Gaia: Living Metaphysics - Daily Living Aspects

Re: Self-Acceptance

http://joy-within.gaia.com — Mon, 23 Nov 2009 15:36:34 GMT

Deb, this is really beautiful...thank you for posting it here.

I keep getting the same message...from the Gaia Minute to the SOM Daily Affirmations...open heart, clear of fear and judgment, automatically results in unconditional love, peace and joy.

Unconditional Love

http://yhd52754.gaia.com — Sun, 22 Nov 2009 22:01:35 GMT

Dear Hearts who ARE this group -

KES posted this over at Gaia Networking. in Hummingbird / Anna & Gien's thread.

I just discovered The Love Foundation recently when I was doing a little "on-line" research into what has been written about unconditional love for my own NaNoWriMo book work.

This is so beautiful and the message so important that I wanted to bring it here too.

May you too realize
the power of Unconditional Love -
Deb

Self-Acceptance

http://yhd52754.gaia.com — Sun, 22 Nov 2009 17:27:02 GMT

From Edgar Cayce's blog for 11/22/2009

In the care of self, selflessness is great. But be more mindful of the little niceties about self and you will find a pride in self--not a false pride. But as nature manifested in its Maker, it does the best it can with what it has and looks the most beautiful with what it has to do with. Thy body, too, is indeed the temple of the living God. Keep it beautiful. Be mindful of the care of same, and you--too--will think more of it. So will there be more of the abilities to be conscious of His presence meeting with thee in thy temple; forget it not.

Edgar Cayce Reading 3179-1

Friday the 13th

http://yhd52754.gaia.com — Fri, 13 Nov 2009 22:21:05 GMT

I'd been toying around with writing something about Friday the 13th for this group, when I stumbled upon Angelica Taggart's blog F.E.A.R., which I very much enjoyed.

Angelica puts forth the possibility that the emotion that we sometimes interpret as Fear, is actually Excitement, and gives many very good examples to back that up. She ends her blog with a good spiritual mind treatment and these words from Ernest Holmes -

"we need to shake ourselves loose from the tyranny of fear and superstition and isolation and the emotional traditions.”

Her blog was also good for the fear I have been having to treat in my own self, due to living under some unpleasant circumstances (see my personal blog Letting It Be for more on that).

I did a little research on Friday the 13th, in honor of the energies of the day. From the How Stuff Works website -

In the Western world, a significant chunk of the population suspects bad things will happen whenever the 13th day of a month occurs on the day of the week called Friday.

The fear of Friday the 13th has two parts - a fear of the number 13 and a fear of Fridays. Both have deep roots in Christian theology. 13 was the number of people present at the Last Supper. Judas was the 13th member of the dinner party to arrive. Jesus was crucified on a Friday (Good Friday). Some theologians have extended the bad luck of a Friday to the day that Adam ate the apple offered by Eve and the beginning of the Great Flood that Noah escaped. In days gone by, some Christians would not begin a new project or trip on a Friday, fearing that would doom its success.

Sailors have their own version of the Friday story - because they were particularly superstitious about putting out to sea on a Friday, which gave rise to the legend (most likely untrue) that the British Navy commissioned a ship in the 1800s called H.M.S. Friday, in order to quell the superstition. The navy selected the crew on a Friday, launched the ship on a Friday and even selected a man named James Friday as the ship's captain. Then, one Friday morning, the ship set off on its maiden voyage... and disappeared forever. A similar, entirely factual, story is the harrowing flight of Apollo 13.

Some historians suggest that the Christian distrust of Fridays is actually linked to the early Catholic Church's overall suppression of pagan religions and women. In the Roman calendar, they named the day after Frigg or Freya (Norse goddesses of love and sex). Both of these strong female figures once posed a threat to male-dominated Christianity, the theory goes, so the Christian church vilified the day named after them.

It was said that Frigg would often join a coven of witches, normally a group of 12, bringing the total to 13. However, even that "idea" is likely to have originated with the Christian Church itself. There is a Christian legend that 13 is unholy because it signifies the gather of 12 witches and the devil. The number 13 was considered pagan because there are 13 months in the pagan lunar calendar with corresponds to the human menstrual cycle and therefore, connecting that number to femininity.

We've come a long way - baby.

