Seasons of the Soul

We Are the Consciousness of the World

In a class the other evening, one of the participants commented that after she read the dreary deadlines and predictions of the day and for the future (invasions of Iran, etc), she always came to the Seasons of the Soul site to see something inspiring. And as I considered her comments, it was further evidence to me of the necessity for each of us to recognize that what we are viewing in the collective on television, movies, Internet, radio, magazines, and newspapers is a compilation of our collective consciousness.
  
As we abdicate our responsibility – ability to respond – to contribute to the uplifting of consciousness through our choices and our voices, we are allowing the lowest common denominator to prevail. Unfortunately, there is a lot of adrenalin that is manufactured by fear-based messages. There is something within the human being that feeds off that energy, and in return the fear based energy feeds off of the feeders. It becomes a vicious cycle that spirals out of control, and before we know it, we have a world in chaos and at war. We have distrust, mishandling of communication, and all the other unintended results of giving in to the lowest impulses of our nature.
  
It takes discernment and discipline to rise above chaos. It takes a self-organizing attitude that recognizes that we are walking through a minefield of information. Actually it is a mind field. And that mind field is going to pluck from us what we put our attention to. What does that mean?
  
Whatever we focus on magnifies. We feed thoughts of fear or faith, depending on what we are tuning in to. What channel is predominant in our lives? Are we titillated by disturbing news? Are we disempowered by stories that seem so overwhelming that we become insignificant? Do we feel helpless in the face of insurmountable odds presented to us daily by the news media? And furthermore, does a sense of futility help us to discharge any sense of obligation because what we see is way too much for us to handle?
  
If we do a little self-examination, we may find that taking the easier path of falling in to the soap opera mentality of the nation releases us from a burden to take action. After all, what can one person do?  And yet, if we truly understood that the very message that we feel disempowered by is being empowered by our lack of action, we would realize that we do indeed create and are responsible for our reality. And the reality we create affects not only us, but everyone else. When the overwhelming thought process is focused on disease, war, dishonesty, attack, and all the other soul demeaning events, this is a contribution to that consciousness. If each of us said “NO!” to those forms of materialization and turned only to what is uplifting, restoring, hopeful, and life giving – THAT would become the predominant force and consciousness that would emerge.
  
We are not victims of some outside plot. We are victims of our own creation – and just as we have fallen into a trap of complicity, we can climb up and out of that state by changing the channel – by focusing on what CAN be done to make the world and our lives a better place, and then vocalizing it, acting upon it, and shifting the frequency from helplessness to helpfulness. We are the creators of our reality, and if we don’t like what we see, we have the power to make change. Every small step leads us to a destination. As we bring our intentions into focus and band together as a force for the good, the larger pool of consciousness adjusts to reflect the overriding and predominant view.
  
The task may seem daunting. But it is not. We know the power of what one person can do for good or ill. We know what was accomplished by the example of a Gandhi and a Mother Teresa. We also know what happens when no one stops a Hitler or the fanatics in Rwanda. Our thoughts and actions support and uplift the good, or allow the fall of humanity into the grips of despair. It is that simple and that hard. It requires an adjustment in the lens with which we focus. But by doing so, we can contribute in small or large ways to the creation of a world we want to see.

From Seasons of the Soul prnt edition, Summer 2007

Is God High Maintenance?

At our Sunday Circle, the talk was centered on the idea that God spelled backwards is Dog. We were asked to name the qualities of dogs, and as people added their comments of loyalty, dependability, unconditional love, playfulness, helpfulness, etc. etc., my mind went to high maintenance, needy, slobbery, messy, and smelly. Don’t get me wrong, I do like dogs, but as I’ve gotten older, I appreciate cats more.

Yet, as the discussion leader went on and on about the great qualities of dogs and how they are like God, I thought to myself, “hm….is God high maintenance?” And the thought that followed was, “yes.” God needs our attention, wants our loyalty, requires us to be helpful to one another, and is in need of us cleaning up the messes created by nature and ourselves. So…yes. God IS high maintenance. And that’s not a bad thing. It reminds us that we cannot take God for granted. After all, if you don’t walk a dog, doesn’t it become lethargic and overweight?

