Stay Grateful, Walk in Beauty - You Have Everything You Need

Each of you is discovering the truth of your nature, that you already have everything that you seek, and that it is all vibrationally focused at your center. That stuff that appears to you in the outside world is just the outward manifestation of something you have already gestated vibrationally on the inside for a long time, in your imagination, in your beliefs, in your musings.

The Source of Everything is focused through your center of being. And if you want to change the shape of your world, that is the place to go to do it. Everything you might pursue on the outside—money, food, relationships, sex—throws you off balance. There’s nothing bad about any of it. Its not a question of this is good and this is bad. That’s irrelevant. What is relevant is if you call it to you through your center of being, and allow it to be delivered by Source; or if you go out on a journey or an action quest to try to find fulfillment outside of yourself.

You already have everything within. You have been given everything. So when you go out on a quest you are giving up everything to try to catch something that is really just an elusive physical shadow of the real world of vibrational essence. You have the real world within. Your time within is worth a billion of whatever you might catch without. Stay focused, stay centered—much more important than anything you might pursue. Stay centered even when you are in pursuit. Walk in Beauty. That’s what that expression means. And where is Beauty? It lies within.
Bright blessings on your time-space journeys,~Twelve www.TwelveSpirit.net

To all earth's creatures God has given the broad earth, the springs, the rivers and the forests, giving the air to the birds, and the waters to those who live in water, giving abundantly to all the basic needs of life, not as a private possession, not restricted by law, not divided by boundaries, but as common to all, amply and in rich measure. Gregory of Nazianzus
Rob Jackson ‎"The first person who, having enclosed a plot of land, took it into his head to say this is mine and found people simple enough to believe him was the true founder of civil society. What crimes, wars, murders, what miseries and horrors would the human race have been spared, had some one pulled up the stakes or filled in the ditch and cried out to his fellow men: "Do not listen to this imposter. You are lost if you forget that the fruits of the earth belong to all and the earth to no one!" — Jean-Jacques Rousseau (The Social Contract and The Discourses)
.
Ron Alexander: Right ON, Rob!Jeanne Porter Ashley: Nice, Ron & Rob! ♥ ♥Jeanne Porter Ashley: Ron... ♥♥<3Joy to the world
All the boys and girls now
Joy to the fishes in the deep blue sea
Joy to you and me...3 Dog Night...1975Ron Alexander: ‎& don't forget Jeremiah the Bullfrog! lol!

“As you prepare to take your rightful place as multidimensional beings in the Oneness of All, trust that within your soul is all the information and power you will ever need. No longer will you ask for answers from external sources such as we and other messengers of the light because your innate wisdom of the universal laws and your l...atent abilities will serve you well. Perhaps you will smile when you realize that the enlightenment and guidance we have offered over the years always has been your own knowledge and all we did was gently nudge it into your remembrance.”
TheLightCircleEzine; Message from Matthew

Sailing & Swimming in the Ocean of Love

There's an ocean of love between us
All we gotta do is learn to sail it
There's an ocean of love between us
All we gotta do is learn to bail it.
Come on girl and get your feet wet don't be shy

If you see good in people, you radiate a harmonious loving energy which uplifts those who are around you. If you can maintain this habit, this energy will turn into a steady flow of love. Annamalai Swami

Every single act of love releases blocked energy in your body. Unconditional love heals the body and the mind. Keep reminding yourself of this truth until it becomes your reality. Love is a frequency that you can choose to tune into, just as you tune into a frequency on the radio. ~ Nagarajan Subramanian


"Many know that the drop merges into the ocean, but few know that the ocean merges into the drop."

"Love does not grown on trees or brought in the market, but if one wants to be "LOVED" one must first know how to give (unconditional)LOVE.."


"The river that flows in you also flows in me." — Kabir

Swimming in The Ocean Streams of Thought

Twelve Insight Journal

Each of you must decide which voices you are going to listen to each and every day. There are infinite streams of information flowing out there, and any number of them may serve you very well. When you find sources of ideas that are in alignment with your own desires and destination, you should adhere to them for as long as they remain in alignment with where you are wanting to go.




“But what about my own thoughts?”, you say. Your own thoughts are central to your being, but at the same time, you are swimming in an ocean of thought. You don't see them all the time. You see thoughts that are manifested and those that are manifesting in front of you. But for every manifested thought, there are literally millions of thoughts that fed into and shaped that creation before it crystallized into solid form.




It is so very easy to be distracted by all of that other stuff going on all around you. Even though that stuff's not for you, even though much of it—most of it—is not something that you want. It draws your attention, and where your attention goes Source Energy flows. So it is a benefit to immerse yourself in pools of positive thought; thoughts that are in alignment with the life experience you are wanting to create for yourself.



And it doesn't matter if the thoughts are true or not, it only matters if they feel right to you. When they feel right to you, then you are in a stream or a pool of thought that is in alignment with who you really are. And for now, it's the right place for you to be.



It may not stay that way forever—nothing ever does—but for now, that stream of thought is going in a direction that you want to go. You make a decision about these streams of thought every day. And you will always know by the way you feel, whether that stream is taking you to a place that's going to feel good when you get there.

