BELIEF SYSTEMS

A couple days ago, a reader asked me, "Where does your belief system come from?" I answered her back, more or less, from the top of my head. My answer was okay as far as it went; but the question is much deeper than that.

Let us talk about belief systems in general. Belief systems include everything, not just what religion/philosophy inculcate. Our individual belief system is shaped by our total experience. Most folks don't question their beliefs; they accept what they have been taught both consciously and unconsciously. Questioning beliefs are always fraught with peril. Regardless of the belief stream you find yourself in, questioning it openly can lead you to ridicule, attack or expulsion from the group. Many people who see that everything is not quite right, keep it to themselves for fear of rejection. There is warmth and acceptance in going along. The climate can be cold and blustery when you don't.

There are those who see that what is toted as truth is not quite true. Depending on their personal nature, self-esteem, allegiance to the group etc. they may attempt to nudge the people around them to see things differently. There are many shades and varieties in this group.

Then there are the truth seekers and truthsayers. There are truth seekers who are dedicated to know truth for themselves; yet they may not make waves about it. They are primarily motivated by knowledge; they need to know. Then there are the truthsayers, they can't help but say what they think. They are often ridiculed, ostracized and have been persecuted in some eras and societies. Both the truth seekers and truthsayers are immensely valuable in our attempts to open our eyes and see beyond the illusion we have been stuck with.

The reader asked me about my belief system. I don't know that I have one. Belief systems are a cocoon that makes you feel safe but limits your experience and knowledge. If you are dedicated to see what is; belief systems hold one back. I have embraced belief systems but find myself shucking them as I grow out of them.

Going into this fully would require an autobiography. I think everybody's life is fascinating. Could a person benefit from knowing my life story? I don't know. I can give a brief synopsis of my spiritual/philosophical evolvement

My early scholastic experience was very troubled. I could read before I went to school. My parents thought I was precocious and I was put in first grade, in a Catholic school, without benefit of  kindergarten. I was lost and didn't recover for many years. I couldn't understand what the whole thing was about. I just remember doing poor work and being shamed. Shame was a constant companion right on through high school.

I developed a pattern of not going along which I must have felt some reward for. I didn't see myself as rebellious but I think others might have seen me that way. I just remember confusion. Since I could read, I read the texts cover to cover as soon as they were presented. I was never with the class. If I got interested in a subject in history, I kept reading, not knowing the class had switched to studying geography. I seemed to be destined for failure. I remember one time the teacher was grading us on our reading and dividing us up in groups. She would have us read a paragraph and assign us a bird representing the reading group we were in. Of course, I was assigned the highest group. Then the teacher went around and asked which group we were in. When she called my name, I was daydreaming, and didn't answer. A girl piped up and said, "He is a cardinal, of course" that was the lowest group. I didn't know how to respond, so I spent the rest of that school year in the lowest reading group.

In Catholic School we took intelligence test. The results were given back to us and they had our chronological and mental age printed on them. My mental age was always well above my chronological age. Despite this evidence I did not know I was intelligent. The feedback I received from school was all negative. Once I got six Fs on my report card. I was past on condition year to year. I think they kept passing me because I blew the top off the state boards. As a private school the students needed to take state sanctioned test to assure they were learning properly. I, always, scored well above my grade placement.

My school experience until I got to college was pretty dreadful. I did finally figure out I was doing it to myself. Even at that age I knew my experience was my creation. It wasn't all bad. I always had a best friend. My social group didn't seem to care about my poor school performance. One of my acquaintances said, "You are the smartest one of the dumb kids" I took it as a compliment at the time.

I don't even know that I should have shared this dismal school experience. Outside of school, I had many people who appreciated me. I came from a large family and many uncles and aunts loved me and even doted on me. My Mother was in love with learning, especially of nature, and I absorbed knowledge from her. She certainly had faith in my intelligence. I think she was as confused about my lack of success as I was. 

Despite my struggles with the educational establishment, I was an intellectual. When I was thirteen I wanted to grow up to be the philosopher, that taught people, that all pursuits of study were the same. I perceived that psychology, physics, mathematics, astronomy, religion were pursuing the same knowledge. It seemed to be so clear to me then and I wanted to be a philosopher.

