Seasons of the Soul

Is It Luck, Karma, or Something Else?

I was asked to write an article on luck, the theme for a monthly online magazine where I was a columnist. The whole concept brings up an interesting point of discussion. What constitutes luck, and what are the elements within an individual that correspond to being the recipient of good or bad fortune?

Webster's Dictionary defines luck as the force that seems to operate for good or ill in a person's life, as in shaping events or opportunities; to have good or bad fortune as the result of one's luck.

Webster's defines karma as an action seen as bringing upon oneself inevitable results, either in this life or another, rewards or punishment for acts performed in a previous time. So whereas luck is the vehicle of good or bad fortune, karma is viewed as the accounting process that determines who is lucky and who is not.

It is interesting to note our own response to luck and karma when we hear the words. Is there excitement at the prospect of reaping our good, or are we disheartened by the concepts, anticipating something bad?

One of the things I've noted in working with clients through the years is the horrifying judgment that we heap on ourselves as humans. There are those who deflect their own actions by pointing at others as responsible, but for the most part, nobody could be more violent and unforgiving of us than ourselves.

When someone is experiencing lack in life, we can usually find an internal message linked to perceived unworthiness or guilt for past actions. The problem with this response is that the perceived debt is never paid. The individual is unwilling to pardon themselves at the deepest core level in order that they can be open to receive the good part of their life inheritance for the many things they have done right.

By dwelling on our faults rather than our good, we are inadvertently making a statement against God. We are in essence saying that God's creation is unworthy of good. And often that statement is linked to a family or religious system of conditioned response that is part of the multi-faceted input we inherit, including our genetic makeup.

We often look to genetics as the defining attribute of our character or health. And yet, science is discovering that genetics have flexibility. Our free choice allows us to alter certain tendencies, and once new patterns of behavior or belief are ingrained, they are reflected in the genetic code of the body. This gives an exciting boost to the notion that we have free will choice and that it makes a significant difference in our lives.

Without the ability to unfold new capabilities through our creative capacities, we would never have works of genius. If we were iratrevably linked to our genetic programming, how could there be anything other than that which had already been known? Our actions would be rote and predictable. And it is the same with luck and karma. As we continue to look only at our past misdeeds to determine our present, we are locked in a view that is seemingly unalterable.

When we remember that life is a process of growing and unfolding our understanding and knowledge through experience, we can claim God's goodness in the trial and error adventure called life. We can draw upon a life view that is unifying, forgiving, and loving of us for being willing to make mistakes in the process of developing who we are. Then when we think of luck or karma, we will not do so fearfully, but joyously. We will have no need to live with the specter of endless punishment for past misdeeds, but open our arms to receive the benefits of the many good things we have also accomplished. 

So let's ask the question again...Is it luck, karma, or genetic makeup that determines the quality of our lives?

It is all three...and our individual perception of what that means. Through our expectations we are either lifted  up to receive life's bounty, or damned to endure unrelenting penance. The choice, as we are discovering, is ours!

From Seasons of the Soul print edition, Spring 2000

Is It Only the Blues?

More and more people are complaining of anxiety related ailments. As we advance technologically, there is a feeling of something missing. Is it more than just wishing for the good-old-days? What is behind this outbreak of depression that is now being called the cancer of the 21st Century?

We need to look at it from several perspectives. There is the body chemistry connection. There is the psycho-spiritual connection, and there is a changing physical reality - all contributing factors. 

First of all, let me preface this article by saying that I am not a scientist. I would call myself an intuitive detective for purposes of this article, and I'm presenting something to you that requires your willingness to follow the leads. There are websites, articles, and books you can read that will further your understanding of what is happening. But for now, let's take a look at what we're facing.

More and more people are experiencing levels of depression that they cannot seem to shake. And as a result, there is more dependence on drugs to provide a solution to the problem. However, it is important for us to determine if the depression we are feeling is psycho-chemical, or is a result of other factors.

Let's take a look at the food connection. What are we eating? In the interest of saving time, we are often tempted to buy products that masquerade as food so that we don't have to do much cooking. We have become fanatical about non-fat foods. And as a result, products have been developed that are politically correct, but nutritionally lacking. When we read the ingredients, there are more names we cannot pronounce than ingredients with which we are familiar. And often, the ingredients that are familiar to us include sugar derivatives and salt. We then place those questionable food items into our microwaves, which emit a powerful wave that changes the structure of the "food," and changes the way what we are eating is processed by the body. Like cell phones, we have been sold a marketing spin on microwaves that makes us feel absolutely safe while using them when the reverse may actually be the case. So we must ask the question: What effect does the eating of non-nutritional food and microwave cooking have on our chemistry?

