Category Archives: meditation

Finding Your Purpose 2

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Second Blog in the Series

If you read the first blog and did not connect with your “Purpose” then try this view.

Your purpose is to live in your “Meat-suit” and plod along to shed the limitations of your mind and your ego which create limitations on remembering the reality of the Divine Spirit.

After we are born, we experience our bodies and the limitations of being in the incarnated form. Our ego/mind take over to create separation from other people and from our “source.” We then spend our lives undoing the foundation of limitations we have learned as we become more conscious and release what we “Know” from the egoic mind. “The truth is shadowed or blocked by the filters of my mind’s experience of life.” “Reality is not seen through the filters of my eyes.” These two quotes came from the Way of Mastery group which I participate in at the Bellingham Unity Center in Bellingham, WA.

Remember a time when you were “Triggered” by an incident involving an uncomfortable interaction. You may feel angry or hurt or upset and so carry this emotional charge around with you. If you really feel what is going on you may find that the situation triggered your ego/mind to react in this emotional way. What would Jesus have done in that same situation? Perhaps smiled and feel blessed to have had this human experience… When we are “Triggered,” it IS our ego/mind that creates this. Sure the other person was blundering through their life, AND, learning their lessons, while they have not even known the deep emotional pain you are feeling. Since you can not control them, you must learn the lesson you have and better control the response that you create.

Your purpose, then, is to stumble around and to “Remember” your Mastery, your Divinity and Your Deepest Connection with the Divine Spirit. Along the way, share your Wisdom. Serve by Loving! You are Loved. You are Blessed. Follow your Guidance and bring as many other people to the “Light” as you can. (Care to do this because we are ALL One, and we are in this together.) Or, as the Course in Miracles says: “You are here to Be the Light of the World!”

The Masters of the Journey is a community that supports “Remembering” and the consciousness found within you. Visit this resource at, www.mastersofthejourney.com or visit the Facebook page at www.facebook.com/mastersofthejourney

Finding Your Purpose

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Hey, who would not want to live their purpose? This short blog is the first on this topic and will get started on answering the question people almost always come to ask, “What is my purpose in this life and how can I achieve my life’s goals?”

Some people are driven by the most personal goals like survival and acquiring the things (or experiences) that can look like your life has achieved “Value.” Many people strive to make money or acquire property. Others hold their family in the highest levels of their purpose and will do anything to support their family members. Still others look to build communities and work within great service organizations for the betterment of society. Trust me when I say, we love and appreciate all of these purposes and goals. The world would not work without people meeting these life challenges.

Then, there are those people who are not sure of their purpose or in what direction they can go to find and achieve this elusive life path. It is not just the “young” person who may be mired in this search. In fact, many people head down one path in life, sure that it holds their purpose only to find, later in the “game,” that it not quite as satisfying as they had hoped. (It does not fulfill them in the way that they had “expected.”) The truth is that many people question, later in life, the “path” they had chosen to follow. Self-doubt is a most perplexing lesson. Self-doubt IS the lesson.

I have said that people need to trust their intuition and then follow their “feelings.” What I do not say, often, is that you need to honor, respect, and be responsible for the paths that you choose to pursue. No matter where the path takes you, you will find an important experience awaits. Wisdom comes from taking your chances and having those learning experiences. Wisdom must be earned, for if your life was too easy, you might not “Get” the message as your life unfolds.

One thing which I have experienced is that living a life of service where you can share experiences with other pilgrims and offer unconditional love from your soul is always rewarding to your spirit and serves all consciousness. Be the role model of unconditional love and service to inspire those around you.

Do not forget that one of the greatest gifts you can give to another is “Allowing” them to “Give” to you. For many people this is the most difficult gift to give and yet the purpose is of value when given in a sincere way.

What is YOUR purpose? It is not easily found in this brief article, but the foundation for finding your purpose lies within these words.

Wisdom learned is of no value or importance unless you find ways to share it! Remember to reach around and grab the hands of your fellow travelers as you follow your path through the lessons of this life.

Blessings to you on your path. Your purpose is to Live and to Love and to Serve!

Wherever possible, find and follow your Bliss!

Getting Spiritual

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You are on a path which leads you, in your own unique way, toward the lessons and the purpose for your life. Whether you know this or not, you are here for a reason and your path leads to the experience you require to move toward mastery of your challenges and lessons. Every interaction is a step along your way toward spiritual consciousness. Every person who blesses your life is a fellow traveler and participant in your enlightenment. You may never consciously know the importance to your development, even if you treat every interaction with each fellow pilgrim with the same respect you would give an audience with God. Many advanced masters believe that everyone you meet is God and we are all “One” with all lifeforms and so we must treat every living thing as a foundational piece of “Ourselves.” (With that said, “Be Humble, demonstrate Humility because you were once (in some past lifetime) a lowly Newt.)