Namaste.
~Twelve
www.TwelveSpirit.net
Continually Swimming in the Flow of Divine Energy
Swim in the Ocean Stream of affirmative thinking, prayer, and meditation will keep this flow of Divine Energy streaming in our minds, our bodies, and our affairs, animating everything we do with the vitality that knows no weariness.
"This Energy is never depleted; it is never lessened. All of it is present right where we are; and all the joy in living is flowing within me and around me continuously." Ernest Holmes (paraphrased)

In the Beginning was the Word...

"My words fly up,
my thoughts remain below:
Words without thoughts
never to heaven go."

-Hamlet 3.3

Words are our thoughts made into sounds! They can make you laugh or cry. They can wound or heal.
Be careful with your thoughts and especially your words that come out of them.
Capture the spirit of discovery that has motivated all who have sought to lift their words and ideas beyond the pale confines of this "too too solid flesh." As many have before them, their words will reach the heavens...

A powerful agent is the right word.
Whenever we come upon one of those intensely right words...
the resulting effect is physical as well as spiritual,
and electrically prompt. -Mark Twain.




The Rundetaarn or round tower is Europe's oldest functioning observatory. The curious have glimpsed the stars from atop this tower since 1642. When these early explorers studied the heavens from its summit, it teases the mind to imagine what they must have thought.

Mind Beyond Judgements

‎"A mind beyond judgments watches, and understands." - Buddha
Buddha painting by Ashutosh Sharma



.Bob Sampron ‎... and denies, which is still judgment. To not judge is to judge. There is no escape.
Ron Alexander: I have found lately, Bob, that if I stay as completely in the moment as possible, stay focused, I really reduce my judgements. If I have compassion for someone who cuts me off in traffic, I reduce my judgements. I think that Buddha learn to stay in the moment with his strong meditation practice and at same time, he developed great compassion watching the same thoughts and feelings pass through him as everybody. The key words here are "passing" and "as everybody"- our Oneness. Thanks, Bob, for helping me reflect, as I have been such a judge, that often I thought I belonged on the Supreme Court!
Bob Sampron: Ron, how is that living? It seems to me the only place to stay effectively in the moment is in the grave.

Ron Alexander: Lol! Well I consider staying in the moment and being compassionate and non-judgemental as possible to be really joyously ALIVE! i find when I am happy, what other people say or do don't affect me. Thanks for the inquiry - you help me to reflect on how I am attempting to live, and I feel fairly successful and getting better all the time!

Jeanne Porter Ashley: when the stepping aside from the reflex of judgement becomes the new reflex who is to say a different path is necessary...17
Bob Sampron: The stepping aside is a judgment. The reflex is an instinctive judgment. There is judgment or there is no life.
Ron Alexander: Thanks for all your well-reasoned input Bob and Jeanne and Ra! Life is good!
Bob Sampron: And if instinctive judgment is not Spirit talking through us in the form of its experience of life, then I don't know what is.
Ron Alexander: Talking about humans not reptiles - the reptilian (lower) part of the brain is where instincts come from - of course, instincts are God-given, yet no "free will" choice there...
Ra Divakar Have to agree with Ron here Bob, even though there is truth in "social interactionism", it applies to lower consciousness, while Ron is talking about Higher Consciousness, which you call "theological" - a big difference in words. Although there is still alot of semantic differences here, I think you are both telling your truth, just in different spheres of consciousness.
Bob Sampron: Ra, may I suggest you read George Herbert Mead on the subject of social interactionism. Also Charles Horton Cooley. Experiment after experiment shows them correct. It's not faith. It's science.
Christi L Spivey: I wonder if you can become too watchful . . .
.Ron Alexander: Thanks Bob & Christi, in the past, I have not agreed with sociology, which does not mean it is not true. I agree with Ra, that this "Science" is on a lower consciousness sphere, as compared to Quantum Physics for example. Christi, I think it is impossible to be ever vigilant, however I do think increasing awareness is a most vital part of our growth. Again thank you both for helping me to "seriously" look at this.

Meditate More

‎"So your solution here is to find your own calm and peaceful center. Make it your home. And in that calm and peaceful center recognize the presence of all the things, people, places, events, that you are wanting to create in your life expe......rience. We want your calm, peaceful center to be the place you always return to. So when those thoughts appear that are disturbing you, you know immediately that they do not belong, and you know immediately they are not presently a part of your center. "The Twelve"
Lael Bat Elohim: ‎@Ron- could you make me a gigantic poster with those wise words? I need to read that every day. I'd have it tattooed on my forearm but I weep at the images that brings.
Ron Alexander: Good idea for large poster, Lael - better would be to meditate more and more - a big reason that Jeanne and I are soon to enter a ten day silent meditation retreat - meditating ten hours per day and listening to the meditation teacher 2 hour discourse at night! thanks for suggestion, Peace, ron

Travis E. Duke And then imagine...only having to walk 60 ft...to a Zendo...it's pretty good man !! Rin Shin Ji...Forest Heart Temple....it rocks !! For Sure !!
Ron Alexander: Gotta keep that Beginner's Mind - Loving kindness, ron
Travis E. Duke: Every morning...and many evenings...for 25 months...I've entered that Temple...bowed..offered incense to the Buddha, sat zazen, chanted...bowed..9+ times...I'm sure I don't need to tell you...it works !! Been practicing with this group..5 yrs...nothing special...but it's a game changer for me..
Ron Alexander: That's impressive Travis. I am going back for another ten day silent Vipassana retreat again soon...expect it to stick this time!
Bobby Hinkle:
When your consciousness becomes a still mirror, a still lake, a silent reservoir of energy, God is reflected in it. - Osho

