Yes!

As I sat before the television from very early this morning through the inaugural ceremonies and the swearing in of President Barack Obama I found myself voicing over and over again, “Yes! Yes!” A singular moment in our history as a nation was occurring and I am alive to see it! I think I may have filled a bucket with my tears of joy if one had been close by. As it is, my whole face is puffed up and red from wiping those tears from my eyes.

Thankfully, I found my focus, not upon the days behind us and the acrimony around the misadventures of the last eight years. Rather, I truly took hold of the words of promise and hope spoken to us by our President.

As the President and Vice President and their wives bade farewell to George Bush and his family I wondered, how can I give voice to my emotions now? What can I say? I want to share, as do people all over the world, what it means to me to have witnessed this day and this incredible event. Finally, I realized I could not find the words. I could say only those that began this article. “Yes! Yes!” Then, the silence and a sense of composure embraced me. All is well now. All is well!

The road ahead will be extremely difficult. Many of us will join in making the sacrifices necessary in order for the country to regain its secure footing. The President acknowledged,

“. . . the challenges we face are real. They are serious and they are many. They will not be met easily or in a short span of time. But know this, America—they will be met.

“On this day, we gather because we have chosen hope over fear, unity of purpose over conflict and discord.

“On this day, we come to proclaim an end to the petty grievances and false promises, the recriminations and worn out dogmas, that for far too long have strangled our politics.”

I say again, without naiveté, but with confidence, "All is well! All is well!”

The Adventure Begins!



On January 20, 2009 we inaugurate President Elect Barack Obama to office and America begins the long road toward restoring integrity and pride to government. As human beings we are all somewhat imperfect on the Divine scale of things, but there are those whose humility and desire to express the best that is within them stands out for all to see. We have entered a time where we all hope that the best and brightest have been chosen to serve and lead for the next period of our precarious progress.

There is so much to be done that it staggers the imagination of most of us who daily simply seek to stay ahead of the “reaper” who has already taken from many of us most of our resources and leaves us but paces ahead of total collapse. We have been in the long tunnel of despair for too long. Many have reached a point of desperation from which it might seem impossible to recover. Yet there is light at the end of the tunnel. There is an opening into new hope and new certainty about our survival. Even if hope is all you have, hold fast. Stand firm. You will survive!

In the great sigh of relief that has swept the nation since the election we have begun to feel the shift in direction. This is an adventure destined to include all of us, if only we bring our openness and commitment to expressing the highest and best that is within us. Anyone can sit on the sidelines and criticize what others are attempting. We are not asked to blindly follow anyone or any policy. However, hopefully we will give bold new ideas an opportunity to be nurtured long enough to fully flower before us.

Let the adventure begin!

(Photo by 3quarksdaily.blog)

The Shape of Things To Come

As the container, so will be the shape of the substance filling it.

Just as water takes the shape of the container offered to be filled, so does the Essence of Life fill our mind and heart according to how we have shaped and developed them. I often write about our belief systems because they represent the key to the experiences we have. Our beliefs condition absolutely every part of our lives from how we choose and relate to our friends and families to how healthy, happy and successful we are. Our belief system shapes what we offer to be filled with the potential energy and abundance that is available for us to embody.

Obvious examples in the religious field range from fundamentalist Christians with their strong belief that we are sinners requiring redemption and salvation to so-called atheists who deny the reality of a higher power, whether named God or Spirit or whatever. If you believe in yourself as a sinner, you will act like one. The results will most likely be that you feel you do not deserve a better life and the hardships you experience are due to mistakes you have made in your relationship to God or “tests” that God gives you to prove you are a worthy person to receive His love.

On the other hand, if your beliefs are more like the potter working with the clay he shapes into his projects of art, then you will work with the understanding that God has given you every possible opportunity to succeed by providing His Infinite substance for you to shape and form by your thoughts, actions and reactions into a positive framework for living.

When the disciples of Jesus could not cast out the demon in a young boy and they came to Him asking why they could not perform the task. Jesus told them,

Your faith is too weak. I tell you this: if you have faith as a grain of
mustard-seed, you will say to this mountain, “Move hence to yonder place!” and
it will move; nothing will prove impossible for you.
-- Mat. 17:20 RSV

Jesus was not talking about the size of the mustard seed so much as He was talking about the pattern within the seed that indicated its potential to become the matured plant. In the same way, the acorn holds the pattern of the mighty oak. It is the pattern of our beliefs that determines what we are able to accomplish in our lives. That pattern is the shape of our container and the substance of God fills that shape accordingly.

In this connection I thought of persons who channel wisdom figures and it occurred to me that they present a framework or container of their understanding and that shapes the content of the information delivered. For example, Kathlyn Kingdon[1], who channels Master Djwhal Kuhl, has an extensive background in psychology, music, both as conductor and composer, and as an author and lecturer. It is natural that the information channeled from Master DK will utilize her experience, skills and vocabulary to present his lessons. In my opinion this accounts for the smoothness of the transition from Kathlyn to Master Djwhal Khul in her presentations. I must add, however, that the messages are not limited to the knowledge of the person serving as the channel. That knowledge is simply part of the framework or container through which the message is made relevant to the students.

