It is another cool Morning, a couple degrees below zero F. The Sun just arose and it is shining brilliantly. All and all it is a beautiful Morning here on Laughing Water Farm.
I have a wish or a dream that the peoples of the Earth discover their oneness with Her. That we just stop what we are doing and look around and ask ourselves, "What are we doing here?" Can we see the Earth as a living organism in its own right? Can we see the Earth the way we are trying to understand ourselves? Most of us understand ourselves as an intelligent energy {soul, spirit} that has a body. We are beginning to understand ourselves, and identify ourselves, as the energy or spirit and not our bodies. Could we see the Earth in the same way, as the body of a spiritual being?
I wish we could see ourselves as guest of this Earth Being. We live on her, she takes care of us, she meets all our needs. I wish we would honor Her as our loving Mother. I wish we could see how we have mistreated her, wounded her and disregarded her. I wish we could see how we could help heal the wounds we have created. I wish we could see how to restore her to her pristine state.
I wish we could find our natural place as part of this Earth. I wish we could quit fighting Earth's Nature. I wish we could quit fighting Her and trying to dominate and control. I wish we could find a way to accept the place that is here for us. A place of oneness with our surroundings. A place of joyous, peaceful existence.
I wish we could honestly ask some basic questions about our existence. Who are we? What is our purpose? Are we suppose to be learning something; what? Where did we come from? Why do we feel [or act] like aliens on this beautiful Earth? We have mulled over these questions for thousands of years. Where has our religions and philosophies gotten us? Why are we still insane?
I wish we could ask these questions with fresh minds, without preconceived ideas from dead religions and philosophies. I wish we could ask these questions without thinking we know the answers. I wish we could ask these questions and listen for the answer from our heart and not our ego-tortured minds.
I wish we could realize that the world, we see, is our creation and as good or bad as it is, it is ours. We can have the world we want. I wish that, at this very moment, we would all decide we wanted a world created by our decisions to love. It is that simple: choose Love.
HAPPY NEW YEAR!
Love and Peace, Gregg
Wednesday, December 31, 2014
Monday, December 29, 2014
A MAGIC TIME
It has been mostly Sunny these last three days but the cold has been creeping back in. It was -2.2 F this Morning, not too cold for this time of year. It is a little bit of a shock because it has been above normal lately. It is forecast to be below zero the next few Mornings.
I remember this time between Christmas and New Year as a magical time. A time of coasting through the aura of the holidays. When I was a child, there was a gathering at my grandparents house almost every night. Relatives who arrived for Christmas lingered on until New Years and the young folks were on vacation from school. I spent six years at the University, so even as an adult, I was on vacation at this time. [I say adult, rather than young adult, because I was 23 before I started college. I completed my BA degree in four years and two years later went back to graduate school. I got married after my freshman year, had my first child after my sophomore year and bought a house. The economy was much better for young people in those days. I can't imagine someone having children and buying a house while attending college in today's economy.] [I debated whether I should erase that, last off the subject, bit or put it in brackets. Brackets won- now more brackets]. Our most compelling task is to see what kind of gourmet meal we can devise from leftovers.
This has always been a magical time for me. It is a time where on the surface I coasted through fun filled days; yet, yet, there was some assessment going on. I have never been one for New Years resolutions. I wouldn't wait for New Years to make an important change. However, the tradition exist for a reason. The holiday season marks the end of one time and an issuing in of another. Whether it is the new calendar year or the new seasonal year, with the return of the Sun, a new beginning is in process.
I like to think of reaffirming my intent rather than specific resolutions. I have been very aware in the last few years how I create my future with my thoughts and feelings. I have known about it intellectually for many years; but seeing it and being aware is another thing. I don't know how it is for everybody else, but for me it has been a gradual process of emotional relearning. Understanding it intellectually is a first step, letting go of those old patterns of thoughts and feelings are another thing. Why would we hang unto an old pattern of feeling when we have determined, beyond doubt, that it creates negativity in our life? How many times do we have to experience pain before we say enough? I know that many of us have felt locked into these old patterns even though we knew we were being crazy.
What if we were to take the position that everything we have learned about ourselves, our culture, our country, our families, everything, is imbued with untruth. We see everything through a perceptual mask that was laid down by a myriad of judgements. These judgements told us what we should be seeing, not what was there to see. This modifying and programming of our seeing took place before our memory and continues to this day. Our seeing occurs in a stimulus/response fashion. We see, hear, or feel something and it excites a pattern that has already been laid down. We don't know how to see with 'new' eyes.
We have had breakthroughs. Some of us have realized we were prejudiced and saw race, politics, religion, sexual orientation etc. with new eyes. It can be greatly uplifting to realize we have been blinded by a judgement. Seeing afresh for the first time is a marvelous feeling.
The biggies, the prejudices mentioned, are easier to spot in our perceptions of the world. There are hundreds, maybe thousands of others, we have, that we never notice. It has to do with everything in our perceptual world and that means everything we experience.
What do the biggies have in common? The change in our perception had to do with love and acceptance. It was allowing ourselves to love what we earlier thought was beyond our love. I think if we examine these patterns carefully we will see that they have to do with what we decide we can love and what shouldn't be loved. What if we decided not to exclude anybody or anything from love.
How about this as a resolution? What if we make it our intent to love at every level of our consciousness? What if we decide that love is the key to the problem of our perceptual dysfunction? What if we became so aware that we could see where every thought and feeling came from and we could ask ourselves, "is this love?"
Always, we can ask ourselves, "Is this Love?" We hang on to an illusion; an illusion created by separate minds that embraced fear. We are beginning to question the reality of this illusion. Every time we invite love into our minds we weaken the illusion for ourselves and our neighbor. Can we imagine reality might be love? Let us make it our intent to find out.
Love and Peace, Gregg
I remember this time between Christmas and New Year as a magical time. A time of coasting through the aura of the holidays. When I was a child, there was a gathering at my grandparents house almost every night. Relatives who arrived for Christmas lingered on until New Years and the young folks were on vacation from school. I spent six years at the University, so even as an adult, I was on vacation at this time. [I say adult, rather than young adult, because I was 23 before I started college. I completed my BA degree in four years and two years later went back to graduate school. I got married after my freshman year, had my first child after my sophomore year and bought a house. The economy was much better for young people in those days. I can't imagine someone having children and buying a house while attending college in today's economy.] [I debated whether I should erase that, last off the subject, bit or put it in brackets. Brackets won- now more brackets]. Our most compelling task is to see what kind of gourmet meal we can devise from leftovers.
This has always been a magical time for me. It is a time where on the surface I coasted through fun filled days; yet, yet, there was some assessment going on. I have never been one for New Years resolutions. I wouldn't wait for New Years to make an important change. However, the tradition exist for a reason. The holiday season marks the end of one time and an issuing in of another. Whether it is the new calendar year or the new seasonal year, with the return of the Sun, a new beginning is in process.
I like to think of reaffirming my intent rather than specific resolutions. I have been very aware in the last few years how I create my future with my thoughts and feelings. I have known about it intellectually for many years; but seeing it and being aware is another thing. I don't know how it is for everybody else, but for me it has been a gradual process of emotional relearning. Understanding it intellectually is a first step, letting go of those old patterns of thoughts and feelings are another thing. Why would we hang unto an old pattern of feeling when we have determined, beyond doubt, that it creates negativity in our life? How many times do we have to experience pain before we say enough? I know that many of us have felt locked into these old patterns even though we knew we were being crazy.
What if we were to take the position that everything we have learned about ourselves, our culture, our country, our families, everything, is imbued with untruth. We see everything through a perceptual mask that was laid down by a myriad of judgements. These judgements told us what we should be seeing, not what was there to see. This modifying and programming of our seeing took place before our memory and continues to this day. Our seeing occurs in a stimulus/response fashion. We see, hear, or feel something and it excites a pattern that has already been laid down. We don't know how to see with 'new' eyes.
We have had breakthroughs. Some of us have realized we were prejudiced and saw race, politics, religion, sexual orientation etc. with new eyes. It can be greatly uplifting to realize we have been blinded by a judgement. Seeing afresh for the first time is a marvelous feeling.
The biggies, the prejudices mentioned, are easier to spot in our perceptions of the world. There are hundreds, maybe thousands of others, we have, that we never notice. It has to do with everything in our perceptual world and that means everything we experience.