Dean A. Banks: ‎"There's a mirror moving inside my mind, Reflecting the love that you shine on me, Hold on now to that feeling, Let it flow, let it grow" ~Gary Wright, Love Is Alive - Dream Weaver (Inspired by Paramahansa Yogananda)

When we speak of a calm state of mind or peace of mind, we shouldn't confuse that with an insensitive state of apathy. Having a calm or peaceful state of mind doesn't mean being spaced out or completely empty. Peace of mind or a calm state of mind is rooted in affection and compassion and is sensitive and responsive to others. ~ Dalai Lama

The Summer Triangle

The Summer Triangle
Three brilliant stars form this stellar right triangle making it our best heavenly landmark in the August night sky. Vega high above and its western point appears the brightest of the three. Deneb, also high above and to the east of Vega, appears the dimmest. Altair shines below in the south, forming the most distant point of this great triad.

These three stunning stars are an unofficial star group or asterism that link the three constellations ... Lyra, Cygnus the Swan and Aquila the Eagle. This Summer Triangle lies high above, over the Milky Way which now sweeps across the heavens from north to south.

When one ponders upon this heavenly trinity, a transformational gateway appears. The qualities of this gateway, when personally activated lead one on the path of the gods to divine unity.

The Summer Triangle Stars and Their Constellations





Top-north, bottom-south, left-east, right west
Image: adapted from Sky and Telescope

Note: This graphic does not show the Milky Way, which sweeps through the Summer Triangle from Cassiopeia in the northeast to Scorpius in the southwest. The little green cross marks the zenith, the midpoint between the eastern and western horizons. The Summer Triangle formed by the stars Vega, Deneb and Altair is outlined in yellow. The constellations associated with these stars are as follows ... the pink parallelogram marks Lyra, the large aqua cross marks Cygnus, The Swan and the blue lines form Aquilla, The Eagle.


Vega stands just at the western edge of the summer Milky Way. Look Up, almost straight up, at the zenith to find Vega, the prima donna of this triangular trio. Sparkling blue-white Vega is in the constellation Lyra, the Lyre or Harp.

To locate this constellation which does
not really looklike a musical instrument,
look for a little parallelogram of stars
south of Vega toward Altair.

Image: 365 Starry Nights by Chet Raymo



Astronomical Vega


Image: The Sky Astronomy Software

Vega is interesting for several different reasons … its close proximity to the Earth at only 25 light years away, its brightness, many times that of our Sun, which comes from an inherent luminosity not just from its closeness, its color and apparent brightness which make it a basic standard against which all other stars are ultimately compared, and its relationship to the pole star. Vega, the brightest star in the Summer Triangle, will be the "North Star" in about 12,000 years, instead of present-day Polaris. This change in pole stars is caused by precession, the very slow (26,000-year cycle) wobble of the Earth's rotational axis. The illustration above shows the apparent path of the pole with corresponding years labeled for the present cycle.


An esoteric point of interest is Vega's relationship to the star Sirius. Ponder on this ... when Vega is directly overhead at the Zenith (about 3 hours after an August sunset) Sirius, the God Star and the brightest star, is under our feet! From our head to our toes we are heavenly stimulated in Leo. Another Vega connection to Sirius lies in the Japanese myth. A peasant boy, the star Altair, is allowed to cross the River of Heaven (Milky Way) to unite with the princess and his lover, the star Vega. When does this occur? ... on the seventh day of the seventh month. This is the time when our physical Sun is conjunct our spiritual Sun, Sirius. During this time many celebrate freedom and liberation.

LOVE is the Lodestone of Life

It has been truly said that love is the lodestone of life, the treasure of earth, and the highest gift of heaven. We all wish to feel that we are kept in the arms of love, protected by its shelter, and warmed by its feeling. But someone might ask, "How do we really know that 'the universe rests on the shoulders of love'. The answer is simpler than it might appear. For instance, no one is ever harmed by love. The more love there is in our life, the better off we are. While the opposite to love, which is hate and dislike, can actually consume us mentally and destroy our health physically. If, then, love builds up while its opposite destroys, we may be certain that there is a universal Reality to it, that we are actually are immersed in an Infinite Love as well as a Divine Wisdom. And we must learn to feel the presence of this Love and rely on it.
Therefore, let us say daily: I am one with the Love of God, I am One in the Love of God with all people. My love goes out to everyone and I know that it is returned from everyone. Overlooking everything that might seem to deny this Divine beneficence, I trust that Infinite Love will guide and protect me in everything. And I counsel my own soul to show forth this love in such a manner that it shall embrace and warm the heart of humanity, bringing confidence and trust and faith and hope to everyone it touches. Daily I affirm that love goes before and makes the way plain and happy. And daily I affirm that my own love is renewed and rekindled by that great and vast Love in which I am immersed, that Love is God. Ernest Holmes

Just as a flower gives out its fragrance to whomsoever approaches or uses it, so love from within us radiates towards everybody and manifests as spontaneous service. Swami Ramdas(gratefulness.org)
Effie Aghili: Love is not selective, desire is selective.
In Love there are no strangers.... ♥ Nisargadatta♥

Love is not selective, desire is selective.
In Love there are no strangers.... - wish I had realized this before marriage.
An act of love that fails is just as much a part of the divine life as an act of love that succeeds, for love is measured by its own fullness, not by its reception.......Harold Loukes
Shiv Bhattacharjee: so true.. love is a path and not a goal or destination ...
Gene Yakub: All sharing from love must be devoid of self-consciousness, of hopes for reward, of superiority/management/jud​gement, otherwise it becomes cancelled. It is one of the paths to returning to Divinity, perhaps the most difficult of all.