 I have been interested in the meaning of life, all my life. I read every philosophy text I could get my hands on. When I was in the Air Force I read the complete Mentor Series on philosophy. I loved psychology. I read the "Introduction to Psychoanalysis" by Sigmund Freud when I was sixteen. Of course, I followed by reading works from Carl Jung and Alfred Adler.

 This is getting way to long and I haven't really touched on my religious/spiritual evolution yet. I will try to be brief.

I could not believe in the god that the church taught. A god that judged? A god that punished people? It didn't make any sense. On one hand god was described as love and on the other hand he was a punisher. I didn't understand that. I gave up religion in my very early teens.

I continued my study of religion, it fascinated me. I read the bible several times. I have read the text of the worlds major religions and many, many discourses about them. I essentially remained an agnostic. In those years, I thought of myself as an atheist. But I guess I wasn't. An atheist believes there is no god. I could not find a belief.

I studied and studied and absorbed all I could intellectually. I was intrigued that the core of all religion was Love. Some form of loving your neighbor as yourself was the basis of all spiritual pursuits. Seeking God through Love. Seeking God through knowledge of Self. Finding God by finding yourself. Discovering God in yourself. Discovering Yourself in God. All of these concepts are found in the works of the major religions.

This is way to long and I have a chores to do. I am going to have to write a part two and maybe three. Let me say before closing, that I didn't really start learning until I acknowledged, that I thought with my heart, as well as well as my brain. I got to the point where intellectual pursuits were a dead end. It wasn't until I asked my self questions like "What is Love" and  was able to listen for an answer. When my heart began to open I began to hear.

Well, I got to take care of my animals and wash my dishes. I have much more to say on the subject.

Happy Friday.

Love and Peace,  Gregg

SORRY ABOUT THAT

Here Wednesday has all but disappeared and no blog from Gregg.

I began my day with a Winter  related car problem. That took place during my usual blogging time. One thing and another I didn't get to it.

I hope you folks had a wonderful day.

I will be here Friday.

Love and Peace,  Gregg

BELIEF AND PREPAREDNESS

Our Winter is back. The forecast calls for below zero readings every night for the next week. Although I long for Spring, I have plenty of good things to read and after my chores are finished for the day I can bask in the glow of the wood stove and Winter can be as it is.

I have had two themes going through my mind this Morning, belief and preparedness. They can be seen as separate or related.

I don't trust beliefs. We all have them, whether we like them or not. Beliefs have caused great pain in the world. I am sure I don't have to list them for you.

I caution folks, not to believe but to discover truths. Refusing to believe anything leads to cynicism. This is a journey everyone must take for themselves. Yet, we have had many Masters and Truthsayers who have come before us.

With the acknowledgement of past Masters I learned to accept, as truth, that we create the world we experience by the thoughts and ideas that we hold in our minds.

I, also, came to believe that the universe is essentially loving and the negativity we experience was due to our choosing to see if we could build a sustainable creation separate from everything else {Source}. We accepted the idea of Good and Evil and began the conflict, that is duality.

Through my studies, I came to the conclusion that the experiment was over. We could exit duality. There is only Love. No matter what our individual experiences are like, they can lead us only in one direction, back to Source.

I could get lost in this discussion, but I want to be brief. To sum up I, and many of you folks, have concluded that beliefs should only be held unto if they promote only Love. Love, it turns out, is the solution for everything.

Preparedness. I have been teaching people to train themselves to live in the 'now'. The future is not here, do not concern yourself with it. Yet if you saw a violent storm brewing in the West you would be foolish not to prepare for it. So sometimes in the 'now' the future can be seen.

We have been waiting for a long time for the light to get strong enough that, it is obvious to all, that there is no turning back. Many, many people have been saying that we have reached the tipping point in global consciousness and we are rapidly creating the loving world we want.

There will be no violence in this shift out of duality; but it might be sudden. When we watch a vessel being filled with water, it may gradually fill but when it gets to the rim it spills over profusely.

