Living In Choice

New Beginnings 2012

2012-01-28T08:49:00.000-08:00

The long awaited year of 2012 is here, finally. Let me start by saying if you haven't seen the youtube video 2012 The Year of Power, please take time to view it. It is so great. You can check it out at the top of this page. We have started out this year with Sun Spot activity creating a display of Aurora Borealis light show in some northern states, Canada, and Alaska. Is this an indication of the fire works that are to follow throughout the year? It is also interesting that 2012 is a Presidential election year. I don't know about you, but it is really easy to listen to the candidates and hear the "bullshit" meter go off. It is easy to see who is sincerely interested in serving the country and who is in it for their own agendas. Have you seen anyone of them interested in the job to be of service to the country and its best interests? It seems to me the most honest is Ron Paul. Not that I am endorsing anyone, I am not!

So, what does The Year of Power mean? This is my take: It is a time to hold oneself accountable for what you are creating. We have learned over the last 12 years or so that we cannot count on the "Systems" in place to have our best interests at heart. Right! So, given that, we must now- each of us- decide what we want to create both in our inner world and our outer world. We must take stock of what we value in every area of our lives and give our energy to supporting, nurturing, and fostering the expansion of each of those areas. It may be as simple as deciding to change the way you eat, or the way you spend your dollars. But, it may also be as important as how you spend your work hours and where. Simplifying your life by down-sizing your home or moving from the city into rural areas where you can grown your own food, raise your own beef, etc. or go vegetarian. There are as many ways to find your own power and operate from it as there are ideas and people. That is the excitement and the fun of it.

If you stop counting on the government to provide you with healthcare, retirement, regulation of this and that, then you can decide for yourself all those choices. And as you stop relying on the government to look out for you, then you get to create a life of your own choosing. It puts you in the drivers seat and cuts down on the stress that comes from wondering if you will have social security or medicare when you get to that age. It may also make a difference in how you spend your money and what you are willing to pay for things like health care. Healthcare in these United States is ranked about 12th after countries like Canada, U.K., Switzerland, Germany, etc. So, the hype that we have the best healthcare in the world is just propaganda.

Is that important? It is if your expectation is otherwise. We must also come to the realization that our medical, educational, financial, and legal systems are all broken. Accepting that rather than wanting them to be different or blaming them for not being what we thought they should be frees us up to change our focus and put it on what we want instead of what we don't want. If we stop feeding the systems by participating in them they will die of lack of use. We do have a choice in all this, but to exercise the choice we must accept the "what is as is."

Living in Choice can only happen when you accept the facts of where you are and take action from that place. Spending time complaining about it or blaming others for your lot is a waste of time and energy and only causes pain and suffering.

Take a long hard look at where you are and discover the facts so you can begin to make real changes in your life for the better. That will be the power of 2012.

What Now?

2011-11-07T08:17:00.000-08:00

October 28th has come and gone and with it the culmination of the Mayan Prophetic Calendar which some say records the long history of the evolution of consciousness. But what does that have to do with us?, You might query. When examined through the lens of long spans of time coupled with the experience along the way, we begin to see patterns developing regarding human behaviors. From geographical movement to communication styles. We can see the effects of population growth (we just passed the 7 billionth human mark on the planet) and by looking at this long history, perhaps we can glean some clues concerning how to deal with the many crises facing humanity today.

Bernard Lietaer in The Future of Money explores four current "megatrend pistons" dramatically driving our futures.

The first of these is what he calls the "Age Wave." Lietaer sites advances in "hygiene, nutrition, lifestyle and medicine" resulting in people living longer. He says, "In the developed world, life expectancy has now risen to 80 years for women, and to 76 years for men. One remarkable consequence is that two out of three of all human beings who have ever reached the age of 65 are alive today." Interestingly enough prolonged life beyond 65 has presented a major financial issue. That issue is how are we going to provide for those who live beyond that age? Since, back in the day, pensions and retirement were based on age 65 since at that time very few people lived beyond that, so the system was not set up to include huge numbers of people needing to rely on retirement, Social Security, or other systems to assist them through the later years of life beyond 65. Estimates are that by 2030 one out of four people will be 65 or older. He says, "This unprecedented 'Age Wave' will transform the economics and politics of the world. One expert's opinion is that 'Global ageing will become not just the transcendent economic issue of the 21st century, but the transcendent political issue as well."

The second of these is "Information revolution." It is obvious that the incredible advancements in technology is at least in part responsible for loss of jobs. This means that workers who once unloaded products from a train car, truck or ship, now replaced by an electronically driven 'robot' now have to be retrained for another kind of job. The majority of jobs are now in the IT sector. Laborers are not the only workers who are being replaced. Bank tellers are being replaced by ATM's and the ease of taking care of banking business over the internet. Jobs once held by clerks in mercantile stores are no longer necessary because of internet purchasing. Wholesalers are being replaced, warehouses once needed to store product waiting to be shipped to local stores are in many cases no longer needed because consumers order, not from a local store, but from the internet so produce is shipped from the originating manufacturer.

Once you begin to think about the changes in how we shop, the ways in which we spend our money, it is mind blowing how many jobs and businesses we once took for granted are no longer needed. Home phones and pagers for example.

Which begs the question posed by Lietear, "How can we provide a living to additional billions of people when our technologies make jobless growth a clear possibility?"

The third of these is "Climate change and biodiversity extinction"

In Gregg Braden's newest book Deep Truth, the research he shares indicates that while humans are in part responsibile for the warming of the planet, earth warming and cooling cycles is the main cause of the climate changes we are currently experiencing. This changes the way scientists and environmentalists think about meeting the challenge of what we have no control over - the natural earth cycles of warming and cooling. How do we meet that challenge and how did those who came before us meet that challenge.

As a result of global warming/cooling we have seen an increase in natural disasters. Everyone remembers vividly the "Katrina" debacle. Since then we have had devastating earthquakes, tsunami's, hurricanes, droughts, and tornadoes. These natural disasters have cost us in untold monetary losses, lives, property, and health.

Lietaer quotes two Nobel Prize winning economists, James Tobin and John Harsanyi: "Global climate change is a 'real and pressing danger', carrying with it significant environmental, economic, social and geopolitical risks." Lietaer shares a number of facts regarding climate change, but this one jumped out at me: "The following public Warning to humanity was unanimously agreed by 1,600 scientist, including a majority of the living Nobel Prize winners in the sciences: "A great change in stewardship of the Earth and the life on it is required, if vast human misery is to be avoided and our global home on this planet is not to be irretrievably mutilated...If not checked, many of our current practices may so put at serious risk the future that we wish for human society and the plant and animal kingdoms, and may so alter the living world, that it will be unable to sustain life in the manner that we know. Fundamental changes are urgent if we are to avoid the collision our present course will bring about."

He poses this question: "How can we resolve the conflict between short-term financial interests and long-term sustainability?"

The fourth of these is "Monetary Instability." We are all aware of this trend. Most of us are clueless regarding understanding money, how it is created, who is in charge of the monetary system, and how it is regulated or is it? Lietaer states that "Money is modern society's central information system, akin to the nervous system in our own bodies." This is no small statement and more than ever in any previous human history is it imperative that all of us understand this informational system called money.

The informational age has exploded on the 21st century rapidly changing how information (money included) is exchanged. Information is perhaps the only commodity that is infinitely reproducible. A book is made available on line and for a small fee it can be downloaded an infinite amount of times without the producer of the book losing ownership of the original. No other commodity has that capability. There is nothing exchanged except for permission to perform an electronic action to replicate the original. You may have noticed the subtle but important creation of "internet money" in the form of discounts given by sellers just by giving you a code which allows you to purchase some commodity at a discounted price or in some cases for free. This also crosses national boundaries and is available anywhere on the planet where internet access is available. The Net has brought together a world as community and as a result we instantaneously can know what is going on any where on the globe. This is changing how we see each other and how we see ourselves.

Lietaer's question is: "How can we prepare for the possibility of a monetary crisis?"

He posed this question in 2001 as he wrote The Future of Money. We have seen how the governments of the world have and are attempting to handle the reality of the current monetary crises. How well do you think the crises is being handled? Or have you just hidden your head in the sand thinking there is nothing y0u can do about it. Or that it is "their" fault and they should fix it. I hope that the information in this posting will guide you to see that what is going on on the planet affects us all and each of us can take some action toward a more sustainable world. That action may be to change your mind regarding your personal responsibility for creating the world around you.

Living in Choice means facing the reality of our own creations. Knowledge is power when used with wisdom. The other day I asked a client this question, "What are you willing to say no to, to have the life you want?" It rang loud and clear in my own mind.

What Now?

2011-10-24T12:53:00.000-07:00

I just discovered the Belgium economic genius Bernard Lietaer who said, “GREED AND COMPETITION ARE NOT THE RESULT OF IMMUTABLE HUMAN TEMPERMENT…GREED AND FEAR OF SCARCITY ARE IN FACT BEING CREATED AND AMPLIFIED …THE DIRECT CONSEQUENCE IS THAT WE HAVE TO FIGHT WITH EACH OTHER IN ORDER TO SURVIVE”
-Bernard Lietaer, Founder of the EU Currency System

I have listened to several of his talks on youtube and have just ordered his book, The Future of Money. It is not available in the US, of course, so it has to be shipped from the UK. Used, it was almost $90.00 and new it is $189.00. WOW! It better be filled with great info. Having been involved in the World Monetary System he knows that their agenda is to keep the system operating as it always has. It is not interested in changing with the times. It is not interested in making the monetary system operate for the good of all, just for the good of the current Monetary System.

When I talk to people about what is going on in their lives, I most generally hear something like this, "I am not happy in my job and if I had the money to do something else I would." It seems that not having money or any way to get money other than to work for it is the challenge for most people. They have to work to pay the bills and there isn't any time left over to be creative. Work to pay bills and that is it. This trap that we have been participating in continuing obviously isn't working for anyone. We need to find a way out of that trap. I am pretty sure relying on the "powers that be" to find the way for us is not going to happen. Bailing out the banks and auto industry giants was an attempt to keep the monetary system status quo in tact.

When 70-80% of jobs are generated by small business - not giant corporations - the "old story" of feeding the rich so they can create jobs for the masses is a myth. As Leitear says, when corporations lay off 9000 people it is a big media deal, but when 100,000 small businesses go under, no one notices. When a WalMart Store goes in in a small town, how many small businesses go out? What happens to the diversity of products, services, and personal relationships with the businesses?

I will have more to say on this subject as I soak up more information. But, I am clear that Unity Consciousness is supporting a new kind of monetary system that benefits all - not just The System. Please be clear, I am not speaking against wealth, I am speaking for a monetary system that makes it possible for everyone on the planet to have all they need. Slavery generated by the monetary system is choking the life out of us all - the rich, the middle class, the poor and everyone in between.