In Norse mythology, the beloved hero Balder was killed at a banquet by the mischievous god Loki, who crashed the party of 12, bringing the group to 13. This and the Last Supper story have led to an entrenched belief that one should never sit down to a meal in a group of 13.

On a Friday the 13th in 1306, King Philip of France arrested the revered Knights Templar and began torturing them, marking the occasion as a day of evil. Check out this site to learn more.

In British tradition, Friday was the conventional day for public hangings, and there were supposedly 13 steps leading up to the noose.

Believing that Friday the 13th is unlucky leads one to look for evidence that the legend is true. Bad things, big and small happen all the time, so if you are looking for bad luck on Friday the 13th, you'll probably find it.

Hmmm, though given so many instances of the number 13 associated with negative events, perhaps there is something to it?

I need one of our numerology savvy Gaians to add some perspective on that aspect . . .

Wishing you only good luck today -
Deb

Re: Cloudy with a Chance of Thunderstorms

http://yhd52754.gaia.com — Fri, 13 Nov 2009 03:53:09 GMT

Lars,

That book, The Mastery of Love, was a true awakening for me and had a profound effect on my understanding of unconditional love. Don Miguel Ruiz is a master.

I need to post some more from The Four Agreements soon.

Deb

Re: Cloudy with a Chance of Thunderstorms

http://fastdarter.gaia.com — Fri, 13 Nov 2009 01:17:53 GMT

I resonate with all of it..
I just started reading a new (old) book by Don Miguel Ruiz and found threads that keep pulling be deeper.
Mastery of Love

Re: Cloudy with a Chance of Thunderstorms

http://torchholder.gaia.com — Fri, 13 Nov 2009 00:25:28 GMT

Thank You, Master Gian..!!
Your Guidance has been sorely missed by Me,
and Others Here.

Your Wisdom is Precious to Us, Your Compassion and Love Boundless,
and Your Mind Sharp as a Ginsu Knife.
Is it so strange that We should miss You ?

Not at all. Pointing down the Way, the Path of Enlightenment,
You keep Us from straying to dead-end Paths,
and Time is Precious for Mortals.

Tashi Delek Gian, with Love, Torchholder

Re: Cloudy with a Chance of Thunderstorms

http://kaliyuga.gaia.com — Thu, 12 Nov 2009 18:28:26 GMT

Deb,
this is very profound stuff you have written about here
Emotions are so essential to our being
and we know so little about our own
It's fascinating, scary and ultimately liberating
to see how it is that our emotions arise the way they do

Your writing reminds me of someone else I know
long, detailed,personal and from the heart ....hmmm....I wonder who? :D

Torchholder,
Now I don't know what to say to your comment! Thank you that you resonate with me. Seems like we must share some common karma (Good name for a new book!)
Let me try to live up to the reputation! (Just kidding....I will just be myself and just flow out what flows out)

ANGER

Anger is victimhood. It is saying I am not in control, either of myself or of what is happening around me.

Anger is unlike other emotions
it can arise so quickly, so effortlessly
and before you know it
you are engulfed in rage
you have a knot in your stomach,
quickening of your breath and speech
a rise in the volume of your speech
and an increased heart rate
we all know the signs, don't we?

And when those who so easily anger us do just that
well, how humbling it is!
We cannot hide behind eloquent words anymore
not when that stark power possesses us

What does this instant arisal
of such a powerful force tell us about ourselves?
What lies there at all times
ready to arise with such fiery?
Just as importantly, WHY is it there?
We all know some people
who are extreme in their anger
and can "explode" into violence
violent deeds or words
like a hair trigger

Such manifestation of anger
is like a latent tension, isn't it?
It may not be here now
but it's potential is always here
It must be tense to live with such a person

The normal person still possesses this latent tension
but to a much smaller degree

It is like an unresolved want, isn't it?
Something we are missing
and can't have
and that latent anger
is a continual sense of lack
a chronic emotional disease

It is a sense of lack and powerlessness
that gives rise to these feelings
whether latent or manifest
but when we experience these feelings with awareness
we witness how powerless we truly are to it!

Of course, I’m not in “control” of what is happening around me. It is ridiculous to believe that I could be.