The end of the cabal means that many respected people will be arrested. Those who have been using their positions to aggrandize great power and wealth at the expense of the rest of us, need to removed from their positions. They will be treated with respect and hopefully can learn a more loving path. The days of angry revenge are over. There are loving ways of dealing with folks who will not agree to live in harmony.

Many folks have been in complete denial about the horrors of the world. They came to believe it was inevitable and they had to make the best out of  a very unfriendly world. It is going to be a shock to them that war, famine, pestilence, inequality etc. were all easily preventable and largely the creation of an elite that ruled.

In a very short time the light will flood the Earth with such force that duality will be a memory. As the Old World grinds to a halt, there will be some confusion. Our banking system needs to be reset. For a couple weeks the banks may be closed and functions, that depend on open banks, may be closed or in slow motion.

Imagine it as a Holiday that last a few days. Prepare to live without going to a store for a few days. Those of us who have been waiting for the change can be very helpful to those who have been unaware.

Despite the confusion, their will be an air of great celebration. Most of us will be able to feel the Love in the air. Connection between people will be greatly enhanced. Those who 'see' will provide vision for folks that are just opening their eyes.

When is this going to happen? Soon. When is soon?  I don't know. Like the storm we could see brewing in West; we can now see Clouds of Love on the horizon, coming our way, rapidly.

Love and Peace,  Gregg

SNOWED IN

The forecasters underestimated this storm. They began with two to three inches, then three to five inches and we got walloped. Most of it came after dark which was about 6 PM. I didn't appreciate how much snow we got until this Morning. It looks like it could be a foot.

I have trodden paths. Which means I walk down each snowfall. The path becomes a ridge of hard packed snow. The path out to the barn and chicken coop is about one hundred yards. The hard snow path can build up a foot or more above the ground. Trying to find the path under deep snow is like walking a tight rope. You step off to the side and you easily go up to your knees. The animals will forgive me if I am a little late today. They have every thing they need.

The school is cancelled, so Elijah can stay home. Although, I am experiencing my eightieth year there still is some excitement about having a snow holiday. There is a festive atmosphere in the house as we await being plowed out, which may not happen until tomorrow.

Talking about waiting for an event. I know some of us get discouraged waiting for some sign that enlightenment is becoming more general. The media has been cranking up the negative, displaying all the violence they can find in the world. And there are many horrible events to focus on. Most of this violence is fomented by those who are losing their grip on world power. They want to create wider wars, even a world war, so they can consolidate the power they feel they are losing. And they are losing.

Don't let the the injustices of the world make you angry. The people who are losing control feed on anger. They would love to fill you with rage. When we are angry we cannot project our love. Only love will solve our problems. If the media was honest, we would see who was really behind the violence and we would, also see, the light that is growing in the populace everywhere.

Let us avoid getting discouraged. In fact we are being very successful in increasing the love on this planet. Keep looking for light. Keep looking for things, people and events to focus your love on. Remember the perpetrators of the negativity need our love, too. We are all one. We will rise together.

When the enlightenment reaches a certain point, events that we have been waiting for, will happen very quickly. Our eyes will be suddenly open. We will experience joy we didn't think was possible.

Hang in there, shine your brilliant, loving smile on everyone you see today. Everyone will be smiling soon.

Happy Friday!

Love and Peace,  Gregg 

PUTTING WORRY TO BED

Wouldn't be nice to end worrying forever? I spent fifty years cautioning people not to worry and I know I helped many. We don't have to think hard to know the futility of worry. It changes nothing but our own consciousness and robs us of our happiness, at least, for the time we are worrying. All through the centuries the Great Ones have taught us we don't need to worry and our minds are under our control. I believe it, don't you?

I am writing about this subject because I have had many invitations to worry lately and I have succumbed to the invitation. I don't like it. I wonder if you folks have gone through a worrying phase.

The persistent cold {we are in a three day warming period} adds to the sense of vulnerability. Pipes freezing, cars not starting, welfare of the farm animals, especially newborns etc. I have six children, generally I don't worry about their welfare when they're not living with me. But when they are..............

