Saturday, November 30, 2013

Sailors get a good sense of this wondrous universe when out on the deep

 
So you think you’re sitting still right now?
 
 
 
 
 
Ra Divakar Thanks to -
Dennis Lewis shared Milky way scientists's photo.
When we allow science to help us envision beyond our flat-earth perceptions, our world is transformed, and simple words like "stillness" take on new meanings and dimensions.
Ron Alexander Sailors really get a sense of this when out on the deep - blue water sailing
  • Ra Divakar Yep, brother Ron, I know what you mean - pilots and navigators can sense this when flying and it has to be taken into account by navigators!
    Linda's Light its amazing isnt it?!
  • Ra Divakar Yes, absolutely Linda's Light! thanks for perceiving this!

     
  • Linda's Light Oh yes...all ways. Love stretching the mind, pondering the mystery of it all
    Linda's Light have u heard anything on that ice comit lately?
  • Ra Divakar Ah, I like that answer "Love stretching..." - no, nothing on the ice comet?

     
     
     
     
     
     

    Again a key is "compassionate toward yourself..."

     
     

     
    “Simplicity, patience, compassion.
    These three are your greatest treasures.
    Simple in actions and thoughts, you return to the source of being.
    Patient with both friends and enemies,
    you accord with the way things are.
    Compassionate toward yourself,
    you reconcile all beings in the world.”

    ― Lao Tzu, "Tao Te Ching"
     
     
     
    

    Be More, smile alot and realize how blessed you are.

    You assume nothing, do more, dream big, smile a lot, and realize how blessed you are! 
     
    I would replace "do" with be more as in human Being vs. human doing! Ron
     

    Incomplete Compassion


    Giving does not make you poor

    No one has ever become poor by giving.
    Anne Frank(gratefulness.org)
    

    Friday, November 29, 2013

    Loving Ourselves Works Miracles - How to Unconditionally Love Ourselves

     
     
    Blessed Louise L. Hay, she has to be in her 80's and going strong!
     
    “Love is the great miracle cure. Loving ourselves works miracles in our lives.”
    ― Louise L.
     


    compassion
    Photo: De Agostini Picture Library/Getty Images
     The late rabbi
     
     
    Albert Friedlander once impressed upon me the importance of the biblical commandment, "Love your neighbor as yourself." I had always concentrated on the first part of that injunction, but Albert taught me that if you cannot love yourself, you cannot love other people either. He had grown up in Nazi Germany, and as a child was bewildered and distressed by the vicious anti-Semitic propaganda that assailed him on all sides. One night, when he was about eight years old, he deliberately lay awake and made a list of all his good qualities. He told himself firmly that he was not what the Nazis said, that he had talents and special gifts of heart and mind, which he enumerated to himself one by one. Finally, he vowed that if he survived, he would use those qualities to build a better world. This was extraordinary insight for a child. Albert was one of the kindest people I have ever met; he was almost pathologically gentle and brought help and counsel to thousands. But he always said that he could have done no good at all unless he had learned, at that terrible moment of history, to love himself.

    We have seen that compassion is essential to humanity. We have a biological need to be cared for and to care for others. Yet it is not easy to love ourselves. In our target-driven societies, we are more inclined to castigate ourselves for our shortcomings and become inordinately cast down by any failure to achieve our objectives and potential. But the Golden Rule requires self-knowledge; it asks that we use our own feelings as a guide to our behavior with others. Because if we treat ourselves harshly, this is the way we are likely to treat other people.

    Step 1: Make Your List


    We need to acquire a healthier and more balanced knowledge of our strengths as well as our weaknesses. As we work through this, we should make a list of our good qualities, talents, and achievements. We recognize flaws in some of our closest friends, but this does not diminish our affection for them. Nor should it affect the way we value ourselves. Before we can make friends with others, we have to make a friend of our own self. Without denying your faults, remember all the people you have helped, the kind things you have done that nobody noticed, and your successes at home and at work. A sense of humor is also important: we should be able to smile at our failings, in the same way as we tease a friend.
         

