Vacationing Is A Wonderful Thing

We are on vacation up at 8800 feet in an area called Red Feather Lakes in Northern Colorado.  It is so wonderful being in this quiet cabin in the woods.  My wife Bobbi, Pax our dog and myself are slowing down and enjoying life.  It is easy to do when nothing is pressing, there are no appointments, no work to go to or get done.  We three just got up from a nap after a hike through the beautiful nature that surrounds us.  Pax is actually still sleeping.   

Nature slows us down, makes us feel better and more relaxed.  It has taken a few days to get into the vacation mode.  The always-busy life takes some time to leave behind.  We found a nice little library with wireless, so I thought I would write a blog today.  I realize how much I enjoy writing these posts.

We have been away from the news both the Web and newspapers and it feels good to not be caught up in the chaos.  There is so much drama going on according to the news, yet in the quiet of this place it doesn’t even seem to exist.  Keeping informed seems important but not getting caught up in the drama seems healthier.  I wonder sometimes if all the drama is just a way to avoid sitting quietly with ourselves, out of some kind of fear of who we will discover?  When I have quiet time I find there is a pleasant likeable person worth knowing. How about you, do you hang out with yourself very often?  Do you enjoy your own company?

I am just rambling about letting what comes up out onto my post today.  Yes it is very nice to vacation, there is time to enjoy life, time to slow down, time to be really present with yourself and your life.  I highly recommend taking some time to vacation, to get away from the habit driven life and feel the joy that is present in each moment.

I will be back to write soon.  We will be at the Sustainability Festival In Ft. Collins this weekend.  Stop by Peace Together booth and say hi if you are in the area.  Please take the time to enjoy what you have because it is amazing.

Stimulating Ideas While I Go On Vacation

My wonderful wife said I asked too many questions in my post yesterday.  I guess that is because I have so many questions banging around in my head.  I also wanted to ask enough questions so that at least 3-4 provoked your thinking to look deeper into what is going on in the world.  I also knew that I would be gone for a week and these questions can keep you busy for a few days at least.  For me these questions may keep me busy for a few years.  Let me know that you think.  On my wife’s advice, I will not in the future ask as many questions so I don’t overload our brains and cause a breaker to short-circuit.  

I have put together a variety of articles to stimulate your minds, hearts and spirit.  Two are political and several are expansive collection of really cool resources.  Enjoy and explore:

The first article is from Newsweek magazine about the GOP  working to keep eligible African-Americans from voting in several states.
http://www.newsweek.com/id/158392/output/print

The second source is a progressive site that is always full of very informative articles.

http://www.buzzflash.com

The following are the expansive articles full of lots of interesting and fun things to explore.

http://www.behancemag.com/100-Tips-to-Improve-Your-Life/5591

http://litemind.com/boost-brain-power/

http://abundance-blog.marelisa-online.com/2008/08/27/30-ways-to-increase-your-creativity/#comment-1873

http://www.soulcurrymagazine.dom


“Act happy, feel happy, be happy, without a reason in the world. Then you can love, and do what you will.”
Dan Millman

A Reminder: September 21 is International Peace Day.  Spread peace in some way that day.  We will be at the Ft Collins Sustainability Festival promoting peace and selling our peace shirts with our unique designs  www.peace-together.com.

(I will be on vacation for the next week and the above resources are to give you some interesting things to explore.  Thanks again for your readership and I will return to my blog on Peace Day. )

Peace and Joy to you,  Joseph

What Seems Right To You?

The last few days of experiences for me have got me thinking and feeling and tuning in more to the wisdom that flows through me.  I feel so much better when I pay attention inward to all the guidance I need for creating the life I want.  Now what I want to do is come to some kind of enlightenment about the following questions I have:

How come people feel their morality is superior to others?

How come the truth doesn’t matter as long as you think people have the same beliefs you have?

How come people actually avoid other points of view than the ones they believe are right?

How come Republicans hate to be asked questions about what they are doing?

How come accountability of the Executive is something Democrats avoided doing during the Bush/Cheney years?

How come 5% of the people have 90% of the wealth?  Are they better, more deserving people?

How come during an election year politicians say whatever they think people want to hear, even if it isn’t the truth?

How come the media shies away from asking candidates about the lies they speak?

How come the issues of our Nation loose out to the media’s fascination with personalities and opinion?

Do future generation matter to you?  How come it doesn’t seem to matter to many in the conservative point of view?

Should our politicians tell us what are morals should be?  

How come all the scientists of all the countries say we have serious problems with climate change and yet many people choose to believe a few studies financed by energy companies and political organizations that say that planet is not in trouble?