What do the biggies have in common? The change in our perception had to do with love and acceptance. It was allowing ourselves to love what we earlier thought was beyond our love. I think if we examine these patterns carefully we will see that they have to do with what we decide we can love and what shouldn't be loved. What if we decided not to exclude anybody or anything from love.
How about this as a resolution? What if we make it our intent to love at every level of our consciousness? What if we decide that love is the key to the problem of our perceptual dysfunction? What if we became so aware that we could see where every thought and feeling came from and we could ask ourselves, "is this love?"
Always, we can ask ourselves, "Is this Love?" We hang on to an illusion; an illusion created by separate minds that embraced fear. We are beginning to question the reality of this illusion. Every time we invite love into our minds we weaken the illusion for ourselves and our neighbor. Can we imagine reality might be love? Let us make it our intent to find out.
Love and Peace, Gregg
Friday, December 26, 2014
POST CHRISTMAS GLOW
I heard Jamie rattling around in the kitchen awhile go. I resisted shouting out, "Hey, doing dishes is my job". Yes, it was confirmed she is doing my dishes. I am thankful. Although, I am basking in the glow of a great Christmas celebration, I also, have the aftermath of too much celebration.
We had seven at the table last night, a smaller group than usual. We had great food, great wine and a jolly time. I do want to help Jamie with the clean up and I don't have any burning issues to write about, so I think this blog will be brief.
It is now about ten minutes later, it is true nothing is coming into my mind to write about. I am very peaceful. I can sit here and have no thoughts. My state is peace and love and joy are available to me.
It occurs to me that peace is our natural state. How would our world change if we were all peaceful at once? Isn't it possible that we will achieve this? Couldn't we let go of everything but love and know our oneness? It seems more than possible to me at this moment.
Join me in this moment and let peace, love and joy spread around our globe.
Love and Peace, Gregg
We had seven at the table last night, a smaller group than usual. We had great food, great wine and a jolly time. I do want to help Jamie with the clean up and I don't have any burning issues to write about, so I think this blog will be brief.
It is now about ten minutes later, it is true nothing is coming into my mind to write about. I am very peaceful. I can sit here and have no thoughts. My state is peace and love and joy are available to me.
It occurs to me that peace is our natural state. How would our world change if we were all peaceful at once? Isn't it possible that we will achieve this? Couldn't we let go of everything but love and know our oneness? It seems more than possible to me at this moment.
Join me in this moment and let peace, love and joy spread around our globe.
Love and Peace, Gregg
Wednesday, December 24, 2014
MERRY CHRISTMAS
It is hard to believe it is Christmas Eve. Time flies for this old man. When I was young we always had lutefisk on Christmas Eve. I don't know how the tradition started as it came from the German/English side of the family. My father's side, Norwegian/Scotch Irish, wouldn't touch the stuff. I tried to convince Jamie that we should follow the lutefisk tradition, we tried it a couple times. She was mostly disparaging. She had rude things to say about this delicate dish. We have had oyster stew for Christmas Eve dinner these last several years. We all love oyster stew.
It looks like we are going to have a brown/green Christmas. Our snow has melted away and the forecast snow of the last few days hasn't materialized. We have had rain with a little snow mix off and on. The tradition of lights and general merriment is a good thing this time of year. I don't know if we are more overcast than usual but we have only seen the Sun for one and a half days this last month.
We have our big family get together on Thanksgiving. That is when our kids and grand kids get together and celebrate. Christmas we have a mixture of relatives and friends from the neighborhood over. We have a great dinner and a very jolly time. This year Noah and Naomi will be here and four friends who live near by.
My chores are much easier now that the chicken coop is within a short walk from the house. I have hardly seen the sheep since the snow melt. They are roaming around the pasture looking for green sprigs that were underneath the snow. I don't miss the snow. Sure it is nice to have snow for the holidays, but we generally have four and often five months of continues snow cover. I don't mind having a break.
Many of us are trying to give up the past. We have come to believe that real peace and joy comes from being in the present without encumbrance of past thoughts and ideas. It seems that giving up angers and resentments from the past can be accomplished by forgiveness. A forgiveness ritual might be performed again and again but eventually we get over the hump and the anger or resentment doesn't come to mind anymore. There are little behavioral things and thought patterns developed in the past that are harder to expunge. We might not realize how much we might be a slave to past patterns. These can be little emotional triggers. Things that make us gloomy or cause minor irritation. Harder to discern is how we irritate others with some behavior that comes from some judgement we carry from the past.
We can give ourselves a break from all that past flotsam and jetsam. We don't need it. The Holiday Season is also the end of the year. Time for renewal. Let's convince ourselves that we deserve to be at peace. Let us accept the idea that Peace, Joy and Love are our birthright and any aberration from that state is folly. When we find ourselves in less than a holiday spirit it may be an intrusion from the past; let it go.
In this moment, there is only Love.
Have a very, very joyous Christmas!
Love and Peace, Gregg
It looks like we are going to have a brown/green Christmas. Our snow has melted away and the forecast snow of the last few days hasn't materialized. We have had rain with a little snow mix off and on. The tradition of lights and general merriment is a good thing this time of year. I don't know if we are more overcast than usual but we have only seen the Sun for one and a half days this last month.
We have our big family get together on Thanksgiving. That is when our kids and grand kids get together and celebrate. Christmas we have a mixture of relatives and friends from the neighborhood over. We have a great dinner and a very jolly time. This year Noah and Naomi will be here and four friends who live near by.
My chores are much easier now that the chicken coop is within a short walk from the house. I have hardly seen the sheep since the snow melt. They are roaming around the pasture looking for green sprigs that were underneath the snow. I don't miss the snow. Sure it is nice to have snow for the holidays, but we generally have four and often five months of continues snow cover. I don't mind having a break.
Many of us are trying to give up the past. We have come to believe that real peace and joy comes from being in the present without encumbrance of past thoughts and ideas. It seems that giving up angers and resentments from the past can be accomplished by forgiveness. A forgiveness ritual might be performed again and again but eventually we get over the hump and the anger or resentment doesn't come to mind anymore. There are little behavioral things and thought patterns developed in the past that are harder to expunge. We might not realize how much we might be a slave to past patterns. These can be little emotional triggers. Things that make us gloomy or cause minor irritation. Harder to discern is how we irritate others with some behavior that comes from some judgement we carry from the past.
We can give ourselves a break from all that past flotsam and jetsam. We don't need it. The Holiday Season is also the end of the year. Time for renewal. Let's convince ourselves that we deserve to be at peace. Let us accept the idea that Peace, Joy and Love are our birthright and any aberration from that state is folly. When we find ourselves in less than a holiday spirit it may be an intrusion from the past; let it go.
In this moment, there is only Love.
Have a very, very joyous Christmas!
Love and Peace, Gregg
Monday, December 22, 2014
OUR FLIGHT FROM NATURE
I mentioned that I would write more about our separation from Nature in this blog. Now I am having second thoughts. It is such a huge subject and we have been doing it for a long time.
It is not a new phenomena. The Cedars of Lebanon were destroyed to build temples. Gilgamesh ordered forest to be destroyed because he thought they contained evil spirits. The early Christian Church demonized people for worshiping Nature. People were accused of witchcraft and killed, even though they may have discovered an herbal cure for some affliction. All our cures came from Nature. When was the herbalist on safe ground and when were they in danger of being accused of witchcraft?
We must have had a natural order, at one time, when we experienced our oneness with Nature. It appears that many so-called pagan peoples were far more in touch with Nature than their Christian contemporaries. We can speculate that people who understand their place in Nature have a sense of their sovereignty and a skeptical view of human authority that makes them less manageable from their so-called civilized peers. When we study history, we are impressed that the major religions suppressed our connection with Nature. The religion, itself, wanted to be the authority on all things and did not want people to go directly to Nature for answers. It is puzzling that religion taught, God created all things, yet it pictured Nature as somehow separate. In many periods of history nature was pictured as evil.
Distancing ourselves from Nature is a common theme as far back in history as we can peer. We have had many people, who lived on Earth and were very close to Nature, and we probably still do. We could learn from them, but unless we are anthropologist and can observe with an open mind, the learning isn't particularly available to us.
Everything about our culture is separate from Nature. We live increasingly synthetic lives. Some of us live in little artificial capsules that could be transported to any planet in the universe and if we didn't have a window to look out of we wouldn't know it.
How do we discern what is real from what is synthetic? How can we discover what has been lost? I don't think we want to go back to being naked and running across the forest floor in bare feet. But, hey, that would be a nice experience and I have thought that there should be a place where we could do just that. It is obvious we are different from the other animals on the Earth, in that our bodies cannot exist without protection, except for certain tropical and semi-tropical areas.
