What is grace?

Grace: Simple elegance or refinement of movement. Courteous goodwill. An attractively polite manner of behaving.

A perspective about grace is often overshadowed by awkward movement or mannerisms. However I think that there is part of everyone that is sublimely graceful, independently of the persons physical characteristics. That grace shows itself whenever wisdom surfaces.

Now, I’m not thinking about physical movement. However, I am thanking about inner expression. I think that wisdom can take many forms. It can be a saying that changes an attitude or a belief. It can be an intellectual movement that changes a preconceived idea. It happens when there a heartfelt expression of truth that needs no logic or experience to be accepted. It is the moment when gooseflesh appears or the hairs stand up on your arm. It is a moment that exists when you have experienced something that is important for you. It doesn’t matter if you are the giver or the receiver of the heartfelt expression of truth.

That moment puts you in a state of grace.

It happens when two things are present;

• When you are ready to accept change.
• When you are quiet and truly listening.

The inner expression of truth has a power to transcend all the restrictions we have placed upon ourselves due to our expectations and experiences. That inner expression of truth puts everyone that is touched in a state of grace.

The key lies in inner expression. Inner expression is independent of the facade we present to our environment. It is an expression of our true identity. It is who we really are and not what we may think that we want to be. It is not a emulation of an idol or another’s mannerisms. It is an honest expression of our uniqueness.

Here is a different way to look at grace. There is a graceful world within that brings wisdom to everything that is willing to accept change. All we need to do is to present an honest expression of who we are.

What do you think?

Sam

A Thought About Universes

The master teacher Julian, through June Burke, indicated the existence of seven universes, but have you spent any effort in finding out more? I’ve been thinking about the universes for some time but recently had a dream that gave me some fresh insight. Let me share that with you...
The dream indicated that the seven universes occupied the same space and operated simultaneously and in consort with each other. Each universe existed at a different level of vibration or consciousness.

That was an interesting dream, but what about time differences between physical and spiritual representations? What about spacial considerations? Hmmm...

I think that a big clue lies in the universal law of correspondence. “As above, so below.” Or, whatever exists in the physical world also exists in the spiritual world. This dual existence between physical and spiritual must transcends time and space because time and space doesn’t exist in the spiritual world. However, for this to be true there needs to be the existence, or at least the perspective of something that bridges the timeless, spaceless spiritual continuum with the linear time and space of the physical world.

One obvious bridge is represented by the elementals such as gnomes and elves (earth), sylphs (air), salamanders (fire) and sprites (water) that work with the physical world. Another bridge would be our helpers such as angelic forces, guides, teachers and guardians. Also, what about human existence between incarnations? A point is that the elementals have an ability to modify the physical world while our helpers can normally only nudge our thoughts in a way that our reaction modifies the physical world. Both elementals and angelic forces can bridge aspects of the spiritual continuum based upon their need or assignment. Yes, I know that this can be argued and is perhaps more philosophical than logical but give me a bit of slack here. That can be delayed for another thought.

So, here is my concept of the seven universes:

• The physical universe as perceived by humans while in an incarnation.
• The elemental earthy universe bridged by gnomes and elves.
• The elemental watery universe bridged by sprites.
• The elemental fiery universe bridged by salamanders.
• The elemental airy universe bridged by sylphs.
• The universe of our spiritual world bridged through human incarnations.
• The universe of angelic forces bridged through the need for balance between all universes.

What do you think?

Sam

Are there accidents? Really.

Back in a more argumentative time of my life I would sometimes, just for fun, become the devil’s advocate. One of my favorite topics was accidents. I would argue that there is no such thing as an accident.

Naturally, the brunt of my argument would produce examples of when they were sitting at a stop light and got rear ended. Or a time when the clock’s battery was depleted causing the clock to be off. The slow clock caused them to be late for an important meeting. I had lots of good arguments but eventually they all boiled down to the following four thoughts...

• Thought 1. What did I do to create this situation? The law of what goes around, comes around is absolute. See my blog entry on Taking Responsibility.
• Thought 2. What was my focus? When I think about what would happen if I dropped the glass, the probability of spilt milk is pretty big.
• Thought 3. Repetition leads to patterns, be they good or bad. Habits help to create a similar situation. If the situation is marginal, then marginal things happen.
• Thought 4. I’m just accident prone. See my blog entry on Does Luck Exist?...

An important sidebar is that when I really understood the above thoughts, I stopped arguing. Yep, eventually I reached a point where I could care less if people believed in accidents. I didn’t reach that point out of boredom, lack of interest or because I stopped believing in my argument. I reached that point when I really believed in my argument!

In any event, when we I am absolutely honest with myself, I can trace the accident back to one or more of the above thoughts. Sometimes it requires some flexibility in interpretation without becoming too literal. For instance If I got rear ended, how many times have I blindsided another person in an argument? Or, what was the eventual result of the missed meeting? Perhaps the meeting was non eventful and it was far more important for me to attend to other matters. Or, the real reason for the broken leg was to slow down and pay more attention to stress levels.

