Write Your Story!

Your story is important to you and to the “witnesses” you share your story with. Do not quit reading because you do not write. “Write” suggests that you spend time considering your life’s experiences and find some way to communicate these learnings. Whether through written words, or verbal story-telling, or expression through creative arts, or by simply “acting out your role” as the character you came into this incarnation to portray in the Great Play called life. Yup, you are a character in a play which inter-connects you with all other living things.

Recapitulation of your life’s experiences can assist you move forward on YOUR path toward Enlightenment! Yes, you review the learnings you are consciously aware AND you look for the learnings which have travelled below the level of consciousness. Share your stories! You learn by sharing! You gain perspective and you can get feedback as other pilgrims respond to your story.

Recapitulation can mean “searching for your “essential Knowledge.”” In a spiritual frame of reference, “essential Knowledge,” may include learning or remembering your connection to your “source” which is the Divine Spirit. Your job is to find out who you really are as a soul or spirit engaged in learning lessons which will create awareness and lead you to a higher level of living in an “enlightened state of consciousness.” What could this possibly mean? It might mean that you achieve a state of consciousness where you spend more of your life knowing you are connected to all other living things and assisting any, and every, soul you bump into to achieve a higher state of their spiritual development. (We are all in this together!)

As you remember and communicate your story, you can relive these moments. Seeing these experiences through a new, updated filter, you can gain insight. Often you will consider an entirely different message, and learning, from a long held but overlooked, past experience. As an example, I have retold my story many times of the insight at the age of 23 years old, when I experienced a meditation where I saw myself sitting with my back to a tree by the “River of Life” like I pictured Buddha would have done. The life changing moment, and epiphany for me, allowed me to see, to know, or to remember as Buddha would have known, what the “connection to all other living things” might be like! At the time, I could imagine that I could be like Buddha and could only imagine what Buddha might have thought. NOW, in a recent recapitulation, I have come believe that I WAS the Buddha, or a few of my atoms were the Buddha, or perhaps my Divine Spirit was in the Buddha, and so I shared this experience with this higher level of enlightenment. Wow, I am not saying I am as good as the Buddha or a Master as he has been for so many people. I am simply saying that I can resonate with this higher level of consciousness because I have this somewhere deep inside myself, JUST AS YOU DO!

Of course, this does make me more responsible for accepting my Divine Self and this creates a higher level of personal responsibility to live more impeccably as a role model of the living human incarnation of the Divine! Yikes, I have to be more careful and responsible… Or, at least more ready to live in Joy and Wisdom. Every interaction and every sharing of my story now requires that I remember that my “witness” was guided to me to hear this story as a lesson for us to share! (I had better connect more deeply with the beautiful and also perfect soul in front of me so my story meets the deepest requirement for the consciousness which we share…)

So consider your story and retell these rememberings in a way which YOU can learn a great deal as you find the words or creative expression to review this experience. Write YOUR Story with both you and your witness’s consciousness in mind…

If you are READY and looking for a supportive community where you can share your story 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

Reach Deep, Wake Up!

Reach deep into your soul and Wake Up!

It is certainly easier to just sit and watch as the parade of Life marches by. OR, it seems easier to be one of those people who just lines the street while the more active characters strut down the path of consciousness. We like to watch our role models and have the expectation that their “greatness” might just rub off and infect us, as spiritual voyeurs. Or, we sit and listen awaiting the wisdom to spill out of the preachers or gurus or teachers so that they can tell us what to know and what to believe (and often, how to act.) Sure it may give us “food for thought” but it is not our personal discovery nor does it often satisfy our specific need in mastering the lessons we specifically came here to learn. We have to Wake Up and find the “Enlightenment” from within our Divine Spirit.

Now, it is not a useless activity to find, observe, and connect with role models. It is wonderful to create connections which offer experiences where we can participate in a new or different way of being in the world. The challenge is to not just sit in the “easy chair” and wait for someone else to do all the work. We have to be active and to participate in the experience. We have to risk. We have to try and not just slightly dip our toe in the water but sometimes, dive in head first…. This does not mean we absolutely have to sell off everything, travel to India or Tibet, sit in a cave and meditate for 20 years or turn our lives over to a guru to tell us how to be in the world. NO, your spiritual awakening and enlightenment will come when you do the work of finding it, Remembering it, from deep within you heart and soul.

