We have had a string of beautiful days on Laughing Water Farm. The birds are coming back. The perennials are poking their heads above the ground and for the last two evenings, I heard frogs adding their voices to the music of the universe.
As long as we allow our egos a dominate position, we will not be able to understand the full potential of Love; unconditional love will just remain words. We can't really appreciate, what it means to love our enemy, or wish well to our abusers. Sure, we can love, passionately, those who fit into our ego created version of the universe. I do not question the value of that love. It is marvelous to be loved, period. Most of us grew up with conditional love. We were loved, and it could be deeply, but we had to be the person, the lover, wanted to perceive. Their love was like a spotlight shining on the ground; as long as we stayed in the parameters of the spotlight we felt loved. When we ventured out of the parameters that were set, the love did not follow us.
Our parents or caregivers were the first example we had. The spotlights, intensity and size, varied with each family [and with each individual within the family]. Some of us felt loved, regardless of how we experimented with being our own person. Others, of us, were restricted to a very tight behavioral circle. I don't know if anybody on this planet experienced unconditional love in their family.
Love is the energy of life. It has many facets. For our discussion, we can think of it as energy flowing through us to others and from others to us. Some of us are better at feeling the love that flows out and some are better at feeling the love that flows in. We need to unblock both avenues so the flow is continuous.
We have talked about the love increasing on the Earth. At some point the mind of humankind chose love over all other options. It was a watershed moment for humanity. All of a sudden there was hope, that love, peace and joy, were possibilities for this planet. People began to see it was really possible to love each other. Folks began to see beyond the limits of family, nation, religion, race, class etc. A sense of Oneness became possible. That is the good news.
The bad news is good news, too. It will not always feel like it. The rising energy of love, on the planet, erodes the ego. The ego, in a position of dominance, can not exist in an atmosphere of anything close to unconditional love. Until we are able to put our egos behind us, we will experience conflict with each other. The good news, of course, is that the energy of love will force us to quit following our egos. The not so good news is that it is painful when we have to learn through conflict.
So, back to the basics, we need to give up our judgements of each other. When we find ourselves, demonizing, devaluing, disregarding or being angry at another person. We are the one being crazy, not the person being scorned. We need to look at ourselves; why are we feeling this way. Why is this person so threatening? Are they reminding us of, something in ourselves, that we don't want to acknowledge? Our ego is a two edged sword. It is often beyond or perception, but we attack ourselves first and then the other person. The hammer blow we descend on the other person is directly correlated with the self inflicted hammer blow.
When we let our egos be in charge, we will constantly be reminded of our own deficiencies as well as see the deficiencies of others. That is what egos do.
The rising of love on the Earth is creating a marvelous time but is also forcing us to 'grow up'. Many of us are feeling left out because we don't see or feel the love. The conflict and emptiness continues. Take heart. It will get better. As we relinquish our judgements and forgive those who have been unkind, we will feel the love around us. At any moment, we can practice love. Love that flower. Love that ant crawling across the floor. Love that we can breathe. The more we love the most commonplace, the more we will feel the energy of love flowing through us.
Love and Peace, Gregg
Wednesday, April 15, 2015
Monday, April 13, 2015
MORE ON HAPPINESS
It is a magic Morning on this part of Planet Earth! It rained last Evening, with a great display of thunder and lightening, everything is fresh and bright. Truly, a remarkable Morning.
Yesterday was an amazing day. It was very windy all day. I usually don't like persistent wind, but there was something wonderful, about sitting on the deck, hearing the roar in the tree tops. The Sun shown all day and the temperature reached 78F. Towards dusk the wind died down and the rain came.
We have a bird bath about twenty feet away from where I was sitting. The bowl was down, leaning against its pedestal. Every Autumn I slide it off its pedestal so the water won't freeze solid and crack it. It has been freezing most nights, so I haven't got around to put it back on its pedestal and fill it with water [it must weigh over one hundred pounds]. Yesterday, as I was taking my ease on the deck, two chickadees landed in a lilac bush next to the bird bath. First one flew down and landed on the pedestal, looked into the slanted bowl, and with a glance up to me, which seemed to say, "Where is my water?" Then the second bird repeated the moves. Needless to say, I had to get up, and with help, get the bowl back on its pedestal and fill it with water. Do we underestimate the intelligence of our fellow creatures?
I think I wrote about happiness a couple times. A while ago, I read [I think on Facebook] someone recommending taking time from complaining. I don't remember the recommended time, whether it was a day, a week? It predicted significant benefit. In any case, it got me interested in paying attention to my complaining. I no longer took complaining for granted and paid attention to the effect on my consciousness.
There is complaining and complaining, and there are many shades, however all complaints hint that, someone or something, is doing us wrong. When we complain we are railing against the universe, Source, fate or each other. I suppose a complaint can exist without a hidden accusation. I an not sure, I listen to myself and others, generally, there is a message that it must be somebodies fault.
At the least, complaining is a message that 'all in not well with my world'. When we are going along hoping to be happy, how does it work when we remind ourselves 'all is not well'? We are, also, planting the seed in others minds 'that all is not well with us'. Since our minds create, that can be a powerful message.
The other side of complaining is that it is a call for love. But it is tricky. One time we hear a complaint, we may respond with love and compassion, another time, it can be off putting.
