Guided Meditation • Visualization • Mindfulness

We are a culture that works long hard hours with very little vacation time, ”me” time, down time, family time, fun time, or just plain-old time.  Most of us work hard, but resent the work we do because it is hard.  As a result we look for what’s easy and quick; quick and easy dinners, quick and easy weight-loss, quick and easy money, and quick and easy spirituality.

The problem with “quick and easy” is that it will not create a lasting or real change in your conditions. “Quick and easy” is a state of mind that lacks commitment to process and is instead focused solely on outcome (product).

Like the latest diet crazy, quick and easy spiritual development, will only yield short term and ultimately frustrating results.  No matter what, you will always wind-up exactly where you are in consciousness.  True spiritual development is all about the process of unfolding.  This is why it is often likened to the opening of a flower, you blossom in your spiritual unfolding, and each stage has its own intrinsic beauty that needs to be savored and enjoyed.

Life is process, the process of being born, living, dying, and being born again. Within the process lies the magic and the energy of life; but to feel and enjoy the magic of life you must commit to the unfolding of it.

There is no end, only peaks and valleys in the story of eternity.

Try this:  This week re-read one of your favorite spiritual books.  Notice if you “see” or intuit anything different, perhaps there are passages you don’t remember ever having read.

Hi again,
The site was being updated so I’ve been MIA. I’ll check in on all your comments this weekend and get back to you. In the mean time, come to a class, that is if you are in the area

I’m really excited about tomorrow night’s meditation and journaling class. We are going to use our pens and our imaginations to break old and unproductive patterns and meditate our way into a stress-free and anxiety-free way of life! Yay! See you all there.

Part II of IV, “Do You Need the Ego?”

Do you need the ego?  Ego is a condition that arises from an unconscious separation from Source (Self).  Ego is fear.  You cannot find your true Self in the ego.

You are Whole.  You are Perfect. You are Loved. You are Complete.  You are the crowning glory of Spirit waiting to be realized.  You are all of this and so much more.

Within you lies the seed of vitality, energy, love, and freedom.  This seed is waiting for you to turn your gaze inward; waiting for you to believe that it’s actually there.

Have you investigated what you believe about yourself and the world? Or have you blindly believed what you’ve been told?  What you believe you come to know.

Believe in your Self.  Believe that you are whole, perfect, loved, and complete and you will come to know yourself as such.  Distract yourself from negative self talk by moving your attention into the breath and the feeling of your feet on the ground.  Do not allow your present circumstances, even if they are pleasant,  to define or limit you.

Go inward. Breathe. Ignore the ramblings of the ego, it cannot accompany you in the refuge of your Spirit.

Breathe. Connect with your inner truth…You are Whole. You are Perfect. You are Loved. You are Complete.

Peace!

During tonight’s and tomorrow’s class we will discuss how relationships can become a spiritual practice that heals the self, our relationships, and our world.

Hope to see you all there!

Shanti, Shalom, Salaam, Peace

During this weeks classes we discussed how we can move beyond our egos.  Some students, however, felt strongly that we need our egos.  The most common concerns were,  ego is necessary for human consciousness to evolve on this planet, without ego we would be too passive to create anything, ego is helpful in creating strong personal (and national) boundaries, and ego is what makes us unique individuals.

An argument can be made that without ego human consciousness would not have evolved as it is now.  However, the question is, is the ego useful to the continued evolvement of consciousness on this planet, and if not, can we let it go?

All of the hurt and dysfunction in our lives and the lives of others are the result of unchecked ego.

Your true nature is whole, perfect, and complete.  Ego is simply a condition that arises when humans are separate from their true, perfectly good, natures.

Ego is sustained by a wanting that can never be satiated. The ego wants love, power, and immortality.  The more divided we are from our true nature the more prevalent ego is in our lives.

We chase after love hoping to feed our emptiness.  We deny love to those whom we feel aren’t worthy of it.  Egoic love is conditional and conditional love is ephemeral and painful.

Poverty and hunger are the manifestations of the ego’s insatiable need for power.

Arguments and violent conflict in the home and between nations arise from our personal and collective need to be right, an extension of the need for power.

In the west we have an unhealthy denial of death, and as a result we are obsessed with youth and vitality and eschew the wisdom that comes with age.

The ego keeps us blind to the truth that we are an interdependent species; we thrive as individuals when we are harmonious in our communities.

Ego only serves me if I wish to continue to create suffering for myself and others.  Inner peace and ego are mutually exclusive. They cannot occupy the same space.

More next week

Shanti, Shalom, Salaam, Peace

—Read, “The New Earth,” by Eckhart Tolle

Join me for a special meditation service at the Redondo Beach Center for Spiritual Living.

The theme is, “Healing Relationships, Healing the World.” Come, and together we will cultivate inner peace that will heal our relationships and the world.

Where: RBCSL

907 Knob Hill Ave., Redondo Beach, CA 90277

Phone: 310-540-5080   Web: http://redondocrs.org

Cost: Love Donation

What you think about yourself is vital to your mental, physical, and spiritual well-being.  What you think about yourself is proportional to how race, socio-economic class, gender, and  level of education are interpreted in the society in which you live.  Another very important factor is how well loved you were as a child.

All of this cultural and personal ”stuff” has created an unconscious image that you refer to as your “self. ” How you interpret this “stuff,” either as positive or negative, will determine your personal level of happiness.

Over-coming the belief that you are powerless in the face of external circumstances is the most difficult aspect of any spiritual or self-development path.

Perhaps you were not well loved as a child, you live in a culture where you are considered a second class citizen, or you are hungry for food, shelter, warmth, love.  Your external reality may indeed be a source of pain and suffering.

However, the question you need to ask yourself is this, “Am I going to continue to be vicitmized by being in mental agreement with what my parents, society, or circumstances say about who I am and what I am capable?  Or am I going to live an empowered happy life?”

Here are three things you can do today to change your thinking and empower yourself:

1. Listen to your thoughts and challenge your negative beliefs.  Ask yourself, “Is this thought serving me?”  “Is it empowering?” “Is it helpful?”  If not, then consciously choose another thought that does serve you, that is empowering, that is helpful.

2. Read a short story about a person who has overcome a similar circumstance.  Then tell yourself, “If she could do it, then so can I.” Keep this story handy so you can look at it when you feel unsure.

3. Take one situation that isn’t working the way you would like it to, and re-write it to reflect how you would like it to be.  In this re-write paint yourself as the hero, say what you  want, do what you need to, and be the person who triumphs!

Shanti, Shalom, Peace

Hello,

Spring 2011 classes start tomorrow at the Redondo Beach Center for Spiritual Living.  Hope to see you all there!

On Wednesday March 2nd, I will be giving a Meditation Service at the Redondo Beach Center for Spiritual Living.  Meditation Services are fun, relaxing, and transformative.  I’ll see you there!Where:  Redondo Beach Center for Spiritual Living907 Knob Hill Ave., Redondo Beach, CA  90277Phone: 310-540-5080  Web: Redondo Beach CSLCost: Love Donation