Holy Relationships

Every Relationship is a Holy Relationship. It is a matter of perspective and of being most “present.” What is a “Holy Relationship…”? I just picked up and started reading the new book written by Sandy Level-Lunden and in her introduction she wrote a definition which triggered me. It triggered me to to consider this concept and to be available to my guidance to write this blog posting. Sandy’s recently released book is entitled, “I Just Want Peace.” I have not read past the introduction, at this point, so I do not offer any recommendation however, I know Sandy and I know that she wants to serve. She has been a student of the “Course in Miracles” dictation and know that its principles have changed her life and offers her a foundation for service as a coach, counselor and trainer. (If you are not familiar with ACIM, A Course in Miracles, then you may find that this is worth pursuing as a different (perhaps) way of looking at our human lives and our human dramas…)

From her written words, “Holy Relationships” and her explanation, I resonate in a way that has “trigger” me to write to YOU about this topic from my perspective… People who move to expand their consciousness and who desire to grow on a “Spiritual” level will find their way to an expanded view of “OUR” life’s purpose. Pretty strong statement! So, I will attempt to share some of my feelings about this topic. First, every relationship we have, with everyone we meet and interact is a “Holy Relationship.” Everyone you cross paths with is “THERE” for a reason and for a “shared learning experience.” Perhaps, you are not fully present or blocked from knowing this by some egoic self-created barrier, but this is non-the-less true. Attempt to not be victim and to get hijacked by some judgement or past trauma or some future anxiety. It is difficult to not be a victim or to not play a victim to an experience (from past or present events.) YOU are more powerful and more perfect than your ego allows you to mentally consider. Thinking can be a big part of this problem. But, “Knowing” that you are connected in every moment to the Divine Spirit and You are Loved, You are Accepted, You are Connected to something greater, and You are Perfect just the way you are. It is the difficult to remember this wisdom which is True Always!

I study the book, “The Way of Mastery” which like ACIM (A Course in Miracles) is a dictation from the Divine Spirit but, for me, easier to follow than ACIM. Support and discussion groups are available for both of these written dictations. Both lead to a similar perspective that we are born into our human lives with an agreed upon purpose and, whether we consciously know it or not, we are here to share our love and wisdom AND we are here, in this current, life to learn from each interaction as we test our “remembered wisdom.” At the foundation is to be fully “Present” and attempt to be non-judgemental with every soul we interact with on our path through life. Easier said than done! And, we must be Present, not stuck in the past life traumas or fearful of the unknown future, as we interact even when we get “triggered.” Especially, when we get “Triggered.” I have often said, I learn more from my mistakes and difficult challenges than when life is easy and smooth. When YOU are tested (or triggered) those are the times when you can find a way to “Take Responsibility” for the situation and bask in thankfulness that you can learn from this experience… Boy, easier said than done BUT that is what we are Here, in this life, to learn… We are here to learn and if we take responsibility for our actions and our emotional responses to life, we can rally to a higher human consciousness (and allowing our human consciousness to get closer to full awareness of our Divine consciousness), and this “wins” (???) the game…

Every soul you meet is PERFECT and connected to you in the Divine. They may trigger you because they are your teacher and being of “service” to you, as you are for them. We are ALL in this together and we are all here to serve by helping to love and support the mutual raising of our human consciousness. It is like playing a game of strategy and to win you must help everyone cross the finish line with a higher level of consciousness. (Though there is no “winning” in the Divine realms.)

BTW, humans fancy “Special Relationships” where we fall in love or in lust with a specific human (or thing) and think that we “NEED” this person or thing to fulfill us. This is awesome and an important part of the “Drama” we call living as a 3 dimensionally limited human… Yes, Love your family and friends but with no strings attached or any underlying human insecurities… These relationships are here for us to learn from even with all the human emotional pain they can cause us…

YOU are Amazing! YOU are Perfect even with what you may Judge as your imperfections! YOU are Loved! You are connected in every moment to the Divine, though your human perspective may be limited in this, or any, moment.

