Too Overwhelmed to Act

Chances are if you found your way to this blog posting and have read it this far, you are an empathetic consciousness seeking soul. As I write in February, 2020, our culture is in major upheaval and in the three dimensional world we live, we are surrounded and pounded by “Drama.” Politics, world health, climate change, homelessness, crime, racism, sexism, and all forms of polarizing mayhem happen to us or at us, everyday. We can hide our heads in sand and live in a quiet prison of self-constructed oblivion or be “concerned” about what we are “supposed” to do to make the world a better place. We may not be Billionaires with unlimited resources of time and money and energy so we may feel inadequate… We may just feel empathetic and “overwhelmed.”

You can do nothing and pretend to be unattached to the current situation. You can choose to be paralyzed by your overwhelm and do nothing, feeling bad about this option. You can go “observer,” running on “equanimity,” where you are too mellow so that all you do is watch and stay uninvolved… Or, you can do something short of violence, getting arrested in protest, or running in circles… You can change the source of this discord by changing the energy which feeds this polarizing and anxiety producing mayhem.

Let’s back up. We can do something more than pray, set a positive intention, and smile ineffectively and unattached at the world condition. First, we can be “fully present” and in the moment. Not in fear of the future or living with some past fearful trauma. (Easier said than done, BUT doable.) Next, we can realize that we are all connected and in this together. Yes, even the people who trigger you. Especially, the people who push your buttons of anger and/or fear. We are all equal and a part of the Divine Spirit. We all have our roles to play in the Drama we have chosen, spiritually, to live within. To make a positive impact on the world condition we can do something. Even if we do not have time, or money, or even energy, we do have a way to serve and to change the “Energy” that drives the mayhem. So…

Consider calming yourself. Finding your way into the present moment. (Both of these require some practiced dedication…) AND, then start, slowly and easily to connect with the other souls you bump into. Start easy, with the checker in the grocery store or with the server pouring your coffee, or the ticket taker at the movie theater AND, being present and loving, make eye contact with them and remind them, “yes, Out Loud,” that they are a Miracle, or that they are Perfect, or they are Loved, or that they are Blessed… You can get good at doing this. It will not harm you or them. After you are good at this, you can now begin to share this with the “difficult” people in your life, like your family, or your boss at work, or with the objectionable political “jerk” (an unnecessary judgement) who thinks the other political candidate is correct…. Yes, even these people are connected in the Divine with your soul AND they are a Miracle even as they “push your buttons.”

Looking the homeless person in the eyes, connecting with them and their disabilities, and reminding them that they are Loved and a Blessing is how you can begin to change the energy of our world. One eyeball to eyeball connection at a time… This requires practice and dedication. You need to step out of your ego and your fear (or anxiety/anger) and do the “right thing.” Bless them for the lesson they can teach to you, IF you are willing to be open and to listen. Please, help to dissolve the fear and the anxiety which caused the separation. Please, allow your heart and positive intention to tear down the walls! You can do this. Even with few resources, YOU can be a shining beacon of Love and Light! You can BE the change you wish to see in the world!

Do NOT be Too Overwhelmed to Act! You can take these small steps to improve this world one connection at a time.

Thanks for your time and consideration. Your insights and experiences are unique and a blessing, so please share these…

If you are READY and looking for a supportive community where you can share your story, your wisdom, and grow spiritually in a non-religious environment, consider Masters of the Journey.
You are a Blessing! You are a Master! Your wisdom from your life experience can have great value to other pilgrims on the path toward awakening and enlightenment.

The Masters of the Journey has events which are updated on our Facebook page which is found at: www.facebook.com/mastersofthejourney Please comment on this blog and share, if appropriate. More of our blogs are based on spiritual consciousness and can be found at www.dstress.com/blog

Following Guidance or Forced to Change?

Some of us listen to Guidance and follow it. Some of us have learned to trust Guidance. More of us fear change and argue or deny what Guidance has to offer.

First, what do I mean as I write this blog about Guidance. This is not from an external teacher, parent, or “Guidance Counselor.” It is a message in some sort of feeling which quietly (or possibly loudly) bubbles up from our soul or spirit which is connect to the Divine Spirit. Its soft voice can be difficult to hear and the directions may seem scattered. You may ask why should I listen? Why should I follow the obscure directions of Guidance? As I type this blog, which is coming from a source which is more feeling than from past training, I wonder why I am typing out the words that find their way to the page…???

