Kind Solomon's Mine/Mind

Do you know where the treasure is?

It is between your ears though it doesn't originate in the brain. The brain just takes the information that comes from a place that seems to exist, yet is not a “place” per se (the mind) and it assimilates, translates, and communicates to self and others what is presented there be it positive or negative. What occurs there colors your world and determines your choices and the results of those choices.

Until we know what we are feeding our mind and body by way of our thoughts and beliefs, we are powerless to do much about it. We won't know we have a choice.

The worse bit of information we feed ourselves is that we really have to claw, bite, and even step upon others in order to be worthy of any of life's gifts. In our subconscious we think we are less worthy than others to have the blessings that we think others have and so we over compensate at times and try to climb to the top by climbing on top of others or we go to the other extreme and "punish" ourselves with thoughts about how unworthy we are or unloved or unwanted and as proof of that belief, we note that we don’t have the blessings that we would prefer or the blessings that others have.

When we find the key, the Holy Grail, the pot of gold at the end of the rainbow, the lost treasure, Christ within...call it what you will...then we can see a whole new world opening to us.

We can see that we are basically good and deserving of a wonderful, wonder-filled life. And if we do it right, we know that everyone is basically good and deserving of a wonderful, wonder-filled life. Yes, we have done some things we are not proud of and yes we know some people who have done horrible acts. In the absence of knowing your own goodness and worthiness it is more likely that you not emit loving, happy, joyful behaviors or make good-for-you or good-for-others choices. It is more likely you will make choices that will cause you and/or others harm.

Get your mind where it really is, and your body will follow in better health and strength. You will make better choices; have more joy and courage; be more able to weather whatever storms come your way; and you will emit more acts of loving kindness that will be for your own benefit and for the benefit of others.

Not opening ourselves up to the inner healing which is just to begin to understand your own goodness (or for the more spiritually-minded - your own Divinity or Oneness with God) and how you got “tricked” into believing otherwise, is like having a blank check in our hands but do not yet take it to the bank and cash it. It takes a desire to discover this treasure before it can happen, before the right information, books, people, or circumstances can awaken you to its presence. Wake up, cash that check, and live the life you were meant to have as a divine creature of the Universe.

For this were you born to become Love Itself. For the more spiritually-minded, we can say you were born to be the extention of God into the physical, material world. If you are with someone and they do not feel completely loved and accepted right where they are right this minute and they sense that you think that they need to do something, or think something or to have some particular belief in order to be acceptable to you and/or to God then you are not Perfect Love personified - not yet. :)

FEELING CONNECTED

To me, feeling connected always feels "right". I can really feel it when I don't feel connected and it motivates me to find out why and to attempt to reconnect.

If I try to connect with someone and they cannot at that time connect, I can still connect (hold them in love, in silence, in that "field" that *Rumi talks about). But the circuit completes better and feels better when the other person(s) can be open to connection.

Another thing I can do is to examine myself and see if I am the one causing the disconnection or feeling of disconnection. For example, I might ask myself if I have some sort of judgment concerning this person that gets in the way.

Sometimes there is a feeling of a "break" in connection because we or the other person is centered in some problem or challenge or mind set or belief that captivates them and keeps them from getting outside of themselves.

Sometimes connection has to do with our relationship with not just persons but the situations and events in which we find ourselves. For example in my case, right now I have a spouse who is seriously (and the doctor's say) terminally ill. At moments when I get angry that this disease is cheating both of us out of the love and enjoyment of each other and life that we could have had in these retirement years, I feel disconnected. It's okay to feel that way but the disconnection feels not right and motivates me to reconnect within myself once I have expressed my feelings. It is like being for healing rather than being against or raging at illness. Do you see? Another example is being for peace rather than fighting against war. To be for peace feels "right", you feel connected; but if you are for fighting war or anything, it feels differently, you feel disconnected.

Maybe using the terminology “connection” and “disconnection” isn't quite the best one to use. Use whatever word fits best for you but if you pay attention next time you "fight" something and then pay attention when you reframe it to be FOR something (i.e. first fighting illness then turn around drop that and put your thoughts and energy on health/healing instead). Which feels “best”? Which feels “right”? In any case, it is more healthy in the long run for your mental and physical health. You can’t always do it though. Men and women in our armed forces cannot afford to be for peace when waging war. That will more likely get them killed. But they can be for being safe than against being killed, yes? And maybe what we can say is we can still reframe even in a limited circumstance.