No Stress in the World

Wait a minute… The world seems full of stress. Why would anyone say there is NO stress in the world? In 1981 I wrote the book, Guide to Stress Reduction, which is still a download from Amazon in its latest edited version… It was written to serve. It was written to offer many stress management techniques you can learn/experience to manage your body’s response to life. Obviously, I am going to get wealthy from this advertisement BUT I will NOT hold my breath on this expectation. BUT, this is NOT what this blog post is about. As you look around, do you see any stress? Or, do you feel any stress? You are certainly free to see and feel all the world stress you want…

This sounds like gibberish and if you do not have any spiritual consciousness IT IS! First fact, the things in life you care the most about but you can not control, can cause you to experience the most stress. From a human perspective this is true. From a spiritual perspective where you remember that your soul is perfect and a part of the Divine Spirit, you can “care” about “things” but not necessarily get caught in the human emotional dilemma of stress. Why you may ask? Because everything is “Perfect” in the Higher Realms. You are perfect. Every human event is “perfect” as a challenge you can learn from even if your human body experiences human emotional or physical pain. In a higher spiritual perspective, human lives are filled with awesome experiences for testing your learned wisdoms. In reading Viktor Frankl’s famous book, “Man’s Search for Meaning,” Dr. Frankl explores the traumatic human life experience of a World War II Nazi prison camp and reflects on a “learning” which came to him from this experience to become a learning moment for all humanity. By human definition, his experience was terrible! From a higher spiritual perspective it was perfect and a learning which has raised the consciousness of millions of other humans.

Tips:

The opposite of Love is Fear. You can choose Love or learn your human lessons living with Fear. Humans often, maybe usually, choose Fear because this is the “Drama” we have chosen to live within as humans on our Earth plane. We love drama. Our media plays off our Fears to hold our attention. Our politicians plays off our Fears to hold our attention to get us to vote for these power seekers. Our advertising of products and services plays off our Fears to hold our attention and to sell us stuff. Our religions plays off our Fears to hold our attention and to keep us donating to their cultish religious institutions. This list goes on… FEAR generates our emotional response called stress… With less power given to fear, we can change perspective on what many humans consider to be stressful. Heck, death is not even the enemy from the higher spiritual perspective and THAT is what humans find, at the core, as the most fearful (and stressful) of concepts. Why, because the human mind and ego die and do not go to the higher realms as easily as our perfect souls…

Being most “Present,” or said differently, “in the moment,” can help you manage your stress. If you can have the perspective of not being stuck in past traumas or dramas, life will be more a positive adventure. If past fears stick with you like PTSD, you may hold past emotional and maybe physical pain which will skew you enjoyment of the perfect moment you are living. Easier said than done. And, many of us love to play the “victim” to the past so we can have excuses or share our past pain with other people we bump into. This a great way to teach others what not to do in moving forward with life. Also, if we get caught up in the anxiety of not knowing what will happen in the future, we stress in this fear. Human three dimensional thinking forces us into linear thinking where we believe that past and future exist… Higher consciousness tells us that only the “present moment” exists but our primitive human minds can not be as expansive to know the fun as we can do in the Higher Realms. This makes adventure travel in human incarnations most interesting. (And, finding “Joy” in each moment, each experience, is a goal when seeking Spiritual Consciousness…)

This brings us to the next tip… Do not take life and stress too seriously. Again the fear of death plays into our human consciousness when we consider our human lives are actually serious… Our souls are enjoying all the human dramas we create and uses these to learn and grow. Or, we are here to assist other souls in their pilgrimage of spiritual growth. Every interaction we have is designed to be a “learning” experience for all the souls involved. So, treat every interaction as if you were interacting with God, because you are. Yes, even the soul you see in the mirror. Also, remember that we are all in this together. An example from my life, when my wife passed away from Ovarian cancer in 2012 it was a very difficult experience for me and my family. AND, I learned so much and have shared the story many times for the perspective and enhancements other souls can have from our shared experience. (My experience of loss and grief has been a helpful, and common, thread for all of us to share.)