We next look at our lifestyles in addition to our changing food intake patterns. Jobs that used to be where we went for 40 hours a week have now become home away from home. The work rules that precluded working longer hours in the past seem to have dissolved as a new technology captures our imagination and feeds our pocketbooks. We are willing to adapt to longer hours, greater perks, and stock options. Yet, at what price? One of the great maladies of modern day goes beyond depression. It is loss of soul.

Soulful living requires time to be still. It calls us to commune with the natural world where we partake of beauty that no mortal hands can create. When we are constantly stressed about product release or on the opposite end...how we will be able to pay the rent given the high cost of living... Soul, Nature, and Stillness are forgotten.

Living in a technologically demanding world has stressed the system. We are engaging with life less and are glued to our screens more. Meaningful interactions are minimal as we scramble for enough time to take care of basic necessities. Many new upscale technology firms have restaurants, dry cleaners, auto wash and oil change services, and even post offices aside from the requisite gym. In other words, home away from home. Efficient, to be sure, but what is lost in the quotient?

As we look at the food and non-food we eat, the drugs we ingest to maintain equilibrium, and the demands on our lives from companies who lure us with the promise of "gold in them thar dot com’s we also face another culprit. This one is something over which we have no control. It is our solar system. In my book, Vision of the Grail, and in works done by Gregg Braden (Awakening To Zero Point, and the Science of Compassion), the point is made that we are now in a time frame where we are facing dropping magnetics and heightened electrical frequency on the earth. Because of where we are in our transit through the solar system, we are being bombarded by changing frequencies. And in this, we are being dislodged from what was a safe and secure feeling to a heightened sense of uprootedness.

For those who have a strong spiritual base, this time period can be elevating. For those whose spiritual connection is limited, or who have unresolved challenges, it can be a frightening time as everything familiar dissolves. We are in the midst of change, and we are not quite there yet. So, as depression rises, it is a signal to go within. There is need to find the nugget of truth that is waiting for us and requires our retrieval.

As we navigate this unfamiliar world, let us remember to make time for stillness. Let us observe nature and feel kinship with the trees, bushes, birds, animals and sky. Let us remember to pause throughout the day...to breathe...to be grateful...and to allow the inner chamber of our being to be as important as the outer striving part of us. When we do this, we reclaim ourselves - and that can make all the difference in the world.

Bill Gates or Mother Teresa?

An inspiring article about the power of Love:

 

http://www.dailygood.org/story/369/bill-gates-vs-mother-teresa-nipun-mehta/

The Myth of Separation

It is so easy to  convince ourselves that we're not worthy.  The sins (errors) of our forefathers continuously perpetuate the myth of  separateness and  unworthiness.  This  often seems to be  the basis of our religions - to  reinforce a sense of not being acceptable the way we are... that our very nature implies sin and a need  for redemption.  Yet, the real message is that without something greater than ourselves to believe in, no true quality of life is possible.
 
When we welcome the unifying force of Spirit, we find our way home.  Without that “knowing” we hold ourselves separate and impenetrable and the God spark within will not intrude the "need" for our separate existence. 

As each of us has come in individual vehicles we have deluded ourselves into believing that the separation really is true - that our physical aloneness means we are disconnected from anything other than ourselves.  Yet the sun and moon that are separate spheres exert  influences on Earth that are indispensable to the maintenance of life on this planet. They are significant interdependent aspects of our solar system as are we in our own smaller way. 

We can see how perception plays a large part in the scripting and playing out of what we perceive as reality and assigned roles. It is only our perception of the roles that we enact, and for this reason it is essential that we clarify our perceptions to align with a more universal view.

From Seasons of the Soul print edition, Spring 2000

The Inner Voice - May Edition

The Inner Voice is a great magazine that has articles to inspire and help in healing. I happen to be a contributor, but there are many really excellent articles to check out that can add value to your day!

http://theinnervoiceblog.wordpress.com/

Am I On the Right Path?

In previous articles, I’ve  talked about commitment to our intention in order for success. Here is a different view, prompted by a question from someone concerned that they might not be on the “right” path.