So true, isn't it?
The world goes the way it goes
while our mind merrily tries to go it's own way!
Things happen as they do
and they all happens so effortlessly

Within the human realm
those who bring pain and suffering
do so as effortlessly, spontaneously and naturally
as those who alleviate it

Within the realm of nature
we have sunshine one day
a tornado the next
and a searing heat wave the next
it all happens effortlessly, spontaneously, naturally

Yet we are taught and conditioned
to have goals and aspirations in life
from the very earliest of ages

As an individual with individual wants and needs in the world
we are always going to be in conflict with the world, isn' t it?
This sounds like a trivial statement
but beneath it, if we choose to explore
is the deepest wisdom we could ever attain

THE WITNESS

it is possible to become aware that there is a witness or observer within each of us that is not our physical body, is not our judging mind, is not our experiences of living a life. It is capable of simply looking around, watching life unfold in the moment, being in the NOW, moving through the time / space of this Earthly life that we each are allotted, without doing anything more about it, than to see it happen, to feel the sun and wind and notice the colors and the emotional outbursts of others around us, even to notice how our own individual self behaves in the heat of an emotion.

This universal presence spoken of by the sage Longchenpa
like a perfectly stainless mirror
that reflects all images that impinge upon it
reflecting every appearance perfectly

Who am I?
I am not who I think I am
A thought is a thought
Being is being
I am NOT even my entire collection of thoughts
Thoughts themselves
arise out of the play of universal creativity
and they distort universal creativity through it's lense

This universal presence does not judge a single thing
anything that exists does so out of the volition of the unnamable

This universal presence is with us
when we are awake and conscious
asleep, dreaming and unconscious
in every possible state

WHO is it who experiences this waking life?
WHO is it from which thoughts spontaneously emerge?
WHO is it who experiences the dreamworld?

I will return to comment on the last two! :D

Re: Cloudy with a Chance of Thunderstorms

http://torchholder.gaia.com — Thu, 12 Nov 2009 06:17:44 GMT

This is Clear, Transparent, Logical, Wise, Intuitive, Spiritual, Simple, and Obvious when Reading This. Congratulations ! You have managed to summarize The Rules for being a Mystic, as well as a Human Being of the Highest Order.

This is Precious Stuff. I would be gratified to see Gian's Response to this Post.

He has an amazing ability to expand principle, with logics and feelings and philosphy and spirituality and Humanity.i

Re: Cloudy with a Chance of Thunderstorms

http://yhd52754.gaia.com — Thu, 12 Nov 2009 02:42:53 GMT

Ken,

Interesting that you should say that. Seems to be my lesson of the moment.

So much so, that I wrote a personal blog today, called Letting It Be.

Peace -
Deb

Re: Cloudy with a Chance of Thunderstorms

http://baba.gaia.com — Wed, 11 Nov 2009 14:51:30 GMT

This is deep and thoughtful Deb. I agree that we always have a choice. Sometimes the best choice is to let go.

Cloudy with a Chance of Thunderstorms

http://yhd52754.gaia.com — Sun, 08 Nov 2009 20:25:26 GMT

I have started to write the book, Cloudy with a Chance of Thunderstorms, which it did come to me that I should write, after attending the Chicago - Celebrate Your Life conference.

I am allowing the NaNoWriMo event (National Novel Writing Month) which Centria (a member of this group) made me aware of, and am experiencing it almost solely through the Diving Deeper group (here at Gaia) to push content through me (50,000 words, by the end of the month, is the goal). So, far I am on track with my daily goals, at almost 13,500 words.

Most of it has been dredging up bits and pieces of my real life. However, yesterday, I allowed myself the luxury of letting some spiritual content channel through, from my Higher Self (certainly, that was how it "felt" anyway). Of course, any book I would write would have a spiritual tone and aspect to it.

So, rough as it is, and probably not in the structure it may ultimately take upon itself, I share it with you here as being uniquely and genuinely "of my own self". I hope you enjoy.
____________________________________________________________

Anger

Anger is resistance to what is, to reality. Anger is the frustrated child in me that wants something and feels it is being withheld from them. By growing “up”, I can integrate to an intentional and conscious surrender to life. The anger will subside because I’m not fighting with what my life is anymore. One can see that something is not as beneficial as it could be and take steps to change that situation, to shift that situation, so that it can more closely resembles what the ideal vision is, without being angry about it. Anger is victimhood. It is saying I am not in control, either of myself or of what is happening around me. Of course, I’m not in “control” of what is happening around me. It is ridiculous to believe that I could be. It is a big world, I am a tiny bit of individualization in that world. The world has so many other individualizations, waves and currents and winds blowing through it, on the macro scale; that I am neither meant to control it nor do I initiate any of that aspect of my experience at being “alive”. My only role in that macro aspect is my response to it and I am always free to respond to it in a way of my choosing. I “should” be in control of myself. The reality is, sometimes I am not.