I close with this quote from David Korten in The Post Corporate World, "In a debt-based money system bankruptcies and bank failures can be avoided only by continuous economic expansion. This is an important source of the money world's growth imperative. The system is designed to create winners and losers, with a bias in favor of the banks that make the money and against the working people and entrepreneurs who produce the real wealth. It is also a system designed to be unstable, because it must either grow or collapse."

"For most people, the resulting life-and-death struggle for a means of living creates a pervasive fear of scarcity that triggers a mass impulse, even among the very rich, to acquire and hoard beyond real need. The hoarding of money in turn increases the scarcity of money in circulation and further escalates the fear. It becomes a vicious cycle of escalating fear and scarcity." (p.35)

A final quote: "As a species, we face a fateful choice between the song of life and the song of money. Both promise life, but only one can deliver."

Living In Choice is a Choice - which will we (humanity) choose?

Oct. 28th

2011-10-17T08:07:00.000-07:00

We are rapidly approaching October 28th, the final day of the last "day" of the 9th and final level of the Mayan Prophetic Calendar. According to some Mayanologists, this record of the evolvement of consciousness began 16.4 billion years ago with the first level, called the Cellular Level, because the first live cells came on the scene. Each of the 9 successive levels, each building on the other, were divided into 13 Kingdoms (Mayan) or 7 days and 6 nights. Each successive level was 20 times shorter than the previous level. The 13 Kingdoms of the first cycle were something like 1.26 billion years each. It obviously took a long time to create the solar system, the planets, the stars, the sun and moon, and every other vibrational mechanism for sustainable life to form. 820 million years ago, the second cycle, the Mammalian Cycle, began and in the 7th day of this cycle the first live births/the first mammals appeared on the global scene. Each day and night of this cycle was 63.4 million years in length.

So, here we are in the final days of (I am assuming, the driving Source's plan)the evolution of consciousness. The 13 days and nights of the 9th level are only 18 days each (we have come a long way). Consciousness has sped up the process of information processing. The evolution of consciousness has evolved us into a being with the ability to co-create. Humans have the inner technology to gather, process, and disseminate with conscious awareness what is going on around them. We are "getting it" that we do actually create our life experiences. (quantum physics, Abraham-Hicks, The Secret, Gregg Braden, Carolyn Myss, Bruce Lipton, Lynne McTaggart, ad infinitim). Our inner guidance system is our emotional system (thought, feeling, emotion). I developed a chart to show this process called the EMCS Living In Choice Levels of Responsibility Chart.

This chart shows two worlds, the reactive world of survival and the pro-active world of conscious awareness.

If you go to my website www.garycone.com you can get the free download of the ebook I wrote explaining how this chart works along with a process of determining how well you are using your inner guidance system. It is called How to Manifest Your Dreams and includes the Living in Choice Science of Manifestation process.

As you can see from the above chart, what you believe is the driver for thoughts, feelings and emotion or energy in motion. By the time you get to sending out the energy of desire into the Universe, you have already imbued that energy with the information of belief, thought, feeling and then you have spoken the angry, resentful words, you have taken some kind of action as a result of that energy and then it shows up in your reality. Right? We are aware of this kind of co-creation, but not so aware of the creation of the good stuff. We think we were just lucky, at the right place at the right time, etc. but rarely to we recognize it was us who generated the good in our lives.

For example: You are frustrated at work because you have too much to do and too little time to get it all done. You know the job market is filled with many qualified job hunters, and that creates a fear that if you don't get everything done you will get fired. With your inner technology generating the vibration of fear and doubt all day at work, you go home and the kids haven't cleared their rooms and have trashed the living room, so you, like a volcano erupting, blow your built up fear and doubt about your job all over the kids. You yell and scream at them and then you feel bad because they got scared because they didn't understand your sudden angry outburst. They were just being kids, after all. Then chaos reigns in the household, Dad comes home and his day hasn't been any better, so his guidance system is trashed with anger and resentment because he was passed over for promotion, again. His highly fueled energy system meets the chaos in the house and more yelling ensues. Finally everyone is so exhausted from the emotional trauma escape seems a much better option. So, escape in television, the internet, a beer, food, or some other form of mind numbing activity seems a better bargain.

Does that sound familiar?

This process of handling life is a conditioned one and is driven by the Law of Survival. We get disappointed because "life" hasn't gone the way we want it to, we look for someone to blame, someone to project our disappointment onto, then we judge ourselves or the other, and want revenge for the disappointment. Our inner guidance system interprets this as "I am going to die" so survival becomes the automatic reaction - it is primary. This is the default system built into the system back in the Mammalian Cycle 820 million years ago. We needed it to get here.

Now, consciousness has guided the evolvement of our ability to "see" what is going on consciously, We have come to the thresh hold where we have the opportunity claim our power as a conscious co-creator. We do that through learning to use the inner guidance system to move us into the "vortex" (Abraham-Hicks) of our own connection to Source Energy. We know we are there when our internal guidance system signal lets us know we feel good. When we feel angry, hurt, disappointed, etc. our guidance system is letting us know we have moved away for alignment with source energy or the vortex. What we don't want lets us know what we do want, as Abraham-Hicks repeats again and again. Because we have been operating out of a domination system (Wink) for so long, many of us do not know there is any other "system" to operate from. It is time to learn!!

Living In Choice depends on it.

The definition of cult

2011-10-10T16:21:00.000-07:00

Listening to the news tonight, I heard this report: Texas evangelical leader Robert Jeffress, the Baptist megachurch pastor who introduced Rick Perry Friday at the Values Voter Summit, said that Mormonism is a "cult" and he does not believe Mitt Romney is a Christian. "That is a mainstream view, that Mormonism is a cult," Jeffress told reporters at the summit. "Every true, born again follower of Christ ought to embrace a Christian over a non-Christian."

As I said in my last newsletter, "ignorance is dangerous," and if one takes the time to look up the definition of the word "cult" one finds this definition from Chambers Dictionary of Etymology: "Cult n. 1617, worship or homage;later, system of religious worship (1679, in writings of William Penn); borrowed through French culte, learned borrowing from Latin, and directly from Latin cultus (genitive cultus) cultivation, care, attention, worship, from cult, stem of colere to till, cultivate, attend to; see COLONY."

According to this definition all religions are cults because they are a "system of religious worship."

According to Chambers, the definition of religion is : "Religion n. Probably before 1200 religiun a religious order, community of monks or nuns, in Anrene Riwle; borrowed from Old French religion religious community, learned borrowing from Latin, and borrowed directly from Latin religionem (nominative religio) respect for what is sacred, probably with the original meaning of care (for worship and traditions);..."

The origin of the word "Christ" is also interesting. Again from Chambers: "Christ n. Middle English and Old English Crist the anointed one, the Lord's Anointed, Jesus Christ. (about 830, in Vespasian Psalter, 675, according to the Peterborough Chronicle): borrowed from Latin Christus, from Greek Christos, noun use of christos annointed, from chrien anoint (see Chrism). The Greek is a translation of Hebrew mashiah annointed of the Lord), MESSIAH. This word and its derivatives and related forms such as chrism, were rarely spelled with ch in Middle English even after the 1400's. The spelling Christ did not become standard until after 1500. The more frequent name in Old English is Haelend healer, Savior:..." And Chambers finishes the etymology with, "Sometime in the late 1300's it became common to write the name Christ and words associated with it, such as Christian, with a capital letter, but the practice did not become fixed until the 1600's."

When the word Christ or Christian is associated with it's roots one discovers the designation indicated a behavior of a person or a group. That behavior was to heal, care for, and to teach truth.

It is important to look at the original origin of words, systems, and beliefs. To not do so is ignorance.

The 6th Night Sept. 23 to Oct. 10

2011-10-05T08:52:00.000-07:00

It has been some time since I posted a new blog, but the mood has come back around again so my intention is to get back in the blog saddle and begin again.

When I take the time to really see what is going on in the world, it looks pretty dark and dismal. It is easy to see the "powers that be" spiraling out of control in a world that has gotten away from them. The powers can no longer control the masses as they once did. The old paradigm of domination is getting weaker and weaker. People sense this weakness and are discovering within themselves the desire, power, and motivation to take action toward change. However, it is valuable to see that change cannot come from within the system, or by fighting the system. Real change can only come from exposing the system for what it is. The only way to do that is through nonviolent action. Fighting the system, blaming the system, or condemning the system is only playing into the system, because the system will only scapegoat the complainer, and use its propaganda machine to discredit the revolutionary. Or, if the revolutionary succeeds through violence to achieve power, it will only become the System. The name has been changed, but the actions remain the same. Domination is the name of the game.

There is a greater power Source than the Domination system and it is the Natural and Cosmic Laws of the Universe. These powers created by the One Source of all things put them in place so that order, creation, love, harmony and life could become a reality. The current ruling science of materialism does not include those source energies, so they have been forgotten, lost, demonized, or left in the past as ancient myth. It is time to resurrect our myths so that we may have a frame work for building a world without domination.

To this end, I use the Mayan Prophetic Calendar and the Teachings of the Ancient Essenes as guide to life. The MPC keeps me abreast of the current Universal energies available for our use. I have blogged about this calendar in the past so won't go into the overall picture of it. We are currently living the 9th and final wave of the evolution of consciousness according to Carl Johan Calleman, one of the major Mayanologist of the day.

According to Calleman Sept. 23-Oct 10th, the 6th Night is called God Before Dawn and a time of resting and fine tuning unity consciousness. The 7th Day and final period is Oct. 11 through Oct. 28th and provides the highest expression of unity consciousness.

What is important about this time is that it signals the weakest point for the old consciousness of materialism and the reign of the "domination" system (Walter Wink, New Testament) and, therefore, opens the door to a "new world" devoid of domination. The domination system is characterized by tyranny, control, scapegoating, money/power as god, propagandizing to dominate, greed, false national pride, etc. It is easy to see that all systems are broken, medical, governmental, religious, educational, judicial and political. Consciousness, which is primary, is supporting a world of cooperation, unity, and and peace. But, whether or not we experience those conditions is up to each of us. We can't participate with unity consciousness if we are not awake to it, if we have not done the internal work necessary to wake from the hypnotic trance necessary for the System to exist. Jesus, the Essene, said, "Happy are you, that you hunger for the truth, for I will satisfy you with the bread of wisdom. Happy are you, that knock, for I will open to you the door of life." (The Essene Gospel of Peace Book I) In each of these statements there is the action that one need to take to benefit from what is already available.