There is a lot to say on this subject and I don't want to focus on others complaints, as much as I want to focus on how my complaining affects me. Sometimes it can be just, the discharge of some negative energy off into the universe, but even then, there is an accusation in it. I know that if I get up in the Morning and complain about one little thing after another, Jamie will conclude I am crabby. How will that set up her mind for our relationship? Of course, if she mentions it, I will deny it and claim, I am just complaining to hear myself talk. Am I lying? Perhaps.
It seems, it is much the attitude as the fact. Sometime a complaint can be humorous and can add rather than detract. Other times, the same words can have a deadly effect, as someone takes the complaint to heart.
Part of paying attention to my complaints, is that I decide not to. Hey, this world is my creation. Why should I be criticizing a work in progress. I can't see where things are going with every brush stoke and chisel mark. I realize, I need to have a little faith, in this work of art, called my life; and it is turning out great.
I have been off and on giving up complaining. It is freeing. I need to be more consistent. Try it. I think it is best, to first pay attention to how much you do it. Then try giving it up for a day. See how it goes. Don't feel bad when you backslide. You will. Complaining has become addictive, for some of us, and we need to be gentle and loving in our process of giving it up. A sense of humor is invaluable.
If it works for you, as it works for me, you will feel lighter every time you pass up an opportunity to complain. You will judge yourself less and will be less inclined to judge others.
Did I mention, you will discover. you are happier?
Love and Peace, Gregg
Yesterday was an amazing day. It was very windy all day. I usually don't like persistent wind, but there was something wonderful, about sitting on the deck, hearing the roar in the tree tops. The Sun shown all day and the temperature reached 78F. Towards dusk the wind died down and the rain came.
We have a bird bath about twenty feet away from where I was sitting. The bowl was down, leaning against its pedestal. Every Autumn I slide it off its pedestal so the water won't freeze solid and crack it. It has been freezing most nights, so I haven't got around to put it back on its pedestal and fill it with water [it must weigh over one hundred pounds]. Yesterday, as I was taking my ease on the deck, two chickadees landed in a lilac bush next to the bird bath. First one flew down and landed on the pedestal, looked into the slanted bowl, and with a glance up to me, which seemed to say, "Where is my water?" Then the second bird repeated the moves. Needless to say, I had to get up, and with help, get the bowl back on its pedestal and fill it with water. Do we underestimate the intelligence of our fellow creatures?
I think I wrote about happiness a couple times. A while ago, I read [I think on Facebook] someone recommending taking time from complaining. I don't remember the recommended time, whether it was a day, a week? It predicted significant benefit. In any case, it got me interested in paying attention to my complaining. I no longer took complaining for granted and paid attention to the effect on my consciousness.
There is complaining and complaining, and there are many shades, however all complaints hint that, someone or something, is doing us wrong. When we complain we are railing against the universe, Source, fate or each other. I suppose a complaint can exist without a hidden accusation. I an not sure, I listen to myself and others, generally, there is a message that it must be somebodies fault.
At the least, complaining is a message that 'all in not well with my world'. When we are going along hoping to be happy, how does it work when we remind ourselves 'all is not well'? We are, also, planting the seed in others minds 'that all is not well with us'. Since our minds create, that can be a powerful message.
The other side of complaining is that it is a call for love. But it is tricky. One time we hear a complaint, we may respond with love and compassion, another time, it can be off putting.
There is a lot to say on this subject and I don't want to focus on others complaints, as much as I want to focus on how my complaining affects me. Sometimes it can be just, the discharge of some negative energy off into the universe, but even then, there is an accusation in it. I know that if I get up in the Morning and complain about one little thing after another, Jamie will conclude I am crabby. How will that set up her mind for our relationship? Of course, if she mentions it, I will deny it and claim, I am just complaining to hear myself talk. Am I lying? Perhaps.
It seems, it is much the attitude as the fact. Sometime a complaint can be humorous and can add rather than detract. Other times, the same words can have a deadly effect, as someone takes the complaint to heart.
Part of paying attention to my complaints, is that I decide not to. Hey, this world is my creation. Why should I be criticizing a work in progress. I can't see where things are going with every brush stoke and chisel mark. I realize, I need to have a little faith, in this work of art, called my life; and it is turning out great.
I have been off and on giving up complaining. It is freeing. I need to be more consistent. Try it. I think it is best, to first pay attention to how much you do it. Then try giving it up for a day. See how it goes. Don't feel bad when you backslide. You will. Complaining has become addictive, for some of us, and we need to be gentle and loving in our process of giving it up. A sense of humor is invaluable.
If it works for you, as it works for me, you will feel lighter every time you pass up an opportunity to complain. You will judge yourself less and will be less inclined to judge others.
Did I mention, you will discover. you are happier?
Love and Peace, Gregg
Friday, April 10, 2015
WHO ARE WE? WHAT ARE WE?
The Sun is coming out! Where ever you are, the Sun may have been shining. The folks up here, in central Minnesota, haven't seen the Sun in a while. It may have been only a few days, but it seems like those gray skies were interminable. It is a great joy to see bright Sunlight streaming in my window.