Wow, you may doubt that YOU are a Master with the answers within. Your mind and ego may be telling you that you are not great enough or deserve credit for the miracle you are! We all have to find the answers within AND these answers are there to be found! So how do you go about this????

Meditate and learn to turn off the self-doubt. Meditate and quiet the external and internal distractions so you can hear or see or feel the Divine Wisdom within your soul. Learn to trust the guidance and messages which will emerge from the depth. Easier said than done because external distractions and other people’s priorities keep smacking you to get your attention. These are the wonderful “tests” and challenges we are blessed to have in this life/incarnation. These are the tests of faith that we must travel through for the long awaited epiphanies we deserve. Faith placed inward, and not forced on us from external dogmas.

By the way, NO ONE can lead you to your epiphanies or force you to gain consciousness. YOU have to be the one who is open and willing to do the work. No one else can do this for YOU! Sorry! SO, when the time is right (correct) the teacher appears, but do not always look externally for this teacher. Listen to your dreams and meditative insights. Follow your heart. Know your bliss! AND, remember the wisdom which is deep within your soul/spirit. Along the way, your purpose is to share your wisdom (from your life’s experiences) and to serve by supporting other pilgrims (the people you meet) on their path… We must all assist each other. Love your life and even find Joy within your challenges, for these are the lessons you have come here to learn. Wake up! (And, help to Wake Up those around you…)

One additional rant. Many people do not have to be involved in a meditation or spiritual development practice for many years of disciplined practice to experience the “epiphanies” which lead us toward our enlightenment. Sure, it can take awhile, BUT it can also come to you in an instant and in the first days or weeks of the “right” meditative practice. Being “open” and perhaps in an environment which challenges you to “know” and to grow can speed up your spiritual development results. For sure, this includes your willingness to share (to speak about) your process and any, and all, intuitive feelings which come up. Your spiritual focus will develop if you can risk sharing your experiences… Besides, what have you to lose… Only, your less enlightened state of consciousness… So, Reach deep into your soul and Wake Up!

If you are READY and looking for a supportive community where you can share your story 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

The Holidays Are Here! Live in Gratitude

Well here we are again in the “Holidays!” Some consider these the “Holidaze!” You are a Miracle! You are a Blessing! You can live in Joy and Gratitude! SO, do it!

As the days grow shorter in the Northern Hemisphere it is again time to go within and take stock of what is “working” in your life. Sure, you have challenges BUT even these are a blessing. These are the reason we came into this life! We came to learn and to grow and to bounce around with other incarnated souls. We are here to share the wisdom of the experiences we have survived. Consider how YOU can take your heart and soul out each day to be of service. Support all the other “pilgrims” you meet along your way. Look deep into their eyes and “Know” that they ARE YOU, in a different life, learning their lessons and moving toward OUR goal of full enlightenment.

If you want to “Serve,” be sincere and simply ask the next person meet, as openly as you can be, “How are YOU doing?” AND, listen! Listen for the challenge that they are working to learn from and love them for the struggle…. Which we all know we must go through…. Be the loving and caring person they needed to bump into this day!!!

Sure, the Holidaze also include excessive expense of time, money, and energy in time when we really want to hibernate. Yes, we bump against all kinds of things that can irritate. But, we can also find and celebrate “GRATITUDE” for all the amazing things we have had to accomplish this past year. So, when Winter Solstice (in the Northern Hemisphere) strikes us in the December 20’s, know that this will signal the re-birth of the cycle of life, with the sun gradually returning to allow Spring to burst forth (eventually) and give another cycle of seasons to learn and to LOVE.

Live in Joy and Gratitude. Share your wisdom, your passions, and your brilliant Soul! Be as amazing as you are!

If you have 3 minutes, enjoy and share the short video on Gratitude in these Holidaze on YouTube at:
https://youtu.be/QAvENmic7IA

If you are looking for a supportive community where you can share your story 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

Be You! Do Not Be a Victim of the Fear of Rejection!

Rejection is what our Egos have to deal with on a daily basis. This fear causes us to attempt to be the person we “think” we ought to “be” rather the person we are… We want to “fit in” and not be the target of ridicule and rejection. Our survival instincts do not want us to be “in the spotlight” and set apart from the herd.

