we build around ourselves, and cast a deep shade over our capacity to love.
We are carefully taught that our position in the world is important and that what, others think of us, has value. Even after we begin to wake up and understand what I am talking about here; we still find ourselves worried about what others think.
This ongoing judgement becomes a barely conscious factor; but it joins with everybody else's judgements, to create a fabric of respectability, and like a deep cloud of doom, blocks the love we have from flowing.
We are beginning to recognize, that the value of an individual or group, has absolutely nothing to to with their position in the world. The next homeless person we meet on the street, may be sending more loving energy into the world, than the ten most prominent people in our community. The value, we have to the rest of us, is in our capacity to love.
The more we give up the idea of having a position in the world, the more we will recognize how truly loving we are. We will see through the fog, we have created, and see how all are equal, and all are deserving of love. The more we love the more we see love in others.
As the light increases, as our ability to see that we are love, becomes more a reality, we will give up the dominance of our egos. I talk about the ego as if it is real. In fact it is non-existent. When we separated from Source, we created this part of our persona, to warn us of danger, because we felt vulnerable, with a lack of connection to each other and Source. Over the years the ego took on our identity. We became confused and thought we were, that aspect of ourselves, that interrelated with the world. As we discover, we are much more than ego, and in fact, may not need it; the ego panics, it has pretended to be ourselves so long that it thinks it is. The ego thinks you are trying to kill it. It acts like a very spoiled child having a tantrum.
Getting back to; is it a battle, a struggle or a relinquishment, Giving up the ego can be all of these, depending on what stage we are in, or it can be a surrender to our true selves.
The light is increasing exponentially, as each person begins to see, without their ego, the light multiplies; this provides energy for the rest of us to see.
If we remember that we are already Unconditional Love because we are part of Source which is Unconditional Love; we may see, our way, into sinking into, or surrendering to, that Love that we already are. We can give up the pain of the battle and feel the Love.
We need not worry about failure. We cannot fail. We are, only, recognizing what already is.
Love and Peace, Gregg
Wednesday, June 12, 2013
WHO ARE WE?
It's late Morning and the Sun has yet to show itself; a cool darkish start to the day. Maybe, we can brighten things up with our being.
The mosquitoes, finally made their appearance last night. June eleventh; that might be a record late debut for those rascals. The fireflies, also, made an appearance. We are way behind on gardening. I planted pole beans and potatoes, so far. As I mentioned before, Jamie injured a ligament in her wrist and she decided a vacation from gardening is what she needed for healing. But, we can't take a complete vacation, we will get a few things planted.
It is said that, a usual, person sees from the outside in and the wise, see from the inside out. Many of us use our five senses to interpret the world and we use the incoming data to decide what reality is. As we awaken, we realize we exist in an illusion and the data coming in is not reality.
So what is inside? What does it mean to be inside? It can't be inside the body. Is it inside the mind? What is the mind? Is it in the head? Silly questions? Maybe? Do we know the answers?
We know what we mean by 'me'. We have feelings. Our feelings get hurt. We experience joy. We experience pain. Some feelings are of the body. Some are certainly not; they don't seem to depend on a body.
When we sit down and close our eyes and we let our thoughts drift away; what is left? If we sink into what is left, we will discover vastness. Very peaceful vastness. There is an energy there. A quiet energy, yet its power can not be measured. Is that who we are? Are we great beings of energy? Perhaps Love?
If we continue exploring this vastness, we feel a connection to everything. Is that what being 'one' is.
Are we in a situation where our attention to our bodies makes us think we are separate? Do the data from our senses coupled with the emotions, we think others don't share, convince us we are separate?
Are we really part and parcel with One Being? Are we all part of that vastness? Are we all aspects of Source? Are we just love expressing ourselves in bodies?
These questions could be answered, just, pragmatically. What ideas will create the more wonderful life experience. If we believe we are part of Source and that Source is Love; we will have quite a different world than if we think we are separate.
Love and Peace, Gregg
The mosquitoes, finally made their appearance last night. June eleventh; that might be a record late debut for those rascals. The fireflies, also, made an appearance. We are way behind on gardening. I planted pole beans and potatoes, so far. As I mentioned before, Jamie injured a ligament in her wrist and she decided a vacation from gardening is what she needed for healing. But, we can't take a complete vacation, we will get a few things planted.