My daughter who practices Buddhism was visiting one day and she said they had a Korean monk who spoke to them at the Zen Center. He said that we westerners are so intent on getting some place. We are results oriented and so mental in our pursuit of whatever it is we think we are seeking. This goes for finding our right path as well. He said we needed to relax our grasp on reality a little, to relinquish the mind control. We are on our right path. We are doing what we are meant to do. Otherwise we wouldn't be doing it.

That's almost too simple. It ought to be a struggle, or bigger, or more meaningful, or more acknowledged, or monetarily remunerative, or, or, or. Yet, where we are, what we are doing, and what's in front of us is our path. It leads to wherever it leads. The road turns. The stream overflows. The sun sets. It doesn't matter. It all goes to the same place. And the only place or space is now.

This is hard for us. We are so oriented to knowing better, doing more, being successful. But what does any of that really mean? What is knowing better? What is doing more? And what is the criteria for success? Beyond that, what IS success, and according to whom???

I saw a homeless person one day and engaged him in conversation. He was so full that I realized he was right on purpose. He was a living example of the homelessness within ourselves. As we strive for more and more and bigger and better...more and more people are left behind. We have no safety nets. Nothing adequate. Only this pursuit of $$$ and other "stuff". I met another homeless person who was empty and undone. Following his path in the moment, albeit a difficult one.

Who am I to say what the greater path is – the CEO or the person on the street? It’s all subjective, and we don’t really know. We just think we do, and there is one of our major problems. We all think too much in the west. We need to “feel” more. The level of heart disease and mental illness that we experience tells us something, doesn’t it?

We cannot get “there” through the mind. It can only take us to a point, and from that juncture on, only the heart will carry us.

So you are on your perfect path. I am on mine. Now to let the mind quiet so the heart can delight. So simple. So hard.

Ah…Life!  

From Seasons of the Soul print edition, Spring 1999

Meeting God

There once was a little boy who wanted to meet God. He knew it was a long trip to where God lived, so he packed his suitcase with Twinkies and a six- pack of root beer, and he started his journey.
 
When he had gone about three blocks, he met an old woman.  She was sitting in the park just staring at some pigeons.  The boy sat down next to her and opened his suitcase.  He was about to take a drink from his root beer when he noticed that the old lady looked hungry so he offered her a Twinkie.  She gratefully accepted it and smiled at him.  Her smile was so pretty that the boy wanted to see it again, so he offered her a root beer. Once again, she smiled at him. The boy was delighted! They sat there all afternoon eating and smiling, but they never said a word. As it grew dark, the boy realized how tired he was and he got up to leave, but before he had gone more than a few steps; he turned around, ran back to the old woman, and gave her a hug. She gave him her biggest smile ever.

When the boy opened the door to his own house a short time later, his mother was surprised by the look of joy on his face. She asked him, "What did you do today that made you so happy?"  He replied, "I had lunch with God. But before his mother could respond, he added, "You know what?  She's got the most beautiful smile I've ever seen!" 

Meanwhile, the old woman, also radiant with joy, returned to her home. Her son was stunned by the look of peace on her face and he asked, "Mother, what did you do today that made you so happy?" She replied, "I ate Twinkies in the park with God."  But before her son responded, she added, "You know, he's much younger than I expected."

Too often we underestimate the power of a touch, a smile, a kind word, a listening ear, an honest compliment, or the smallest act of caring, all of which have the potential to turn a life around. People come into our lives for a reason, a season, or a lifetime. Embrace all equally.
      ~Author Unknown

 

The Fence

There was a little boy with a bad temper.  His father gave him a bag of nails and told him that every time he lost his  temper, to hammer a nail in the back fence. The first day the boy had driven 37 nails into the fence. Then it gradually dwindled down.  He discovered it was easier to hold
his  temper than to drive those nails into the fence.

Finally the day came when the boy didn't lose his temper at all. He told his father about it and the father suggested that the boy now pull out one nail for each day that he was able to hold his temper. The days passed and the young boy was finally able to tell his father that all the nails were gone.

The father took his son by the hand and led him to the fence. He said, "You have done well, my son, but look at the holes in the fence. The fence will never be the same. When you say things in anger, they leave a scar just like this one. You can put a knife in a man and draw it out.  It won't matter how many times you say I'm sorry, the wound is still there. A verbal wound is as bad as a physical one."

