Connected and Committed

danger - subversive activity

A friend pointed me in the direction of a wonderful British street artist - reminds me of Keri Smith and what she stands for, but with a different twist. It's amazing how much energy gets stirred up from a simple image, what preconceptions are uncovered, what new ways of seeing are possible. There's a great video to watch at the bottom of the page about the elusive creator. Enjoy.

gold

sleepy head

Due to progeny swept up in an immune system vortex, I didn't sleep much last night. And since I have been feeling punky myself lately, I thought this lack of real rest would do me in today. But it didn't. I was pleasantly surprised to still have some energy while I endured the construction delay home. Not sure what to attribute that to, but it's very welcome. Still going to bed early tonight, but it's very welcome.

gargoyle

nice

curves on chrome

Pollyanna

A friend of mine piqued my curiosity enough to go look up Pollyanna and where that label came from. I was delighted to discover that the character has a definite Abraham disposition. I quote from Wikipedia:

Plot summary

“The title character is Pollyanna Whittier, a young orphan who goes to live in Beldingsville, Vermont, with her wealthy but stern Aunt Polly. Pollyanna’s philosophy of life centers on what she calls “The Glad Game”, an optimistic attitude she learned from her father. The game consists of finding something to be glad about in every situation. It originated in an incident one Christmas when Pollyanna, who was hoping for a doll in the missionary barrel, found only a pair of crutches inside. Making the game up on the spot, Pollyanna’s father taught her to look at the good side of things—in this case, to be glad about the crutches because “we don’t need ‘em!”.

“With this philosophy, and her own sunny personality and sincere, sympathetic soul, Pollyanna brings so much gladness to her aunt’s dispirited New England town that she transforms it into a pleasant place to live. ‘The Glad Game’ shields her from her aunt’s stern attitude: when Aunt Polly puts her in a stuffy attic room without carpets or pictures, she exults at the beautiful view from the high window; when she tries to “punish” her niece for being late to dinner by sentencing her to a meal of bread and milk in the kitchen with the servant, Nancy, Pollyanna thanks her rapturously because she likes bread and milk, and she likes Nancy.

“Soon, Pollyanna teaches some of Beldingsville’s most troubled inhabitants to ‘play the game’ as well, from a querulous invalid named Mrs. Snow to a miserly bachelor, Mr. Pendleton, who lives all alone in a cluttered mansion. Aunt Polly, too— finding herself helpless before Pollyanna’s buoyant refusal to be downcast—gradually begins to thaw, although she resists the glad game longer than anyone else.

“Eventually, however, even Pollyanna’s robust optimism is put to the test when she gets hit by a car and loses the use of her legs. At first she doesn’t realize the seriousness of her situation, but her spirits plummet when she accidentally overhears an eminent specialist say that she’ll never walk again. After that, she lies in bed, unable to find anything to be glad about. Then the townspeople begin calling at Aunt Polly’s house, eager to let Pollyanna know how much her encouragement has improved their lives; and Pollyanna decides she can still be glad that she had legs. The novel ends with Aunt Polly marrying her former lover Dr. Chilton and Pollyanna being sent to a hospital where she learns to walk again and is able to appreciate the use of her legs far more as a result of being temporarily disabled…

” The novel’s success brought the term “pollyanna” (along with the adjective “pollyannaish” and the noun “Pollyannaism”) into the language to describe someone who is cheerfully optimistic and who always maintains a generous attitude toward the motives of other people. It also became, by extension—and contrary to the spirit of the book—a derogatory term for a naïve optimist who always expects people to act decently, despite strong evidence to the contrary.”

I’m piecing together some beliefs that feed and nurture me in ways that no other belief system has. Some random thoughts:

I believe there is enough abundance in the world to go around, for everyone to achieve their goals and wildest expectations. I believe that many of us learn from an early age that we don’t deserve that abundance, through familial teachings both spoken and unspoken, through religious dogma, through socialization and through direct personal relationships that do not nurture. I believe that the people of the world who grow up and choose to play in the finance playground and who also do it from a place of control and manipulation and greed grew up with a need for relief from whatever childhood insanity they survived on any of those fronts I mentioned. I believe that despite their ability to draw wealth to themselves, they are still grappling with an energetic albatross that keeps them in an emotional state of despair and/or anger that is relieved only by high stakes machinations, and only temporarily.

I believe these games have been played for thousands of years, and will continue to be played (this too shall pass) until a critical mass or tipping point of this planet’s population demands from an energetic perspective that we as one adopt a saner way of living, that produces more balanced children and adults, and allows the incredible lives we all could be leading.