I think when we feel connected we are then feeling one with all that is and we are strengthened by that.

We can always resume connection anytime we feel the connection is weak. We always have a choice.

*Rumi: "Out beyond ideas of wrongdoing
and rightdoing there is a field.
I'll meet you there.
When the soul lies down in that grass
the world is too full to talk about."

"Sinning": Missing the Point

I don't like the word "sin" because it conjures up all kinds of preconceived ideas most of us may have about needing to be "saved" or "getting right with God". It might even leaving some folks feeling like an absolute hopeless mess not worthy of love.

I would rather call sin missing the point or if you prefer you can call it missing the mark. I find that calling it missing the point a lot more flexible and less derogatory. Also what I am trying to illustrate is that we get caught up in our ideas of right and wrong, how things ought to be and what one should believe in terms of religion, God, why we are here or anything else and in doing so we miss the point or miss the mark. We fail to execute perfect Love. That is all we ever fail at. Either we are loving without judgment, opinion, or our need to be "right" or we are not. If we are, we are not going to harm or hurt others or ourselves or if we have to defend ourselves or remove ourselves from other people who are not loving we do it without hatred for them. We do what we have to with complete understanding and love.

Did you ever throw a wad of paper at a waste paper basket and miss? It is the same principle. So if you want to get it in the basket you pick it up and toss it in and go on without beating yourself up.

We silly humans try to complicate things even if we have to go out of our way to do so. I say K.I.S.S. Keep it simple silly.

Simplicity is the key.

Put for a moment your views about God on a shelf. Put also your views about Allah, Buddha, Jesus, whomever or whatever. Now close that darn door please. You can go fetch them out anytime you want but for a moment keep that door closed. Remain neutral if you can.

Now, imagine a world where "Perfect Love" becomes your basis for living. Imagine that you are able to see perfection in all that is and that would include people with whom you do not agree. This would include seeing and sensing Perfect Love regardless of what other people believe about politics, religion, spirituality, dress codes, grammar, looks, behavior, choice of life style or even how one should peal a banana.

I think one of the purposes of diversity is to give us the chance to find, recognize, and to practice perfect (unconditional) Love. In fact if we do it “perfectly” enough, we will be perfect. Another way to put it is that we would be unconditional Love personified. If we can practice this every chance we get I believe we will find ourselves in a place that is “heavenly”. We will find more peace, joy, contentment, prosperity, and much more even in the face of very trying or challenging times. If not, we continue to miss the mark.

You see, regardless of the religion you might practice, or the views you have about anything, or regardless of whether or not you believe “God” per se exists, you can love and you can learn to practice perfect, flawless, giving, and very powerful Love.

If you have to have a God let it be this Love; if you don’t have to have a God, let it be this Love. This is the holy ground upon which we all are one. This is the holy ground upon which we can all meet. As Jelaluddin Rumi said, Out beyond ideas of wrongdoing and rightdoing, there is a field. I’ll meet you there.

If you do, that is all that is required of you. It is so simple; so very simple but we sin, we miss the mark. Pick up your wad and place it in the basket please for my sake, your sake and for the sake of the world. Just do it! Be what you already are: perfect, wonderful, Love.

Awake, Arise, Follow

Awaken: To come to conscious awareness. It includes realizing there is more to life, more to our spiritual development, more to open our minds and hearts to than we have ever thought existed. Without an open heart and mind and being willing to put aside all that we have been programmed to believe and accept at least temporarily, we cannot do the next part which is arising.

Arise: To get up and get out of our human thinking that sees the world as only from a limited human standpoint. It is to begin to start understanding more and more how our thinking, our beliefs, our programming create the kind of world and experiences that we have. We do not have to be victims. We can choose not to go along with majority thinking. We can shut off listening over and over again to the news casts and dire predictions that would bend our thinking where we don’t want it to go. To arise then can be seen as getting up out of our negative thinking and situations, rising above the level at which we now find ourselves ever reaching for “higher” aspirations, becoming more loving, giving, positive beings. Arising can mean to start pulling ourselves out of the ruts we might be in, getting ourselves unstuck as it were from keeping ourselves in the same spiritual spot not making progress along the way or staying in a relationship or job or way of life that is not in our best interest. To arise is to come alive with Spirit.