It is not any inherent difference from the rest of Nature that is the problem. It is the disregard and contempt we have for anything natural that is the problem. It is a universal that native peoples of the world viewed Nature and the Earth with reverence. Our culture treats the Earth as if it is some alien form to be exploited as much as possible.
It is tempting to see technology as the problem. It is clear that we have become more and more alienated from the Earth with the proliferation of technology. Yet, it is a two edged sword; technology can help us be more intimate with Nature as well as separate us. I sit at this computer. I can communicate with people all over the world. I can explore the natural world. I can view my fellow creatures from earthworms to whales. Much of the knowledge of the Earth and Nature is at my fingertips.
Discovering what we have lost and reordering our thinking is a group project. I only know one place to begin and that is treating the Earth and Nature with love and respect. Why would we want to eat synthetic food when Nature provides us with a healthy product? How could we possibly think we know more than Nature? Do we really alter crops because we think they are better for us or does it make somebody more money? Why do we tear up the Earth and dispose of containers, once used, that would probably last a thousand years? How many times have we looked at a glass bottle and marveled at its heaviness and construction and then dropped in the trash or recycling? How can we stand by and observe a forest being destroyed for someones greed? How can we allow animals to be raised in an unnatural and often bizarre fashion just so some people can get richer? I could fill a book just with this kind of question. We have to face it. As a culture we are insane! Not a little crazy, but stark raving mad!
We need to understand that thinking with our brain without our heart has been a huge mistake. Logic as a function of brain activity, only, seems to lead to destruction; and it is not logic. Every decision we make must be made with our heart. Without love we are lost. And love must be real love; not love of money or power. We know what real love is, even if we have a hard time describing it.
Discovering who we are and learning to appreciate our authentic nature, and the rest of the natural order, is something we need to do together. We can reverse our suspicion and disregard for our Mother Earth. We can learn to love her as the Mother she is to us. That will be a beginning.
Happy Monday.
Love and Peace, Gregg
It is not a new phenomena. The Cedars of Lebanon were destroyed to build temples. Gilgamesh ordered forest to be destroyed because he thought they contained evil spirits. The early Christian Church demonized people for worshiping Nature. People were accused of witchcraft and killed, even though they may have discovered an herbal cure for some affliction. All our cures came from Nature. When was the herbalist on safe ground and when were they in danger of being accused of witchcraft?
We must have had a natural order, at one time, when we experienced our oneness with Nature. It appears that many so-called pagan peoples were far more in touch with Nature than their Christian contemporaries. We can speculate that people who understand their place in Nature have a sense of their sovereignty and a skeptical view of human authority that makes them less manageable from their so-called civilized peers. When we study history, we are impressed that the major religions suppressed our connection with Nature. The religion, itself, wanted to be the authority on all things and did not want people to go directly to Nature for answers. It is puzzling that religion taught, God created all things, yet it pictured Nature as somehow separate. In many periods of history nature was pictured as evil.
Distancing ourselves from Nature is a common theme as far back in history as we can peer. We have had many people, who lived on Earth and were very close to Nature, and we probably still do. We could learn from them, but unless we are anthropologist and can observe with an open mind, the learning isn't particularly available to us.
Everything about our culture is separate from Nature. We live increasingly synthetic lives. Some of us live in little artificial capsules that could be transported to any planet in the universe and if we didn't have a window to look out of we wouldn't know it.
How do we discern what is real from what is synthetic? How can we discover what has been lost? I don't think we want to go back to being naked and running across the forest floor in bare feet. But, hey, that would be a nice experience and I have thought that there should be a place where we could do just that. It is obvious we are different from the other animals on the Earth, in that our bodies cannot exist without protection, except for certain tropical and semi-tropical areas.
It is not any inherent difference from the rest of Nature that is the problem. It is the disregard and contempt we have for anything natural that is the problem. It is a universal that native peoples of the world viewed Nature and the Earth with reverence. Our culture treats the Earth as if it is some alien form to be exploited as much as possible.
It is tempting to see technology as the problem. It is clear that we have become more and more alienated from the Earth with the proliferation of technology. Yet, it is a two edged sword; technology can help us be more intimate with Nature as well as separate us. I sit at this computer. I can communicate with people all over the world. I can explore the natural world. I can view my fellow creatures from earthworms to whales. Much of the knowledge of the Earth and Nature is at my fingertips.
Discovering what we have lost and reordering our thinking is a group project. I only know one place to begin and that is treating the Earth and Nature with love and respect. Why would we want to eat synthetic food when Nature provides us with a healthy product? How could we possibly think we know more than Nature? Do we really alter crops because we think they are better for us or does it make somebody more money? Why do we tear up the Earth and dispose of containers, once used, that would probably last a thousand years? How many times have we looked at a glass bottle and marveled at its heaviness and construction and then dropped in the trash or recycling? How can we stand by and observe a forest being destroyed for someones greed? How can we allow animals to be raised in an unnatural and often bizarre fashion just so some people can get richer? I could fill a book just with this kind of question. We have to face it. As a culture we are insane! Not a little crazy, but stark raving mad!
We need to understand that thinking with our brain without our heart has been a huge mistake. Logic as a function of brain activity, only, seems to lead to destruction; and it is not logic. Every decision we make must be made with our heart. Without love we are lost. And love must be real love; not love of money or power. We know what real love is, even if we have a hard time describing it.
Discovering who we are and learning to appreciate our authentic nature, and the rest of the natural order, is something we need to do together. We can reverse our suspicion and disregard for our Mother Earth. We can learn to love her as the Mother she is to us. That will be a beginning.
Happy Monday.
Love and Peace, Gregg
Friday, December 19, 2014
TRUTH
I am getting a very late start today. We had a schedule change that threw us off a bit. We went to town this Morning. We have been back for over an hour. Instead of blogging I have been excitedly watching, if our new gray water system, for our wash machine was working. When we put on the addition we lost our gray water system. Part of the addition was a new laundry room and the washer has been discharging into the septic tank. That is not the best idea if an alternative is available. Jamie has been the chief installer. She thinks I would not be able to navigate the crawl space under the new addition; she is probably correct. It works perfectly!
In Wednesday's blog, I said that we should not judge other people's paths nor should we preach what we think is the truth. I made the observation that we are all going to get to our destination in any case. Our life lessons will bring us to the conclusion that love is the only answer. Anything else causes pain of one sort or another. Any direction we go that is not loving will cause us enough discomfort that we will alter our course. As I mentioned in an earlier blog we can take the easier path or go through the brambles. We, all, will eventually get where we are going.
There are a few reasons why we don't want to preach our truth. Even if it is the Truth [with a capitol T], if folks aren't ready to hear it they will be turned away, rather than turned on. The last thing we want to do is alienate folks from a truth that may be helpful.
But the biggest reason is {and some of us have a hard time accepting this}; we don't know the Truth. We have discovered some things that work for us and we may have learned to 'feel' the truth. The more we are convinced, love is the only answer, the more intuitive we seem to be.
What can I say about Truth at this point in my evolution? I can say that love brings me better life experiences than fear. I can say that if I am going to pursue a life course, I want it to be imbued with love and free of fear. I prefer the concept of oneness over that of separation. I prefer cooperation over competition.
Wouldn't we better off if we thought of ourselves, as seekers of the truth, rather than holders of the truth? I think we are here to seek truth and we were shunted off that path by religion and the idea of authority. No being, in a human body, can know Source [God] any better than any body else. Our Great Spiritual teachers never claimed that they new God better than anybody else. Yes, they could see clearer because they could see through the illusion. They were not closer to God. They had a less dense cloud between them and God. If Source [God] is Unconditional Love, and we are surrounded by that Love, nobody can be closer to God than anybody else.
Many of us have given away the responsibility to know truth, to the authority of religion or some teacher or individual. To be truly free, we must take it back. We must find the truth in our own heart. The proof of Truth is that is true. You cannot know this, unless you live it.
We have been terribly misled by our religious and other institutions. They seduced us because they do contain truth but there is much error interwoven among their teachings. Any group that truly wants to benefit us and give us value, would not want to control us and certainly would not judge us.
What seems to me, as a fundamental false teaching, was that Nature was dangerous and not to be trusted. We have been split from Nature for a very long time. I think we need to find ways to correct the split. Whether we like it or not we are one with Nature. How would life be if we quit trying to separate ourselves from Mother Earth?