"Remember that the best relationship is one in which your love for each other exceeds your need for each other." ~ Dalai Lama ♥

Embrace your ego like an inner child

Effie Aghili
The best advice I can receive is from my heart and soul. My ego always wants to reject and go against it but the love of my heart embraces my ego. It is then that my ego fades away....E/A ♥
Ron Alexander Yes, treat the ego like your child - wayward or not - embrace it!Effie Aghili Thank you dear Ron for sharing your wisdom and love with us...Love to you♥:)
David Witherington I love that, Effie! It reminds me of "Humble yourself, and I will lift you up!" Much love to you, angel. ♥
Benjamin Jan Munoz: I work really hard at not listening to my ego/pain bodies. I try to stay in the now. I really love your messages Effie. Love, Janet

Bobby Hinkle:
To attach yourself to any dogma is to cease changing. This is my primary problem with any dogma; for in true faith you also remain free to change, and you will constantly change. Nothing stays the same.

Ron Alexander: ‎"The truth shall set you free." Thanks, Bobby Hinkle!Ron Alexander: Let us not get too busy in life to stop and recognize the miracles happening all around us everyday...
By: Wisdom Quotes..

Thunder Full Moon Drumming @ Myrtle Beach

Ron Alexander Myrtle Beach Full Moon Drum Circle
www.thesunnews.com Rob & Sun News!
Ron Alexander: great quote by Rob Jackson - "Jackson spoke of a healing and instranssient strength the circle gives him, and the benefits it has not only for a person's heart and circulation, but for mind as well.
‎"He appreciated what he called a 'rainbow' of community spirit that everyone brings every month, without losing stride. They just show up when the full moon is coming, Jackson said, that's their beacon in the sky, like Batman."
Rob Jackson; ‎"Holy moonbeams Batman !"
Rob Jackson:
It is also generally known that the intensely physical stimulus of monotonous drumming and rattling, combined with culturally-meaningful ritual and ceremony, prayer and chant, singing and dancing, can be equally as effective in the shifting of consciousness into visionary modes of perception. ~ Paleoanthropologist Hank Wesselman

How Do I Keep the Negative Thoughts Out of my Head?

Q: How do I keep the negative thoughts out of my head?



First of all you must realize that your thoughts are not good or bad. They are just thoughts. When you see the tremendous power of creation that lies within yourself, when you recognize that the Source of All Being is creating through you, then you will see that your thoughts have no power within them. They receive all of their power from the Source of All.



It is your job to direct them, or to redirect them. Source Energy flows where your attention goes. And when you get involved in a struggle of trying to oppose your negative thoughts, you have put your attention upon them. And of course, when you put your attention upon them, you’ve given your them your energy.



So your solution here is to find your own calm and peaceful center. Make it your home. And in that calm and peaceful center recognize the presence of all the things, people, places, events, that you are wanting to create in your life experience. We want your calm, peaceful center to be the place you always return to. So when those thoughts appear that are disturbing you, you know immediately that they do not belong, and you know immediately they are not presently a part of your center.



Return to your vision. Breathe deep and return to your calm center. Those thoughts are just an artifact of your exposure to life. They have no power of their own. They only have power when you give it to them. So take your power back. Return to the place of knowing all is well.



If they insist on following you, love them into a form that is acceptable to you. They are clay, and like the master potter that you are, you can reshape them into something beautiful, but you must always do this work from your center. It’s out there in the world where the wild thoughts get generated in the first place. It’s a wilderness out there: You have heaven within. So go within and bring heaven forth into the world.



You are loved and you have the blessing of heaven on your journey.Namaste.

~ Twelve

www.TwelveSpirit.net


You have heaven within. So go within and bring heaven forth into the world.

Gurinder Singh Choudhary:
The various restless states of the mind; the changing events and circumstances of life, are all fleeting and illusory. Meditate to realize your true Self, the Pure Essence, which remains unaffected by all illusions and abides in eternal bliss and peace.~GSC~

Moonlight Dancing Surfing on Waves

I created this collage from photos I took last night at the full moon on the ocean. I find it fascinating how the bright light of the full moon dances on waves and even surfs on the face on them. Very entrancing and I hope you can see some of the magic on the photos of this collage. Jeanne says the surfing phenomenon looked like Light Sprites surfing the breaking surface of the waves. It also looks like a fire being put out wnen the waves break. in joy and Light, ron

Unconditional Love - Start with Love Within!

