song for the new year

Song for the New Year

(Thank you for reading this blog,

Hope that your mind it helps to unclog)

We welcome with open arms a new year,

A time for personal change is finally here,

Again ego based resolutions we will make,

Not from the heart so they will only break,

Let's fill our Selves with understanding and compassion,

A parade of forgiveness is the new fashion,

Letting go of the past for goodness sake,

Envisioning the joy we choose to bake,

Rejuvenated, empowered and enriched are words we sow,

Peace, harmony, and happiness we feel and know,

Love or hate is always a choice,

Let's pick the former and rejoice,

Unselfish caring for others gives us our divine connection,

When Beings of Light we see in our reflection,

We climb onto our horses of strength as we ride,

Bringing in hope to the New year we gallantly stride,

This year let's explore the realm of time and space,

Unwrinkling  our thoughts revealing a happier face,

All our troubles of the present we hereby release,

Happily our mind, spirit and consciousness are now at peace.

Dear Santa

Dear Santa

The season of joyous celebrations are here again. Whether it is Hanukah, Christmas or Kwanza, it is a time of family, friends, communing with nature and feeling the magic of it all. Delicious foods are  prepared, gifts are wrapped, homes are adorned with warm cosy decorations and musical cheer is spread through out the lands. It is a time of remembrance and a time of faith to unfold and ring in the New year. There is always a balance between hardship  and good times that we all face on a daily basis. This season is there to remind us of a vindication from ill times, troubled minds and sorrowful states with the promise of hope, love and faith regardless from where and which religion these teachings originate. 

In our hearts we have the long list of "things" that we write to our minds that we want or desire, our own personal " Dear Santa..." Yet what we really want within our hearts is peace, happiness, stability and most of all, love. Everything else that comes additionally to these ideals, is simply icing on a very elaborate cake, made with a host of unhealthy mental ingredients. The fictional letter we write in our hearts outlines our deepest desires and longing for a clearer and positive  vision for our futures. However why does this get transplanted with a materialistic filled list of personal possessions? It is the ego that jumps in at the opportunity to write this letter for You, and You then take a back step to your own center stage and watch the runaway production of your life unfold. In my humble opinion, take it back. Polish your own writing skills of your heart and take note of what you really desire. Allow the spirit of the season harness your unmet wants of love with compassion, your bitterness with forgiveness, your disappointments with faith. 

Together you can then forge a better future for yourself once your letter decisively reads " Dear Santa.. I choose to love" or " Dear Santa..I invite hope into my life" or " Dear Santa.. I am compassion"  or " Dear Santa.... I am joy." A change in tone of the letter is sometimes all it takes to make the difference in experiencing the holidays or having a holiday experience. It is with the leap of faith in not just the universe but moreover within yourself that you activate the essence of this magical season that is all around you. Once you understand this ability, you can use it at any time, knowing then truly that this season is all year round within you. Each religion that celebrates around this time has a symbolism of a candle burning. This is to reiterate to everyone that the light of love, faith and compassion shines bright and without borders of race, religion, age or gender. 

I hope that your reply to your letter comes swiftly and reads ".....may all dreams come true, love Santa"

Wishing you all a very happy and blessed holiday season !!

Competitions are not for losers

Competitions are not for losers

Just another 1/8th of a second and he could have beaten him to the Gold medal. Just another extra hour of work on this project more than the other competitors, could have closed the deal on this financial venture. Just another few more correct answers would have got me the better scorecard on the examination to get the better job that was given to someone else.  Day in and day out we compete with some other person. It is a force of nature and survival in order to get ahead. Instinctually, we do this in all walks of life. Whether at work to be more productive to make more money , at the gym trying to look better than another fellow exerciser, at the store haggling to get a better sale price, in school trying to achieve a better grade to beat another student. We teach this to our children to give them an edge to become better,stronger, faster, healthier, wealthier in order to live better, successful and happier lives. Nothing wrong with this philosophy especially since just about everybody everywhere does it. We sometimes force our children into the mind set of more education, more exercise, more, more and more is better. Society has trained us into these principles by virtue of survival. If you do not adapt, you perish. One little problem with this paradigm, we are competing against the wrong opponent. 

The opponent we should be comparing or competing against is ourselves. Striving to do better with oneself is far more nourishing, and rewarding in the long run as you yourself turn out to be stronger, quicker and more enlightened to help bring about a more advanced, a more aware and more peaceful society. We are all searching for a more improved and easier life, yet we literally kill ourselves in the process, without realizing the best possible life is the one we are living in the moment. By improving the self, we automatically improve the outcomes of our lives. For the skeptics I give you an example. 