This is so weird in a culture where we also want to stand out and to be unique! We get Tattoos and weird hairdos so we can clearly stand out in the crowd… It is hard to be both, unique and also lost in the safety of the herd. How can we be celebrated as unique and genuine when we are craving to be a part of the herd due to our ego driven fear and insecurity. I believe we would be happier and healthier if we followed our heart and expressed the deepest feelings of who we really are. This is easier said than done. In most cases, we do not even know who we really are….

Our culture has trained us to “accept fitting in.” We have been programed to think, and to be, a certain way. To consume what we see in commercials, what is on TV, and what we view in the movies. We have even given up reading the classics because they do not fit easily on our smart phones or I-Pads. (Besides we do not have time to read a good book and, at the same time, field incoming messages on our “smart (???)” devices…) We are not really supported for thinking and speaking “differently.”

In spiritual development processes, we are taught to re-connect with all other souls but to know that we, and our spiritual development path, are unique! We eventually remember that we are much greater than what our mind and ego believes in its definition of ourselves. We are more powerful, wise, and accepted (on the spiritual plane) than what our culture teaches us. We have to overcome the “teachings of limitation” because we are part of the Divine Spirit, nothing less…. We are “Perfection” even with our appearance of flaws from which we are to learn. (These imperfections, and limitations, are the lessons we came to experience.) We have challenges in life because we are on a path toward expanding our consciousness and to overcome these “petty” limitations. We are here to be a shining beacon for fellow seekers to follow as we ALL negotiate our pilgrimage to the highest possible awareness.

Fear of Rejection is a strong and difficult lesson to overcome. Fear keeps us from taking the steps into consciousness and the new journeys which can help accelerate our learning. The fear of the “Unknown” haunts us. The fear of being unaccepted is only difficult if we are hanging out with other people who fear diversity and your uniqueness. We have to get new friends… People who love and accept that we challenge what is too constricting and too “normal.” How can we learn to be our perfect selves if we feel that we must conform to what is “normal” even when this does NOT fit for us??? Our lesson is to not give in to fear and especially, the fear of rejection!

Please consider your power and your uniqueness. Know that this benefits everyone. Shine as the light you are and help to lead others to their enlightenment. Whether you know it or not, YOU are a Master! The Divine Perfection burns brightly within you. Avoid the dampening of your brilliance by unnecessary fear or the anxiety of rejection. Share YOUR story! Learn by sharing! BE THE LIGHT!

One more thing… You do not have to honor self-judgement or the judgement which leads to the feelings of rejection. If you give it power, it can beat you up. Learn to love your flaws or the errors you make as you learn. Find the Divine love within you. Be Love! Love All! Live in Love and not fear! Love is more powerful than fear…

If you are searching for community where you can be supported for who you really are AND you can support other members in their learnings, consider Masters of the Journey where YOU are a Master. You can assist other people by telling YOUR story and you will learn by sharing!

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

Guidance Led Me to Masters of the Journey

Guidance is the only possible explanation. Guidance from a greater, “Divine” source led me to developing the Masters of the Journey community.

Sure, many people admit to needing or wanting to participate in a community, in our ever divided culture. We all require some connection with other people as we move along our path through life. We all need role models or support or mentors or teachers to learn the difficult things we feel drawn to learn. I have been many things in my life but this is the first venture into creating a community. A community which offers a place to connect with other people who are engaged in developing their spiritual consciousness and offering support, or desiring to be supported by, other pilgrims who share this path moving toward higher consciousness. (AND, we are ALL on this path, whether you know this or not…)

My background has been “rational” and worldly. Not always “practical” but rooted in rational thoughts and intellectual theory. My personality was born to be oppositional, finding a road less traveled. With some major negative experiences in growing up (we all have these in our lives,) I was disapproving of religion and most religious training. My views were more atheistic than agnostic. I loved science and rational explanations. Still do. Now along the way, I had more than my share of mystical, metaphysical experiences but did not give these much conscious thought in my earlier years. They were interesting, cool, and seemingly irrelevant.