It is said that, a usual, person sees from the outside in and the wise, see from the inside out. Many of us use our five senses to interpret the world and we use the incoming data to decide what reality is. As we awaken, we realize we exist in an illusion and the data coming in is not reality.
So what is inside? What does it mean to be inside? It can't be inside the body. Is it inside the mind? What is the mind? Is it in the head? Silly questions? Maybe? Do we know the answers?
We know what we mean by 'me'. We have feelings. Our feelings get hurt. We experience joy. We experience pain. Some feelings are of the body. Some are certainly not; they don't seem to depend on a body.
When we sit down and close our eyes and we let our thoughts drift away; what is left? If we sink into what is left, we will discover vastness. Very peaceful vastness. There is an energy there. A quiet energy, yet its power can not be measured. Is that who we are? Are we great beings of energy? Perhaps Love?
If we continue exploring this vastness, we feel a connection to everything. Is that what being 'one' is.
Are we in a situation where our attention to our bodies makes us think we are separate? Do the data from our senses coupled with the emotions, we think others don't share, convince us we are separate?
Are we really part and parcel with One Being? Are we all part of that vastness? Are we all aspects of Source? Are we just love expressing ourselves in bodies?
These questions could be answered, just, pragmatically. What ideas will create the more wonderful life experience. If we believe we are part of Source and that Source is Love; we will have quite a different world than if we think we are separate.
Love and Peace, Gregg
Monday, June 10, 2013
WHY ARE WE HERE?
We are just coming out of another wet, cool period. It is a soggy Morning. I like it. The grass has grown passed most peoples mowing stage; but, I don't mind. I will mow the grass when it dries out. There was a bird singing this Morning. It sounded exotic and incredibly beautiful. By now you would think I couldn't experience a new bird call. I hope I hear it again.
For reasons, that I have no inkling of, we had very limited social engagements over the Winter and Spring. We went out to eat several times and visited friends occasionally and our neighbor, across the lake, visited every Tuesday Morning. Yes, and we visited family a couple times and entertained some neighbors. So I guess it wasn't that limited. But, we didn't get together, much, with our usual group of friends. Elijah was attending preschool and it seemed like he brought home some interesting virus about every two weeks. I am sure that limited our social calender.
Saturday we kicked off the new Summer social season by having friends over and grilling steaks. We sat out on the deck all evening. It was amazing that it didn't get cold enough to drive us inside. We sat outside from 6:30 PM to 12:45 AM and had a great time every minute. We had great food, very good wine and excellent conversation.
One of our friends, as he was leaving, said, "Why Are we here. We build all this stuff", gesturing around. "What is it all about." That is the question, we all need to ask.
We eventually come to one conclusion. If we understand our history; we will see that we have flailed around creating our reality with our individual and group ego. We have really made a mess of things. We have allowed ourselves to be divided; race against race, nationality against nationality, religion against religion, one group against another, even females against males. Our divisiveness has ground exceedingly fine.
So what is the one conclusion? We need to heal. We need to see ourselves as one. The healing will take place when we, all, see the need to love. When love becomes our priority. Love will heal the divisiveness. Love will bring us together. Love will bring us Heaven on Earth.
Perhaps, my guest was taking all that for granted and was leaping forward to the time when we knew our love for each other. We, each, have a gift to give to the whole. Everyone loves to do something that benefits everyone else. There is nothing to keep us from paradise. Well, then my friend might ask, "What will we do with all our spare time". "What will be our purpose, once we have brought peace and love to the world?" We might answer, "We will explore creation" If we think about it, I think we will agree, that our knowledge of this planet is not that great. I could study my backyard, for the rest of my life, and still know only a fraction of what there is to know about it.
And I would love to go up, in a Starship Enterprise type craft, and look over the galaxy. Hey, why not.
We are here Now. All that we need to do is love. Love as our first, second, and third, priority. The rest will take care of itself.
Love and Peace, Gregg
For reasons, that I have no inkling of, we had very limited social engagements over the Winter and Spring. We went out to eat several times and visited friends occasionally and our neighbor, across the lake, visited every Tuesday Morning. Yes, and we visited family a couple times and entertained some neighbors. So I guess it wasn't that limited. But, we didn't get together, much, with our usual group of friends. Elijah was attending preschool and it seemed like he brought home some interesting virus about every two weeks. I am sure that limited our social calender.
Saturday we kicked off the new Summer social season by having friends over and grilling steaks. We sat out on the deck all evening. It was amazing that it didn't get cold enough to drive us inside. We sat outside from 6:30 PM to 12:45 AM and had a great time every minute. We had great food, very good wine and excellent conversation.
