Helping Raise the Collective Consciousness

Recently, while visiting my parents on the occasion of my dad’s birthday, our conversation turned to the Christmas gifts my mom had bought for the members of her bridge club. On the dining room table, amidst the wrapping paper, ribbon and holiday trimming, was a stack of CDs by Susan Boyle. When my mom remarked that, of course, I would remember Susan, I’m at an immediate loss. Surmising my ill hidden cluelessness, my mom and dad begin relaying the now well known story of Miss Boyle’s appearance on the British version of our American Idol.

The story, as it was revealed, took on the transformative magic of fairy tales and I am totally intrigued… wishing I had witnessed the event as it unfolded in real time. Upon introducing herself on the stage of the Britain Has Talent competition, the perfectly cast Susan Boyle is met with a dismissive air of cynicism and ridicule and, in a merciless instant, her less than goddess-like appearance and quirky demeanor become the defining elements of her “isness”. The fateful die seemingly lay cast, its cruel oracle reflected in the eyes and minds of both the audience and panel of judges. With absolute certainty, the mass consciousness assembled before her anticipates her presumed ill fated attempt to shine. And then, absolute magic befalls the court of mistaken certainties. Within the opening seconds of her performance of “I Dreamed a Dream”, the audience is jolted to their feet in stunned recognition of the beautifully angelic voice now holding them captive. Indeed, the world is even now held captive. [Read more →]

The other day I came to the realization that most problems can be solved with a simple adjustment to our perspective. More specifically, by changing the scale of our perspective, I believe that we can eliminate many of our problems and more effectively deal with the remaining ones. And I don’t mean just ignore them or mask them over.

When dealing with challenges, it is easy to overly focus on the problems at hand. We fail to put problems into the proper context within our lives. I think that this results in a world perspective that is quite small. This means that little things in our lives that could be considered problems are disproportionately large. Imagine a small perspective to be a shoebox. If you focus on even a few problems, this is like placing a couple bricks in the box. Not much room is left, is there? This is what happens when we are too focused on little things and fail to see any of the big picture.

By simply expanding our scale of perspective we can put problems back in their place, allowing for the fullness of our life to be present. Take a step back and realize that there are indeed great things happening in your life. Just because something is not to your liking now doesn’t mean it will always be that way. Imagine now that your shoebox has enlarged to the size of your kitchen. There’s a lot more room for the good things happening in your life now, isn’t there?

On the other end of the spectrum is allowing our scale of perspective to be too large. I think this is probably becoming more frequent as more and more kids and adults are becoming ‘world citizens’ and wanting to help everybody. For some, this means focusing on ALL of the problems in the world right now: war, disease, poverty, and anything else threatening humanity. An overly broad perspective can easily be overwhelming, leading to feelings of discouragement and even hopelessness as we search for meaning in a world that seemingly makes no sense.

Luckily I believe this is simply a matter of having too large of a perspective. By contracting it, we can adjust things back to their rightful proportions. Poverty is a big deal, but it shouldn’t outweigh your ability to see innocence in a child or beauty in a sunset. I used to let my inability to put everything in the world into order weigh me down enough that I could not see the good in my life. Luckily I got to the point that I “woke up” and changed my scale of perspective (although I didn’t realize I was doing this at the time).

Changing your scale of perspective doesn’t mean you are ignoring problems or running away from them. In contrast, you will be more at peace and better equipped to handle them. It simply puts things in proper perspective and allows you to deal with life in a more balanced and enlightened way. And don’t forget, even the largest problems can be solved with one step at a time.

The other night I got to my apartment late and could hear a dog barking once I stepped out of my car. My only thought at the time was, “That dog’s not too happy.” Then I didn’t really think much more about it. It turns out the dog was a perfect lesson in disguise.

That night, I was visiting other blogs reading about how we have no problems right now. This idea perhaps most famously comes from The Power of Now. I have held this belief as my own for some time now; whenever I have a “problem” I take a step back to remind myself that I am dwelling in the past (or future, depending on the situation) and that if I stay in the present moment I really don’t have a problem.

If you are new to this concept, think of it this way: right now, at this very moment, you have zero problems. Maybe your best friend sent you a mean text message, but that happened in the past. Maybe you have bills you have to pay next week, but that’s something in the future, something that doesn’t even exist yet. I have easily accepted this idea, except for the question that has been in the back of my mind, “What if something really is happening right now that is a problem?”
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The following story was in my morning email.  It offers such a simple and profound truth that I wanted to share it.  Namaste

The Tale of Two Wolves

One evening an elder Cherokee told his young grandson about the struggle that is waged within each of us.  He said, “Grandson, the battle is between two very powerful wolves.  They live inside every person and each wolf wants to win control of our heart and mind.  One is Dark and is filled with anger, envy, jealousy, regret, greed, arrogance, sorrow, self-pity, guilt, resentment, inferiority, dishonesty, false pride and ego.  The other is Light and filled with joy, peace, love, hope, serenity, humility, kindness, benevolence, empathy, generosity, truth, compassion, and faith.”  The young grandson thought about this for a few minutes and asked, “Which wolf wins, Grandfather, the Light or the Dark?”  Looking deeply into his eyes, the wise elder replied simply, “The one you feed.”

“Who says I can’t be free?
From all of the things I used to be,
Rewrite my history,
Who says I can’t be free?”

- John Mayer, “Who Says”

There’s no need to think we can’t change everything in our lives in a heartbeat. Think back to when you were a kid with grand plans to become a doctor or firefighter or even the president. The possibilities seemed endless and we didn’t spend our time being pragmatic about our dreams. Recapture that innocence. The world is what we make of it, in more ways than most people understand.