Ignorance is dangerous and when the ignorant are running the show the show becomes dangerous. Look through the sham of the Dominating System in charge of what happens in Washington, so that you can see that the "powers that be" are not concerned with individual human quality of life, even though the propaganda machine, even the language of bills passed at the capitol are named to make one think otherwise. Even the names of organizations, like "homeland security" suggests protecting the people from harm, when the reality is much different. The "freedoms" we each have given up in the process of protection from "harm" is incredibly more harming to our freedom than any outside threat. The proof is in the pudding, as the old saying goes, since the biggest ticket item in the budget is for the military. The truth is war never makes peace. This There is a need by the domination system to convince the people through fear that their lives are at stake. The propaganda machine, as Wink so clearly states, "Propaganda is not merely deception, then. It is the manufacture of idolatry. It is not enough that people be misinformed about the nature of the System, for powerful disconfirming truths could easily slip in to shatter such illusions. But if you can cause people to worship the Beast, you have created a public immune to truth. As studies of cognitive dissonance show, worshipers do not surrender their beliefs in the presence of disconfirming facts. They simply adjust their beliefs to neutralize the facts." (UNMASKING THE DOMINATION SYSTEM)

Perhaps, the most pressing step to take in order to see the Domination System for what it is; one must come to terms with the FACT that the System does not care about you or your welfare. More devastating than that may be the FACT that it only exists because you have bought into it, support it, and are complicit with it. Once you grow through the awfulness of that reality, then you find the truth and a new life.

Until then, everything you think, say, do IS the system.

The fundamental assumptions of the domination system according to Wink are:

1. The need to control society and prevent chaos requires some to dominate others.

2. Those who dominate may use other people as a means to achieve their goals.

3. Men are better equipped by nature to be dominant than women, and some races are naturally suited to dominate others.

4. A valued end justifies the use of any means.

5. Violence is redemptive, the only language enemies understand.

6. Ruling or managing is the most important of all social functions.

7. Therefore rulers and managers should be rewarded by extra privileges and greater wealth of all kinds.

8. Those who have the military strength, who control the most advanced technology, the greatest wealth, or the largest markets, are the ones who will and should survive.

9. Money is the most important value.

10. The possession of money is a sign and proof of political and social worth.

11. The production of material goods is more important than the production of healthy and normal people and of sound human relationships (or the former automatically produces the latter).

12. Property is sacred, and property ownership is an absolute right.

13. In an organization or nation, great size is proof of its power and value.

14. Institutions are more important than people.

15. There is no higher value or being or power than the state. If there is a God, God is the protector and patron of the state.

16. God, if there is one, is not revealed to all, but only the select individuals or nations and their rulers and priesthood.

If you agree with any of these statements, then you have bought the Domination System as God. This delusion, then, is what we fight for making the Nation "God" - a false image or idol. Couched in the language of "patriotism" it is unthinkable to question the acts of the Nation God even if the action is clearly self-serving. We make heros of our fallen soldiers, and treat those who return home alive, but broken, as used up material the Nation God no longer needs. Check out how many vets are in prison, homeless or have committed suicide. The numbers are staggering! Rather than holding the Nation God accountable, the propaganda machine scapegoats the vet - the way of the Domination System - people are expendable.

I know, this is hard to see, or even to want to see, because it calls into question every thing you hold sacred. We won't let go of this system easily. But, in the last analysis, to move past it, we must!

This story is not a new one. It may be as old as 10,000 years which makes it even harder to see because we don't have anything to compare it with. Jesus exposed the Domination System (Roman Rule)for what it was, but by the 2nd century C.E. his message was lost to another system having bought into the Domination System. It found its home in the Vatican. Violence, murder, genocide, ignorance, scapegoating, and propaganda became its modus operandi. It set the stage for the next 3000 years. Now, Nations, corporations, political parties, the powerful having learned how effectively this system works to get power and wealth, and to keep it. It is pervasive, insidious, and dangerous. Those are the characteristics of the Domination. To fight it with its own tools only feeds it. We must find ways to expose it for what it is rather than condemn it or blame it.

Jan. 2010

2011-01-24T09:10:00.001-08:00

I lost interest in blogging in October of last year. It just seemed to take too much time and I wasn't enjoying it. It is a bit like talking to ones-self with no response. Of late, however, I have had a few readers who stated they enjoyed reading the Living In Choice Blog, so here I am again.

I saw a bumper sticker today on my way to the post office that said, "The end in near - THANK GOD!" This is the way I feel about 2010 being over. For me it was filled with loss and grief in the midst of work, settling into a new house, sons divorce, a friend in need coming to live with us for awhile; our beloved Napoleon, the family pet, being very ill. He tried to take on our stress, I think. It almost got the best of him - and us.

What I learned from the experience of 6 months of living with aged parents transitioning into death and rebirth was just how challenging it is to Live in the moment in the face of such great personal loss. My Dad made his transition two years before - culminating in August of 2008. His process began in January of 2008. We watched his physical body deteriorate every day from a vibrant 92 year old, still working the in garden, driving the car, and playing canasta to inhabiting a physical body that was the shadow of itself, just skin and bone, and a heart that no longer pumped the blood through the system. There are so many emotional, life long, attachments - at least in my case to parents. They had always been there, supported, loved, cheered and oh yes, critized, expected, guilted, and all the rest. It had become a way of life and I knew with my father's death change had come to stay. My Mom lived on for almost two years following his death. She left this physical world in July of 2010 after having a stroke in Jan. Her physical body, like my Dad's, slowly deteriorated from lack of nutrition. Her stroke paralyzed her left side and the swallow reflex, so she could not take anything by mouth. She chose to have a feeding tube inserted in her stomach. After 5 and a half months, her body began rejecting the nutrition. He body was shutting down and the fluid just made her sick. We, my Sister and I chose to take her off the tube. We could not stand by and watch her suffer any longer. The nurse would prime the feeding tube and immediately the fluid would immediately be regirgated. Have you ever seen someone who did not have control over the swallow reflex vomit? Of course, the real threat is aspirating - taking the fluid into the lung causing pneumonia. We learned the choice to put the feeding tube in is much easier than taking it out. We were told we were starving her to death and that she would suffer horribly - we were told we were killing our Mom by medical health professionals. I can't relate to you how difficult it was to stay in the moment in the face of these accusations without reacting in some crazy way.

The reality was, she seemed so much happier and alert once we took her off everything - meds, fluids. She loved ice water and we kept it there for her to sip on, of course she could swallow very little of it but it seemed to satisfy her. All through the 6 months it was very difficult understand her speech, because of the damage from the stroke. She could not walk, write, move or move herself in any way. It was so painful to watch. We would take her around in a wheel chair, or to the sing-alongs in the recreation room, but her ability to interact was so limited. The light was gone from her eyes. She no longer had interest in T.V. or her beloved football games. Her radio was her life line and my Sister, who attended to her every need. I live 4 hours away and so could not be there every day as she was. My Sister's life revolved around working and going in the evening to check on our Mom and stay with her for awhile.

The process was very difficult to watch and still Live in Choice at the same time. Having a wonderful support system of family and friends made all the difference. Taking it a step at the time, breathing, meditation and prayer all helped.

This year holds the promise of new ideas, new projects, and new foundations to build upon. 2011 in numerology is a 4 year-a foundational number. Geometrically - the cube. The Mayan numbering system says the number four brings in stability. "The most stable of all forms is the cube. Four is the estabilhment of volume by definition. The four directions give orientation to any form as the height, length, depth and breadth give shape to any form. The energy of Four, sets the parameters which establish the freedoms and barriers needed to create a game, a work or relationship."

On March 8th, the 8th Level of the evolution of consciousness ends and on March 9th, the final wave of consciousness begins. Each of the 13 subwaves from seed to fruit will be 18 days each or 234 days for the total 9th level and the completion of the 16.4 billion march of consciousness to its culmination on Oct. 28, 2011. This level is called Unity Consciousness or Conscious Co-creation. This is a consciousness humankind has never before experienced. What to expect is unknown, nevertheless the previouse 8 levels provide us with knowledge of previous patterns throughout the previous 8 levels that provide us with some clues concerning what is to come.

So, stay tuned as I talk about each of the 13 waves of the 9th Level of the Evolution of Consciousness. It is humerous to think about the on-going debate between the creationists and the evolutionist because they are both correct. Interesting what we fight over.

Four Ways of Man - Rhondell

2010-10-05T08:33:00.000-07:00

A very wise man by the name of Rhondell left us these important observations:

Four Ways of man
1. The Way of the Jungle - Survival of the fittest - killed everything that got in front of him and was about to interfere.
2. The Way of Justice - an eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth - commit no more violence than necessary.
3. The Way of Love or Understanding - The other guy is doing the only thng he can do - I understand that he is doing the only thing he can do....I understand that he is doing what he feels is right, proper and/or justified, with whatever light that person has.
4. The Way of Consciousness or Intelligence - One could be aware of what the purpose was and will to do it - knowing What You Are...Where You Are...What is Going On Here...and What You Can Do. I am in charge of my own inner state.

It is easy to see the first two and occasionally we glimpse moments of number three. And on very rare occasions we see or experience number 4.

Since, for a very long time, the human purpose has been to get something or have something rather than DO something, the first two seemed to be more useful to that end. Look around - it is easy to see. Number three is useful when justifying a behavior to get something or have something. Statements like "I deserve", "worked hard for", "It is my right" come to mind.

Rhondell also suggested that since we are privileged, invited guests to this planet, it would seem appropriate, when one recognizes that one is an invited, privileged guest a certain behavior and attitude might be: to behave as a good guest. Which means to be considerate to the host, rather than behaving in lousy ways. Don't mistreat any of the other guests - after all they were invited too, by the host - who must have wanted them here. It would also be appropriate to be considerate of the estate to which you were invited. In this case the Earth. It would also be appropriate to make a contribution, not to the host because you were invited, but to the party. At least, you could be a pleasant and harmonious guest. And it would be appropriate to say Thank you! for the invitation. And last but not least, to do no harm to the best of your ability.

Give it a whirl. Come from the Way of Consciousness or Intelligence. See what it is like to come from a place of being in charge of your own inner state.

Living In Choice

Mechanical Mind

2010-10-04T08:49:00.000-07:00

I presented a workshop this weekend entitled Relationship Strategies. It's core is founded in what Andrea and James Steward of the Inner Code School term, the Human Source Code, the mechanical mind and the six infant strategies for returning to the non-disturbed state. These strategies are powered by the Law of Survival and flight and fight is always the action. This is such a powerful, instinctual, reaction we often don't know we are reacting from this place. We just react - get defensive, attack, or run - shut down, leave etc. And most of us live our lives out of this deteriorating cycle.

The result - we get physically ill or we behave in self-sabotaging ways.