Hopefully, at least there is something to think about. The essence of my thoughts boil down to the following: When I take responsibility for everything that happens in my life, I have no accidents!

What do you think?

Sam

How real is magic?

Here is one of the dictionary definitions of magic. A quality that makes something seem removed from everyday life, especially in a way that gives delight.

Granted, the above definition doesn’t delineate that aspect of the word magic that has to do with theatrics or apparent power. It does relate to the process of movement in your life that goes beyond your current beliefs. It also is a pointer in the direction of delight. Now, thats something that is really interesting to me, going beyond my current beliefs in a delightful way.

We are in an energy that has only those limits that we impose upon ourselves. If ever there is a time in our life that we can go beyond limiting thoughts and beliefs, it is now. Reality is a fuzzy thing. What is a dream one moment can become fact another. For instance, at one time in my life I thought that owning a Ferrari was an impossible dream. However, one day I was walking by the Ferrari car dealer and impulsively walked in. I found that Ferrari had produced a limited number of cars that were actually affordable. This was the first and only time Ferrari had done this and it lasted for only a few months. I needed a new car at the time, I had some money saved, and the opportunity was there, so I bought one. For me it was magical and it certainly gave me delight!

Well, we don’t have to find magic by buying a Ferrari but we can find magic in unforeseen ways as we march along our life path. The tricky thing is the unforeseen part. We need to recognize the magic as, or before, it happens. Then we can make it part of our life. We need to be open to the possibilities and not be dragged down by experience or local knowledge.

So, how can we attract magic? Like everything in life, attraction starts with thoughts and attitudes. Below are my thoughts that lead to magic for me. I would like to urge you to produce a list for yourself.

• Expect magic.
• Look for magic.
• Recognize magic when it finds you.
• Accept and respect the magic.
• Experience delight that magic happened.
• Integrate the magical result into your point of view.
• Use the integrated magical result.

Note that there is no work that leads to magic. Oops, there is a bunch of non physical attitudinal work involved. However, the important thing to realize is that it leads to delight and every once in a while, a Ferrari. It’s worth it!

Part of the human condition is to remember and believe what we experience. This makes it necessary for us humans to go beyond our limiting beliefs in order to cultivate magic. Another aspect of being human is to aspire to greater things. The trick is to mold our dreams or aspirations into an absolute knowing that it is there for us. One thing that today’s energy doesn’t support is a pollyanna attitude. That attitude stops us in our tracks because, neither the universe, or ourselves takes non productive attitudes seriously.

Magic is real. Let go of preconceptions and go for it!

What do you think?

Sam

A Thought About Listening

I have been working with some people on honing their (our) listening skills. Some of that interaction would be good fodder for thought, so here it is...

Here is my bottom line:

Effective listening extends beyond being polite to the person that is talking to you. Listening involves a comprehension that goes beyond personality likes and dislikes. It extends into important messages from everyones higher source. Listening has no meaning unless you take what you hear into some sort of action. That action is driven by a greater, or more universal understanding behind the meaning of the conversation.

But first, what are the steps to fruitful listening? Here are mine...

1. Become quiet. Internal distractions are unproductive.
2. Focus on the event. External distractions are unproductive.
3. Listen to what is being said. Let the conversation enter your thoughts.
4. Hear what is said. Know what is being said from your experiential perspective.
5. Comprehend what is said. Know what is said from the others perspective.
6. Evaluate what is said. Decide, without judgement, if the conversation has merit.
7. Take free will action. Do something respectful that concerns the conversation.

The real question is; Why did you draw the conversation to you? I think that the reason comes from the universe and will ultimately drive your action. It may seem complex but the bottom line is simple. You really needed to hear what the other(s) had to say. Therefore the universe drew you to and into the conversation. I also think that everything that occurs in your life has meaning, and is ultimately directed toward your growth.

This is particularly true if you started the conversation because you had a point to make. I know that when I stand up to defend myself or when I want to correct another person, I am not entirely convinced that my opinion is valid. I know this because, invariably my opinion will soon shift. The change almost always points back to the defensive or argumentative conversation. The time lag between the conversation and opinion shift depends upon how open minded I am about the situation.

In any event, I think that all conversation, independently of how mundane or boring, will eventually lead to inner personal growth. However, first we need to listen...

What do you think?

Sam

A thought about mercury retrograde.

Recently, I have noticed a lot of blame being placed on astrological conditions causing consternation in our lives. This is particularly true when the planet mercury is retrograde.** As I don’t believe that consternation is needed in our lives, I thought that this might be a good topic for thought, so we could thoughtfully think about it.