I will have more to say about this on Monday. It is getting late and I have some afternoon chores to do.
Love and Peace, Gregg
In Wednesday's blog, I said that we should not judge other people's paths nor should we preach what we think is the truth. I made the observation that we are all going to get to our destination in any case. Our life lessons will bring us to the conclusion that love is the only answer. Anything else causes pain of one sort or another. Any direction we go that is not loving will cause us enough discomfort that we will alter our course. As I mentioned in an earlier blog we can take the easier path or go through the brambles. We, all, will eventually get where we are going.
There are a few reasons why we don't want to preach our truth. Even if it is the Truth [with a capitol T], if folks aren't ready to hear it they will be turned away, rather than turned on. The last thing we want to do is alienate folks from a truth that may be helpful.
But the biggest reason is {and some of us have a hard time accepting this}; we don't know the Truth. We have discovered some things that work for us and we may have learned to 'feel' the truth. The more we are convinced, love is the only answer, the more intuitive we seem to be.
What can I say about Truth at this point in my evolution? I can say that love brings me better life experiences than fear. I can say that if I am going to pursue a life course, I want it to be imbued with love and free of fear. I prefer the concept of oneness over that of separation. I prefer cooperation over competition.
Wouldn't we better off if we thought of ourselves, as seekers of the truth, rather than holders of the truth? I think we are here to seek truth and we were shunted off that path by religion and the idea of authority. No being, in a human body, can know Source [God] any better than any body else. Our Great Spiritual teachers never claimed that they new God better than anybody else. Yes, they could see clearer because they could see through the illusion. They were not closer to God. They had a less dense cloud between them and God. If Source [God] is Unconditional Love, and we are surrounded by that Love, nobody can be closer to God than anybody else.
Many of us have given away the responsibility to know truth, to the authority of religion or some teacher or individual. To be truly free, we must take it back. We must find the truth in our own heart. The proof of Truth is that is true. You cannot know this, unless you live it.
We have been terribly misled by our religious and other institutions. They seduced us because they do contain truth but there is much error interwoven among their teachings. Any group that truly wants to benefit us and give us value, would not want to control us and certainly would not judge us.
What seems to me, as a fundamental false teaching, was that Nature was dangerous and not to be trusted. We have been split from Nature for a very long time. I think we need to find ways to correct the split. Whether we like it or not we are one with Nature. How would life be if we quit trying to separate ourselves from Mother Earth?
I will have more to say about this on Monday. It is getting late and I have some afternoon chores to do.
Love and Peace, Gregg
Wednesday, December 17, 2014
THE PATH
A beam of golden light is appearing on my desk. I can feel warmth on the back of my neck. After thirteen days of gloom the Sun is brightening our world. Thank you Sun!
Each one of us, on our sojourn through this world, may think we are on the right path. And it may be for us, but there is no right path. There are as many paths as people and they converge on the threshold of our destination.
We don't have the destination well formulated and agreement is hazy. I like to think of it as Oneness or Unconditional Love.
Jamie and I are no strangers to argument. We often peer at a subject from two different angles. Argument is when the people involved take the position that they are right and feel it is their duty to convince the other people. Argument may have a purpose when we are talking about easily verifiable figures, like; what temperature does water freeze under a given circumstance. Argument has no place in the discussion of our various life paths.
When the people involved, have open hearts and minds and they are searching for truth, then discussion is fruitful.
We may observe that our neighbor is on a stoney path and we would like to help. We cannot help if we assume his/her path is an error. He/she may have chosen a stoney path because it fit with what needs to be learned in this lifetime. We cannot know. We can be compassionate and ready to assist if asked. We can always offer help if we can do it without judgement.
The truth is true and needs no defense. The truth needs no defense against attack of any kind. All we need to do is live our truth as we see it. Defending it implies it is weak or untrue.
It doesn't matter what we feel our truth is: Atheist, Christian, Muslim, Hindu, Buddhist, Pagan, Scorner, Believer, Unbeliever, Nativism, etc. etc. etc. Our truth is our truth. Live it. We all have something to add to our understanding of who we are. We can enrich each other. We can discuss anything. Argument alienates. It delays Oneness. It delays the realization of unconditional love.
When we feel we have the truth and need to preach it to others, we either drive them away or brain wash them; only occasionally do we succeed at really teaching them. We need to discover truth for ourselves.
If we believe we have a truth and it is our mission to share it, we need to live it. Only speak of it when asked. When we live our truth, folks are attracted to us that want to learn what we know. If we believe in peace; be peaceful. If we believe in love; be loving. If we believe in joy; be joyful. What we hold in our minds and hearts will manifest. People who want to learn from us will ask.
When we take the position that we don't know, but would like to learn, we can join with the student and teacher and student can learn together. A teacher best teaches what he/she wants to learn.
I am going to dig up my copy of Plato's "Socrates." I need to reread it.
Love and Peace, Gregg
Each one of us, on our sojourn through this world, may think we are on the right path. And it may be for us, but there is no right path. There are as many paths as people and they converge on the threshold of our destination.
We don't have the destination well formulated and agreement is hazy. I like to think of it as Oneness or Unconditional Love.
Jamie and I are no strangers to argument. We often peer at a subject from two different angles. Argument is when the people involved take the position that they are right and feel it is their duty to convince the other people. Argument may have a purpose when we are talking about easily verifiable figures, like; what temperature does water freeze under a given circumstance. Argument has no place in the discussion of our various life paths.
When the people involved, have open hearts and minds and they are searching for truth, then discussion is fruitful.
We may observe that our neighbor is on a stoney path and we would like to help. We cannot help if we assume his/her path is an error. He/she may have chosen a stoney path because it fit with what needs to be learned in this lifetime. We cannot know. We can be compassionate and ready to assist if asked. We can always offer help if we can do it without judgement.
The truth is true and needs no defense. The truth needs no defense against attack of any kind. All we need to do is live our truth as we see it. Defending it implies it is weak or untrue.
It doesn't matter what we feel our truth is: Atheist, Christian, Muslim, Hindu, Buddhist, Pagan, Scorner, Believer, Unbeliever, Nativism, etc. etc. etc. Our truth is our truth. Live it. We all have something to add to our understanding of who we are. We can enrich each other. We can discuss anything. Argument alienates. It delays Oneness. It delays the realization of unconditional love.
When we feel we have the truth and need to preach it to others, we either drive them away or brain wash them; only occasionally do we succeed at really teaching them. We need to discover truth for ourselves.
If we believe we have a truth and it is our mission to share it, we need to live it. Only speak of it when asked. When we live our truth, folks are attracted to us that want to learn what we know. If we believe in peace; be peaceful. If we believe in love; be loving. If we believe in joy; be joyful. What we hold in our minds and hearts will manifest. People who want to learn from us will ask.
When we take the position that we don't know, but would like to learn, we can join with the student and teacher and student can learn together. A teacher best teaches what he/she wants to learn.
I am going to dig up my copy of Plato's "Socrates." I need to reread it.
Love and Peace, Gregg
Monday, December 15, 2014
LET'S NOT DWELL ON THE WEARY WORLD
The twelfth day without sun! Yet, I am so grateful for the warmer weather and the melting of the snow that my disappointment at not seeing the Sun is tempered. Strange weather. For two months we were way below normal temperatures and these last two weeks we were considerably above normal. Tomorrow ushers in more seasonal temps.
I have had a busy Morning. I had a dentist appointment this Morning [routine cleaning]. Jamie does not feel well. Elijah brings these bugs home from school that circulate through the family. So far, I have been immune. I had to run some errands for Jamie. I went to the hardware store and then visited the Amish and got some milk.
I have been home now for an hour and now it is time I blogged. What to Say?
I think many of us get weary of waiting for signs that the new world is emerging. We know the old world has to collapse first. It seems to teeter and crumble, then it seems to get a second wind and it seems like it will go on forever. I don't know how many times I thought the economy was about to go down the drain, then it makes just enough of a turn around to keep limping along.
We know the correct advice. It is hard to follow. If we just paid attention to the moment and celebrated every positive change we witnessed. We wouldn't be waiting. Besides that we would be happy and we would continue to create a pleasant future.
Many folks are like me, we are fascinated with the change and we observe, every day, the economic changes etc. which we think will predict the collapse of the system. It is not a good idea unless one can watch it without any ego involvement. Watching ice melt, when we are desperate for Spring can be painful.
I do pretty well at watching the old world wear down without suffering too much disappointment. I don't recommend it though.