When we reach out to our “higher selves,” we find the connection which allow us to feel the oneness and connection with all life and all consciousness.

We are all in this together. You are unique and you must find the path that leads you to the experience you require. The good events and the most challenging events are the flowers from the garden of life you are meant to harvest to create the bouquet of higher consciousness placing these into the vase of your pilgrimage. So, though your path looks like you are plodding alone, in fact, you are a part of the “River of Life” and one with all others. Your graduation in spiritual consciousness is connected to the spiritual success of all. Reach around and take the hands of all the fellow pilgrims you meet along your way. We must all cross the finish line together.

Your struggle is the “point.” Learn to love the struggle. Bask in the delight of the insights these struggles provide. Accept and Love each interaction. Release your fear, especially your fears of the ultimate transition which we all must embrace. In case you do not know this, death is NOT the enemy. It is the freeing experience which leads to a release from the constraints of your current mind and body! Learn to feel and then follow your guidance! You are loved. You are Blessed! You are Safe! And, you are Free! (Thanks for this inspiration, Brother Bob Trask!)

Be Love. Share Love. Live Love! Bask in the warmth of unconditional love… You will remember how. And then, remember the Divine Spirit within your Heart and Your Soul!

Be Grateful and know gratitude, for you are further along your path and you were once a snail…

With Love and Blessings. Your Masters of the Journey, stumbling but “Gettin’ Spiritual” founder, John

www.mastersofthejourney.com and www.facebook.com/mastersofthejourney

Find a way to be of service and go out and do GOOD in the world. You ARE a Master so share your wisdoms and insights!

Finally, Live in Joy! Follow your Bliss. Have Fun! AND, do NOT take your spiritual growth TOO seriously. The people with the most wisdom find laughter close to the surface. Celebrate life!

The Art of Being Present

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What is the advantage in being Present? How do you achieve the state of Presence? In moving along your path in life, when should you strive for “being fully in the Moment?”

Have you ever had the telephone conversation or the face to face meeting with another person who was clearly “somewhere else” and not tracking your communication? In our busy world, this happens all the time. You have to repeat yourself or you feel insecure that you were not fully heard or understood. You have to question your communication partner to “check in” and to know that they were not so distracted that they did not receive your important communication. People clearly have a great deal on their mind and they are being torn away by the invasion of of text messages or other manifestations of interrupting technology. We are so “plugged in” that it is difficult to invest fully in the conversation with the person in front of you or on the other end of the telephone. A client may not feel fully connected with you if you are lost in another thought and this may cause a transaction to go poorly. Your friend or family member may get frustrated with your lack of focus and may lash out at you in frustration. These situations happen all to frequently. Many people do not have the awareness, and then the control, to be able to quiet the distractions and really focus on the present moment and this is sad.

Missing the moment that will never come again is a loss that you can not ever recover!  There are times when you can multi-task but human interaction is very important and should not be short changed by your distracted and disrespectful pursuit of multiple thoughts or activities. Remember when this happened to you and how you felt this lack of respect and consideration! If for no other reason, you will miss out on the most joyful and satisfying moments in life if you are not present!

Achieving the state of “Presence” requires that you reduce internal and, if possible, external distractions. Begin by NOT thinking of your answer or response before your communication partner finishes their statement. Listen! Listen with ALL of your senses. If you require clarification, ask supportive “open ended questions.” Make eye contact. It is rude to not focus your vision upon the person who is speaking. If possible, feel the emotion of what is being said. Use your intuition to read “between the lines.” There are many times when you may need to clear your mind and relax your body to reduce internal distractions and this may benefit from learning how to meditate and to find yourself in the present moment. If you can be present, you will be happier and healthier. Your relationships can improve. You can find interpersonal success more easily.

Being fully present can become more a positive habit if you practice and learn more about what is distracting to you, AND, learn to let this go. Remember, that the respect you show in listening and interacting can be beneficial for personal learning and will improve your relationships. It will even SAVE YOU TIME in the long run. Try it and see for yourself.

If you manage other people or want positive outcomes with your family, learning to be fully present is a mandatory skill and life enhancing experience.

Blessings to you on your path and watch most carefully each foot step on your journey toward consciousness.