Why is ok to attack those who ask important questions as somehow un-American?

Why does being a prisoner of war who breaks under pressure make you a better leader than someone who is a community organizer helping people in need?

Why does living in Alaska close to Russia make you an expert on what they are doing?

Why do people follow leaders who show no significant qualities of leadership or any seem lacking in real wisdom?

How come corporations are allowed to have so much influence over government policy?

Who in our government actually looks after the needs of the people, for the common good?

Can we really make a difference or are we powerless against the forces of influence?  

Is it ok with you that the oil companies, insurance companies and financial speculators are making huge profits without any real oversight of accountability?

Isn’t the knowing of the human heart a better guide than the mind created beliefs of human beings?  

When will we evolve past the ego driven model of leadership in which dominance and control are the main ways of governing?

Yes I have more questions but this will do for today.  What questions do you have?  What responses to my questions can you share, which will bring some light to these topics for myself and my readers.  Over the next week I will be on vacation mostly up in the mountains in a cabin and not near web access.  After tomorrow my site will be inactive for the better part of a week.  I will leave some interesting sites for you to explore.  Please check back with my blog around September 22-23. 

I am very grateful to you my readers.  Thank you.  I will be back tomorrow and then back in a week.  

Let's Try Mamisma

Last night I had the great priviledge of listening to the great author Isabel Allende at the new Insight Speakers Series in Denver.  She is an amazing person who says it like she sees it.  Her contention is with 51 percent of the population being women, that same percentage should be in leadership in our government, corporations and organizations.  As long as we put up with the dominance of males this imbalance of power (and the world being a mess of wars etc.) will continue she says.  That was one of the strong points of her talk to a mostly women audience.  As a guy, I cheered her words with the hope that this message of women in power will spread.  Here overall theme was mamisma which she defined as abundant love.  She says the world needs the mamisma to get us unstuck from the same old thinking that represents the present leadership of this country.  

Yesterday I wrote about love vie the Divine Mother, last night the wonderful author Allende emphasized the importance of love.  Love is what will break us through the old and traditional power structures that only support others in influence.  Allende said, “we don’t need revolution, we need evolution.”  

Wake up women, wake up men, wake up from the trance of your life, the old beliefs, the misplaced resentments, the feelings of blame, the past hurts, the conditioning of the past, the ceaseless repetitions of our minds and whatever is spinning inside of us on an endless loop of misinformation and inadequate thought.   

Are you here yet, are you ready yet to be fully alive, alert, and awake?  

Hearts needed, love needed, compassion needed and wisdom needed or the same old unevolved ego driven madness continues.  

The Divine In Us in Never Fooled By False Beliefs

Yesterday my wife and I went to a darshan (blessing) by a Divine Mother reincarnate named Mother Meera.  She was born in India and lives now in Germany where she spreads her blessings world-wide.  For my wife, it was her first experience at being in the room with “a living Saint.”  I am very blessed to have been to a number of these holy kinds of experiences.  I have sought them out in the pursuit of higher levels of consciousness.  We both felt our hearts touched by Mother Meera and I am sure the other 300-400 people felt her too.  

Mother Meera is touring the US for the next month and she is an experience that would be personally enriching.  Checkout: www.mothermeeradarshan.org to see if she will be coming to a town near yours this month.  

Ammachi is another of the Divine Mothers spreading their love and compassion on the planet.  She is known as the Hugging Saint and you can find our more at www.amma.org

The world needs so much of what they have to share.  That same limitless love is in all of us not matter: who we are; where we came from; what our beliefs are; what religion we are a member of; what political party we belong to; or whatever criteria we may have falsely thought mattered.  Yes that endless capacity to love is in you and I.  

If the world could open to the giving and receiving of that love, all the problems would be resolved by our hearts and our consciousness.  

At this heart and wisdom level, politics doesn’t matter but we as a collective consciousness are not there yet.  That is probably already obvious to you.  I suggest we all put down our weapons of righteousness; our false sense of moral superiority; our radical dogma; our blind faith; our endless judging of self and others; our need to control; and whatever other human mind miscalculations are running us.  Instead with an open mind and heart we join forces to put those who would harm out of power and make compassion the rule and consciousness the goal.  

What do you think/feel/intuit about that?

Flowing People, Flowing Nation

Just a brief political comment: how could anyone with a critical thinking mind and a compassionate mind think that four more years of Republican leadership is what is best for this country?  I am sorry but the sheeple of the Right are wrong and must wake up or the disaster will continue and this country will quickly slip into a pit of disarray.  

