CONSCIOUS AWARENESS

Robert Fludd, Utriusque cosmi maioris scilicet et minoris […] historia, tomus II (1619), tractatus I, sectio I, liber X, De triplici animae in corpore visione.

As I am writing this posting I realize there is the me who writes, who thinks, and the me who observes this all. Who am I? In one of his movies, the comedian W.C. Fields walks into a bank and up to the teller's window. The teller asks, "Can you identify yourself?" Field says " Of course. Do you have a mirror?" When presented one, Fields immediately states, "Yup, that's me!” (From The Big Questions, by Lama Surya Das)

Who am I? I am not my story, my story only contains: experiences, interpretations, and perceptions. My ego, my thoughts, and believes tell the story of the life that I (seem) to have, not the life that I am.

Most people live a happy life without ever becoming fully aware of who they are at the deepest possible level. They might during challenging times wonder for a moment: "Why is this happening to me?" In that moment they experience that there is a "me" that observes themselves...

"Who looks outside, dreams. Who looks inside, awakes" Carl Jung
Not until I started to meditate, I received glimpses of 'my own me' and what this does besides making me feel incredibly peaceful, it roots you deeper and more intense into your being and the journey we call life.

Be well, Mo

DO PLANTS FEEL?

A friend of mine mentioned this phenomena during his talk radio show recently. He told the story of an experiment they did during his preschool years (mid 50's). All the children received a plant on their desk to take care of. One plant remained in an open box on top of a cabinet. It received water but no other attention. Guess which plants flourished and which one did not?

Cleve Baxter, a polygraph scientist who did the controversial experiment with plants and animal cells. In the 60s, he decided to attach his polygraph electrodes to the now-famous dracaena in his office, then water the plant and see if the leaves responded. The plant indeed reacted to this event, so he decided to see what would happen if he threatened it, and formed in his mind the idea of lighting a match to the leaf where the electrodes were attached.

And that was when something happened that forever changed Baxter's life. For the plant didn't wait for him to light the match. It reacted to his thoughts! Through further research, Baxter found that it was his intent, and not merely the thought itself, that brought about this reaction.

He also discovered that plants were aware of each other, mourned the death of anything, strongly disliked people who killed plants carelessly or even during scientific research, and fondly remembered and extended their energy out to the people who had grown and tended them, even when their "friends" were far away in both time and space.

In fact, he found, plants can react "in the moment" to events taking place thousands of miles away. And not only are they psychic, they also are prophetic, anticipating negative and positive events, including weather.

His intend brought a reaction...what a great example of how we manifest our life, by our thoughts and intentions...

Thoughts become things, choose them wisely.

P.S. I do not believe that we attract things like violence and natural disasters, but they could be part of our personal blueprint, encouraging us to grow and become stronger.

Be well, MO

MODERN TIMES

Not long ago I designed a T-shirt with the text: "NO I AM NOT ON FACEBOOK" and on the back: "I AM HERE NOW". I did not see why I would be on "Wastebook". Well, today this T-shirt became a collectors item since I am not only on Facebook but also Twittering away every day! Contributing some meaningful content in this age of continuous mindless chatter is what drives me...

In case you are wondering about this lizard...her name is Bo and all she can say is "BOO!" I'll explain more about the story of the "Wizard versus Lizard" from Steering by Starlight by Martha Beck on my book blog "WORDS WANTED".

A GUIDE FOR FEARLESSNESS IN DIFFICULT TIMES

I have this posting on my book blog, but since not everybody reads all my blogs I will post it here as well. A few months ago I promised myself to do at least one scary thing every week. When I found "The Places That Scare You" I thought this book could be part of this promise. The subtitle: "A guide to Fearlessness in Difficult Times" became the missing dot on the "i" I had been looking for. Most people have a hard time these days, I lost my job in June of this year and there are no more savings left. My husband had been unemployed for almost a year as well and we lost our house in foreclosure, we had our piece of this sour, overcooked, bad economy pie.

What I've learned (and became more aware of) from Pema Chödrön is that you still have a choice. You can let the circumstances harden you, upset you, make you bitter, resentful and afraid, but you can also use it (welcome it!) as a tool to grow and become stronger. Until now, I've always had a hard time to grasp the concept that we are one, I just could not "believe" that I am part of others and they are part of me, certainly not the extreme figures that terrorize our planet.

But when she describes the process of training in the three difficulties (part of the "lojong slogans") she hit a string in me that was never touched before: "...we could recognize that there are millions who are feeling the way we are..." I "know" now I am part of all because what I can feel and think is what others can feel and think. I wish for myself to be free of confusion and limiting habitual reactions.

Recognizing my own confusion with compassion makes it possible to extend that compassion to others who are equally confused. The practice of Bodhichitta (Chitta means 'mind' and also 'heart' or 'attitude'. Bodhi means 'awake', enlightened' or completely open'.) provides us all with tremendous insight, clarity, and peace. "Even at times when we feel most stuck, we are never alienated from the awakened state." Buddha

"Those who train in awakening unconditional and relative bdhichitta are called bodhisattvas or warriors (nonagressive), these are men and women who are willing to train in the middle of the fire. Training in the middle of fire can mean that warrior bodhisattvas enter challenging situations in order to alleviate suffering." This connects directly to an aspect that Martha Beck describes in her book "Steering by Starlight", she calls it the ring of fire. In order to free yourself from limiting beliefs, emotions, and experiences you have to face them and lean into the fear (fire).