We do better if we pull our focus away from the world at large and focus on our own lives. How can we bring more light in our own lives? What can we do to enhance our love for ourselves? How can we bring more love into the relationships around us? How can we give up our own fears and doubts about the future? It is much easier to improve our own life situation when we are not inundated by outside stimuli; especially the negative information coming from the collapsing world.
We are creators and we are responsible for the emerging world. That responsibility begins with our thoughts and feelings. Many times it doesn't feel like we have a choice about how we think and feel, but we do. Meditation helps. Learning how to immerse ourselves in the unconditional love of Source helps greatly. Try it. Open yourself to the possibility. Close your eyes and imagine yourself surrounded by the energy of unconditional love.
Don't be concerned about your own backsliding. We all backslide. As a group, humanity has passed the point of no return. Love eclipsed fear some time ago. We couldn't stop the New World emerging if we wanted to. Don't be concerned about not realizing paradise. We all will experience it. We can delay our individual awareness by stubbornly hanging on to the old world illusion. Let us not do that.
It is time to give up this heavy illusion made of fear. Consciously hold love in your life. Every time we have awareness of ourselves, our thoughts, our acts add love. We can make love our mantra. Love is all there is.
Love and Peace, Gregg
I have had a busy Morning. I had a dentist appointment this Morning [routine cleaning]. Jamie does not feel well. Elijah brings these bugs home from school that circulate through the family. So far, I have been immune. I had to run some errands for Jamie. I went to the hardware store and then visited the Amish and got some milk.
I have been home now for an hour and now it is time I blogged. What to Say?
I think many of us get weary of waiting for signs that the new world is emerging. We know the old world has to collapse first. It seems to teeter and crumble, then it seems to get a second wind and it seems like it will go on forever. I don't know how many times I thought the economy was about to go down the drain, then it makes just enough of a turn around to keep limping along.
We know the correct advice. It is hard to follow. If we just paid attention to the moment and celebrated every positive change we witnessed. We wouldn't be waiting. Besides that we would be happy and we would continue to create a pleasant future.
Many folks are like me, we are fascinated with the change and we observe, every day, the economic changes etc. which we think will predict the collapse of the system. It is not a good idea unless one can watch it without any ego involvement. Watching ice melt, when we are desperate for Spring can be painful.
I do pretty well at watching the old world wear down without suffering too much disappointment. I don't recommend it though.
We do better if we pull our focus away from the world at large and focus on our own lives. How can we bring more light in our own lives? What can we do to enhance our love for ourselves? How can we bring more love into the relationships around us? How can we give up our own fears and doubts about the future? It is much easier to improve our own life situation when we are not inundated by outside stimuli; especially the negative information coming from the collapsing world.
We are creators and we are responsible for the emerging world. That responsibility begins with our thoughts and feelings. Many times it doesn't feel like we have a choice about how we think and feel, but we do. Meditation helps. Learning how to immerse ourselves in the unconditional love of Source helps greatly. Try it. Open yourself to the possibility. Close your eyes and imagine yourself surrounded by the energy of unconditional love.
Don't be concerned about your own backsliding. We all backslide. As a group, humanity has passed the point of no return. Love eclipsed fear some time ago. We couldn't stop the New World emerging if we wanted to. Don't be concerned about not realizing paradise. We all will experience it. We can delay our individual awareness by stubbornly hanging on to the old world illusion. Let us not do that.
It is time to give up this heavy illusion made of fear. Consciously hold love in your life. Every time we have awareness of ourselves, our thoughts, our acts add love. We can make love our mantra. Love is all there is.
Love and Peace, Gregg
Friday, December 12, 2014
CLOUDY WEATHER
We haven't seen the Sun since December 3rd. According to the forecast it was supposed to be Sunny this past Tuesday. We were all looking forward to it and mentioned it to several people on Monday. That night I looked at the forecast and noted that it had been changed to 'clearing'. Well it didn't clear and it has been overcast ever since. This will be the ninth day without Sun. That is a long time. I don't know how unusual it is. It seems a bit much.
I may not finish this blog until late Morning or early afternoon. I have an appointment for a haircut at 10:30AM. Jamie used to cut my hair but last year we discovered a lady opened up a salon in our neighborhood. She works from her home and is very good.
Today is the first day I will really notice the easing of my chores because of the new chicken coop. Although, we moved the chickens a couple weeks ago, I still had broilers in a second coop. Now I only have the layers and the sheep to care for. For nearly forty years I trudged out to that hundred and twenty year old chicken coop a minimum of twice a day and often three or four times.
Cloudy weather doesn't have to mean a cloudy mood. On the world stage it has been more than cloudy it has been stormy for a long time.
{Back from my haircut} Now what was I talking about? How can we feel Sunny when it is stormy or dreary? There is a bright side; for instance with this weather we are having, it may be cloudy but it is several degrees above normal and the snow is melting.
The world stage is ugly and encouraging news is suppressed by those who want us to be fearful and dependent. But there are signs of change. Although the CIA torture report is ugly, it needed to come out. For most of us, who were paying attention at the time, it is not news; all those allegations were leaked. There will be many more shocking things coming out in the near future.
There is encouraging news, the light is shining brighter and brighter and is penetrating dark places. Minds are changing at every level. What do we do when the light is dim; we crank up our own light. We are in control of our own minds. We can choose how we think and feel. I know, sometimes we feel victims of events or others feelings. We are not! It may be a revelation that we are indeed free to think and feel as we wish. It is true. Many of us have been determined to keep our light high in every situation. Sometimes we fail; but we bounce back, we are determined to shine our light on the world.
We are the creators! Like it or not. We create our future with our thoughts and feelings. In a sense, what happens in the future is our wish for the future. Let us not weigh down our minds with negative thought of things to come. Our future will be ours according to our beliefs. We can only live this moment. If we fill this moment with light, that is what will be extended to the future.
Love and Peace, Gregg
I may not finish this blog until late Morning or early afternoon. I have an appointment for a haircut at 10:30AM. Jamie used to cut my hair but last year we discovered a lady opened up a salon in our neighborhood. She works from her home and is very good.
Today is the first day I will really notice the easing of my chores because of the new chicken coop. Although, we moved the chickens a couple weeks ago, I still had broilers in a second coop. Now I only have the layers and the sheep to care for. For nearly forty years I trudged out to that hundred and twenty year old chicken coop a minimum of twice a day and often three or four times.
Cloudy weather doesn't have to mean a cloudy mood. On the world stage it has been more than cloudy it has been stormy for a long time.
{Back from my haircut} Now what was I talking about? How can we feel Sunny when it is stormy or dreary? There is a bright side; for instance with this weather we are having, it may be cloudy but it is several degrees above normal and the snow is melting.
The world stage is ugly and encouraging news is suppressed by those who want us to be fearful and dependent. But there are signs of change. Although the CIA torture report is ugly, it needed to come out. For most of us, who were paying attention at the time, it is not news; all those allegations were leaked. There will be many more shocking things coming out in the near future.
There is encouraging news, the light is shining brighter and brighter and is penetrating dark places. Minds are changing at every level. What do we do when the light is dim; we crank up our own light. We are in control of our own minds. We can choose how we think and feel. I know, sometimes we feel victims of events or others feelings. We are not! It may be a revelation that we are indeed free to think and feel as we wish. It is true. Many of us have been determined to keep our light high in every situation. Sometimes we fail; but we bounce back, we are determined to shine our light on the world.
We are the creators! Like it or not. We create our future with our thoughts and feelings. In a sense, what happens in the future is our wish for the future. Let us not weigh down our minds with negative thought of things to come. Our future will be ours according to our beliefs. We can only live this moment. If we fill this moment with light, that is what will be extended to the future.
Love and Peace, Gregg
Wednesday, December 10, 2014
THE TYRANNY OF THE EGO
As we go through life we have our ups and downs. As we go through life we create or mis-create continually. Our creations come from our true selves, our mis-creations come from our egos.
Our egos enjoy comfort; but only if they can maintain control. Our egos are a tiny part of ourselves, yet they control too much of our experience. The ego is the part of us that always has to be right, drives us to competitiveness and always evaluates if we are better or worse than our neighbor.
Part of growing awareness is the knowledge that we are essentially one. Yes, we are unique as individuals, just as no two snowflakes are exactly alike; yet we share Oneness. We are not only created by Source, we are an integral, inseparable part of Source. When we are in a peaceful place we greatly appreciate that feeling of oneness with humanity.