Unconditional Love ~ We cannot say we love anyone at all unconditionally unless we first have opened our hearts to love Ourselves unconditionally. It's simply not possible. However we view others, treat others, feel about others, we feel in and for Self first, without exception. So as beautiful a concept as it is that we strive to cea...se judgment of others, forgive all any perceived wrongs, it will remain just that, concepts until we have learned and integrated that the ultimate unconditionally loving act from which all others naturally spring is to Love everything about ourselves first, including all paradoxical aspects of our own humanness. The Power of Love resides Within us. We won't "want" it, "need" it, or "seek" it once we each realize we ARE It. ♥By: Kristiana Owens
.Dean A. Banks: The truth is revealed from the love of God; be open to the love of God and all will be unfolded in Divine order. ~Dean A. Banks, D.D.

Kristiana Owens
You have asked how to begin to train the mind and we say this: begin by staying in the present moment and watching fear-based, "what if?" scenarios. Take it by the hand as you would with a small child, without judgment. ~ The Keepers, 7.16.11

Oneness Buddha

Once you can look at another being and see
no difference there is no need for harmony,
for here there is only Oneness.
This is the place where the story began
And this is the end toward which
all consciousness now strives to return.

Roslyn Savage: The first line i see .. the rest is just a belief. I do not find it comforts me.
Ron Alexander: Thanks, Roslyn - Experiencing Oneness Love Nirvana is what Buddha taught not to believe in it. The Buddha even gave Nirvana up to stay on earth longer to teach Enlightenment - Boddhisattva!
I see "enlightenment" is to know how to get beyond suffering - Nirvana is when you get there...

Accept & Embrace The Kingdom Within

Ra Divakar: (gratitude to Dr. Dean & Ra for reposting)
Humankind guided by the Spirit of God can accomplish The Kingdom of God here on Earth. If it weren't possible, then why does the spirit move us to accomplish this? ~Dean A. Banks, D.D.
Very important to realize for peace, joy and happiness, right here and right now! Thanks! Dr. Dean!
Marie Corry: The KOG is already here on earth. It's awakening to it. In fact WE are it.
Ida Rose: Humankind can accomplish the consciousness of God here on earth. The spirit moves to make man remember the spiritual birth of the soul. Earth is where lessons are learned and man live to remember choices made, which, cauced man to forget ..
Joanne Syron: i embrace the kingdom of god within me and within you xxx
Ra Divikar: YES! Joyous Expectations for life since this Gift is already given and all we have to do is to Accept and "EMBRACE" the KINGDOM OF GOD in ourselves and each other! Thanks Ida, Marie, & Joanne & Dr. Dean!
The word "impossible" is only in the mind and not in the heart.
Sri Chinmoy

The Great Mystery Name of God

Great Spirit

Tom Nadeau:
Having formerly been a Jehovah's Witness, I too was caught up in the name of God argument. No more. I am free of such quibblings! .
Ron Alexander: Southern Baptist - Me! Now I tend more to B uddhism, but even there is another =ism. so I will not label mysefl there either. Thanks for sharing Tom! no mistake, ron By the way, I think it is all a Great Mystery anyway! .
Tom Nadeau:
Indeed it is Ron!
Beata Bohac: Ron, was it difficult for you to leave the Jehovah witness group? They are pretty strict with their members - my mom was a Jehovah witness in the Czech republic - it was all underground.
You don't have to answer, if you feel it's too personal.
Ron Alexander: No, Beata, I was raised as a Southern Baptist - that is Tom Nadeau, who was raised as a Jehovah's
Witness, and gave me permission to post this dialogue on our priivate messages. Thanks for inquiry, hopefully Tom will answer?
Beata Bohac: Sorry Ron, I misunderstood. Perhaps Tom will reply.
Tom Nadeau: I was not raised as a JW. I became one right after college. Spent 15 years as one of their ministers...they are a closed group and they are very strict, it is true, very nice people and I enjoyed my sojourn through this experience...but I outgrew it and i am free today.
Ron Alexander: Thanks for the compassionate non-judgemental answer, Tom. I had some great ministers growing up - I find a church reflects its' minister more than it's type - in my experience anyway!
Ron Alexander: The key word here, to me, is Great! This AM I read the verse about "I can't come with you, but I will send you a Comforter..." Divine Comforter, Guide, Guard, Lover...Thou are Great and within - I AM grateful!
Ra Divakar: Looking behind I am filled with gratitude. Looking forward I am filled with vision. Looking upwards I am filled with strength. Looking within I discover peace. Quero Apache Prayer
Jeanne Porter Ashley: I find a church reflects its' minister more than it's type - in my experience anyway! DITTO! The minister draws a certain type of folk. My Methodist minister was a Thespian and my church -- Main Street Methodist in Columbia -- was the most wonderful place for diverse interactions and learning. Plus, it was in Columbia, SC with all the inherent art, music, culture of those days!
Thanks Dear Jeanne, I was in a Baptist church in a University town (Clemson) in high school and in college, and Rev. Arrington was a wise Harvard Seminary Grad. However, a lot of Southern Baptist Churches lost their freedom when the conservative right wingers took over the convention unfortunately.