At a pharmaceutical company the R & D division is spending billions of dollars to come up with the right drug to cure cancer. This is being done by several companies so that each one can get the patent to beat the competitor and then charge a whopping amount to make even more billions of dollars. Each person in the entire company is stressed and leads stressful lives to attain this goal. Now imagine the opposite. Each company individual strives to compete against themselves to lead healthier, more mindful lives. Through meditation, through awareness resulting in healthier exercise, mindful food choices, keeping a nourished brain and attitude, each person brings their 100% to the table from a place of peace versus from a place that they may lose their jobs. This is then magnified by everyone in the company right from R& D to sales and to administration which in turn helps to bring about a better drug to the market. Now say if all the companies choose to work together instead of against each other, not for profit, but for only helping others, how quickly do you think a cure for cancer or any other disease process could have been found? Cooperative competition, some thing to think about.

Competition is healthy as it keeps us sharp, focussed and keeps us in the game, and  moreover keeps us strong in the game, however if you keep the competition with yourself you run a stronger play in the game. You should have no one to fear, and no one to compare to, as this helps the ego quieten down. The ego is essentially your self preservation watchdog that is continuously  the surveillance to see who to compete against in order to preserve it self. Once turned off the ego can not hinder your own personal growth with doubts and fears of non-self competition. Not worrying about what others might say or think or do "against" you, you are free to flourish and  become superior to yourself at this very moment and continually improve moment to moment in the future as you progress. 

Life is a marathon not a sprint, and it is not a race but a journey to be enjoyed. At the Start line, a healthy, and aware mind will look either side at the competition and smile and see only itSelf looking back. The Finish line may be the end point in life, but getting there is half the fun, the other half is how good you look when you get there. So go win a trophy of excellence, a trophy of mindfulness, a trophy of peace and tranquility. Teaching that in the classrooms will benefit the next generation immensely as they embark on their own  journeys , their own races, hopefully not armed with the fear of competition with others but with the joyful contest within towards a brighter future in the winner circle. 

Gold, silver, and bronze medals all goes to You, the mindful soul.

Social responsibility

Social  Responsibility

This is a responsibility that we take for granted. A cardinal unwritten rule of social order, that everyone takes part for the betterment of the society as a whole. However it is far too often that individuals either feel entitled or groups feel that they are above the pecking order and so societal responsibility in general does not apply to them. Moreover entire groups come together and exercise their self declared and self appointed rights to be socially  irresponsible. Ironically they are working to the betterment of their own sub group of society and not towards society as a whole.  It is usually a group that "believes" that they have been repressed, treated unfairly, or down trodden and so revenge is exacted upon the oppressors but unfortunately the target is misdirected and becomes much larger and is aimed at the entire civilization regardless of the innocent. The group could be classified based on gender, race, religion, color, creed or orientation. There are always two sides to every story, and to this tossed coin of responsibility, one side naturally believes that they are right. The oppressed can be a group of white heterosexual  men who feel that they are disregarded when favored by other populous. It can be a group of black women who feel that they have had their civil liberties violated for decades. It can be a group of Asian monks who may feel that they have been persecuted for their religious beliefs. What do they all have in common? 

They have all pigeon boxed themselves into a category by their own volition and so when pressured by another entity, which is usually someone or a group that have also identified themselves as being different and opposite, they feel the need to fight out of a need for survival, and self preservation. In this way the responsibility to act becomes that of the self and not the society as a whole since clearly the society is factional. So the fundamental problem seems to stem from the upholding the identity of the self and down playing the identity of being part of something greater. If we are apparently more responsible towards our selves, are we truly being responsible towards ourselves by ignoring helping each other or the society as a whole? I was at a wedding reception recently where the waiters could not care less if the guests at the function were adequately taken care of. Their unwritten "responsibility" was to make sure  that the guests had adequate food, meals were served hot, and requests for beverages were appropriately and timely accommodated. This was not done as they believed they were getting paid regardless. So they stood  there out of indifference and ergo lack of responsibility. Simple courtesy towards them selves would have dictated that they "do their job" or social responsibility would have demanded that they act with courtesy.