The 6 infant strategies are: The complainer, stander up for rights, pleaser, obeyor/believer, self-improver, and blamer. The sole intention is to return us to a non-disturbed state - which has become our purpose in life. Does this work to that end? Of course not! But, we keep "trying" to make it work. Maybe this time, I will get what I want. I say trying is lying - either you do or you don't. And what's more is the mechanical mind uses imagination to make up stories to justify "why" you are getting not what you want. It just fills in the blanks between what you imagine and the reality of getting what you want ---sooooo--you never get what you want.

This human story has driven our planet and our lives to the point of bifurcation. Either we see the insanity of that story and change it or.........

It has never worked in all of human history to create peace and it never will.

The infant story that has become our adult story certaintly is not Living In Choice

Walking Meditation

2010-09-27T11:54:00.000-07:00

Living In Choice Walking Meditation

If you haven't had the opportunity to take a walk and spend some time appreciating the cooler weather, I highly recommend that you give yourself that gift.

Pick a quiet place, a park, a nearby lake, your own backyard, a lovely tree laden neighborhood.

Begin by being still for a moment, closing your eyes and begin taking some deep breaths, grounding yourself with Mother Earth with each one.

Feel her strength beneath your feet, supporting you, providing you with every nutrient you need for health and well being.

Imagine that you are sending a virtual cord of energy from you sacral chakra right down into Her crystaline core center. Notice what color you choose for your connecting cord or cords. Imagine that the Mother Earth is sending back to you, through those cords, her loving energy. Notice how that feels as it travels up the cord and enters your body. Just allow it to flow all through your being.

Take another deep breath, and as you exhale open your eyes and begin your walk, taking time to notice how the sun feels on your skin, the air as it touches your face, the smells that surround you, the color of the sky, the sounds that float on the air. Perhaps the wind is causing the leaves of the trees to russel. Notice the sounds of the insects, the cricket, the locust, the feathered friends, the birds, that sing or chirp, the dogs that bark a greeting. Just allow every sound to soothe your spirit, feeling the warmth and love of Nature to embrace you with every step. Notice how you feel inside. If you notice you feel anxious or tense just breathe into those places exhaling that energy and replacing it with the peace and love of nature that surrounds you.

Continue walking as long as you have time for. Then as you complete your walking meditation take a few moments before going inside to look up toward the sky and let the great expanse of that space fill you will joy, with the vision that there is an incredible universe out there reminding yourself that you are a necessary part of that universe! Take a final deep breath anchoring your experience. Return to normal breathing and your daily activities.

This might also be fun at night focusing on the night sky and the beauty and majesty of the full moon, Venus, and Saturn, the Big dipper and other constellations you may be able to recognize.

Happy meditating

Saturn

2010-09-23T08:39:00.000-07:00

If you look toward the west in the night sky you will see a bright star. Really, it isn't a star at all, it is a planet, the ringed planet, Saturn. Astronomers say it is closer to the earth than it has been in the last 3000 years. It seems to have come at a time when its influence is heightened to assist humanity in clearing long held patterns that no longer serve.

In ancient Greek mythology, Saturn, was known as Cronus from the Greek 'Chronos' meaning Time, child of Ouranos (Father Sky), a tyrannical and despotic ruler. His mother was Gaia (Mother Earth), who persuaded Cronus to overthrow his father. Which he did. And the story continues violently and ends with Zeus, who saved the day, so to speak.

At any rate, Saturn symbolizes the overthrow of tyranny and despotism. The influence of Saturn may serve to place us in our own prison, just as Cronus ended his career as a prisoner in Tartarus, according to Greek mythology. So, Saturn represents our limitations, as well as our ability to or inability to set appropriate boundaries. It seems, as one observes the goings on in the world, that we are in the process of breaking the boundaries set out long ago by the law makers of 5000 years ago. These laws of old have served to repress our instincts, our intuition, our creativity, our mental, emotional, spiritual and physical freedoms. These limitations have shown up in apathy, melancholy, depression, lack, fear, self-doubt, etc.

But, even though, the energetic influence of Saturn on humanity, presents us with restrictions and limitations, it also guides us to maturity by forcing us to work within its framework. It holds over us the tyrannical parental shadow from which we must emerge. And according to the prophetic calendar of the classical Maya, the time has come when we (humanity) have the opportunity to emerge from the shadow of tyranny into the "Golden Age" of Enlightenment.

This process may be experienced as the most difficult of times, especially if you are not inspired by the vocation you have chosen. Saturn may be signaling to you to find your inspiration and follow your dream by breaking out of the chains of the tyrannical "father" within who holds you to the letter of the law of its beliefs.

It is also interesting that the current Pope, the symbolic "Father" of the Catholic Church is being named and may be called as a witness in a law suit filed by a man who was sexually molested in a Catholic School for the deaf. As a Cardinal, the Pope, was in the position to investigate child abuse in Catholic schools, including the one in which the man reports to have been sexually molested.

The tyrannical, despotic father being called to account? Will he be last Pope? Only time will tell. Pardon the pun!

Living In Choice takes work and that work is to know the self!!!!

The Mechanical Self

2010-09-22T08:09:00.000-07:00

The Mechanical Man or conditioned self reacts to effects. Example: Someone cuts in front of you in line or cuts you off on the highway. The mechanical self reacts by making some obscene gesture, angrily looks at the offender, gets red in the face, chest feels tight, etc.

That is the mechanical man reacting to an effect.

How many of you "live" life that way?

The conditioned mind - the complainer, the blamer, the stander up for rights, the obeyer/believer, the self-improver and the pleaser decide the "life" you are living.

This mind does not think - it reacts - and it reacts the same way every time. That is the reason you get the life you have. If this is all you know - then you cannot think beyond that - infact that is not thinking at all - it is just ruminating the same information again. Day after day - it is the same - because you cannot live beyond what you know, either.

The famous phrase "Know thyself" is an important observation. Because if "I" is asleep and cannot observe "what is going on" then what is going on keeps on going.

"The Work" of life is to wake up and observe "self" to come to know self which allows you to choose a conscious purpose for living each moment. Purpose is not static! It changes with each new moment. Without an awareness of your "state of being" in any given moment there can be no self knowledge.

We, as a species, only have dominion over what we know, or knowledge, and our level of being. Our place in the universe affords us the gift of making a request (a prayer) and the totality of the universe moves to respond to that request.

What you may not know is that the request is governed by level of knowledge and is delivered by level of being. If level of being enters the request from mechanical man/conditioned self who is in love with being a victim or living in lack and who is invested in blaming the "other" because they have it better than they, or holding a secret jealousy, or being lazy - I don't want to do it - I want you to do it for me, etc. then the request is answered from that level of being.

So, every prayer we send out is answered according to the level of knowledge and level of being from which it is sent.

Waking up the Observer so that self can be seen is the work we must all do now in every moment.

What prayer are you sending out?

Living in Choice comes from waking up the observer. The job of the observer is to watch, investigate (shine the light within), question and report the facts to the universe. This is "conscious purpose for living."

Notice what happens

The Essenes and Quantum Physics

2010-09-20T08:08:00.000-07:00

The post on 9/12 discussed Steven Hawking's new book and the discussion it is raising about how the Universe works. Hawking and his co-author, Mlodinow, suggest they have proven mathematically that the known universe/galaxies operate in a certain way; and that they have done so without regard for a "greater mind" involved in the process. In other words their calculations did not take into consideration any "intelligence" initiating the movement of the universe. What a great mathematical feat that is! It is also an important tool for us to understand how the universe works.

But, it is the whole story? Probably not!

According to a 3rd Century C.E. Essene document, found by Edmond Bordeaux Szekely in the Secret Archives of the Vatican, entitled "The Essene Book of Moses" which discusses Moses's experience on the top of Mount Sinai where he received from God the "Law" God wished to give to his people. It is a long piece but for purity sake, I will quote it:

"And the lord called unto Moses out of the mountain, saying, Come unto me, for I would Give thee the Law for thy people, which shall be a covenant for the Children of Light."

"And Moses went up unto God. And God spake all these words, saying,
I am the Law, they God, which hath brought thee out from the depth of the bondage of darkness.
Thou shalt have no other Laws before me.
Thou shalt not make unto thee any image of the Law in heaven above or in the earth beneath. I am the invisible Law, without beginning and without end.
Thou shalt not make unto thee false laws, for I am the Law, and the whole Law of all Laws. If thou forsake me, thou shalt be visited by disasters for generation upon generation. (Opps! Guess we missed that Law! Hurricane Katrina, etc.)
If thou keepest my commandments, thou shalt enter the Infinite Garden where stands the Tree of Life in the midst of the Eternal Sea. (The Maya Hunab Ku?)
Thou shalt not violate the Law. The Law is thy God, who shall not hold thee guiltless.
Honor thy Earthly Mother, that thy days may be long upon the land, and honor thy Heavenly Father, that eternal life be thine in the heavens, for the earth and the heavens are given unto thee by the Law, which is thy God.
Thou shalt greet thy Earthly Mother on the morning of the Sabbath (Sat. morning in those days)
Thou shalt greet the Angel of Earth on the second morning (Sunday)
Thou shalt greet the Angel of Life on the third morning. (Monday)
Thou shalt greet the Angel of Joy on the fourth morning. (Tuesday)
Thou shalt greet the Angel of Sun on the fifth morning. (Wed.)
Thou shalt greet the Angel of Water on the sixth morning. (Thursday)
Thou shalt greet the Angel of Air on the seventh morning. (Friday)

All these Angels of the Earthly Mother shalt thou greet, and consecrate thyself to them, that thou mayest enter the Infinite Garden where stand the Tree of Life.

Thou shalt worship thy Heavenly Father on the evening of the Sabbath. (Friday evening)
Thou shalt commune with the Angel of Eternal Life on the second evening. (Sat.)
Thou shalt commune with the Angel of (Creative) Work on the third evening. (Sun)
Thou shalt commune with the Angel of Peace on the fourth evening. (Monday)
Thou shalt commune with the Angel of Power on the fifth evening. (Tue.)
Thou shalt commune with the Angel of Love on the sixth evening. (Wed.)
Thou shalt commune with the Angel of Wisdom on the seventh evening. (Thur.)

All these Angels of the Heavenly father shalt thou commune with, that thy soul may bathe in the Fountain of Light, and enter into the Sea of Eternity.

The Essene's utilized these communions to understand the "workings" of the universe. They understood that each of these Angels were energies or laws that followed the One Law, which was God. Even though they could not comprehend the One Law or "God", in human language, they realized that these communions, which they practiced each morning and each evening just as they had been instructed to do, placed them in a position of creating a life experience that was vital! They were known as the teachers and the healers of the sick because they understood the patterns of the universe and their place in it. They understood the Zarathustrian axiom, "Good Words, Good Feelings, Good Actions" meant congruence in the thinking body, feeling body, and acting body lead to a good life. They moved away from the big cities because they realized they could not successfully live in that way among the corruption, fear, and greed they found there. So they moved to the desert - the Dead Sea and Lake Mariotis in Egypt to build their communities. They were known by the people of the time as (Philo, Josephus) the greatest example of humankind to ever exist on the planet.

