Lonely? - Quit Rejecting Yourself

WE ALL YEARN TO FEEL THE ONENESS!

We all long for intimate relationships; we wish that we are one with people. This yearning, which every normal person has, emanates from an unconscious, but spiritual, perception that we are one with Life itself. Where there is NO SENSE OF REJECTION there will be no loneliness.

I No Longer Reject Myself:
Knowing I am one with all people in the Spirit, I receive everyone as a friend. I establish a close and intimate
relationship with everyone I meet-something goes out from me and becomes unified with them. I include all and exclude none. Higher than all differences is that union of the soul with its Source; beyond all differentiation, the Infinite Person, is enshrined in in the sanctuary of my own consciousness. One with all people, I enjoy this Divine companionship. I embrace the Infinite in everyone and in turn am embraced by it.
Ernest Holmes "Daily Wisdom"

Pamela Williams:
When we work on removing all the masks the only thing left to see is the Infinite love of Spirit, in all its forms. Thank you DIVINE. I AM THAT I AM

Bobby Hinkle:
Ignore all past teaching and verbal abuse that created feelings of unworthiness in you. Ignore it all, and love yourself, and this love will become like a wave flowing out to everyone. Love begins at home.

recent photos in a collage

I No Longer Reject Myself

Knowing I am one with all people in the Spirit, I receive everyone as a friend. I establish a close and intimate
relationship with everyone I meet-something goes out from me and becomes unified with them. I include all and exclude none. Higher than all differences is that union of the soul with its Source; beyond all differentiation, the Infinite Person, is enshrined in in the sanctuary of my own consciousness. One with all people, I enjoy this Divine companionship. I embrace the Infinite in everyone and in turn am embraced by it.
Ernest Holmes "Daily Wisdom"

Pamela Williams:
When we work on removing all the masks the only thing left to see is the Infinite love of Spirit, in all its forms. Thank you DIVINE. I AM THAT I AM

Owl as Totem

Saw an owl tonight in a friends large magnificent backyard - Brenton & Jessica's she teaches Mindful Yoga, and works with Jeanne at Seeking Indigo in downtown Charleston. Their house is located in beautiful secluded spot on John's Island. Their backyard is adjacent to a marsh with a big natural life-filled pond. There is a view of Stono River bridge fairly close and gorgeous Cooper River bridge in the distance. The owl just stayed in the tree looking at me. I even got a good photo of it. I am in the process of moving from N. Myrtle Beach to Charleston, S. C. and Owl Totem is all about change - death and rebirth. It is very hard transition to move from family home, however I feel like it is time?

Owl sees and knows the truth. It's ability to navigate through the darkest night and bring back nourishment for itself and others is the foundation of this essence. When you have lost your way, owl essence will guide you back to your proper path and wisdom.

Expanded Definition - Death and rebirth, releasing that which has outlived it's benefit and usefulness in your life, actual physical death transition, can be placed in a bowl of water and used to help earth bound Souls find their guides and loved ones. Clearing a home or land of negative energy. Starting over in a new life or releasing the ties that kept you bound to the old one. Enhances clairvoyance, clairaudience, communication from one's Master Guides and Totems.

Owls have long been associated with both death and wisdom. In Greek mythology an Owl was sacred to Pallas Athene, the Goddess of wisdom, because it sat on her shoulder and lit up her blind side. Their association with death comes from their peerless ability as hunters of the night, they are able to navigate through the most densely forested areas in order to seek out and capture their prey. Crows will mob Owls when they are near their territory for they know that when night falls, Owl becomes a formidable predator that will return to the Crow's nesting areas in search of a tasty Crow dinner.

Yet even so, the Owl provides a vital function in keeping bird, rodent and insect populations in check; too many of any species is detrimental to the balance of all. So it is with other things in our own lives, for if we have too many possessions, too many projects, too much of anything, it limits and restricts our ability to move freely through the different areas of our lives and the resu lt is stagnation which leads to the death of joy, happiness and abundance. Owl medicine then becomes crucial in helping us to clear out that which is no longer needed or wanted. What may seem like a death to us in the giving up of something may be for another the birth and manifestation of a dream. We are most likely to lose our way when we become enmeshed in the "shoulds" and "must haves" in life, most of which come not from our inner selves but from the opinions and beliefs of those around us. We can spend so much time listening to others about what we should want ( and the commercials on the telly and radio are prime examples of this!) that we ignore what we really want. We find ourselves spiraling downwards into the darkness because we have become so busy thinking we must pursue this or hunt that, most of which provides very little, if any, real nourishment.

Think for a moment what your life would be like if you were able to jettison anything that did not speak to you on a Soul level. What would remain? What then would you "hunt" because it provided for you on all levels? That is what Owl medicine teaches us to do. We find that as we begin to move through the process of what we truly want, clearing the old to make way for the new birth of the Self that is close at hand, we find that other obstacles, limitations, fears and anxieties also begin to "die" in our lives. They no longer have the hooks to remain attached to our energy fields and without our support, they must die.