    Step 2: Accept Your Reptile


    It is essential to be aware of our misdeeds and take responsibility for them. But we should also realize that the rage, fear, hatred, and greed that make us behave badly derive from the brain we inherited from our reptilian ancestors. Fear is fundamental to the reptilian brain; it makes us wary and suspicious: instead of reaching out to others, we shrink back into ourselves, warding off the impending menace. Everybody is afraid of something. What fills you with dread? Spiders, loneliness, cancer, death, a demented old age, failure, or poverty? Instead of despising yourself for these anxieties and castigating yourself for cowardice, be compassionate toward yourself and remember that fear is a human characteristic. It is something that links us with other people. If we cannot accept the reality of our own terror, we are likely to dismiss and even ridicule the fears of others. It is useless to castigate ourselves bitterly for feeling jealousy, anger, and contempt, as that will only lead to self-hatred. Instead, we should quietly but firmly refuse to identify with them, saying with the Buddha: "This is not mine; this is not what I really am; this is not my self." It will not be easy, because the emotions of the old brain are powerful and automatic, but we can learn to distance ourselves from them by the practice of mindfulness.

    Step 3: Practice Your Karuna


    While he was working toward enlightenment, the Buddha devised a meditation that made him conscious of the positive emotions of friendship (maitri), compassion (karuna), joy (mudita), and "even-mindedness" (upeksha) that lay dormant in his mind. He then directed this "immeasurable" love to the ends of the earth. Later he would tell his monks to do the same: "When your mind is filled with love, send it in one direction, then a second, a third, and a fourth, then above, then below. Identify with everything without hatred, resentment, anger or enmity. This mind of love is very wide. It grows immeasurably and eventually is able to embrace the whole world."

    But before you are ready to "embrace the whole world," you must focus on yourself. Begin by drawing on the warmth of friendship (maitri) that you know exists potentially in your mind and direct it to yourself. Notice how much peace, happiness, and benevolence you possess already. Make yourself aware of how much you need and long for loving friendship. Next, become conscious of your anger, fear, and anxiety. Look deeply into the seeds of rage within yourself. Bring to mind some of your past suffering. You long to be free of this pain, so try gently to put aside your current irritations, frustrations, and worries and feel compassion (karuna) for your conflicted, struggling self. Then bring your capacity for joy (mudita) to the surface and take conscious pleasure in things we all tend to take for granted: good health, family, friends, work, and life's tiny pleasures. Finally, look at yourself with upeksha ("even- mindedness, nonattachment"). You are not unique. You have failings, but so does everybody else. You also have talents and, like every other being on the planet, you deserve compassion, joy, and friendship.


    Ron Alexander -LIKE: Accept your reptile: ...Fear is fundamental to the reptilian brain; it makes us wary and suspicious instead of reaching out to others, we shrink back into ourselves, warding off the impending menace. Everybody is afraid of something. What fills you with dread? Spiders, loneliness, cancer, death, a demented old age, failure, or poverty? Most of us confuse our ego with our snake (lower) brain also called the id by Freud.
    Karen Armstrong is the author of Twelve Steps to a Compassionate Life and The Spiral Staircase: My Climb Out of Darkness.


     
    
     

     
     

     
     
     
    

    Allow Nothing to Bother Your Inner Peace


    At the Foot or at the Peak

     
     
    Many paths lead from the foot of the mountain, but at the peak we all gaze at the single bright moon.
    Ikkyu - Zen-monk poet, 1394-1481(gratefulness.org)
    And the weather is usually better at the foot of the mountain. (Ron Alexander)
    

    Thursday, November 28, 2013

    And now for the finale for this Wonderful thanksforgiving day:


    Still the Mind for the consciousness of Pure LOVE ONENESS!

    James Buik: Yes...hard but possible...taming the monkey mind! (all that chatter can be stilled, Ron)
     
     
    Through great trials I have learned that I must still my mind, and that only a still mind is capable of seeing, seeing being the awareness of and the consciousness of pure LOVE ONENESS. I have also discovered that it is only through such awareness and consciousness that we become capable of accepting everyone in a natural and beautiful lack of judgment, and is when the mind ceases to compare, to envy, to hate, having ascended the throne of absolute peace. Bobby Hinkle
     
     
    

    Stream of Divine Love Saturates Every Cell

     
    And so IT is...thanks Emmanuel Dagher!
     
    #Affirmation: I open myself up to the infinite stream of Divine Love allowing it to saturate every cell of my being with ease & grace. And so it is!

    If you are also choosing to allow Divine Love to flow through every cell of your being comment "And so it is!" & share this post with those who you feel are ready to receive it so we can magnify the effects.