Living In Choice is a Choice, after all, but what kind of choice?

Essenes

2010-09-16T10:55:00.000-07:00

I was ordained as an Essene minister in 1999. I have held an Essene material focused spiritual meeting on friday nights since 2000.

Why Essene? I happened to run across a little book entitled The Essene Gospel of Peace by Edmond Bordeaux Szekely in 1996 or 7 and was amazed at this little book which is a translation from Essene documents found in the Secret Archives of the Vatican by the author in 1926.

In his introduction to the text, Szekely says this about the 3rd Century text from its original Aramaic, "They sent out healers. And one these was Jesus, the Essene. He walked among the sick and the troubled, and he brought them the knowledge they needed to cure themselves. Some who followed him wrote down what passed between him and those who suffered and were heavy-laden. The Elders of the Brotherhood made poetry of the words, and made unforgettable the story of the Healer of Men, the Good Shepherd. And when the time came at last for the Brothers to leave the desert and go to another place, the scrolls stayed behind as buried sentinels, as forgotten guardians of enternal living truth.

A dark age began, a time of savagery, of barbarism, of book-burning, of superstition and worship of empty idols. The gentle Jesus was lost forever in the image of a crucified God; the Essene brothers hid their teachings in the minds of the few who could preserve them for their descendants, and the Scrolls of Healing lay neglected beneath the shifting shadows of the desert..." - The Discovery of the Essene Gospel of Peace, by Edmond Bordeaux Szekely

Dr. Szekely was newly graduated from high school in France when he was invited to come to the Vatican and study. The discovery of these ancient Essene documents changed the course of his life.

In 1928 he founded the International Biogenic society with Nobel Prize-winning author, Romain Rolland. Szekely was a well-known philogist in Sanscrit, Aramaic, Greek and Latin. He spoke ten modern languages. He is the author of more than 80 books published in many countries on philosophy and ancient cultures. His work is carried on by the International Biogenic Society headed by his successor, his widow, Norma Nilsson Bordeax Szekely. You can write for a descriptive catalogue of his works to I.B.S. Internacional, P.O. Box 849, Nelson, B.C., Canada VIL 6A5

There are many paths to Living In Choice they all begin with Peace!

Tzolkin day 7 Chuen (Monkey)

2010-09-14T08:13:00.000-07:00

The current Maya Great Cycle began Aug. 11, 3114 BCE and will end Dec. 21, 2012.
There have elapsed 1,871,591 Kin of that Great Cycle and there are 409 Kin remaining in the cycle. The Tzolkin day today is 7 Chuen. According to the Maya,, the number 7, a Galactic tone, is the number of reflection. It stands as a mirror to divide light and dark and reflects all that is and that which is not. It is associated with the source of creation and the flow of divine will. The number seven has a keen sense of ethics, the foundation of purpose for current and future goals.

The Sacred Sun Sign coupling with the Galactic tone of 7 today is Chuen and was known by the Maya as the weaver of time. People born under this galactic tone and sacred sun sign have particular patterns of behavior and personality characterics. Monkey takes ideas and threads or vines and weaves them into the fabric of our reality. New patterns or inventions are also woven into our lives by Monkey. Monkey is amiable, intelligent, generous and is a jack of all trades. Monkey's innocent curiosity leads to artistic expression and constructive solutions. They can be highly respected merchants or speakers. They love being 'on stage', practical jokes and they crave attention. They may even play the fool to get attention. They have a short attention span and find it difficult to stay focused on anything long enough to master it.

Today is a good day to begin anything new. So, take advantage of the energies flowing into us from the galaxy and the sun start that new project today.

Live in Choice - start today.

Steven Hawking, Leonard Mlodinow, Deepak Chopra

2010-09-12T09:02:00.000-07:00

I was fortunate enough to be able to meet Deepak Chopra at his friday evening talk at the Oklahoma Civic Center. His talk was on Happiness and he discussed current research he was involved in with Gallop Poll to determine levels of happiness and what seems to generate happiness for people in different areas of life. You can see the results of the poll on Deepak's website www.deepakchopra.com

I also watched Larry King Live friday night as he interviewed Steven Hawking and his coauthor of their most recent book entitled The Grand Design. I have not read the book yet, but intend to go out today and purchase it. According to Hawking and Mlodinow, their purpose in the book is to reveal what can be proved, scientifically, about how the Universe operates. Because God cannot be reduced to a mathetical equation, their intention seemed to be to research what in the universe could be proved through mathetical equation, quantum physics, and geometry as the foundation for their conclusions. Interesting subject, this.

The late Edmond Bordeau Szekely, in the introduction to his work, The Essene Gospel of Peace Book Two: The Unknown Books of the Essenes, had this to say, "There are three paths leading to Truth. The first path is the path of the consciousness, the second that of nature, and the third is the accumulated experience of past generations, which we receive in the shape of the great masterpieces of all ages. From time immemorial, man and humanity have followed all three paths."

The three paths, he says, are The path of consciosness, The path of nature and the path of the wisdom, knowledge and experience acquired by the great thinkers of all ages and transmitted to us in the form of great teachings, the great sacred books or scriptures of universal literature. He says the Essenes understood this and therefore, approached the Truth in this threefold manner. Otherwise, Truth would not be allsided, but skewed to the single path utilized. Each path must harmonize with the other for a totality of understanding to emerge.

He determined that the Great Mystics of all time considered the path of consciousness to be the most immediate reality for us all and that consciousness is the key to understanding the universe. They determined, he relates, that consiousness is not only in us but is us! These same mystics discovered that the "laws of human consciousness contain an aspect not found in the laws governing the material universe."

This aspect can be seen, he says, in "a certain dynamic unity" that exists in our consciousness, where one is at the same time many. We can have many simultaneously different thoughts, ideas, associations, images, memories and intuitions that occupy our consciousness in a split second, and yet he says, "...all this multiplicity will still constitute only a single dynamic unity."

Because of this, he says, "....the laws of mathematics, which are valid for the material universe and are a key to its understanding, will not be valid in the field of consciousness, a realm where two and two do not necessarily make four. The mystics also found that measurements of space, time and weight, universally valid in nature and throughout the material universe, are not applicable to the consciusness, where sometimes a few seconds seem like hours, or hours like a minute."

Human consciousness, you may have discovered for yourself, as the mystics determined does not exist in space and time. It cannot be measured. You may have also noticed that your own consciousness is the most immediate and inmost reality for your experience of life. It is also the most immediate source of energy, harmony and knowledge for each of us. We are the most accurate source of information concerning our lives. No one can know what is happening inside us better than we can.

But, says Szekely, that there are dangers with all three paths. He says the danger for the mystic is that they create for themselves an ivory tower, removed from the reality of life itself. The path of nature, the realm of science, followed by the scientist, "...like the mystic, sometimes falls into exaggerations..." and finally fails to explain with full satisfaction any solution to our questions of existence, life and the universe.

The problem in utilizing the third path, that of universal knowledge and wisdom found in the great literature, art, and teachings handed down to us lies in the different methods utilized to understand them. The way of the theologian and organized religion, says Szekely, "is to consider each text literally . . . resulting from a long process of petrification, by which truths are inevitably transformed into dogmas."

The danger of this, says Szekely, is the theologian "...runs into many endless contradictions and complications, and he reaches a conclusion as far removed from the truth as that of the scientific interperter of these texts who rejects them as entirely valueless and without validity." He also says there is another danger inherent in this path and that is ".... to believe, as do certain symbolists, that these books have no more than a symbolic content and are nothing more than parables. With their own particular way of exaggeration these symbolists make thousands of different and quite contradictory interpretations of these great texts."

So, I have related the above to remind you that living in choice means to look at all things, all information one must allsidedly explore to find the Truth.

And just from the conversations I heard on Larry King Live, even though Hawking and Mlodinow may have answered questions we have not heretofore had answers to, we are; however, it seems, not one step closer to defining consciousness, the reason for our existence, the purpose of life or the origins of the universe. Because theirs is the path of nature or science.

Perhaps as I read the book, I may change my mind, who knows.

IChing 58/4

2010-09-09T07:55:00.000-07:00

I read the IChing every day for spiritual inspiration and clarity. This one came up yesterday and is reflective of my previous post.

Judgment - Even the thought of bias must be overcome if enlightened decisions are to be made.

Innocence - Even the thought of independent action must be rejected if true security is to be found.

Awareness - Even the thought of ego-led behavior must be overcome before joy can be derived from a growth in awareness.

Emotion - Even the thought of acting in a selfish way mst be overcome before happiness can be found.

Creativity - Even the thought of being pretentious must be overcome before true creativity can be found.

Communication - Even the idea of forcing an opinion must be overcome if there is to be genuine open dialogue.

Ambition - Even the thought of selfish ambition must be overcome before worth-while goals can be achieved.

Service - Even the thought of self-importance must be overcome if a task is to be completed properly.

Nurture - Even the thought of over-protectiveness must be overcome if care is to be of value.

Economy - Even the thought of recklessness must be overcome if real economic growth is to be achieved.
Neutrality - The smallest doubt being able to undermine sincerity.
Reason - It is necessary to overcome even the thought of being clever if real understanding is the goal.

This is from the book I Ching for Everyone by Myles Seabrook

I find the I Ching a great tool for daily use.

Selfishness

2010-09-05T15:22:00.000-07:00

While I was working with a client, the subject of "selfish" came up and she asked me, "What is the definition of selfishness" and I found myself responding "All the negative, self-pitying, self-doubting, self-sabotaging energy you expend". Her mouth dropped open and she exclaimed, "Wow!, that makes so much sense, but tell me more." I continued to explain that when we spend our time and energy in those destructive ways our energy is not available for service either to ourselves or others. Using our energy in judging others or ourselves is to squander our birthright, so to speak, because our power lies in the inherent energy of love that lives within us. When we use that energy for other purposes, we are being selfish. In other words we are using our energy for destructive purposes; therefore, we become a drain, not only using our own energy in self-destructive ways but also sucking positive energy from others rather than sharing our positive, life supporting, creative energy with them.

An example of this might be: You find yourself angry or resentful or you suspect you are being undermined by someone. You make up some story that seems to indicate to you or prove to you that your story is true. Then you call the person or text them or shoot off an email with the accusation only to discover that the story was not only not true but only a figment of your imagination. But by that time the damage has been done. Feelings are hurt and the relationship suffers. This whole process is an act of selfishness. You want to justify your imagined hurt or supposed hurt by making up a story and picking, perceiving and provoking the evidence in your own imagination and then send out the accusation convinced you are justified in the act.

