Blocks to Freedom

Why many don’t truly break free from their addictions is because the things being used are usually addressed as what needs to be changed. When what causes the reaching is changed, the addictions fall away.

Our true essence underneath all this false identification is always there, it’s just not known because it’s blocked out. It can be likened to our arteries becoming clogged and blocking the blood to our heart, which keeps our heart from operating properly. This is what happens to us when we block our true nature from arising, we don’t operate in properly. Both blockages are detrimental to our physical and spiritual well being. They both lead to death unless the blockage is undone. In the physical form when the arteries become clogged the heart will eventually stop. In the spiritual form our blockage leads to the death of our spirit. Both cases are equally as deadly and it isn’t always known that its occurring until it is to late.

Many things contribute to our blockage and if this isn’t understood, the blockage will remain. The blockage cannot get undone on its own, hence a broken mind can’t fix itself, when it’s realized the blockage is there, steps can be taken to alleviate it. When you change what causes the blockage, the blockage falls always. You don’t change the actual blockage, you change what causes it. Why most people don’t change is because they are trying to change the blockage instead of what causes it. This is the exact reason why many don’t truly break free from addictions, the things being used are usually addressed as what needs to be changed. Understanding why there’s a needs to reach for anything is the only way the true freedom from the bondage of addiction will ever truly be experienced.

Celebrate Life

We are here simply because of the Universe. Life is the Universe’s celebration in the manifestation of our human form and love is our true nature. To awaken to this is to awaken to the celebration of life…

We need not wait for the holidays to celebrate life. Everyday is a holiday because being alive is a celebration of life manifested from the love of the Universe and we are the gift; the present of the Universe to the world. If you don’t think this is so it isn’t because of life, it’s because of the way you are viewing it. You’re probably saying if the Universe is love what about all the unpleasant things that occur in life, or the unloving nature of some of the things experienced. None of this is produced by the Universe, they’re a direct result of the conditioned behavior of humans. The Universe doesn’t directly produce anything. Everything naturally arises as a manifestation of its love because it’s only capable of love. Humans on the other hand are another story. We have the capacity to cause so much destruction, but no matter what we do it will never be our true nature. That will always be based in love, it’s just the way we’ve been conditioned that makes this unknown.

Our celebration is an everyday occurrence and although one day our celebration will not be manifested in this form, our true nature as love will always be. This is the way it is because this is the way the Universe is and since we are a present of the Universe, our nature is always love. When a gift is given to someone in the spirit of love, no matter what happens after the gift is given, it will never take away that it was given in love. No matter how hardened one becomes by their conditioning, love will always be their true nature. Know this truth and you will make everyday a holiday and life will be the celebration that the Universe intended it to be.

Limits of Thinking

Human behavior hasn’t changed much over time, it may have actually gotten more conditioned. Thinking is just the way the Conditioned Mind keeps one in its prison to the delusional self.

To truly live one must learn to be true to thyself and this will require an entirely different way to view life. For the current view to become different so you’re in harmony with life, our heart must open to a view that touches the unlimited resources of the Universe. This means you will have to let go of the small minded limited self who thinks and thinks and thinks and holds onto thinking as the foundation of life. If you must think, think about this, where do all the issues you have with life formulate from and does your thinking about them constantly really solve anything? If it does than go ahead and think, but don’t waste you time thinking about things that have no solution.

Thinking is just the way the Conditioned Mind keeps one in its prison to the delusional self. You justify what you’re thinking about, but it doesn’t solve anything, you just become more engrained to your subconscious false “I”. You make what you think about soooo important, but it’s really only important to your small self because you’re not in tune with the unlimited resources of the Universe. Human behavior hasn’t changed much over time, it may have actually gotten more conditioned. Because of the small minded limited view that’s developed, you think what you think about is so important, but its only important to the small minded limited self. Wake up, nothing you think about is so important except to the Conditioned Mind. This is the delusion created and until one breaks free of this hold, you will be walking around not living in a loving manner. Basically by not living life in a loving manner, you are not truly living and you will remain blind to just how limited you truly are.

Taken By Surprise

When things happen to you that take you by surprise, will you be ready for it or will you revert to the self that’s based in the world and go in the opposite direction of your spiritual nature.

It seems that things always happen to other people. When the news is watched, it’s about other people. When there are stories at work, it’s about someone else. Others seem to be the ones that get sick, or have tragedies occur in their life. It’s even other people who are the ones that die, but what happens when it’s your turn? We’ll not the die part, but the other things, sickness, others death, loss of jobs, or things like house fires, or floods, these are but a few of the things that can definitely knock one off their spiritual direction. There are many hours spent practicing, sitting, reading, discussing beliefs, and philosophy, but what happens when push comes to shove and there isn’t time but to react to what occurs because it has taken you by surprise? Many times it seems the so called spiritual direction is thrown aside and the deeper inner psyche takes over. I know for me when I get caught by surprise, my reactions tend to revert back to the deeply rooted psyche of a self that has been in place for many many years. This self only deems things beneficial that are of world, and as far as spiritual direction is concerned, it doesn’t see it as much of a benefit.

It has been my observation that this self is what most people revert to in times of stress. I have found by being with life as it occurs, although one may not react in the way that has been practiced or is desired, what’s in the current psyche has to be accepted for what it is. This is because things don’t always happen to the other person, and this awareness that things happen to everyone is a reality that unless accepted with no if, ands, or buts, it will keep one assuming that things only happen to someone else. So the question is, when things do happen to you as they most certainly will, and you are taken by surprise, will you be ready for it or will you revert to the self of the world and go in the opposite direction of your spiritual nature.