When we begin to become comfortable with our Oneness, our egos become very uncomfortable. Our ego can only realize its function when we are feeling separate. The ego cherishes our feelings of separateness. Whenever the ego realizes we are listening to guidance from our true selves [the One or Source], it panics and plots to usurp power from our spirit or true self. The ego will have no other gods before it. The ego thinks it is you. It may seem preposterous that the tiny part of us, that we made to aid us in our separation, could have developed that much power, but it has.
If we examine it closely we realize its power is very limited. It is limited in the same way the cabal is limited in its attempts to maintain power over the people of the Earth. The cabal in its attempts to maintain power causes pain and confusion in the mind of humankind. Eventually humankind is destined to wake up and throw off the cabal. Their means of control are similar to the egos and at the base is always some form of fear.
Likewise, in the ups and downs of our life, we begin to see the egos tyranny. We begin to see our need to be right is hurting our relationships. We begin to see our need to evaluate everybody is as easily turned on ourselves and creates anguish in our being. We begin to realize that all judgement is a two edged sword, it slices deeper in our own heart than those we judge.
We come into the world with complete amnesia. We don't know why we chose to be born. We can guess that one goal is to learn to live in a functional way with the Earth and all the Earth denizens. We appear to meet people, and get into long term relationships with people, who can help us. Some of these relationships are a refuge away from the larger pain of the world. Some other relationships present continuous challenge to grow. Most relationships are a little of both, sometimes they are a refuge and other times a challenge.
When we examine the ups and downs in our life; whether it be relationships, careers, economic status etc., we find the tyranny of our ego. Our ego has difficult time allowing success outside of its idea of separateness.
The good news is the ego's control is fragile. When we are under its control it seems it's invincible; yet it can be amazingly easy to step away from it. When I say it is fragile, I don't mean we can underestimate it. It is tricky and has many layers. So, when I say it is amazingly easy to step away from; I don't mean it is easy to keep out of its influence. For instance, it makes us feel great to be helpful to others. We may donate money to charity freely. Yet the third or fourth time we write that check we might pat ourselves on the back for what a great person we are, the ego smiles. Many of us, who have been in service professions, have enjoyed the freedom of the ego's influence while engaged in our work. In our work we can easily understand and experience what oneness is; we get a glimpse or more than a glimpse of unconditional love. Then our egos seem to cause havoc in our personal lives.
The ego is a tiny part of us but it's goal in monumental. When it has been wreaking it's havoc it seems insurmountable. Yet, REMEMBER THIS, it is all in our imagination. The ego cannot keep us from being One; because we are already one. We don't need to achieve Oneness. We are already One.
We need to stop listening to it. It shouts in our ear. It whispers in the dark. It encourages us to have negative feelings. It wants us to judge ourselves and each other. The very reason the ego is lashing it's tail is because it is terrified it is losing. It is losing. We are waking up to Love. We are learning to love each other and our Earth. The ego know it's days are numbered.
Love and Peace, Gregg
Our egos enjoy comfort; but only if they can maintain control. Our egos are a tiny part of ourselves, yet they control too much of our experience. The ego is the part of us that always has to be right, drives us to competitiveness and always evaluates if we are better or worse than our neighbor.
Part of growing awareness is the knowledge that we are essentially one. Yes, we are unique as individuals, just as no two snowflakes are exactly alike; yet we share Oneness. We are not only created by Source, we are an integral, inseparable part of Source. When we are in a peaceful place we greatly appreciate that feeling of oneness with humanity.
When we begin to become comfortable with our Oneness, our egos become very uncomfortable. Our ego can only realize its function when we are feeling separate. The ego cherishes our feelings of separateness. Whenever the ego realizes we are listening to guidance from our true selves [the One or Source], it panics and plots to usurp power from our spirit or true self. The ego will have no other gods before it. The ego thinks it is you. It may seem preposterous that the tiny part of us, that we made to aid us in our separation, could have developed that much power, but it has.
If we examine it closely we realize its power is very limited. It is limited in the same way the cabal is limited in its attempts to maintain power over the people of the Earth. The cabal in its attempts to maintain power causes pain and confusion in the mind of humankind. Eventually humankind is destined to wake up and throw off the cabal. Their means of control are similar to the egos and at the base is always some form of fear.
Likewise, in the ups and downs of our life, we begin to see the egos tyranny. We begin to see our need to be right is hurting our relationships. We begin to see our need to evaluate everybody is as easily turned on ourselves and creates anguish in our being. We begin to realize that all judgement is a two edged sword, it slices deeper in our own heart than those we judge.
We come into the world with complete amnesia. We don't know why we chose to be born. We can guess that one goal is to learn to live in a functional way with the Earth and all the Earth denizens. We appear to meet people, and get into long term relationships with people, who can help us. Some of these relationships are a refuge away from the larger pain of the world. Some other relationships present continuous challenge to grow. Most relationships are a little of both, sometimes they are a refuge and other times a challenge.
When we examine the ups and downs in our life; whether it be relationships, careers, economic status etc., we find the tyranny of our ego. Our ego has difficult time allowing success outside of its idea of separateness.
The good news is the ego's control is fragile. When we are under its control it seems it's invincible; yet it can be amazingly easy to step away from it. When I say it is fragile, I don't mean we can underestimate it. It is tricky and has many layers. So, when I say it is amazingly easy to step away from; I don't mean it is easy to keep out of its influence. For instance, it makes us feel great to be helpful to others. We may donate money to charity freely. Yet the third or fourth time we write that check we might pat ourselves on the back for what a great person we are, the ego smiles. Many of us, who have been in service professions, have enjoyed the freedom of the ego's influence while engaged in our work. In our work we can easily understand and experience what oneness is; we get a glimpse or more than a glimpse of unconditional love. Then our egos seem to cause havoc in our personal lives.
The ego is a tiny part of us but it's goal in monumental. When it has been wreaking it's havoc it seems insurmountable. Yet, REMEMBER THIS, it is all in our imagination. The ego cannot keep us from being One; because we are already one. We don't need to achieve Oneness. We are already One.
We need to stop listening to it. It shouts in our ear. It whispers in the dark. It encourages us to have negative feelings. It wants us to judge ourselves and each other. The very reason the ego is lashing it's tail is because it is terrified it is losing. It is losing. We are waking up to Love. We are learning to love each other and our Earth. The ego know it's days are numbered.
Love and Peace, Gregg
Monday, December 8, 2014
PRACTICE SEEING
This Morning I am going to go with Jamie to the Amish to get milk and then we are to do some shopping. I am under some time pressure as she wants to leave in an hour or so. That is plenty of time to write a blog, if one has any idea of what they have to say. I don't.
Next Monday I have a dentist appointment at 9:AM so I will have to work around that.
We managed to get eleven of the twenty-two broilers in the freezer. That was too many to do in one day for this old codger. We took a couple days off and decided to finish this week at a more leisurely pace.
I have often talked about suspending our beliefs. Our beliefs create a perceptual screen through which we see the world. We don't see reality. We only see the illusion that we create with our perception.
Suspending beliefs is a very difficult task. I am not talking just about the big beliefs; whether we believe in God, Source, Love, etc. I am talking about thousands, perhaps millions of little conclusions we have made since the day we found ourselves in little baby bodies squawking and mewing.
All these little conclusions [judgements] helped build the screen we individually and collectively see the world.
It is not likely that we are going to be able to suspend all these beliefs and see what is really there. All through history a few people have managed it through years and years of meditation and a few unusual folks seemed to have the gift of seeing without an obvious struggle. Most of us are prisoners of our perception.
The promise is if we practice being in the present enough, we will stop time, our minds will be free of the time continuum and we will 'see'. I am sure it is true. I haven't done it.
What I can do, and what we all can do, is understand that what we see is the illusion created by our belief system. Further we can know that we can modify the illusion by choosing how we look at it.
We may not be able to suspend all the myriad beliefs that we have developed, but we can alter and thin the screen, we see the world through, by consciously deciding to see everything with love. If every time we are uncomfortable with the experience we are having, we ask ourselves "what am I not loving". Or "am I judging someone or something". When we begin to practice awareness; that is paying attention to what we are doing with the stimuli that we are picking up from the world with our senses, we will be amazed at the automatic conclusions we jump to. We will find this true with smells, tastes, sights, feelings and especially emotionally engendered feelings.
If we have the conclusion that there is a reality created by an unconditionally loving Source and we are blocking the experience of that reality with our perception, then it behooves us to alter our perception. The best way to do that is to determine to see everything with Love.