This leads to the final tip for this blog… Look for the Joy and the Wisdom to share from every human life experience. Yes, even from the dark and difficult experiences. Perhaps, even the most from the dark times. Yes, find the Joy and the Wisdom from human painful times and assists others who can raise their consciousness by hearing about your perspective in traveling through the darker times… Be the Light in the darkness of human despair as you serve by guiding others from your sharing your wisdoms.

Death and stress are NOT the enemy. These are things to consider and to move through in your human lives. Do not miss any opportunity to learn and to grow in consciousness. Avoid falling into the trap of avoiding the special moments because you have created fear. What is the worst that can happen???

There is No Stress in our world but the stress you want to perceive for your own challenges. It is a matter of perspective.

You are a Miracle!
Namaste…
You are the Perfect Soul standing before me radiating Divine Unconditional Love like the Sun sharing its light and energy in its life giving way.

PS… If you want debate the fear of dying with me, then do your homework and read the accounts from Near Death Experience survivors. You may resonate with their change of attitudes regarding death and of living after their NDE’s. Perspective of this message will change your life, if you allow yourself to release the drama of this fear…

Give the Gift

Give the Gift of… “Listening” with All Available Senses!

What??? My Guidance just filled me with this message. It is not unfamiliar but seems to be new in depth for me. When we interact with others, we can give the gift of being most fully “present” and listening, without interrupting, with every human sense we have. First ask, who are these “others.” Not only humans we encounter but with “other:” animals, objects, scenes, and human experiences… This is a whole lot. Being “Present” is also a struggle as a concept because humans are caught up in a three dimensional mental construction that make “time” seem like a real thing. We organize our thoughts in a linear way. Past, present and future pretend to exist. When we walk around we hold memories of the past. Some are “good,” even enjoyable. Some are traumatic for the drama we have experienced. These shade the way we react and even listen in the “present” moment. We have fear and anxiety about our unknown future which also limits and distracts us. Being Present, “staying in the moment,” is one of our major challenges and lessons in our striving for consciousness beyond the limitations of three dimensional human consciousness.

Witnessing as Listening is a great Gift! We serve by allowing another person to offer their story to us. They are our teachers. Sometimes teaching through the overcoming or just surviving the experiences they have encountered. Sometimes teaching about what NOT to do or to be. (If you get “triggered” you have a major learning experience if you deeply listen…) Not interjecting our opinion or a story is difficult for many of us and showing the deep respect for a storyteller can be almost impossible when a memory is triggered by our storyteller. And, “listening” is not an easy human ability to learn. Too often we have learned that people who interrupt seem to control a conversation and so we learn to interrupt. Not respectful as a behavior. Not “Accepting” as one “Perfect” soul chatting with another “Child of God.”

AND, Listening is NOT done just with the sense of hearing. Words or tones are communicated and then taken in by our ears. Listening is also focused vision looking for all kinds of non-verbal visual signs. And then there is “Feeling” which entails more than hearing or seeing. Feeling is not as simple as a touch on the skin. “Feeling” (with a capital “F”) is your heart and soul being touched by your interaction… Feeling is resonating with the energy you find in the interaction… Whether you know it or not, Guidance (both internal and external from our guides and angels) has offered you a chance to serve, to grow, to expand, to test your learned or remembered wisdom through every experience of a sharing this moment and has lead you to this lesson. We are there, in this interaction, for your learning and to serve in the learning of your interactive partner(s).

By Listening you are receiving. You are Honoring. You are Accepting. You are serving by allowing your partner to have a witness to their acquired wisdom, though you may have a different perspective. Receiving is difficult. Being open to listening without judgement is difficult. If you pride yourself as a “Giver” or “care giver” it is difficult to be the one who receives. And, receiving another’s love or care giving is a great gift… (Yes, think about this, especially if you are uncomfortable asking for assistance…)

There is so much and so many directions in this blog to consider. To simplify these thoughts… Be available to really and to fully Listen! This is a Gift and it is not easy to learn to do when interacting with fellow travelers on your path though this life.