The Same Space

Nothing is inherently who you are, but inherently you are all things. If you can truly sit and just be in the space of what is, you will see everything is of the same space.

I know the Law of Attraction states conceive it and you will achieve it, but what my experience has been is visualize it and it is done. When I sit and visualize something I am there. Whether it’s playing a musically instrument, singing, being rich, emanating peace, being love, or anything else, to me this is so because nothing is inherently who you are, but inherently you are all things. Read this slowly and allow it to sink in: Nothing is inherently who you are, but inherently you are all things. This requires the non attachment to any mental formation of what’s actually occurring or what’s being visualized. Because everything is inherently impermanent the only way visualization is blocked is by attachment to the emotional aspect of something. I could visualize a conceived reality or be with the given moment as it is and they are truly one in the same; that is as long as there isn’t attachment.

Because everything passes, yesterday’s dream is no different than yesterday’s memory of what went on and because of this it also includes whatever is visualized. The key here is in not needing the present moment any different than what it is. Don’t attach to it and just allow the energy to flow. Attachment is a story, the past is a story even though it may have happened, it’s not happening now so if there isn’t attachment to it, it becomes no different than a dream, a memory, or a visualization. You may or may not achieve what is conceived regardless of how much you conceive it, but if you can truly sit and just be in the space of what is visualized, you will see everything is of the same space.

Music of the Heart

We all hear what we hear. Some are fortunate to hear the music of love, but some only hear the same old song of the Conditioned Mind that blocks one from hearing the beautiful music of the heart.

Life plays its sounds in many different ways which produces very different music to each individual, and although all of those sounds arise from silence, the music that’s heard is dependent on one’s conditioning. What do you hear? For many years the sounds I heard caused responses that were very destructive and because of this, the beautiful music of life was missed more often than not. More and more this is seen today and it’s because more and more the lies that caused the beautiful music to be missed are being exposed. To me even though life is very visual, it’s interpreted through what is heard. One sees with the eyes and it’s interpreted through what the Conditioned Mind says which means it will not be heard as love. When something is seen without applying a label, it’s interpreted through the silence of the heart and it’s truly heard for what it is; one’s reactions are loving when from the heart. I’m learning more and more to hear what life is really saying instead of applying a labeling from the conditioning. One sees with the eyes, but labels from what’s heard.

When I see someone responding to life in a certain way, it can now be heard where it’s truly coming from; the heart or the head. When it’s from the head there is now compassion instead of labeling because as was the case with me, the Conditioned Mind is in control. This isn’t a judgement, it’s a fact. Life’s beautiful music can only arise from silence and when a label is applied, the silence is gone and so is the ability to hear what life truly has to offer. We all hear what we hear. Some are fortunate to hear the music of love and some only hear the same old song of the Conditioned Mind that blocks one from hearing the beautiful music of the heart.

Providing Light

A lighthouse is likened to a person who is awake. The design of both is to simply shine a light that provides those who may be lost with a direction to safety; that light just may be the only one a person sees.

A lighthouse is a perfect example of what it means to an instrument without needing to add a bunch of nonsense to it. All a lighthouse does is shine a light so a ship can get a safe direction when its needed. It shines its light in clear weather the same as when there’s a storm, but its usefulness has much more value in a storm. It’s foundation is solid so a storm doesn’t have much of an affect on it. It has but one purpose and that’s to shine a light to those who need it. It’s not concerned with those who aren’t in need of its light; matter of fact it doesn’t even notice. It just goes about its business shining its light. It doesn’t run around shining its light all over the place, nor would that increase its effectiveness in any way. A lighthouse is strategically placed where its effectiveness is maximized.

I look at my awakening as simply being like a lighthouse. What was revealed to me is what was revealed, I don’t try to make it into something else. I write articles to shine a light, who sees it sees it and who doesn’t isn’t really a concern. All I do is provide direction, I don’t have a way or method to be followed, I just provide a direction of a light. The usefulness of my experiences have more of an affect for those who are in the midst of a storm. My base is solid because there’s now an understanding of what I’m to do and that’s to simply be a light. I don’t have to run around and shine my light, matter of fact it is best to stand pat and just allow the beacon to shine so those who need to see it do. I am just the instrument for the Universe to strategically use me where it sees fit, the only thing I have to do is make sure the light is lit; that light just may be the only one a person sees.

Natural Gratitude

Gratitude occurs naturally as does love when there’s an understanding of what’s needed to live from the heart. Although love is natural it’s not automatic, so cultivating love is when life results in gratitude.

Gratitude naturally arises from a loving heart. It isn’t produced by attaching to anything from the materiel realm. If gratitude was from the material realm it would coincide with one’s possessions and that would make a person of wealth more grateful than one who didn’t have much? The true measure of a wealthy life has nothing to do with possessions, true wealth arises from a loving heart, that’s what measures wealth. You can only be grateful when you are content with life as it is, not with the way you wish it was or how it’s wanted or expected.