We can do it. We will do it.
Love and Peace, Gregg
Next Monday I have a dentist appointment at 9:AM so I will have to work around that.
We managed to get eleven of the twenty-two broilers in the freezer. That was too many to do in one day for this old codger. We took a couple days off and decided to finish this week at a more leisurely pace.
I have often talked about suspending our beliefs. Our beliefs create a perceptual screen through which we see the world. We don't see reality. We only see the illusion that we create with our perception.
Suspending beliefs is a very difficult task. I am not talking just about the big beliefs; whether we believe in God, Source, Love, etc. I am talking about thousands, perhaps millions of little conclusions we have made since the day we found ourselves in little baby bodies squawking and mewing.
All these little conclusions [judgements] helped build the screen we individually and collectively see the world.
It is not likely that we are going to be able to suspend all these beliefs and see what is really there. All through history a few people have managed it through years and years of meditation and a few unusual folks seemed to have the gift of seeing without an obvious struggle. Most of us are prisoners of our perception.
The promise is if we practice being in the present enough, we will stop time, our minds will be free of the time continuum and we will 'see'. I am sure it is true. I haven't done it.
What I can do, and what we all can do, is understand that what we see is the illusion created by our belief system. Further we can know that we can modify the illusion by choosing how we look at it.
We may not be able to suspend all the myriad beliefs that we have developed, but we can alter and thin the screen, we see the world through, by consciously deciding to see everything with love. If every time we are uncomfortable with the experience we are having, we ask ourselves "what am I not loving". Or "am I judging someone or something". When we begin to practice awareness; that is paying attention to what we are doing with the stimuli that we are picking up from the world with our senses, we will be amazed at the automatic conclusions we jump to. We will find this true with smells, tastes, sights, feelings and especially emotionally engendered feelings.
If we have the conclusion that there is a reality created by an unconditionally loving Source and we are blocking the experience of that reality with our perception, then it behooves us to alter our perception. The best way to do that is to determine to see everything with Love.
We can do it. We will do it.
Love and Peace, Gregg
Friday, December 5, 2014
AN EARLY MORNING
I was up before dawn and in the waning moonlight I saw a deer in our front yard. She was a few feet from the blueberries. We planted them several years ago and they have failed to give us a crop, because the deer like them for browse. I watched her, she didn't nibble on them this time. I have intended to cover the blueberries with netting but then I don't, until it is too late. The deer have big appetites and we have several young apple trees that are denuded of branches as far as they can reach. One apple tree, a Honeycrisp, is a favorite food, I did net that tree because they can reach the very top and there would be nothing left of it, if I didn't.
I got up before dawn [which is not that early in this latitude] because we have a big project to complete. I had hoped to get my blogging done before now, 9 AM, but one thing and another caused delay.
We have twenty something broilers to be made ready for the freezer. A broiler is a chicken raised particularly for that purpose. We raise a breed that doesn't have all the chicken qualities bred out of them. They are free range and they travel all around the yard looking for bugs and scratching in the flower beds. The chickens raised commercially have all the chickenness bred out of them they are little factories for putting on weight. They walk from their feeder to their waterer and not much else.
We have contemplated vegetarianism but we are omnivores and we accept it. However, we cannot accept how contemporary farming has reduced animals to meat factories. All animals deserve a free and dignified life and a painless, terror-free death. The art of providing animals with a dignified departure has been known for thousands of years.
I decided some years ago that if I was going to eat meat I needed to take responsibility for the process. I would be happy to give up the task to someone else, but for now it is mine to do.
It is very possible that humanity is evolving towards vegetarianism. That would be fine with me. I have thought a great deal about it and in a future blog I will discuss it further.
Regardless of whether we eat meat or turnips we need to do everything with love. Who can say that plants are less sentient than animals? We raise food crops with the same insensitivity to their true nature, as we do animals. We disregard Nature at every turn. Is not Nature the reflection of Source? We need to rediscover Nature. We need to see how we are Nature. We need to immerse ourselves in our natural surroundings. We cannot make the best decisions while separate from nature and each other.
Love and Peace, Gregg
I got up before dawn [which is not that early in this latitude] because we have a big project to complete. I had hoped to get my blogging done before now, 9 AM, but one thing and another caused delay.
We have twenty something broilers to be made ready for the freezer. A broiler is a chicken raised particularly for that purpose. We raise a breed that doesn't have all the chicken qualities bred out of them. They are free range and they travel all around the yard looking for bugs and scratching in the flower beds. The chickens raised commercially have all the chickenness bred out of them they are little factories for putting on weight. They walk from their feeder to their waterer and not much else.
We have contemplated vegetarianism but we are omnivores and we accept it. However, we cannot accept how contemporary farming has reduced animals to meat factories. All animals deserve a free and dignified life and a painless, terror-free death. The art of providing animals with a dignified departure has been known for thousands of years.
I decided some years ago that if I was going to eat meat I needed to take responsibility for the process. I would be happy to give up the task to someone else, but for now it is mine to do.
It is very possible that humanity is evolving towards vegetarianism. That would be fine with me. I have thought a great deal about it and in a future blog I will discuss it further.
Regardless of whether we eat meat or turnips we need to do everything with love. Who can say that plants are less sentient than animals? We raise food crops with the same insensitivity to their true nature, as we do animals. We disregard Nature at every turn. Is not Nature the reflection of Source? We need to rediscover Nature. We need to see how we are Nature. We need to immerse ourselves in our natural surroundings. We cannot make the best decisions while separate from nature and each other.
Love and Peace, Gregg
Wednesday, December 3, 2014
WE HAVE SUN
As the Sun was coming up, I was doing the crossword puzzle and drinking a cup of coffee. For a reason, I don't remember now, I stood up and looked out the window. There, prancing around in front of the new chicken coop, was a hen, she must have been locked out all night. I went outside in just a t-shirt and sheepskin slippers*; I opened the door and tried to coax her into the coop. She had other ideas; after dodging me a few times, she ran into a large lilac bush and I couldn't chase her out. At that point Jamie drove in the driveway [she had taken Elijah to school]. First thing she said was, "Are you having a stroke or something standing out here without a jacket?" She heard me say something and she said, "Who are you talking to?" I said, "I am talking to a chicken".
She helped me chase the hen out of the lilac bush. I was able to catch the hen against a fence. She didn't seem the least for wear after being out all night. I tossed her in with the other chickens. Last night when I closed up the coop, I noticed the little door, that the chickens go in and out of, was almost closed. The door is right at the end of the roost and a chicken must have banged into it. At least, that is my best guess as to how she got locked out. We will have to find a way to fasten it open.
Chickens survive cold very well. It was 10 degrees F when I was out there this morning, it may have been a few degrees colder in the night. Surviving our numerous predators is a bigger problem than the cold. Foxes and coyotes patrol our neighborhood most nights; then there are owls, skunks and raccoons. I think the skunks are in a cozy den with their tail over their nose, but I saw a raccoon yesterday. We have never had problems with raccoons eating chickens despite there prevalence in the area, but other people claim they have.
I was remarkably comfortable out there this Morning in a t-shirt. The Sun was out! I don't think we have had bright Sun lately. It is wonderful.
Most of us who have learned something about enlightenment, and are hoping to be enlightened, practice being in the moment. We have learned, that focus on the past, dredges up guilt and other kinds of pain that we can't do anything about anyway. We can only forgive ourselves and others and let the past go. Furthermore, we have learned that focus on the future can bring anxiety and dread. Sure we have desires and we should anticipate their fulfillment. Dream about the future and dream big, but don't dwell there. We can only live in the present.
We create life as we go along. Some of it we create because we haven't relinquished thinking about the past and some we create out of fear of the future. However, even if we are successful in being in the moment most of the time, life has a mind of its own. It comes to us every day fresh and new asking us to acknowledge and live it. It occurs to us that everyone around us is creating and the totality of humanity is creating, we are all one and our moments are much more than just our creation.
We will realize that the totality of our creation is something to celebrate. Now, however, as we practice being in the moment we are sometimes flummoxed by the events of our lives. We wonder, how could this be happening? We need to learn not to fight life as it comes to us day to day. Peace comes from being in the moment and surrendering to it, not fighting it. Of course, we change the things we can. We don't keep our hands on a hot stove. We don't let life push us around. But we don't try to push life around either.