You are NOT alone! You are Loved! You have the support and Guidance surrounding you. It is available if you learn to be present, accepting AND Available. And, if you listen…

What Would You Tell a Third Grader?

This month, September, 2022, is also “Senior Month,” I am told. We just celebrated “GrandParents Day” this past Sunday, which was wildly ignored by my children and their children. It is not a big commercial event so our culture seems to downplay its importance and celebration. So what? This year “GrandParents Day” came out on the second Sunday of September and coincided with the celebration (???) or recognition of 9-11… Anyhow, our local Senior Center wants to begin a “Wisdom Sharing” between Seniors and elementary school aged kids. The director has found a third grade class to participate. The Senior Center will videotape Seniors offering a message in the form of answering a simple question to be recorded and played for this third grade class. The young students will then be video recorded offering their response to be played for the Seniors. A cross-generational wisdom sharing experience. I LOVE this idea.

But, if I were to consider what message I would want to record for a third grade class my thoughts run far afield. My first consideration is to what a third grader would benefit from hearing and what level can these wisdoms should/could take… Next, I question how serious or how fun I should make my presentation as a senior in my 8th decade for students in their first decade of existence.
What would YOU like to convey???

Maybe:
1. Be Present…
2. “Know thyself”
3. Be of service or at least a Blessing in every interaction
4. Travel more so to expand your perspective on Life and to visit other cultures
5. Stay connected to the Divine and Remember where you have come from and to where you will return (Maybe a bit much)
6. You are a “Miracle” and “Perfect” just the way you are…
7. And, YOU are Loved…
8. Find “Joy” in Every experience and then share your wisdom freely
9. Follow your path and not the path others have suggested for you…
10. Never Miss an opportunity to share your Love and hug your family and friends…
11. Love Mother Earth and All Life on Our Planet… Enjoy Nature and visit natural settings regularly
12. Turn off your media… Learn to Meditate… Learn to Really Listen… Respect other people’s attempts at communication without interrupting…
13. Respect Knowledge and Wisdoms by being “open” and available to new perspectives. Question your Sources of Information!!!
14. Laugh Freely… Smile at the people you meet along your path. And, Say Thank You!

There are so many thoughts which flood my consciousness. I am just getting started. BUT, which of these thoughts would YOU find in agreement or what might you add to this list???

YOUR story and YOUR Wisdom are important and should be shared… This is a service YOU can provide. Especially, if you keep your witness’s learning in mind and not using this interaction to just spew your ego driven thoughts…

And, if you think this has value, where will you find the audience to share your wisdom with???

YOU are Amazing!

Laughing in Drama

Finding Joy in Life is our challenge. Living in Joy is our goal. What can make this more difficult is to find laughter, and Joy, when the “Dramas” of our lives get intense. Taking ourselves, and our Drama, too seriously can get in our way. Sure life is a serious endeavor. But, taking our lives too seriously creates the drama which we have come to our Earthly lives to play out. And, we get “tested.” Our learned or “remembered” wisdom gets tested by every new drama we find on our path through life. Somewhere we will find our Divine Wisdom and know that we can laugh in the face of our drama because from a higher perspective our dramatic stories can be fun and entertaining…

You may not be ready to not take yourself too seriously. Heck, you may even still believe that dying at the end of your human life is a defeat rather than an amazing, unescapable feat of transformation into higher consciousness… Death is NOT the enemy nor are the often difficult dramas we find ourselves enmeshed within. From a higher perspective each drama filled experience is there for a reason and a learning possibility for ourselves or the people involved in our story. Consider that maybe your “job” is to create a piece of someone else’s drama so they can be tested and to learn a lesson which you may only play a small part in the overall scene… OR, they are in your life for the drama they add to your life and for you to test your wisdom.