The reality is the story is imagined to fit your own mis-perception of self imagined as truth. Look at all the time and energy you have spent on this folly, when that same energy might have been used to be in service creating a loving energy within that flows out into the world utilized as creative energy. Which, by the way, is well spent because it comes back to you in the same way. Lovingly!

Just watch the news reports and you will see this foolery being played out in almost every story. This person said this and this person did that and hours and hours of "investigation" are utilized to discover the "truth". How selfish this all is. It sells, it gets ratings, it's entertainment. That is the telling part. It sells - greed comes to mind. It is no where more evident than in the "reality" shows. Self-indulgent, selfish use of energy is rampant around the globe-- it is the "victim" and "perpetrator" -- the opposite ends of the continuum. Without the perpetrator there can be no victim. That energy keeps the suffering, the refusal to hold oneself accountable for personal use of energy going. The planetary mind made up of the thoughts of everyone on the planet is filled with prepetrator-victim energy. It seems to be the excuse for every suffering.

I think is was the Dalai Lama or was it Buddhism that says something to the effect that to have too many thoughts is a source of suffering or something like that. When our minds whirl in what I call "the buzzsaw mind" we are not thinking but just ruminating over the same old story, the same old hurt, the same old unrealized dream. Neither the hurt nor the dream can be resolved nor realized in this manner. This is "selfish" use of thought energy. It is also important to remember that thoughts are things that effect other things.

Is this living in choice? No, of course it isn't. And perhaps that is the payoff. The reward. I no longer can be held accountable for my reaction to what I perceive the other has done to me or what I have done to myself or to them. "I have "earned" the "right" to live in self-pity, lack, and suffering", just may be the justification that that reaction is right and proper.

We never do anything that we do not think is "right, proper, and justified" in any given moment given what we think we know in that moment. That is the reason regret is so overrated. So, rather than surviving in self-pity for what might have been or could have been - seeing that in that moment you did the very best you could with what you knew at the time is enough. It is enough because that is all you knew to do at the time. Now, perhaps, you can see something different and that means you see something else is right, justified, and proper today. See how that works out and keep moving to the next moment of wisdom - follow it and see where it takes you.

.

Waking up to Living In Choice

2010-08-26T09:40:00.000-07:00

With the Planetary wake-up call of the summer with the continuing effect of Pluto's transit through Capricorn, which began back in 2008 and will continue until 2023, reflecting to us the consequences of our having trusted that governments had our back, so to speak. The reality of this planetary influence has highlighted the predicament we have found ourselves in - Katrina being a precursor to this - that we cannot sustain that which is unsustainable. We see it again with the floods currently happening in Pakistan. Today officials are asking 500,000 more Pakistanis to leave their homes because of new flooding.

The reality, we don't have much choice in this intensity except in our attitudes and choices in face of these Earth shifts. We can work toward a new sense of compassion for those in need, we can take the time to be present to our own feelings about what is happening not only in the world but also in our own lives. We can just love each other more- we can find within ourselves the best part of our natures and use these experiences for our individual healing of that which has been unethical for so long.

This is a time for personal accountability to do the work of healing and clearing and consciousness is supporting us in that process. If we see ourselves as victims of it then we have missed the opportunity for growth.

Remember what we see out in the world is just a reflections of what we are holding within.

Life goes on

2010-08-04T07:46:00.000-07:00

Living in choice during challenging times like the death of a parent, at least for me, called for a more focused effort to stay present to each moment. I found myself wanting to run away, avoid, resist, be angry, get caught up in something other than the moment. When I noticed I was not living in choice, I reminded myself to breathe through my heart while I thought about the beauty of life as I was taught in HeartMath, causing a return to coherence in my heart rhythm. As my heart rate slowed and balanced, I found I could be present to my Mothers labored breathing as she fought to hold on to life.

In her last 6 months of life, following a stroke that paralyzed her ability to eat, walk, speak plainly, engage in activities, I was amazed at her ability to be pleasant to her caretakers, appreciating their efforts to make her comfortable. They loved her and she loved them back. She asked little of my sister and I, but was always happy to see us and always said "I love you."

She chose to live in choice at every breath - even to not take the next one.

She was a great teacher and role model and I will miss her physical presence, but I know she was ready for what comes next.

The Conscious Convergence

2010-07-15T07:53:00.000-07:00

"The Conscious Convergence, July 17-18, is for those that are willing to set the intention to create unity consciousness in the ninth wave of the Mayan Calendar!" Carl Calleman

This weekend we all have an opportunity to intend the manifestation for all humanity unity consciousness. Go to http://www.calleman.com/articles/ninth_wave.htm for a full explanation of unity consciousness and why is it not only important, but imperative, that all humanity join in intending unity consciousness now.

We have been predicting for many years the important shift in consciousness that this time, now, holds for humanity. Well, now is here and it is time to take action.

Please, join humanity this weekend in ceremonial action to consciously intend unity consciousness. People all over the globe are creating ceremonies of the four direction to align with the Global World Tree, the dissiminator of consciousness. Calleman says, "Unity consciousness is not something that can hapen against the will of human beings. Expecially at the highest levels of evolution, such as the ninth, it can only happen through human beings that choose to serve as co-creators." "I believe however, that as the Hopi are saying, "we are the ones that we have been waiting for." If we make the commitment to do so we can co-cocreate unity consciousness with the ninth wave."

Grief

2010-07-13T13:21:00.000-07:00

Years ago, in my Masters program, I studied death and dying - the great work of Elizabeth Kubler Ross and others. But it was a study and not an experience. I understood the words and applied them to earlier experiences with the death of my grandparents, brother, and numerous aunts and uncles and cousins. But even the closeness of those relationships and the lack of connection to my own emotional life made those events ones of trauma or even shock - eventually suppressed into the deeper recesses of my mind. With time and maturity and yes, even a little wisdom, I was much more able to be present in a loving and gentle way during the process of my father's dying two years ago. At times it took every fiber of my being to be present with him in his process rather than going into my own resistance to it.

Now, I am going through that process with my Mother. She was a vibrant 88 year old living alone in Jan. of this year. On Jan. 17th that all changed with a stroke paralyzing her left side and swallow reflex. She was aware and cognitively able to make the decision to put in a feeding tube. That is no longer working and is causing her more pain and suffering. So, the feeding is no longer an option and so her death is imminent - within the next couple of weeks.

Another opportunity to live through the process of being present to my Mother's process of leaving this world for the next experience in her journey. I can tell you that when I think about what her leaving means to me and what it brings up for me, I lose contact with being with her in a loving way. Even through my tears and sadness, if I keep my focus on the fact that "this is her process - not mine" I can be more lovingly present. I understand her process affects me in numerous ways. I know in the days to come I will want to pick up the phone to call her to share something that happened or a story I heard and realize half way through the reaching, I can no longer reach her that way.

I have had experiences where I know that my Dad was with me in spirit. He let me know through different ways - the smell of coffee (his favorite drink) when there wasn't any coffee brewing in the house. I have learned to "listen" for his presence and I know that I will have that same experience with Mom after she has left this physical world.

They have been powerful forces in my life, loving me and guiding me, in all ways. Some more effective than others and it has taken me many years to see that their efforts were always with love and in love even when it did not seem so to me.

I honor them both for all that they were and have been in all the years of my life. They have taught me to be strong when I needed to be and vulnerable when it served me more effectively. My Mother's belief in me - always telling me "You can do anything you put your mind to", supported me in my efforts to be more - as a human being able to be of service in ways I might never have been.

Mayan Tolzkin date 5 Kan (Seed)

2010-07-09T09:19:00.000-07:00

The Tolzkin or the day calendar, called the Sacred Calendar by the Mayans in conjuction with the Tun Calendar or Galactic Calendar, was the central calendar for daily use. They understood that each day is influenced by galactic energies influenced by the The Tree of Life or Hunab ku in their language. They knew if they aligned with the prevaling energies each day, it was easier to accomplish their aim.

The energy of today, based on the Tolkin is 5 Kan or Seed, meaning that today is a good day for beginning new projects. It is a day of fertility and growth. It is a good day to break free of old patterns and beliefs. The energy of today is driven by the awareness of a need to change. It is a good day to take risks and try something new. It is an excellent day to spend in contemplating your intentions toward creating your dreams, or projects.

Take time to make new contacts - network or reconnect with those you have been meaning to call for a while and haven't.

This is not a good day to put things off or to spend time in apathy or feelings of insecurity or stagnation. Remember no one will do it for you.

Today is the day to take action.

Re-creation of the Global Tree of Life

2010-07-08T09:26:00.000-07:00

July is filled with opportunity to set in motion intentions and energies that propel you into the coming consciousness of Unity and co-creation. A consciousness that has never been experienced by any previous human.

On July 17 and 18, a time referred to as the Conscious Convergence by Dr. Carl Calleman (author of The Purposeful Universe, The Mayan Calendar Code, etc.) and others who are asking people all over the globe to assist in recreating the energy of the Tree of Life. To quote Calleman, " Ancient traditions of our planet almost universally looked upon the four geographical directions as Sacred. The origin of this sacredness of the direction is that they, since the beginning of time, have played a rode in the ongoing creation of our planet and its evolution of consciousness. Naturally then, many peoples all over the world have performed ceremonies to honor these four directions. The four directions were thought to be associated with different spiritual qualities and so were often each symbolized by a guardian angel as described, for instance, in the Book of Revelation. From many traditions, such as the Mayan, it is also clear that the four (and sometimes six, if "above and below" is included) directions emanate from the Tree of Life. The Tree of Life is the most widespread of all ancient myths, and it was seen as the center of the four directions."

For the full article about Conscious Convergence copy the url below to your address bar.
http://www.calleman.com/content/articles/Recreation_GlobalTreeOfLife.htm
http://www.calleman.com/content/articles/Recreation_GlobalTreeOfLife.htm

Nature

2010-07-05T08:28:00.000-07:00

Living In Choice is a synergy of living energies flowing together in loving attendance.

The American Poet, Ralph Waldo Emmerson (1802-1882), beautifully described Nature in this excerpt from an address to his Divinity School.

"A more secret, sweet, and overpowering beauty appears to man when his heart and mind open to the sentiment of virtue. Thus he is instructed in what is above him. He learns that his being is without bound; that to the good, to the perfect, he is born, low as he now lies in evil and weakness. That which he venerates is still his own, though he has not realized it yet. He ought. He knows the sense of that grand word, though his analysis fails to render account of it. When in innocency or when by intellectual perception he attains to say, - "I love the Right; Truth is beautiful within and without for evermore. Virtue, I am thine; save me; use me; thee will I serve, day and night, in great, in small, that I may be not virtuous, but virtue"; then is the end of creation answered, and God is well pleased.