I believe that a layer underneath the pointing of fingers at who is to blame for our troubles needs to be peeled away and the responsibility for what goes on be placed where it should be: on our own shoulders.

I believe that when we act from a place of fear rather than energetically line ourselves up with a knowing of what is really going on with the man behind the curtain and live our lives the way that makes sense to us to live them, we help perpetuate the insanity. We help keep what’s in place in place.

I believe that when Pollyanna and anyone else who chooses to line up energetically with who they really are, powerful creators made in the likeness of source/god that critical mass or tipping point gets closer and closer to being realized. I believe that finger-pointing (conservatives, liberals, republicans, democrats, blacks, whites, gay, straight, rich, poor, male female) and all other manner of distractions is encouraged and sanctioned to keep in place the system that supplies those who benefit from it with some emotional relief. They wouldn’t offer behavior that slights others if it didn’t make them feel better to do so.

I believe that it’s possible recreate heaven on earth when we get tired enough of the other stuff.

I believe that I contribute the most towards that goal when I line up with who I am and energetically take a stand like that young man in Tienanmen Square and face the tank head on. I know there are men and women behind the curtain making decisions that are not in anyone’s best interest but their own, and I invite them to climb out of that contraption and get to the work of healing themselves and making billions from another perspective, another viewpoint. Like love. Jesus offered that invitation. Buddha did it. Ghandi did it. Mother Theresa did it. Any of us can do it if we want to.

I hold the space for that to happen. I don’t believe that makes me a naive optimist. I think that makes me a progressive thinker and feeler. Pollyanna understood the power of positive expectation and making the emotional journey first before taking physical action.

I’m reminded of an Abraham session I attended where a man who is in the disaster recovery business asked for some clarification as to whether the bent that his work had led him to in other arenas of his life was coming from a place of fear or not, since he couldn’t discern for himself what his need to strategize and prepare meant. Surprisingly, Abraham said no, you are very interested in this kind of thing, it brings you great satisfaction to know you are prepared for any contingency, and they felt his vibration not to be one of fear at all.

So, whatever place we are in that gives us the most relief and the most joyful experience, I say proceed in that direction with your thoughts and your actions.  I personally don’t find relief in focusing on the problem. I do find immense pleasure in focusing on the possibilities of solution. And I would say that we need both perspectives, and the best of both perspectives.

Random thoughts terminate here.

how do you want it to be?

Yeah, so I see the headlines on Yahoo about the markets, and I see the falling gas prices. Does the world not see how these shifts are based on the emotions and speculation and preference and choices made by the powers that be? We can construct things however we collectively, energetically, want them to be, place a value on everything the way we want it to be.

World--how do you WANT it to be?

so many levels

If you sit and get really quiet, Debra, fully expecting your answer, it has to come. Guaranteed,     The Universe

Stay focused, run faster, jump higher, buy low, sell high, sleep later, dream longer, fall in love... TUT Rocks - engraved with the 3 words that make EVERYTHING possible!

Thoughts become things... choose the good ones! ® © www.tut.com ®

Expectation unlocks all doors, Debra, lights all paths, and frosts all cakes.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

This is so awesome on so many levels.

tis the season

amen

From Rob Brezsny's Free Will Astrology Newsletter October 22, 2008

Kissinger once asked Chinese premier Zhou Enlai what he thought of the
French Revolution, which had happened two centuries earlier. "Too soon
to tell," Chou answered.

I always like to keep these ideas in mind, even in times of relative peace
and calm. But I'm especially fond of focusing on the *very* big picture
when divine chaos is whirling around -- like now. It helps keep me humble,
and discourages me from any temptation I might have to believe I know
the Whole Truth about anything, let alone about the mysterious long-term
processes at work in the evolution of the human race.

There's another factor that makes me cautious about getting embroiled in
partisan politics and the narrow-minded hostility that fuels it. One of my
main goals in life is to love everyone with passionate intensity -- no
exceptions. Not just the people I find beautiful and helpful and interesting
and attractive. But also the people I don't like and the people who don't
like me and the people I disagree with and the people who can't or won't
do anything for me.

In order to become the gorgeous genius I aspire to be, in order to fulfill
the unique destiny I came to Earth to embody, I have to hold EVERYONE
in my heart with compassion and empathy. As I contemplate how every
single part of creation is interconnected, I've got to be aware that the
creatures I'm allergic to and inclined to feel alienated from are also part of
the great web of life.