I write about waking up to inspire myself; to assist you in being your best; and to wake up our nation that has for too long lived on our laurels.  We are loosing our status as a once great nation because a small-minded minority has tried to legislate morality while thinking in such limited ways about tomorrow.  I heard the other day that someone said, “that people who have blind faith are psycho’s.”  The more I thought about that, the more I laughed at how sadly true that is.  Insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results.  Four more years of the same policies that don’t work would define our nation as insane.

If you are at all awake, please talk to others and help them awaken.  This is a time that you and I must call on all of our inner resources to be the change we want to see in the world.  

My passion about today and the possibilities for tomorrow makes it impossible for me to ignore and not question what is going on.  How could John McBush be ahead in the polls, are people nuts.  I think I answered that all ready. (I intended to be brief but looks like I went on for awhile)

Back to the discussion about thoughts, intuition and flow, here is what I want you to think about.  Is the downstream available through our thinking or through our intuitive nature?  Is it possible to have what you want without fighting upstream for it?  Do you accept yourself as part of the creative force of the universe, if so what of your thoughts keep you from receiving?  What are you not paying attention to today that wants to guide you to most amazing life?  What limiting beliefs/thoughts hold you back?

Yes I keep on asking questions because some day and in some way the light will go on and you will see beyond anything you once thought possible, you will see into who you are and what your potential is, and the amount of light and life in you just waiting to be realized.   Look in the mirror today and see that sparkle in your eyes.  Let it out to brighten the world.  If there is dullness you need to stop reading everything and start listening inward.  Time is short and a lifetime can pass by way too fast.   An unexpressed life is a huge waste and that cannot be ok to you if you are still breathing.

Today is the day to be you as fully as you will allow your intuitive nature to be expressed.

Follow The Intuitive, Question The Thought

Yesterday I suggested you question your thoughts and the day before I had you pay attention to your intuition.  There is a method in my madness.  First that thoughts can’t be trusted because they are just thoughts.  Secondly, you might wonder, what can you trust?  Your intuition, your higher knowing can be trusted because they come from a place in you beyond the mind.  

Yes the mind is a real asset but it is not the ultimate source of wisdom or consciousness, nor is it who you are.  The mind is more like the processing unit of the stimuli/memory in your life.  The mind is logical but not necessarily correct.  Your thoughts can fool you or lead you astray.  Thoughts can be driven by conditioning, by habit, and by what is familiar.  That is why thoughts need to be questioned often.  

On the other hand your intuition, your higher wisdom is not from the mind.  It is most often from your body (gut), your feeling heart, and your expansive spirit.  These aspects of you are not bound by the past, by what you have learned, or by the ego’s need to control.  Intuition is your source of creativity, compassion, purpose and inspiration.  What else really matters?  Clear thinking is not always clear but clear knowing is.

This week make it your goal to distinguish thoughts from intuition.  Thoughts are an endless stream inside of you.  Intuition is a quiet knowing that is there when you want guidance.  Your intuition can lead you toward your fullest expression, your thinking can sometimes keep you spinning in a closed feedback loop.  Intuition feels right in your body and heart and often makes sense at a level beyond logic.  Explore and see what else you can learn.

The great reliance in the Western world on logic and thinking is over rated.  This emphasis on thinking is often at the cost of the heart.  Especially in the US, men are taught to rely on their thinking and to ignore their feelings.  This is what keeps so many men ignorant of what is really going on.  Without feelings and heart, the mind has no real base in what is real.  Feelings and intuition are much better guides for the relationships that matter.  

Enjoy your week and let your heart shine in your interactions.

Do You Question Your Thoughts?

What is on your mind today?  The reason I am asking is because your thoughts shape your experience of life.  I have been wrestling with my thoughts in the realm of politics and know they shape my experience of politics.  I think we are in a mess in this country, are we?  I think the leadership for the last 8 years was a disaster, was it?  I think those in the middle class have been totally neglected by those in power for too long, am I wrong in thinking that?

I ask these questions because I always ask myself about what I am thinking.  I occasionally hear a thought that represents an old point of view from my upbringing.  I examine those old conditioned thoughts so I can update them.  What old conditioned thoughts do you still have?  Which ones need updating?  

Have people forgot to ask themselves questions?  What if you actually believed everything you thought?  Seems like you would be a mess.  Thoughts are not real; they are only thoughts.  Every thought is just a thought and no more than that.  Every thought needs to be questioned.  

How come people blindly follow other people’s thoughts when there are just thought.  People actually believe without questioning what ministers tell them, what politicians say, what talk show and news opinion people sound off about.  Their words are simply their thoughts with no more reality than any other thoughts.   