All that matters is this moment; just because you have a history of getting angry quickly or gossiping doesn’t mean you always will. Start the positive change now. Take life moment by moment, choose your own actions, and be the person you’ve always wanted to be. Thinking you can’t change who you are means that you are living in the past and allowing it to dictate your future. Since neither past nor future exist, what you are really doing is keeping yourself out of the present moment, which is all there really is. Do what you want to do and be who you want to be. Make today the day you rewrite your history and truly become free.

We are so attached to our thoughts. We think we are our thoughts, but we’re not. We think our thoughts are real, but if you watch them, you will see how contradictory they are.
Our thoughts change constantly. [...] there is no stability in our thoughts, freedom comes when you learn to just watch them pass.

-Isha, Why Walk When You Can Fly?

I have been reading Why Walk When You Can Fly? and the above passage really stuck out to me. Why? It reminded me of this clip of Peaceful Warrior:
video management, video solution, video streaming
I forgot about this until I was walking with two friends after grabbing lunch. One of them mentioned that he sometimes felt bad for things that he thought! I was rather excited to quote the movie for them (I love movie quotes) but this synchronicity made me think I should share with you.

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Change and impermanence are everywhere present, both in nature and throughout our material world of structure and technology. But nowhere is the ebb and flow of change more intimately felt than in our relationships with friends, family and co-workers, where we find even the most enduring connections can transform in sudden and unexpected ways. Our closest bonds are our most important anchors in life and often provide the lens through which we see not only ourselves, but, to a large extent, the world around us. The mirror held before us through these relationships is most often the truest and clearest and, if we dare look deeply enough, provides an instrument of amazing growth and transformation. When close ties are broken, whether through the transition of death or a simple parting of paths, this same reflection illuminates the way to understanding and acceptance, even while coping with the sting of impermanence.

After the loss of the presence of a dear friend several months ago, I have gazed into this reflected pool on a daily basis and have been given profound insights into the many facets of myself, both light and dark. While challenging, the process unerringly cleared my vision, allowing me to see the underlying elements of our friendship and the roles we played with, and for, each other. While the change is not one I would have consciously chosen, I now embrace a fuller, richer view and have come to a peaceful resolution within myself.

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The days of this past week were remarkably glorious. The evenings were particularly alive with color, texture and sound and provided the perfect atmosphere for our end of the day walks. Unusually cool breezes caressed bare summer skin; scarlet suns set against prismatic skies; a rising full moon, the color of ripe mangos, hung huge above the horizon; silent flurries of bats winged their way between treetops at twilight; and the cacophonous sound of cicadas fading into the chorus of crickets as darkness enveloped each day. Peace and wholeness hung in the air on those nights and all seemed right with the world… a feeling reminiscent of the wonder I felt while gazing at star-filled skies as a child.

As I reflect on these experiences, I marvel at how easily we become distracted by the busy-ness of our daily lives and the extent to which we separate ourselves from the magnificent beauty and magic that fills the world in which we live. As we narrow our field of awareness to the tedium and drama of passing events, the mind, ever so efficiently, justifies the importance of such focus. We tend to take for granted the very things that reflect the aliveness of spirit and complacently settle for the chase after illusive greener pastures. Patiently, the all-knowing heart yearns for something more. [Read more →]

I started reading The Seven Spiritual Laws of Success
today, and, much to my surprise, the note from the publisher caught my eyes (like that rhyme?).  It is such a concise message that I found beautifully written.  So of course, I had to share.  Bolding is my addition.

Inspiration is a wonderful gift to give ourselves each day.  To nurture our spirit, to be reminded of the power of life flowing through us, to be inspired to manage our power with greater awareness – this is the purpose of “One Hour of Wisdom.”  Most of us spend more time taking care of our material possessions then we spend taking care of our spirit. In a world where so many things require our attention, the larger purpose of our lives can be forgotten.  This book captures the essense of the author’s wisdom, and shares a wealth of information, in less time than it takes to prepare ourselves a meal. [Read more →]

It turns out I am somewhat of a control freak.  I like things to be the way I want them to be, and if they deviate from my preconceived notions/desires, I get upset.  Recently, I started working on this little flaw, (and I have made huge progress) but, much to my surprise, I have found that control is like an onion, and I’ve only peeled the top layer.  Moving into a new apartment and living with a new roommate has quickly pointed this out to me.  Basically, I’m tired of being bothered by simple little things, especially because, as it turns out, we really have no control.  We all like to think we do, but we don’t.

Now, every time something “annoying” presents itself, I make sure to take note of it and give thanks to the universe.  I am thankful because it is just another opportunity for me to learn that I can’t control everything.  I already feel much more peaceful and accepting simply from doing this.  I have come to realize that we only ever have control over ourselves.  I can control what I do, say, think, feel, etc, but I can’t determine that for anybody else.  The great part is that the opposite of control, allowance, is one of the best ways to live.

Not only does allowance keep us from sweating the small stuff, it makes way for the universe to do its thing.  I can tell you from experience that sometimes just stepping out of the way is all I have to do to ‘get what I want.’  We are meant to work towards our goals, but at the same time acknowledge that, in the end, the outcome is out of our hands.  Successful business entrepreneurs are the people who dive in head first with the knowledge they could fail.  They can’t control the market or their customers, but they do all they can to succeed.  Be an entrepreneur of life; set your intentions, chase your dreams, live life the way you’ve always wanted, just know that nothing turns out exactly as planned.