When I got up this morning it was 37 degrees. It actually felt balmy. It is a testimony to our ability to get used to something. Imagine how 37 would have felt in September. I don't have to imagine I remember how cold the 30's felt in the early Fall.
Today for the first time in my life I am going in for an eye exam and a fitting for glasses. I will be 77 in January and I have never had an eye examination other than holding a hand over one eye and looking at a chart; the thing you have in grade school. I can still pass the eye test for a driving license, but it is getting harder. I use 99 cent glasses for reading. I would probably hold out until I am eighty but certain people in my family have been campaigning against that idea.
Of course the seeing, I am most interested in, is the seeing that happens when we drop the scales from our eyes. The scales are built by judgement and everything we see is filtered through them. I am convinced that Paradise is here, on earth, but we can't see it because of our blindness. Have I seen it? Perhaps, I have seen glimmers. If you are reading this; you probably, too, have seen glimmers. I don't see any better than you; but I have contemplated the subject for forty years. I have experienced an increase in life satisfaction; a greater sense of peace and joy as I have consciously given up my judgements of others. Yes, I still have a ways to go. Ask my wife. No don't. I want you to enjoy the illusion of my near perfection. Huh!
You will find it easier to forgive those distant from you than those close. The more intimate you are with someone the more opportunity for the ego to get involved. When you are judging yourself, you are looking at the world through your ego. You are especially alert for the shortcomings of those who are suppose to love you. At those times, you will come down hard on that other person. If you are verbal about it, a fight may ensue. It you keep it to yourself, you will get depressed. Either way you lose. Judgement is horrible. When the other person in the relationship is also leading with their ego, you can fight, vehemently, over the color of the sky. If you can catch yourself and laugh; you can dispel the curse. {It is like a curse} Laughter is a remedy for many of life's foibles. Of course, it needs to be clear that your laughing at yourself.
We have these automatic judgments we make of the world. They are just bad habits. They are easier to relinquish than we realize. Judgements about religion, nationality, race, gender, body size, wealth, health, etc. etc. Until you decide to make a conscious effort to eliminate them they color your perception. You will not see the other person. You only see a reflection of your idea. Once you are determined to give them up, you will catch yourself. You might give yourself a few seconds to discover where you learned such judgements; parent, friend, teacher etc, it helps. If it works out for you, spend a few minutes before you go to bed and review your day. {This is not for self criticism} Love yourself. Forgive yourself. You are involved in a great project and deserving of great love.
Have a wonderful SEEING day.
Love and Peace, Gregg
Monday, December 12, 2011
Friday, December 9, 2011
A BEAUTIFUL DAY
It was cold and Sunny this morning; about zero when I got up. It didn't feel particularly cold, there wasn't much breeze and the Sun felt marvelous. Doing the chores was a privilege and, all and all, it feels great to be alive.
Every Morning could be like this, right! It would be if it wasn't for that silly thing called a mind. What is a mind anyway? Where is it located? Is it in our brain? I don't think so. What does it do? Well it figures things out. It is a wonderful builder. It is a wonderful solver of problems. Why the difficulty then? Can't we always be excited and happy to be alive?
It must be that trickster, that ego, that invites fear into the mind. A little fear attracts worry, which comes in all shapes and sizes. We know that worry solves nothing, that it robs us of life's enjoyment. Yet we get seduced into listening to bothersome thoughts by that trickster. That wily ego tells us we can solve everything with our mind and blames all problems outside itself. The truth is the mind is a tool and it works marvelously but cannot function independently of the heart. One of our troubles is believing the mind should rule over the heart, when in fact the heart must rule the mind. The heart is unconditional love, it is the energy of the universe, it is what makes our mind possible.
The ego cleverly uses the mind to separate us from each other and the rest of the universe. It has been remarkably successful. As long as we allow the ego to introduce fear thoughts into our mind, we will remain separate from ourselves as well as each other.
We must begin to make ourselves whole. Recognize that the mind must be subject to the heart or if you prefer, the spirit or universal energy. When we eschew fear and the mind is clear it[the mind] recognizes its connection to the whole. It won't try to operate independently of unconditional love.
As individuals, our task is to realize that no amount of fear is helpful. It is no way protective. Worry is so seductive, but completely worthless and dangerous to our physical and mental health. We will learn to catch ourselves when a worry seed is planted in our mind and pull it out before it germinates. It takes practice, but once you realize the value it becomes easier and easier. It is great to be happy, peaceful and joyful. It is our birthright!