This is always even clearer to me during an election year where so much is said that should be questioned.  Politicians say things to get your approval and don’t seem to be limited by the need to be truthful.  This is clear to me when I hear a minister/priest speak because I know they are just spokespersons for an organization driven by beliefs that should be examined.  This is clear watching all the pundits, so called experts, which frankly are just a bunch of questionable thoughts.  Think Fox News, which isn’t even news but full of bias and ideological slant.  How could anyone actually believe any thought shared by that network?

How come people seek out others to re-enforce their own thinking?  I do that and so do you.  I guess at some level we understand that are thoughts are not real and we are seeking validation?  I suspect all of us still need some further understanding about why we try to only listen to those who agree with us.  

I found watching the Republican Convention to be difficult because there was so much opinion against my thoughts.  I did find myself expanding my thinking as I watched and listened.  It was a good thing for me to listen to others with such a different viewpoint.   Frankly I was not very persuaded but I did see that these politicians actually seemed to believe their own thoughts.  I think that is dangerous for them and for us all.  

If you don’t question your thoughts, if our leaders don’t question their thoughts than our nation is in great danger.  Without questioning our thoughts, we have a country of sheeple run by the delusions of those that actual think they know what is best but have no ability to wonder if they are right or wrong.

Heart, Breath, Quiet, Slow Down

Hope you are having a good Saturday.  Yesterday was dreary here and I am not ready yet for fall.  Of course I am never ready for fall especially here in Colorado where things can turn cold fast.  In Santa Barbara, where I use to live, this is often the nicest time of year.  I like it when the sun shines and the days are warm.

I have been writing about politics lately because it seems there is much to think about.  Today, however, I am going to return to writing about living in the downstream flow of life.  The other day I talked about listening to your intuition.  Today I want to help you do that more effectively.  The best ways that I know how to turn up the volume of the intuition include: breathing, slowing down, being quiet, and tuning in to your heart.

The breath is wonderful tool for tuning in to your inner guidance.  If right now you took a few minutes to simply notice the flow of the breath in and out of your body, you would naturally find yourself becoming more aware.  In this moment of awareness, you can listen for the intuition.  Sometimes it will be clear and other times the noticing of your breath will simply center you in the present.  The more you practice breathing with awareness the more you will hear the inner messages that can guide you downstream to the effortless and joyous life you want.

The next practice is slowing down, the breath can be a helpful part of this practice.  Slowing down means taking you out of the speedy life most people live.  You can go sit on a bench in the park, turn on some quiet music and lie down on your couch, relax in a hot bath, drink an ice tea in your garden, go for a relaxed walk at night.  There are many relaxing activities that break the cycle of hurry and worry.  Every day should include some time to slow down and be in the now where you can be free of rushing and doing.  In that slowed down space the intuition can come knocking and the downstream action can be clearly presented.

The world we live in can be noisy and overwhelming.  Being quiet is about leaving the chaos of the world and instead sitting, lying or moving quietly.  Meditation, tai chi and yoga can all be quieting practices.  Sitting on a comfortable chair and just being quiet with no TV, CD’s or Radio or other distractions can allow you to find you inner voice and actually hear it.  There is always guidance available if you are available to hear it and being quiet makes you receptive.  In the quiet moment listen to the guidance of the knowing flow in you.

Your heart is amazing because it knows no limits in its capacity to love.  If your heart is paid attention to, it can always show you how to open to love, how to expand your self-love, and how to reach out to the world with compassion.  Your heart is fountain of intuitive knowing waiting to show you the light of love.  Let you heart guide you, let it show you the way to your fullest expression of self and purpose.  A passionate heart is an energy generator that has the capacity to light up the world.  Listen inward to the heart’s wisdom and you will make a real difference in whatever you do.

I hope you find these four intuitive pathways helpful.  Please drop me a line here at the blog if you have any questions about these paths or anything else that has you wondering.  I will call on my intuition to respond.  Enjoy your day, enter the flow and have fun.

Hero McCain Is Good Person, Not leader For Tomorrow

It is Friday and I didn’t want to talk politics but the convention ended last night and I had to share some thoughts.  The first is that Sarah Palin is very ambitious and she will say whatever it takes to win no matter what she claims her values to be.  John McCain will not allow her to be interviewed and she will only give prepared talks.  There are real dangers if she starts talking about what she believes.  

Last night John McCain stepped up to the microphone and gave a speech that told his story, which is compelling if you like war heroes and showed his dislike for the last eight years.  I left feeling more positive about the person he is but not at all inspired to vote for him and what seems like it will be four more years of the same old elitist GOP politics.  I had hoped for more expanded ideas so this election could be about who has the best strategies for change.  I heard little in the way of inspiration but there was compassion for his country.  He was a brave man but not the leader I want at this low point in our history.  