The Witness

If I do not feel that I am “choosing” the way in which I am responding to the situation, then I truly am out of control. I am out of control regarding my responses, the only aspect of my being that I can control. When this awareness first begins to come through, to emerge within my conscious thought, it may be that all I am really skilled enough to do, is to observe what is happening. For we are all skilled at that, it is how we go from infancy, to childhood to maturity. At this stage of awareness, it is possible to become aware that there is a witness or observer within each of us that is not our physical body, is not our judging mind, is not our experiences of living a life. It is capable of simply looking around, watching life unfold in the moment, being in the NOW, moving through the time / space of this Earthly life that we each are allotted, without doing anything more about it, than to see it happen, to feel the sun and wind and notice the colors and the emotional outbursts of others around us, even to notice how our own individual self behaves in the heat of an emotion.

This is not a skilled activity, though it is useful as an activity. One can notice, is the mind playing the same old song over and over again ? – either literally or figuratively. One can notice fixations. One can be in appreciation or awe. One can be aware of the emotional body as separate from the mental reasoning. The mind is the thinking aspect. Some of this is trained and programmed and hardly “thinking” at all. It is societal and cultural and of its “time” period. Religion goes into this definition of mind as well.

The Intuitive Mind

There is a deeper mind. It is intuitive, it is where insight and inspiration emerge from. It is not trained but it has access to all of the knowledge of any human that has ever lived. Any event that has ever occurred, any “higher” learning or education that has been developed within a human consciousness, is stored in this accessible “place” for all time and always. Some, when they connect to this faculty, believe they have found God or some Ascended Master or evolved Being but no, this is still an aspect of the functioning of the mind, in the individualized self. Yet, it is very, very helpful in the productive and fruitful living of any individual life.

What is it that observes? What is it that watches without judgment? What is it that knows where the trajectory we are on now is headed? Is there only one trajectory? Are we in one world or many? Can we shift from one layer to another without the outer aspects of our life appearing to change?, without our own self appearing to change?, except perhaps in temperament. These are the kinds of questions that one who is on the spiritual path begins to ask of their own inner self. In a sense, it is a “why am I here?” question. But “why am I here?” almost connotes that we should not be, or that we would be happier elsewhere, and that would be to miss the whole point of reality.
Warning

So, once again, I attempt turn back to “the story” and allow it to come forth. There will be time enough for the analyzing. Actually, I think that was where I was attempting to go, as I was describing the functions of the mind. Intuition can be a tricky aspect. If one is wanting to “make it happen”, is trying to force it or push it through, one could find themselves in deep do-do. I have been, and others who I have been witness to in their own struggles with such, have found that in trying to “arrive” by force, we misinterpret much. There is no hurry. In fact, hurry can make one “accept” the craziest notions and act upon them.

So, if your intuition is telling you – I must do this NOW – take a deep breath and resist. No, the world is not going to end, you are not going to fail to advert some disaster, no one is going to be harmed or killed if you don’t act. You are quite simply not THAT important. Don’t be dejected. You are important. You are important to existence but your “actions” in this life should be light and easy. They should be as non-threatening and non-serious as though you had been chosen to play a role. Sometimes your conscious mind will not feel in tune with the role that is being asked of you to play. Perhaps, you don’t really feel you will do a good job of playing that role but that you are the one chosen to do so, and you must play the part. How will you know if that is so? It will be obviously, the next logical step available to you to take.

So, you play it with all the best you have to give. It is THAT important. It is important that you show up fully, heart-fully even (if you can), and reluctantly, if you must. Reluctantly, is perfectly okay. You can play the role of a reluctant participant, a victim whose hand is forced in a direction not of their choosing, and be fully aware of that aspect. And here I am circling around the subject again. Well, some things are hard to put into conscious, thinking mind, terms.