For maximum health, you have to walk the dog daily, and make sure it is fed – preferably with nutritious food. God requires that from us daily, too. We have to walk with God – and we have to interact – paying attention, allowing ourselves to be fed nutritious thoughts by the connection we forge with our Creator.

So God is a give and take God. The qualities of the dog are also the qualities that God exemplifies, but also the qualities that we demonstrate to God. After all, who does clean up our messes? Who overlooks our slobbery, needy states? Who cares about us even though we are eternally “high maintenance”? And who is the only one who will stay loyal to us regardless of whether we demonstrate our love for Him or not?

Dogs love their owners, regardless of whether they are treated well or cruelly. They continuously come back for more, and have unbelievable acceptance of the frailty of the human species. So does God. Dogs wait patiently for their owners to return to them, no matter how long it takes – and they want to be with their owners no matter how boring. Doesn’t God do the same? Dogs try to protect their masters whenever possible. So does God seek to protect us, in spite of ourselves. So…is God high maintenance, or are we?

Perhaps a dog’s great qualities are akin to God’s qualities towards us, and a dog’s downside is the same as our laxness toward God. The gap is bridged through unbelievable Love. It is the binding force that brings human and Creator together – and it doesn’t matter who is high maintenance – for it is a high privilege to have the opportunity to be able to call on and receive the blessings from the top dog of all – God.

From Seasons of the Soul print edition, Summer 2007

On the Subject of Books

There is considerable interest in a new revelation about Jesus and Judas that you may have heard about. A lost gospel of Judas has been located that shows Judas actually did the bidding of Jesus by seemingly betraying him in order that a prophecy would be fulfilled. This has fueled deep debate and consternation, as we have believed the story of Judas being betrayer as unassailable.

There are also two new books that have been released recently that examine the Bible in depth, with unsettling discoveries that call for reflection. In the book, Misquoting Jesus, author Bart D. Ehrman, a deeply devoted fundamentalist Christian and biblical scholar, found that the Bible had been changed throughout the years by incompetent translators, capricious power mongers, and for political purposes. He frames his account with personal reflections on how his study of the Greek manuscripts made him abandon his once ultraconservative view of the Bible. Ehrman makes the provocative case that many of our cherished biblical stories and widely held beliefs concerning the divinity of Jesus, the Trinity, and the divine origin of the Bible itself stem from both intentional and accidental alterations by scribes—alterations that dramatically affected all subsequent versions of the Bible.

In Michael Baigent’s book, The Jesus Papers, he delves into similar arenas of investigation, but uncovers evidence of a cover-up  designed to keep a powerful church in control of how people viewed Jesus and the subsequent Keepers of the Faith.

More books and revelations will probably be forthcoming as investigators are on the trail of  “truth”, and in this some may become disillusioned or distraught. However, the reminder to us is that truth is not in the details, but in the spiritual sustenance we receive through teachings that make us better human beings. As we  release attachment to the need for our stories to be the exact Word,  we can put our attention where it needs to be—on unity within ourselves, to one another, and most importantly, in God.

From Seasons of the Soul print edition, Summer 2006

End of Summer Reading

I was going through my library a few weeks ago and came upon some “old” books that were good when I first read them many years ago. Something inside suggested that I read them again. Some held up very well through the intervening years, and some didn’t, but I’d like to recommend you look through your books to see what jumps off the shelf to ask you to read them again.

I noted in the second reading that I got a great deal more out of the book than I had the first time around. The vantage point of years and experience allowed me to see something I’d only dimly perceived back then in a whole new light now. And in keeping with the old books, there were a couple movies that have been made from books written years ago.

Way of the Peaceful Warrior, by Dan Millman was made into a full feature film starring Nick Nolte. I was told it was an excellent film, mirroring the concepts found in the book. Also out in film was The Celestine Prophecy. I didn't heard any reviews on that one, but if it held to the points made in the book, it should have value.