What do you think now that you have heard the two candidates for President?  Who do you feel can lead us out of the rut we are in?  Who do you think represents the changes needed after this sorry administration leaves office?  Can there really be victory in our occupation of Iraq?  How can anyone say there will be victory for the Iraqi people when there has been such incredible loss?  

Yes I agree with McCain when he said, we need to get involved.  If we don’t like the way things are going then it is up to us to do something about it.   Do you feel like you have something to offer?  What will you do to make a positive difference?  Whoever wins, they will need everyone’s help to get us and our nation out of the hole these 8 years have put us in.  I very much disagree with the McCain theme of fight, fight, fight.  That was the theme of Bush, Cheney and Rove and it got us into a huge mess.  

It is time for change and Senator McCain is best left in the Senate where he can again return to be a maverick instead of the Bush clone he sounds like since trying to become our next leader.  We need inspired leadership, who can think outside the box, have a heart of compassion, and the wisdom of an open mind.  

TGIF and enjoy the weekend.   

A note about the Republican mockery of Obama’s work as a community organizer: Community organizing is about ordinary people responding to out-of-touch politicians and their failed policies.  

Sarah Can Speak But Wait To See What She Believes

Tonight the talk Sarah Palin gave was well done even if it was inaccurate about Obama and that it didn’t addressed any of the important social issues of our nation.  She can deliver a speech much better than her running mate Senator McCain.  She deserves a real round of applause for the job she did.  It is her far right religious ideas that are scary.  As long as she can avoid letting the majority of the country know what she thinks, she will be an asset in this election.  The next two months will inform us all a lot about how well she can hide her real points of view.

Like Governor Palin, we all have things that we believe that stand us apart from Main Street.  We all have the right to believe and act as we choose to as long as it does no harm.  Some of Governor Palin’s beliefs can and will do harm:  
•    She wants creationism taught in school, which will make our students less prepared for the real world.  
•    She denies the existence of Global Climate change, which will harm us and our planet.  
•    She refused to fund sex education and we all know the results of that.  
•    She wants to open Alaska to the oil companies, which we know will wreak havoc on that pristine environment and generate huge profit for themselves while not lowering the price of gas.  
•    She has her husband involved in many of her meetings as Governor as if they are co-leading their state.
•    She wants to take away the rights of women to choose what is right for their own bodies.  
•    She wants to remove the individual rights of gay people.
•    She wants to let God take care of the War in Iraq, which may be right because the president claims God wanted him to start it.  

The more you look the more you have to question this fine speaker being one heart beat away from leading this country.  Again it is about seeing beyond the surface, it is about finding the truth beyond the words.  

Why do people in power especially those in the GOP dislike it so much when the media asks them questions.  As soon as they get uncomfortable questions they refuse to go on Larry Kind and blame the Liberal Media.  The Media is not liberal it is corporate, which would tend to be more Republican.  The fact is those in power in this party hate to be held accountable and anyone that tries to question them is labeled to distract from what they don’t want to talk about.

Yikes I have been on a ranting tonight.  My wife and I were sitting there agreeing that we have gotten too involved in all the political energy and chaos of this election year.  Yes we want to be involved and informed but we also need to be relaxed and willing to spend more time in quiet contemplation, which has got to be more productive than obsessing about the latest political news.  We realize that this election is very important and yet if we want peace, we have to be peaceful.

Have a good day, stay informed and be peaceful.      

New Vibrant Leadership Needed

The Republican convention got going tonight and frankly it seemed kind of flat.  This is not a party of inspiration but more of holding on to what they define as traditional values.  The trouble may be that these so called values are not at the top of the list for the majority of Americans.  As Joe Leiberman said tonight this is a very critical election and he talked about the leadership coming together in a bipartisan way to bring solutions to the problems of this nations.  That is a great idea and one promised by the President when he came into office.  That did not happen.

Now we are being asked to put the country first as a theme of this convention.  Have the needs and concerns of people been the top priority of the past eight years?   It does appear the needs and concerns of the very rich have been served but the rest of us have been left to fend for ourselves.  

I don’t know about you, but I prefer a government that helps the people not burdens them with war, debt and rising costs and concerns.  That is what I am looking for in leadership, not the same old thing in a new package of misinformation.

Ok in a perfect world we would all come together and work out what needs to be worked out.  That will not happen in our world as long as those that “have,” refuse to give an inch and instead place the burdens of this nation on those who do not have.  This can only happen in a world where the care, safety, health and well-being of everyone matters.  Are we there yet?  No yet and it will take some awakening to get to this expanded way of thinking.  