I am posing the questions, in the title of my blog, not because I have an answer, but because I would like to have some idea. I suspect I won't find out everything I would like to know while I am still in this body. I think we all have a deep knowing of the truth. I believe it is the source of our intuition. The Great Ones, our teachers and mentors, have all pointed to the center of our being as the source for the truth. I have no way of testing this hypothesis, except to dive into my center with deep meditation; that is not likely to happen soon. Our egos do not want us to know, the truth of our being, as then they lose their lordly positions. In almost every spiritual and psychological exploration we find our ego blocking the path. If we are to learn we must first put our ego aside.
My intuition tells me I am energy. Certainly, my body, is energy. Science postulates that all matter is energy in form. My intuition, also tells me I am not a body. I call this my intuition; but I can't separate my intuition from the what I have learned from our Teachers. When we read something that rings of truth and we have an 'Aha' experience, it is like our intuition joins with what we are reading and we experience what seems like truth. Of course, we can't know anything for sure. Our residence in these bodies is not conducive to 'seeing'. There is a promise that we will begin to 'see' as we open up to the energy that surrounds us.
What seems to be true, is that we are one, part of Source. We are pure energy, as Source is pure energy. We cannot truly be separate from source except for an idea. Another way of putting it is, we are ideas in the mind of God. I am getting ahead of myself, but at this point I wonder; why would we or God allow Us to think we were separate? What would we be trying to learn. I have heard it postulated that Source [God] wanted to know itself by experimenting, what it would be like, to allow part of it self to have the illusion of separateness. There is something missing, there, for me.
Maybe it is easier to start from the other end, Us. Maybe rather than speculate what Source is, we should try to get a better picture of, who we are. It appears to me that we are pure immortal energy forming a body to experience existence at this physical density. I have always explained it, to myself, that we got so enamored, by the experience of separateness, that we lost touch with our Oneness and were then exploited by beings [fellow or not] who took advantage of our forgetfulness. They further encouraged our separateness by manipulating our egos and we became, what seemed to be hopelessly, locked into physicality and separation.
The Great Ones always taught us that we were part of Source and the way out of our dilemma, was to recognize we are Unconditional Love, as is Source. If we could only accept, that we were love, and start behaving that way, we would raise our vibration and we would 'see'. Many of us have embraced this idea, in some form or another, and we have truly raised the vibration of humanity. I believe we are heading in the right direction and are going to experience what paradise could be like on Earth.
However, how long will this journey take? Many folks can't move forward, spiritually, without the support of Science. Science has been locked into physicality, and reductionist thinking, has impaired the pathways to new learning. In the last fifty years, there have been breakthroughs in physics, that if followed up, could lead to the hypotheses that the soul exist. The soul would have to be energy. Energy, as we understand it is not destructible, perhaps eternal; this would open up science to new thinking parameters.
What are we? Well Energy. Who are we? That is the bigger question. I think we are way more than we can imagine, at this point, and I suspect our history is much more complex than our minds contemplate.
As we learn to love, we will learn everything else.
Happy Friday!
Love and Peace, Gregg
I am posing the questions, in the title of my blog, not because I have an answer, but because I would like to have some idea. I suspect I won't find out everything I would like to know while I am still in this body. I think we all have a deep knowing of the truth. I believe it is the source of our intuition. The Great Ones, our teachers and mentors, have all pointed to the center of our being as the source for the truth. I have no way of testing this hypothesis, except to dive into my center with deep meditation; that is not likely to happen soon. Our egos do not want us to know, the truth of our being, as then they lose their lordly positions. In almost every spiritual and psychological exploration we find our ego blocking the path. If we are to learn we must first put our ego aside.
My intuition tells me I am energy. Certainly, my body, is energy. Science postulates that all matter is energy in form. My intuition, also tells me I am not a body. I call this my intuition; but I can't separate my intuition from the what I have learned from our Teachers. When we read something that rings of truth and we have an 'Aha' experience, it is like our intuition joins with what we are reading and we experience what seems like truth. Of course, we can't know anything for sure. Our residence in these bodies is not conducive to 'seeing'. There is a promise that we will begin to 'see' as we open up to the energy that surrounds us.
What seems to be true, is that we are one, part of Source. We are pure energy, as Source is pure energy. We cannot truly be separate from source except for an idea. Another way of putting it is, we are ideas in the mind of God. I am getting ahead of myself, but at this point I wonder; why would we or God allow Us to think we were separate? What would we be trying to learn. I have heard it postulated that Source [God] wanted to know itself by experimenting, what it would be like, to allow part of it self to have the illusion of separateness. There is something missing, there, for me.
Maybe it is easier to start from the other end, Us. Maybe rather than speculate what Source is, we should try to get a better picture of, who we are. It appears to me that we are pure immortal energy forming a body to experience existence at this physical density. I have always explained it, to myself, that we got so enamored, by the experience of separateness, that we lost touch with our Oneness and were then exploited by beings [fellow or not] who took advantage of our forgetfulness. They further encouraged our separateness by manipulating our egos and we became, what seemed to be hopelessly, locked into physicality and separation.
The Great Ones always taught us that we were part of Source and the way out of our dilemma, was to recognize we are Unconditional Love, as is Source. If we could only accept, that we were love, and start behaving that way, we would raise our vibration and we would 'see'. Many of us have embraced this idea, in some form or another, and we have truly raised the vibration of humanity. I believe we are heading in the right direction and are going to experience what paradise could be like on Earth.