Life would be boring without our human drama. It is my belief that the drama is why we have come to the Earthly plane with all the limitations of living in 3 dimensions. In the “Higher Realms” there are fewer limitations as we find ourselves moving more freely in at least 5 dimensions. There are no constraints of linear time and 3 dimensional space which test our human lives. Imagine how it would feel to be able be anywhere at any time because space and time do not exist in the Higher Realms. Our brains can not even fully wrap itself around this lack of limitations. (Just like the human brain can not fully “know” what true unconditional Divine Love feels like. For this surrounds us in the Higher Realms. It also surrounds us in our human existences but we mostly do not remember this Divine truth.)

Do you ever watch TV or movies and enjoy the engagement in the drama which the actors play out in their roles? Well that is a simplified version of what our human lives are acting out in our human roles. And, yes, there is an audience of Divine souls watching us and cheering us on as we stumble around on our human paths through life. There are times when you might feel the support and guidance which assists you. It is not always your ancestors who may seem to you to have an investment in your success or “failures.” (There are NO failures only learning opportunities.) Since all souls are connected, we have support from all parts of the Universe, and beyond. It would be too overwhelming to attempt to know all your interconnections with all of the Divine, so humans are mostly sheltered from this higher dimensional consciousness until we transition back from our Earthly existences. YOU have so much to look forward to, though, since there is no time to constrain you in the higher realms, “forward looking” is really just a human construct…

Please remember that you are Loved! You are perfect! Your human drama is the challenge you have come here to experience and, with the proper perspective, it is filled with Joy and insights only gained from enduring our 3 dimensional limitations. Like surviving an intense horror movie but with much more long term value…

Thank you for being You!

I VS We

WE are All in this Together! I have said this before. You have heard this before. And, the perspective to share today is a reflection on whether it will benefit You, and Our World, if we consider communicating and Live in the “We” vs the “I” (or mine/me.) Our ego/mind tends to see our world and the objects in our world as whether these are personal possessions. Not simply objects but emotional responses to experiences and interactions. Are these purely your thoughts or feelings, or are these more universal and shared as “our” experiences and emotions? Is it, me against them with defensive walls going up to protect me and my possessions from “them?”

And, what will happen if we shift our words/thoughts from I-Me-Mine to We-Us-Ours? Divine consciousness is NOT personal property AND can Not be achieved Universally without taking the hands of fellow pilgrims to assist ALL of us in raising human consciousness. No, I am not demanding that you go door-to-door on a “mission” to proselytize higher consciousness. However, some general support to your fellow travelers as we all stumble along the path toward a Divine Consciousness seems like a beneficial perspective to keep in mind (and, to turn into an action.) Perhaps, making a warm eye contact and acknowledging another person existence as another “Child of God” is a great place to start, even if their appearance triggers you.

When some interaction in your life sets off an emotional reaction, does this happen to you or can it be a benefit for us all as a “Universal” learning challenge? Do you respond with a “poor me” or do you consider the lesson which can be learned and that will assist all whom you come into contact with? While we are at this, is your house and yard yours or are you just a steward for a small bit of property on the crust of the third planet from our sun, in our galaxy, in our Universe, and a tiny smidgen of the vast Divine? Perhaps we claim ownership in a bit of property we do not truly own… Yes, this is a stretch in your “learned” perspective.

Maybe, instead of “circling the wagons” of your consciousness regarding “what is yours,” you might consider that you are caring for, as what is ours in both physical property and emotional reactions. It is OK to have stuff, even large, expensive stuff, but it may have less value to the Divine to isolate and protect your stuff at the expense of feeling empathy for the all humanity. Our Earth, now more than ever before, needs to be our shared responsibility and loved by all of us. WE are all responsible for the condition of OUR world and all of OUR human consciousness. Keep your broad shoulders strong as WE take on this shared responsibility… Do not play it small and be isolated… WE are ALL in this together.