~Author Unknown

Tradition, Innovation, and Soul

Years ago, my dear friend Alix Taylor, and I, were talking about the incredible innovative energy that is evident up and down the west coast. This area is a hotbed of creative thought and vitality, very much linked to the unsettled nature of the earth here...still in a dynamic stage of formation.

We were talking about how different things are on this coast, especially centered in the S.F. Bay Area and north to Washington. In looking at the reasons for this, other than those tied to energetic landmass, the roots of new thought come from a people who were always on the cutting edge of pushing the envelope to the outer limits. The pioneers who came to America continued west as they felt the restless urge to go further, and explore more. As the eastern part of the country was "civilized", traditions developed and thought became more entrenched in a worldview colored by expectations of the community. For those who were uncomfortable with this view, movement westward continued.

Coming to the edge of the Pacific Ocean, there is no place left to go from a standpoint of movement within the continent. It is here where the pioneering spirit has to be directed into a different movement...and so we have exploration and pioneering in the world of ideas and in spiritual or expanded focus. Traditions are sparse in this area. Things are always in a state of change. It is not a particularly comfortable area for those who want to retain the status quo. However, for those who are interested in being part of the push towards the unknown...the West Coast provides that potential.

Much of this conversation came about as a result of a comment Alix made about how often people in America seem to be lonely. In Europe, that is not the case. As a native of Paris, she commented that when she went back for visits she realized as she looked at the buildings that people walked amidst the comfort of history. They were strongly rooted in the past that had endured through hundreds and thousands of years of living. Therefore, they had every reason to believe that they belonged to something substantial, and that as a result there was every reason to believe that there was a future to be part of as well.

In our country, and on the West Coast in particular, that is not always apparent. Because things change so rapidly, we do not have the comfort of knowing where we came from. Once we identify a site as being familiar, it is often torn down to make way for something more modern or economically attractive. There is no luxury in going back to a house your family occupied for several generations. Perhaps in the east, but not in the west.

Alix commented that once when she was young, she was with her father (an American Quaker living in Paris) at the Louvre. There in front of them was a workman in overalls with his young son, standing in front of a magnificent painting. Alix's father turned to her and stated..."That is the essence of the French. The man is a laborer, but he is passing on the richness of his heritage and culture to his son."  How many of us can say that about what we give our children?

On another outing, they were coming to a main road that made a very abrupt circular turn to go around a piece of property. Alix's father stopped the car and pointed to the wall separating the property from the road. "You see", he said. "In America they would cut right through that person's property to make a straight road. In France, the property of a family who owned it for generations is respected. The road goes around it."

Talks such as these add texture to our lives. In focusing only on the mundane, we lose something soul edifying. When I reconnect with a soul filled friend, I awaken to the heritage that is meaningful to me. There may be no grand traditions, or magnificent buildings representing human evolution where I live, but there is essence in sharing deeper concepts. This is my heritage. This is what makes me know that there is a rich history, and therefore a vibrant future. This is soul!

Reprinted from Seasons of the Soul Newsletter, Spring 1998

Going Within

A question was asked during a discussion about the validity of reading books to find abundance, and there was an answer given that stated that we just have to know that abundance is ours. Reading or stating affirmations merely signifies our separation from wealth or wellbeing. Yet, as I see it, what helps one person is not always helpful to another. We are all quite unique. Who knows what words will trip a switch within us that brings us closer to remembrance of who we truly are and what life is really for and about?

However, when we "try" too hard, we lose the possibility that is given us. Trying is an activity born of separation. In a search for reunion, the action often needs to be subtle and internal. External striving becomes busyness. It is object and results oriented. True inner grace and recognition of purpose/possibility is more often a quiet response born of reflection. Reflection does not occur through trying. It occurs by being still and sitting next to the pool of inner wisdom that is at the core of every one of us. It is part
of that still small voice we hear of so often, but which is hard to hear when we are busy devouring all the "How To" books that we accumulate in search of wisdom.

Wisdom does not come from outside. It is an inside job. And that means making friends with who is in there, and overcoming our fears of inadequacy or lack that lead us to judge ourselves and everyone else harshly. We can read all the books in the world, but if we don't believe in who we are as valuable, we will never receive the bountiful harvest that life has waiting for us. Each of us has an incredible inheritance, but most of us have forgotten where to go to claim it. And many of us don't believe we are worthy to ask in the first place.

We are ALL worthy!