Examples: At 19 years of age and as an unhappy student at UCLA, I was guided into an “out of the body” visualization to discover what “Death” was all about. My naiveté allowed me to go into this weird and mystical experience. Only after reporting my experience to the group’s leader did it dawn on me that this was a “special” and important experience. And, it still is… My major insight has been that death is NOT the enemy or scary. This frees me to live more fully, with less fear and anxiety. Secondly, I was drawn to meditation in my early twenties and was “gifted” with some amazing visions including visiting the “River of Life” which allowed me to feel universal connection, “oneness,” and the thought that life was comprised of many lives where, learning or remembering our Divine Spirit within, was briefly demonstrated. (For no rational reason, this drew a tear, of joy, to my youthful eye!)

But, I have been enmeshed in a rational world and life where my work, my relationships, and my family became my focus and my “PURPOSE.” This perspective has been changing into a broader view of life. My wife of 28 years was diagnosed with terminal Ovarian cancer 19 years into our marriage. Our lives and our focus changed dramatically. For me, it was a time of learning empathy and how to be a caretaker. The experience, which I would not wish on anyone, was so very important for me. My difficult, painful, lessons were most spectacular and my consciousness has changed dramatically. Since my wife’s transition in January of 2012, I have filled the “Void” in my life with a search for my new purpose or, if unsuccessful in this search, to find my way to transition into my Divine Spirit between lives (more clearly, to join my wife’s spirit in her “better place.”) In 2015, after travels which seemed unsuccessful to my rational self, I found my new path. Guidance offered me experiences which lead me to working in an overt metaphysical lifestyle. My meditation practice was expanded into studying: the Course in Miracles, the Way of Mastery, near death experiences, intuition/psychic ability, drumming, and heading back to a church-like experience at Unity Spiritual Center in Bellingham, WA. This felt weird to me but wonderful.

The spirit of my wife showed up and herded me into experiences and consciousness which has helped me to begin to consciously remember the Divine Spirit. My purpose was spelled out for me, so simply and clearly even I could understand. My new role was not to be a Guru, because I do not have the training or temperament to be a Guru, but to help organize a non-religious support community where people can join together and share their stories and their wisdom. My brief partner in this project formation suggested we call this, Masters of the Journey, believing that WE are all MASTERS and just need to remember our perfection and our connection with the Divine Wisdom.

For the past two years (since mid-2015,) I have basked in this work as my reason for living. My purpose in life which is so completely different from any work which I have done before (in this life.) I am still oppositional in my way, but I can feel good about this non-traditional approach to build a consciousness development community.

Perhaps guidance has lead YOU to this article. Perhaps your guidance has lead you to be a part of Masters of the Journey: a Transformational Community. If this is not for you, then I hope that you find the support and the community that will be most appropriate for your development of consciousness and toward Remembering the Perfect Divine Spirit within YOU. You are a blessing!

Whether you know it or not, you are a Master! Your “Enlightenment” is within YOU and you can find a way to “Remember” your connection, and the part you play, in the Divine Spirit!

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

Be Interesting: Part 2

What are the ingredients of an “interesting person?” What skills can you learn to make YOU more interesting?

Interesting People have an “Attraction” for others by offering: Energy, Knowledge, Wisdom, Entertainment, or Passion. Whether you know this or not, you are a Master with Knowledge and Wisdom gleaned from your life’s experiences. You have Mystery, how did YOU survive your own life??? You can trigger the imagination and past memories for those you share your story with. You may lack confidence but your sharing is worth it to people who witness your tellings.

Ways YOU can be most interesting:

1. Remember your youthful passion. When we are young, we have energy and passion to live most fully. Return to those memories, not to find your success or failures as barriers, but to remember the joy and energy you felt when everything was new and fresh. You can bask in this glow of youthful expression. It will “brighten” you and like a beacon, it will draw people to you and this glowing energy we all enjoy. (This youthful energy bubbled up for you as you “chased” your dreams. And this is still within you.)

2. An authentic struggle to learn, grow, and develop never leaves you. Perhaps you have been distracted by what you think are priorities but we were born to explore our life’s lessons and try new ways of participating in life. Do not be satisfied by what has been experienced or “learned” for there is always more to learn and new experiences to have. Find the energy to chase down your path rather than just waiting in life’s Lotto Line for a payout that just comes to you… Know the bright bulb of enthusiasm for Life’s mysteries.