Let us call a halt to worrying for once and for all. We can, when you find ourselves worrying, we can ask ourselves, "Have I done everything I am capable or willing to do in this situation?" If there is something it makes sense to do, do it and then let it go.

Many of us have hidden, or not so hidden, superstitions that what we worry about won't happen. Or, we have the idea that it is responsible to worry; we wouldn't be good parents, spouses, friends etc. if we didn't worry. We need to be honest with ourselves and shine the light into our minds and rid ourselves of such notions. Usually when we uncover some strange idea, like these, and look at them they lose their power.

We are being urged to give up the past, avoid concern for the future and live in the present moment. We are told Love, Joy and Peace are in the present moment. We can't experience this for long if we believe it is proper and functional to worry.

It is interesting, our culture has taught us that worrying is good. It is only when we seek enlightenment that we learn that for thousands of years the wise ones told us it was a worthless exercise. Did you ever stop and think how many billions of dollars are made from promoting worry? Insurance? One could easily write a book on the profitability of worry. Huh, I wonder why our culture promotes worry.

I want to be Happy. Don't you? We have the mental discipline to give up worry. Let's do it. We have the World Of Love to create. Let us not waste our time on what we know is foolishness. Let today be the day that we begin to catch ourselves at the first signs of worry and knock the spectre on the head.

Love and Peace,  Gregg

WINTER'S END?

It is 24 degrees F. It is snowing and Winter appears to be losing its grip. It is forecast to be above freezing a few days this week.

Just as the Sun gets brighter and warmer, the light that is coming from all of us is creating changes. Cracks are beginning to appear in the main stream media. The news is beginning to vary from network to network. For years ABC, NBC and CBS were working from the same playbook. Many of the news items went out word for word like they were reading from the same script. I don't know about FOX, I never considered them a legitimate entity.

Those who follow the financial news may have noted that the tight control the banks were exerting on the precious metal market may have slacked. Gold and silver are commencing their steady upward movement. The controlling banks were doing what they could to keep the prices of gold and silver down because it made fiat money look bad. Meanwhile the Fed is continuing to buy worthless paper from the big banks at the rate of billions a week. They have slacked off a bit, they are supposedly tapering this buying spree. We will see. They are afraid to just quit because the economy is not growing fast enough to make up for all the trillions of dollars in worthless instruments the big banks are holding. This is a left over from the crazy gambling with Credit Default Swaps etc. Congress passed TARP to bail out the banks and that is all it did. The economy for the Middle Class and the Working Class kept crumbling.

The economy is at a crisis point and that is good. Governments all over the world are over burdened with debt, that they can't possibly pay back. Those countries with central banks, like the U.S. Fed keep cranking out pretend money to keep things going. This creates an inflation bomb that has to be reckoned with. I guess they keep their fingers crossed, hoping the economy will catch up. But it can't because the buying power is not in the hands of the people. The only solution is to get money in the hands of the ordinary citizen, but the powers that be hold on to their financial ideology {idiocy} and they can't bring themselves to do it. 

The crumbling of the financial empire needs to be celebrated by all of us. Don't worry! There are people at many levels of society that saw this coming for a long time. There will be a temporary reinstatement of something like the gold standard, where money is based on an agreed upon value. All debts will be cancelled and the poverty stricken people of the world will be given the money they need to be equal with the rest of us. Eventually as we realize the magnificent, loving beings we are, we won't need money at all.

Yes, we are coming out of a very long Winter, some say it has been thirteen thousand years since we remembered we are all one. Loving your neighbor as yourself is becoming our reality. Let us remember to love ourselves.

Look for signs of Love. Look for the light that is emerging. The Great Renewal is upon us. Ahhhhhh a real Spring!

Love and Peace,  Gregg

KEEP DREAMING

The cold returned, but it is not anything like last week. It was 1 degree F when I got up. Tonight it will be back down to zero, then it supposed to warm up. The denizens of Laughing Water Farm are pining for some warm weather.