One of our friends, as he was leaving, said, "Why Are we here. We build all this stuff", gesturing around. "What is it all about." That is the question, we all need to ask.
We eventually come to one conclusion. If we understand our history; we will see that we have flailed around creating our reality with our individual and group ego. We have really made a mess of things. We have allowed ourselves to be divided; race against race, nationality against nationality, religion against religion, one group against another, even females against males. Our divisiveness has ground exceedingly fine.
So what is the one conclusion? We need to heal. We need to see ourselves as one. The healing will take place when we, all, see the need to love. When love becomes our priority. Love will heal the divisiveness. Love will bring us together. Love will bring us Heaven on Earth.
Perhaps, my guest was taking all that for granted and was leaping forward to the time when we knew our love for each other. We, each, have a gift to give to the whole. Everyone loves to do something that benefits everyone else. There is nothing to keep us from paradise. Well, then my friend might ask, "What will we do with all our spare time". "What will be our purpose, once we have brought peace and love to the world?" We might answer, "We will explore creation" If we think about it, I think we will agree, that our knowledge of this planet is not that great. I could study my backyard, for the rest of my life, and still know only a fraction of what there is to know about it.
And I would love to go up, in a Starship Enterprise type craft, and look over the galaxy. Hey, why not.
We are here Now. All that we need to do is love. Love as our first, second, and third, priority. The rest will take care of itself.
Love and Peace, Gregg
Friday, June 7, 2013
BELIEFS- A FURTHER DISCUSSION
The wonderful lady, who comes every other Thursday to clean our house, had a scheduling conflict and is coming at Noon today. I have dishes to wash and some farm chores to do before she comes, so I will have to end this blog well........ I don't know. I actually have plenty of time. It is just a matter of being able to work under mild time pressure; will inspiration come?
The concept of beliefs is a huge subject, but, we ought to be able to break things down, so we can have a reasonable discussion.
First: Are they true? Does this really matter? I am not sure we can know what is true or false, in what we think of, as our present reality. Everything we believe, will be somewhat altered by the coming events.
Second: What is the result of the belief. This is the area to explore. Believing in the Easter Bunny hurts no one. Believing there is something called 'just war' can cost millions of lives.
Third: Is believing something is, more or less limiting, than believing something isn't? Is holding rigidly unto a belief that something is true, more or less limiting, than rigidly believing that something is not true? For example: Does believing the Loch Ness monster exist, more or less, limiting than firmly believing it doesn't? Which side will tend to limit perception and understanding more? When I began this line of questioning, I thought I knew the answer; I don't. I would guess it would be the degree of rigidity one would have. It would seem to me, the more rigid one is in their beliefs, the more they block their mind from any data or experience that might threaten their belief.
Fourth [expansion of the second]: If we create with our thoughts, what we believe will, always, be reflected in what we see. Regardless, of what we believe we will see it reflected back to us, locking us into the belief.
So, I think, we should look at belief, as not something, that is true or not, but whether it is useful in creating the life we want, around us. This gets us back to what the Masters have been teaching us, for lo, these last thousands of years. LOVE.
The solution to this dilemma is to see through a lens of Love, Unconditional Love. We can choose to believe we originate from a Source that is unconditional Love. Therefore we are Love. We can accept the idea that love is everything and nothing else exist.
If love, is our primary belief, we don't need to worry about rigidity. Love can't be rigid. Love is freeing. Love is freedom. Do we need any beliefs other than the belief in Love? Just asking?
Love and Peace, Gregg
The concept of beliefs is a huge subject, but, we ought to be able to break things down, so we can have a reasonable discussion.
First: Are they true? Does this really matter? I am not sure we can know what is true or false, in what we think of, as our present reality. Everything we believe, will be somewhat altered by the coming events.
Second: What is the result of the belief. This is the area to explore. Believing in the Easter Bunny hurts no one. Believing there is something called 'just war' can cost millions of lives.
Third: Is believing something is, more or less limiting, than believing something isn't? Is holding rigidly unto a belief that something is true, more or less limiting, than rigidly believing that something is not true? For example: Does believing the Loch Ness monster exist, more or less, limiting than firmly believing it doesn't? Which side will tend to limit perception and understanding more? When I began this line of questioning, I thought I knew the answer; I don't. I would guess it would be the degree of rigidity one would have. It would seem to me, the more rigid one is in their beliefs, the more they block their mind from any data or experience that might threaten their belief.