Have a wonderful carefree afternoon.
Love and Peace, Gregg
Every Morning could be like this, right! It would be if it wasn't for that silly thing called a mind. What is a mind anyway? Where is it located? Is it in our brain? I don't think so. What does it do? Well it figures things out. It is a wonderful builder. It is a wonderful solver of problems. Why the difficulty then? Can't we always be excited and happy to be alive?
It must be that trickster, that ego, that invites fear into the mind. A little fear attracts worry, which comes in all shapes and sizes. We know that worry solves nothing, that it robs us of life's enjoyment. Yet we get seduced into listening to bothersome thoughts by that trickster. That wily ego tells us we can solve everything with our mind and blames all problems outside itself. The truth is the mind is a tool and it works marvelously but cannot function independently of the heart. One of our troubles is believing the mind should rule over the heart, when in fact the heart must rule the mind. The heart is unconditional love, it is the energy of the universe, it is what makes our mind possible.
The ego cleverly uses the mind to separate us from each other and the rest of the universe. It has been remarkably successful. As long as we allow the ego to introduce fear thoughts into our mind, we will remain separate from ourselves as well as each other.
We must begin to make ourselves whole. Recognize that the mind must be subject to the heart or if you prefer, the spirit or universal energy. When we eschew fear and the mind is clear it[the mind] recognizes its connection to the whole. It won't try to operate independently of unconditional love.
As individuals, our task is to realize that no amount of fear is helpful. It is no way protective. Worry is so seductive, but completely worthless and dangerous to our physical and mental health. We will learn to catch ourselves when a worry seed is planted in our mind and pull it out before it germinates. It takes practice, but once you realize the value it becomes easier and easier. It is great to be happy, peaceful and joyful. It is our birthright!
Have a wonderful carefree afternoon.
Love and Peace, Gregg
Monday, December 5, 2011
AN ORDINARY DAY
Winter has arrived here. It is snowing and cold and it is supposed to remain below freezing for the next week. Christmas party invitations began flowing in; we already have three events scheduled and we haven't decided what we are going to do Christmas Eve or Christmas Day, yet. We may host a dinner party.
We had a wonderful venison steak dinner last night and I finished the left overs for brunch. The venison was supplied by my son and grandson; the two main hunters of the family.
This is one of those days when I have no idea what to write about. When I first started writing this blog I had fantasies of writing every day. As you know, that didn't last long. The news of the world remains dismal with sabre rattling and various threats being toted by the powers that be. I try not to pay attention to it and I know there is good news out there somewhere, too. There appears to be a new Homesteading Movement emerging. This time, much of the focus appears to be in cities such as Detroit and St. Louis. People have sent me information about this phenomenon and I will pass on some information, via websites, when I learn how to do it. There are lots of things on the internet that I would like to share with you but I need to learn how to do it properly. My Tech savvy kids show me how to do things but I promptly forget unless I have an opportunity to repeat what I have learned soon after.
Talk about an ordinary day; my mind must be extraordinarily ordinary today as my creative impulse lies dormant. I would erase this whole message, but you might as well know what an ordinary folk I am. I need to focus on the beauty of my natural surroundings and re-energize. It is a winter wonderland out there with giant snowflakes that look like giant white butterflies floating down. I will go outside and tilt my head up, like a child, and catch one in my mouth.
Love and Peace, Gregg
We had a wonderful venison steak dinner last night and I finished the left overs for brunch. The venison was supplied by my son and grandson; the two main hunters of the family.
This is one of those days when I have no idea what to write about. When I first started writing this blog I had fantasies of writing every day. As you know, that didn't last long. The news of the world remains dismal with sabre rattling and various threats being toted by the powers that be. I try not to pay attention to it and I know there is good news out there somewhere, too. There appears to be a new Homesteading Movement emerging. This time, much of the focus appears to be in cities such as Detroit and St. Louis. People have sent me information about this phenomenon and I will pass on some information, via websites, when I learn how to do it. There are lots of things on the internet that I would like to share with you but I need to learn how to do it properly. My Tech savvy kids show me how to do things but I promptly forget unless I have an opportunity to repeat what I have learned soon after.