What do we dream of when we think of paradise here on Earth? I am no better at this than anybody else, but here are some ideas.

ENERGY

For many years scientist mused that energy could be obtained from the natural forces all around us e.g. gravity, magnetism, plasma. We are surrounded by energy. There is reason to believe that a device for getting energy directly from our surroundings without compromising our environment is in the offing.

So called 'free energy' would release us from bondage. A device in every home to produce all the electricity we need, would go a long way towards freeing us to pursue our life goals.

AGRICULTURE

Basic food stuffs should be raised only a few miles from where it is being consumed. Only exotics should be imported. For example we can't grow oranges, pineapples, avocados here in Minnesota.


Soil need to be treated as the living thing that it is. Growing plants is part of our sacred connection to the Earth. The Earth is very fruitful. There are more than enough people who yearn to put their hands in the soil to provide food for the rest. However, for the purpose of learning and connection I would anticipate everyone sharing in the production of food at some times.

MEDICINE

As in energy and agriculture, we need to get the money out. Our world would not be so diseased and cures for what ails us would be long since found if it wasn't for the profit motive.

Creation being perfect, I imagine the cure for any disease grows freely a short distance from where one resides. Herbal medicine was short circuited about one hundred years ago. Many of our medicines are still synthesized compounds that were originally found in plants. We need to reach out to Mother Earth and see what is there for us.

Mind body connection needs to be taken seriously. We need to end the separation between medicine and psychiatry/psychology. In reality there is no separation between the body responses and the thought processes. It is okay to study just one aspect of our existence as long as we know all is connected.

TECHNOLOGY

There is no limit to what we are capable of manufacturing. Think of 3D printing. We are just on the threshold of knowing what is possible. Ideally we would seek to understand our purpose here and would not make things that increase our separation from the Earth.

COMMUNICATION

Instant direct communication is already in existence. How we use it is up to us. We will learn more about our innate abilities to keep in touch. We already can read each others thoughts. We have suppressed it. This ability will reemerge.

COOPERATION VERSES COMPETITION

It will become clear that cooperation is far superior to competition. Competition may still exist as recreation, but not as it is today, with ego and survival issues driving it.

JUDGEMENT

Folks won't stop judging overnight. They will realize, suddenly, that it is a painful and useless practice, however. In a very short time people will see judgement only hurts themselves. In a very short time we will wonder why we ever judged.

CRIMINAL SYSTEM

I cringe using the word criminal; there are no criminals. There are only people who can't love or experience love. For a short time there will be people that need to be segregated to protect the rest of us. We will learn how to give them the love, they need, in order for them to realize they are lovable and capable of love. Everyone can grow.

EDUCATION

This is a tough one. For so many years we have been programmed to be slaves. We need to understand how horribly mislead we have been. It is hard for us to understand how we would educate children to be free and free thinking people. This is true for child rearing, also. We need to 'see' ourselves, in order to to be competent at teaching. In our hearts we know how do do this. We can listen to our own guidance.

RELIGION

None. At least, religion as we have known it. We share a perfect universe. We are one. We are created by unconditional Love. We are unconditional Love. Is exploring that phenomenon religion? We seem to need things to believe in. Let us believe in Love.

GOVERNMENT AND SOCIETY

How much government do we need? National? Local? We need to do cooperatively which cannot be done in the village or region. That won't be difficult to work out.

We need the absolute guarantee of equality at every level for everybody. No more higher and lower. No more elites. A greater talent, in any area, defines how one can be of service. If one is a good carpenter he/she can provide the service of building or teaching carpentry. Same goes for medicine, agriculture, art etc. We all have a gift to share with the rest. Our government and society should aid in this process. The emphasis must always be on the freedom of the individual to define his/her life path.

I know there is much more but that is enough for today.

Happy Friday and Happy Valentines Day!

Love and Peace,  Gregg 
 

AND TIME GOES BY

The spiritual literature says that time does not exist. Of course, that is because it is part of our illusion. It sure seems real to us. We just got Noah and Gregory off to the airport via my lovely daughter, Laura. Wow! We sure pay attention to time in these circumstances. I got up early and had my Morning chores completed  and the dishes washed by 10AM. I still feel in kind of a hurry up mode.