Fourth [expansion of the second]: If we create with our thoughts, what we believe will, always, be reflected in what we see. Regardless, of what we believe we will see it reflected back to us, locking us into the belief.
So, I think, we should look at belief, as not something, that is true or not, but whether it is useful in creating the life we want, around us. This gets us back to what the Masters have been teaching us, for lo, these last thousands of years. LOVE.
The solution to this dilemma is to see through a lens of Love, Unconditional Love. We can choose to believe we originate from a Source that is unconditional Love. Therefore we are Love. We can accept the idea that love is everything and nothing else exist.
If love, is our primary belief, we don't need to worry about rigidity. Love can't be rigid. Love is freeing. Love is freedom. Do we need any beliefs other than the belief in Love? Just asking?
Love and Peace, Gregg
Wednesday, June 5, 2013
BELIEFS AND OTHER THINGS
It is back to below normal temperatures here; 55 degrees F right now. The forecast is for the middle sixties. One good thing about the cool weather is that the flowers stay in bloom longer; for instance, the lilacs would have began to fade by now if the weather was hot, instead they are still in their glory.
I had planned to skip ordering baby chicks this year. Yesterday, however, I ordered 50 chicks. They will arrive about the 17th. We had plenty of chicken in the freezer from last year but our laying flock is pathetic. We have eighteen hens and a rooster. We lost one of our roosters a couple weeks ago. They decided to see who was dominant, one lost. He wasn't actually killed in the fight, but he must have got speared by a spur in a vulnerable area, he died a few days later. I have raised chickens for forty years and I have never had problems with roosters, as bad, as I have had these last two years. Perhaps, it is because of our experiment.
We have, always kept a flock of old fashioned heavy breeds; Plymouth Rocks, New Hampshire Reds, Speckled Sussex, Buff Orpingtons, etc. The hens were excellent layers and the roosters supplied tasty meat. Every couple years, we would get some Rock/Cornish crosses, just for meat. We didn't like raising them because they are freaks. They are little meat factories, that waddle from the water fountain to the feed trough. They eat and poop and not much else. Their 'chickiness' is bred out of them. We ran across these red colored broilers that scratch and forage and act like real chickens. Yet, they put on weight, almost as fast as the Rock/Cornish. They, easily, get to ten twelve pounds.
We read some comments that suggested that they were good layers and would make a satisfactory dual purpose breed. We kept a dozen or so hens over for layers and a few roosters, as potential sires, of a new flock. I planned on hatching my own eggs and gradually they would become the dominant chickens of my flock.
It didn't work out. This last year, I lost about five hens over the Winter. They just died, with no visible cause. The hens are super heavy and clumsy; everyday, they break four or five eggs. They are not doing it on purpose. After forty years of chicken raising, one knows the difference. I have had an occasional chicken do it on purpose, so they could eat them. Right now we have about eight of the old fashioned mixed breeds; many are over ten years old. Then we have about ten of these red broiler experimental chickens, some are from a year ago.
So we decided to end that experiment and go back to the old fashioned breeds that have been successful for us, for forty years. We ordered twenty five females, five each of five different breeds and twenty five red broilers destined for celebration dinners.
Wow, I didn't know my chicken story would be so long. I want to talk a little about beliefs and I will come back to the subject in a future blog. I have mentioned before, how are beliefs can limit our perception and, therefore, our understanding.
We experience this world through our senses; touch, smell, taste, hearing and sight and we have feelings {emotions} that alter and interpret the data that comes in. We may know our "reality" is an illusion but it certainly is real to us. Most of us don't experience much beyond this; at least, not that we trust.
It certainly seems, to make sense, to reject what we can't demonstrate with our senses. Of course, we don't. We have all kinds of beliefs that cannot be demonstrated as true. Much of our lives are governed by beliefs that are probably unfounded. If we examine ourselves honestly we will see this.
For the time being, most of our decisions and ideas, are going to derive from a cluster of beliefs, and preconceived ideas, that are probably spurious. That is fine. That is where we are at, right now. However, we need to be aware, that every belief, we hold unto dearly, limits our perception and blocks out a whole sector of other data. When we think we know something, we condemn our selves to not knowing a whole array of other things.