Talk about an ordinary day; my mind must be extraordinarily ordinary today as my creative impulse lies dormant. I would erase this whole message, but you might as well know what an ordinary folk I am. I need to focus on the beauty of my natural surroundings and re-energize. It is a winter wonderland out there with giant snowflakes that look like giant white butterflies floating down. I will go outside and tilt my head up, like a child, and catch one in my mouth.
Love and Peace, Gregg
Friday, December 2, 2011
LOOKING ON A FORGIVEN WORLD
When you can see the world without judgement; you will be able to see paradise.
To accomplish this, you must forgive yourself. You must recognize your innocence and that of your neighbor. No amount of guilt is good. It was fashionable during the eighties for some people, even psychologist, to postulate that a little bit of guilt was a good thing. That is nonsense; it is like saying a little neuro-toxin won't hurt you.
It is human to regret hurting somebody. It is an error needing correction. A person needs to recognize their error and decide not to make the same mistake; thus forgive themselves. Because you are human, you may have to do this again and again. Guilt is the feeling that you are a lesser person because of your mistake; a flawed human being. Feeling guilty always perpetuates the behavior you are feeling bad about. It never, never prevents it. To truly forgive yourself or others you must be whole yourself and not be diminished by guilt.
You can't forgive yourself if you insist on hanging on to your judgements of others. It takes practice to see others as innocent. It seems a jerk is a jerk deserving of your condemnation. Here is where compassion will aid you. When you see a person behaving in a negative manner, remember that they are the one in pain, whether they know it or not. See them with compassion and understand their behavior as a call for love. With practice you can learn to see through their craziness {ego} to the beautiful spirit they are. This won't happen overnight. Don't expect too much of yourself. At first just remind yourself, when you see somebody being a jerk, that they are in some kind of pain. Eventually you will see their innocence.
A good exercise when you find your self judging yourself is to say, "I have forgiven myself and I look upon a forgiven world".
At this point we have no idea how powerful our perception is. We cannot really see the truth that is outside ourselves as long as we look through a filter of judgement. Every judgement you make affects what you see. We remain prisoners of our judgements until we can give them up.
That is why in the conclusion of my letter yesterday I used the present tense, I wrote "............dream of the glorious world" You don't need to think of this beautiful world in the future. It is here now, we just need to open our eyes.
Love and Peace, Gregg
To accomplish this, you must forgive yourself. You must recognize your innocence and that of your neighbor. No amount of guilt is good. It was fashionable during the eighties for some people, even psychologist, to postulate that a little bit of guilt was a good thing. That is nonsense; it is like saying a little neuro-toxin won't hurt you.
It is human to regret hurting somebody. It is an error needing correction. A person needs to recognize their error and decide not to make the same mistake; thus forgive themselves. Because you are human, you may have to do this again and again. Guilt is the feeling that you are a lesser person because of your mistake; a flawed human being. Feeling guilty always perpetuates the behavior you are feeling bad about. It never, never prevents it. To truly forgive yourself or others you must be whole yourself and not be diminished by guilt.
You can't forgive yourself if you insist on hanging on to your judgements of others. It takes practice to see others as innocent. It seems a jerk is a jerk deserving of your condemnation. Here is where compassion will aid you. When you see a person behaving in a negative manner, remember that they are the one in pain, whether they know it or not. See them with compassion and understand their behavior as a call for love. With practice you can learn to see through their craziness {ego} to the beautiful spirit they are. This won't happen overnight. Don't expect too much of yourself. At first just remind yourself, when you see somebody being a jerk, that they are in some kind of pain. Eventually you will see their innocence.
A good exercise when you find your self judging yourself is to say, "I have forgiven myself and I look upon a forgiven world".
At this point we have no idea how powerful our perception is. We cannot really see the truth that is outside ourselves as long as we look through a filter of judgement. Every judgement you make affects what you see. We remain prisoners of our judgements until we can give them up.
That is why in the conclusion of my letter yesterday I used the present tense, I wrote "............dream of the glorious world" You don't need to think of this beautiful world in the future. It is here now, we just need to open our eyes.
Love and Peace, Gregg
Thursday, December 1, 2011
A LAZY MORNING
I have yet to do my dishes. They are still languishing in the sink, waiting patiently for me. I have been a little slow to get to things. I did my animal chores with Elijah, my almost four, grandson, and then he entertained me for a couple hours. We learned counting with Richard Scarry and Grandpa tried to catch a little snooze but Elijah found ways to keep Grandpa's eyes open.
