Walking Meditation

On my walk today guidance seemed to suggest that I create a blog posting regarding the Art of the Walking Meditation. As I considered this suggestion, I was flooded with guidance’s suggestion on what to include in this posting. Since I have learned to “Just Say Yes” to my guidance, I am complying. And, walking is a great way to meditate, to become more “present,” to take positive time for yourself, and to exercise. Consider these reminders of wisdom you are already familiar with. (This wisdom is built into your DNA and your Soul.)

Eyes open meditation can fall into the philosophy of Zen meditation which tends to encourage being a part of the world rather than closing your eyes to purely focus within. ZaZen walking meditation has been described to me as eyes open, slow moving, conscious of the world, as a meditation. Breathe slowly. Walk slower than your normal pace. Feel your heel land in front of you and then roll forward on to your toes. And, repeat. If you can do so safely, “soft focus” your eyes. Enjoy each slow breath and each relaxed step. Focus upon the footsteps and your breath. In the beginning, just try 50 steps in this conscious way. Doing this in the safety of nature with less traffic and distractions from manmade chaos can help with this meditation. However, even trying this as you walk back from your lunch to work or school or home activities can make your day move more comfortably with less internal distractions. You may want to remember to turn off your phone calls, texting and social media signals.

Walking consciously out in a natural setting is meditative. In the trees, by water, on trails vs pavement, in the sunshine or in a gentle rain are all positive additions. Avoiding traffic, human dramas, loud construction projects, airplanes, warfare, and screaming politicians or rock music may also seem obvious and will enhance a more meditative state of mind. (Though bears, some dogs, venomous snakes, large crashing waves, cougars and falling trees might also pose a distraction to avoid in nature. Just saying the obvious.) You get the point. Mellow in nature is better. Walking a bit more slowly, breathing, and gently gazing at the miracles which our world can provide can make this a great “forest bathing” experience. Allowing for time and possibly fewer pressing appointments on either side of this nature walk would be a helpful consideration if possible. AND, remember to breathe… Slowly and fully.

Additions might include, feeling the warmth of the sun, listening to the stream/river/waves, feeling the gentle breezes, and even smelling the fragrance of the salt air or grasses or flowers or the trees. I like to imagine that I can breathe in the warm sunlight or soak up the warm breezes to better help heal and to recharge me as I slowly drift down (or up) the path. There are times and places when walking with someone else for safety or guidance can be good. And, there are times when walking alone without extra conversation can be most relaxing. The bottom line is to be as “present” in the moment as you gently move through this nature loving walk. You may want to pick up an interesting rock to hold and possibly to help “ground” you as you connect most peacefully with nature. (Sometimes I even hug a tree to ground myself out. Are you laughing? Well consider trying this weird 1960’s consciousness. YOU may like it.)

Sure, most of you have done this and know how to walk in meditation in nature BUT do you schedule the time in your busy, drama filled lives to participate in these meditative walks??? Well, Just Do It!

Be open to surprises and the gifts the Divine Spirit will provide for you. If you walk with the “Beginner’s Mind” the beauty will unfold just for your heart to dance in the light of spectacular marvels and amazing revelations. If you ask respectfully for these, they will show up. Maybe in the clouds. Maybe the leaves dancing in the breezes. Perhaps the songs of the birds or the chatter of the squirrels. Perhaps the appearance of the butterfly or the hummingbird will symbolize guidance reaching out to embrace you. Be open and the delights of natures will present themselves for you and fan the flames of the brightening light of your consciousness. As you are a small part of this large Universe, you might even consider the amazing things which have occurred to create this beautiful blue planet and all the life forms which share it with you.

And. Walking in wonder with Beginners Mind, even in the city, can show you amazing miracles to appreciate and to show gratitude for. Every miracle you acknowledge is another important, and beautiful, lesson for you.

There is Joy to found in every moment and in every step you take. Please consider the search for the Joy and the miracles which surround us.

You are Amazing!

Man’s Search for Meaning

Man’s Search for Meaning
Viktor Frankl

Life’s suffering has meaning. The challenges we face are lessons to learn from and for then wisdom to blossom. How can we look at our hardships and suffering to find the benefit, if only that we have survived…?
Our potentials can change but each new experience or focus can lead us to learn and to grow. If we share our learnings, these challenging experiences have greater value and “meaning” as wisdom for others to learn from and to possibly change their lives, or their potentials.