3. The most powerful way to be “interesting” is for you to ask questions and to show focused interest in your communication partner’s experience. If you can let go of the need to control the conversation by speaking and sharing too much (get your ego out of the way – or your insecurity) you will demonstrate how interesting “YOU” are. Sincere questions to promote clarity and deeper thought and understanding of your partner will get the results you desire. Cluttering your mind, and the conversation, by thinking of your answers while your partner is speaking gets in the way of your sincere focused attention! Look and Be interested and YOU will be “interesting” and attractive. Curiosity and your interest in the person right in front of you is key! (After all, they are a perfect soul of the Divine Spirit… Just like you!)
Also, witnessing another person’s story is a Great Gift! People want to be heard… YOU want to be heard
! Show this respect and you will be setting yourself up for being respected!

4. When you share your story find an attractive way to tell your story.
Say it with:
1. energy and passion
2. Creativity
3. Clear focus in your thoughts and then your words
4. Find a way to make it a “Universal Experience” for all your witnesses (common to their lives)
Emphasize the relevant energy of the conversation (do not spin off into new directions) but touch on what is common – fear, drama, passion (gut wrenching emotion which we can all relate to from common life experience.)
5. AND, make it unique… From Your perspective as you contribute YOU to the conversation. (Only you have experienced YOUR first: kiss, relationship, fight, visit to an interesting natural setting, the first dawn you witnessed, the magnificent sunset, the loss of a loved one, the birth of a child, the struggle with the first job…)
6. Be Genuine! Do not hold back what you are feeling! Express your fear, your passion, your vulnerability and the “REAL You” will be most attractive. (We all have flaws and imperfections which our lives perfect and unique.)

DO NOT LISTEN TO YOUR EGO, YOU are good enough! YOU are powerful! Your life is important! You may not remember that your spirit/soul is at the very foundation of all consciousness and the Divine Spirit. Without you the Universe would NOT exist. When you listen to your ego, you may not remember how essential you are because the ego wants you to play it small and confines you to focus on fear and your insecurities. This is how it control you! You are so much bigger than the “petty” life in 3 dimensions that we struggle within to learn our lessons in this incarnation!

If you want the support you and your spirit deserve consider participating in our non-religious community, Masters of the Journey. You are interesting! Go out and be the attractive, connected spirit you came here to be! Be the MASTER which you are AND take responsibility for the role you are here to play as a teacher and fellow pilgrim.

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

So, You Want to Be Interesting!

We have an interesting inborn need to be noticed at times in life. Being “interesting” can get you noticed. We can do this in many ways, both through positive recognition and for not so positive activities.

Let’s first define “interesting”:
in·ter·est·ing
adjective: interesting (Quoted from the Internet)
“arousing curiosity or interest; holding or catching the attention.” “an interesting debate”

synonyms: “absorbing, engrossing, fascinating, riveting, gripping, compelling, captivating, engaging, enthralling”

antonyms: “boring” (We do not like being thought of as Dull or BORING!)

We do not usually want to be “Boring” but we may lack the ability to be fascinating, or captivating, or even enthralling. If you are compelled to develop your persona into the most interesting person you can be then this 2 part blog may give you something to consider and some skillsets to work on.

First, and foremost, if you do not want to be boring and you want to be engrossing DO NOT DO BORING THINGS! Put some activities into your life’s experience that ARE interesting! Start by turning off your TV, put down your smartphone, go out and read something which is well written, learn some new stuff, and start actually talking to people (More about how to this in part 2.) It really helps to release your pre-conceived conceptions and judgements so you can make some room for new experiences and knowledge. (Hey, I did not say this was going to be easy!) Meet new people. Ask Questions… AND also, go within yourself to find out who YOU are! At some point, you will not be what you think other people want you to be or a “Copy” of someone else. Being yourself may not sound interesting or sexy BUT it is real and genuine AND THAT IS INTERESTING!

Wow! Did I say to put down your SmartPhone and turn off your TV? What am I crazy? NO, you are to addicted to your technology AND this MAKES you less interesting. Watch people on airplanes, in restaurants, or any place where people are supposed to be meeting. What you now see is people NOT interacting with each other but constantly interaction with their technology as if they would miss something important or interesting if they did not respond instantaneously, 24-7, to their social media laden smartphones. Get a grip on what you were born to do, interact with other people NOT your technology!