Follow: To awake and to arise is one thing but if you want to get anything done you have to leave that place and venture out. If I awake in my bed but I don’t arise I stay where I am. If I arise but I don’t move out of the room in which I am sleeping, I haven’t stayed where I was but I haven’t gone very far. Some people awake spiritually, some awake and arise but stay within certain perimeters bound still by guilt, by not forgiving, by still holding onto old beliefs and values that put limitations upon them, and mostly because somehow they don’t think they are worthy. Follow the voice within. Follow the call to explore your depths. Follow Spirit’s lead. Follow your heart. Follow Love.

Once a person desires more and has the courage to proceed, he or she will begin to venture out of their “room”. Sometimes it is a bit darker until light begins to dawn and some may turn back to, in fact run back to their island of safety in their room. Some may even go back to their bed.

Think where we would be today if some men had not thought that the Earth was flat. They never would have discovered new lands and new opportunities. It was tough to find and settle new land especially when in the beginning many thought them to be crazy for believing beyond what was popular at that time and taught of the most learned men.

And what about the belief that the Earth was the center of the universe and that all planets and the sun revolved around it? Galileo promoted the Copernican theory that Earth was a planet and that it and the other planets orbited the sun. This made him an enemy among powerful people, who claimed the Earth was the center of the universe and that all celestial objects revolved around it. He was in real hot water with the Catholic Church. He was forced to abandon his ideas and was confined to a rural estate. So, venturing out takes courage. You often have to go up against very convincing arguments that may weaken your resolve or you may have to go against powerful people who may want to see you dead (Jesus was a good example of that) or will exile you or shun you leaving you alone and feeling abandoned.

All are called but not all answer the call. It seems perilous yet we dare to venture forward. Why? Because when we abandon ourselves to Pure Love we become that which we seek and there is no joy like that. There is nothing that can compare. In the end we get back far more than we have given.

Luke 6:38 "Give and it will be given to you: good measure, pressed down, shaken together, and running over, will be given to you. For with the same measure you measure it will be measured back to you." The more you give, the more you get. But you have to make room for it and you can’t make room for it by holding onto things that no longer serve you or contribute to your good.

Awake, arise, and follow. This is simple but not necessarily easy.

Crisis: Danger & Opportunity

The top part of the Chinese symbol for crisis is danger and the bottom part is opportunity.

Not everything that happens in life is what we would call pleasant or easy but that whatever happens to us keeps offering opportunities for us to recognize the good in all things.

It offers a chance to get through some tough things and to come out much stronger. We have an opportunity to be much more in tune with and in touch with the Universe, ourselves and others. We have an opportunity to understand others when they have similar occurrances because we have a bit more of a clue what they might be going through and why they are feeling or acting the way they are. We can, in other words, have more compassion for others as well as ourselves.

We have an opportunity to see things in a much different light. For example even the smallest step forward will be exciting news for which one becomes most greatful. Everyday things one may have taken for granted previously can become awesome blessings. One's awareness becomes sharpened and one can ride the currents of extremes of up and down with more balance and poise. You also may find that who is right or who is wrong has less or no place of importance in your life.

A sunrise or sunset can become extreme joy to behold and lift your soul to a heavenly cathedral where your soul emerges with All That Is until you disappear.

Magnolias to Share

These are the first magnolias to blossom this season.

Let Your Light Shine

Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven" - Matthew 4:16


Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. It is our light, not our darkness, that most frightens us.' We ask ourselves, “Who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented, fabulous?” Actually, who are you not to be? You are a child of God. Your playing small doesn't serve the world. There's nothing enlightened about shrinking so that other people won't feel insecure around you. We are all meant to shine, as children do. We were born to make manifest the glory of God that is within us. It's not just in some of us; it's in everyone. And as we let our own light shine, we subconsciously give other people permission to do the same. As we're liberated from our own fear, our presence automatically liberates others. -- Marianne Willamson from her book A Return to Love

But Whoa! I can hear readers thinking. Oh, but this would give the ego free reign and I would become egotistical and get too big for my britches. God doesn't love selfish, egotistical humans who think they are better than others and bigger than God...etc. etc.