That's my spiritual goal; it's essential to awakening my best self and
cultivating an  intimate connection to Spirit. It's also my selfish goal; it's
critical to my physical and mental health. Hatred always sickens me. Love
always invigorates me.

putting it out there

Returning to "normal" after a stretch of time with company around. Funny how quickly that happens. Almost like they were never here. Hmmm. Last night I melted into my bed with fresh flannel sheets and the bedclothes look essentially undisturbed, so I know I slept the sleep of the end of a journey.

Turned on the furnace this morning for a few minutes to take the edge off the crispness in the air. That simple change in the environment makes me happy. One example of how apartment living is such a good idea for me.

So I sat at the beading table last night for a few hours and they strung themselves in some magnificent ways while I watched. I have an opportunity to share them with an audience soon so I'll be spending some time getting them travel-worthy. Can't wait to feel what that is like, putting that energy out there.

tobacco

clothesline

purple

chard-onay

shave and a haircut

I just got back from a lengthy stint at the oil change joint, or more lengthy than I was intending. I thought it would be an oil change and a new wiper blade for the winter and then out, but some fluids needed to be replaced--they were nasty to look at--and when I balked at the cost, the guy offered me $30.00 off the total price instead of dealing with $10.00 off coupon that I had with me. Everyone involved, including an older female who just started on the job while I was parked in Bay #2, were a hoot to hang out with and made it fun.

Thank you, Universe, for such great playmates, and for keeping my car in such excellent condition.

what to do now

Not sure how long this will be on their site, but Esterham have posted a segment from a very recent seminar where a pointed question was asked about the financial "crisis" and the presidential debates that is perfectly perfect. I wish for as many people to get this message of focus and intent as possible. The day we get good enough at ignoring them, that will be the day the dabblings of men and women who had lousy childhood's become irrelevant and invisible.

And then we can really get this party started.

smile, you're on candid camera

So my body is telling me that I spent a lot of time last week in various states of energetic upheaval that didn't serve me. I had my metaphysical nose in other people's business where it had no business being, and now I am feeling the effects of that. Nothing other than just being tired on a level that is more than staying up late or sitting around too much. So I'll be fine. I'm just being ever more mindful of how I am in control of what happens to me, whether I want to be or not.

Well-I really do.

fall

be a part of the solution, not the problem

You cannot notice what-is and complain about it, and be a vibrational match to the solution. When you were living the problem, you were asking for the solution, and Source said yes immediately. So, there's never a reason for you to be wallowing around in a problem for more than about a second? You can get so good at this that before you're even aware that the problem has gotten started, you've already got the solution under way.

-- Abraham

a rampage

"You think that you feel bad because they misunderstand you and are judging you incorrectly. The reason you feel bad is because you are judging them about their judging...Their bad day is spilling over into your experience...The reason you feel bad is because you've just given them your power...The reason that you feel bad is because you're letting that condition run your life, a condition over which you have no control."

"I want people who know who they are to surround me. I want evidence of well-being to surround me. I want people who are supporting one another. I want people who are looking for positive aspects. I want to be around people who feel good more of the time. I want to meet people who want to know what I know, that I can offer solutions to them in soft and subtle ways.

I want to live a never-ending example of improvement. I want to be not only a good example to my children, but I want to feel the good example to myself. I want to be the person that I was born to be. I want to more often easily line up with who I am. I want to feel the ease of life as I come into vibrational alignment with who I am.

I want to know my well-being more of the time. I want to know my well-being so much, and be in alignment with my well-being so much, and in connection with who I really am so much, that that broader me can speak more often to those who are asking. I want to be far enough from the fray that when they're asking, I'm able to say to them, in a soft way that they can be more receptive of. I want people to feel the love that I am, rather than the contradiction of that love.

I want things to keep happening and I want to keep living life in a real way. I want people to continue to come to me and to be my manifestational indicator...When you've got people in your face, they are manifestational indicators of your vibration. They're not doing something to you, they're indicating something that you're doing to yourself. They're indicators of your vibration. That's who they are. So you say, "Oh, blessed indicator, I don't like what you're indicating, I think I'll shift my vibration and bring some other indicators"...Everything that happens around you is up to speed with what's active within you.

Blessed indicators."

--Abraham

 

get it

I heard on a morning radio show the other day that men notice when women hop up and start dancing to particular songs, and they don't get it. It struck me as funny that (some) men don't have that access that we do, or they don't hear that call. What is up with that?