Owl knows that all apparent manner of death is in fact a liberation into a new life. Something must first be cleared away for anything new to be born. When a person moves, leaves a job or relationship, has a baby, adopts a new animal friend, something in the old way of life had to die for the new to be created. At the time it may seem incredibly painful because we have been taught that death is an ending, not a new beginning, and that what is in the process of being born is always more beneficial than the old. The pain and grief is extended and heightened when we try to hang on to what was because we believe that s the best we would ever have. The unknown can seem dreadfully forbidding, how will we cope, who will be there if we stumble, what if we fail?

Owl can take us beyond those thoughts and fears, for Owl sees far into the future and knows that even after the darkest night there is a new dawn that is approaching. It is as inevitable as babies crying and of buds bursting for th from plants in the spring. From every death something new must emerge for life is ever renewing itself. The Crow that was taken by an Owl last summer may reappear the following spring as a nestling. The Berries that were eaten by a Bear one year may reappear the next as a bird, an ant or a human being. All of life is interconnected and we are all part and parcel of the same fabric that wends its way through the stories of our own life and death. Death then becomes not a loss but a new adventure to be explored with great abandon and joy.

Chakra - Root, Crown
Essential Oil - Rosemary, Lime, Cinnamon
Chant - Ti mah su
Planet - Pluto
Other Supportive Measures - Write a letter to a loved one who has passed over or light a candle for them for 7 consecutive days. Look back at some of the "deaths" in your life, how have they helped you to become the person you are today? Join a discussion or support group for death and dying, study the planet Pluto in your natal chart and note what deaths have occurred through the house where it is found and also the house where Scorpio is found on the cusp or contained within it. Hold a releasing ceremony, symbolically burying or burning anything you no longer want or need in your own life. Make up your own ritual for this and follow your own inner knowing or call upon Owl to help show you the way.

Same owl not so close-up - in magnificent Palmetto tree!

Thanks for the feedback guys - especially "death can mean death of the ego & freedom of Self", Arji & Lisa - "about embracing the death part, that is when you really start to live!" very encouraging and supportive!

Mindfully Healing the Body - in Most Need of our Love

Our attitudes toward our body can be found in meditation: ascetic practices, warrior training, and inner yogas to conquer the body. Sometimes healers will recommend consciously aggressive meditation for healing certain illnesses. For instance, in one such practice, cancer patients picture their white blood cells as little white knights who spear and destroy their cancer. For certain people this has been helpful, but for myself and others such as Stephen Levine, who has worked so extensively with healing meditation, we have found that a deeper kind of healing takes place when instead of sending aversion and aggression to wounds and illness, we bring loving kindness. Too often we have met our pain hating the afflicted area of our body. In mindful healing we direct a compassionate and loving attention to touch the innermost part of our wounds, and healing occurs. As Oscar Wilde put it, " Its not the perfect, but the imperfect that is in need of our love."
Jack Kornfield A PATH OF THE HEART

To Be Grateful -

To be grateful
is to recognize
the Love of God
in everything.

Thomas Merton
Thoughts in Solitude


Bobby Hinkle
Ignore all past teaching and verbal abuse that created feelings of unworthiness in you. Ignore it all, and love yourself, and this love will become like a wave flowing out to everyone. Love begins at home.


Eric Gibson's wisdom below sounds very much like the brilliant wisdom of his profile photo - The Rev. Martin Luther King, Jr. Thank you so much, Eric! I we could live like that - "Loving our enemies", we would have a Peace-filled joyful life!

Eric Gibson:
When the hearts deepest desire and yearning for love is not satisfied, the mind will create a mental fantasy to satisfy the hearts desire.Many times the fantasy of choice is comparing ourselves to others,yet this is called jealousy and jealousy is dangerous stuff! the chaotic frequency akin to hatred, wreak's havoc on... the heart and causes lowliness of spirit.When we imagine another person to be lesser we subconsciously create a sudo image of ourself as better, The very act of judgement is really a reflections of insecurities The act of comparisions between the observer and the observed is a cry for love,don't hate the hater love them instead! break the cycle and set their spirit free!

Extravagantly Generous

Being extravagantly generous is an
enchanting way to become holy and
Godlike, for God is awesomely extravagant
— as is revealed by even a casual glance at creation.
Edward Hays
The Great Escape Manual (gratefulness.org)

For - Giving extravagantly generously!

People often say that “beauty is in the eye of the beholder,”
and I say that the most liberating thing about beauty
is realizing that you are the beholder.
This empowers us to find beauty in places
where others have not dared to look,
including inside ourselves.
Salma Hayek

I Am Most Grateful for - Meditation & Metta Prayer

Meditation has been the spiritual discipline to help me at stopping inner conflict.
"The purpose of spiritual discipline is to give us a way to stop the war, not by force, but organically, through understanding and gradual training.
...
When we let go of our battles and open our heart to things as they are, then we come to rest in the present moment. This is the beginning and the end of spiritual practice. Only in the moment can we discover that which is timeless. Only here can we find the love that we seek. Love in the past is simply memory, and love in the future is fantasy. Only in the reality of the present can we love, can we awaken,can we find peace and understanding and connection with ourselves and the world."
Jack Kornfield (A PATH WITH HEART)

Metta (Loving Kindness) Prayer has helped me open my heart:
May all beings be happy and free.
May all beings be filled with peace & at ease.
May all beings be filled with loving kindness.
May all beings be happy and free.