Whenever you want, it means you think life needs to be in some other way, this creates suffering. Gratitude doesn’t mean everything will be as wanted, but life must be accepted as it is if one is to be at peace and invoke a grateful heart; investigate this for yourself. Gratitude will not shield you from issues, it will allow you to not make them into problems. Be grateful for your given life and you will find your loving heart, and when life is lived from a loving heart there will be harmony with yourself and with all beings. When this occurs you can’t help but to have an attitude that’s full of gratitude for life as it is, not because of what you possess, but because of the natural love that arises from your heart.

Love You Are Given

As much as you think you love, a true measurement of love is in the love you are given. This is because no matter how much you love, you can never give as much love as you are given.

When others open their hearts to whatever gifts you have, it allows you to be a servant of love, and it is the servant that is truly blessed. If no one was there to allow one to serve and share their gifts, no hearts would be opened. The other day I crossed paths with an angel, not literally, but I was allowed to give someone some possessions that were no longer needed. By being allowed to give just for the sake of giving, a blessing was bestowed upon me. My heart welled up with love as I was allowed to be used in this way. This was not giving with an ulterior motive to gain something and that’s why my heart welled up. To bring joy to others is a gift given to the giver, not because one is giving, but because one is allowed to be the giver. There is no greater gift than to be an instrument of love, and although the receiver of what is given may benefit from it, it is in being allowed to give that one is truly blessed.

I write and I am the one blessed ten fold by those who my writings resonate with. I’m given so much love that no matter how much I give, it will never compare to the love I am given. I can only serve with what gifts have been bestowed upon me and since it really has nothing to do with me, it’s truly a gift. When one is given a gift of this nature, there’s no way it can be kept to yourself. Although not everyone will love you back no matter how much you love, it’s the one’s who do that make it all worth while. Not for any other reason than it’s in the love you are given that you learn what love truly is and never ever take that for granted.

A Heart View

Seeing through eyes that have a default view from the head (intellect) presents many more questions than answers, but a heart view (love) needs no such answers because there aren’t any questions.

Although everything is seen through the eyes, it’s the filter that one sees through that makes their life what it is. There are basically two filters, the head (intellect) and the heart (love). Most people fluctuate between the two with the intellect being the default filter. The shift that occurs when one wakes from the sleep of unconsciousness is the heart becomes the filter in which life is viewed. The intellect will still be prevalent as it’s not something to loathe, but it just won’t be the default filter any longer. Life is much different when it’s viewed from the heart. Many of the beliefs, concepts, biases, prejudices, and the outright lies that are in place simply fall away when the heart takes over. This isn’t to say the view that comes from the head is gone forever, as it has been put in place by one’s own conditioning, but it will slowly lose its power over you.

I’m sharing this from my experience. This may not be agreed with by everyone who reads this, but my experience is mine and to me that’s the only thing that has real value, and that’s only if the experience is from the heart. Seeing through eyes that have a default view from the head presents many more questions than answers, but a heart view needs no such answers because there aren’t any questions. This is what happened to me and although I can only know what has been revealed to me, I share it because there is a peace within me that passes all understanding, and it’s always present, that is as long as I live from the heart and don’t let the intellect (my head) get in the way.

The Labeling Process

The labeling process in place is all part of attachment and until there’s awareness of this, suffering remains. The degree of suffering is contingent on how attached one is to their labels.

All labeling processes have been instilled without any consciousness on an individual’s part. Think about all that you do, how much of it is done consciously? You may think you decided to be a certain way or formed certain beliefs, but upon further review you will see it all arises from the conditioning in place; this is how the labeling process emerges. This is done everyday all day long and all this does is create emotional swings that are caused by the applied labels. A label that’s liked is pulled in, a label that’s not liked is pushed away, each of these creates the same suffering, even if you don’t see it. What’s missed with this is you alone allow the things labeled to control you. The thing itself has no power, the label does. From Donald Trump, to catching a red traffic light, or not liking your job, and all the labels in between, they are given power by the one labeling.

What determines the degree of suffering is contingent on how attached one is to the label. Again: What determines the degree of suffering is contingent on how attached one is to the label. You may think you are as you are and it’s because that’s just the way you are, but if that was true no one would ever change. I’ve changed because of the awareness of how I was labeling things and how the process was stopped. You can’t suffer without labeling the moment a suffering one. The most misunderstood part of the labeling process is it has nothing to do with what’s being labeled, that all comes from within. Whether something is liked or disliked it comes from you and you alone. Agree with this or not, just understand it’s your labeling process that’s making that decision, not the article.

The Difference to Love

If there isn’t awareness that one’s own thoughts create the reality in which you live by, those thoughts will continue to create a reality that’s only real to you.

Thinking doesn’t control me anymore. I’m not saying its like this all the time, but for the most part this is the way it is. I have thoughts, they just don’t control me as they once did. I’m not saying it’s this way for anyone else, but it is this way for me. No longer am I tied to beliefs or concepts. No longer do my thoughts pull me into the self serving side of life. The present moment has become the norm and for me. It was from the depths of despair that stopped creating thoughts of suffering and gave me the willingness to sit.

I sit, I follow the breath, I sit, I fall asleep, but I am willing and to me that’s the key. I’m not concerned with results, my part is to sit. At the time of this realization, I knew it wasn’t because of some belief or a sense of purpose, it was from being right where I was. No attachment, just being in the given moment, nothing more; that’s what was realized. There’s no more inner struggle. No more needing things to be different, no created story needing to make this up. There’s just each moment being lived as it is which is simply non attachment to beliefs, concepts, a purpose, the past or future or anything else.