    Have a miraculous day!
    Emmanuel 
     
    

    The Seed of a Pure Mind

     
     

    "When we choose to speak of the good in ourselves and one another, we call forth wholeness. When we acknowledge the great seed of pure mind, we nurture that seed within ourselves and all our relations."

    - VDY from her book, Voices of Our Ancestors
    http://www.beautywayproductions.com/store/books/
    

    Say Thank You Any Way!


    Thanksforgiving everyday!

     
     
    

    Wednesday, November 27, 2013

    See Love in Everything

     Kelly K Brown: This is MY One and ONLY TRUE PASSION IN LIFE... TO BE LOVE, LIVE LOVE, SEE LOVE in EVERYTHING AND EVERYONE and The ULTIMATE... TO SHARE 'THAT' LOVE WITH EVERYONE EVERYWHERE... with THE ENTIRE WORLD!!!!!!!!!! Thank YOU For... This BEAUTIFUL POST Bent Kim... As I'm Typing THIS In THIS MOMENT... THE SUN JUST CAME OUT FROM BEHIND ALL THE CLOUDS for the first time here this morning AND SHINED RIGHT IN MY EYES... My JOY AND LOVE ARE ENDLESS!!!!!!!!!!!! I'm CELEBRATING YOU with Endless LOVE Bent Kim!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! And Now I'm Off to Do a JOYOUS HEALING for A Wonderful Family Member!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Have a BEAUTIFUL BLESSED DAY!!!!!!!!!!! Thanks Kelly and Bent Kim Lundberg - love y'All!
     
    



    One day goddess had a big party in heaven, and she was so filled with JOY and LOVE that she wanted to share it with all her children of humanity. She decided to create a very special angel.

    An angel shining LOVE and PEACE so brightly that... it could melt the heart of men and make them soft as butterflies, so compassionate and kind that it could make the soul of women sigh and make them shed tears of JOY and gratitude, and with a smile so JOYFUL that it could make children laugh out aloud by the sheer sight of it.

    Goddess formed a perfect being of LIGHT and with a breath of her pure LOVE she instilled in it the qualities of a powerful goddess/god and placed it on Earth.

    To make sure that it would not become an arrogant person being such a awesome gift directly from heaven, she made it start its LIFE forgetting who it is, so it would not know its full immense angelic powers until it had tried enough to have the wisdom to use its power in a LOVING, compassionate and JOYFUL way.

    You are such an angel and NOW is the time to remember and rejoice in the fullness of your gorgeous angelic being. Thank you for blessing us all with the awesome ONEder of you. Shine bright and let all see what a amazing, gorgeous and precious angelic being of LIGHT you have become.

    I See you and I LOVE you
    Namaste
    Bent Kim Lundberg

    I had rather be happy than right!

    I release the need to be right!
     
     
    When you believe something, you assume you are right. And you may even destroy relationships in order to defend your position. Let go of the need to defend your position.
     
    Don Miguel Ruiz, the Four Agreements
     
    Politically, religiously, and other ways I have destroyed relationships defending my position. I am going more and more to "Great Mystery - I just don't know!" and being defenseless ("in defenselessness my safety lies."). If I have offended you in anyway defending my beliefs - "I am sorry, please forgive me. Thank you! I love you!"
     
     
     
    
    If there is a limited belief in any area of your experience it is a false belief. You are unlimited; you are a multidimensional galactic being of ineffable cosmic intelligence. It is your time to step into that understanding. Your actions and your knowledge are needed to support the true transformation of humanity.

    Be gentle yet firm with yourself as you investigate any limited expression of who you think you are. Remember you are divine consciousness manifest in physical form. It is that physical form, your body, that allows you to interface with this dimension and this dense reality, yet you know that is only one small aspect of who you are. We will agree that while you are reading these words and accepting our invitation to review your perceptions and beliefs, it is this physical aspect that holds your focus.

    --Galactic Heritage by Peggy Black and the ‘team’

    Many Ways to Worship

     
     
    God made so many different kinds of people; why would God allow only one way to worship?

    Martin Buber
     
     
     
     
     
    There is no gender in Spirit - "shim" instead of masculine or feminine??? Gender bias is just another schism either way! And I think if born completely blank, my religion would be Buddhism, however I see a lot of Love in most of them and glad I don't have to choose!

