Observe and Learn

Seems easy enough, right?

Observe and learn. Yet, the process of actually learning usually involves participation. There is a certain amount of information we learn by observing. For instance, we don’t just go skydiving. First we observe and learn some things about skydiving, then we can participate and learn more from the direct experience.

On the job training might begin after we’ve had some schooling.

So, the schooling itself is preparatory. And the actual experience is where the learning truly begins. We must begin by becoming aware – by observing – then we can take our mission to a whole new level.

My God Doesn’t Hate

It boggles the mind to see people actively suggesting that God hates anything. My God doesn’t hate. It, for lack of a better pronoun, loves. That’s all it does, is love. And it loves and loves. It does not hate.

You see, hate is a by product of the darkness, and God is the light.

Hate is generated by the ego and fear. And God is not afraid, nor does it have an ego.

It does not take our actions personally.

God loves us. And that’s all it does – no matter who we are – no matter what we do.

It is like a perfect parent – accepting, patient, loving, and kind.

My God doesn’t hate – it loves us.

Forgiveness

Looking inside – I find that there is no greater obstacle to loving than that of holding on to hurt. And what I mean by holding on is that – we often can not process our way through the painful experiences of our lives – we hold onto past hurts because we simply don’t know how to heal them.

People act in really bad ways sometimes. Perhaps they mean to – perhaps they don’t. There’s a lot of unconsciousness out there and it seems easy for people to just behave the way they want to without ever really looking at themselves – without any accountability – without really questioning the hurt they cause.

Those actions though – even when they directly effect us, hurt us – are not really about us. The bad actions of others are truly a part of that person’s personality and the dilemma that they have with acting from a loving, kind, and empathic place.

I see that forgiveness is the greatest healer of all. It removes the hurt. It does not excuse bad actions. It simply says, “your badness is a part of you, and even though it effected me negatively, I am not going to blame you for acting that way toward me.”

You see, each individual acts the way they do because of their own insecurities, imbalances, and negative behavioral conditioning – not because of us – much as they might like us to believe.

So, let go. Stop holding onto anger, bitterness, sadness, hate, and all that hurt. Forgive. It opens the door to greater levels of love than you can imagine!

 

 

Back Again

Funny how the best of intentions are thwarted by distraction. The most amazing part of it though – is the coming back. Fall off a diet, a program, a goal? The only thing you can do is get back to it. So – never – and I mean never – give up. Because getting back again to the goal or the desired way of being is a journey and getting there is always going to be about the ride. Big Hugs! Craig

The Long Road: Gestation

It’s been a while since I’ve posted here. That’s because my partner and I became parents to a wonderful baby boy recently. The process of gestation is a waiting game to be sure, but more than that, it is a time of preparation. And as it turns out, while you are preparing for certain things, other things fall by the wayside. That’s because we naturally prioritize our lives, our days, and our needs. Recognizing what needs to be prioritized, and for how long, is the process of gestation that brings about the “new” in its own time.

It seems that the longer the gestation is, the more magnificent the outcome! By taking the time needed to invest in yourself and your dreams, you make the outcome all the more meaningful, real, and lasting.

Happy Holidays!

I look forward to being back at the blog more often!

The Dragonslayer

I sometimes ask myself, in my meditative moments, “what is your dragon to slay?”  It’s a question that can be asked over and over. It doesn’t need just one answer. And the answer itself will change from time to time. For me personally, the answer could be lethargy, or overindulging, or just about anything you could think that human beings need to overcome. Nevertheless, it is a wonderful question because it asks me to focus on what my blockages are, what’s standing in my way, or what have I made a monster out of – a monster that might easily be defeated in the light of consciousness.

Looking around these days, I see a lot of people surrounded by their dragons. They feel totally overwhelmed. Especially by the dragon of money, or a sense that there is not enough money. Poverty is quite a dragon. Napoleon Hill in “Think and Grow Rich”, said that, “poverty is one of the great fears of mankind.” Well, we are certainly immersed in that fear lately, and it only grows in strength the more we allow it to take hold of our lives.

Somewhere along the way, we collectively gave the power to feel safe, over to money. We let money become the “thing” that would save us. We gave money the power to protect us, to make us feel worthy, to give our lives meaning, to define our successes, and to secure a life for us, that is free from harm. With money, all things would be perfect. If we just had enough money, then our lives would be free from fear.