What is your alternative behavior?
You have survived many challenges to get to this point in your life. You have learned some stuff from the successes you have had AND even more from your failures (or imperfections.) YOU have a story to tell. Go find it. Practice telling your stories so you can tell these stories better AND find love and find appreciation for the difficult lessons you have survived. Do NOT be a victim. Take responsibility and OWN these tough lessons so you can be the “Master” who you really are! People are attracted to positive energy and may seek to avoid negative, victim type behaviors and attitudes. AND remember, YOU are unique. Your perspective on life, seen through your eyes, is one of a kind! Your sharing of your stories can serve other people as a possible solution to their circumstance or offering hope that we all are in this together and finding similar challenges. (By telling your stories you will gain even more perspective regarding who you really are and about the path that led you to this point in your life.)

You may not fully realize how interesting you and your life truly are until you begin to reach out, first to self-understanding, and then to the act of sharing how YOU have survived in your life. Your survival seems quite simple to you but can amaze the person who has not experienced the weirdness of your family, your work, your schooling, your travels, YOUR LIFE!

Do not deny your “Bigness” because you are much more than the seemingly simple life in your nondescript body! You do not remember your perfection and the Divine Spirit which is at your core.

Part 2 (next blog) offers you some skills to practice. If you would like to join a community which is designed to support you in telling your story, consider participation in a non-religious community such as Masters of the Journey which purpose is to assist people to connect and gain in spiritual consciousness.

Put down your smartphone and go interact with PEOPLE and be the interesting person your ARE!

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

Can You Wake With Wonderment?

Wouldn’t it be wonderful to wake in a state of wonderment, excited about what the day will bring to you? Everyday brings new experiences and new interactions which serve to guide and to teach us the lessons we have come to learn. We might find ourselves waking with uncertainty and possibly fearful or anxious thoughts about the new day, but if we change our frame of reference, we might look as a child would look with the thrilled expectation that something good or fun will happen. Just like many of us have awakened on a Christmas or Birthday morning excited by the possible gifts the day may bring. Life is a gift! Everyday we wake we can celebrate!

Even when we bump up against a person with a “chip on their shoulder” or “an axe to grind” we might avoid judgement on the behavior and look instead for what may have caused this person’s reaction to the world. Or, we may just find some mild entertainment in the clumsiness of the emotional experience being acted out. We will not be able to avoid people who act from a negative hue, but we do not have to be caught resonating with a vibration of anger or fear. (Instead, you can choose Love!)

A childlike wonderment can bring joy and a positive expectancy to our lives. The concept of “Beginner’s Mind” teaches that we can be wide open to new experiences and find excitement in what delightful things might happen as we travel the path through life. We can always have the innocence of youthful observation, lacking judgement. Easier said than done, however, worth striving to achieve.

Let’s choose to celebrate each day and each soul we bump up against. Let’s find the wonderment and excitement of the lessons we learn. They may not all be easy or fun, but we can find their relevance and importance as we test our growth in consciousness and our developing spirit. Choose the glass half full instead of half empty… Perhaps we can even seek out and choose to be surrounded, or at least touched, by positive, loving souls who support your learnings and your growth as we move to remember our perfection and the connection to the Divine Spirit within.

If you wish to connect with a supportive non-religious community which is dedicated to raising consciousness consider exploring the Masters of the Journey which strives to support members and allows members to share their stories of insight and growth. Share your life’s experiences and find the wonderment as you witness other people’s awakenings!

YOU are a Blessing! Whether you know it or not, YOU are a Master with much to share! Find joy in being open to all the wonders which our lives can provide.

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

Simple Truth

There are many opinions and many may be related to what is “True.” For every Truth, the opposite can be equally “True,” from a different perspective. People believe what they find comfort in believing and can justify this “Truth” as “True.” However, by definition “Truth” is not as simple as an opinion.

“Truth” by definition is:

Noun: the quality or state of being true. “he had to accept the truth of her accusation”
synonyms: veracity, truthfulness, verity, sincerity, candor, honesty; accuracy, correctness, validity, factuality, authenticity. “he doubted the truth of her statement”

That which is true or in accordance with fact or reality.
noun: the truth “tell me the truth”
synonyms: what actually happened, the case, so; the gospel (truth), the honest truth “it’s the truth, I swear”
fact(s), reality, real life, actuality
“truth is stranger than fiction” A fact or belief that is accepted as true.