However, how long will this journey take? Many folks can't move forward, spiritually, without the support of Science. Science has been locked into physicality, and reductionist thinking, has impaired the pathways to new learning. In the last fifty years, there have been breakthroughs in physics, that if followed up, could lead to the hypotheses that the soul exist. The soul would have to be energy. Energy, as we understand it is not destructible, perhaps eternal; this would open up science to new thinking parameters.
What are we? Well Energy. Who are we? That is the bigger question. I think we are way more than we can imagine, at this point, and I suspect our history is much more complex than our minds contemplate.
As we learn to love, we will learn everything else.
Happy Friday!
Love and Peace, Gregg
Wednesday, April 8, 2015
WHERE DO WE START
The return of Wintry conditions has not been as bad as originally forecast. The snow that was on the ground Monday Morning was gone by noon. The sky has been gray, but all the promise of Spring is here. We have these periods, almost every year, where Spring backtracks and our patience is tested. It intensifies our longing for what is to come.
As I go through life an old insight keeps coming back to me. We know what we want. We want Love, Peace and Joy. Right! So where do we start? Of course, we know the answer, we have to start with ourselves.
I find that I need to remind myself of this. It is easy to have a negative feeling and blame it on someone else or something in the environment. Folks, especially those closest to us, are happy to cooperate, and reflect our internal state back to us. We are always, at least to some degree, looking in a mirror.
So, we want Paradise; have we been carrying it around inside us? I know I haven't been lately. We can't extend to others what we don't have. Every once in a while, I need to take a good look at myself. Hey, I haven't been a barrel of fun lately. Have I been peaceful- well momentarily. Have I been joyful- I haven't been exactly bubbling over. Have I been loving- well I hope so; but I see this and this about myself, hmmmm.
Does this sound familiar to any of you? What are we going to do? We have to face it. When we find ourselves carrying around a load of crap-we need to be honest- it is our crap! It doesn't belong to the person next to us; no matter how willing they are to reflect back to us. Yup, pointing fingers will just make it worse.
So, I have this insight again and again. I can't give love- I don't have. I can't give joy- I don't feel. I can't extend peace- I am not experiencing.
So, I come back to the place we all know. We need to begin with ourselves. I think the only place the word 'responsibility' has a place is- here. I am responsible for my thoughts and feelings. Making someone else responsible is the beginning of all agony.
Okay, we all know the solution is Love. Why am I not loving myself? Do I feel unworthy? Am I letting my ego drive the car? Sure, all of that.
We grew up in a culture that taught us that we were unworthy. I don't know if any of us escaped into adulthood thinking we were really 'all right'. We had many ways, of hiding from ourselves, that we felt unworthy. We threw ourselves into achievement, misused helpers, hid behind intellectualism; we could find many ways, of not facing, that we didn't love ourselves.
We can sort through all the things that helped create, this feeling of not being loved; going back to when we popped out of the womb. Every institution, every authority figure, every social group; they all had a hand in it, none of them felt worthy either.
This whole experience, this thing we think of as reality on this Earth, is an illusion created with fear. I [we] need to shuck it all. It is all a lie!
I am Worthy. I am Love. I don't need to be a garbage can for a frightened world. I[we] don't have to carry with us all the pain and negative teachings this world gave us.
Somewhere inside us, We Know. We know we are loved unconditionally. We know nothing else is possible.
Today I will be responsible. I will climb out of the garbage can and see nothing but love.
Love and Peace, Gregg
As I go through life an old insight keeps coming back to me. We know what we want. We want Love, Peace and Joy. Right! So where do we start? Of course, we know the answer, we have to start with ourselves.
I find that I need to remind myself of this. It is easy to have a negative feeling and blame it on someone else or something in the environment. Folks, especially those closest to us, are happy to cooperate, and reflect our internal state back to us. We are always, at least to some degree, looking in a mirror.
So, we want Paradise; have we been carrying it around inside us? I know I haven't been lately. We can't extend to others what we don't have. Every once in a while, I need to take a good look at myself. Hey, I haven't been a barrel of fun lately. Have I been peaceful- well momentarily. Have I been joyful- I haven't been exactly bubbling over. Have I been loving- well I hope so; but I see this and this about myself, hmmmm.
Does this sound familiar to any of you? What are we going to do? We have to face it. When we find ourselves carrying around a load of crap-we need to be honest- it is our crap! It doesn't belong to the person next to us; no matter how willing they are to reflect back to us. Yup, pointing fingers will just make it worse.
So, I have this insight again and again. I can't give love- I don't have. I can't give joy- I don't feel. I can't extend peace- I am not experiencing.
So, I come back to the place we all know. We need to begin with ourselves. I think the only place the word 'responsibility' has a place is- here. I am responsible for my thoughts and feelings. Making someone else responsible is the beginning of all agony.
Okay, we all know the solution is Love. Why am I not loving myself? Do I feel unworthy? Am I letting my ego drive the car? Sure, all of that.
We grew up in a culture that taught us that we were unworthy. I don't know if any of us escaped into adulthood thinking we were really 'all right'. We had many ways, of hiding from ourselves, that we felt unworthy. We threw ourselves into achievement, misused helpers, hid behind intellectualism; we could find many ways, of not facing, that we didn't love ourselves.