Yet another example is the sub group of populations all over the world who use false excuses to misappropriate services rendered by the state. On grounds of mental or physical disability they misuse public offerings to the needy and deplete valuable and scarce resources. We can point fingers that it is corruption on all levels of either the group or the public administrators who turn the blind eye, yet, focussing blame on either side does not make the situation better nor does it accurately depict the problem. Both sides suffer from the severe lack of social responsibility due to the lack of self understanding. One might argue that they are both self aware, however that would mean they are both selfish, one side to take and the other selfish to not spend the time to say no. 

Self awareness is the integral part to sow the seeds of responsibilty to grow the tree of a society, and the eventual forest of a civilization. Each person taking action to help each other, to feed each other, to nourish and protect each other, then amazingly enough the circle comes right back and helps, feeds, nourishes and protects YOU !! If each person helped the person to their right, imagine your left shoulder being tapped and a smiling face saying " How can I be of service to you ?"  This is not a misguided attempt at explaining communism nor Marxism view points. This is a direct call to action to better oneself for the betterment of one Self, through the simple embracing of social responsibility. Whether you pick up stray garbage you see on your path on the street, or help a stranger find their way on unfamiliar streets, or hold the door for the next person, or pay the toll for the person behind you at the toll booth, or simply take interest and join the legitimate workforce, just make the effort of responsibility.  Love yourself, show love for your fellow beings, and embody love for your planet as a whole. There are no divisions in society, just those that you choose to create in your agitated and restless mind. 

How responsible do you feel today ?

Organized chaos

Organized chaos

How often do we find that when we plan to do a certain number of things, they usually only work out to completion about 50% of the time, yet when we have a significant number of chores to do and we do not get pressured by the concept of time, we usually get all the chores done. Is this disorganized order, or organized chaos? I have found that this happens to me on a regular basis, such that on the days that  I restrict myself to the idea that I have numerous "things to do" but only a finite amount of time to do them, less than 50% of the items actually get done. Even when I wish to cram in some fun chores, I always run out of time. This is not true when I realize that I have numerous chores but then I forget about the finite time restriction and just do the things, and then when all 100% of the tasks, be they menial or not,  are completed,  I find that not only did I get everything completed but I also saved time and was ahead of schedule. Why does this happen?

 

When we get pressured by time, we are under pressure. We freeze under the compaction of the finite time interval and so we contract and become slower than expected. The opposite is true if we are freed from the pressure of time pursuation and become lighter. We think clearer and become more productive when we are not focussed on trying to complete everything within a time period but instead  within that time period we complete everything.  We enjoy doing what we are doing, and therefore stay so focussed in the moment that we then end up filling the moments of time with more efficiency. We limit ourselves when we think that we may not be able to complete a task. Better still go over in your head all the things that you wish to do, then say it out loud or write it down, and then forget the list and systematically just start doing those items. This calls forth your powers of intention to the forefront and you engage in being more productive and peaceful. 

Have you ever wondered why some things you can be thinking about with so much concentration and then suddenly they manifest and then at other times  random thoughts pop into your head but nothing occurs with them? This is the same concept. As you concentrate in your minds eye of an important idea, such as you wanting to meet a long lost friend, and then they happen to call, or you really are desiring some particular item to eat and then "coincidently" it is on the newly offered option on a  menu at your favorite restaurant. Countless examples of this happen daily. What is happening is simply you are using your thoughts to manifest your reality. Similarly, when you are angry at someone,and deep down some streak of unkindness rears itself and wishes harm unto that person. Why does that person NOT get harmed? Your focus of manifestation did not originate from a place of strength, goodness or peace and so had  no constructive power, but moreover you cannot concentrate anger into reality since you cannot remain angry too long to allow the concentrated thought to manifest, unless of course you are the Dark Lord of the Sith from Star Wars. 

Organized chaos is my term for describing the blending of this idea of living with freeing your time and concentrating your good thoughts and manifesting them into reality.  I try to note all the things that have to get done ( whether things to buy, things to do, things to achieve) and then focus my thoughts of what needs to get done, and then let it go. To my own amazement,  I will find myself not only having completed all that I wish to at some point, but with more favorable outcomes in a better timed fashion that I was originally anticipating. Coincidence or organized chaos?  Time is fluid, and so by keeping our consciousness in the same way the two can merge for better and more improved results.The more control you seek in your life, the more it will elude you. The more control of things you think you have, the less control you have in reality. However the more you think of things that you have no control over, that is  in fact precisely where you have the most control. Having faith that something will get done and then moving to that goal, sets in motion all sorts of energies and wave patterns from your mind into the physical realm, and a new reality is manifest. As mentioned earlier,  the more focussed on a thought from a negative space, the more it will not become reality. 