Our suffering is reduced and more gracefully survivable if we see the value and larger purpose/lesson in our experience of the suffering. With found meaning/purpose, we have more reason to live and then to teach from our learned lessons.

Viktor Frankl was a German, Jewish psychiatrist who was sent to Auschwitz in 1944. His survival and his observations were the basis for his book “Man’s Search for Meaning” and his creation of Logotherapy which is his version of psychotherapy. A basic premise of his therapy says that finding a reason/meaning in your suffering adds positive value and some resolution to your mental/emotional challenge. He believed that human nature is motivated by the search for a life’s purpose. Frankl’s story was difficult for me to read because of the losses he suffered as his life was stripped away in the German concentration camps of World War II. As a testament to his survival, he found “meaning” in this horrible life experience. His insights have served many people.

Common human responses to life’s stressors can lead to anxiety and depression. Frankl’s work helped to search for the reason that people have emotional stresses as necessary and important lessons. Observing these “reasons” can lead to wisdom to share and a change of perception regarding these stressors. This can lead to resolution of the emotional impact these challenges can have.

Taking full responsibility for one’s life is important. Circumstances can occur which you can not fully control, however, you do control the way you respond and you can understand more fully your role in creating this experience. An example, I was riding my bicycle down a hill and as I turned right at the bottom, a pick up truck cut his corner and hit me. I broke my arm and had other injuries. Sure, the young driver cut the corner but I was flying down the hill… I learned a great deal. For me, the experience with breaking my arm, being in the ER, and staying over night in the hospital were all important lessons of value for me to have. Sure, I would NOT wish this on anyone else, but the value held great learning for me. For me, being a “victim” of circumstance was not the direction for me to go. (And, showing the photo of my surgically repaired arm has been very interesting…)

Unlike Viktor Frankl, my experience does not match surviving in a World War II German concentration camp for more than one year. My suffering physically, emotionally, and spiritually can NOT compare with Viktor Frankl’s. However, making the most of life’s tough experiences AND then the willingness to be positive as I share the wisdom learned, does have some similarity. If fully shared the story of your life and what you have learned by surviving this far, your witness would most likely wonder how you made it through the drama and adventures… We have ALL been lucky to survive our life experiences and lived to tell about these how we managed to get through our lives.

AND, in my opinion a main purpose in living is to share our stories in support for other pilgrims we meet along our way. The service of supporting and offering guidance learned from experience to fellow travelers is what we are here, in this life, to do.

YOU are a Miracle! Whether you know it consciously or not, You are a perfect soul and more powerful than you allow yourself to know or believe. Thank you for being you. I bow in Love and Delight to YOU the perfect spirit before me. Namaste!!!

Forest Bathing

Shinrin Yoku is the Japanese name for an Ecotherapy technique translated into “Forest Bathing.” This is also considered “horticultural therapy” and “grounding.” Research is inconclusive as to the how and the why this is therapeutic for people and may fall into the realm of “placebo” effects by rigid scientific thinking. So what if it is placebo… But, hanging out in nature is complicated (in all the many variables) and therapeutic. What do you “Know” about the positive effects of hanging out in a natural scene like a forest or a beach or a trail through the mountains?

Walking through a natural setting is good for you physically because you are getting exercise, burning calories, and assisting your parasympathetic nervous system response. Hiking in nature assists you mentally as a break from man made technology, with natural lighting & colors, and perhaps distance from “positive ions” in favor of calming, “negative ions.” Drifting, one step at a time, along a path contributes to the spiritual process of “grounding” where you release excess energy into the Earth, connects you with the natural Universe, and offers you the opportunity to witness first hand the Miracles of Life on our planet. As you breathe in the freshly oxygenated forest air, you are free from the human made confines of vehicles or manufactured homes.