It's so much fun being a woman.

amended

Someone sent this to me recently, and the tone just didn't sit right with me. So I rewrote it to fit how I see the world. My apologies to the author, but it felt really good to do so:

I Promise Myself
by Christian D. Larson

To be so strong that nothing can disturb my peace of mind.

To talk health, happiness, and prosperity to every person I meet.

To make all my friends feel that there is something worthwhile in them.

To look at the sunny side of everything and make my optimism come true.

To think only of the best, to work only for the best and to expect only the best.

To be just as enthusiastic about the success of others as I am about my own.

To forget the mistakes of the past and press on to the greater achievements of the future.

To wear a cheerful expression at all times and give a smile to every living creature I meet.

To give so much time to improving myself that I have no time to criticize others.

To be too large for worry, too noble for anger, too strong for fear, and too happy to permit the presence of trouble.

To think well of myself and to proclaim this fact to the world, not in loud words, but in great deeds.

To live in the faith that the whole world is on my side, so long as I am true to the best that is in me.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~

And this is what I amended it to:

I Promise Myself
by Christian D. Larson

To be so strong that nothing can permanently disturb my peace of mind.

To talk health, happiness, and prosperity to every person I meet when I am able.

To tell all my friends that there is something worthwhile in them. Whether they choose to feel that or not is not my business.

To look at the positive side of everything and make my optimism a choice in every moment.

To strive to think only of the best, to work only for the best and to expect only the best, as this is what serves me.

To be just as enthusiastic about my own successes as I am of others’.

To focus less on the meaning of mistakes of the past and press on to the greater emotional reward in having fun in the future.

To give a smile to every living creature I meet whether I feel like it or not, because it serves me to do so an often can make or break someone else’s day.

To give so much time to having fun that I have no time to dwell on fear and doubt.

To be too centered in who I really am that worry, anger, and fear can not trouble me.

To think well of myself and to proclaim this fact to the world, not in loud words, but in great thoughts/vibrations.

To live in the faith that the whole world is expanding for me, so long as I am true to who I really am.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~

The doomsday oracles and the sunshine oracles are both too extreme for me. I need a moderated, centered center to make sense of the world, and this does it for me.

pendant

blessings be

I'm not feeling so hot the last few days, but I'm doing alright. A few more days and whatever it is should have passed through my system with all the Cold Season tea I'm drinking.

But today was an awesome day in spite of that.

Little Man and I went Allowance Depletion shopping and found exactly what he'd been wanting. Then we went to a favorite thrift store where I bought some of the things I'd been wanting, like a new bathrobe, never worn, price tag $80.00 from JCPenney for $5. I could have spent $200 altogether, but I only spent $20.00.

I enjoyed the ever lowering gas prices in my area, when I know that some of my friends are having trouble even finding gas where they live.

I have felt no compulsion "to get something done" today, and that is just freakin' amazing. I've had occasions where I tasted this freedom from being driven, but not this complete or profound. I am simply enjoying what is in front of me, and it is very good.

I've never read Charlie and the Chocolate Factory before. And I've not seen either of the Willy Wonka screen adaptations. But last night we started reading the story out loud, and it is quite the compelling page-turner. I imagine Little Man will even overcome his propensity to not want to watch a new-to-him movie in order to watch this one.

Blessings be.

where to focus now III

The trick is in what one emphasizes. We either make ourselves miserable, or we make ourselves happy. The amount of work is the same.

-- Carlos Castaneda

where you can focus now II

"One of the most calming and powerful actions you can do to intervene in a stormy world is to stand up and show your soul. Soul on deck shines like gold in dark times. The light of the soul throws sparks, can send up flares, builds signal fires ...causes proper matters to catch fire...Struggling souls catch light from other souls who are fully lit and willing to show it.

If you would help to calm the tumult, this is one of the strongest things you can do."

~Clarissa Pinkola Estés

where to focus now

LOVING TREATMENT

Deep at the centre of my being there is an infinite well of love.

I now allow this love to flow to the surface.

It fills my heart, my body, my mind, my consciousness, my very being, and radiates out from me in all directions and returns to me multiplied.

The more love I use and give, the more I have to give, the supply is endless.

The use of love makes me feel good; it is an expression of my inner joy.

Yes, I love myself, therefore I take loving care of my body.

I lovingly feed it nourishing food and beverages.

I lovingly groom it and dress it and my body lovingly responds to me with vibrant health and energy.

I love myself, therefore I provide for myself a comfortable home, one that fills all my needs and is a pleasure to be in.

I fill the rooms with the vibration of love so that all who enter, myself included, will feel this love and be nourished by it.

