Spiritual Mastery in Troubling Times

We are in “troubling times” for the human drama playing out in our Earthly lives. The world is spinning with news which, when seen through fear filled eyes, seems scary and negative. I wish we could “just get along” and live in Peace where we support one another… BUT, we seem to be swimming in human drama and major conflicts. It is NOT time to stick our heads in the sand. Our spiritual pursuits of acceptance and equanimity are severely tested. Wow, what can we learn from this???!!! Maybe, we will pull together and back away from the abyss, learn our human lessons, and “get along.” Sadly, this is not the habit that humans have practiced in our “recorded” history. We keep forgetting that war, anger, conflicts and ignorance lead to pain and discomfort.

Perhaps, from a spiritual perspective, this is why over 7 billion of us have shown up in our current incarnations. The “Adventure Travel” experience from the higher realms where we get to test out our wisdom and put on our Spiritual Red Cross jackets and run willy nilly to pull other pilgrims out of the mud called human life in 2022. Perhaps we have shown up to watch the cataclysm of human history. One thing for sure, we can test our resolve for beaming love in the face of anger and fear. We can reach out and be of service. We can rise above the fray of emotional negativity and grab the hands of fellow traveller to assist them as best we can…

At times like these, I am reminded of the book by Viktor Frankl, “Man’s Search for Meaning,” where he recounts his year as a Jewish man in Auschwitz Death camp in World War II. He was one of the survivors who not only told the tale of the atrocities of war but found a way of being of service from the lessons he learned in this manmade hell on Earth. He suggests that we look for “meaning” in the experiences we have undergone and then use this gained wisdom to be of service to our fellow humans. And, yes, he celebrated the miracle of finding a green blade of grass growing in the dirt of this death camp. Finding a Joy in the darkness can be a profound lesson in the most difficult challenges we experience. “What does not kill us, makes us stronger,” is an expression of what is possible after enduring life’s darkest times.

We have come to serve in some way. We have come to witness. We have come to raise our consciousness. We have come to experience life, yes, even the hard times. And, we have come to be tested in our navigation of these challenges with the limitations of our three dimensional “human” minds… On a spiritual level, these are amazing chances to allow our highest consciousness to rise to the surface and for us to be the beacons of light (and love) in these dark and difficult days. YOU are a miracle. YOU are up to the task at hand. YOU are here to learn and to serve…

So, take a deep breath. Know that you are loved! Find the Divine Spirit within your consciousness and light the way to brighten our experience of the human drama. No matter how you choose to respond in these times, you are PERFECT! You are in a role that only YOU can play and you are doing an amazing job of being YOU!
Thank You!

Where possible, lead with Love. Namaste… and look to celebrate the perfect souls you bump into as you tread your path on this Earthly plane.
(And, nobody said human life would be fair or easy… except in the movies and fairy tales…)

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!!!

Are YOU Out of Step with the World?

Born out of frustration, I find that I am out of step with the world. Are You? Yup, what I see on the media both TV and Social Media creates a visceral response. My confusion and that weird uncomfortable feeling in the pit of my stomach makes me feel like I am NOT in step with what is going on in my world. I do not “get” politics, conspiracy theories, celebrities who are whining, and the All Powerful Drive for Financial Success, at the expense of selflessness and higher consciousness. Yes, MY judgmental thinking is at again like a dog with a bone… I see and feel like my culture, my country, and my strongest beliefs in a “caring” society are just descending into the pit of selfish individualism where the belief seems to be, “what I want, I SHOULD get” and lying and bullying are accepted, condoned and even encouraged.

What is my Spiritual lesson? If I was fully spiritually conscious, I would have Equanimity in the face of what I perceive as injustice. I would accept that this is simply another brutal drama which I must be a part of and to watch play out. Perhaps, I would be more “fully present” and find acceptance for Fascism and power hungry politicians holding on to power at the expense of selflessness and cultural support for all citizens. Perhaps, I could find humor in the perverted sources of disinformation or different truths which are shared by highly influential media outlets where there can be no truth or fact checking for certain politicians or some celebrities, all of whom have personal gains to be made by creating or passing along false information to the cult followers who can not fact check for themselves… Convenient fact distortions (“alternative truths.”)

So, my conclusion is that it is not YOU or the Media or the Politicians or the Cult Leaders who are Out of Step with reality, it is me… Yes, I do not get the fun and profits which come from distorted facts and greedy lifestyles. My goal is to find Joy in the concentration camp like Viktor Frankl did in World War II. But, it is fun to yell at the TV. It is energetic to scream into the storm. This elevates me and my perspective to demonstrate righteous indignation in the face of self perceived injustice. This could be viewed as a “SitCom” if it did not seem to be so dangerous to our world. But, I could laugh at our disintegrating society as lots of others in the world are doing. A “good laugh” at our culture wallowing in our own political garbage. If it does not kill us it will make us stronger. And, if it does kill us, we get to move on to the next incarnated drama…

Tilting at Windmills are me and the man from La Mancha… But, “Don’t Cry for Me Argentina,” I have not knowingly lied to you, Even through my wildest days. I held the Promise…

This message is brought to you out of frustration with the direction our culture is traveling. Selfishness and bullying can NEVER be justified at the expense of consciousness and supporting the fragile people in our society. But, I am not a billionaire with money and power grabbing as a life goal. I do not make any excuses for my attitude but I do hope to find equanimity and less judgement, some day… And, I am sorry for stoking the fires of frustration as I vent my emotions.

Please bear in mind, that living consciously is a role model for changing our culture. For me, it is frustratingly slow. I speak my mind and feel like I spitting into the wind but I am acting in some fashion and not totally sitting on the sidelines. You must find your way to react to bullying in our culture. You can fight it or just join in the act of bullying anyone you think you can intimidate. You have your own path toward consciousness and must find your own way. Since you are Perfect in Spirit and a Miracle, you will travel the path most appropriate for you. God’s speed!

In fact, YOU are not out of step with our culture. Your steps are leading you into the challenges you are here to learn from… You are a Blessing!

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.

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