We can't help but have opinions and beliefs. But we can think in terms of possibilities and probabilities and avoid concreteness. We can, also, look at ourselves {not critically-mind you} lovingly, very lovingly and ask ourselves, "what do I believe?" Does this or that belief limit me? Does it limit my capacity to love others or myself? Does it limit me in any way?
We are about to be flooded with new information on all subjects. We will be looking at everything a little differently. Long held beliefs will require alteration. Let us not hang on to anything rigidly. If we love each other and know that we live in a loving universe; all is well.
Love and Peace, Gregg
I had planned to skip ordering baby chicks this year. Yesterday, however, I ordered 50 chicks. They will arrive about the 17th. We had plenty of chicken in the freezer from last year but our laying flock is pathetic. We have eighteen hens and a rooster. We lost one of our roosters a couple weeks ago. They decided to see who was dominant, one lost. He wasn't actually killed in the fight, but he must have got speared by a spur in a vulnerable area, he died a few days later. I have raised chickens for forty years and I have never had problems with roosters, as bad, as I have had these last two years. Perhaps, it is because of our experiment.
We have, always kept a flock of old fashioned heavy breeds; Plymouth Rocks, New Hampshire Reds, Speckled Sussex, Buff Orpingtons, etc. The hens were excellent layers and the roosters supplied tasty meat. Every couple years, we would get some Rock/Cornish crosses, just for meat. We didn't like raising them because they are freaks. They are little meat factories, that waddle from the water fountain to the feed trough. They eat and poop and not much else. Their 'chickiness' is bred out of them. We ran across these red colored broilers that scratch and forage and act like real chickens. Yet, they put on weight, almost as fast as the Rock/Cornish. They, easily, get to ten twelve pounds.
We read some comments that suggested that they were good layers and would make a satisfactory dual purpose breed. We kept a dozen or so hens over for layers and a few roosters, as potential sires, of a new flock. I planned on hatching my own eggs and gradually they would become the dominant chickens of my flock.
It didn't work out. This last year, I lost about five hens over the Winter. They just died, with no visible cause. The hens are super heavy and clumsy; everyday, they break four or five eggs. They are not doing it on purpose. After forty years of chicken raising, one knows the difference. I have had an occasional chicken do it on purpose, so they could eat them. Right now we have about eight of the old fashioned mixed breeds; many are over ten years old. Then we have about ten of these red broiler experimental chickens, some are from a year ago.
So we decided to end that experiment and go back to the old fashioned breeds that have been successful for us, for forty years. We ordered twenty five females, five each of five different breeds and twenty five red broilers destined for celebration dinners.
Wow, I didn't know my chicken story would be so long. I want to talk a little about beliefs and I will come back to the subject in a future blog. I have mentioned before, how are beliefs can limit our perception and, therefore, our understanding.
We experience this world through our senses; touch, smell, taste, hearing and sight and we have feelings {emotions} that alter and interpret the data that comes in. We may know our "reality" is an illusion but it certainly is real to us. Most of us don't experience much beyond this; at least, not that we trust.
It certainly seems, to make sense, to reject what we can't demonstrate with our senses. Of course, we don't. We have all kinds of beliefs that cannot be demonstrated as true. Much of our lives are governed by beliefs that are probably unfounded. If we examine ourselves honestly we will see this.
For the time being, most of our decisions and ideas, are going to derive from a cluster of beliefs, and preconceived ideas, that are probably spurious. That is fine. That is where we are at, right now. However, we need to be aware, that every belief, we hold unto dearly, limits our perception and blocks out a whole sector of other data. When we think we know something, we condemn our selves to not knowing a whole array of other things.
We can't help but have opinions and beliefs. But we can think in terms of possibilities and probabilities and avoid concreteness. We can, also, look at ourselves {not critically-mind you} lovingly, very lovingly and ask ourselves, "what do I believe?" Does this or that belief limit me? Does it limit my capacity to love others or myself? Does it limit me in any way?
We are about to be flooded with new information on all subjects. We will be looking at everything a little differently. Long held beliefs will require alteration. Let us not hang on to anything rigidly. If we love each other and know that we live in a loving universe; all is well.
Love and Peace, Gregg
Monday, June 3, 2013
DISCOURAGEMENT
It is a beautiful day. My thermometer measures 70 degrees F and there is a slight breeze, perfect for working in the garden. I plan on doing so later this afternoon. It can be a beautiful day, the birds can be singing, the flowers blooming; but we may not see that, we may be discouraged.