Weather-wise it is a new day. When I awoke this Morning it was 14F instead of -14. It is Sunny and there is a definite promise that warmer weather is on the horizon.

As part of living in the now, we are encouraged to surrender to the moment. We are living in very painful times. If we pay attention to the negative machinations of the dying world, we find it very depressing indeed. We want to take up forces against the dark. We want to right all the worlds wrongs by the force of our will. That is okay, if we remember the only force that could work is the power of love. The people that have been running things use division as one of their main tools. They are gleeful when they can get people, devoted to light, to take sides. Let us not get seduced into thinking that taking sides will help bring in the world we want.

We will not find love or peace by entering a conflict. We can help the poor, we can lift the downtrodden, champion the sick and imprisoned, without railing against those that created the hell for them. Those that created these horrors live off of fear and anger. We will correct all these errors and set things right. We will do it by pouring our love out on both side of all conflicts. We will offer forgiveness to all despite the heinousness of their crimes. We will see a humane way to deal with those who cannot change. Folks who cannot fit into a loving society can be separated and treated with dignity, they don't need to be punished. Isn't it about time we learned that punishment creates what we don't want?

So, living in the now and surrendering to the moment. I am advising we stay out of the conflicts around us except to offer love to all concerned. When we can see a way to help without involving ourselves in the conflict, we offer help. In the path we are on, we will have all we can deal with, keeping our own minds clear and free of conflict, it is a big job.

As we go about our day, let's stop every few hours and check things out. Are we peaceful? Are we letting our minds run away chasing errant thoughts? Are we keeping our thoughts in the now? Where is our focus?

Surrendering to the moment is focusing on 'now' and accepting what is 'now' with love. I may not be great at describing this, because I am learning like you, to live in the moment and to love every moment.

Love and Peace,  Gregg

AND WE KEEP GOING ON

It got down to -19F last night a few degrees warmer than the forecast. It was still 5 below when I did the chores. It actually doesn't feel so cold these last few days. The Sun is higher in the sky. The Mornings have been bright and magnificent. The sky has been a deep blue. All the beauty doesn't mean I don't complain about the weather. As futile and counter productive as complaining is, it seems to provide some relief from the stress of this unending cold. A break in the weather is coming soon. {I hope}

Saturday we had a family party in honor of Noah's and Gregory's visit and three birthdays that were close. We had a great time and we had some great left over foods including some exotic cheeses, some made by Jamie. Yesterday we ate left overs, besides the cheeses were a great taco salad and a wonderful carrot cake.

As we keep trudging through this sojourn on planet Earth, we are not fully aware of our purpose and impact on the whole. We are in the process of waking up and seeing through the veil of this illusion. We are helping each other wake up with every loving thought, smile and word. Even when we are preoccupied and unaware we are sending out loving energy that is immensely effective in the awakening process.

Let us not get hung up on our errors. We are mostly operating blind. We don't remember the purpose we decided on for coming into this world. We go forward the best we can. We will make mistakes. Mistakes are learning devices, they are not reason for judgement. Forgive yourself and others for our lapses into error. Hold unto the intent on experiencing and giving love. All will be fine.

Our awakening is a foregone conclusion

This is a short blog today. I am behind on chores and my dishes still await me in the sink.

Love and Peace,  Gregg

HAPPINESS

As I was sitting in my chair this Morning, having a cup of coffee and preparing for my venture out into the subzero cold to do my chores, I realized I was happy. Quite happy indeed. There was nothing different. Same cold gripped the Earth. Same collection of problems that beset an Earth dweller. My Grandson Elijah was snuggled on the couch, he was sick during the night, he seems to be somewhat better. There exist the usual things one can be unhappy or happy about. But, I was happy.