It puzzles me why there is not more open communication about these times. There is a great deal of writing on the internet about the changes that are occurring. I lived through the back-to the-land movement of the 70s, there were groups formed all over the country and several magazines catering to the movement. In our area we formed a Homesteading Club that had several members and held together for several years. It was a rich and rewarding experience.
What is happening now is a much, much bigger event. It is a major upheaval and yet it is not talked about among the people I know. The collapse of the economy and the rest of the social structure, as we have known it, is on the verge of being clear to everybody. Yet, I don't know of many people coming together in anticipation of future needs. I hear a conversation, occasionally, but so far no real coming together. I have a friend who built a root cellar and I know other folks who have gradually stored up non-perishable food stuffs. However, I don't see the coming together that I did in the 70s.
In the 70s the feeling was hopeful. We were convinced that we were a vanguard of people who were preparing the way for the rest of the population to follow. We dreamed of a society where the vast majority would live close to the Earth, raising our own food and contributing to the whole. We believed we could live with nature and were dedicated to restoring the Earth to its pristine beauty. Then came the 80s. It became clear that the world was not going in our direction. Most of us returned to fulfill roles in the old world. I don't think our hearts were changed.
Today, we are on the verge of great changes. Is there much coming together? Many of my friends and acquaintances seem to feel the coming changes acutely, but I think they feel helpless or even dread. That is very sad. It is a hopeful time! Even a time for celebration! I think it is time, again, for folks to come together and dream of the glorious world.
Love and Peace, Gregg
It puzzles me why there is not more open communication about these times. There is a great deal of writing on the internet about the changes that are occurring. I lived through the back-to the-land movement of the 70s, there were groups formed all over the country and several magazines catering to the movement. In our area we formed a Homesteading Club that had several members and held together for several years. It was a rich and rewarding experience.
What is happening now is a much, much bigger event. It is a major upheaval and yet it is not talked about among the people I know. The collapse of the economy and the rest of the social structure, as we have known it, is on the verge of being clear to everybody. Yet, I don't know of many people coming together in anticipation of future needs. I hear a conversation, occasionally, but so far no real coming together. I have a friend who built a root cellar and I know other folks who have gradually stored up non-perishable food stuffs. However, I don't see the coming together that I did in the 70s.
In the 70s the feeling was hopeful. We were convinced that we were a vanguard of people who were preparing the way for the rest of the population to follow. We dreamed of a society where the vast majority would live close to the Earth, raising our own food and contributing to the whole. We believed we could live with nature and were dedicated to restoring the Earth to its pristine beauty. Then came the 80s. It became clear that the world was not going in our direction. Most of us returned to fulfill roles in the old world. I don't think our hearts were changed.
Today, we are on the verge of great changes. Is there much coming together? Many of my friends and acquaintances seem to feel the coming changes acutely, but I think they feel helpless or even dread. That is very sad. It is a hopeful time! Even a time for celebration! I think it is time, again, for folks to come together and dream of the glorious world.
Love and Peace, Gregg
Sunday, November 27, 2011
THANKSGIVING WEEKEND
Friday we recovered from the party and ate left overs. Yesterday we went to pick up a goat we bought and we ate leftovers. I ate about six pieces of pie since Thanksgiving. I just finished a piece of pecan pie. We have portions of pecan, apple, mince, pumpkin and key lime pie left. It will get eaten.
We bought a goat with a distinguished pedigree. We will tuck the Paper away and not look at it again. Our interest is in goats that will milk a gallon a day with some consistency. We gave our old buck away and will start with a fresh sire next year. Line breeding is fine with herd animals but you want to introduce a new sire about every five years.
I took a break to finish a mound of dishes. The serving dishes are gradually being emptied and in need of washing. One more day and there should be only pie plates left.
This would be a good time to contrast the opulence of my life with others; both in this country and the rest of the world. I can't go there. It is too painful. Our government spends 1.9 billion every single day on the military, in the process killing thousands of people and at the same time allowing millions of people to die that would be easily saved with a fraction of that money. Just a small portion of the money we spend on the military could be used to save millions of folks from starvation. How can this be? How did it come to this? I know it doesn't do me or anybody else any good to focus on these negative agendas. Thank God for the Occupy Wall Street Movement. Perhaps it has stirred enough people to awaken and demand and end to this madness. It is becoming crystal clear that the biggest terrorist are folks controlling big banks; who in turn control the Pentagon and other allied militaries. The War on Terrorism is just an excuse to beat the Third World into submission and rob them of their resources. I know that if enough people open their eyes, this madness will stop. There has to be ways we can refuse to cooperate and even frustrate their agenda. Politics doesn't work, right now, as both parties are bought and paid for. Democracy can't happen as long as one can use money to control the outcome. I am not advocating the overthrow of the government. I am recommending the expulsion of the people embedded in the government whom are controlled by these big bankers. Then the banks have to be dismantled and restructured so they can no longer make democracy impossible.