Your creative engine can initiate and harness the powers of the universe and move anything into the physical realm so long as you are fulfilling your purpose. When this engine breaks down and the link and connection to the universal power is severed then states of physical disease, depression, doubts, fears, hate and anger set in. While connected, anything and everything  at anytime and any place is not in the realm of impossibility. Some would call it fate, and some would call it miracles, and others would dare to call it faith.  I call it "navigating your life and seizing  your destiny." So the question ends up being that in the course of your day, are you going to organize and compartmentalize your chaos or are you going to set it free and go with the flow. Spicing and varying your routines are one such way to let your mind and body not get used to set routines of complacency such that any deviance from your "plan of action" leads to the fall of the house of cards.  Mix it up a little.

I would champion the idea that when you stop thinking in a limited dimensional box of time and space, and allow those walls to fall, you enable your soul, your quietly awaiting spirit to shine. When you do this your creative energy is released to create with dimensionless drive, your joy is compounded with your happiness, your courage becomes boundless, and you exponentially rise into a state of abundance in all that you think, say, do. Your Self shines brighter than the effulgence of the sun so handle your "chaos" with enthusiasm and vigor.

Have you organized your chaos or have you created chaos in your organization? 

Thanks and Giving

Thanks & Giving

The time has come yet again of celebrating the time honored tradition of ThanksGiving. A typical fun fall time tradition of saying "Thanks" and stuffing yourself with gastronomic delights with friends and family. The holiday has really a double meaning. True that it literally means "to give thanks" however this time  I decided to  interpret it as two separate entities. " ThanksGiving"= thanks and giving.  Sure we can  and should be filled with gratitude and give "thanks" to not only friends and family and always remember the kindness of others such as the Native Americans who provided food and shelter to the starving pilgrims to the New World at a time of need. Yet I would submit that it is a great time to bring in the concept of simply giving. This simple act of giving of oneself unconditionally unto another brings with it its own rewards of gratitude and satisfaction. 

Giving can become manifest in infinite forms and certainly not limited to materialistic gifts. Giving unconditional love to another human being, with no desire to ever see it given back to you at that instant. Helping yet another with random acts of kindness is also a part of giving of oneself such as a sincere polite smile to a passerby, a gracious hello to a not so social coworker, holding the door for a perfect stranger, giving away your coveted parking spot to another random car, paying for a coffee for the next person behind you in line, or paying for the toll of the car behind you.  Giving your precious time is another fun concept. Time to spend with a little child who is making some wildly imaginary project with household pots and pans as you become "their" assistant or as you give your time to help read to the children's story time at a sick ward at the local children hospital or spend the time to help an angry troubled teen sort out their emotions and choices, or yet again spend time silently with an elder just to have them heard, or even give away your time to educate or mentor someone in a field of your own proficiency. 

Giving and receiving are two sides of the same coin. Two opposites of the same rope that is constantly in a state of a tug. If one does not give, one does not receive. If you are thrifty, miserly, and unyielding in your inability to share, then that is what you will receive in return. If you give from a place of love, it will be received with gratitude as that is the only way it can be energetically thrust forward. Giving with compassion will be received with compassion. Giving with less burdened heart will be received by another with sincerity and joy. It is your ego that gets in the way and expects immediate gratification from that same person, and if promptly disappointed, then it scorns the other person for being "ungrateful", " inconsiderate", " useless" etc. essentially a flood of unnecessary emotions and reactions.

No one in their right mind (minus the ego) is emotionally disturbed when they "give"  The moment you are involved in the act of giving you are actually receiving happiness as the very physics of giving, unloads you so that you are now in a state of receiving, and ergo you receive more of that which you have given. Nature abhors a vacuum. Give away clothes to help the under privileged, you receive an abundance of clothes, give away time to help someone, then some other person unbeknownst to you shows up to help you with an entirely different problem or issue. Give a person  flowers with love, your own compassion and soul blooms with love. Feeling lighter after giving of oneself with selflessness, consideration, compassion and gratitude fills the momentary void with feelings of empowered, renewed, rejuvenated, and so equipped to tackle anything, anywhere, anytime or anyone.  Giving also can be towards oneself inward and not just to another person outward. You can "give up" and in doing so receive only " getting down", or you can "give down- to a lower state of need" and in doing so receive "getting up" and you move to a higher level of your own consciousness.  The mental and spiritual freedom that is derived from when you give, affords you the luxury of freedom to give more and the receiving of inherent freedom. 