As for the books I reread that stood the test of time, The Last Barrier, by Reshad Feild, holds up and does itself better second time around.. I’ve also been going through Peace Pilgrim, Illusions, by Richard Bach, and Saved By the Light, by Danion Brinkley. My own book, Vision of the Grail, was serialized in its entirety on www.planetlightworker.com so here again was an oldie being brought back for a new look.

What’s on your shelves that might be calling you to read it a second time around?

From Seasons of the Soul print edition, Summer 2006

We Are Blessed!

We are blessed, and often do not see it because we are looking for things to show up in our lives in a different way. And when they don’t, we bitterly complain that life has cheated us or passed us by, or have a myriad number of other complaints. Yet, everything that comes for us is a blessing. It isn’t even in disguise—it is presented in a way that will cause us to pay attention. And when we don’t, it comes in a different, perhaps more difficult form, to assist us in seeing the good that is in our lives, and to adjust an area of ourselves that needs correction or refinement.

The painful reminder from the body that we are not in harmony is a blessing when we pay attention in the beginning of the “gift”. If we wait too long, we have to experience a more painful form of blessing—but all of it is given to assist us in re-orienting the way we are living our lives.

I watched a recent  interview with Al Gore, and in it he expressed how he has taken on the work of educating the public as to the real emergency we face in global warming. Listening to him speak, I recognized that this man is doing a greater work potentially than that of being president. Instead of stewarding a country, he may be the voice that tips the balance to save our planet. So losing the presidential election was actually a blessing, for this work is one he is ideally suited for.

A health issue I face reminds me that I need to change my way of eating. It is a blessing to awaken me to what is needed. An issue with a friend or my loved ones is a blessing—reminding me to practice compassion, forgiveness, and acceptance.

Nothings is wasted. Nothing comes without a meaningful gift attached—even if it seems hard to believe. Death is a given, but we can experience the blessing of resolution on our death bed. And while alive,  we need to take the clues presented, appreciate what is in our lives rather than grousing about what is not, and see how much life seeks to help us grow through its continuous and unrelenting forms of blessing.

From Seasons of the Soul print edition, Summer 2006

We Don't Necessarily Know

Years ago a  black teenager was being tried for manslaughter in the death of his friend. A group of friends met at one of their homes and found a rifle owned by the grandfather. It wasn’t loaded, so they passed it around and looked it over, pointed it, and in their exuberance, pretended to shoot one another. The problem was, there was a bullet in the chamber, and the young man on trial killed his best friend. 

My friend was a juror on that trial, and she said when she looked at the young man and saw the grief on his face, she knew he was not guilty of murder—that it was an accident.
After all the facts were presented and it was time for deliberation, the jurors met to discuss the case. One woman, the wife of a deputy sheriff, insisted the young man was guilty. My friend argued that he was not. As they were locked in deliberation, the gun was brought in for the jury to look at. They passed it around, and the deputy sheriff’s wife pointed the gun at my friend, who jumped out of her seat and said, “Do not point that gun at me!” The other woman said there was no problem as it was not loaded, and my friend said, “That is exactly what those boys thought, and you are doing the same thing!” The jury recognized the irony of that moment, and rendered a verdict of “Not guilty”.

As the jurors filed out of the courtroom, an elderly black gentleman approached my friend and thanked her. He told her he knew she was responsible for saving his son from prison, and that the boy had not been able to sleep ever since the accident. “Believe me,” he said, “my son is not guilty. He has suffered and will continue to suffer over this for the rest of his life.”

We must be careful not to rush to judgment. This true story is an example of life held in the balance, and had it not been for the gun with the jury, the verdict may have been very different. We often think we know...but do we?

From Seasons of the Soul print edition, Summer 2006

A Wilderness of Thought

This beautiful article by Richard Lewis reinforces the imagery of child mind. Regardless of our age, this inventive part of us is still here....we only need to welcome it and see through eyes that embrace the visible and invisible without distinction.