So, what will be the shape of things to come for you? If you knew that you could decide how you wanted things to be, what would you decide? If you could go anywhere, where would you go? If you could be successful in achieving your goals, what goals would you set? You see, my friends, the shape of things to come depends on the choices you make in regard to the questions above. How you answer them begins the charting of your course. Your answers identify the container you hold out to be filled. In the final analysis this has little to do with religious doctrine. It is also more than simply positive thinking. No journey can begin without a goal and no hope can be fulfilled without the belief in the possibility.

Of course, there is always the choice for doing nothing different. You could continue to feel that things are out of your hands or that others control your decisions. I would urge you to consider the acorn and remember that you have the seed of Spirit within you. There is no limit to what you can bring forth in your life. What is required is that you believe in the possibilities and that you offer yourself as the container to be filled.


[1] See The Matter of Mind: An Explorer’s Guide To the Labyrinth of the Mind, Vajra Flame Foundation,
http://www.vajraflame.org

My Way

Over the past several years, since I retired from working for someone else, I have had adequate time to consider personally the process of change that comes with aging. Don’t get me wrong. I do not feel or consider myself to be “old,” but the availability of time itself has provided the opportunity to become aware of certain changes. Also, as many do at this time of life, I have given thought to the events of my life, particularly those I now feel I might have handled in a different way.

Being a fan of the music of Frank Sinatra, I thought of one of the songs he recorded, My Way1. In that song he offers a review of life many of us could identify with. Some of the words follow.

And now the end is near;
And so I face the final curtain.
My friend, I’ll say it clear,
I’ll state my case, of which I’m certain.

I’ve lived a life that’s full.
I’ve traveled each and every highway;
And more, much more than this,
I did it my way.

Of course, there are many ways to look at the words of the song. I do not think of it as bravado, but rather a reflection of a person seeking to believe he balanced his life and in the end comes out a victor and not a victim. I have to admit to realizing that I am where I am because of my choices through the years. I realize that I am one who has done it my way.

I used to think that if I liked where I am and felt good about myself, then whatever road it took to get me here was okay. I still believe that to some degree, but now I realize that being a bull in a china shop is probably not okay, even if you get out with only a few broken items. As I use this time of reflection to assess my journey, I have to admit there is sadness about some of the paths I have taken, and about some of the losses along the way. There are people no longer in my life that I used to care about a lot. Somewhere along the way we came to a juncture and they took the other path. I wonder, could I have done something differently at that point that would have done more to maintain our friendship even though we chose different paths? On the other hand there are those with whom the friendship has stood the test of many storms.

Ultimately, I believe, one who only does it his or her way will be a person alone. It is not necessarily difficult to be alone, but it is another thing to be lonely. I suspect that if you are alone long enough you will become lonely. If you get to the stage of loneliness, it is much more difficult to reintegrate socially. It is easier to find reasons why being alone is okay. Though I spend most of my time comfortably ensconced in my “nest,” I did not really feel lonely or lose my desire to communicate with others and to write. Of course, I didn’t have to go outside for that!

What I find appealing about writing is that I still feel a sense of discovery as new ways of thinking about things emerge from my consciousness and end up on the page before me. Truly, there is nothing new under the sun, as the saying goes, but personal discovery of an idea or concept or of a new way of looking at life stimulates my being and creative juices begin to flow again. Then I realize how wonderful it is to be alive! How satisfying it is to feel the very spirit of life, love and wisdom filling my day with a sense of productivity.

As I look back upon my life from the vantage point of my current years, I realize that part of living life my way has included honoring the values that I have discovered are important in making me the person that I am. In the final analysis, perhaps it is not so bad that I chose somewhere along the line of my life travels to do it my way. Again,

Regrets, I’ve had a few;
But then again, too few to mention.
I did what I had to do
And saw it through without exemption.

(This is an excerpt from the complete article written for my planned upcoming book with the working title: Moments.)

1 (P. Anka, J. Revaux, G. Thibault, C. Frankois) [Recorded December 30, 1968, Hollywood]

Living Into 2009

My “email” friend, SpiritWarriorSky, has shared with his readers a thought that struck me as profoundly simple and at the same time absolutely to the point of working for peace within our smallest groups, our families, and in the world as a whole. I’d like to share it with you.

There are no easy answers for what lies ahead in 2009. We simply need to live into the questions as best we can. If we each do the right thing as often as possible even our enemies will recognize that love and forgiveness are answers because, in the end, an eye for an eye makes the whole world blind (Attributed to Mahatma Gandhi). Let us each find grace amidst the squall so all can live in comfort with love . . . . Sky