Perhaps the best, possibly placebo, effect you can connect with nature and the Divine Spirit firsthand. Not in theory or in books or on TV… You, yes YOU, are a firsthand “experiencer” of the wonders of the natural world from where we have evolved (or created) and where natural appreciating rebalances our hearts, our minds, and our bodies. Not everyone loves being out in nature. These people are wrong! (Notice my “Judgement” with feeling…) Nature is found in every cell of our bodies and a lack of appreciation, to me, is like a denial of our living roots. (Obviously, my judgements are a topic for other blog postings or even many past postings.)

Forest Bathing is an activity I celebrate on a regular basis. A walk in the trees changes me in positive ways where I can relax and be more present. I release stress and drink in the amazing features of the natural world. This feels healing. Mind, body and spirit celebrate these moments and this effort in reconnecting with my natural worldly existence. With some small amount of distance from the trailhead, I can feel the Zen meditation (Za Zen) taking form. If I can be mentally “present,” I can begin to connect with this environment and many times I connect with my intuition as I feel my “essence” in the natural world.

Most people find solace in trips into natural environments. Being by water or trees or rocky monoliths offers a needed break from crowded frenetic man-made environments. “Getting away from it all” is a common expression suggesting the healing benefits of getting away from urban areas and back “out” into nature. Even a visit to a beautiful park or garden can help trigger this ecotherapy. For stress management and anxiety control, (unless you are afraid of open spaces – agoraphobia) your time in nature is more than just relaxing. It is invigorating and recharging you with the natural “life force.”

Obviously, as I write this posting, I am a “believer” in the positive effects which a walk in a natural environment can bring to me. I schedule this into my life. For me, a spiritual experience is a part of this attraction though this can be subtle or dramatic. When I cross paths with an animal or a huge Cedar tree or flowing stream/river, my heart celebrates this gift to me and my consciousness. I am spoiled because I am living in the Pacific NorthWest and when I roll out my front door, I am only a few steps from being enveloped in natural beauty. This choice to live in PNW was partially a conscious one and partially driven by my guidance BUT fully loved and appreciated.

So, go have a Forest Bath. YOU deserve it! Feel the Earth beneath your feet as you tread in the natural world. Be present. Be grounded. Be blessed to resonate in the natural rhythms you can experience. YOU are a miracle. Thank you for walking the Earth and sharing your spirit…

I am Sad and Depressed Everyday

How would you respond? What words can you convey to be of service? Can you feel empathy?

Comment which was received anonymously from a past blog posting:
“I am extremely sad and depressed everyday. Cry a lot. Think about suicide all the time. As a 54 yr old female, I am wondering how to achieve enlightenment to elevate my soul and spirit…”

How do YOU respond to this comment… So this is the Response from Guidance:

“Thank you for your comment. I am sorry that you feel sad and depressed everyday. Life is a Miracle. Living can be brutal. Perhaps you can set out everyday to find one miracle in your world. Look for it. Find it. Feel it. AND, Know it…
This may be difficult to believe but even though you feel unhappy, you are a Miracle. You are amazing. No one else could do what you do. If you shared your life’s story, people would think that you are a SuperWoman to have survived. You have wisdom to share AND do not miss the opportunity to share your wisdom, even if what you share is what not to do… Your warning may change someone’s life.

By answering your comment, my day has been changed. Thank You.
You are a Blessing!
When possible, find Joy even in the darkest day or the most difficult challenge. This is easier said than done BUT you can get good at this… by… looking for the miracles and the good there is to find…

Please take good care of yourself. I am sending you my love and my thanks.”
———————
Additional thoughts from Guidance:

Most people find times in their human lives which do not feel happy. It is part of our challenge to live as humans in a world which often teaches through pain or fear or anxious uncertainties. Perhaps we survive and feel stronger and more resilient. Perhaps we survive and feel scarred and broken. The difficulties we face are part of the “drama” we sign up for as spiritual beings come to have “human” experiences. And, Pain is real, suffering is optional…

Life has its physical, emotional, and spiritual pain. These lessons are essential. How we deal with our losses, our pains, and our life challenges is an option we have. If you want to carry your victimhood as suffering, you have that as a choice AND as a lesson.