My own mind stopped creating its own misery. It’s not of my doing that this occurred, but it is from an inner urging that needed life to be different and learning how to allow the difference to occur; this difference is love. There was a time where I didn’t know how to love, but today although I am still learning, there isn’t a time when I don’t love. Love is not a belief in something or a doing, it’s just love which for me makes all the difference in the world.

A Never Ending Story

Selfishness produces a void which is why the things used to fill it are reached for again and again. We all have an addict in us as the consequences of the things used result in the same bondage.

There’s only one person who you have to be true to and that is yourself. You may do some things that nobody sees you doing, but you’re not fooling anyone because you know what you’re doing. You don’t get away with anything that you do in life. You may be ignorant why certain things are done, but that doesn’t lessen the consequences. There are consequences for every action, but it’s not because there’s a God watching you. You yourself are the cause of your consequences and they will be determined by the base of what your actions are; either love or selfishness.

The actions to fulfill inner desires are pursued forever because their results sustain the void that creates the desire. Alcohol, cigarettes, porn, gambling, drugs, food, sex, sports, our children, to name of few, are all used to fulfill some selfish inner desire and therefore will need to be used over and over. This is because all things are empty in nature. This is also why the things used don’t matter because whatever and whenever something is used to fulfill a selfish desire, it sustains a void that’s already in place. The void remains because the nature of anything reached for from a selfish void is empty and reaching behavior is based in emptiness. It’s the cause of so much suffering to ourselves and others.

We label certain people as addicts, but aren’t we all using certain things for fulfillment. Completeness is in the present moment, so anytime something is reached for to fulfill an inner desire out of the present moment it’s created by an inner lack; a selfish desire uses whatever it can, to fulfill this lack. A person’s conditioning decides what the thing used is, but regardless of what it is the selfish nature is no different. It’s just that some things are not as devastating in their consequences as others. Some results of the consequences are instantaneous and some take time to develop, but the effects of the energy of the reaching is always the same; selfishness breeds selfishness. So do what it is that you want to do, but understand you cannot hide from yourself. Although your Conditioned Mind will make you believe that you can, you cannot truly lie to yourself because wherever you go there you are. You may use justification as to why you are doing something, but there will always be consequences for you actions. Whether those actions are from love or are selfish in nature is the determining factor as to whether you will live a life that is always reaching for the next satisfaction or if you are complete just the way you are.

Just Be

Just Be – Add nothing

Sending out an SOS

Every time the mind becomes distracted and reaches for something it thinks it needs, it equates to a sinking ship sending out an SOS; the reaching is one’s call for help.

Unfortunately most times the reason for the need to send out an SOS goes unnoticed until the ship is already in trouble; many lives are like this. What’s really unfortunate about this is usually what’s causing the downward decent has been in the works for a while. The sinking of the Titanic and the loss of many lives was a disaster in the making. From labeling the ship unsinkable, to those who believed it, it produced a false sense of security just as what happens when a person reaches for something, the thing reached for never provides what’s expected. Many on the Titanic were alive as the ship sunk, but the ice cold water did them in; even those with the false hope of reaching for a life preserver perished. This false hope leads many down the unconscious path of reaching for something that in truth will not produce the necessary results. The false hope of waiting for another ship didn’t help anyone either. The only people saved were those who were able to get into a lifeboat. One gets in their lifeboat when they look within.

I’m writing this so maybe one person will see what they’re possibly reaching for in the hopes of being saved. The actual reaching is what causes you to perish even though you think there is hope. I know not many look at themselves in this way because of their existing conditioning, but there are so many SOS’s being sent out and life preservers being grab for without the realization of the surrounding perils. The lifeboat of the inward view is the only thing I have found that truly saves, and it’s simply because it makes one aware of the surrounding perils; in this case one’s own conditioning. Instead of jumping from the so called frying pan into the fire, going inward allows you to simply turn down the heat or at least see that nothing out there will save you from the perils of yourself. If you can see this, you just may be able to prevent the ship from sinking before it ever begins and so an SOS will never be needed, nor will your reaching.

Life Simply Is

The mind loves to make a problem out of something that can’t be changed. The reality of any situation is if it can’t be changed there’s not much one can do so it’s not really a problem.

Many things are labeled a problem, but that’s only because it’s just something that the mind decides it doesn’t want to be happening. There will be many things that this happens for, the list is constant and endless. Sometimes it’s a situation that just happens because of the surrounding circumstances and sometimes it’s because of what a person does. To me the latter is more difficult because the effects of it are a direct result of someone imposing their will on something that involves others. When it’s a situation that’s effected on its own it’s easier to move on, but when it’s an individual just doing as they please without any regard of the effect it has on others, it seems to gnaw at me a little longer before I come to terms with it. Just because what is always is, that doesn’t mean there’s not some resistance to it. I know freedom lies in not resisting what is, but being awake doesn’t mean you’re a robot.

How much resistance one encounters is determined by the conditioning one has to resist what arises. What arises from the inner arises, at that point there’s not much to be done that can change it, but it has been my experience that gaining some understanding of the Conditioned Mind allows the resistance to certain things to slowly dissipate. The reason why this is important is because resistance is just another way of saying the mind is agitated and until the agitation subsides, there won’t be any peace. A very simple fact that one will have to get in touch with if there’s to be freedom from the bondage of “I”. Many things will happen today as many people will do things that “piss you off” but it’s in not holding onto any of it for too long that allows you to not make what is into a problem.