Unless we were raised in an ashram by perfect parents, we were taught we needed to control things. We were taught to think with the part of our brain that controls. Intuitive thinking and leading with the heart were seldom honored. Thinking was primarily fear based. Life was scary and the future unpredictable and we had better be careful.
We are much, much more controlling than we realize. Being in the moment-right now- the eternal present- means giving up control. It means accepting what is. Most of us experience this state only during meditation. When we quit meditating we are back to business as usual. But we make progress. Sometimes it is like wearing away a stone, but we are gradually giving up control and letting life be life.
When we finally accept the universe is love, and it is only our peculiar perception that says otherwise, we will be able to live fully in the moment. Source is Unconditional Love. We are One with Source. We cannot go wrong in surrendering to Love, We cannot go wrong in surrendering to the moment; to life itself.
Love and Peace, Gregg
*P.S. Yes, I did have pants on. When I reread this [much later], I thought, "could a reader think I had nothing else on but a t-shirt and slippers"? Probably not, but just in case.
She helped me chase the hen out of the lilac bush. I was able to catch the hen against a fence. She didn't seem the least for wear after being out all night. I tossed her in with the other chickens. Last night when I closed up the coop, I noticed the little door, that the chickens go in and out of, was almost closed. The door is right at the end of the roost and a chicken must have banged into it. At least, that is my best guess as to how she got locked out. We will have to find a way to fasten it open.
Chickens survive cold very well. It was 10 degrees F when I was out there this morning, it may have been a few degrees colder in the night. Surviving our numerous predators is a bigger problem than the cold. Foxes and coyotes patrol our neighborhood most nights; then there are owls, skunks and raccoons. I think the skunks are in a cozy den with their tail over their nose, but I saw a raccoon yesterday. We have never had problems with raccoons eating chickens despite there prevalence in the area, but other people claim they have.
I was remarkably comfortable out there this Morning in a t-shirt. The Sun was out! I don't think we have had bright Sun lately. It is wonderful.
Most of us who have learned something about enlightenment, and are hoping to be enlightened, practice being in the moment. We have learned, that focus on the past, dredges up guilt and other kinds of pain that we can't do anything about anyway. We can only forgive ourselves and others and let the past go. Furthermore, we have learned that focus on the future can bring anxiety and dread. Sure we have desires and we should anticipate their fulfillment. Dream about the future and dream big, but don't dwell there. We can only live in the present.
We create life as we go along. Some of it we create because we haven't relinquished thinking about the past and some we create out of fear of the future. However, even if we are successful in being in the moment most of the time, life has a mind of its own. It comes to us every day fresh and new asking us to acknowledge and live it. It occurs to us that everyone around us is creating and the totality of humanity is creating, we are all one and our moments are much more than just our creation.
We will realize that the totality of our creation is something to celebrate. Now, however, as we practice being in the moment we are sometimes flummoxed by the events of our lives. We wonder, how could this be happening? We need to learn not to fight life as it comes to us day to day. Peace comes from being in the moment and surrendering to it, not fighting it. Of course, we change the things we can. We don't keep our hands on a hot stove. We don't let life push us around. But we don't try to push life around either.
Unless we were raised in an ashram by perfect parents, we were taught we needed to control things. We were taught to think with the part of our brain that controls. Intuitive thinking and leading with the heart were seldom honored. Thinking was primarily fear based. Life was scary and the future unpredictable and we had better be careful.
We are much, much more controlling than we realize. Being in the moment-right now- the eternal present- means giving up control. It means accepting what is. Most of us experience this state only during meditation. When we quit meditating we are back to business as usual. But we make progress. Sometimes it is like wearing away a stone, but we are gradually giving up control and letting life be life.
When we finally accept the universe is love, and it is only our peculiar perception that says otherwise, we will be able to live fully in the moment. Source is Unconditional Love. We are One with Source. We cannot go wrong in surrendering to Love, We cannot go wrong in surrendering to the moment; to life itself.
Love and Peace, Gregg
*P.S. Yes, I did have pants on. When I reread this [much later], I thought, "could a reader think I had nothing else on but a t-shirt and slippers"? Probably not, but just in case.
Monday, December 1, 2014
DECEMBER
I am getting a late start. I had to run an errand this Morning. It was cold, almost 10 below zero F. I had to go out first thing and break the water for the chickens. The water, in the chicken coop, won't freeze until it gets below -5 F or so. It just had a thin layer of ice on it.
We had a great Thanksgiving. All six of my children and all but one of my grandchildren were here. We had a sumptuous feast. It took me all day Friday to get the dishes done. I wasn't any ball of fire. I would do a batch, do the chores, do another batch, take a break, do another batch, take another break and so on until late afternoon. It was about five o'clock when the last pot was scrubbed clean.
It seems like a long time ago now. Time is strange, it goes so fast and the past seems to become distant, fast too. Does that make sense? The days fly by and yesterday seems a long time ago. Yet, all of that is variable; sometimes a moment drags on. I think we are changing our orientation to time.
Time flies, except when we are waiting; it may then drag. Then it can do both at once. I don't know how that is possible. Yet, last Winter I was aware of time flying by faster than I had here-to-for experienced it, yet Winter lasted and lasted and lasted. I know it was a long Winter but my perception extended it.
This is a much earlier Winter than last year. I was still grazing my sheep last year at this time. Winter didn't hit us until the second week in December. This year, we have already had three weeks of Winter. I don't think we are going to have the grueling Winter we had last year. But then, I an not the world's greatest prognosticator.
As I said I am not great at prognostication, but I will go out on a limb and predict that this December will usher in lasting changes in our world. I would not be surprised if our banking system breathed its last gasp and was replaced with a new more functional system. I don't expect this to be accompanied by much chaos. The change will be applauded.
I also expect some significant change in global consciousness due to the revelation of knowledge that has been long suppressed.
In early January I will report back on these predictions.
I don't have much to say today. We are going to change the world by changing ourselves. Each one of us must love ourselves enough to become a dynamo of love overflowing on those around us. Things will change from inside out. First we must love ourselves, then those around us. Our communities will become more inhabitable. Our children happier. People will be freer. If we are willing to see everyone as a part of Source, at the core a being of light, no matter how confused and alienated from their real self they are at the moment, we will leap ahead in global consciousness.
Right at this moment we can bring paradise around us by envisioning it and insisting it be so. Any one of us can do that right now in our little sphere of influence; even if that sphere of influence is only inside ourselves.
Let all our decisions be made with love.
Love and Peace, Gregg
We had a great Thanksgiving. All six of my children and all but one of my grandchildren were here. We had a sumptuous feast. It took me all day Friday to get the dishes done. I wasn't any ball of fire. I would do a batch, do the chores, do another batch, take a break, do another batch, take another break and so on until late afternoon. It was about five o'clock when the last pot was scrubbed clean.
It seems like a long time ago now. Time is strange, it goes so fast and the past seems to become distant, fast too. Does that make sense? The days fly by and yesterday seems a long time ago. Yet, all of that is variable; sometimes a moment drags on. I think we are changing our orientation to time.
Time flies, except when we are waiting; it may then drag. Then it can do both at once. I don't know how that is possible. Yet, last Winter I was aware of time flying by faster than I had here-to-for experienced it, yet Winter lasted and lasted and lasted. I know it was a long Winter but my perception extended it.
This is a much earlier Winter than last year. I was still grazing my sheep last year at this time. Winter didn't hit us until the second week in December. This year, we have already had three weeks of Winter. I don't think we are going to have the grueling Winter we had last year. But then, I an not the world's greatest prognosticator.
As I said I am not great at prognostication, but I will go out on a limb and predict that this December will usher in lasting changes in our world. I would not be surprised if our banking system breathed its last gasp and was replaced with a new more functional system. I don't expect this to be accompanied by much chaos. The change will be applauded.
I also expect some significant change in global consciousness due to the revelation of knowledge that has been long suppressed.
In early January I will report back on these predictions.
I don't have much to say today. We are going to change the world by changing ourselves. Each one of us must love ourselves enough to become a dynamo of love overflowing on those around us. Things will change from inside out. First we must love ourselves, then those around us. Our communities will become more inhabitable. Our children happier. People will be freer. If we are willing to see everyone as a part of Source, at the core a being of light, no matter how confused and alienated from their real self they are at the moment, we will leap ahead in global consciousness.
Right at this moment we can bring paradise around us by envisioning it and insisting it be so. Any one of us can do that right now in our little sphere of influence; even if that sphere of influence is only inside ourselves.
Let all our decisions be made with love.
Love and Peace, Gregg
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