“That which does not kill us, makes us stronger” is attributed to the German philosopher, Friedrich Nietzsche and delivers wisdom worth sharing. (It also reflects upon our life experience as an affirmation of resilience.) No Guide from the Divine ever said that human life would be always easy or fun. The times when we often learn the most are when we are most tested. However, living life in a state of constant sadness or depression is probably not the intention for every soul walking the Earth. We are tested and true “Enlightenment” often includes the ability to find light and joy in every dark corner of our lives. Not as a Pollyannaish response but as a reverence for all lessons, especially the tough ones.

Even the wealthiest humans amongst us can NOT buy eternal happiness or, more importantly, spiritual satisfaction and wisdom with their financial wealth reserves. In fact, for many people, wealth or the desire for wealth can get in the way of the deepest spiritual insights. (Consider the story of Siddhartha.) Wealth is not bad however its focused pursuit can get in the way of being most fully “present” and then acting on the path toward “Enlightenment” in your human incarnation… (This reflects My opinion based on my guidance…)

“Enlightenment” includes non-judgement, empathy, acceptance, and equanimity of other pilgrims and the interactions which occur. The practice of an Enlightened being includes unconditional love of all souls even the ones who you bump into who teach you lessons as your seemingly polar opposites. A common lesson on the path to “Enlightenment” entails taking full responsibility for the path you are following. No one else has made the choices you have made and you empower yourself by assuming your responsibility to both “good” and the difficult circumstances you may experience along the way. YOU have more power to create than you are consciously aware of in your human existence! (If you do not like your life’s path, change it! If people do not like you, you could change or find new people or learn from this difficult and awkward situation. Quit making the same mistake over and over or accept this condition in your temporary incarnation.)

Depression and Sadness are not uncommon human experiences. Our choice is to “suffer.” On the other side of living a human life, there are miraculous experiences and joy to be found in every day which you are blessed to live.

YOU are a Blessing! You are a Miracle! No one else can do “You” better than you and the Divine Spirit would be incomplete without what your soul brings to our Universe. Thank you for being you… You are LOVED!

You are a Miracle! Thank you for being you.

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

Self-Acceptance

Self-Confidence & Self-Acceptance

Many of us struggle with confidence and self-acceptance. This may be born from our early learnings in this life or possibly as an inherited trait from our family. Our culture tends to control our behaviors as we grow by magnifying our “flaws” which are judged by our supervising adults and competitive, and insecure, peers. We begin to strive to “fit in” even if this is the antithesis of our individual natures. We can lose ourselves. We can begin to advance our feelings of inadequacy or insecurity. We often feel that we do not fit in and so reduce our levels of self-acceptance.

What we may have to learn or remember is that we are perfect even with our imperfections. Re-learning to love ourselves and to accept ourselves even with our flaws is one of the great learnings of our lives. We have to love ourselves and accept ourselves if we wish to make the changes that we may feel would be appropriate. (If we want to improve our “flaws” we must first embrace these and then experiment with alternative behaviors to change these parts of our human incarnation.) To learn our lessons in this life, we are tested or challenged by our weaknesses or imperfections and we then have the free choice to choose to do things (our lives) differently. We test out new or “better” behaviors. Dealing with our insecurities is one of the lessons that we have.

As a general perspective, if we can’t love ourselves it is very difficult for us to love others and to be most fully present in our lives and to live in service. It seems that one of our goals is to live the dramas and have the struggles of our body’s imperfections in our own mortal lives. We learn our lessons through this struggle as we move through these dramas and hopefully find that Joy is the great beauty in our struggles with our imperfections. (Yes, maybe even learn to laugh at ourselves and our foibles.)

As we said in the most recent blog, we’ve created mountains between us and other people. We have also created a mountain between ourselves and the acceptance and self-love of ourselves. Do you realize that you are a miracle and that you as a soul are a unique fingerprint? You are unique like a snowflake. You are a perfect and necessary part of the Divine and the Universe cannot exist without the wisdom and energy of your soul and spirit. It is with your uniqueness, as a miracle, that you must find the acceptance and then the self-love of who you are, where you’re going, and your purpose. You are a blessing.

Other people may judge you as less than who you really are. That is their drama. That is their lesson and you have to respond to that by knowing that you are much more perfect than they might know or imagine. Other people’s judgment and expectations are not under your control. You can not argue with them. This is a test for you to hold true to who you are and know the strength of your self-love and acceptance. Be the role model of self-knowledge and self-acceptance. Show your confidence and strength in your strong posture of self-acceptance!