Healthy ego is guided by Divine Love. Egos guided by Divine Love know who and what they really are are comfortable with that, and they know that every soul is that. They are not puffed up. They do not need to destroy or control others in order to feel okay. They can then fully shine as they were intended to. Some people shine in talent, looks, creativity, intelligence, attraction or power but their egos still have not been brought into the Light of Divine Love and therefore often fail at some point and may certainly misuse these gifts. Most of us will recognize the lack of inner luster in these people.

But when ego is lighted by Divine Love, the light that shines is unmistakable regardless of one's outward appearance or abilities or the lack thereof of any of these.

Try your ego in the fire of God's Divine Love and it will serve you and mankind as it was originally meant to serve. The dross is burnt off and pure gold is left.

Fear not your own light and let it shine.

As we go about our day may the Light within us shine brightly and clearly so that the presence of Divine Love may be felt and enjoyed as it was meant to be.

THE GOD OF MY/YOUR UNDERSTANDING

It is my belief that we tend to "shape" God in our own image of what God is, how God feels, what God wants, and how God sees and judges things.

We are influenced in our shaping by our present spiritual focus, the spiritual focus of our parents or caretakers or significant family members or friends as we have been exposed to growing up and all along the way.

We are influenced by other writers, teachers, thinkers, through lectures, sermons, books and all sorts of media.

Some of us keep on exploring while others are content where they are and do not look beyond to any other possibilities. I belong to the former group but I truly believe that the explorer is no better or more developed spiritually than the one who does not. It is just something, maybe an inclination, one has or is born with while others are not. Same as when someone wants to be a doctor and another person a social worker. We might think one is a higher ambition than the other but each has its function and place.

I have noticed two major types of "God of people's understanding". One is a more rigid, black and white kind where you must do certain rituals or you must believe certain things in order to be right with God - otherwise you are going to hell, lost forever, booted out of God's kingdom and you are absolutely ahering to the wrong philosopy or religion. The other is more flexible and says that the more you are or become the Love that Spirit/God is, none of that matters for you are guided by Divine Love and Love is the first "law" if there are any laws at all. The former is more masculine based and the latter more feminine based. One is more law oriented; the other more love oriented but that is not to say that the former doesn't have loving components or that the latter one does not have laws or rules that are natural and expected. But it appears to me that some people’s personalities are more suited to either the more rigid form or the more flexible form; the more masculine or the more feminine. Now when I say masculine I don’t mean that you just refer to God as “He” or to God as “She” in the case of the feminine. I don’t really see God as having one sex or the other but people find it useful when attempting to communicate the ineffable. Rather as I speak of masculine or feminine here, it is an orientation, a way of viewing all things.

A masculine idea of God is the idea that calls one to adhere to God’s laws and includes the idea that God punishes and commands his subjects. Some of these laws are man-made or man interpreted. Even if the reason for instilling these laws were to help people get in touch with God, the church itself imposes the consequences or punishments or required acts of atonement for breaking the spiritual or moral law.

The God of my understanding is more feminine than masculine and welcomes me home like the prodigal son, prepares the fatted calf, gives me my clothing, embraces me, and doesn't even mention that I have "wronged" him in any way. But my understanding makes me aware of the Love that God is and the spark of God that I am so that I begin to have honor and reverence for the God of my understanding and for myself and all that is rather than being ”God-fearing”. I do believe however, that one most likely needs both the masculine aspects and feminine aspects in order to be more balanced in their spirituality. Perhaps that is why we have both types of understanding.

For every thought and action there is a reaction, a consequence, an outcome regardless of the law or love. These are not punishment or reward from God/Spirit they are just happenings that follow natural law.

Whatever the God of your understanding is, I respect that for I know that my understanding has changed and continues to do so; therefore these understandings are just simply understandings and nothing more. God is beyond that and all attempts we make to pigeon hole him/her.

In any case, Love continues to be the answer.