Let’s shrink this whole big project of a better America down to what you and I can do.  We can vote for people with vision and imagination.   We can support people who know what is most important to the majority of people.  We can make sure every citizen’s right to vote is protected and that they vote.  We can insist on voting machines with a paper trail.  We can give our time and ideas to campaigns we believe in locally, statewide and nationally.  We can quit complaining about what isn’t working and do something positive and productive.  And we can stop the insistence on struggle and open to a better world that is free of the good old traditional suffering encouraged by the religions of the world.  

This better world is where people of foresight and insight explore the best ways and inspirations so that we all have what we need and even more.  There is plenty for everyone and there is no need for greed, no need to control, no fear for safety because everyone has what is necessary.

How about you?  Are you ready for something different?  Are you ready for a better way?  Are you ready to keep everyone in mind and heart as you join together to make the world what it can and wants to be?  

Are you ready to commit to:
•    Believing in the goodness of all things
•    Not making suffering your goal
•    Having fun and real joy
•    Having an open mind
•    Having an open heart
•    Caring about all others
•    Going downstream with ease toward the life you want
•    Letting go and move on from the past
•    Taking full responsibility for your life and the nation
•    Playing more and being less serious
•    Enjoying all that is possible
•    Accepting yourself just as you are
•    Giving up your self-pity
•    Going for what you want
•    Expressing yourself with passion and creativity
•    Feeling grateful for all you have
•    Understanding your Higher nature and purpose
•    Living the truth that you are One with the Source of all
•    Loving, in every way you can, everyday

Then you will be free and so will all of us.  

News, Fall, Learning and Flow

Amy Goodman is a very brave person.  She is always seeking to find out the truth.  If you ever have watched her program Democracy Now or heard her speak, you have no doubt that she is passionate about her country and about the truth.  Her arrest should concern every citizen.  She has been released with her crew but the charges still remain.  I just mentioned her in my blog the other day because I have such respect for the work she does.  Please check out Democracynow.org.

My intention was to get back to writing about you and I creating the life we desire.  However, the news has been so rich with happenings that invite comments and questions.  So I am sure I will be back for my political comments this week.  

Today here in Boulder, it feels like the first day of Fall.  There is a chilly breeze blowing and the hot weather all of a sudden seems to have gone away.   I find that this time of year helps me focus more because I get into my old rhythm that feels like return to school time.  I spent 7 years in school after my graduation from college so the school pattern is ingrained.  I am also a life-long learner and this time of year I feel the desire to learn and explore new ideas.  Where this desire for learning will take me, I don’t know but I will see what draws me to be explored.  

Two ideas come to me as I write this: one is to further deepen the listening of my intuition and the second is to explore what Source is and how to align with it.  This goes along with what I have been writing about concerning flow and learning the ways of being more open and less effortful.  There is more for me to learn here so I will.  

Today and this week my practice will focus on listening inward, hearing the call of my intuition, my inner guidance system.  I will do that by: paying attention to what I sense; noticing the subtle invitations to go this way or that; attend to the feelings that nudge me in a new direction; listen to the whispers of knowing that are always there; honor the wisdom of my heart; and be available to any signs that may show up along the way.  

Are you willing to try this too?  You always have the guidance you need inside and all you have to do is show interest and it will become clearer.  Give this a try this week and let me know how it goes.  I will do the same.     

Amy Goodman Is Arrested in St Paul

I am shaking because I am so upset that Amy Goodman has been arrested for asking questions.

Checkout the 2nd video showing her arrest.  This is not democracy in action, this is a police state acting like fascists.

At this site checkout the phone numbers to call in the comments section.

This is not right, journalist should not be arrested for asking questions.  Please do what you can to spread this message to get her released.

http://minnesota.publicradio.org/collections/special/columns/loophole/archive/2008/09/democracy_now_host_amy_goodman.shtml

Does What You Think Matter?

We have so much information available to us to inform our thinking.  The Internet has made it possible to find out what we want to find out.  Today the traditional news is more about sensationalism and experts giving their opinion than about what is really happening.  Sometimes it seems Amy Goodman is the only true investigative journalist left in America.  The networks are huge corporations with points of view that are about the bottom line, not about seeking the truth.

Yesterday I wrote about the importance of critical thinking.  Today I want to again emphasis the importance of asking questions until you have the answers you seek, until you feel you have the truth.  There are so any questions to be answered about our government and the corporate influence that dictates our lives.  Each of us must find our own answers.  If we don’t, we will continue to be stuck with leadership that is a disaster.  We are the leaders of this country, not the lobbyist, not the money influence, not the corporate wishes, not the politicians run by ego, not any religious influences.  We are the leaders we have been hoping for.