Raising consciousness is a challenge we all must face. Supporting the fellow travelers we bump into along the path is a great step in improving all consciousness. Ask yourself, “What can I learn from this interaction and how may I be of the greatest good…?”

You are essential! You are an important piece of all of the Divine Consciousness.

Scratching the Surface

No, this is NOT about emotional or spiritual considerations of some very deep topic in philosophy… This is about scratches. You are a miracle! Your body does amazing things. You somehow, without really thinking about it, heal yourself. No matter which medical doctor wants to claim healing abilities, your body heals itself! It is not well explained or fully understood regarding how this happens but it does and is a part of our everyday activity. So, why am I addressing this topic. I am glad you, almost, asked. My current human life is past 70 years. Yesterday, I was woodworking in my son’s garage and I managed to cut my hand by rubbing across a sharp, protruding screw. Sure, we have all had these mishaps and injuries. Some are minor and some require more serious attention. Well, as I was bleeding, applying pressure, elevating my cut hand above my heart, my 4 year old grandson is asking me questions about how this happened and why I have my hand up in the air above my head. My son is scurrying around to gather the first aid kit and I am reviewing how stupid I am for cutting myself, how this slows down my building process, and whether this will affect my week’s activities.

My son bandages me up after applying antiseptic and also asks what happened but in a less innocent way. No matter how this happened, and I will say this was stupid and preventable, I get to focus upon the miracle of healing. In my family there is sympathy but not a massive amount when stupidity and relative low chances of being a life threatening event have occurred. Yes, you are remembering the times in your life when you have experienced something similar. That is the nature of sharing stories of life’s interesting moments. In all fairness, I did not bleed to death. So far, I have not lost a finger, or hand, or arm in my mishaps. And, I do have a topic for a new blog as I write taking a pause from my woodworking project. (Yes, more time to watch YouTube videos on “Finishing” a wood project.)

When an illness or injury causes you to slow down, there is an opportunity to reflect upon life and to possibly learn a lesson in the fragile nature of the human body and the stupidity of scheduling activities with the expectations that everything is going to run smoothly and on schedule. Yes, my project’s schedule is now altered as are many activities I assumed would be moving most smoothly this week. Every activity that requires the use of my hands now needs to be considered. Yes, even typing out blogs… Human bodies are resilient but fragile. Bodies feel pain and continue the process of both healing and aging. It makes you more “present” when you are slowed by illness or injury. Can you view this as a positive or do you like falling into “victim” or an angry status?

No matter what, learning empathy and appreciating the miracles of human healing are worth consideration at times like this. And, we are just scratching the surface of human miracles. Your body healing from injury or an illness is a Miracle. Your life continues and does not end except once at the end of your life. You can be “present” and participate in other amazing miracles and then… share your story. You can also choose to not be most fully conscious, take life for granted, and keep stumbling along your path. No matter how you want to pursue being most conscious, it matters not… Your challenges and learning will continue. You will conscious or unconsciously seek Spiritual Wisdom and find your unique way to stumble upon it.

Regardless, YOU are Perfect! YOU are Perfect! When you cut yourself, clean the wound, protect the wound, and allow the body to heal the wound. It is a Miracle!

Anxiety in Life’s Drama

The Anxiety Holocaust of Your Life is way too dramatic as a description of your human life. And, many of us live with the emotional consideration that our lives are filled with life threatening drama… There is plenty of drama in everyone’s life though some people will interrupt you to explain why THEIR Life is particularly filled with their drama and so offer their unconscious drama competition. (You KNOW who you are. Always trying to interrupt and “one up” your conversation partner so you can get more attention and hold the podium for focus upon yourself…) Before I interrupted myself with my rant regarding “attention seekers,” I was saying that everyone of us has drama in our lives. Due to differing levels of sensitivity, some of us dwell in this consideration, more than others of us, on the levels of drama which surround our lives. Some of us are “tough” and take our drama in a low-key way. Others of us run in circles with our hair on fire to better spread the craziness which we have created in our human existences.