The Beauty of Life

The beauty of life can only be seen if that’s the view one has of the world. The world can only be seen through your own eyes and how quiet the mind is determines if one’s view is a thing of beauty.

So much of life is missed because of the noise in the head. Take the time to smell the roses before the roses are gone. If you keep saying tomorrow, my heart goes out to you because literally tomorrow never comes. Regardless of what goes on between your ears, it’s always today. You may dream of tomorrow, but the dream can only happen today. You can hope or wish for tomorrow to be different than today, but at some point it will become today. It’s always today and that is where the mind needs to be if one wants to be with the beauty that the Universe has to offer.

Take a step back before you miss one more moment of your life. There are many distractions, that’s why if the mind isn’t quiet you miss the beauty of life which is always right before your very eyes. It is up to each individual alone to see the beauty that life has to offer, but if one is to busy to slow down to smell the so called roses, life will be over before you know it. You can accomplish many things in life, but that doesn’t necessarily equate to seeing how beautiful life is. It may allow you to see the beauty of your own egoic self, but it’s the Universe that gives one a sense of awe, it doesn’t come from anything that is done. This will only be seen by a mind that is ready for it and quiet enough to see the beauty that is right before your eyes, that is if the time is taken to see it.

Being Prepared

Without preparation, the constant pull of attachment will be the norm and so will an agitated mind. Sitting to develop discipline assist so when one’s conditioning is triggered, it’s not as easily given into.

Although life doesn’t personally test you, at times it seems like it does. From death, sickness, situations, people and just the daily so called grind, it can seem as though it’s one challenge after another. What makes something a challenge is a lack of proper preparation. For forty nine years I had tools in place that made everything that happened a challenge and I mistakenly thought it was life doing it. Life just happens, it’s never personal and it doesn’t purposely create challenges. I know it’s looked at in this way by many so we “can grow” but I’ve learned to go beyond this conditioning to see the only reason anything was ever a challenge to me was because of the label that was attached to what happened. Life still occurs just as it always will as one is in the human form, the difference is in the preparation of how to handle it. When my mother died recently I had a sense of how I was going to react because of the preparation that has been going on for the last ten years, but the preparation wasn’t for my mother dying, it was simply learning what are the things that pull me from my place of peace.

I allowed death, sickness, situations, and especially people, to pull me from this peace constantly. People seemed to be one of the most difficult to stop this pulling, but by sitting I saw that people were no different than anything else, they were just given more focus. The key to this is in the preparation of learning how not to attach to anything that happens by making it personal, whatever it may be. Without this preparation, the constant pull of attachment will be the norm and so will an agitated mind. To me I sit to develop discipline so when my conditioning is triggered, it’s not as easily given into as it once was. Breaking these Conditioned Mind Patterns won’t happen without a willingness to go in the opposite direction of selfishness, and this will take preparation so when the mind is triggered to act in a selfish way, there will be an enough awareness to not be pulled from your place of peace.

Sharing Heart Experiences

Living from the heart stops the need to reach because the heart doesn’t beat in the past or future, it only beats now. When one is in touch with the heart, there is simply living in the only place that exist.

To me there is no saving the world, spreading love, or any other story the Conditioned Mind makes up. There’s only sharing heart experiences and focusing on whose lives are touched by them. My experiences won’t touch everyone and some no matter what will not see the simple message that’s being conveyed. We all have our own journey in life and it’s not for anyone to say which one is right. One can only see what is seen and it can’t be any other way. We can make up all kinds of stories about this or that, but it’s only true to the degree of the conditioning we have in place. The more one holds onto the conditioned story, the less truth one will be exposed to and the truth is, we are not here to be anything, to teach anyone, to prove anything, or to coach anyone. We are simply here to share our heart experiences and to hold those who are touched by those experiences in a way where it benefits them to learn and grow in their own being.

This is true freedom, it’s what I have experienced and it’s why I write as I do. I’m not anything nor am I here to become something other than a friend. For forty nine years I had a conditioned storied life, the last ten are about just what happens. Thoughts will always arise, but what you do with them determines if you will need to reach for something or not. Asking yourself if the thought is true is reaching. Needing to belong to a program is reaching, doing anything but being in the moment is reaching. The reaching existence is strictly living from the intellect and it constantly reinforces itself by needing the next whatever. Living from the heart stops the need to reach for anything because the heart doesn’t beat in the past or future, it only beats now. When one is in touch with the heart, there is simply living in the only place that exist. You can make up any story you think you need, just understand it’s not your heart experience, it’s only what holds you in captivity.

One Week Today

The only time one struggles with someone’s passing is when it’s looked at it from the point of I. There is peace in my mother’s passing and it comes from her because she is no longer suffering.

It’s been a week since my mother has passed and although she is missed, there is strength in the fact that she is now at peace. My mom suffered many years because she didn’t know how not to. She didn’t have an easy life nor did she have the tools to deal with life in a way where she didn’t carry around what happened and make it into a burden. She suffered immensely until the day she died and most of her suffering was self-inflicted only because with the tools she had in place, there was no way to get around the bondage she was in. As I sit here and reflect upon my mother’s life there’s a sense of peace in me because I know she is at peace. The only time one struggles with someone’s passing is when they look at it from the point of I, when anything is looked at from I, it’s from attachment and attachment is the root of suffering. When I look at my mother’s passing I know that she is no longer suffering and her passing was actually a blessing, my peace comes from her because it’s not about me it’s about her no longer suffering.