Some of the questions worth exploring:

Why did John McCain choose Sarah Palin who many think is not even qualified to be governor of Alaska as his running mate.  Was he considering what was good for the nation, or what might help him win some votes?

How come the police in St Paul, Minnesota have been raiding the homes and office of people who might protest at the convention?  Is this more of the same Bush tactics of now allowing any opposition anywhere he goes?

How come in the face of overwhelming scientific agreement by the best scientist in the world, some people still think we are not facing a global crisis?  Did you know that the few reports arguing against global climate change where sponsored by Big Oil and politically conservative organizations?

How come the past is supposed to be better than the future in a conservative point of view?  Is it really possible to for things to not move forward and evolve?  Is the conservative agenda more about control then freedom?

Is it ok with you that 90-95% of the wealth is in the hands of 5% of the people?  Are tax breaks for the richest beneficial to the nation?  Isn’t the trickle down economics of the Republicans a an elitist point of view for the benefit of the rich?

How come this president hasn’t been held accountable for all the lies and laws he has broken?  Is starting a war ok with you?  Is torture ok with you?  Is domestic spying done illegally by this administration ok with you?  Is this president thinking he is above the law ok with you?

Should the religious beliefs be influencing government policy?  Isn’t creationism the opposite of science?  Why do people tend to accept whatever ministers tell them to believe?  Have they lost their own ability to figure things out?

There are so many other questions to be asked.  I know it is a lot of work to be informed, to seek your own truth.  You have to be an amazing human being to be that dedicated.  In fact you are innately amazing if you choose to be.  The future of our planet is dependent on the “amazing” in all of us to come out and be expressed.   

Are You A Critical Thinker?

How come people aren’t critical in their thinking?  Someone told me about a book that was highly critical of Obama so I got on the internet to read some reviews and what came up were numerous references to reviewers questioning the so called facts.  The person that told me about the book accepted it all as fact.  The author that wrote it has a history of very biased writing.  Maybe the person that told me about the book was looking for reasons to dislike Obama.  I suspect that may have been the case.

It is true that we like to have our ideas supported.  Is it ok that we seek out information that is false to support our thoughts?  Isn’t the truth more important than the false supporting of what we want to think?  Isn’t ultimately better to know what is true so we can be informed?  Isn’t it also important to know the source from which we get our information?

I want to know the truth.  I want to be an informed citizen.  If my beliefs our incorrect, I want to know.  I think of my parent’s generation as being more rule followers, who don’t question authority, and don’t seem to use critical thinking.  Maybe it is not just in my parent’s generations, maybe it is more across the board than I know?  

What is your experience?  Do the people you know think critically?  It seems that many religions are held together by people who don’t question what they are told to believe.  That seems also true in politics, where those that question things are called Liberal?  Corporations also seem to have the expectation that you be a good worker and follow along with the culture of the company.  Serious questioning seems to be frowned on by those in authority.

I highly suspect that our country and the planet are in the shape they are because of the lack of critical thinking.  Where in your life do you carefully think things through and search for the truth?  Where in your life do you just go along?  It seems much easier to just go along in some ways.

Let’s imagine that you took on the challenges of genuinely seeking the truth in all areas of your life.  How might that enrich your experience?     

Barack Star

Was that the talk of an inspired leader or what?  Barack Obama is hope for America.  I borrowed the title of the blog today from our local paper and I suspect this is a title that could be on every paper this morning in America.  Barack is a star and so are you and I and everyone else who cares enough for this country to get involved.  Record numbers are showing up and speaking up.  The young have been inspired by Obama and will be a force in this election.  Older people who for long time have been disenchanted are getting involved again.  There is hope and that hope is you and I and leadership that can think for the future with everyone in mind.  

I felt the energy of that stadium with around 84,000 people who cared enough to show up and cheer for Obama, each other, and America.  That is the kind of energy needed to push past the fear, the conservative resistance to change, the self-doubt, the limited and limiting old ways.  That is the kind of energy needed to push forward the agenda for a better America and a better world.  That is the kind of energy needed to break from the establishment and live fully in the 21st Century.

The flow of us all coming together for the good of all people will transform the nation and the planet toward its higher potential rather than keep in stuck in the ghost of the past.  

Does anyone really think we can do things now as they were done in the past?  Have those resistant to change seen all that is going on?  More work, less pay, more struggle, less middle class, more debt, less savings, more profits, less recipients, more deficit, less security, more fear, less relief and on and on, that is the legacy of the Bush/Cheney years.  