There are times in our lives when there is more craziness and drama. There are times when we take conscious responsibility for this higher level of drama and there are times when we do not take conscious responsibility for the upsets in our lives. May I suggest, that at some deep level, in spiritual belief, we have agreed to take on the drama and craziness for the benefit of challenging ourselves or to be of service to other human souls we bump into in our lives. Sure, you may want to disagree with this suggestion. This is YOUR drama to play out…

There are times when we are caught up in our crazy lives and can forget that life is a Miracle and that we have come here to test our wisdom and challenge ourselves with the drama called our lives. We can forget that we are ALL in this together and that we are here to support and to serve one another. We are HERE for the adventure travel of our souls with the 3 dimensional limitation of human life on Earth. In the grandstands of the Divine Spirit, many other souls are cheering us on as we run around in the three ringed circus called humanity. Yup, they are watching the spectacle as the amazing learning experience and soul testing that living as a human is meant, and agreed upon, to be.

So, if you can resonate with these ideas and this perspective, perhaps you can break free from the unconsciousness and find celebration in the anxiety and drama we are immeshed within. This acceptance, or at least the openness for this consideration, can modify the levels of anxiety we experience in our human drama. We can use this “higher” perspective to consider the value and even the benefits from all the weirdness we must endure throughout our bizarre human lives. “Everything happens for a reason” is an expression that from a higher perspective puts anxiety filled moments into a slightly more manageable belief. Our lives are “interesting” and have value because we get to jump into the fire of our human lives and walk on the burning coals. Maybe we get burned or maybe we walk through fire relatively unscathed… No matter what, your life is “Perfect” and a Miraculous experience to celebrate, perhaps even enjoy…

You are Loved! The souls in the audience of the higher Divine Bless You and Celebrate your life!

And, so what if we have “life threatening drama” in our lives. That is what brings us back for more human adventures… And, death is NOT the enemy, just a transition into another, “Higher” state of consciousness.

Weddings Make Me Wonder

This month, August, 2022, there is a wedding in my family to attend and to wonder about… I do not wonder about the relationship between my older son and his fiancĂ©. They are a decent match and both will benefit from getting married and having each other in their lives. What makes me wonder is before and during weddings is there any real consideration of the future for these relationships. Now, do not get me wrong, marriage is a good and necessary thing for couples in our culture. There is the legal bonding. There are financial benefits. There is the official acknowledgement of their loving relationship. There is the focused celebration with family and friends. There are the wedding gifts and the thank you notes. There is the planning and expense which some people enjoy… There are plenty of good reasons in the present moment to join in a documented relationship…

My wondering comes from my personal experience of marriage. I married my Bride, Barbara, in August of 1984 in Santa Rosa California. We were married in the backyard of a person I knew who offered a beautiful setting for us and the family and friends who could attend. It was hot. It was a lovely memory filled event with interesting and weird stories. We were committed to each other and remained committed until my Bride left her human form in January of 2012. We shared love, parenting, travel, financial challenges, lifestyle changes, health challenges, all in ways I would not trade. But, I never stopped to consider the end game. No consideration before or during our wedding. No real consideration for many years during our marriage. In the last 8 years of our marriage, after we received a “terminal cancer” diagnosis did the “end game” face any scrutiny.

Now, after my Bride left our relationship and I was left alone to consider our marriage, I was confronted by some clear and undeniable facts. No regrets for me, for the record… There are only two ways out of a marriage and these are often not well considered except by the super rich who sign pre-marital agreements to protect their money. AND, this is NOT what I am speaking about… I am considering the natural facts that marriages end in only one of two ways and neither are the enjoyable ways that people look forward to experiencing. There is divorce and there is death. In my opinion, these both seem grim. The death of my wife was a unique experience for me. I had never lost a marriage partner of 28 years and of a relationship of nearly 35 years. It has been my only marriage so I am not really familiar with what divorce offers as a personal learning experience but it has been reported by many people I know to be difficult and often necessary.