If we peruse the psychological and spiritual literature, we discover many authors who state, happiness is a choice. Depending on how we might feel at the time, we might agree, other times we may find the suggestion irritating. After all we might remark, "at some level everything is our choice". Do we know, how it is our choice? Never mind the philosophical/spiritual/psychological postulates which would indicate that everything at some level is choice; what about happiness? Is it our choice?

Have you ever caught yourself reveling in a negative emotion? Have you ever been aware that you were enjoying the pout you were having? How about cherishing an angry feeling towards someone? Have you ever let yourself sink in a mild depression and then wallowed in it?

If we are honest with ourselves, I think we will see that we sometimes withheld forgiveness from someone and stewed in our anger because we thought it might punish them. Maybe, you can come up with someway you have indulged a negative emotion for some imagined gain.

Long ago, I discovered that the feeling of happiness did not depend on outside events. Happiness seems to rise from inside us when we know all is well.

Does that mean that unhappiness comes from believing that all is not well? Perhaps so. We are beset by a myriad of fear thoughts. Some are so minor we don't take much note of them. But big or small they lie between us and our happiness. Happiness comes out of Peace. When our minds are quiet, happiness is. There is that quiet happiness that just 'is' and then there is the happiness that can arise like a fountain in us that is pure joy.  

Happiness is our natural state. It is our birthright. We deserve to be happy all the time.

Want to try an experiment? Next time you are feeling dull, frazzled, out of sorts, or just not happy; sit down close your eyes and say to yourself, "all is well" "all is well" keep repeating it to your self until a calm comes over you. Enjoy the peace.

No I am not always happy. I am like the rest of the folks on planet Earth. I get caught up in silly fear thoughts that take me out of 'now' and happiness. But I do know it is my choice and I am determined to choose happiness.

We are on the verge of remembering who we are. We are great beings of light that can know only happiness. We are ready to give up our romance with this illusion. There is only love and we need to experience only love. We are growing in love and light. Expect great changes.

Love and Peace,  Gregg

MAINTAINING PEACE II

Despite the recent cold, the days have been very beautiful.
Today it is cloudy, but the last few days have been mostly brilliant. It doesn't feel cold, even when it is below zero when the winds are calm and it is Sunny.

We need to talk more about Peace. Maintaining peace is very,  very important. Everything worthwhile we want to create comes out of peace.

It seems to me the biggest obstacle to maintaining peace is our self-regard. I was trying to think of a word like self-esteem that has no tinge of ego. Maybe there isn't one. We should be looking for a word that describes a love for ourselves that implies no separation and measurement with others. It is the state that we were created in; the state of unconditional love.

Do you react to others' judgements? I do, at least if they are ones I am close to. We wouldn't if we regarded ourselves as Love. We would not see it as our problem that others are controlling or judgmental.

We are not very good at controlling our reactions and we tend to interpret all our outburst as reactions. It is always the other person who starts the fight. Right?

We need to begin by accepting that we have responsibility for our reactions. Not blame; but acceptance, it is our thing and we can do something about it. Blame keeps us in the spiral of negativity. We must always remember to love ourselves.

I get lot of practice with this phenomenon. Jamie and I are both capable of reacting and of course, it is always the other persons fault. We have had some wonderful arguments over the years. We both want the other one to grow up and quit reacting to trivia. We have grown up a lot and we are getting better at not reacting when the other is less than sanguine.

We need to understand that the more we love ourselves, the more we are able to experience another's negative expressions without getting our undies in a bunch. What another is going through is not a reflection on us. It is their thing, It is a call for love. If instead, we react with either an attack of our own or defensiveness, we magnify the problem.

Many of us have a hard time understanding, that defensiveness is seen by the other as attack. When we are defensive we are saying to the other that they are capable of hurting us. It is an accusation.

These problems seem difficult. Yet, as we become more aware of ourselves and our reactions we will find that we will make surprising progress. It is especially important to realize the more we love ourselves the less likely we are to react in a negative fashion. When we regard ourselves highly, we will see the others negativity as a call for love. We will return any seeming attack with love. It takes practice but we can do it. We will do it.