We have been hoping for a long time that major improvements would be coming soon. There is the promise and when we are clear, we can see the increase in light and agree that positive change is coming. We can't see it every moment. We can't see it everyday. We like to look at the television news, at least, sometime. We like to read the paper once in a while. When we pay attention, to the main stream media, we get inundated with negativity. War, the threat of war, violence and negativity of all sorts are the main themes.
We need to reassure ourselves that the promise is true. That great celebration is a few blinks of time away. The old world is crumbling; soon it will be obvious to all. It is natural for us to be discouraged temporarily. It's okay. Shake it off. Shake your head. Let the light in and smile broadly at the first person you see. The light will flood in and the discouragement will abate. Truly, we don't have long to wait.
Another thing we find discouraging, is that old negative feelings, from the past, seem to rise up anew. Jealousies, fears, resentments, irritations, angers, petty things, big things, things we thought we solved, and it goes on. What is that all about? Realize that we are hurtling forward to a time when all is love. We came from a source of Unconditional Love and we are now returning to that state. Along this journey, we must give up all our repressed negativity. We have had many lessons over many lifetimes. Many of these lessons were only partly learned. We have created many situations for ourselves, and in some cases, we suppressed or denied what we were intended to learn. Now it is time to return to our wholeness. We are amazingly beautiful and powerful reflections of Source. These old feelings, from our incomplete learning, keep us from realizing who we are.
It may seem like a daunting task. It isn't. If we remember, it is a quickly passing phase, it will be easier. When a feeling arises, we needn't try to understand it and don't fight it or engage it, in anyway. Just feel it and let it dissipate; let it go into space. In the process we may see an opportunity to forgive ourselves or another. Forgiveness is key. We can ask for help, the energy of love is always available. Love surrounds you. Ask for help; it will come in a form that you can use.
Sometimes we have, too much, attention on ourselves. It will help if we appreciate what we see in others. Look to celebrate the moments of your life. A smile, at one we meet in the grocery store, is a celebration in itself and a great celebration, when the smile is returned. We are not only helping ourselves. We are helping everyone rid themselves of negativity.
Now I am going to celebrate getting those dishes washed. Hey, I really love doing it! Then I am going to work in the garden.
Love and Peace, Gregg
We have been hoping for a long time that major improvements would be coming soon. There is the promise and when we are clear, we can see the increase in light and agree that positive change is coming. We can't see it every moment. We can't see it everyday. We like to look at the television news, at least, sometime. We like to read the paper once in a while. When we pay attention, to the main stream media, we get inundated with negativity. War, the threat of war, violence and negativity of all sorts are the main themes.
We need to reassure ourselves that the promise is true. That great celebration is a few blinks of time away. The old world is crumbling; soon it will be obvious to all. It is natural for us to be discouraged temporarily. It's okay. Shake it off. Shake your head. Let the light in and smile broadly at the first person you see. The light will flood in and the discouragement will abate. Truly, we don't have long to wait.
Another thing we find discouraging, is that old negative feelings, from the past, seem to rise up anew. Jealousies, fears, resentments, irritations, angers, petty things, big things, things we thought we solved, and it goes on. What is that all about? Realize that we are hurtling forward to a time when all is love. We came from a source of Unconditional Love and we are now returning to that state. Along this journey, we must give up all our repressed negativity. We have had many lessons over many lifetimes. Many of these lessons were only partly learned. We have created many situations for ourselves, and in some cases, we suppressed or denied what we were intended to learn. Now it is time to return to our wholeness. We are amazingly beautiful and powerful reflections of Source. These old feelings, from our incomplete learning, keep us from realizing who we are.
It may seem like a daunting task. It isn't. If we remember, it is a quickly passing phase, it will be easier. When a feeling arises, we needn't try to understand it and don't fight it or engage it, in anyway. Just feel it and let it dissipate; let it go into space. In the process we may see an opportunity to forgive ourselves or another. Forgiveness is key. We can ask for help, the energy of love is always available. Love surrounds you. Ask for help; it will come in a form that you can use.
Sometimes we have, too much, attention on ourselves. It will help if we appreciate what we see in others. Look to celebrate the moments of your life. A smile, at one we meet in the grocery store, is a celebration in itself and a great celebration, when the smile is returned. We are not only helping ourselves. We are helping everyone rid themselves of negativity.
Now I am going to celebrate getting those dishes washed. Hey, I really love doing it! Then I am going to work in the garden.
Love and Peace, Gregg