Giving just like attitudes can become quite infectious. Yet what if all your positive actions of giving lead to an equal tug of positive reactions, and is carried forward, then perhaps the circle of life is big enough that you too will see the effects of your selfless giving as you end up at the receiving end. Think of this Thanks Giving holiday as a wonderful practice of the art of giving just in time to get ready for the even bigger event of Christmas and the excitement and revelations that that particular holiday brings round the corner, but that is another story !

  Wishing you a wonderful day, Thanks for giving, and for giving Thanks. 

Have you given enough or have you more than enough given?

Quick quick quick

Quick Quick Quick.

Rushing around we try to get from point A to B then to C in fast order. We eat quickly, we think quickly, we do things quickly and speak too quickly. All we are really doing is hurtling quickly to our eventual demise without living. We think we are living,  but in fact we are just running to nowhere quickly, as if running on a treadmill without anywhere to go.  On the spot running is good if you are trying to lose weight and exercise in other words, with a purpose, but not if you are being chased. What are we bing chased by, you might wonder? Time. However if you sharply stop and turn around and face your adversary you might actually become the victor and not the victim. Make Time your friend, and your friend ,time will become. Being and not just doing becomes a state of mind and matter, and you then start to live. 

Quick, quick, quick... you might miss out on a really tasty savory gourmet meal as you wolf down your specially prepared meal at your local restaurant.

Quick, quick, quick... you might miss the opportunity to help a poor homeless person on the street as you look the other way rushing to your destination.

Quick, quick, quick ... you might miss the blooming of the beautiful tulips that will not come back for another year and only bloom for a few weeks in the year as you keep looking at your smart phone.

Quick, quick, quick... you might miss your child or grandchild being young and playful as  you are too busy doing chores.

Quick, quick, quick,, you miss out on a real bargain on a quality purchase at a store as you race for the advertised sale on cheaper items.

Quick, quick,quick... you might miss out on the breathtaking sunsets as you try to find parking as you go out for dinner to a restaurant. 

Quick, quick, quick you might miss out the tone and subtly in a conversation with your friend trying to tell you about  a fateful thing that had happened to them, as you rush through to get to your talking turn and agenda of speech.

Quick quick quick... you might miss out on learning anything from that book as you speed read through the chapters.

Quick, quick, quick.. you might miss the red traffic light as you are too busy texting or talking to someone on the phone while driving and not concentrating on the road.

Quick, quick, quick.. you might miss out on your entire life, as you are not mindful of your surroundings. 

All too often this plague of "quick, quick, quick" infiltrates our mind, and body and consciousness and then your new set point for your life begins at 200mph.  It is time to slow down and feel the moment. Meditation on a routine basis helps with that, such that it becomes your normal state of thought, speech and action. Time is on your side, but only depends on whether you accept the abundance of it and walk with time beside you as your friend, or not as your adversary that is chasing you. On the former you will have the abundance to live, and in the latter the scarcity to die. Look at your own internal clock and then look around you. 

When people say statements of fact like " things have changed so much" or "kids grow up so fast" or "time and tide wait for no man." These are maybe relatively true, but at which point of reference are we speaking about matters. The flowering plant, or child or entire cities that change, do not change in an instant or at the snapping of your fingers. It takes time for change to occur. The only reason why it feels like the passage of time was an instant, is because you were not mindful and so missed it. You awake from your dream-like state of chaos and "living quickly" and you have zipped way past any coherent sense of orientation of time and space. There is no reason to keep hurrying unless you have a big S on your chest, wearing blue tights,a red cape and saving the planet. Quick, quick, quickly  hurry up and slow down before it is too late for you to enjoy the moment that may ironically lead to the eventual opportunity that you would have missed to lead a happier, healthier and peaceful life.

Spend some "time" to really feel the passage of time. This is a very satisfying practice, and then you can say that you have truly " lived". Seeing the development and the changes of your city, or garden, or the growth of your child are worthwhile gestures to undertake for sure, but the evolution of yourSelf in your own body is a feat unto itself. Your soul or spirit or Self is immortal, and you are inside this mortal ever changing body as you jump from minute to minute, day to day, year to year, decade to decade. You are in fact "body jumping. " Leap frogging in time is basically what we are doing. I would propose that we walk into and  through the moments and while you are at it simply enjoy the walk ! 

What is your speed limit today?