You Must Be Present to Love (sign at Las Vegas Casino - ("You must be present to win")

More on Warrior Strength of the Heart

We need energy, commitment, & courage not to run from our life nor cover it over with any philosophy--material or spiritual. We need a warrior's heart that lets us face our life directly, our pains, limitations, our joys and possibilities. this courage allows us to include every aspect of our life in our spiritual practice: our bodies. our families, our society, politics, our earth's ecology, art, education. Only then can spirituality be fully integrated into our lifes.
Jack Kornfield A PATH WITH HEART

The arduous difficulties we encounter are the very challenges we need in order to stretch ourselves and thereby expand our boundaries.
In the end, it is life itself which is the teacher, serving us up perfect opportunities to do the inner work of growing up in strength and wisdom.
~ Jon Kabat Zinn ~



Have a Heart by Peter Max

Love is Like a Spring

Love is like a spring coming up out of the ground of our own depths. "I am gift." All that I am is something that's given, and given freely. Being doesn't cost anything. There's no price tag, no strings attached. Thomas Merton
The Springs of Contemplation: A Retreat at the Abbey of Gethsemani


love is truth's heartbeat!" Happy Thanksgiving Bobby!
Bobby Hinkle
There is no such thing as "truth" that you discover someday, like opening a can or a box and finding something good inside, and truth cannot be attached to "The" as if it can be judged against other doctrine. Truth is life, and love is truth's heartbeat..

"God is in all men, but all men are not in God; that is why we suffer."
Sanjay Gupta
I say since I believe that God is Love - "Love is in all people, but all people are not in Love, that is why we suffer."

‎"And if you but listen in the stillness of the night you shall hear them saying in silence,

Our God, who art our winged self, it is thy will in us that willeth." Kahlil Gibran

Going Beyond Thinking, Cultivating Mindfulness

Meditation does not involve trying to change your thinking by thinking some more..
It involves watching thought itself. The watching is the holding, without being drawn into them, you can learn something profoundly liberating about your thinking itself,
which may help you to be less of a prisoner of those thought patterns often so strong in us which are narrow, inaccurate, self involved, habitual to the point of being imprisoning, and also just plain wrong.

The process of thinking can be viewed as a waterfall, a continual cascading of thought.
In cultivating mindfulness, we are going beyond our thinking, much the way you might find a vantage point in a cave or a depression in the rock behind the waterfall.
We still see and hear the water, but we are out of the torrent.
~ Jon Kabat Zinn ~
in Wherever you go, there you are.

So much for the parable about getting in the river and going with the flow. There could be a waterfall just ahead, sit on the bank and observe the water flowing by.

Metta, Mercy, & Merci - Happy Thanksgiving

Metta (loving Kindness), Mercy (compassion),
& Merci (thank you)
All for You for this Giving of Gratitude Day!

When Life Seems Challenging

When LIFE seems challenging it is always good to generalize. We have a tendency ...to look specifically on the challenge when it doesn't seem to work, but when you lift your perspective it becomes easier to feel the JOY and happiness that brings you into the flow. Like this. If you are out of money state 'Generally I always have enough to eat'. If you have the flu state 'Generally I have a good health.' LIFE always feels easier when you generalize, and that good feeling help you create what you wish for.

Be happy. You are alive, you are breathing, you are feeling, you experience, you have food to nourish your body, and water to drink. You are educated to read and write, and you posses a computer or cellphone to be able to read this. There is so much to be grateful for, and when you feel gratitude, you are moving into the flow. See the miracles of LIFE around you. Be happy. You are LOVED.

Thank you gods and goddesses of LIGHT for blessing me with the ONEder of your precious version of me.
I LOVE you ♥♥♥
Namaste
Bent Kim Lundberg

Happy Thanksgiving Bent! Though I know this is an American holiday, I feel like you celebrate it anyway! (everyday?) Ron

Bent Kim Lundbert: Thank you my divine friend ♥ Happy Thanksgiving ♥ You are right ♥ When you remember that any day is a holy day, all days become holy days, and as gratitude keep us in the flow..., I do remind myself every day to give thanks for all the miracles of LOVE that I am bestowed with in every moment ♥ And thank you for you that is ONE of them ♥ I LOVE you ♥♥♥

Spiritual Path takes Courage from the Heart

To open deeply, as genuine spiritual life requires,
we need tremendous courage and strength,
a kind of warrior spirit. But the place for this
warrior strength is in the heart.

To undertake a genuine spiritual journey is not to avoid difficulties but to learn the art of making mistakes wakefully, to bring them the transformative power of our heart.