More information and support can be found at: www.mastersofthejourney.com and our Facebook page www.facebook.com/mastersofthejourney

Spring: Rebirth and Death in the Light

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It is April, 2016 and in the Northwest, Bellingham, Washington, we are feeling the warmth of sunshine and Spring! Life is blooming in every sense of the word. Life is exploding because that is what life is supposed to do at this time of year, in fact, at any time of year. Flowers are springing. Birds are doing what birds do. Joy, light, and even, Love, fill the air. We in the NW are basking in the beauty and the return of the longer, warmer days…

So two nights ago we had a small gathering at my house and a friend speaks up regarding the sudden and painful news about a childhood friend who, for his own unexplained reasons, had taken his own life! This has happened before and will happen again but the angst in the midst of re-birth weighs heavily upon the mind, emotions, and the soul of my friend (and others in this situation.) What can you say? What can you do to console a friend in this unexplainable situation and his grief? There is a lesson here for those who are left to ask, WHY??? There is a life challenge and lesson about death that we who are left behind must endure.

Another friend finds the following article about death, http://spiritlibrary.com/uriel-heals/death-dying-grace-and-peace and we read and possibly learn something from the thoughts and experience of another pilgrim. Perhaps you have been in this situation or know someone else who is? Perhaps this blog or the linked article can be of service? Perhaps you can contribute additional thoughts, articles, or videos to our library for referral to others who struggle and ask WHY?.

No matter how you contribute, thank you for your time and consideration. Meditate and send a prayer to my friend Glen or anyone else you know who may need some unconditional love and support. AND, do not miss the opportunity to hug your family and friends and tell them you love them!!!

Blessings, light, and love to you. May you bask in the warmth of sunlight and unconditional love… Appreciate Life and be Present! Find the way YOU can serve and share Love!

Share this article, if appropriate, and respond if you feel that you can add a positive contribution. We are ALL in this together and what has an effect upon one of us, challenges all of us…

Be well. Find your Bliss and celebrate life, even if you feel the struggle…

Its Spring! Time for Rebirth

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If you read this blog in the week it is published then you, in the Northern Hemisphere, know that it is Springtime! The Spring Equinox is afoot. It is time for rebirth, renewal, and growth. Your growth is not just your bank account or your belly. It is a time for consciousness and the joy of new insights.

As the sun begins to shine longer (in the Northern Hemisphere) and flowers and trees begin to blossom, bask in the fresh growth of a world desperate to start over again! Flow with change! Breathe in the warmth and energy.

Commit yourself to learning and “Doing good in the World.” Our world need more Mitzvahs (good deeds.) Our world and our communities need a strong injection of Love and support. Growing our consciousness and connecting with your Divine Spirit would bless this world, which grows smaller every moment. Reach out and support all people in their pursuit to grow and to expand in spirit!

If nothing else, go out and celebrate the beauty of our natural world. Honor the Spring and what this stands for. Blessings!

Thoughts That Keep You Awake: Better Sleep

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Almost every one of us has had our sleep interrupted or prevented by uncontrollable thoughts that run through our conscious minds. Reduced quality of rest has a negative effect on our performance and quality of life in many situations. So learning to control these distracting thoughts, or perhaps better, preventing these thoughts from racing through our minds, when we should be sleeping, would be a positive. Easier said than done…

I have had difficulty with avoiding certain anxiety producing conversations with my wife at bedtime or just after the “lights go out.” This is not unique because this can be a good time to have an undistracted conversation. However, an unsettling conversation as I am trying to let go of the thoughts of the day can open the doors for consideration of the dilemmas of life which can prevent an easy path to a restful sleep.

These conversations can be important and necessary. It is just the timing of these moments of communication that I find difficult. There are better times in the day to work on these important subjects. The bottom line is that at “bedtime” there is not much that you can do with the new information other than ruminate or fret over it.

The things that are the most stressful are things that you care the most about but which you can not control. As an example, parents usually care about what happens to their child (or children) but often the parent can not control every detail regarding what our offspring will be confronted by. When we experience difficulties with jobs/careers, finance, relationships, health concerns (for ourselves or our loved ones,) changes in our economy, weather, or even the process of aging, we can find ourselves troubled by distracted minds stressed by these events that we have little or no ability to control. These distractions dance through our minds and set off our primitive survival responses and this, in turn, does not allow our minds to relax and drift into soothing, restful sleep.

Medications can relax some of the systems that can keep us awake. Drugs can mask the emotional challenge, but not solve the roots of this challenge. Drug use can also lead to physical and emotional dependency which creates more problems. Better solutions include appropriate communication and problem solving. Some people can benefit from adjusting their attitudes realizing that the things they can not control may be better tolerated if one learns to accept the issue and to build a more solid emotional foundation to help stabilize our responses in these difficult times. (Again, easier said than done, but worth developing as a preventive mechanism.)

Self-care will help give you strength to tolerate these difficult situations. Physical exercise, eating well (healthy), and regular relaxation/meditation will help. Counseling which can help create emotional and spiritual support may be helpful, additionally. Most importantly, deal with your challenges during the day. It may not be best to discuss, or to mentally work on these issues at bedtime.