We can sort through all the things that helped create, this feeling of not being loved; going back to when we popped out of the womb. Every institution, every authority figure, every social group; they all had a hand in it, none of them felt worthy either.
This whole experience, this thing we think of as reality on this Earth, is an illusion created with fear. I [we] need to shuck it all. It is all a lie!
I am Worthy. I am Love. I don't need to be a garbage can for a frightened world. I[we] don't have to carry with us all the pain and negative teachings this world gave us.
Somewhere inside us, We Know. We know we are loved unconditionally. We know nothing else is possible.
Today I will be responsible. I will climb out of the garbage can and see nothing but love.
Love and Peace, Gregg
Monday, April 6, 2015
ACCEPTANCE, DETERMINATION AND SPONTANEITY
Well, Mother Nature is not quite finished with Winter and she couldn't help but present us with one more Wintry scene. When we got up this Morning, all we could see was white, gone was the green grass, the sprouting perennials were covered with some strange, white, cold stuff. The forecast promises snow all this week. Oh well, the Sun is high in the sky, the snow will melt, Spring will return next week.
Underneath, the veneer of the perception, created by the Main Stream Media, the world is rapidly changing. Peace is taking hold, despite the violent clamor the media presents to us.
The financial world is the first to experience, obvious, upheaval. The US dollar, long the dominate world currency, is losing its grip. The MSM is beginning to report the changes. Huge eruptions, behind the scenes, have been occurring for several years, they are now being reported outside internet sources. The Week magazine reported, in the April 3rd issue, that a Chinese bank, the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank [AIIB], will soon be handing out billions of dollars in development loans to fund roads, ports, water and sanitation systems, and telecom projects across Asia. Apparently, China has been trying to get other nations to join in this venture, but they have been reluctant, partly because of pressure from United States. Recently the U.K., France, Italy and Germany all agreed to become funding shareholders in the AIIB The source of this information was Paul Taylor and William James in Reuters.com and Gideon Rachman in the Financial Times.
There is definitely a shift in financial power from West to East and if the AIIB gains traction, the World Bank and the IMF will lose dominance. There is much information, and different interpretations, about the significance of this event. The curious reader will have no difficulty finding out more about it. My interpretation is that, it is the beginning of the end, of the Anglo/American stranglehold on World finance. I believe the existing structure will collapse and a saner system, based on service and not exploitation, will emerge.
The above is just a small sample of the changes, that are happening beneath the surface, because of Our {Humankind's} determination to have a loving world. Collectively, we made a decision, some years ago, to have no more of the old world of violence, aggression, competitiveness, and dominance by power and money. By simply refusing to go along with the old craziness, we are changing the world. Where war was before, we project peace. Where we saw anger and pain, we offer comfort and forgiveness. We see, regardless of the human problem, love is the solution.
What does that mean for the individual? How can we help? How can we create sanity in our own lives? I have listed Acceptance, Determination and Spontaneity in the title of this blog. I could have added The Dream. We create by formulating a picture of what we want. We can dream of a world where every one is equal and equally loved and appreciated. A world of plenty and all live, to serve each other, as well as self. Everyone is free to express their talents and develop their gifts. We all know ourselves, as part of Mother Earth, as well One with the Source of all creation.
We have big dreams for all of Humanity and a singular dream for ourselves. We need these dreams and we need to dream big.
We get discouraged by disappointment in our personal lives and the continual horror that inundates from the MSM. With all the violence and negative intrigue it is hard to believe a World of Love could exist. Yet, in our quiet moments, we know that a loving world awaits us. We know that is what we want. We know, all we want, is love, peace, and joy. We know if we hold unto our dream it has to happen.
Ahhhhh- yes, we can will it into being, but we can't force it. We cannot create using control. Control never really works and it certainly cannot work in the creation of the new world.
DETERMINATION: We need to hang unto our determination, no matter what dark patches we find ourselves traveling through. No matter what we may be experiencing, at the time, we can reinforce our thinking, that Love is always the only solution. Discouragement, and invitations to depression, will happen but we can resist them. We can learn to switch our minds to loving thoughts, even when at times, we may need to do it continually.
ACCEPTANCE: It is pointless to struggle against what we have no control over. We have control over how we feel and think, although, we often, don't want to accept that. Regardless of the situation, there is some degree of acceptance that has to happen, before change can take place. In our heart we do know. An example in my own life: I enjoy being eighty and I was looking forward to it. However, in the last few weeks, I have been missing what I could do when I was thirty, things I can't do now. Some of the things, I didn't particularly want to do then, either. Fences need fixing. New fences need to be built. Work needs doing, that requires a body, that is willing to comply. I have been accepting my age right along, but suddenly it occurs to me that this aging is permanent. In accepting what is-is peace.
SPONTANEITY: This is one of the most freeing, but difficult things to learn. In the the existing [passing] world we learned that we had to control everything. We needed to make plans and have goals and steps. That was true and it is true now. We didn't realize, however, that the steps and mini-goals flowed naturally from the dream. Things didn't turn out if we attempted to be purely intellectual about it. We were and are successful, when we keep our minds on the goal and let the steps occur to us. Creation is spontaneous, it comes from Source via the Heart. The intellect can shape, fashion and encourage, it cannot originate. We need to hang on to our dream; the method of reaching it will occur naturally.