I must be a little down today. I know this painful world I am seeing is almost over. I know we are creating a new world where all this horror will be a distant memory. And yes, I can heed my own advice and look to the light! It is there to see. I see love in the eyes of all I meet. I know everyone wants to work towards the New World that shines just over the horizon. I know we need help in preceding. I learned a long time ago that effective action can only follow correct thoughts. That means any action must issue from a mind steeped in unconditional love. So we need to clear our minds of all negativity and "see" what can be done.
We will succeed.
Love and Peace, Gregg
We bought a goat with a distinguished pedigree. We will tuck the Paper away and not look at it again. Our interest is in goats that will milk a gallon a day with some consistency. We gave our old buck away and will start with a fresh sire next year. Line breeding is fine with herd animals but you want to introduce a new sire about every five years.
I took a break to finish a mound of dishes. The serving dishes are gradually being emptied and in need of washing. One more day and there should be only pie plates left.
This would be a good time to contrast the opulence of my life with others; both in this country and the rest of the world. I can't go there. It is too painful. Our government spends 1.9 billion every single day on the military, in the process killing thousands of people and at the same time allowing millions of people to die that would be easily saved with a fraction of that money. Just a small portion of the money we spend on the military could be used to save millions of folks from starvation. How can this be? How did it come to this? I know it doesn't do me or anybody else any good to focus on these negative agendas. Thank God for the Occupy Wall Street Movement. Perhaps it has stirred enough people to awaken and demand and end to this madness. It is becoming crystal clear that the biggest terrorist are folks controlling big banks; who in turn control the Pentagon and other allied militaries. The War on Terrorism is just an excuse to beat the Third World into submission and rob them of their resources. I know that if enough people open their eyes, this madness will stop. There has to be ways we can refuse to cooperate and even frustrate their agenda. Politics doesn't work, right now, as both parties are bought and paid for. Democracy can't happen as long as one can use money to control the outcome. I am not advocating the overthrow of the government. I am recommending the expulsion of the people embedded in the government whom are controlled by these big bankers. Then the banks have to be dismantled and restructured so they can no longer make democracy impossible.
I must be a little down today. I know this painful world I am seeing is almost over. I know we are creating a new world where all this horror will be a distant memory. And yes, I can heed my own advice and look to the light! It is there to see. I see love in the eyes of all I meet. I know everyone wants to work towards the New World that shines just over the horizon. I know we need help in preceding. I learned a long time ago that effective action can only follow correct thoughts. That means any action must issue from a mind steeped in unconditional love. So we need to clear our minds of all negativity and "see" what can be done.
We will succeed.
Love and Peace, Gregg
Thursday, November 24, 2011
HAPPY THANKSGIVING
Thanksgiving is one of my favorite Holidays. It is a time when our children and their children congregate at our house to celebrate. We do have a great time.
This Thanksgiving seems especially significant. Our future is full of promise. Although, we don't always realize it; we have much to be thankful for. Practicing thankfulness can be a turning point in ones life. When your a little down it can immediately change your viewpoint. Learning to be mindful of thankfulness can change your life.
Practice it today. Imagine you are an infinite being {you are}; imagine you have an infinite capacity to love {you do}. Bring the whole world into your heart and marinate it in unconditional love {you can}.
Celebrate the beautiful being you are.
Love and Peace, Gregg
This Thanksgiving seems especially significant. Our future is full of promise. Although, we don't always realize it; we have much to be thankful for. Practicing thankfulness can be a turning point in ones life. When your a little down it can immediately change your viewpoint. Learning to be mindful of thankfulness can change your life.
Practice it today. Imagine you are an infinite being {you are}; imagine you have an infinite capacity to love {you do}. Bring the whole world into your heart and marinate it in unconditional love {you can}.
Celebrate the beautiful being you are.
Love and Peace, Gregg
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)