Jack Kornfield
A Path with Heart (Highly recommend this book, ron)

I swear I will not dishonor my soul with hatred,
but offer myself humbly as a guardian of nature,
as a healer of misery, as a messenger of wonder,
as an architect of peace.
Diane Ackerman


In the entire ten directions of the Buddha's universe there is only one way.
When we see clearly, there is no difference in the teachings.
What is there to lose? What is there to gain?
If we gain something, it was there from the beginning.
If we lose anything, it is hidden nearby.
--Ryokan

why mystic Masters remain unperturbed in the face of the worst experiences of life!

Nothing Happens by Accident
“I tell you this: There is no coincidence, and nothing happens ‘by accident.’ Each event and adventure is called to your Self by your Self in order that you might create and experience Who You Really Are. All true Masters know this. That is why mystic Masters remain unperturbed in the face of the worst experiences of life (as you would define them).

The great teachers of your Christian religion understand this. They know that Jesus was not perturbed by the crucifixion, but expected it. He could have walked away, but He did not. He could have stopped the process at any point. He had that power. Yet He did not. He allowed himself to be crucified in order that He might stand as man's eternal salvation. Look, He said, at what I can do. Look at what is true. And know that these things, and more, shall you also do. For have I not said, ye are gods? Yet you do not believe. If you cannot, then, believe in yourself, believe in me.”Conversations With God, Book 1
Neale Donald Walsch

Don't Contradict Your Own Creation

Find and praise the positive aspects of your day no matter how small or insignificant they may seem—they are part of the future that you desire. You see, those things that you think are insignificant during your day are really more important than you realize. They are the soil in which your future is planted on planet Earth.

So you think that a beautiful sunrise isn’t an important part of creating, say for example, a million dollars. But once you get your million dollars in the bank what's the first thing you're going to do? You're going to get up and enjoy the beautiful sunrise as if you didn't have a care in the world! You see, those little positive things are an integral part of the world you want to come. That's why you want the million dollars in the first place, so you can enjoy the beautiful sunrise free from concern.

So one way to make yourself a vibrational match for the world you're trying to create for yourself is to spend your day identifying all those positive, delightful, lovely things and events that are happening all around you all the time. You see, those things are still going to be with you when you arrive at the world of your dreams.

You contradict your creation when you neglect to praise all the positive aspects of your day. When you are cranky and complaining, you are presently identifying with elements you don't want in your future. When you pay attention to something you identify with it; you match your vibration to that thing, person, or event. And if it's something you don't like, now you are contradicting your own desires.

So we say you should enjoy your beautiful sunrises every day. Go through your day as free from concern as you can possibly be. That is the way you make yourself into a vibrational match for the life of your dreams. Do everything you can today to make your feelings match the world of your desires. A happy today creates a happy tomorrow. Namaste powerful creators,
Twelve
www.TwelveSpirit.net

Choose for Love

"Your heart is such an amazing filter. When it is closed, not even the most beautiful things in LIFE will please you. When it is open, it filters all of creation so the inherent beauty of LOVE becomes visible in everything you view through it. What a marvelous choice you have been given"~
Bent Kim Lundberg

Life is the first gift, love is the second, and understanding the third.. thanks Sanjay Gupta

Healing Power:
‎"Every time you give love, through your feelings, words or actions, you add more love to the field around you." ♥~

"For-giving" Acceptance for Yourself

You don't need to be accepted by others.
You need to accept yourself." (Thich Nhat Hanh)

"Forgiveness is just that... It is 'For'-giving yourself the acceptance you were not able to give earlier." Sunie SeventhHeart

This definition overlaps with the definition of the quality tolerance. Acceptance and tolerance are not synonyms.

E. Tolle (Power of Now, etc.) defines acceptance as a "this is it" response to anything occurring in any moment of life. There, strength, peace and serenity are available when one stops struggling to resist, or hang on tightly to what is so in any given moment. What do I have right now? Now what I am I experiencing? The point is, can one be sad when one is sad, afraid when afraid, silly when silly, happy when happy, judgmental when judgmental, overthinking when overthinking, serene when serene, etc.



[edit] TypesIt should be recognised, before any breakdown to types, that acceptance is treating what happens, the actual event which is the outcome of all the combined previous events, as on balance the best outcome. Acceptance typically contains the concept of approval; it is important to note that the psychospiritual use of the term infers a non-judgmental mindset. Acceptance is contrasted with resistance, but that term has strong political and psychoanalytic connotations not applicable in many contexts. By groups and by individuals, acceptance can be of various events and conditions in the world; individuals may also accept elements of their own thoughts, feelings, and personal histories. For example, psychotherapeutic treatment of a person with depression or anxiety could involve fostering acceptance either for whatever personal circumstances may give rise to those feelings or for the feelings themselves. (Psychotherapy could also involve lessening an individual's acceptance of various situations.)