Your self-confidence and self-acceptance are born out of self-knowledge. Know your strengths and weaknesses and accept both. Do not use personal flaws as an excuse. Find a way to accept and change any identified flaws if you feel this is a necessary goal in this life.

You are a Miracle! Thank you for being you.

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

“The Choice,” Your Choice

You have a choice! Perhaps you have been a victim of a bad situation but YOU have a choice to not live in victimhood! Recently, I was given a copy of the book, “The Choice: Embrace the Possible,” by Dr. Edith Eva Eger. It was painful to read her account of surviving the unspeakable horrors of “living” through her 16th year in Auschwitz in the last year of World War II (1944.) Dr. Eger tells her story of emotionally burying the horrors of her experience for decades until she sought out treatment and support and then to realize she had a “Choice.” She needed to do the work to free herself from her own prison. Her story is remarkable AND not an uncommon dilemma for many of us traumatized by the brutal lessons of our lives.

Why do many of us feel more comfortable remaining in our pain filled life dramas? Sure, it is familiar. Sure, we may think we “deserved” this self-constructed prison because our self-esteem is less than it could be. And, many of us have learned a coping strategy which is successful in dragging other compassionate people into our web of “attention seeking” victimhood as a way to get our emotional needs met. BUT, (a big but) we can choose to not be a victim in our own self-constructed web. We can take some responsibility for how we respond to our life’s traumas.

As I write this blog, Dr. Edith Eger is 90 years of age and has found her way to serve humanity by sharing her story and then sharing her discovery of the choice she has had to make in teaching her lesson from this horrific life experience. This extreme example is supported by her clients working to recover from their life traumas. Each of these stories reflects different discoveries and the advances which she has moved through. No matter what nightmare YOU have experienced, even horrors beyond your control, you have a choice. How YOU respond from the lessons you have survived is up to you. No one else… Her book, for me, was hard to read in her recounting of the holocaust she lived through in the 1940’s. It triggered memories and emotions that could have been avoided but facing her painful memories puts many other life learnings into perspective. Taking personal responsibility is never easy. It is so important if you want to learn and grow most fully. Dr. Eger was opened 25 years after her release from Auschwitz by reading Vikto Frankl’s account of his time in Auschwitz in his book “Man’s Search for Meaning.”

Childhood traumas are reflected in many of the client stories which are shared. These are not an uncommon life experience even in sheltered childhoods. We come into our human lives to live, and then to learn, from the “dramas” and the traumas we experience. I was hit as a child by my father in his frustrations. I learned that I never wanted to hit my sons and perhaps this behavior has been extinguished for our descendants and future generations in our family. The world needs this behavior to be extinguished!

Consider the choices you have in your life, your behaviors, and your responses to the difficult experiences you have found in life. Even PTSD responses can benefit from understanding the possible choices you can have. And, if you are a reader,
“The Choice” is available online or locally. The link to the Amazon advertisement is: at Amazon.com and through many other outlets.

Perhaps consider, YOU have a choice to find Joy in every experience and in the interactions you will experience. Even if these encounters may be difficult or even painful to live through. The lessons which you find may be a main piece of your purpose as you follow your path through this life.
Hang in there….

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

Whose Lesson are YOU Learning From?

Recently, I chose to join a team supporting a friend who is battling with cancer. Have you ever participated in a community of support persons for a family member or friend dealing with a difficult disease? Chances are you have or have become familiar with such a support community. My question to you asks, was there an important lesson for you in your desire to serve as a supporter? In every interaction we share, there is much to learn especially if you are conscious and viewing these interactions with awareness.

So, I discovered, upon my reflecting upon my recent involvement, that my desire to support my friend is more complicated than I care or that I want to send some positive energy. My lesson is a multi-dimensional learning. It does feel good to participate in sending Love or possibly healing energy to my friend but I have had to stop and ask myself why. Why am I involved? Why is my friend sick? What is her lesson in this disease process? What is my lesson in participating in her disease challenge? What lessons, experiences, or information will present themselves so I can increase in value toward the people I bump into in my future? So, how does this expand me with a story to share? I “know” that every person touched by this health event has some purpose and some important lesson to take away.