I’m learning a lot from this and what I’m getting in touch with is my own self created suffering and how I see it’s time for me to let go of the bondage that holds me in captivity. Everything that happens in life can be viewed as a lesson and it can be used to learn from to help one in the freedom from the bondage of self. Nobody gets out of life without going through heart ache and pain, but it’s learning from it so the attachment that’s causing the pain isn’t repeated over and over; that is key if there is to be freedom. It has been a week and I miss my mother. I’m so happy for her that she is now free and no longer has to endure the suffering that was in place, but it was only there because she didn’t have the tools to allow her to let it go.

Childlike Innocence

Our inner child is innocent, loving, and caring. The more the self serving mind is in control, the more one is claimed by worldly desires and possessions and the less one is aware of their childlike innocence.

Everyday is a time to reflect on one’s childlike innocence. We’re all born of this innocence, but remaining aware of it determines how alive the inner child remains as a part of our life. The more the self serving mind is in control, the more one is claimed by worldly desires and possessions and the less childlike innocence is seen. There are many traps along the way that takes away a part of one’s childlike innocence and locks it away; very few traps take it all at once. The self serving mind is developed, and one day if this unconsciousness is continuously followed, the childlike innocence will only be there beneath the surface; unseen. The unconscious mind will take on the role of trying to constantly arrange life to be a certain way, this is the baby in us, not the inner child.

Make no mistake between these two, the baby in us is self serving, wanting, and selfish. Our inner child is innocent, loving, and caring. Depending on one’s up bringing and influences is what determines how aware one is of their childlike innocence. To understand this is to know yourself and when you know yourself you can develop a practice to reverse the process that blocks out one’s childlike innocence. The more this practice is done, the more one’s inner child is present so the innocence shines forth as when life began. If the innocence is lost, it can only be found from within. God or the Universe whichever one prefers, can provide the spark to start this process, but it will be from one’s own inner child urging that the process will continue on. It’s up to each individual to see the innocence of your inner child and live by it, or not and remain entrapped to a life that is self serving, wanting, and selfish. Either way life goes on, but in two drastically different directions.

Be Easy on Yourself

Mostly we would never allow someone to treat us the way we treat ourselves and whether this is seen as conditioning or not, it doesn’t change the fact that we are usually our own worst enemy.

Be easy on yourself. It’s probably one of if not the most important thing you can do for yourself. I know for me I was always my worse critic. I constantly second guessed myself and put myself down. There was always wishing things were different or getting caught up in the would’ve, could’ve, should’ve mind. I would never let someone treat me the way I treated myself and for the longest time I was unaware this was being done. There was also unawareness that it was my own mind that was doing this. When I started understanding this I began to be kinder and gentler to myself. When it’s understood the mind that tells you to do something is the same mind that questions why it was done, liberation begins, at least that’s what happened to me.

No longer am I my own worst enemy. No longer is there wishing anything was different. I’m far from perfect in the sense of always coming from a place of love and this is the case for anyone, so why all this holding onto past actions of ourselves or others, regardless of where what is done arises from. One can only do what the conditioning in place dictates so there’s no reason to ever blame or be hard on anyone including ourselves. If you truly want to be liberated, you’ll have to be easy on not only yourself, but also all of humanity because it’s simply no one’s fault in the way that they act; it’s just the conditioning in place that tells a person what to do. So the moral of this story is to always be easy on yourself regardless of what you do and you’ll naturally be easy on others, thus you will truly be free.

What a Gift!

Because of the way we as a species have evolved, very few people are actually present for what happens in life, but when you are you can truly be with life without getting tied up emotionally. What a gift!

On Friday morning a very special chapter in my life came to a close, my mother passed away after a two year illness; she was 85. I waited to write about this because I wanted to see what would arise. I will always love my mother and although her physical form could no longer support life, she will live on in her five children and nine grand children. As with any human, my mom was not perfect, but she was always there for her family. I had my issues growing up, but never once did she turn her back on me. When I found out from my sister that my mother had died, I just remained present. I called my wife and children and then called my work to tell them I wasn’t coming in. As I often write about emotions and feelings and them not being essential to live life, I was curious to see what was going to arise in me. Not much did arise as I naturally remained in the present moment and just did what was in front of me, which was being there for my family. There were a few tears from me, but they were mostly because of the emotional attachment that others exhibited.

I’m not here to say what’s the best way to deal with a situation like this as everyone is different, but for me I saw that emotional suffering wasn’t a requirement; there was much crying, just not by me. A person can write anything they want, but to me the value of writing is when someone shares a first hand account of their experiences. There was no reason to be emotionally attached to this situation, actually the situation was fully embraced with all the love in my heart, I just wasn’t attached to it from the mind. Like I said, I’m not writing this to tell anyone how to deal with a situation like this, but as I was watching some of the crying and emotional attachment going on, I was grateful to be in the present moment with life just as it was without needing it to be in some other way. What a gift!

A Logical Life

A logical mind sees that things are as they are mostly because of the lack of discipline that a quiet mind provides. Logic allows the mind to settle into a state that’s pure, innocent, and free.

Life really isn’t a mystery it’s logical, so logically looking at it, it seems as though it’s a struggle because to satisfy one’s conditioning to self serve, the mind has to constantly look for ways to get this done. It justifies what’s needed for this and lo and behold we have our conditioned life. A very simple logical approach as to why one does what they do.