 

http://www.dailygood.org/more.php?n=5678

Move Into the Circle of Love

When we are bound by time, we unwittingly play into a mindset that creates a past and future. We look back or forward with expectation or reminiscence, but always with an attitude toward a frame of reference.. And in so doing, we are bound by limitation—for we project desires, fears, and historical memory to all that is now and yet to come. We know that spring is passing, so we expect certain things from summer and from fall, and on and on. Yet, we have seen many times how nature will surprise us with something other than what we expect or anticipate. Being bound by seasons or time only serves to limit our possibilities.
As we see time passing and relegate ourselves to an age—any age– we have an expectation about what that must mean. And yet, why should it? We are being held hostage to a historical context that feeds on itself, and blocks a bigger vision.

Love has no history, no desire, no projection of how we should be at a certain time in our lives. Love just is. Love boasts not, wants not, looks for naught, keeps no score, cares not about our age or position in life. Love does not project outcomes— it just  is. And when we move into the circle of Love, all things are possible because our hearts are open to the goodness of life without being hampered by a time frame. We move out of habit, out of expectancy, and into the arms of acceptance...the arms of transcendence...the heartbeat of Love.

From Seasons of the Soul print edition, Summer 2006

365 Days of Appreciation

A wonderful reminder on how to be more appreciative of the life we have created!

 

http://www.dailygood.org/story/511/a-grateful-heart-john-kralik/

The Things We Remember

Randy was a little boy who came from an alcoholic family. His father would squander the family finances, leaving little for  his wife or child. When her husband would come home drunk, Randy’s mother would go through his pockets and take the change—putting it into a small tin she tucked away in the back of a closet so that the little boy could have a treat now and then, or do something nice.

My friend lived up the street from Randy, and even though she didn’t know the circumstances, she knew something was not right in that household. Her daughter was close to Randy in age, and when she  got little gifts for her, she would often pick up something for Randy, too. One day, her husband invited Randy to go to the carnival with their daughter, and he was happy to be asked. However, once at the carnival, he began to cry, and my friend’s husband asked  why he was crying. He said it was because his mother had been saving for months, and had given him what little she had so he could go to the carnival, and he felt ashamed.

My friend’s husband told Randy that he had not invited him to the carnival to pay for himself, and that he should take the money back to his mother. Randy enjoyed himself for the rest of the day, and never forgot the kindness of my friends to him as a child. Years later, when he was grown, he came to visit them and told how much what they did meant to him—that it had saved his life during a very rough period. He brought his fiancé to meet them, and kept in touch through the years. Their kindness made a major difference in his life.

Another friend told me she had recently reconnected with her first husband from many years ago. She’d found pictures that she thought he should have because he had two nieces he adored, and the girls were in the pictures. When she got in touch with her ex-brother in law to give the pictures, his daughters, who had been the little girls in the pictures, called her and told her how much they had missed her through the years—that she had meant the world to them. They remembered all the kind things she had done for them as little girls, and my friend was flabbergasted. She never thought her efforts had meant anything. Yet, they had.

Children do not forget kindness. Most of us think that our words or efforts on their behalf have little effect, but if we go back into our own memory as children, we can often find that there are adults who stand out in our mind—who provided encouragement or helped us through something difficult. Perhaps it was a teacher, perhaps a neighbor or friend of the family. But it may also have been someone who did or said something meaningful to us just at the right time—who saw us as valuable and worthwhile human beings. The connection may not have been long—but had an impact.

Just as we remember the people and events that hurt us as kids, these good memories are forever etched in our minds, too. The beauty is that we can pass this on to other children.  It doesn’t need to be anything huge, but the little kindnesses that recognize a child’s qualities, or encourages their talents. There are many little kids like Randy out there, and one day we may also be thanked for having made a difference in someone’s life. What a gift!

From Seasons of the Soul print edition, Summer 2006