Notions of acceptance are prominent in many faiths and meditation practices. For example, Buddhism's first noble truth, "All life is suffering", invites people to accept that suffering is a natural part of life. The term "Kabbalah" means literally acceptance. Minority groups in society often describe their goal as "acceptance", wherein the majority will not challenge the minority's full participation in society. A majority may be said (at best) to "tolerate" minorities when it confines their participation to certain aspects of society. Acceptance is the fifth stage of the Kübler-Ross model (commonly known as the "stages of dying").

The Big Book of Alcoholics Anonymous describles the importance of acceptance in the treatment of alcoholism. It states that acceptance can be used to resolve situations where a person feels disturbed by a "person, place, thing or situation -- some fact of my life -- [which is] unacceptable to me". It claims that an alcoholic person cannot find serenity until that person accepts that "nothing happens in God's world by mistake" and that the condition of alcoholism must be accepted as a given.[1]

Accepting - Loving Yourself - The Ultimate Spiritual Practice

Gene Yakub:
All peace, well-being, strength can only be found within, as I'm sure you especially actually know. In this time of enormous changes at all levels, we must do our utmost to remain self-sufficient and connected to our higher selves which, I know, is easier said than done but I know you can do it! All peace, well-being, strength can only be found within, as I'm sure you especially actually know. In this time of enormous changes at all levels, we must do our utmost to remain self-sufficient and connected to our higher selves which, I know, is easier said than done but I know you can do it! ‎"To be beautiful means to be yourself.
You don't need to be accepted by others.
You need to accept yourself." (Thich Nhat Hanh)

"Forgiveness is just that... It is 'For'-giving yourself the acceptance you were not able to give earlier." Sunie SeventhHeart

You are a holy vessel, a one-of-a-kind creation. The more you love yourself, the more energy you will have to offer our planet. You may think you have been denied opportunities or squandered opportunities or squandered chances. But, in this present moment, your breath is holy, and streams of creative energy await your cue. Still you may believe that you are not enough, or don't have everything it takes. These conventional and habitual beliefs keep you seperate from your true nature and the genius, power, and love that you have to give us. That's why self-love is the ultimate spiritual practice. Tama J. Kieves
Ra Divakar:
Can you transform your "inner critic" with an "inner soother"? If so, how?
Ron Alexander: Good question, Ra! How gentle can you be with yourself? What can you do to nurture yourself? Can you create a good supportive spiritual community? Do your regularly pray and meditate? Do you face problems with equanamity? Do you read good spiritual inspirational support. Do you take care of your body/temple?

The Art of Making Mistakes Wakefully

I try to remind myself that we are never promised anything,
and that what control we can exert is not over the events
that befall us but how we address ourselves to them.Jeanne DuPrau
The Earth House (gratefulness.org)
Ra Divakar: To undertake a genuine spiritual journey is not to avoid difficulties but to learn the art of making mistakes wakefully, to bring them the transformative power of our heart. Jack Kornfield

Gene Yakub: Ron, may I comment as follows without being intrusive, judgemental? It seems as if you may be feeling unappreciated? Your earlier post asking why you should bother caring plus the last two seem to indicate that you feel let down by others and that you are hurting. Without knowing why or prying, maybe you have allowed yourself to be afflicted by a dependency on others that happens to us when we need affirmations from them about our value and for feeling good. I'm sure you really know that this is a dangerous weakness, everyone has their own baggage to carry through life and their own commitments so logically expecting those affirmations is asking for disappointment, isn't it? All peace, well-being, strength can only be found within, as I'm sure you especially actually know. In this time of enormous changes at all levels, we must do our utmost to remain self-sufficient and connected to our higher selves which, I know, is easier said than done but I know you can do it!

Whose Job is it Anyway - To Unconditionally Love You?

I found an old postcard from my birthdate in 1944 with some photos of same time period. It was from Ruby Manning Hillhouse to my parents. "Bubba" was my maternal grandmother. She wrote: "Congratulations on the birth of Ronnie, I understand you don't want another boy, John(my Father). We will be glad to take him off your hands. We are driving up there soon."
That was a long hard drive then from near the mountains of Southwestern S. C. to the recessed coast of Eastern N. C. However, they made the drive and Pad, my delightful grandpa, left "Bubba" to help with me, as Mom would not let me go back to Anderson with both of them. Dad went off to war with the Marines in the deadly Pacific Islands Theatre.
The point of this story is that I felt unconditional love from Bubba until she died right after I graduated from college in 1966. She was a school teacher and helped Pad manage his dairy farm. She was a "tough lover" not sentimental, not a hugger, not very verbal, however I could feel the energy of unconditional love emanating from her to me. I don't feel that I could have survived my childhood with my WWII wounded (PTSD?)Marine Dad and injured ambivalent young Mom, who birthed three more sons to my Dad's chagrin s(and Mom's too I am sure). My older brother being a football star combined with Dad to bully me. "Only girls have curls." "Sissy". and Dad liked to use a belt, which Mom encouraged.