The Conditioned Mind blocks the logical approach of as too simplistic so it can hold onto its story. The truth is, living inwardly is the most logical way, but it will only occur if one is quiet enough to see it. If this isn’t seen the mind will use a conditioned story of why living inwardly isn’t for you and your approach to life will not be logical. This prevents one from returning to the logical pure, innocent, and free state and unfortunately because of this, life remains based in making decisions from a self serving mind and it will remain a struggle regardless of what illogical outward changes are made.

Let’s use logic as to why we stay the same even if things are done to make so called improvements in our life. The biggest hurdle, but the most logical is to find out what makes you lose the pure, innocent and free state in the first place. When we look back, the logic here is to see the development of the self serving mind as the culprit. So we logically have to go back to the pure, innocent and free state if our conditioning is to get reversed. For this to happen the mind has to be redeveloped. We try external things to get this done, but through trial and error and with very little success we come to the conclusion that we logically have to go inward because looking outward hasn’t worked. So we apply logic, go inward and learn through sitting how to return to our pure, innocent, and free state; if we don’t do this, it will not get done. This is pure logic here, no mysterious path or journey, no God, or spiritual practice, just plain simple logic of going back to a time of a pure, innocent, and free state.

Repeated Mind Patterns

The repeated Conditioned Mind Patterns can be devastating if they’re not understood. These patterns show up in many ways, but when the mind settles most patterns fall away and life truly begins.

The reason why it’s so difficult for someone to change is because the mind constantly defaults to familiar conditioned patterns, even if it means its own destruction. The conditioned patterns must be identified if one’s behavior is to change. If these patterns aren’t identified, the behavior will be repeated over and over until either death or when a necessary practice is cultivated to initiate their identification. If there isn’t identification of anything needing changing then how can one expect anything to change. If the conditioned patterns are identified and changed, then the patterned behavior becomes non existent. You don’t change the behavior because it’s a by product of the conditioned patterns. When there’s quietness instead of conditioning, there won’t be any repeated behavior patterns associated with the conditioning.

No act is isolated from itself, whether based in love, kindness, and compassion, or greed, hate, and delusion, it affects the whole. But the real issue is getting to know that it’s only the familiar patterns of the Conditioned Mind that makes one repeat their behavior. Change comes when this is realized and then different behavior patterns will begin to take hold of one’s life.

Your own mind will fight you on this, it makes you think the unknown isn’t good, but it’s only a story because everything that is known today was once at some point unknown. So learn to quiet the squirrel cage mind so the familiar patterns aren’t the automatic way to respond to life and you will be amazed with the way life changes, and this is because when you start to see things differently and act in ways that are conducive to love, the familiar self serving ways stop being repeated. It’s truly that simple, but because the mind likes to constantly revert to the familiar patterns in place, it’s not easy to break the habitual repetitive hold they have on you.

Alignment With Now

When one is in alignment with Now, there’s alignment with life. When you’re pulled out of this alignment, it’s at this point that the door is opened to allow all kinds of nonsense from the Conditioned Mind.

Spirituality isn’t magical, it’s one’s true essence. If one is alive, one is spiritual and regardless if there’s awareness of this it doesn’t take away from the fact that one is spiritual in nature. Let’s take a practical approach to spirituality so the blocks to awareness can be lessened. Look at one of the most common realities of life, to me that would be everything that happens does so Now. This is such a common reality of life, but is it so hard to live there. We hear it all the time “live in the now, all we have is now, be present” yet it is so hard to remain in the Now.

What I found to be the one thing that makes living in the Now so difficult is the inability to keep the mind aligned with the moment that’s occurring right now. So many things pull you out of alignment and this opens the door to whatever conditioning one is prone to. This conditioning is different for everyone, but the nature of the misalignment is the same. If this misalignment didn’t occur, the opening to be controlled by the Conditioned Mind wouldn’t occur. The misalignment is so subtle and this is what makes it so difficult to be aware of it. It’s only because of the way one’s mind has been developed to begin with that the misalignment occurs. The mind will not align on its own, it needs guidance. It’s in the alignment of a settled mind where one becomes aware of their spiritual nature because when one remains in the Now. If there’s the development of awareness of what takes a person out of this alignment, it will be discovered what takes one out of alignment with life. When this is discovered the default setting of the mind will be that of one’s true nature of the spirit because it’ll be the only thing that one is aligned with.

  

Stuck in Depression

If you think you are your thoughts, you will always have to be working on something because that’s what your thoughts will tell you, that is until you realize you are not your thoughts…

I’m not a doctor and I don’t profess to know how the brain works, but I do know this, for years I suffered from self inflicted depression until I learned it was my own mind that was creating it. I’m simply writing about my experience here. Every fall and spring I would be overcome by a mindset of gloom and doom and the only way I knew to get out of it was to use distractions. You don’t really get out of it by using distractions, all that happens is the focus shifts, but because the Conditioned Mind Patterns that are causing it isn’t understood, it always return; I was always stuck in the working on myself syndrome that plagues so many. All this created were distractions that kept me from finding out what was truly going on. I no longer get entrapped by this because I’ve discovered what was causing this. This is very important to understand if you want to break the conditioning of depression. This may not be what the so called experts say about depression, but I’m giving a first hand account of my experience and what was revealed to me. If you want to keep “working on it” that’s up to you, but just understand you will and I repeat, you will stay anchored in the Conditioned Mind Patterns that are causing the depression.