The universe was created, in part, as a proving ground or arena for our individual growth. Under the governance of universal law, all energies exist within the universe to support that growth. The energies have no personality or reason to make life difficult. They simply present an arena for growth to occur. They are there in order to support our lives in such a way that life becomes more fulfilling.

So, astrological energies were invented in order to present an arena for growth, not to rule our lives. They provide a mechanism for getting our attention so we can prioritize our energy in a way that life becomes more fulfilling. They help us to see where adjustments are needed so our life becomes more balanced and happy.

Yes, this means that when mercury is retrograde we need to be more careful when it comes to making decisions. It does not mean that it is a time to avoid decisions. That would be counterproductive to the reason mercury retrograde exists. Indeed, if we avoid making decisions during mercury retrograde, not only does the consternation get louder, but our growth slows down.

From that perspective mercury retrograde becomes a time to make decisions, not to avoid them. The decisions just need to be made with patience and care. By changing the way you perceive mercury retrograde you can alter the effect it has on you.

What do you think?

Sam

**From Wikipedia about retrograde planets: “As seen from Earth, all the true planets appear to periodically switch direction as they cross the sky. Though all stars and planets appear to move from east to west on a nightly basis in response to the rotation of Earth, the outer planets generally drift slowly eastward relative to the stars. This motion is normal for the planets, and so is considered direct motion. However, since Earth completes its orbit in a shorter period of time than the planets outside its orbit, we periodically overtake them. When this occurs, the planet we are passing will first appear to stop its eastward drift, and then drift back toward the west. Then, as Earth swings past the planet in its orbit, it appears to resume its normal motion west to east.”

Mercury retrograde is often taken to be a bad thing or at the least a time for careful actions. Advice is sometimes given that says to not make any important decisions, sign legal papers, etc. when mercury is retrograde.

Taking Responsibility

Have you ever thought about what it would be like if everyone in the world took absolute responsibility for everything that occurred in their life? Here is my list...

• Blaming others would vanish thereby allowing any lawyers that are left to focus on criminal law. Greedy and unfounded lawsuits would be greatly reduced.
• Every person would choose alternatives according to their free will choice giving them more control of their life path. People would no longer turn their power over to others.
• Unfounded excuses would disappear, creating a yearn to understand issues more clearly. This would help innovative kinds of education to flourish.
• What goes around comes around would have real meaning. The legal system would be revamped, bringing true justice to the way criminals and victims are treated.
• Luck would no longer be an excuse for bad (or good) performance. A persons skills would be more finely honed. People would become more adept through the expression of their skills.
• Taking responsibility for another person would be reduced to only those instances where there is actually a need for caregiving. The desire to control another person would be eliminated. Mental health would take a giant leap forward
• The need “to get even” disappears. People would have a real desire to get along. Unfounded war is eliminated.

Now, if I extend the above items to some conclusion, here’s what I think eventually would happen:

• Lawyers would disappear.
• You would control your own life.
• You would be better educated.
• You would be treated fairly.
• You would be more skilled.
• You would be healthy mentally.
• War would disappear.

I’m having a hard time thinking about the downside of taking responsibility. Why don’t you take full responsibility for everything that happens to you for a month and see what happens?

What do you think?

Sam

Does luck exist?

With any luck, this blog entry will unleash enough mental perturbations so that some sort of thoughtful reevaluation occurs. :-)

I believe that there is no such thing as luck. Oops, excuse me for a moment while I duck from a vocal volley of “unlucky” golfers or “unlucky” stock market players. OK, now anyone left that is curious enough to continue reading, hang in there. There is a method to what may seem like foolishness, and I believe that there are some interesting thoughts about luck. The four thoughts below represent my perspective. However, your perspective is perhaps luckier...

Thought 1. The better you are at doing something, the luckier you become at doing it.
I’ve noticed while watching golf or snooker on TV how often the commentator attributes a competitor’s situation as lucky or unlucky. I’ve also noticed how quiet the commentator is concerning luck when the player is doing well.

Thought 2. The more emotionally balanced you are, the luckier you become.
When I’m feeling good and in the grove, so to speak, the lights are green and I’m considered, by my friendly onlookers, as being lucky.

Thought 3. The clearer and more honest you are, the luckier you become.
Nothing can be changed until the current situation is seen clearly, without bias or judgement. Then making the change is far easier. This creates a sense of fulfillment which, in turn, creates balance and harmony. See thought 3.

Thought 4. The less credit you give to luck, the luckier you become
Attitude creates a sense of wholeness or disharmony depending upon the attitude. When luck is given credit for something that happens in your life, your power, or your self worth is diminished. When you give yourself a pat on the back and recognize that you have accomplished something nice, then your self worth increases. See thought 2 and 3.

OK, there you have it. I believe that luck has to do with skill and state of mind. If you want to be lucky, believe in yourself, improve your skills and maintain a good balanced attitude.

What do you think?

Sam