It is well to remember WE are not separate and apart from Nature - but are inseparable from it. She is in us and we in her!

I have been away

2010-07-02T11:59:00.000-07:00

I apologize for not having posted in a while. My Mom, 89 and paralyzed because of a stroke, has been in the hospital with pneumonia and I have been preoccupied with that.

I send 4th of July greetings to you all. Have a safe and joyful holiday.

Viewed from the perspective of astrology and the Mayan Callendar system, we are in for quite a ride for the rest of the summer and into the fall. This is a time of clearing up any unethical beliefs, behaviors, or systems in place. Consciousness is supporting this as are planetary alignments. Check out any good astrology site on the web to keep updated about coming astronomical alignments and their meaning for you personally.

Now is the time for personal accountability. Stop blaming those around you and look within for answers to your complaints. Dig deep. The oil spill in the gulf is just a metaphor for the sludge and toxic waste hidden in our unconscious minds that has been "drilled" into and is now flooding the subconscious so fast it cannot suppress it any longer. It is out in the open now for all to see. The ego/survival mind cannot control it. Denial, projection, blame are totally ineffectual.

What am I? Who am I?

2010-06-16T10:49:00.000-07:00

It seems, that before we can ever know ourselves, we must answer these two questions.

In fact, Yasuhiko Genku Kimura, (The University of Science and Philosophy) says that, "These are the fundamental questions of life which all conscious, intelligent beings must answer in order to live a life that is worthy of a conscious being." But he also says that it is not possible to find the answer to these question from any traditional "....rational, reductionistic, analytical manner, but only in a holistic, universal, kosmic manner through a deeply-felt experiential knowing or "innerstanding" of who you are."

In order to live in choice these answers must be found, otherwise, one is living out of conditioning and survival. Creativity and authenticity go hand in hand. Kimura says the "...,key to creativity or geniushood is to know who and what you are in the language of light through an authentic deeply-felt experiential knowing or innerstanding."

Paradoxically, we must first recognize that we ARE the expression of the purpose of the universe. That we are as Kimura says, "...a singular kosmic destiny" In other words, it is in knowing ourselves in this way that we will also know the "anthropocosmic wholeness which is the universe" according to Kimura.

Until we come to this innerstanding we are simply "imitation human beings".

Sixteenfold Compassion of Buddha cont.

2010-06-15T07:19:00.000-07:00

Because he saw them afraid of birth, old age and death, yet still pursuing the works that lead to birth, old age and death,
for this reason he was moved to compassion.
Because he saw them consumed by the fires of pain and sorrow, yet knowing not where to seek the still waters of Samadhi,
For this he was moved to compassion.
Because he saw them living in an evil time, subjected to tyrannous kings and sufering many ills, yet heedlessly following after pleasure,
For this he was moved to compassion.
Because he saw them living in a time of wars, wounding and killing one another; and knew that for the riotous hatred that had flourished in their hearts they were doomed to pay an endless retribution,
For this he was moved to compassion.
Because many born at the time of his incarnation had heard him preach the Holy Law, yet could not received it,
For this he was moved to compassion.
Because some had great riches which they could not bear to give away,
For this he was moved to compassion.
Because he saw the men of the world plowing their fields, sowing the seed, trafficking, huckstering, buying and selling: and at the end winning nothing but bitterness,
For this he was moved to compassion.
Because he saw men cease to do good,
For this he was moved to compassion.
Because he saw men learn to do evil,
For this he was moved to compassion.

The Sixteenfold Compassion

2010-06-11T12:02:00.000-07:00

Over 2500 years ago, Buddha saw the destructive effects of negative thinking and as a result he vividly described what he saw as the self-induced suffering of humankind in his immortal Sixteenfold Compassion:

My children,

The Enlightened One, because he saw Mankind drowning in the Great Sea of Birth, Death and Sorrow, and longed to save them,
For this he was moved to compassion.
Because he saw the men of the world straying in palse paths, and none to guide them,
For this he was moved to compassion.
Because he saw that they lay wallowing in the mire of the Five Lusts, in dissolute abandonment,
For this he was moved to compassion.
Because he saw them still fettered to their wealth and their possessions, knowing not how to cast them aside,
For this he was moved to compassion.
Because he saw them doing evil(deviation from the Law) with hand, heart, and tongue, and may times receiving the bitter fruits of sin (deviation from the Law), yet ever yielding to their desires,
For this he was moved to compassion.
Because he saw that they slaked the thirst of the Five Lusts as it were, with brackish water,
For this he was moved to compassion.
Becaused he saw that though they longed for happiness, they made for themselves no karma of happiness; and though they hated pain, yet willingly made for themselves a karma of pain: and though they coveted the joys of heaven, would not follow his commandments on earth,
For this he was moved to compassion.

(the insertion of "deviation from the law" is mine) Sin means to miss the mark - an archery term.

The balance to follow-keep watching and reading.

World Order

2010-06-10T10:29:00.000-07:00

Inherent in living in choice is understanding the world order and that includes the foundations of our sciences which underlie choices concerning our health, economy, ecology, financial aims, decisions of governments and the like.

Here are some theories to explore and decide for yourself the truth:
Darwins Theory of Evolution
The role of the centriole in the biological organization of humans
The true meaning of the Mayan Calendar and what it is showing us about evolution

Here is a great read: The Purposeful Universe - How Quantum Theory and Mayan Cosmology Explain the Origin and Evolution of Life by Carl Johan Calleman, Ph.D.

Rights

2010-06-04T09:07:00.000-07:00

I chose the name Living In Choice for this blog, my newsletter and my business to remind, not only myself, but others that in the final analysis, choice is the only "right" we have.

We fight for our right to be free, to vote, to work, to educate, to have a quality of healthcare, a quality of life. We even say "I have the right" to speak up - to voice my opinion - even if that opinion is harmful to another - people do that all the time. We say we have the right to make any accusation whether it is founded in reality or not. The problem is we believe our own thoughts and think they are true and further, that everyone else should believe it as well.

Upon investigation it is easy to see that there is not one single "right" that cannot be taken away. There are people on this planet who do not have the right to vote, or to speak, or to have healthcare, or even a decent place to live, or clean water to drink, or food to eat, or clothes to wear. And I could go on to include the right to live - speaking of women in some countries - minorities in others, homosexuals in others, children in others.

That is the reason choice is so important. You can choose each moment, even to the moment of death, how you respond in that moment. You can choose to die in fear or in grace.

Where we have taken a mistaken road is when we make the choice not to choose.

We can choose whether we want offshore drilling or not. If we investigate the consequence of that action, taking into consideration the impact a spill has on the environment, and the the present situation, a gusher constantly pumping hundreds of thousands of barrels of crude into the environment every day - and now we are seeing the consequence we set ourselves up for - without asking the question - "Is our life support - the environment - the ecosystem - more important than money?" Obviously, none of or few of us gave that any serious thought and if you did perhaps you felt you didn't have any power to change it.

To fight something is to give it more power.

Choosing a direction of peaceful coexistence is another thing altogether - and that means with everything - including the planet that is our home, its rivers, lakes, oceans, air, soil and the surrounding stratosphere.

Choose what is really valuable to you - dig deep, look at all the options and choose.

Entropy

2010-05-30T07:39:00.000-07:00

Entropy, simply put, is a measure of the amount of randomness or chaos in a system. It was Ilya Prigogine, (Russian born Belgian theoretical Chemist) that noticed, while working in the area of Thermodynamics, that there were many things in the universe that did not follow the second law of thermodynamics which says in essence: eventually all things break down and wear out. And yet life itself, evolving over time and space demonstrates just the opposite. It was Prigogine who discovered the answer to this paradox: "that order arises not in spite of entropy, but because of it!" (Prigogine received the Nobel Prize in Chemistry in 1977 for his contribution to nonequilibrium thermodynamics and in particular the theory of dissipative structures.)

It is obvious when considering Prigogine's conclusions, that the evolution of consciousness, (seemingly a system that demonstrates the opposite of the second law of thermodynamics), as it is expressing right now, [through its current expression of ethics (according to Calleman)] is demonstrating the process of dissipating current structures. Clearly, current breakdown or dissipation is underway in our economic, religious, political, healthcare, and educational systems.

Prigogine demonstrated through his research that this breakdown culminates in what he termed a "bifurcation" point- a place where the slightest nudge completely shuts down the system.

Bifurcation means to split or divide into two branches - and at that point humanity will have a decision to make - a moment of truth will be at hand. Prigogine's research indicates that at the bifurcation point the system either totally breaks down and ceases to exist as any kind of ordered system or it spontaneously reorders itself in an entirely new way.

I wonder if the current oil gushing into the gulf and the ultimate affect it will have on, not only the ecosystem of the planet, but also the economic system, will be our bifurcation point. Will it be the straw that broke the camels back. Will it lead us to the crossroads - a moment of truth - where we will have the opportunity to decide our futures.

The Mayan Calendrical System indicates humanity is now in the 6th night of the 8th Level of the evolution of consciousness in a 9 level system. Right now we are at the bottom of the 6th night just about to turn toward the 7th day which begins Nov. 3, 2010. July 17, the date of the Harmonic Convergence, will initiate energy that could very well begin the collapse of the current socio-economic system (Carl Calleman- http://www.carlcalleman.com/ ).

If Prigogine's research is correct, consciousness is unmistakably evolving and humanity is approaching, not an end, but a beginning of a new world. It is an exciting time to be here - to have the opportunity to participate in a spontaneously reordering into a new system.

That is not to say there won't be disruptions that will be unpleasant and even disturbing for a time. It is imperative to remember that destruction precedes creation. If you take the time to really look around, taking off the mask of fear and conditioning - one can recognize all the seeming insanity is in reality a demonstration of the collapsing of unethical and outmoded structures.

If you have the vision to see through the fear, the hype of the media, the conditioning of survival, you may be able to see beyond the bifurcation point to the spontaneously newly ordered world that lies ahead.

Get ready for the ride of your life!

Happy Memorial Day

2010-05-29T16:24:00.000-07:00

This quote from the Dalai Lama, "The family is the most fundamental unit in society. If it is ruled by peace and human values, then not only will parents live happily and free of tension, but their children and grandchildren will too, and even generations after that." Daily Advice From the Heart

Take this time to enjoy family and friends - time to laugh and play together.

Mayan Calendar

2010-05-24T09:50:00.000-07:00

I am a student of the Mayan Calendar because it is the only unambiguous timeline left to us. There is no other document, artifact, or writing of any form that gives us a timeline of where we have been, where we are now, and where we are going. The Mayan system of calendars was designed to record the evolution of consciousness over a period of 16.4 billion years which the Maya divided into 9 consecutive levels of 13 time periods or kingdoms, each 20 times shorter than the previous cycle, each built upon the other. There is not just one calendar, as we think of calendars, but the Maya had many calendars utilized for tracking differents aspects of energy wave forms. The Tzolkin or day calendar, a 260 day calendar, coupled with the Tun calendar or galactic calendar - 360 days- were not physical calendars. In other words, they were not recording any relationship between two physical objects as our Gregorian Calendar does.