Yes there needs to be changes in almost every sector of society and only expansive thinking leadership can succeed, only willing and determined people will make it possible.   We can come together by the joining of forces of the people for the people and the results will be easier than we thought possible.  

Find out where you can sign up today to get involved in shaping our positive future.  We are all counting on you to live as fully as you can the potential, passion and purpose that are unique to you and your life.   You and I, in the pursuit of what we want and what we know is for the good of all people, will be a wonderful thing and a beautiful creation.

Tonight’s The Night For America

Tonight Barack Obama will formally accept the Democratic nomination for President of the United States.  He is a great speaker and I am sure the talk will be one to remember.  This nomination of a black American to run for president is also something that will be a part of the legacy of those who lived to see this happen.  I am very excited about this day in our history.  I suspect that Martin Luther King would be very proud of this moment also.  

This nomination is more than historic.  It is also means at a deep level that people want to believe in hope and the possibilities of our nation again.  It feels over the past 8 years as if we have all had to endure a setback of higher human values by the needs of the ego in search of power and dominance.   Barack Obama is a return to a higher way, to an intelligence guided by heart.

Last night President Clinton made it very clear that he felt Barack Obama was the leader we needed.  Joe Biden confirmed that he too felt Obama was uniquely ready for the task of leading this nation.  The convention center, full of delegates, seemed to have come together in a unified belief in the optimistic future for this election with Obama as the candidate.   I know for the first time in a long time, I am voting for someone I believe in and not the lesser of two bad choices.  

I watched PBS’s coverage last night instead of CNN’s and frankly it seemed just like a news network not a parade of highly biased experts.  The difference was refreshing and not so focused on the drama of opinion.

The energy of politics is enticing to me but the amount of saying what you think people want to hear would be stifling.  The great politicians seem to speak in ways that try to reach everyone.  That is a great gift and something that is needed at this level.  I appreciate the skill level of all those who spoke with such passion and purpose.  

The skill sets of these people in high offices are extraordinary.  What are extraordinary at?  In what ways could you move people to make changes?  Where is the aliveness and inspiration in what you do?

Yesterday at my job, one of our clients completed our program and he is now ready to go out into his world and try to stay in recovery.  He came to us guarded and hardened.  He left open, thoughtful and excited about a better life.  I feel protective of him as he left because I know there are many challenges to be faced.  His addictions will pull on him and test his resolve.  If he is to succeed he must count on the support of others and keep his thoughts and heart in order.

Whether it is my client on his own, Barack Obama running for president, or you and I doing our lives in the midst of the ups and downs, it all comes to this reality:  we are all on our own hero’s journey and it is those with determination and a willingness to keep on growing that will succeed even if we have failures along the way.  

The future of our nation depends upon our willingness to learn and expand, not on the tired old ways of the past.  Together with open minds and hearts we can do what we need to do to get this nation back on the path to a positive tomorrow.  There is much to repair but the focus needs to be on solutions that will make a difference over the long run.  Are you ready to flow towards an inspired future where each of us makes a difference by expressing our unique heart, mind and creativity?     

Hillary Hits A Home Run For Democracy

Hillary hit a home run last night at the Convention.  She asked everyone to come together as a party and to vote for Barack Obama.  Her talk was full of passion for the future and for the kind of leadership necessary to make America great again.  I enjoyed the talk and found it very inspiring.  Go Hillary, Go Barack.   This is democracy in action and it is good to see my fellow citizens alive with the fervor for a better nation and world.

Are you ready to get involved fully in your own community and your nation?  Are you ready to realize the passion and power with in you?  Are your ready to step up to the plate and make a difference?  Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton have given their lives to the service of this country.  They are two amazing human beings doing their best to make a positive difference.  You too can be champions of democracy by getting involved to make sure change does happen for the good of us all.  

“We have a lot of work ahead of us,” says Hillary.  Yes we do and you and I have the capabilities necessary to succeed.  Yes we can. Where is your passion?  Is it: a new direction for this country, universal health care, saving the planet, reducing corporate power, election reform, equal justice, green economy, financial equity, windfall profits for oil, educational reform, fair trade, ending the war in Iraq, or something else?  Whatever stirs passion in you is a path worth following.  

Go with the flow in you towards what you value, what matters to you, what gives you meaning in life, what makes you feel alive and energized, what keeps you going even when challenged, what fills your heart with joy.  

There comes a time when the couch is no longer the place where we need to be.  It is time to be out in the flow of life where the people are and possibilities abound.  You and I are needed now at so many levels.  Shall we dance?