A few weeks ago I hit rock bottom. Jobless, moneyless, a crashed computer and then I got sick.
Really, this was the very last drop…
And I am grateful to have reached that moment!
What, you might ask? Are you nuts or totally out of your mind?
Out of a certain mindset is a better way of describing it. I faced it, felt the fear, went into the fire and now I feel free.

"In joy and sorrow all are equal,
Thus be guardian of all, as of yourself."
Shantideva

All is well, MO

WHAT WAS I THINKING????

Research has shown that we have between 45,000 and 51,000 thoughts a day.
That is about 150 to 300 thoughts a minute.
Research has also shown that 80% of those thoughts are negative.
It gets worse. Whatever you are thinking about, 90% gets carried over to the next day's 51,000 thoughts.

Think about this for a minute...

Which thoughts are worth thinking?

"Thoughts are free and subject to no rule. On them rests the freedom of man, and they tower above the light of nature...create a new heaven, a new firmament, a new source of energy from which new arts flow."
Paracelsus (1493-1541)


At first becoming aware of your thoughts can be a scary experience, especially when realizing that thought precedes reality.
Or as Mike Dooley says: "Thoughts become Things". Or the warning we all heard before: " be careful of what you think, because that is what you'll get".

Let me go back to December 2008 when a good friend suggested to me to read "The Jackrabbit Factor" by Leslie Householder. I printed this e-book edition and forgot about it until 2 weeks ago when this same friend suggested watching this video, a presentation by Leslie called "The Stickman video". My eyes were glued to my computer screen for over 80 minutes and when she mentioned her book called (you guessed it): "The Jackrabbit Factor" a little bell was ringing in the back of my mind. I searched for it and wanted to print this book, but my printer didn't work. When I looked at the cover again I realized I had printed this before and within minutes I found it, buried in a pile of e-books.

In this story Leslie describes a man "who wanted to give up on a dream, but decided to take one more step." This beautiful story takes you on a journey about thought and how it shapes your reality. This book contains powerful knowledge and I can see now that a year ago I was not ready to digest this. This is also referred to as the "gestation period" most things on this planet experience this gestation (without even thinking about it). When the time (or thought) is right...

I thought I was aware of most of my thoughts, but now that "I" am monitoring them closely I see certain patterns and a relation between my thoughts and beliefs and I can imagine how this reflects in my subconscious. The scare has turned into acceptance of my own reality and inspiration. I can think new thoughts and be more involved/empowered in the creation of my own reality.

"Great men are they who see that spiritual thought is stronger than any material force, that thoughts rule the world."
Ralph Waldo Emerson
Progress of Culture

No problem can withstand the assault of sustained thinking. ~Voltaire

One more food for thought:

Invest a few moments in thinking. It will pay good interest. ~Author Unknown

You are in my thoughts,

Love, Mo

PS: After I posted this blog I went to pick up my daughter from school, as I walked to my car I saw my only bumper sticker I bought a few months ago, it says: "Don't believe everything you think"...

INFINITE POSSIBILITIES?

A few years ago Mike contacted me because he wanted to use one of my leaf pictures on the cover of his book 'Totally Unique Thoughts: Reminders of Life's Everyday Magic'.

Later I assisted during one of his workshops here in DC, working with Mike is an intense and very rewarding experience I am very grateful for. When I found out he is realeasing his new book Infinite Possibilities: The Art of Living Your Dreams I really wanted to share it with my readers. Below is a small description of this gem.

A profound exploration into the mysteries of the Universe. Infinite Possibilities is bestselling author Mike Dooley’s manifesto, revealing that we are literally the eyes and the ears of the Divine. He enlightens that our dreams are not accidental but serve rather as invitations to understand the truth about ourselves, hinting at the lives we can create. Dooley shares that our “default settings” are abundance, health, and harmony, and he explains that once we grasp the truth about our heritage, thinking far beyond what spirituality has traditionally meant, it becomes evident that life, itself, is the ultimate adventure—filled with unending opportunities that day-by-day lead us to rediscover how powerful we are, how much we deserve, and why we’re here. With recognizable insight, lighthearted wit, and striking sincerity, this new work by the much-celebrated author elevates the lessons learned in The Secret, Choose Them Wisely and his Notes from the Universe trilogy to a whole new level. Prepare to be challenged and excited with this unique guide to living the life of your dreams—purposefully, lovingly, brilliantly.

XOMO

SUMMER-SUUSI-SUSHI

Yes it has been quite a while, yet according to recent studies time remains a paradox in Relativity...

A month ago I received some extra time, at least 40 hours a week, when I was laid off unexpectedly (but carefully timed by management). Due to "re-structuring" of my department there was no longer a need for me. Very awkward if you think of the fact that I'd spent a good amount of time working on proposals to generate more business (successfully).

This out of the blue (company made a profit and I had recently received a raise) decision made me go through a range of emotions, from being very mad to very sad. As time passed by I started to feel a sense of relief though, maybe this is a blessing in disguise, maybe this will move me towards a purpose more close to who I really am?

It's time to move on! Past week I spent a lot of time with about 1000 like minded people at SUUSI (not the Japanese Sushi, but the Southeast Unitarian Universalist Summer Institute) and thanks to them I can be grateful for having the opportunity to explore new work opportunities and I am inspired to engage in activities that really make a difference.

Events in our lives happen in a sequence in time, but in their significance to ourselves they find their own order the continuous thread of revelation.
Eudora Welty

Namaste, MO