Caring about my friend is the simple reason and a small part of the answer. My history includes a battle that my wife and I “fought” with cancer over 8 1/2 years and there are many important lessons learned from this past experience that now resurface and contribute to my purpose in involvement in this present supportive community. The “first” time through (with my wife’s illness,) fear and anxiety of the situation and the unknown were on the front burner for me. Now, I can serve as a more experienced supporter or even an elder in the current “fight.” This is NOT about my friends health challenge, it is a test for me born out my past traumatic experience and for the lessons learned. At a level of spiritually, one of my purposes is to see a bigger picture and ask questions which are bigger than simply dealing with symptoms, healing my friend, and the current disease.

Whose lesson is it, really? How is my friend’s condition serving as an important learning process for every one of us who have chosen to be involved? And, with this perspective in mind, how is my friend, consciously or unconsciously, in a broad way of huge service to this extended community of supporters and caregivers. I ask this because I wonder if we all are more consciously aware of the broader lessons, we can ALL find more Joy in the amazing gift of learning we are all participating within!!!???…

Can this drama in life be viewed with less anger, anxiety, depression, fear, and concern for the unknown future if we bear this positive learning in our awareness? Can this positive awareness then bear a positive impact upon the results of this health challenge? This may be too complicated to fully determine in these few thoughts and words. You are participating with your concern and YOU are Loved for your positive intentions and attention.

Finally, no matter the outcome, can we find Joy in the challenge we see unfolding? Are we free to celebrate the Divine Wisdom which is being gifted to us as we plod along in our human drama?

By the way, in my opinion, one of the greatest gifts you can “Give” to another person is the “Gift” of allowing them to give to you… (Not manipulating another person but requesting a sincere assistance.) This can warm the heart of both sides of this request and can create a bond for two pilgrims walking the path through life’s dramas. Create a healing story by giving and by receiving a gift…
Thank you to all the souls who have allowed me to be of service.

You are a Blessing! Thank you for being you.

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

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

Remembering the Blessings!

I am posting this blog on January 16th, 2020. This is a message for me, from me, AND for YOU. Eight years ago today, at 8:20 AM, my Bride, Barbara, transitioned from this life. I am Blessed for all of the lessons she has taught me. In fact, I would not be writing this blog or working to create the Masters of the Journey community without this direct influence. Please, DO NOT think or Feel, “Poor John”. I am not a victim! I am a soul, just like you, struggling with life’s amazing challenges. Most of us have experienced the loss of the loved one, a friend, or a relationship. If you have walked this Earth in this life, for any amount of human time, you know how life can change. Times of change are often the most important times of growth and learning.

My Bride transitioned 8 years ago after our 30 years of relationship and after 8 1/2 years of living with Ovarian Cancer. The brutal struggle was filled with Joy and Growth. We grew closer. Our Love seemed to delve into the darkest places of anger, pain, and frustration, yet, it found ways to glow with warmth. For me, the lessons of empathy and the meaning of living while struggling with our human mortality was led by my wife. She demonstrated focus and stubbornness to live as long as she possibly could so her passing-over actually came as a shock to me. Two months before she died from our life together, she asked me to “not forget her” which with a knee-jerk reaction I complied. Not really knowing or understanding this promise which I had made. This is not unusual for me because I am naive about many of the things in this life that I have signed on for.

The void in my life when she moved on was a huge surprise. Though I had 8 1/2 years to prepare, I was taken by surprise. The vacuum in my life was much larger than I could have imagined. This is part of my lesson, my learning, and the message I am here to share. Sure you know that Life is precious. You assume the obvious that my wife of 28 years+ and the mother of my children would be “missed,” but that is not the story. Barbara, in spirit, has guided and protected me since January 16th of 2012. Her “presence” has given me stories to share. She has helped create every act of service I have engaged within. Our shared story lives to be a beacon for others to follow and to learn from.