Thank you for listening to me. Happy Monday!
Love and Peace, Gregg
Underneath, the veneer of the perception, created by the Main Stream Media, the world is rapidly changing. Peace is taking hold, despite the violent clamor the media presents to us.
The financial world is the first to experience, obvious, upheaval. The US dollar, long the dominate world currency, is losing its grip. The MSM is beginning to report the changes. Huge eruptions, behind the scenes, have been occurring for several years, they are now being reported outside internet sources. The Week magazine reported, in the April 3rd issue, that a Chinese bank, the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank [AIIB], will soon be handing out billions of dollars in development loans to fund roads, ports, water and sanitation systems, and telecom projects across Asia. Apparently, China has been trying to get other nations to join in this venture, but they have been reluctant, partly because of pressure from United States. Recently the U.K., France, Italy and Germany all agreed to become funding shareholders in the AIIB The source of this information was Paul Taylor and William James in Reuters.com and Gideon Rachman in the Financial Times.
There is definitely a shift in financial power from West to East and if the AIIB gains traction, the World Bank and the IMF will lose dominance. There is much information, and different interpretations, about the significance of this event. The curious reader will have no difficulty finding out more about it. My interpretation is that, it is the beginning of the end, of the Anglo/American stranglehold on World finance. I believe the existing structure will collapse and a saner system, based on service and not exploitation, will emerge.
The above is just a small sample of the changes, that are happening beneath the surface, because of Our {Humankind's} determination to have a loving world. Collectively, we made a decision, some years ago, to have no more of the old world of violence, aggression, competitiveness, and dominance by power and money. By simply refusing to go along with the old craziness, we are changing the world. Where war was before, we project peace. Where we saw anger and pain, we offer comfort and forgiveness. We see, regardless of the human problem, love is the solution.
What does that mean for the individual? How can we help? How can we create sanity in our own lives? I have listed Acceptance, Determination and Spontaneity in the title of this blog. I could have added The Dream. We create by formulating a picture of what we want. We can dream of a world where every one is equal and equally loved and appreciated. A world of plenty and all live, to serve each other, as well as self. Everyone is free to express their talents and develop their gifts. We all know ourselves, as part of Mother Earth, as well One with the Source of all creation.
We have big dreams for all of Humanity and a singular dream for ourselves. We need these dreams and we need to dream big.
We get discouraged by disappointment in our personal lives and the continual horror that inundates from the MSM. With all the violence and negative intrigue it is hard to believe a World of Love could exist. Yet, in our quiet moments, we know that a loving world awaits us. We know that is what we want. We know, all we want, is love, peace, and joy. We know if we hold unto our dream it has to happen.
Ahhhhh- yes, we can will it into being, but we can't force it. We cannot create using control. Control never really works and it certainly cannot work in the creation of the new world.
DETERMINATION: We need to hang unto our determination, no matter what dark patches we find ourselves traveling through. No matter what we may be experiencing, at the time, we can reinforce our thinking, that Love is always the only solution. Discouragement, and invitations to depression, will happen but we can resist them. We can learn to switch our minds to loving thoughts, even when at times, we may need to do it continually.
ACCEPTANCE: It is pointless to struggle against what we have no control over. We have control over how we feel and think, although, we often, don't want to accept that. Regardless of the situation, there is some degree of acceptance that has to happen, before change can take place. In our heart we do know. An example in my own life: I enjoy being eighty and I was looking forward to it. However, in the last few weeks, I have been missing what I could do when I was thirty, things I can't do now. Some of the things, I didn't particularly want to do then, either. Fences need fixing. New fences need to be built. Work needs doing, that requires a body, that is willing to comply. I have been accepting my age right along, but suddenly it occurs to me that this aging is permanent. In accepting what is-is peace.
SPONTANEITY: This is one of the most freeing, but difficult things to learn. In the the existing [passing] world we learned that we had to control everything. We needed to make plans and have goals and steps. That was true and it is true now. We didn't realize, however, that the steps and mini-goals flowed naturally from the dream. Things didn't turn out if we attempted to be purely intellectual about it. We were and are successful, when we keep our minds on the goal and let the steps occur to us. Creation is spontaneous, it comes from Source via the Heart. The intellect can shape, fashion and encourage, it cannot originate. We need to hang on to our dream; the method of reaching it will occur naturally.
Thank you for listening to me. Happy Monday!
Love and Peace, Gregg
Friday, April 3, 2015
GOOD FRIDAY
Even in the depth of my Catholicism {which lasted until I was thirteen} I did not give Good Friday much thought. I remember the ceremony of the Stations of the Cross, but I don't remember any anguish about the crucifixion. I am sure I had some thought about it and I must have imagined what it was like; but largely, I remember, it was coming close to the end of fasting and abstinence for the big people and the cranking up for the Easter celebration. I was thirteen in 1948 and I think the Catholic population was giving up much serious fasting in Lent. I am not sure because I quit taking religion seriously, at least intellectually, when I was about thirteen. Emotionally, the indoctrination probably still lingers.