And so, in giving money the power to save us, we also gave it the opposite power, the power to destroy us. It’s like a wife who gives her husband the power to make her feel beautiful. When she dresses up for him, and he says, “you look lovely”, she beams and feels like a million bucks. But if he were to say, “actually I don’t really like that on you”, or God forbid, “you don’t really look that good dressed in that,” – then she’s devastated. Giving him the power to make her feel beautiful also gives him the power to make her feel ugly. It’s a two-edged sword placing power outside of yourself.

Reclaiming your power and finding your safety and security in yourself is not easy. You have to be very confident to know that you are okay in this world. You have to develop faith in something greater than yourself, because nobody does it alone. And mostly, you have to know that the dragon to slay is the one that’s inside of you. There is no external form of salvation. All that we look for from money, or good looks, or charm, or fame, is really found in love and kindness, charity and patience. That is where our security lies – it’s been there since the first of us – it has never left us – it is still with us – inside – it has been there all along.

Paradox

Seems funny that the pious are often anti -this or that, for strict religious reasons.

But when it comes to feeding the poor, housing the sick, or taking care of the least among them, they can’t seem to find a different approach than anti-.

Lunar New Year and The Groundhog Arrive Together

The groundhog comes again on Wednesday. And if we see him or if we don’t, winter is likely to last a little longer. But, perhaps it could come a little sooner if you’ve worked out your issues this winter. If not, and you “see your shadow” anytime this week, well, you can count on having to look within (winter) a little longer.

This year there is tremendous power on Groundhog Day. For 2011, Groundhog Day coincides with the lunar new year, Chinese new year, and the full moon of mid-winter; the full moon of Aquarius.

The rabbit, zodiac animal for 2011, represents a time of healing and productivity. In connection with Groundhog Day, which is the halfway point of winter, we have an awesome opportunity to heal ourselves and the community we are a part of!

Just one dollar or one moment of your time; given on this day, Wednesday, will be like a boulder in the lake of consciousness. Light a blue candle, say a prayer for the proliferation of generosity and give where your heart calls you.

Happy New Year.

The Earth is Not Disposable

Plastics and paper;

the kind in the mail.

This thing and that thing,

we get them on sale.

No need to fix it;

just put on the heap –

All of what’s outworn

cause new things are cheap!

The problem with this,

is you’ll notice one day –

There’s nothing left for us.

The Earth’s been thrown away.

Why Your Sign Does or Doesn’t Fit You

All the recent hoopla and anxiety about the new sign in the zodiac is now fading to a dim memory. We learned that: hysteria is easy to muster when attached to some perceived authority, and that astronomers are best left to astronomy. The art of astrology is fine just the way it is. There is no new sign. Astrologers have already accounted for the “new” information.

What I found in all the confusion, was that some people feel like their sign does not fit them. And while some people do, in fact most people do, the ones who don’t are left thinking that astrology doesn’t work, or at the very least – that it doesn’t work for them.

The reason for this has to do with an individual astrology chart. You see, the horoscopes are not astrology. They are the fortune cookies of astrology; designed as entertainment and amusement, rather than a real astrology experience. Your individual chart shows more information than just what your sun sign is – that’s what we normally think of as “your sign.”

“Your sign” is just a small part of your overall personality makeup, and while that sign, the sun sign, often plays a large part in an individual’s personality, there is a large group of people where other factors and signs are more predominant. For those individuals, their sun sign does not feel like a complete picture of who they are.

There are other signs in your chart. One of them is the rising sign. This is the sign that is on the eastern horizon at the time when you were born. It was rising at the time, that’s why it’s your rising sign. Let’s say that you are a Virgo, but your rising sign is Leo. You may not feel so shy, organized, or uninterested in the limelight. You may be more like a Leo – bold, creative, and showy. In that case, reading about Virgo does not feel like a good fit. This is just one example of the countless combinations of the planets and signs in a chart. We are all unique and our charts are all different.

So, if you don’t feel connected to your sign, your sun sign, then it’s probably because other stronger factors are at work in your chart. Not because you are now an Ophiuchus – whatever that is.