The 50 to 1 Countdown exercise that I teach in other blogs, articles, and in the book is a great technique to help quiet the mind and promote a deep and restful sleep. Consider trying it. For more individualized coaching, consider our professional coaching for enhancing performance and productivity by contact us through the Stress Education Center’s website at Stress Education Center’s website

Please take good care of yourself.

Letting Go a Meditation

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(From a meditation on a beautiful Fall day… and, for future meditations to find peace…)
Consider this meditation by reading each line slowly and pausing to experience these words/thoughts.

Experience the feelings of being angry.
Experience the feelings of fear.
Experience the feelings of being sad.
Experience the feelings of being anxious.
Experience the feelings of the lack of control.

Learn the lesson of anger and accept it.
Learn the lesson of fear and accept it.
Learn the lesson of sadness and accept it.
Learn the lesson of anxiety and accept it.
Accept the lack of control. Accept that death is the outcome of living. It is not the enemy, it is an important transition.

Let go of anger.
Let go of fear.
Let go of sadness.
Let go of anxiety.
Let go of frustration.

Now say:
I am letting go of my anger.
I am letting go of my fear.
I am letting go of my anxiety.
I am letting go of my sadness.
I am letting go of my frustration with my lack of control and I am learning to accept the process of death for my loved ones and for myself. If possible, find grace in the final transition.

I am Joy!
I am Love!
I am Blessed!
I am Peace!

In my heart, I feel the glimmer of peace from acceptance…

Masters of the Journey Video Conference

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You are a Master.

Today we offered our first live, video conference for spiritual development. The topic was an introduction to the “State of Grace.” Presenting were Brother Bob Trask of Bellingham’s Unity Center and author, Paula Forget, who wrote the recently released, “Guided to the Higher Realms.” Most people on the call also contributed from their wisdom and life experience. The callers were from around the country and their sharing made this a perfect example of what Masters of the Journey can be, a leader-less community of “seekers” who are willing to share their stories.

We will be adding this video to our expanding library others who were not able to get on this call, “live.” In the future, we have many topics of spiritual development with contributions from members and experts in the field. The support and excitement for this consciousness raising process is growing with contributions of many people who are traveling through on their path and willing to reach around to support fellow pilgrims.

Consider joining our membership by visiting our website at www.mastersofthejourney.com or by visiting our Facebook page at www.facebook.com/mastersofthejourney. Our members will benefit from the resources and trainings that we offer and by participating in our interactive sessions.

Please continue to learn and grow. If appropriate please share this information.
Namaste

Your Purpose in Life

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You have a “Purpose!” You have a reason to be here! There is a reason that you have found your way to this article and you are reading it now! Are you looking to find your “Purpose” and the reason why you are living in the “life” that you currently occupy?

In “New Age” thought, people often believe that they have chosen their lives and their “lessons” in the particular incarnation that they are participating within. If we “take responsibility” for our lives (and our existence), then we must accept that we are here to learn from our life’s experience and to evolve in “consciousness” as we move through the mine-field of our lives. The truth is that you have been through a lot. No one else could really know about the events that you have had to endure to get to where you are now. The “tests” that you have survived have all been a part of the life that you have “chosen” to assist you in development of your spiritual consciousness (say the metaphysical philosophers.)

The truth is that life is “hard” and we do learn more from our hard times, mistakes and travails than we learn from the easy, joyful, fun times. We become stronger, and sometimes wiser, by living through the difficult experiences. Perhaps the best way to learn from our lessons, even from embarrassing mistakes, is to share them by telling the story. To be a “Master” is to be able, and willing, to share your lessons with others. Which brings us back to the original question regarding YOUR PURPOSE. Perhaps your purpose is to serve the larger community by sharing your lessons, even, or especially, the difficult lessons that you have had to learn. Ram Dass told us to “Love, Serve, and Remember,” and in this way we can ALL benefit from the learnings that have occurred in our lives. We are all in this together and we must reach around and support our fellow pilgrims if we are all going to move forward. (Spoken like a New Age philosopher.)

Your “Reason for living” and your “Purpose” are to connect with the larger community of seekers of wisdom and consciousness, and to participate by sharing your story and being a “witness” to the sharing of others. This powerful and loving, supportive connection makes us all more conscious.

If you are ready to “Love, Serve, and Remember,” please consider participation in a focused, spiritual community. You may even find your way into the Masters of the Journey’s Transformational Community. Join the “Tribe!”

In any event, please take good care of yourself and in whatever way you can, reach out and support the fellow travelers you find in this life.
Look for Masters of the Journey at www.facebook.com/mastersofthejourney and soon at www.mastersofthejourney.com

Namaste and Blessings on Your Path!