The Tzolkin, referred to as Harmonic Module, by Jose` Arguelles (The Mayan Factor) compares it to the IChing in that the Tzolkin "is a system for revealing information relating to a deeper or larger purpose." Mayan researchers are convinced the Tzolkin is synchronized with the "galactic code". This code seems to govern or generate information affecting the operations of the light cycle which defines resonant frequency ranges of radiant energy, says Arguelles. This includes electricity, heat, light, and radio waves that "inform the self-generative functions of all phenomena, organic or inorganic."

What does that mean for you?

To answer that question lets look at how the Maya used it. The Maya developed a "map" of this energy using 13 numbers and 20 "gods" or day names indicating an archetypal representation of the galactic energy available on any given day. An example of this is the deer, jaguar, or dog. When a Mayan child was born, it was given the day name for that day on the Tzolkin. They realized the energy of a particular day could be utilized to their benefit. In other words, harmonizing their energy/intention with the galactic energy prevalent each day enhanced their lives. This understanding of the cycles of energies emanating from the cosmos could be utilized for their personal empowerment was the basis of the structure of their daily lives.

They utilized this information to plan their daily activities. If the energy of a particular day was conducive to rest and reflection they utilized the day in that way. If the energy of a particular day supported taking care of one's property, then they utilized it in that way.

The Tun and Tzolkin Calendars made one complete revolution in 52 cycles or approximately 52 years. At the end of that cycle they understood that every possibility of creation for that period had occured and so they cancelled all debt, put out the fires in preparation for the next cycle.

It is evident from the information left to us that they were aware of much larger cycles of galactic waves of time and their effect upon life on this planet. How they knew that information did not come down to us - at least we have not discovered that information yet.

living in Choice, as I hope this little snippet of information about the Mayan way of life indicates, includes the necessity for an awareness of the universe and our place in it. It may seem that life is just a series of random events, but the reality is, as shown by the Maya, there is and has always been a cosmic plan and humanity is a part of that plan. According to the Maya the evolving plan is almost complete. Humanity has reached the final period of preparation for truly living in choice as co-creators.

Humanity is now at a crossroads of civilization. We can either move backward to the destruction of ourselves and the planet or we can go forward toward spiritual understanding and the greatest civilization we have ever seen on planet earth.

Humanity's conquest for life

2010-05-21T07:34:00.000-07:00

One of my favorite authors, Edmond Bordeaux Szekely, died in 1979 after a long life of lifting people all over the globe to a higher level of conscious awareness. His passion for living simply in harmony with natural and cosmic laws rewarded him with an abundant life, which he spent sharing his wisdom through teaching amidst the living example of his life. He wrote 80 books, he called them his "children", through which he shared the allsided truths left humanity by the extraordinary Essenes of the first century before the Common Era and the 1st and 2nd centuries CE. His "children" are available from I.B.S. Internacional, Box 849, Nelson, B.C. Canada V1L 6A5. Dr. Szekely's widow, Norma or Swallow, as she refers to herself, continues to follow the simple but extraordinary way of the Essenes and is the conservator of Dr. Szekely's books. She lives without the computer, the telephone, or other techno gagets. She writes letters with pen and paper as humanity has been doing for thousands of years. She lives quietly and beautifully in her chosen part of the world.

Dr. Szekely wrote the following in his posthumously (1994) published book, Toward the Conquest of the Inner Cosmos, " The greatest question at present is whether humanity has in truth reached a stage in its evolution at which its spirituality can crystallize into action. Or will this spirituality, as it develops into action and meets with matter, do as always in the past and retreat into matter and come to terms with it? In the light of historical perspective, the most probable solution is that now as heretofore there will be compromise: a step, large or small, will be taken toward the liberation of the spiritual."

As consciousness evolves and with it our own conscious awareness of the unity of all things, how do we resolve the worldview of duality - the separation of matter and the spiritual?

"Ah! Therein lies the rub" as Shakespeare said.

Ashem Vohu

2010-05-20T07:44:00.000-07:00

The first encyclopedia of human kind, the Zend Avesta of Zarathustra, predates ancient Egypt, China or India. And the Zend Avesta is itself, a recounting of previous ancient traditions. The early heliolithic teachings were pictures or pictographs - physiograms and ideograms often representing a greater intensity of their reality than can be found in expressions of todays reality through the written word. Zarathustra used pictographs to explain what words could not - the Creation of the Universe. He used the word "ASHA" which means "the cosmic order" as a representation of the creation of the Universe and all of its component parts. We are talking 8 to 10 thousand years ago. Amazing.

The ancient Sumerians, followers of Zarathustra, used this greeting, "Ashem Vohu" when meeting each other. Ashem Vohu means "the Cosmic Order is the best of all things."

They understood that with this greeting they were reinforcing their belief with each other that the universe is not a capricious universe, rather it is a universe where everything is in balance, harmony, and that to the extent that each of them/us cooperate with it only strengthens the balance and harmony. In other words, humanity/us are an intrinsic part of Asha - the Cosmic Order.

For today, ask yourself if you are in harmony with Asha? Are your thoughts, feelings, and actions filled with peace and harmony? And if not take a moment to STOP! And breathe to find within yourself a moment of peace and harmony. Check in with your body and see what it going on in there.

Hypnotic trance

2010-05-19T10:48:00.000-07:00

The Law of Survival, the most powerful law governing humankind, is the driving force of the pain/pleasure principle with which humanity is hypnotised. Whether that is hypnotised with tweeting, or blogging, or what brand of clothes to buy- we seem to be waiting for the next installment. Now is missed with the obsession for the next thing. Here are some quotes that express this same idea:

P.D. Ouspensky, In Search of the Miraculous, "In the ordinary waking state...man does not see the real world...He lives in hypnotic sleep..."To awaken" for man means to be "dehypnotized."

Sanai of Afghanistan, 1130 CE, Humanity is asleep, concerned only with what is useless, living in a wrong world."

Hubert Benoit, Zen scholar, "Our conscious thinking has all the characteristics of a dream....The representation that it gives us of the world is illusory.

A Course in Miracles, "Everything you see is the result of your thoughts. There is no exception to this fact."

The beginning

2010-05-17T17:04:00.000-07:00

My inspiration to blog came from my desire to find a way to have an avenue to connect with people who are working to build a foundation for a world order based not in materialism, but in an all sided perspective of living that includes life. It is easy to see, if one takes the time to stop and look, that the current prevailing paradigm does not support a quality of living, but is actually destroying it. Materialism has become a substitute for "life", which means that if you don't have money you don't have life - at least any quality of living. We are all conditioned to make money so we can purchase all the things that have become the symbol of "life", there is precious time left for being present to relationships. This must stop! And the only way it will is if each of us chooses a different path.

My desire is that this blog will open a dialogue leading to creative ways for living simply. The allsided truth is that living materialistically has never provided quality of life for everyone in the 5000 years + that humanity has been focused in that way. I don't think we can get there in a moment, in just one decision, but rather with many decisions intentioned to move in a direction of optimal living.

What choices are you making right now to live optimally?

There is an ancient Principle espoused by the Essenes of the 1st and 2nd century C.E. called the Principle of Optimum that says, "The best form of all human activities is that form which secures the best results with the minimum sacrifice and the least expenditure of time, labor and money."

The Principle of Optimum leads to its companion principle of every-sidedness because the principle of optimum has its greatest value when it is applied universally to everything.

This means the optimal form of the state of humanity is health and longevity. It also means that every thing in life has an optimal form - optimal diet, exercise, breath, and so forth. We can start on this new path by just noticing the things around us and make them better up to their optimal form. Is your room cleaned optimally, or your bathroom, or the refrigerator? How about your car or is your closet organized optimally? Those are great places to start. As you make those choices notice how it feels inside as you bring those aspects of everyday living up to their optimal state.

I am suggesting you do those things with a sense of enthusiam and excitement and as you go through the activity take the opportunity to be present in your body - fully aware of your breath, your heart beat, the flow of blood through your veins, how it feels to be in conscious contact with your surroundings - wherever you happen to be in the moment.

Are you able to build from within a feeling of gratitude and joy as you notice how good it feels to have an organized dresser drawer or closet or how great the bathroom smells after you have cleaned it. Or you have taken time to wake up early to make coffee for yourself and as it is brewing notice it fragrance and as you pour yourself a cup you walk out on the patio, the balcony or in the backyard where you can hear the singing of the birds, or the smell of the wet grass, or the laughter of a nearby neighbor carried to you on the wind.

This personal experience is for me an example of living: I was sitting on my patio today enjoying the warmth of the sun, the brilliant red of the roses in bloom in the nearby flowerbed, there were robins in a nearby tree singing, the air was fresh and crisp following the rains of yesterday. Those were the facts that were present around me. I loved just being with each of those senses as I brought them into my awareness fully experiencing them.

Now, that was living and it cost me nothing to be present to it. In fact, I gained a sense of peace and joy! I felt safe and connected to a greater source of energy that filled me up - that calmed my spirit and inspired me to hum a random tune. I was happy.

Contrarily, When I get caught up in the mundane - "what if-ing" - my experience of life deteriorates into worry, fear and inadequacy. My thoughts go to how can I make this better -trying figure it out. Thoughts like, "Maybe if I work harder and longer" float up. But, that is the merry-go-round - the hypnotic trance between pain and pleasure - that seems never to end. The result deterioration of mood, health and relationship with myself and others.

That says something about our choices or that we feel we have no choice. It isn't a foundation - a world view - that lends itself to living in wonderful, creative ways. It is about making money, the bottom line, buy more, build more. We have been good at that - and technology - that keeps us distracted from what is alive around us. Even this blog could become a distraction from life - from spending time with those I love and who love me, if I let it.

I hear those around me complaining about healthcare, politicians, financial institutions, religions who should be doing this or that to make our lives better, but it is obvious to me that relying on others - governments, politicians, religions, educators, corporations, to do it for us will never happen.

So, lets start an individual movement - a collective committment to finding ways to live that includes all the states of being that are missing now - joy, happiness, integrity, congruence, peace, love . . .

To get some new ideas about what you can do check out these websites from some of the people who have inspired me to think in new ways:

Barbara Marx Hubbard http://www.humanityascending.com/, Colin Tipping, http://www.radicalforgiveness.com/ ; Ervin Laszlo, http://www.ervinlaszlo.com/ ; Andrea and James Steward, http://www.humansourcecode.com/

drcone