Me writing this was in response to someone posting something about depression. I reached out to them and their was response, I’m working on it. All I said was OK and moved on, but a lot arose inside me because of my depression which I worked on for forty nine years, that is until the day I realized there was nothing to work on because my depression was only a thought and thoughts only become real when they are attached to. The thought of being depressed may arise as many thoughts do, but when they’re not attached to, whatever the thought is never manifests. If you think you are your thoughts you will always have to be working on something because that’s what your thoughts will tell you, but when you understand thoughts needn’t be given any energy, there’s no attachment and hence there’s no self created suffering, in this case depression. Think about it, but not too much because you are not your thoughts.

Self Created Suffering

Attachment is the root of all suffering. It disguises itself as depression and many other things. If it’s not understood it’s all self created, the attachment just gets more deeply engrained.

Very few understand what freedom from self truly means. There’s no working on yourself, nor is there any program the self needs that’ll make it free. Freedom from self is right here right now, and it’s because the true self exist in this space and all that’s required is to be in this space for one to be free, nothing else; few truly see this. I understand we are all at different junctures in our life and there’s not much I can do when I reach out and someone says “I’m working on that” but it doesn’t make it easier knowing the conditioned bondage in that answer. I worked on that for forty nine years and what that was consisted of trying to make my life pain free. Always working on something, reaching for the next quick fix. These quick fixes are disguised as the so called good things, but they are no different than the destructive things that are being used. Actually they’re all destructive because they all keep you in bondage to self. I know the conditioning in place doesn’t allow the mind to be open to see what someone else may see, even if it leads to freedom. For me the most difficult part of waking up from the sleep of being in the grip to the bondage of self is having so much love for others, but not really being able to do much to help alleviate their suffering.

Bondage of self is attachment which is the root of suffering. It disguises itself as depression, anxiety, greed, anger, fear, and so many other things, and if it’s not understood it’s all self created, the attachment just gets more deeply engrained. It’s one of the reasons it’s so hard to see because one gets stuck in the very thing that causes the suffering; the I’m working on it mind. Here’s why working on it doesn’t work, first off the core delusion is there is a you who is working on it, and second there’s a you who needs changing. You cannot change yourself, you can only learn why you are as you are. If this knowing is based in truth, you will automatically have a different view of self. When this view takes hold, all the self created suffering falls away because there’s no self who’s attaching to it.

Tools of Love

Keep using self serving tools and nothing will ever be different, or use the tools that are available which allow one’s own innate love to manifest and see what happens.

Without knowing what the blocks are to loving yourself, one can never truly love. This isn’t something I made up, but understanding the Conditioned Mind (ego) is powerful because it wants to keep you in captivity and it will until it’s understood how to use the tools that are available to get quiet enough to break its hold.

True life manifest as the energy of stillness that one generates, yet most live the opposite way. There are many tools out there to allow this, but most go unused. One cannot generate love if it’s not in place. The noise created is our ego mind not wanting to live in the present moment. Love will never be generated by creating a concept or belief of it. It will never be generated by living in the past or future. It can only be generated in the Now, and only if the tools that are available are used correctly. It’s not magical, it takes much practice to truly understand oneself and what blocks one from their own innate love.

Each individual has the right to love themselves, but very few do because of the Conditioned Mind. Here’s the kicker, if you don’t think this applies to you, that’s all part of noise the Conditioned Mind is generating. Once one attaches to their thoughts they’re under the control of your Conditioned Mind. Live a life that generates noise and noise is what your life will consist of. Use the tools that allow for the understanding of what generates noise, practice using them as if your life depends on them because it does and you will know the peace that passes all understanding. It’s not a peace generated by thinking up concepts and beliefs, it’s a peace generated by stillness which will only occur when the tools that allow this are utilized. Keep using self serving tools and nothing will ever be different, or use the tools that are available that allow one’s own innate love to manifest and see what happens.

Carry Only a Message

When one awakens from the sleep of unconsciousness and carries a message to others, whoever the message is carried to has to be let go of. If they are not, one becomes a part of the unconsciousness.

No one truly knows what goes through another person’s mind. Truth can be established as one awakens to it and that truth can even be a Universal one, but it won’t mean anything to one who is blind to it. Energy is wasted on trying to convince others of what truth is. Those who see it, connect with it and those who don’t simply don’t. You can lead a horse to water, but you can’t make him drink, is probably one of the most accurate statements ever made. For me, this needs to be understood to not get caught up in a crusade of going around and trying to save the world. A world that regardless of what is going on just may not need saving.

I know some people who are stuck in their addiction, they’re imprisoned by it and for whatever reason are blocked from seeing this. Regardless of this being a truth that there’s a need to get off the merry go round of addiction, they don’t see it, so they remain imprisoned. It doesn’t mean one shouldn’t try to assist them, but their life is not anyone’s responsibility but their own and I’m not so sure about that. It truly seems many are called, but few are chosen and why this occurs is beyond my human comprehension. One can only carry a message, one cannot carry the mess even if it’s known the truth will clean it up. It’s heart breaking to watch people create their own suffering through the way their mind has been conditioned, and this self created suffering is not limited to labeled addictions. Unless one sees this, blindness will remain and this means that even if one is led to water, it doesn’t mean they’re going to drink.