Ron Alexander: I bet Tom was an Awesome Minister!
Jeanne Porter Ashley: likes this..Ron Alexander Ra, thanks so much for this quote, I think I have learned more from Native spirituality than any church - compassion, non-judgementalness, and faith in a Great Spirit (Mystery) through their awesome rituals of chanting, drumming, dancing, sweat lodges, Medicine Circles, Pow Wows, saging, and even being blessed with their tobacco smoke used in a healing way!
Beata Bohac: I agree Jeanne. Some ppl stay with the faith of their elders, but pick their own church. Later in life we start asking questions & revaluate that what we believe in.
I used to go to one church, but as soon as it changed ministers, I left. Same faith, but different personality & delivery
Tom Nadeau: Actually, I was a poor minister. I was selfish and I struggled with alcoholism for most of the time I served. As a result, I went through a 'dark night of the soul' which brought me to a release and a surrender that has been truly blissful.... It was when I let go of dogma, let go of the need to know God and its purpose...that was when I truly came to believe...and that was when I began to love my fellows a little more and become a little less selfish. I am free today and I am eternally grateful!!!
Ron Alexander: Wow! Great example of "the Truth shall set you free!" Thanks, Tom!
What are you to me, oh Lord? Are you the answer to my eternal questions? Are you the source of my abundance or the disseminator of my problems? My friend, Debi Hebel, sums it up in ‘The Love Within’ passage from her book, ‘The Dawning of Erato’; “You are the grace in the sunrise, You are the glory in the sunset, You are the miracle in the light of the full moon, You are the love within me.” Thank you, Debi, for stating so eloquently what I have searched for in putting into words. God IS the love within me. ~Dean A. Banks, D.D.
Humankind guided by the Spirit of God can accomplish The Kingdom of God here on Earth. If it weren't possible, then why does the spirit move us to accomplish this? ~Dean A. Banks, D.D. Very important to realize for peace, joy and happiness, right here and right now! Thanks! Dr. Dean!
Ron Alexander: Thanks Ra for posting this vital post from Dr. Dean (& I am so grateful to you Dr. Dean!
Garna SorensenLTom Nadeau: I agree Garna, it was my experience and my belief, that if one were to take the Bible only as the sole source of God, then it is clear the JW's make the most sense of all the religions I have studied...but I have come to believe the Bible is NOT the only source of divine wisdom...and so I chose not to choose. Or rather I chose man ...all men, regardless of their faith because I am a fan of man not religion..Ron Alexander: Great Comforter, Guide, Guard and Lover all within & outside! I am so Grateful!
Ron Alexander: or just I AM!
Ron Alexander: More than "all within" - All Everywhere - Omnipotent, Omniescient, Omnipotent!
Dr. Dean - & OmniparientRon: SOURCE! Still have not found definition of "Omniparient"?
Thanks Donna Cannon ‎~~ Producing or bringing forth all things...all producing~~Brother Ron....I spend a lot of time in this room learning NEW words. ... Internet search bar...type in the word and *WHOOP, there it IS!!! (^_*)♥
Dean A. Banks: That from which all is born.

Dharma & The Buddha's Meditation

.Orandon Marie:
Dharma means both foundation, and empowerment. The Dharma Teachings of Buddha are a philosophy, based on Four Nobel Truths: that all sentient beings are born into suffering; that our waves of negative emotion cause suffering; that all sentient beings suffer, and that there is relief from suffering, death and rebirth with the practice of meditation.


Ron Alexander: Thanks, Orandon, the developing of a Pure Mind is the ending of suffering according to my studies & experience in Vipassana Meditation. It is hard work but a very healing process, and I see the "Pure Mind" as equivalent to the I AM in Christianity.

To him in whom love dwells, the whole world is but one family. ~ Buddha
Orandon Marie: There is a trinity in Buddhism, as well - the reincarnating soul, the mind, and the silent witness (Higher Power). It's the mind that starts ego-tripping, breaking things down in such a way, we don't often see the trees in the forest, the pure drop for the ocean...

Our Earth Guide - Loving the Ego

Ron Alexander: I understand Self vrs. self, however the "ego" is needed to drive us to the vacation - egotistical & egoism is the ego out of balance, but as Gary Zukav writes we need the ego as our "earth guide' as long as we are in the body. Freud saw the ego as the connector between our lower self (id) and our Higher Self - "the Super ego".
Ron Alexander: Thanks so much for "liking" Steve! You are a positive inspirational type of guy who appears to live what you preach! Egomaniacs, egotistical, egoists have a weak sense of self that they are trying to cover up with their bluster, and I know because I have been there, done that for many years!
John Halderman: I see we need our ego as well. What we may term as problematic about our ego is not the ego itself, it is just doing it's job in our mind, it's about what we allow and direct it to do that alters how it serves us. The ego is part of our automatic mind function designed to assist us with everyday functionality, it supports us in response to what we have stated that we want. This can be, to feel whole, avoid discomfort, seek comfort, but if allowed to run unmonitored, will respond to desires we are not consciously aware of, helping us to fulfill them in any manner possible, which is why it can behave as very selfishly oriented. It is up to us, through our thought command, to know what we are asking the automatic functions of our minds to do for us. Noticing what our ego is doing for us is a very direct way to see what direction it has been given, even if we are unaware that we gave it. :)
Yes, being aware of our ego is so vital to our well-Beiing. Thanks John - that is how Eckhart answered me when I asked him about the apparent demonization of the ego by most new-thought thinkers - the term was invented by Freud in the 1920...'s I think. St. Francis used the term "self" for same issue - "it is in letting go of the self, that we are born to eternal lffe." It helps if we are ready to let go of the body too!
There is no part of me that I don't love...including my ego.