Protection

Here is an important protection, if you desire to allow intuition to take a greater role in your life, from the bible - Philippians 4:8. “Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable – if anything is excellent or praiseworthy – think about such things.” (Source - New International Version c 1984) This applies. My granny repeated that verse to me verbally, when I was trying so hard to follow my intuitive guide and having huge difficulty in interpreting the messages that come through.

There can be signs and messages in every item and word and aspect of your life. THESE ARE MEANT FOR YOU ALONE. That is why another person will think you are crazy; if you tell him a bird just gave you a personal message. And there are so many more “messages”, that we can pick up a signal from, in modern times, than were available to the more simple humans living in our ancestor's period. The very air is filled with all manner of “content”, from all manner of sources – radio, tv, satellite, etc as well as from all the electrical impulses of thought that pass through any human brain which is physically active.

By taking the advice of Philippians, you can save yourself much trouble and grief. If your “messages”, from wherever you believe they are coming, tell you to kill someone or do some obviously crazy action, because something terrible will happen that only you can prevent, therefore you MUST do this – then, be highly suspicious and do not act upon it immediately. The truth IS, that if the Divine really NEEDS you to do anything and at this point in my own life, I’ve come to doubt that kind of urgency – always; but if the Divine really needs you to do something, you will not be able to prevent it from happening. So, you have the luxury of taking your time about getting a round to - It.

The importance of this advice is that the human mind, being poorly programmed as it is by violence and other human risks and vulnerabilities – by our stories (real or imagined), by our media (real life or fiction) and by our actions and the interpretations of those actions – is in a period of great danger. Yet, by the simple conscious insistence, that these qualities – truth (which can be subjective “x is mad at me” or objective “the sun came up this morning”), nobility (morals, ethics, courage, generosity, dignified), right action (instinctively “right” as in not hurting another person unless in self-defense), purity (absence of inappropriate qualities, being of the core essence, not diluted or mixed with eternal influences), lovely (eliciting a feeling of love or inspiration upon the beholding of) or admirable (worthy of general approval by others) are represented in the thought or action contemplated; is a very good guideline to judge - whether the “insight” is worth paying attention to or the “request” to take a particular action is worth considering.

If you feel you should or must do something, and it violates such ideals and concepts, better to let it go and ripen. If it is important, it will return modified. It is always possible also to negotiate such. Consider what it is that is bothering you about it and “negotiate” that aspect out of consideration. Free choice is REAL. You are not coerced by anyone to do anything. You ALWAYS have a choice. If your life is in jeopardy, you have the choice to submit or fight, whatever your instincts guide you is the best path for survival, if you wish to continue living. One can also forfeit their life for a “larger” cause. Such is also a choice. One can be tired of living and decide it is of no use to continue on. That is another choice. There are only choices, and the paths those choices take us upon, the outcomes of which are the trajectory of that choice.
Trust

The still small voice, once you are able to be aware that it is there, with such love of you that “It” would never ask anything harmful or awful of you, will give you much confidence and a genuine sense of security in living out the journey that your life is taking you upon. We each have many such journeys but the nature of our physical lives is such; that we can only be certain of this one in which our awareness is currently focused. We can have “experiences”, “dreams” and “intuitions” about other such journeys, which are remembered within our core essence, that the complete Self of our soul has taken. But they are in theory only, to the conscious mind which lives this life. They are also inconsequential except, that the lessons, we may have possibly gained in such experiences, when they can be recalled; may speed up or ease the learning curves we encounter, in the life of which we are conscious now, in the physicality of that.

Re: 9:09 - the Gaia minute

http://Meenakshi.gaia.com — Fri, 30 Oct 2009 03:03:33 GMT

HI Deb; it was posted yesterday . So you saw it as it was put up; Kathy and I were fine-tuning it for a day or two before that.

How wonderful when people around us respond positively to the Gaia Minute. I even have those who respond with completely blank faces; a stone wall comes down!

Re: 9:09 - the Gaia minute

http://yhd52754.gaia.com — Thu, 29 Oct 2009 17:30:04 GMT

I didn't know about this YouTube until yesterday. When I am in St Louis, I use my new iPhone to do the reading on Gaia I never seem enough time for and discovered that KES, Meenakshi and Eli had put together this video that explains what Eli was thinking and feeling about this "need", when he brought the idea of the Gaia Minute to us all.