I love myself, therefore I work at a job that I truly enjoy doing, one that uses all my talents and abilities, working with and for people that I love and love me, and earning a good income.

I love myself, therefore, I behave in a loving way to all people for I know that that which I give out returns to me multiplied.

I only attract loving people in my world for they are a mirror of what I am.

I love myself, therefore I forgive and totally release the past and all past experiences and I am free.

I love myself, therefore I love totally in the now, experiencing each moment as good and knowing that my future is bright, and joyous and secure, for I am a beloved child of the universe and the universe lovingly takes care of me now and forever more.

And so it is.
LOVING TREATMENT

Deep at the centre of my being there is an infinite well of love.

I now allow this love to flow to the surface.

It fills my heart, my body, my mind, my consciousness, my very being, and radiates out from me in all directions and returns to me multiplied.

The more love I use and give, the more I have to give, the supply is endless.

The use of love makes me feel good; it is an expression of my inner joy.

Yes, I love myself, therefore I take loving care of my body.

I lovingly feed it nourishing food and beverages.

I lovingly groom it and dress it and my body lovingly responds to me with vibrant health and energy.

I love myself, therefore I provide for myself a comfortable home, one that fills all my needs and is a pleasure to be in.

I fill the rooms with the vibration of love so that all who enter, myself included, will feel this love and be nourished by it.

I love myself, therefore I work at a job that I truly enjoy doing, one that uses all my talents and abilities, working with and for people that I love and love me, and earning a good income.

I love myself, therefore, I behave in a loving way to all people for I know that that which I give out returns to me multiplied.

I only attract loving people in my world for they are a mirror of what I am.

I love myself, therefore I forgive and totally release the past and all past experiences and I am free.

I love myself, therefore I love totally in the now, experiencing each moment as good and knowing that my future is bright, and joyous and secure, for I am a beloved child of the universe and the universe lovingly takes care of me now and forever more.

And so it is.

~Louise L. Hay

hope

"One of the most calming and powerful actions you can do to intervene in a stormy world is to stand up and show your soul. Soul on deck shines like gold in dark times. The light of the soul throws sparks, can send up flares, builds signal fires...causes proper matters to catch fire...Struggling souls catch light from other souls who are fully lit and willing to show it.

If you would help to calm the tumult, this is one of the strongest things you can do."
~Clarissa Pinkola Estés

the first act

I've learned over time to trust my instincts, my intuition, my gut, to varying degrees. Maybe not trust it so much as realize it was there, and to get it when it was telling me something.

The area in which I've had the most practice in allowing it to guide me is at my day job, with several tasks on my plate at any given time. A physical sensation around each task, like a Ouija board reading, tells me which is worth spending time on at that moment, and which are probably going to be, at some point in the near future, amended in some way as to be either canceled altogether or dramatically change direction. This sensation is invariably right on, and the amount of wasted emotion and work it has saved me is impressive.

I've only recently begun to tap into that sensation realm in matters of the heart. Unlearning knee-jerk unworthiness alerts takes time and redirection of focus. But I'm getting there.

Yesterday I was contemplating the kind of shifts that have happened when where my vibration is hanging out doesn't jive with someone else's, and we just naturally dropped out of each other's lives. This phenomenon used to cause me no end of pain and suffering, or that's how it seemed at the time. I was in control of that pain lever at all times, I just didn't know it.

Anyway, I could feel the possibility of that happening again, and as I was feeling my way through the sensation, that unworthiness thing was gone--completely. I realized that I would experience some emotion if this were to come to pass, but that overwhelm and abandonment thing that's plagued me my entire life to the point of hanging on to people and situations that just weren't good for me--not even a blip on the radar screen.

Instead of assuming that I would be terribly unhappy without this current thing that I interpreted as making me happy, I knew on a very deep level that I would be fine, and that this or something even better would be on its way shortly, because I've done the work and reached a knowing that this is so.

Instead of inwardly crumpling into a distraught blob of jelly, I was staying in my body and recognizing how empowering being at choice is.

Instead of me not being good enough for someone else, it was about a mutual not-serving awareness and naturally moving on, at least on my part.

Instead of feeling trapped, I felt free.

And later on in the day when it was verified that this shift and dropping out thing was not likely to happen, and probably wouldn't for quite some time, well, I was jubilant: for knowing that I was fine even if it did, and for knowing that I had made that rendezvous with this person who was in a place where that kind of shift wasn't likely, happen. My focus is what prompted that choreography by my casting director.

And that's just the first act.

  

renaissance fair VI