More difficult are the times and experiences which we have had where strong emotions seem to force us to follow what Guidance can suggest. Often I have found myself in a negative mood, perhaps angry or fearful, and I consider that I absolutely NEED to change. Change does not often come easily. I like what I know better than what I might find out through change. Familiar “Pain” seems better than unfamiliar directions or experience which Guidance might lead. CHANGE is difficult! If we are strongly attracted to something, we might screw up the courage to go after this new shiny “thing” or person or job or…??? More often change HAPPENS when we are so desperate, we HAVE to find the new way to live or to develop our new consciousness.

Example. When I was 19 years old and pre-med at UCLA, I discovered that this dream of going into medicine, that I had passionate held since 7 years of age, was not going to happen. I could not focus at school and my grades were not medical school allowing. I was broken hearted. I was angry. I was frustrated. My alternatives even included taking my anger and frustration and signing up for the Army, which Guidance steered me away from…. and, into a better but unknown and scary option. For no “good” reason I and no clear plan, I dropped out of UCLA, worked 3 jobs, saved money for 6 months and went to Europe. I turned 20 years old in Strasbourg, France and along the way had the life changing experience of perspective on what was not working in my old life in Southern California. When I returned, I left my life in Southern California again in 2 weeks and moved to Northern California into the best possible situation for me. I returned to college and worked for my BA and MA in Psychology, accidentally finding Biofeedback and Psychophysiology along the way. Two years past my MA, I woke one morning and Guidance told me to start a private practice in Biofeedback and Psychophysiology with medically referred clients. I received training and certification and worked in Doctor’s offices and Chronic Pain clinics until I open the Stress Education Center in 1978. I never knew where I was headed in 1970 when I dropped out of UCLA and would NEVER have found the ideal professional career for myself if I had not acted on this message from Guidance. I am Blessed!

Strong emotions like fear and frustration “drove” me to follow Guidance and into the perfect life, for me. Now, I meditate regularly and sit in front of the computer, when I “feel” the need, and channel blogs that are filled with spiritual consciousness that I would not have written, or even considered, 3 years ago. Guidance has offered me a new life purpose and I wake excited everyday to follow this new direction. (New for me…)

What will trigger YOU to listen to Guidance and be led to the experiences in this life you were invited to have…???

If you feel fearful, angry, frustrated, or sad, perhaps consider these “Gifts” which are there to help motivate you to find the better path. If nothing else, you will have a great story to share regarding the challenging lessons you came here to learn. Accept the Love and the Connection with Divine Spirit and find Joy in growing in consciousness from seemingly frustrating life experiences. I am sorry this is so difficult, but we sometimes need to learn from the “trial by fire” called our lives. For me, living with my wife of 28 years through her terminal treatment for Ovarian Cancer and then her Transition at the end of her lifetime, was so traumatic I would never wish this on anyone else. But, I would never trade this experience or the lessons I have learned… It was a Blessing. A pain filled series of experiences which have opened me up to so many beautiful new relationships and spiritual experiences. As I have said before, I have been Blessed! If you have read this far, YOU have been Guided here and Blessed to share this growth in consciousness, mine and yours. Thank you!

Whether you follow Guidance or are Forced to change, please appreciate, at least retrospectively, the amazing adventure you are on and the unexpected lessons you are here to learn…

Taking responsibility for the choices you make throughout your life is very difficult but the alternative of being a “victim” to the challenges life provides may keep you from moving forward, more quickly… Live and choose to celebrate ALL the challenges you may encounter…!!!

If you are READY and looking for a supportive community where you can share your story, your wisdom, and grow spiritually in a non-religious environment, consider Masters of the Journey.
You are a Blessing! You are a Master!

The Masters of the Journey has events which are updated on our Facebook page which is found at: www.facebook.com/mastersofthejourney Please comment on this blog and share, if appropriate. More of our blogs are based on spiritual consciousness and can be found at www.dstress.com/blog

Count Your Blessings!

Have you ever heard that expression, “Count Your Blessings?” Why would someone say this to you? What is the purpose for looking for the “Positives” in the life you are here to live? For many people, it is easier to look for the problems and the negative interactions and perhaps even play a “Victim” to these challenges. But does looking for and living within the “negative” give you the joy that can be found in this world?

What do YOU give thanks for in the world? Even the most brutal lessons can be honored as important opportunities to learn from, even if the learning is what NOT to do. Personally, I have learned more from my mistakes and my painful relationships than I have learned from when my life was most easy and successful. The 8 years I lived with my wife’s terminal cancer I would not wish upon anyone and yet these were some of the most important years for learning in my life. The lessons of empathy and compassion were so valuable. The fear and the sharing within our many crisis’ was such a powerful tool for learning about the human dilemma. The closeness that we grew into, with the love at a level tested by trauma, was an amazing and important experience for me. AND, from all of this learning, I find that I have wisdom and gifts to share.