Well, anyway, naturally (I think) I never found a woman who could live up to Bubba. In fact, they ended up more like my Mom. Some of them managed to "unconditionally love" for a while - however usually a short while. I don't blame them, as I think there is something unhealed in me, that produced the hurtful reactions in them. Like my Mom, they learned the "hurt" buttons to push, and I am sure I led them there. What I am finally learning is that it is MY JOB to uncover the Unconditional Lover within me, and that is the process I am going through now. I have to be a "tough lover" to take care of myself. I have to not be an enabler. I have to set proper boundaries. I have to be gentle, patient and forgiving to myself. If I can't be unconditional with myself, I can't be unconditional with others. I need "tools' and knowledge in order to do that, since I was not taught growing. However, I am very grateful that I had an awesome role model - Bubba. She had a great husband in Pad, and I noticed they treated each other with that same understanding love. Unfortunately, he died when I was about ten. Thank you, Pad & Bubba!

Wisely Extend to Yourself an Unconditional Love

When you adopt the viewpoint
That all that exists within your circle of life
Is nothing but another part of you.
When you come to the conclusion
That there is no one who exists, who is not a part of you,

You will wisely extend to yourself
An unconditional love that will be
The light of your day, the light of your night
The light that lightens up this world of ours.
From Peter Makena – "Crossroads (In Love)"

May the uncovering process continue for me and all of us. Namaste' Ron
"As long as the candle burns, there is time to make repairs."
Rabbi Salanter

Kite surfing at sunset

I didn't feel like walking Lil to beach but glad I did anyway - 2 kite surfers were adding beauty, grace & excitement to the nice sunset.

The surfer in the middle photo is in the air a few feet. The one on the right has the 2 kited reflected on the beach if you look closely!

I Am Through with Pleasing!

I am through with "trying to please" anyone. Pleasing is not service, it is enabling, and turns the one you are "trying to please" into a "controller". Pleasing comes from weakness, serving comes from loving strength! Finally, I hope have this lesson down?



Eileen Silon: Congrats!! It is not always easy to stop trying to please others but it is necessary for our own growth.

Lydia: If I am not for me , Who will be for me?
If I am just for me , who am I really for?


.
Ron Alexander yes, "acceptance is the answer to all my problems today." VIP quote to me! You are welcome, and thanks for posting, "Angels can fly because they take themselves so lightly." ron
Jeanne Porter Ashley: Yes, "acceptance is the answer to all my problems".....not just today, but... of the past... means all of the past -- up to and including today....in my humble opinion...acceptance equals forgiveness. ♥
Ron Alexandera: I can accept my ex-wife. I can forgive my ex-wife. However, I cannot trust her or by any means allow her to rip me off again. For Example!

Lydia Porter: Forgiveness for the past= I do not require repayment for past hurts or debts. This means they owe us nothing. This does not mean we have to give them another oppertunity to owe us again. Each interaction is a new one. We base our decisions on how to interact on the knowledge we have at the time. Acceptance = "I have been hurt by you. I release you from the debt this causes. I choose to limite future interaction with you. Go in peace"
Walk in balance.
Ron Alexander: I like that Lydia, being a Libra, I am all about balance!

"me", the great troublemaker & Me, The Selfless One!

All things in nature are not only one with themselves but also one with the totality.
They haven't removed themselves from the fabric of Whole, by claiming a separate existence: "me" and the rest of the Universe.
The contemplation of nature can free you from that "me," the great troublemaker.~ Eckhart Tolle ~

I have that "me" and I also have the "Me, the Selfless One -Light of the World"!
Yes, I own that shadow "troublemaker" egotistical part of myself. However, I also own that Selfless One within Me! "Both sides of this apparent paradox must be fulfilled for us to awaken."
"You must become somebody, before you become nobody." Jack Engler
"Dissolving the sense of self or experiencing the selfless nature of life is only one side of the coin in our spiritual life...there are two parallel tasks in a spiritual life. One is to discover selflessness, the other is to develop a healthy sense of self to discover what is meant by TRUE SELF. Both sides of this apparent paradox must be fulfilled for us to awaken".
Jack Kornfield


It's time for Time to end you see For hearts to beat as One drumbeat Connections made Re-Memberings Rainbow's Colors all blending In One final act of Love We Unite with All Above Our higher truths are just ourselves Mirrors shined unfogged now tell The stories passed to us through time In songs, parrables, and rhymes W...e've eyes and ears now to receive All we've struggled to BElieve All there ever was as told Were stories of US of old Our breaking and forgetting who We are Of and have come through All is being cleared away Mists and shadows, veils now fade Do not try to think this through It will not reveal itself to you You now SEE if you will FEEL All imagined is what IS Kristiana Owens

Lydia Porter: ‎"Somebody should help!" They said.
Everybody agreed.
Nobody did help.
Are you willing to be a nobodyand get things done?
I try to be, everybody won't notice, however Somebody will appreciate your help.
Ask the Divine, "How can it get any better than this?" And the Divine will so graciously show you. You mind could never think of something so magnificent Lisa Jones ;)

KarmaTube: Amazing Grace, by Wintley Phipps

KarmaTube: Amazing Grace, by Wintley Phipps
This is truly amazing. A man who understands how to bring us all together.... Watch till the end – speakers on…..