Free Yourself from Attachment to Ghost of Self

Twelve Insight Journal

July 10, 2011

Any of you who creates in the world gets attached to what you have created; it is inevitable. Let us rephrase that a little bit; it is automatic; inevitable in the sense that your physically based thought process, ego, will attach itself. It sees only the physical—it has nothing else to respond to—and its duty there is the creation of a semi-autonomous being, capable of deciding the next best thing on a conscious level.



Your own ego processes are invisible to you to a great degree. It is by interacting with others that you become aware of them. You are all creating from the focused center of being that you have adopted for this lifetime. Ego is always going to emerge as a ghost in the middle of that creating. Your freedom is the degree to which you create freely from now without attachment to your own history.



There is a freedom that people find from their own egos when they can agree upon a common task that is beyond themselves. That is the value of tribe. It is also subject of widespread abuse since everyone expects you to conform to what they see as the greater good. However a small group of two to ten people might bring together a sort of communal landscape where they see themselves bonded towards a greater task than anything their individual perspectives might organize.



Our point to you is that in order to derive the greatest pleasure from your earthly experience you must free yourself of attachment to the ghost of self that lingers in your day to day experience. Those people who annoy you are there to remind you of it. It is only the points you are attached to that annoy you, you see. When you let go of all your attachments you will see the world as it is, as we see it, as Creator sees it, in wholeness and perfection.



Our hearts are with you,

~ Twelve



www.TwelveSpirit.net

Orandon Marie:
Self-Realization comes with a powerful intention to serve Source Energy... In return, Source will serve you with more energy.- Orandon
Wall Photos ..

Orandon Marie: ‎"Okay, Buddha!" It is all just energy - the difference will come with you, choosing wellness and well-being as your foundation to work from. (Dharma)

Family isn't always blood!

●▬▬▬▬▬▬ஜ۩۞۩ஜ▬▬♥▬▬▬ஜ۩۞۩ஜ▬▬▬▬▬▬▬
Family isn't always blood. It's the people in your life who want you
in theirs. The ones who accept you for who you are. The ones who
would do anything to see you smile, and who love you no matter what.
~ Re-post if you have at least one person like this in your life.♥
●▬▬▬▬▬▬ஜ۩۞۩ஜ▬▬♥▬▬▬ஜ۩۞۩ஜ▬▬▬▬▬▬▬

To him in whom love dwells, the whole world is but one family. ~ Buddha

Jeanne Porter Ashley: Thanks, Orandon -- and, Ron! I always believe...your birth family is the lessons you came here to learn..your friends are your real family...bless them all...and, us, too!



Love me or hate me, both are in my favor…If you love me, I'll always be in your heart…If you hate me, I'll always be in your mind...♥ William Shakespeare♥
I love you all no matter what your beliefs are or who you are..♥:)

Bobby Hinkle
If you will simply listen to your own heart you will never become clogged up in the judgmental illusion based on rights and wrongs. Your heart already lives above all judgments, above all temporal illusions.
Bobby , how do we know if we purely listen to our heart and not something else (for example our ego) ?4 hours ago · LikeUnlike · 2 Bobby Hinkle: The nature of the ego exposes itself rather quickly, evidenced by self-righteousness and dualism; but the nature of your spiritual heart is such that it never judges, is never divided, pure, silent bliss.3 Tatiana Roumelioti: Great! Thank you very much for your enlightening reply !
Craig Moriarty: A very accurate commentary on what is meant by "Thou shall not judge". Thank you Brother!
Jeff T Huckaby: I live by this. I used to get bent out of shape when those around me told me that the voice in my heart was Satan if it contradicted biblical teaching. Not that I believed that, but I found it impossible to debate the point with them. Then ...I let go of the need to be right and decided to allow everyone his or her own path. Life got even better after that revelation. Releasing the need to be right is a huge step in spiritual growth that eludes many. It can be like a bear-trap around your ankle.

When One Door Closes Another Opens

One Door
Closes..Another Opens





When God leads you to the edge of the
cliff, trust Him fully and let go, only 1 of 2
things will happen, either He'll catch you when
you fall, or He'll teach you how to fly! 'The
power of one sentence! God is going to shift
things around for you today and let things work
in your favor God closes doors no
man can open & God opens doors no man can
close...

The grateful person knows that God is good, not by hearsay but by experience. And that is what makes all the difference.Thomas Merton
Thoughts in Solitude (gratefulness.org)

My fav. names for God - Source, Great Mystery, Love, I AM, Beauty, Joy ...Yours?

Logic is the Beginning of Wisdom

"Logic is only the beginning of wisdom, not the end." Dr. Spock




(I add at least logic is the beginning - got to start somewhere.)

Ron Alexander: agree, Wisdom is what we all want, yet we cannot get there without starting with logic - rational logical thinking combined with lovable, loviing, beloved feelings.

Ra Divakar:I can give an example of how logic is "the beginning of wisdom". A couple I know had many conflicts over money - no suprise there. However, upon inquiry, I found out that the wife, who was always broke, had a nice monthly income. The question was where did the money go? It was going to pay off a mortgage and a storage rooms in another city.

Ra Divakar:therefore, I asked the "broke wife" if she (& her husband) wanted to live in that other city. Neither wanted to live there, so I asked her was it not logical that she sell the house and furnishings (in storage), therefore having a nice income so she could feel prosperous along with her mate? "Since I have not been able to rent the house, and it has been empty for a few years, I do agree that it is logical that I sell them." The husband breathed a sigh of relief.