    Tuesday, November 26, 2013

    The Raven - Energy of the Void (Great Mystery)

     
     
     
    People speak of the light, of love... however the largest mass is darkness, the void that behold so much enigma and magic... I believe that only those who traveled in darkness can really feel the magic bliss from the light once they have found it... Many will disagree, but while the light suddenly can fade or disappear, the void of darkness shall remain, and therefore its crucial to know it and indulge yourself in its mystery... Charlie Cohen and via Will Melies!
     
    

    The Energy of Aliveness - new WiFi - yeah!

     
     
    Spirituality & Health Magazine
    “Aliveness is energy. It’s the juice, the vitality, and the passion that wakes up our cells every morning. It’s what makes us want to dance. It’s the energy that moves a relationship from the status quo to something grander and much more expansive, something that makes our hearts beat faster, our minds and our eyes open wider, than ever before. Everything is of interest to a person who is truly alive, whether it’s a challenge, a loving moment, a bucket of grief, or a glimpse of beauty.”
    --Daphne Rose Kingma, author of When You Think You're Not Enough
    I have found a new "hotspot" that needs no contract and is $25 per month after you buy the hotspot from Straight Talk - a big 5 GB at that - very nice to have here at new apt.
     Ron Alexander All afternoon, my energy was focused on new hotspot - found one at 5 gb and reasonably priced with no contract, then installing it and having it activated. Success after about 3 hours spent on it makes me feel more ALIVE!
     
     
     
     
     
    

    My Wish for you to have a Healthy Thanksgiving

     
     
    Eat more Greens!
     Honestly, my best memory of a family thanksgiving, was when I decided to have a vegetarian thanksgiving. This is a large statement as our thanksgiving featured turkey of course plus ham and oysters!  After the meal, I was only one of 5 brothers who really had energy for touch football.
    

    A Smiling Happy Thanksgiving from Veterans on Deck

     
     
    I will never understand all the good that a simple smile can accomplish.
    Blessed Mother Teresa(gratefulness.org)
    I went sailing last Friday for the first time in a while because of my moving.  One vet who has complained about my liberal views (behind my back) told me that he was glad to see me back because of my "smiling a lot"! By the way, when I was told about his "complaint" against me, I responded - "well bless his heart, after all he is a veteran of Viet Nam and Iraq!" The Vet. who told me is an even angrier right wing, appeared dumfounded at my defenselessness.
    I am grateful for the vet who complimented me on my smiling has produced a Thanksgiving sail and potluck on Wed.

     
    

    Monday, November 25, 2013

    Gratitude Stops the Rational Mind

     
     
    Gratitude is so close to the bone of life, pure and true, that it instantly stops the rational mind, and all its planning and plotting.
    Regina Sara Ryan(gratefulness.org)
    Praying Dangerously
     
    (gratefulness.org - thank you!)
    

    Friday, November 22, 2013

    "Life is like the wind," he said.

     
     
    The young man waited once more. "What is guiding that hawk?" the old man asked. "Is he riding the wind where it takes him? Or is he following his own will?" "Perhaps the wind is blowing in the direction the hawk wants to go, "suggested Jeremy. Old Hawk smiled. "Life is like the wind," he said.
     
     
     
    Old Hawk lapsed into another period of silence,
    but a longer silence than before. Jeremy, however,
    was familiar with this habit. All elders had a way of
    using silence to speak for them. And the young man...
    did what was expected of him: He waited.

    The leaves continued to rustle and the breeze also
    stirred the tall grasses nearby. By and by the old man
    noticed a hawk circling high above the cottonwood tree,
    and pointed at it. They watched together until it glided
    toward the west and became a small speck over the horizon.

    Jeremy sighed. "It must be good to know where you are going,"
    he observed. "At least most of the time."

    "Well," said the old man, "you and that hawk have much in
    common."

    The young man waited once more.

    "What is guiding that hawk?" the old man asked. "Is he
    riding the wind where it takes him? Or is he following
    his own will?"

    "Perhaps the wind is blowing in the direction the hawk
    wants to go, "suggested Jeremy.

    Old Hawk smiled.

    "Life is like the wind," he said.

    - Joseph M Marshall III



    Yep, thanks Charlie and Ra: Life is like the wind...its a wind of change and the challenge is to know how to adjust your sails in order to reach your destination!

    Thursday, November 21, 2013

    No Hurry, No Worry, Be Happy and Thank You!

    No hurry, no worry with thankfulness is my new mantra for my new place NOW!