By Good Friday, the smiles were big, in my large Catholic family. Lent was about over. The Easter Bunny was coming in a few days and a big celebration was in the offing. The early Christian church, was quite sly, in using traditional pagan holidays, for which, to supplant with their own holidays. As far back as we can trace, folks have celebrated the change of seasons with gusto. The weather has been cooperating this year; Spring is definitely in the air.
There was a lot preparation for Easter when I was young. On Good Friday evening, the adults [those that didn't believe in the Easter Bunny] would gather at my Grandma's and make Easter eggs. We would wrap the raw egg in a cloth lined with onion skins and bits of colored cloth or paper, anything that would fade, felt worked the best. The egg would be tied up making sure that the onion skins and colored bits made good contact with the shell. Six or seven dozen of these little bundles would be placed in a large pot and simmered for several minutes. Unwrapping these gems was a privilege when we were old enough. We still use this method of egg coloring and it is still a thrill to see how they turn out. The resulting egg can be amazingly and exquisitely patterned and colored.
Candy making was also a major activity. Our family made divinity eggs. We made divinity shaped into eggs and dipped in bitter chocolate. It was quite a skill to have it all turn out right. I remember, especially, the dropping of the hot syrup in cold water to see if it would form the appropriate ball. If it was cooked to long it 'crackled' and the divinity would be hard or tough. If it balled up just right the divinity was soft but firm enough to form a good egg and it was tender when eaten. The resulting chocolate covered eggs were delicious. I think that art has been lost in the extended family.
The children, in my family of origin, believed in the Easter Bunny long after the neighbor kids gave it up. When we did discover the truth, the first thing we wanted to know was, "How did those Easter eggs get made?" The neighbor kids had boring dyed eggs, perhaps quite pretty, but nothing like the ones we had.
In the present day, Laughing Water Farm household, Elijah has been bouncing around like a coiled spring. He got up this Morning, shortly after six, and for the first two hours, was really energetic. His cousin Gregory [Noah's son] is flying in from California this afternoon. Elijah is just a little excited.
Gregory's birthday is April 19th but we are going to celebrate it tomorrow. Greg will be flying back to California before his birth date [he will be eleven]. Tomorrow we will have a combination Birthday/Easter party. We will invite the Easter Bunny to come tonight, rather than Saturday night. That means that Grandpa will be creating magical eggs tonight.
There is always a warm glow on the Earth this time of year. Love is very intense right now. Pause to feel it. That's it, just relax. Let the Love flow through.
Have a Great Easter everybody!
Love and Peace, Gregg
By Good Friday, the smiles were big, in my large Catholic family. Lent was about over. The Easter Bunny was coming in a few days and a big celebration was in the offing. The early Christian church, was quite sly, in using traditional pagan holidays, for which, to supplant with their own holidays. As far back as we can trace, folks have celebrated the change of seasons with gusto. The weather has been cooperating this year; Spring is definitely in the air.
There was a lot preparation for Easter when I was young. On Good Friday evening, the adults [those that didn't believe in the Easter Bunny] would gather at my Grandma's and make Easter eggs. We would wrap the raw egg in a cloth lined with onion skins and bits of colored cloth or paper, anything that would fade, felt worked the best. The egg would be tied up making sure that the onion skins and colored bits made good contact with the shell. Six or seven dozen of these little bundles would be placed in a large pot and simmered for several minutes. Unwrapping these gems was a privilege when we were old enough. We still use this method of egg coloring and it is still a thrill to see how they turn out. The resulting egg can be amazingly and exquisitely patterned and colored.
Candy making was also a major activity. Our family made divinity eggs. We made divinity shaped into eggs and dipped in bitter chocolate. It was quite a skill to have it all turn out right. I remember, especially, the dropping of the hot syrup in cold water to see if it would form the appropriate ball. If it was cooked to long it 'crackled' and the divinity would be hard or tough. If it balled up just right the divinity was soft but firm enough to form a good egg and it was tender when eaten. The resulting chocolate covered eggs were delicious. I think that art has been lost in the extended family.
The children, in my family of origin, believed in the Easter Bunny long after the neighbor kids gave it up. When we did discover the truth, the first thing we wanted to know was, "How did those Easter eggs get made?" The neighbor kids had boring dyed eggs, perhaps quite pretty, but nothing like the ones we had.
In the present day, Laughing Water Farm household, Elijah has been bouncing around like a coiled spring. He got up this Morning, shortly after six, and for the first two hours, was really energetic. His cousin Gregory [Noah's son] is flying in from California this afternoon. Elijah is just a little excited.
Gregory's birthday is April 19th but we are going to celebrate it tomorrow. Greg will be flying back to California before his birth date [he will be eleven]. Tomorrow we will have a combination Birthday/Easter party. We will invite the Easter Bunny to come tonight, rather than Saturday night. That means that Grandpa will be creating magical eggs tonight.
There is always a warm glow on the Earth this time of year. Love is very intense right now. Pause to feel it. That's it, just relax. Let the Love flow through.
Have a Great Easter everybody!
Love and Peace, Gregg
Wednesday, April 1, 2015
APRIL FOOLS DAY
It is 51.9 F and it is supposed to reach 70 today. Last year, on this date, we awoke to almost a foot of new snow, on top of five inches we already had. That was Mother Nature's April Fools joke. I guess that is why this part of the world is dubbed the Theater of Seasons. By all statistics we have had a fairly easy Winter; much nicer than last year. Yet, it came early and seemed to last and last, but, here it is April 1st and it seems to be over. The trees are budding, the birds are coming back, the Earth is awakening.