~A Guide To Prayer Prepared For The Gaia Minute~

I was at my dentist's office yesterday. I am aware that the dentist and the staff there do a prayer circle. So, I told the receptionist about the Gaia Minute. Her face was beaming. She could understand that this is a "good" thing to do. It is wonderful how easy it is for people who believe in the effects of prayer to simply do this without alot of questions. Every one can give up 9 mins a day, around the :09 time in someone's time zone. It really is so very simple, easy and doesn't ask alot of any one person.

Peace & Blessings -
Deb

Re: 9:09 - the Gaia minute

http://yhd52754.gaia.com — Wed, 21 Oct 2009 22:05:12 GMT

After the weekly 9:09 Gaia Minute conference call guided meditation on Monday, Oct 12th - I went to yet another medical appointment and then, to Whole Foods to do my shopping. There I found a little spiral journal called WeMoon 2010 - Gaia Rhythms for Womyn - Reinvent the Wheel.

On pg 34, near where the journal begins the year on Dec 16, 2009 is this beautiful poem - Gaia's Message by Maria Silmon copyright 2002

Gaia's Message

I am here
in the scent of a flower
in the living rainbow of light
on a dew drop
on a blade of grass

I am in every ray of the sun's light
in every grain of sand and drop of rain
in the rising mist
in the heat of the morning sun

and I am living through you

I whisper my secrets to you
when you are waking
and sing to you my song
while you sleep

I teach you of love
and its unfolding
and hold you when you weep

I am a reflection of life's unfolding
and I too,
as you,
am evolving

I am growing and changing
just as you do

I am vast
and, like you
I am part of the great cosmic dance
of awakening and becoming

I dance with the planets and the stars
and sparkle
as a radiant emerald jewel
in the bed of the universe

Re: What does the Presence feel like to you?

http://Meenakshi.gaia.com — Sun, 18 Oct 2009 08:54:09 GMT

This is such an amazing thread, and I wonder if I missed it when it was first posted; or was my answer...silence, wordlessness....?

I feel different layers of Presence as the One permeates all. As God, there is a different aspect that I recently started a thread on, at the God Pod - What is God to me today?

And on this thread, as I read your original question, Sandy, I'll reply that at various times: I feel a sensation in the crown, a 'settling -in" to my body,as aspects of God. But the wholeness is hinted at as a hum.

Re: 9:09 - the Gaia minute

http://ADLIAC.gaia.com — Fri, 09 Oct 2009 15:35:56 GMT

Yes, Deb !! I did those annual world peace meditations yearly for a long time from the start. 4AM my time on December 31st! In the early years I would get up at 2 AM and join a group somewhere in town, I had my choice of groups to join even at 4 AM. I guess the endeavor lost its fashionableness for most people..... But, of course, the desire ever resurrects, currently as 9:09 and others.

I think those are my favorite verses too. Especially the word "sanity." Adyashanti emphasizes that aspect.

Love, OM

Re: 9:09 - the Gaia minute

http://yhd52754.gaia.com — Thu, 08 Oct 2009 17:16:09 GMT

Smiles -

Re: 9:09 - the Gaia minute

http://fastdarter.gaia.com — Thu, 08 Oct 2009 16:09:08 GMT

Yes Deb, I am aware of Cady..
Here's the complete works.
She was showing her true colors..

Re: 9:09 - the Gaia minute

http://yhd52754.gaia.com — Thu, 08 Oct 2009 14:49:01 GMT

OM,

It is long but there is something about it . . . My favorite part is at the end -

I am seeing the salvation of the Planet
before my very eyes, as all false beliefs
and error patterns are dissolved.
The sense of separation is no more;
the healing has taken place,
and the world is restored to sanity.

This is the beginning of Peace on Earth
and Good Will toward all,
as Love flows forth from every heart,
forgiveness reigns in every soul,

and all hearts and minds are one in perfect understanding.

Do you remember those old New Year's Eve - World Healing meditations?, I do. My Science of Mind church in St Louis always promoted it to the congregation.

Peace & Blessings -
Deb

BTW Lars,

Price seems to have been very well versed, not only in Holmes' work but, in Unity thought as well. Just in this morning's reading for me is a reference to H Emilie Cady, a Unity publication called Lessons in Truth.