Plural noun: truths “the emergence of scientific truths”
synonyms: fact, verity, certainty, certitude; law, principle “scientific truths”

ALL of these possible distinctions that help define what a “Truth” is are open to some subjective foundations which can VARY Widely. And, with the use of un-fact-checked information on the internet, dubious opinions are stated as truth and believed (by people who want to believe that these opinions are true such as: President Obama was not a citizen of the United States and so could not have been a lawful president (which is still being debated by racist, “alt-right” media, conservative politicians firing up their “base,” and many ignorant people.))

In the 1930’s in Germany the Nazi Party promoted and used the tactic, which is being used today, sadly, that “if you repeat a lie often enough (and loud enough) people will begin to believe it.” The voices of anger and fear spoke loudly and the German people began to believe in the power of blaming and hate! This strategy worked then and still works now. Our culture is bombarded by commercials that seem innocent and then become common place like the smoking commercials of the 1950’s which encourage everyone to “relax” by smoking. Or, that “Fast food” is healthy, and you can trust the Fast Food companies, and a great way to feed your family. OR, there are “weapons of Mass Destruction in Iraq!” Lies repeated enough to be believed can become “Truth.” People are easily manipulated unless you question and “Fact-check” information that comes from the internet and many “traditional sources.”

It is NOT easy to have to think for yourself and question what you read or hear. This takes time and energy to question the “sources.” It takes intelligence and self-confidence to go against what powerful forces (interests) will tell you in their efforts to have their agenda become the dominate behavior. Instant gratification through technology has become the way our culture lives and this technology is most easily manipulated (and self-serving to the people and interests who post this “marginally true” (but misleading or false) information.)

There is no “Simple Truth” when “truth” can be manipulated and people do not question the “source” or the information that is pushed in front of them.

The Course in Miracles (ACIM) says there is only “Love” or “Fear” and “Love” is the only “Truth” which really exists. Everything thing else is a constructed fake reality in ACIM beliefs… There are many times I understand this belief, “Truth,” or whatever this opinion is AND I want to live in this “Truth.” Perhaps we are here to learn the difference between “Fake news” and the “Truth” which is only “Love.”

Find your “truth” and I hope it is based on Love.

You are a blessing!

Consider a supportive community – tribe like Masters of the Journey and share YOUR story!

If you find yourself disagreeing, or agreeing, with this blog, please comment below. Your opinion counts. It is YOUR Opinion! It is also YOUR lesson especially when you have a strong emotion attached to your opinion.

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

Even Random Cats Need Community

Needing Community! People who are struggling with living life as a means to developing in consciousness and wisdom, may appear different than people who have their heads down and move less vigilantly through life. If you do not “Fit in” with our “normal” cultural experience then maybe you need Masters of the Journey: A Transformational Community.

The concept of “herding cats” comes to my mind when I think of consciousness “seekers” running in every direction for the sake of a life experience which is “out of the normal” range. I sense that the expression, “herding cats,” implies that cats are more difficult to train and seem very independent of what others may “expect” of them. With this said, random cats still require some social connections and the support of larger community. People who may not fit neatly into conventional religious communities still need to “Connect.” “No man is an Island,” suggests that we are all in need of connection. (Written by John Donne in 1624 the full passage includes:

‘No Man is an Island’

No man is an island entire of itself; every man
is a piece of the continent, a part of the main;
if a clod be washed away by the sea, Europe
is the less, as well as if a promontory were, as
well as any manner of thy friends or of thine
own were; any man’s death diminishes me,
because I am involved in mankind.
And therefore never send to know for whom
the bell tolls; it tolls for thee.

Some fairly famous quotes come from this writing. My appreciation of these words seem to say for me, that people need to understand their need for interpersonal connection to other people to live in a balanced life. And, that we are all interconnected, so if you see others in struggle this is not a distant event. It is YOUR issue because we are all related. We are ALL connected. (I believe that our main purpose is to support our fellow pilgrims as we all move, ever so slowly, toward higher consciousness AND the remembering of our Divine Perfection.)

So all random Cats need connection and community. Yes, even YOU!

Please consider searching out and finding the community which can support you and your lessons. Then find the best way to connect, within your own ability, to this “tribe.” You are a blessing and you deserve the healthiest support. If your search does not easily find a suitable/appropriate group of like minded “seekers,” consider the Masters of the Journey.

Please take good care of yourself (and look around for any other “random cats” who may be searching for support.)

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