Jeanne Porter Ashley: Logic may be a fine place to start until one realizes there is no start and no here here...just being the perfection you are. Why are they having conflicts -- because they are in Divine timing just like everyone else. They will figure it out, I am sure.

Ra Divakar: I agree, and the husband was glad to not have to be the "moneybags/credit card" burdem all the time too. He wanted interdependence rather than co-dependence!

Jeanne Porter Ashley: Well, I hope they both understand that the tables may well turn and then where will they be...be right or be happy...I guess they must be youngsters and don't understand life or relationships.

Ra Divakar: Well, there are many emotional issues that go along with it, all I know, is when they left the session, they both seemed pleased at the rational "solution". Whether they carry them through, I don't know...? I hope so for both of their sakes! And they are not "youngsters".

SILENCE & Free in Every Way

"All of man's problems are caused by only one thing, his inability to sit quietly in a room by himself." Pascal

"Happy is the one who doesn't need to try getting wealthy or remaining poor, free from people and worldly worries, a stranger to himself, free in every way."

Bill Frederiksen: As long as he/she is NOT a stranger to the gift of love...

Freedom to Cherish Shining Moments

Cherish all your happy moments: They make a fine cushion for old age. Booth Tarkington(gratefulness.org)

I had an article published called SHINING MOMENTS - Using Stories from the Past to Heal the Present. The periodical was called SACRED REFLECTIONS (a Shamanic Journal)
Birdwings
Your grief for what you've lost lifts a mirror
up to where you're bravely working.
Expecting the worst, you look, and instead
here's the joyful face you've been wanting to see.
Your hand opens and closes and opens and closes.
If it were always a fist or always stretched open,
you would be paralyzed.
Your deepest presence is in very small contracting and expanding,
the two as beautifully balanced and coordinated as birdwings.

“Joy is cultivated through the way that you live your life. When a person integrates spirit into everyday life and expresses loving kindness to the self and others—joy naturally follows.”
Selacia, The Council of 12

"The Awakened One has no cause for His joy and therefore nothing affects his joy.
The unawakened one knows only pleasure or pain, dependent on all that is happening." -- Sri Amma Bhagavan

God in Buddha's Perspective? The Truth shall set us Free.

Ron Alexander: Ray, I like and feel is true what the Buddha says
"to end suffering, strive for a pure mind." Enlightenment would be to attain that Pure Mind. Isn't a "Pure Mind" a synonym for God, if there was such a Name in Buddhism?
Ray Loewenau: I don't know. I am no longer a Buddhist but I do know that the goal is the original undefiled pure mind. You have to tell me if that is what you mean by God.
Ron Alexander: To me, having an an "undefiled pure mind" would be the same as the I AM - God!
Ray Loewenau: Thanks for the clear definition. And they said it couldn't be done. That would also be my sense of what is at the base of all great religions.
Ron Alexander; Grateful for your perserverance, Ray - The Truth shall set us free! Yea!

BUDDHA WAS RIGHT: The two sources of irritation in life are not getting what we desire and getting what we desire.

Free Spirit: Where the Spirit is There is Freedom

Where the spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom. II Cor. 3:17

Life is either a daring adventure or nothing. To keep our faces toward change and behave like free spirits in the presence of fate is strength undefeatable. Helen Keller
Helen Adams Keller (June 27, 1880 – June 1, 1968) was an American author, political activist, and lecturer. She was the first deafblind person to earn a Bachelor of Arts degree.[1][2] The story of how Keller's teacher, Anne Sullivan, broke ...through the isolation imposed by a near complete lack of language, allowing the girl to blossom as she learned to communicate, has become widely known through the dramatic depictions of the play and film The Miracle Worker.
A prolific author, Keller was well-traveled, and was outspoken in her opposition to war. A member of the Socialist Party of America and the Wobblies, she campaigned for women's suffrage, workers' rights, and socialism, as well as many other leftist causes.

Ra Divakar: Thanks, need to read up on that brilliant yet blind woman - her message is quite profound and inspiring.

God is free of fear, oppression,hatred & shame. God is Love. God is giving freely of Love, Joy and Peace. By receiving & Being Love, Joy & Peace, we are truly free, for God's Spirit is pure freedom.
The Living God is beautiful beyond all imagining,
oceans of Love and rivers of Light;
motionless, silent, eternal, serene-
and bubbling up, bounding
in a pleasure-filled fountain
of free-flowing Spirit-
the God who is waiting for us to desire
Love to transform us in pure joy forever. Blake Steel


The most pathetic person in the world is someone who has sight but has no vision. Helen Keller


Orandon Marie:
Truly a miracle worker, Anne Sullivan lived through similar hardships as a young woman, and deeply wanted to help others like herself. She invested herself in Helen's life because no one did that for her, when she was a child. She became a force of social change, onto herself. ♥
Alone we can do so little; together we can do so much.
Helen Keller ♥I do not want the peace which passeth understanding, I want the understanding which bringeth peace. Helen Keller
Today, more than ever before, life must be characterized by a sense of Universal responsibility, not only nation to nation and human to human, but also human to other forms of life. His Holiness the Dalai Lama