Never consider any personal loss without reflecting on what you have been asked by the Divine Spirit to gain from a difficult life experience. Find a way to celebrate the Joy of life as you dance through the “mine-field” of life’s challenges. You came here to learn, and even enjoy, the bruises and bumps you find along the way. You chose to create the life you lead with your successes and with your awkward mis-steps… Any losses create the opportunity to appreciate your Blessings and your connections. AND, every person you bump into along the way offers you an opportunity to exchange love and wisdom from experience, even if born out of the pains which accompany you through your mortal life. You are made stronger as you are swept along in the rapids of the River of Life.

Also, find your way to remember the perfection and the Divinity within you. You are a Miracle! Look within to feel, and accept, the guidance of the Divine. It bubbles up, often in a subtle feeling, when you are at the crossroads of your life. You have read this far into this blog post for a reason… You were meant to find this consciousness and to go out and to celebrate the incredible experiences of your life, even with the bumps and bruises. Please share your story and serve by witnessing the story-telling of the souls you meet along the way! Your “Hero’s Journey” continues and your experiences can be of service to the community you live within, if you share YOUR story. By the way, YOU are loved and connected to all the wisdom of the Divine Spirit, just “remember” it and feel it within…

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

I Love You! I will always Love my Bride, Barbara!!!

Attract Positive: Be Happy!

Be Happy! Easier said than done, BUT…. Your positivity and Happiness will attract positive energy and loving support from the Divine Spirit. No matter what you choose to do or to be, the Divine Spirit will still Love and Support You AND it is an easier task to feel this Love and Support if you are positive and happy. “Like attracts like…” How you choose to be “Happy” in difficult times dealing with difficult challenges is up to you! You choose how YOU respond. You need to take responsibility for your actions, reactions, and the way you perceive your situation. Some people have chosen to respond to difficulties by finding the good, even the Joy, in the lesson they are confronted by. You CAN choose Joy and Happiness.

When you “Ruminate” in a negative or depressed state, you may tend to see life through this filter. You may then find the energy that you are emanating as “Like attracts like…” When you are angry and frustrated, it is difficult to find Joy. It is easier to find more anger and frustration. There is a person who sometimes floats into my activities who rants anger and frustration every chance possible. This attracts more anger and hostile responses which tends to prove this person’s belief. AND, there is no personal responsibility by this individual for their own angry presentation…

There is the distinction in living in higher consciousness. Seeing the positive in a difficult lesson can be very challenging. Taking responsibility for what is happening and how you respond is demanding. This, however, is a test which leads to higher consciousness and moves you toward your “Enlightenment.” What is the direction you choose to take?

Living in Joy is a goal of the Enlightened spirit. We come into our Earthly incarnation to be tested, challenged, and to face the pain of being a human. We come to experience the “Drama” of our role in Earthly life. We learn from these challenges. We grow when tested. Life was not meant to be 24/7 fun. However, for those of us who live in Joy and Happiness a “fun” life can be more consistently lived. When you meditate and begin to remember where you have come from, you can be guided in the most positive direction to accomplish your “learnings.” Sharing your wisdom, experiences, and Joy is a step toward offering the positive support which attracts positivity to you. If you can share with humility, you may prove to be the guiding light for your witnesses.

Hint which may assist you: the practice of Smiling will engage a happier mindset. Just Smile! Smile when you are alone. Smile when you interact with other people in the world. Smile as you look for the Joy or Positive lesson you can learn even in challenging situations. Smiling will trigger a physical response in your brain and stimulate some unconscious responses in your central nervous system. Practice this. Smile when you meditate. My friend Robert discovered how well this has worked for him and I know this is true for me as well. What have you got to lose? So spend some time and energy with extra smiling.

Live in the “Light.” Radiate and reflect the Joy you experience. Expect the positive even in the dark times. (Again, easier said than done.) Example, when grief seemed to limit my expression of joy after the passing of my wife, I was still celebrating her freedom from the traumas of cancer. I was still able to know that our story would serve others. I still found appreciation for all the learning I had been forced to experience as a partner in this difficult shared experience. I experienced the love and support of many friends. Today, even with grief and my pain not far from the surface, I know that I would not wish this on anyone else but I would not trade this experience for a different path.

You are a Miracle! You are a beacon of Love and Light! Whenever possible, bask in the Joy and the Happiness which the lessons of life can offer to you. AND, allow your growth in consciousness to be a bright guiding force you can share with the pilgrims you meet on your path!

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