On Monday, I wrote about the Hegelian Dialectic. We might look how this has been used in a few more cases. Exploiting folks health concerns seems to be a major use of this tool. I don't know what Ansel Keys thought about, after he came out with his hypothesis about diet and cholesterol; but the flurry in which this untested hypothesis became 'truth' in the words of those who could make money on cholesterol lowering drugs, was phenomenal. There was a huge campaign to scare people into believing they were going to die young from a heart attack if they didn't get on drugs and change their diet. People forgot what their parents and grandparents ate. They didn't stop to notice that the heart disease, being talked about, was of fairly recent origin. Billions of dollars were made by the drug companies treating a phantom disease. It has, only, recently been shown that this hypothesis was not proven and there may be no relationship between eating saturated fats [butter, egg yolk etc.] and blood cholesterol. Once we believe something, it becomes like a religious truth, it is hard to give up. The health care and food industry are still making millions on this false claim.
The same thing occurred with blood pressure. Certainly high blood pressure can be a serious problem; but once drugs were found that may lower blood pressure, the standard, for what was an acceptable blood pressure, changed overnight. The same method for scaring people into a pharmaceutical solution was used. Millions of people spent a great deal of money on dubious drugs. The medical establishment largely ignored behavioral avenues which were known to reduce blood pressure.
There are many more examples in the health care industry. I am sure you can think of some. I think where the Hegelian Dialectic is used the most effectively is in politics. Folks running for office, all over the country, attempt to raise a concern, where none really exist, whether it be terrorism, crime, immigration etc. They get people riled up and of course the solution is their election. Once they are elected they generally forget the 'fear' they used so effectively; in fact, it may not come up again, until it is re-election time.
When this tool is used to get elected it is bad enough; when it used to cheat people of their Social Security, destroy the Postal Service, deprive us of our rights, wage war, imprison us for minor offenses, limit our freedom or rob us of privacy it is another thing. All this is being done, and more, using this method of manipulation.
Fortunately, we are waking up. We are realizing that fear, as a motivator for doing anything, is suspect. The war on terror is waning, despite all the hoopla in the media. We have learned to see who benefits by these so-called terror attacks. It is never the people who are accused of doing them. Who gains wealth and power by exploiting these events?
We are learning to recognize when fear is used to manipulate us. We are learning to reject all invitations to fear. As we give up fear, we make room for love. All of our decisions can be made with love. What will our world be like then?
Let us celebrate April Fools Day by promising ourselves we won't be fooled by being made, to be afraid, again.
Love and Peace, Gregg
On Monday, I wrote about the Hegelian Dialectic. We might look how this has been used in a few more cases. Exploiting folks health concerns seems to be a major use of this tool. I don't know what Ansel Keys thought about, after he came out with his hypothesis about diet and cholesterol; but the flurry in which this untested hypothesis became 'truth' in the words of those who could make money on cholesterol lowering drugs, was phenomenal. There was a huge campaign to scare people into believing they were going to die young from a heart attack if they didn't get on drugs and change their diet. People forgot what their parents and grandparents ate. They didn't stop to notice that the heart disease, being talked about, was of fairly recent origin. Billions of dollars were made by the drug companies treating a phantom disease. It has, only, recently been shown that this hypothesis was not proven and there may be no relationship between eating saturated fats [butter, egg yolk etc.] and blood cholesterol. Once we believe something, it becomes like a religious truth, it is hard to give up. The health care and food industry are still making millions on this false claim.
The same thing occurred with blood pressure. Certainly high blood pressure can be a serious problem; but once drugs were found that may lower blood pressure, the standard, for what was an acceptable blood pressure, changed overnight. The same method for scaring people into a pharmaceutical solution was used. Millions of people spent a great deal of money on dubious drugs. The medical establishment largely ignored behavioral avenues which were known to reduce blood pressure.
There are many more examples in the health care industry. I am sure you can think of some. I think where the Hegelian Dialectic is used the most effectively is in politics. Folks running for office, all over the country, attempt to raise a concern, where none really exist, whether it be terrorism, crime, immigration etc. They get people riled up and of course the solution is their election. Once they are elected they generally forget the 'fear' they used so effectively; in fact, it may not come up again, until it is re-election time.
When this tool is used to get elected it is bad enough; when it used to cheat people of their Social Security, destroy the Postal Service, deprive us of our rights, wage war, imprison us for minor offenses, limit our freedom or rob us of privacy it is another thing. All this is being done, and more, using this method of manipulation.
Fortunately, we are waking up. We are realizing that fear, as a motivator for doing anything, is suspect. The war on terror is waning, despite all the hoopla in the media. We have learned to see who benefits by these so-called terror attacks. It is never the people who are accused of doing them. Who gains wealth and power by exploiting these events?
We are learning to recognize when fear is used to manipulate us. We are learning to reject all invitations to fear. As we give up fear, we make room for love. All of our decisions can be made with love. What will our world be like then?
Let us celebrate April Fools Day by promising ourselves we won't be fooled by being made, to be afraid, again.
Love and Peace, Gregg
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