At Carnegie Hall, gospel singer Wintley Phipps delivers perhaps the most powerful rendition of Amazing Grace ever recorded.

He says, "A lot of people don't realize that just about all Negro spirituals are written on the black notes of the piano. Probably the most famous on this slave scale was written by John Newton, who used to be the captain of a slave ship, and many believe he heard this melody that sounds very much like a West African sorrow chant. And it has a haunting, haunting plaintive quality to it that reaches past your arrogance, past your pride, and it speaks to that part of you that's in bondage. And we feel it. We feel it. It's just one of the most amazing melodies in all of human history."

After sharing the noteworthy history of the song, Mr. Phipps delivers a stirring performance that will bring you to your knees!

Only One Great Thing

I think over again my small adventures, my fears,
those small ones that seemed so big,
all those vital things I had to get and
to reach, and yet there is only one great thing:
to live and see the great day that dawns,
and the light that fills the world.

Old Innuit Song



And I have the opportunity to show off my sunrise collage - Lights of the World!

Donna Stead Nice
Jeanne Porter Ashley Nice! Astute. Very touching, Ron, beautiful sunrise collage off our lovely beach.
Ron Alexander Thanks everybody, last years's collage, however subject is Eternally beautiful! Lights of the World We All!Marlene Krauthamer: capt. Ron, absolutely gorgeous !!!
Ron Alexander I was looking for a "Green Flash
" which happens just before sunrise or just after sunset - did not see it, however notice all the greenish tint in the third photo!

You don't get to choose
how you're going to die.
Or when. You can decide
how you're going to
live now. Joan Baez

I feel therefore I Am

‎"Cogito ergo sum means 'I think, therefore I am' This old perception has made u...s believe that the mind is THE important part of being, in a degree so we try to create artificial intelligence via computational power. What is missing in this equation is the understanding that LIFE is a feeling, as LIFE means the same as LOVE and FREEDOM.

Hence it would be more correct to say 'Sentio ergo sum' which I believe means 'I feel, therefore I am'. When you remember that LIFE is a feeling it makes sense to listen to your heart and follow the JOY of it to make the best out of LIFE.

LIFE is not about thinking, but about feeling. When you experience the highest moments of being in NOW, it is your feelings that are important. You do not think how JOYFUL it feels to dance, and you do not think how exciting it feels to have an orgasm, and you do not think how marvelously thrilling it feels to jump in a parachute.

And when your breath is taken away by the divine display of Mother Earth miracles it is your feelings that take over, and also when you play JOYFULLY with others. When you hold a cat to your face, it is not your thoughts that make it amazing, but the feeling of closeness, LOVE and acceptance.

If LIFE doesn't feel JOYFUL it is always your thoughts about LIFE that is the culprit. You cannot live fully from your mind. You must get out of your mind to be fully in your heart. Change your mind and your feelings will follow. The immense power of LOVE inside you can rewrite any challenge into beautiful change. And you can always choose to feel happy no matter the outer circumstances.

Be happy. You are alive, you are breathing, you are feeling, you experience, you have food to nourish your body, and water to drink. You are educated to read and write, and you posses a computer or cellphone to be able to read this. There is so much to be grateful for, and when you feel gratitude, you are moving into the flow. See the miracles of LIFE around you. Be happy. You are LOVED.

Thank you gods and goddesses of LIGHT for blessing me with the amazing ONEder of your beautiful version of me.

I LOVE you
Namaste
Bent Kim Lundberg

The photo is from a friendship gathering in Berlin where we met in ONENESS and played together creating a LOVE event on Alexander Platz. Our ONENESS is also something that must be felt.

Thank you for sharing this message. I think way to much and enjoy it to much. Life is not about thinking but about feeling. Life is a feeling. Love it. I'm feeling something NOW. Will practice this more:))) Love this Oneness pic. also. Feels like fun))).William McElveen

Appreciate Just One Thing with Pure Gratitude

If you can just appreciate each thing,
one by one, then you will have pure gratitude.
Even though you observe just one flower,
that one flower includes everything.Shunryu Suzuki Roshi
Branching Streams Flowing in the Dark

Neediness or Giving Freely in the Moment

Tommy Lightfoot:(to Jeanne) ‎...but I need you...
Ron Alexander: ‎"neediness is a problem!"
Jeanne Porter Ashley: Life = Living, Loving, Holding, Respecting, Accepting, Teaching, Laughing, Learning, keeping safe...fulfillling each of us ...one and all! ♥♥♥
Jeanne Porter Ashley: Oh, here we go: “When we give freely, we feel full and complete; when we withhold, we feel small, petty, impotent, and lacking. We are meant to learn this great truth, that giving fulfills us, while withholding and trying to get causes us... to feel empty and even more needy. This truth runs counter to our programming, which drives us to try to get something from others to fulfill our neediness, only to end up even more needy, grasping, lacking, and unfulfilled.” ― Gina Lake, What About Now?: Reminders for Being in the Moment
>