Which is why I wonder… should people about to be married consider the “end game?” Probably not! Going in to this relationship fully committed, “for better or worse, until death do they part…” My experience is NOT unique. Every married person lives, or dies, with some level of understanding as they move through the “end game.” Being naive has always seemed to help me, right up until I am confronted by the wisdom I must consider on the back end of my life’s experiences. That is what living our human lives is all about…

And, thank you for baring with me as I vent from my personal, experience driven, wonderment. Life is NOT meant to be a walk in the park or a “they lived happily ever after” reality. The discomfort in losing a person you have loved is an amazing opportunity to discover an empathy to the human condition which can give you wisdom to share. (In many cases this appears as bitterness, anger, or in negative terms, but it really is a unique learning opportunity.) My perspective on marriage and losing my Bride has been shared many times and has offered many people a chance to have a perspective which is often left unspoken in our culture. Do NOT miss any opportunity to share your love with the people you encounter, especially the people most dear… You never know what path your futures will take AND sharing Love is one of the most important things we have come to our human lives to do…

Also, these thoughts are NOT unique to marriage but that is on a front burner for me in these August days of 2022. My Bride will find a way to attend the wedding of her eldest, dear son. And, her loving memory will burn bright in the hearts and minds of her sons, her family, and all who have loved Barbara. Bless YOU on your travels through this human life. YOU are a miracle who has come to mix it up in the drama called human life. In my consideration, do not miss your opportunities to live most fully and to increase your consciousness regarding “Life” with every opportunity you stumble upon or choose to pursue.

Share your Love and your Light as much as you can…

How Deep the River

As you consider your current human life, have you considered your purpose and your relevance? These are important questions to ask. These questions show that you are considering the direction you are moving in your life and your life’s connection to the larger humanity. When your day to day struggles distract you from your true purpose you are not “failing” as a human in the Divine Universe, you are being tested by the human dramas which we have come to our lives to test our wisdom and our consciousness. One important realization which can come, at some point, is that we are ALL swimming in the River of Life. Yes, this is a metaphor though on a hot day you may wish to be swimming, or least walking barefoot, in the cool waters of the local source of life giving water. The River of Life carries our souls as if our souls were a molecule of water (H2O) from the start of our human lives to the ultimate end point of our human deaths. Along the way you are swirling in the waters with all the other souls and lifeforms.

In a meditation when I was 23 years old, I was gifted, by guidance, the image of me as a molecule of water flowing down the River of Life. The waters were golden. In that brief moment, I felt the “connection” with all other souls and lifeforms. My “Oneness” created an overwhelming feeling of Joy and the consideration that I am Not Alone! My emotions brought tears of Joy to my eyes. As I live my life, I bump into all sorts of souls and experiences which are available for me to learn from and to enjoy. Human life is enjoyable, at least from the perspective of the Divine Spirit. We all ultimately flow down the river until we rejoin the ocean which is a metaphor for the Universal Divine. We can then choose to return, to another life, to test our wisdom and consciousness in a knew life.

You know that the oceans of the Earth can be very deep. They can be warm and light in the shallows or they can be dark and cold in the depths. All parts of the ocean are life sustaining for life on Earth. All are important, in their own unique ways.

Now consider your current incarnation and consider the depth you enjoy as you flow through your present life. Are you “Knowing” your deeper purpose and full connection with all other lifeforms? Are you bobbing along on the surface of the River of Life simply enjoying the flow of the current and caressing the rocks and obstacles you encounter? Are you most fully “Present” or just floating on the surface getting caught in the eddies as you flow downstream? And, How Deep is the River? Are you willing to swim to the bottom to help carve the channel of the this River of Life. There is no “right” answer but there is your developing consciousness to consider.

Thank you for being a soul to share this cycle of life as we flow together down the River of Life. YOU are a Miracle!