Love and Peace,  Gregg 

MAINTAINING PEACE

I missed blogging Friday because my youngest Son, Noah and my Grandson Gregory are visiting from California. They will be here for two weeks, so my usual Monday, Wednesday and Friday schedule may not happen.

I could have titled this blog, 'Staying Centered'. There are many ways of describing the natural state of peace that exist inside us. It is natural. It is who we really are. Once we really know it, nothing outside of us can disturb us.

One of the things that keep us from staying peaceful is thinking that something outside can really disturb the peace. I have been having a little experience with this currently. The weather has been wearing away my what.......... something. Is it some kind of well being or firm belief in well being? Whatever it is, endless nights of below zero temperatures and barely above zero temps in the day increase my sense of vulnerability. In the last couple of weeks we have had periods of three or four days where it has not got above 0 degrees F.

A couple days ago, Lilly [a goat] showed evidence of having given birth. It was too early and I knew there would be no survivors. It was -24F the night they were born. The next day Lilly did not show up. I went out to investigate, the gate to her enclosure was frozen to the ground. I didn't have a shovel with me. I walked around the fence, in snow over my knees, so I could peer into her house. I could see legs sticking out from the corner and was sure she was no longer with us.

When I was able to get in the pen and into her house, I found two pre-me kids the size of small rabbits. Lilly had licked off the babies and expressed her placenta and then apparently died. I have had many experiences with birthing does and ewes. This is the first time I have had an animal die so shortly after birth. I will miss her.

Every once in a while a hen will insist on sleeping in a nest box. If you allow them to, the eggs will get fouled with poop. Hens who are laying will never poop in their nest. {Hmmm......sounds like a metaphore} Every evening I go out and chase any hens out of the nest boxes. Generally, after a couple of times, they go up the roost where they belong. I was quite successful, except for one old hen that insisted on it. Last evening, there were six hens in the boxes. I don't have the slightest inkling of why. Yes, it irritated me.

Besides that, those feathered rascals are suddenly down on their egg production. We were getting ten plus eggs every day and suddenly they are laying only half that. This is the time of year when they should be rapidly increasing in production. I have about thirty hens so there is a possibility of getting that many eggs; at least, a month from now. I have no idea why they are dropping in their egg laying. I hope it is not because of their feed. I can't find a place, within reasonable driving distance, that sells non GMO corn. I don't trust the feed made from GMO grains. Whether that is the cause or not, I will be searching for a safe source of feed.

We all have things happen that can momentarily throw us off balance. The key word is momentary. We don't have to stay off balance. We don't have to stay jarred out of our peaceful state.

Just this Morning, we were discussing our wish to stay centered. Noah said he would teach me yoga if I would teach him meditation. I think he would have much more to teach me than I would him. He knows yoga. Do I know meditation? I had a difficult time finding that quiet place through meditation alone. It took me a while to learn not to be at war with my thoughts. I know, they teach you to just observe them and let them go. Just let them flow through your mind without interference. But there is a powerful temptation to engage them. It is so easy to get distracted and follow the path the thought is leading you on. I found the 'place' first, through self-hypnosis. I was interested in hypnosis as an aid is psychotherapy, and I took classes in the technique and I also read books on self-hypnosis.

I was able to induce a very peaceful state through self-hypnosis. Once I discovered the 'place', it was easier to achieve it through meditation.

We are at a place in our evolution where it very important to keep our centers. Our rising consciousness depends on it. We are all contributing to the whole and WE CAN ONLY GIVE WHAT WE HAVE.

What does that mean? It means we can only love others as we love ourselves. It means we can extend whatever condition we find ourselves in. When we are peaceful, we can extend peace. When we are joyful, we can extend joy. When we feel love, we extend love.

We depend on each other to raise the consciousness. Everybody needs our love and we need everybody's love. At the same time, we don't need any exterior experience or negativity from another, to jar us from our peaceful place. I know we don't need to forgo peace regardless of the events of our lives. If we remember to cherish peace, we will quickly return to it. Our lapses will only be momentary.

Jamie returned from town while I was writing this and she was told of a feed store that sells non GMO pruducts.

Love and Peace,  Gregg