So, look for the difficult experiences as well as the joys when you look for the many blessings that YOU have been granted. Do not keep these a secret. Share them! Challenge others to appreciate being more fully “Present.” Bask in the drama that is your lessons of this life. Do not hesitate to reach out for other people. Allow them to support you AND reach out to share your love and support with them. Find compassion and caring. Find the perfection of the divine spirit within every soul you encounter, even the ones who trigger your fear, anger/frustration, and your defenses. Each encounter is there for a reason. Each encounter is there for your learning.

Blessings to you! Love and appreciate each moment and share your love and wisdom whenever you can.

If you are looking for support and resources to focus upon your spiritual growth and development, consider the Masters of the Journey community. YOU are a Blessing! You have a Purpose! The Universe would have a huge hole in it if you did not exist… With Love – Namaste!

You Are a Miracle! Your Purpose…

Whether you know it or not, You are a Miracle! Just the fact that you were created and you were created perfect. There is a miracle to life, in any form, but you are the product of a process that only the Divine understands. The initial joining of sperm and egg from two humans and then you were protected to be born into your life to learn your lessons is a profound miracle. You have the Beauty, the Perfection, and the Divine within you. You are a small hologram of Divine consciousness (heaven) and though you may not consciously know your role in the larger universe, your life matters at a foundational level to all other life and to all other souls.

Now think about all the things which you have been through in this life. The challenges you have faced. The good times, the hardships. and the challenges you have overcome. Consider the people who you have met and the relationships you have had and the learnings from all of these experiences. Consider all that you have learned and all the places you have travelled. 200 hundred years ago most people were born, lived, and died within about a 25 mile radius of where they were born which was a very narrow view of the broader world. These people never travelled, many were un-educated, and though this life was a more “simple” life than our complex lives of this day and age, it lacked the potential learnings that can come from stepping out of ones’ original culture (out of what is known AND comfortable.) We have the opportunity for an accelerated growth experience, even though we do not all take advantage of this on a conscious level, it is here for us. You have the ability to be conscious of the the fact that you do have wisdom and a divine perfection within you. Very few creatures on this planet have the ability to be conscious of who they are. We are searching to know and fulfill our “purpose.” You are here to learn your lessons. To work out your challenges.

Your purpose is to serve. You are here to meet and assist other pilgrims you find along your way. Whether you are here to support and to overtly love them or you are here to provide an opposing perspective that may feel frustrating and dissonant to their learnings and beliefs. Most importantly, your purpose is to remember your divinity and the perfection which dwells within your spirit. You are part of the much greater “whole” and you are connected to, in “oneness,” with all life forms in the Universe.

If you have difficulty understanding or believing your contributions and value, consider how the world would have been without you. Like in the famous movie, “Its a Wonderful Life,” the main character gets to view life as if he had not been given the guidance, love, and support to have lived his life. In the movie, people would died, the world would have been run by selfish people, and overall happiness and life satisfaction would have been much lower. You do not even consciously realize the true value of your life. Even if you have had health challenges, you offered others the opportunity to give to you, which is one of the greatest gifts that you can offer. Many other people have benefited from the interactions and experiences which you have mutually shared. Learning has happened. There would be “hole” in the fabric of the Universe if you were not here to be you!

There is no one like you. You are unique, like a snowflake. You have a role to play. You are here to Know and Remember that the divine within you is at the core of every soul you encounter. Even the ones you dislike or with whom you do not easily resonate. If you can accept their divinity and find the golden light and perfection within them, even with their rough exterior, then you can find acceptance and connection with them. We are all related at the level of the spirit. It is your purpose to take the hands of these other pilgrims and to support them either as a role model or to help create a learning opportunity for them in this life. We are all in this together and our ultimate enlightenment does not occur without sharing our mastery with all other souls (you encounter.)

If you feel that connection and the support of other conscious people would have value for you, consider participating in the non-religious Masters of the Journey community. Along the way, take GOOD care of yourself. And, Blessings!

The Masters of the Journey has events which are updated on our Facebook page which is found at: www.facebook.com/mastersofthejourney Please comment on this blog and share, if appropriate. More of our blogs are based on spiritual consciousness and can be found at www.dstress.com/blog