If You Are Way Out There (or not), That is Where You Are Supposed to Be

Reader: Could you ask the Twelve Spirit group about the goal of human life here on earth?
The goal of human life on Earth is the same as the goal of life anywhere—it is the radiant expansion of the Universe, ever becoming more. You see, you must realize that you are already doing your intended purpose exactly right. You are here, in this physical focus, launching forth powerful intentions and desires, and the Universe is responding, first on a nonphysical energetic level, and then becoming the physical reality of your desire. The creation process begins the moment you think of it, and you are an essential part of the ongoing process of creation.
But you see, you need do nothing. There is no “should.” There is no “you must.” You are already doing what the Master Creator, All That Is, has intended; and you are doing it exactly right.
The whole idea of a goal for which you must strive is a very human one. It is physically oriented. When you tap into the creative force of the Universe striving is not necessary. The very idea that “you must strive” takes away your leverage. The Universe was already doing it for you, but you decided you needed to do it on your own. To leverage the creative power of the Universe you must think and act as one who has already been given that which you desire, not as one who has to “strive" for it.

Reader: Why would God co-create with me?
Because you are perfect. The farther you go out there on the leading edge of creation the more your Source adores you and longs to connect with you.
When you are creating more of the same (as already exists), all is well. When you are really extending yourself, stretching yourself to enter into a living vision of a world that could be, you are calling forth more power to you than ever before. When you deeply experience the contrast and launch new desires birthed of that contrast; it’s the same process you see, you are just using a longer lever.
If you have gone way out there with your life, that is the perfect place to be. And the Source of All Being is stretching out there to be with you, has become all that you desire. You can’t get it wrong. There is only allowing yourself to connect with Source wherever you are… or disallowing your connection with Source. And like the prodigal son who returns, your reunion with Source will be a joyous day indeed. Namaste,
Twelve (www.TwelveSpirit.net)

Om Mani Padme Hum

May God protect us, grant us wisdom's fruit; \
may we gain energy to know the Truth;
may our intellects grow clear and bright;
may we cherish no ill feelings toward anyone.
Om, peace, peace, peace be unto all.
Taittiriya Upanishad 2.1.

What is Love?

Mother Teresa said "We are created to love and be loved."

For an extended period of time, from the time I was born to when I graduated from college, my grandmother Bubba was the only person who I felt unconditional love from. She was not a hugger, she was not sentimental, she was not emotional, it was an unconditional loving kindness energy that emanated from her. Thank Goodness, for without her love, I don't know if I could have survived childhood? She died soon after I graduated.

So if love is a "loving kindness energy", love is not lust, it is not mean, it is not control, it is not physical, it is not an emotion, it is not a sentiment.
What is Love?


My Mom on right, I know she wanted to love me, however she was so young, and when her ambitions for me did not turn out, she turned against me. I think I was "near" autistic growing up - at least most of my world was "inner fantasies" I used as an escape mechanism. Bubba there on my left, was the "Light of the World" to me, as was her husband, my dear fun grandpa Pad, however he died when I was about ten or so.
As a school teacher and a wife, she was known to be a pretty "tough lover", but oh, how great it was to wake up to the smell of eggs, grits & bacon, even if it was 6:30 AM. I always dreamed of meeting a mate like her, but so far, my ex-wife and other partners were more like my injured, insecure Mom. I am beginning to think that I have to develop that unconditional loving grandma within. I have been expecting too much out of mates. It is my job not theirs!

The better I know myself, The clearer ...

The better I know myself,
The clearer my path becomes -
By: Appreciate Existence

Tbis led me to look at path to happiness:

The habit of being happy
enables one to be freed,
or largely freed,
from
domination of
outside conditions.
Robert Louis Stevenson

People who have faith in life are like
swimmers who entrust themselves to a
rushing river. They neither abandon
themselves to its current nor try to resist it.
Rather, they adjust their every movement
to the watercourse, use it with purpose and skill,
and enjoy the adventure.
David Steindl-Rast (Gratefulness.org)

Mary Beijerinck: learning to trust Oneself & Trust Life.. I actually bought a stone for my Garden yesterday , upon it is etched 'Trust' .. learning that surrender is essential .. resistance is futile. Allowing & Accepting & trusting .. having the inner faith & belief that the Universe's tides will safely bring us ashore. I am a Gemini ... and know full well the incredible beauty found in many of life's paradoxes. Trust has been a difficult lesson for me to learn. I am still learning it. ..
Ron Alexander: my "Excellent Mary, I got this one mixed up with quote above by Robert Louis Stephenson - The habit of being happy
Bob Sampron made the connection to Jeckyll & Hyde! And instead of trusting life - taking a "potion" - a substance - Was that what Stephenson's story all about?

‎"One great question underlies our experience, whether we think about it or not: what is the purpose of life? From the moment of birth every human being wants happiness and does not want suffering. Neither social conditioning nor education ...nor ideology affects this. From the very core of our being, we simply desire contentment. Therefore, it is important to discover what will bring about the greatest degree of happiness.
Dalai Lama