The more I practice introspection and learn about myself as a spiritual being, and about the world as I've created it, the more I see that "should" and "shouldn't" are red flags of warning relative to one's peace of mind.
I think it's a reasonable statement that most of us would prefer to be living in a state of peace of mind. So if you are hearing "should" or "shouldn't" in your head, you are most likely not experiencing peace of mind. As Michael Singer tells us in his book, The Untethered Soul, most of us have an "inner roommate" who is into drama, waving the red flags mentioned, and generally into creating chaos.
Anyone (including your inner roommate) who is using those red flag words on you is trying to force you against your will. That may be telling you how you should or shouldn't behave, think, choose, be, and so on. Obeying these red flags means that we are either doing something we don't want to do, or not doing something we do want to do. If we don't obey them, then we often find ourselves apologizing, simply for making a choice that feels good and appropriate for us. This is what Ana Forrest refers to as "apologizing for your existence," which is a very unsatisfying habit.
Next time you say, "I'm sorry," take a moment to note if you truly are sorry. It's something we say out of habit, and it's tremendously over-used where not needed, and under-used where it's truly needed.
The first step is awareness. Begin to notice how much you are hearing "should" and "shouldn't." It's quite enlightening to pay attention to these red flags.
Joy and love,
Leta
Tuesday, March 26, 2013
Monday, March 18, 2013
Madness, for sure!
It's official, it's madness. I just put a note in my calendar to not plan any trips in March in the future. I LOVE college basketball, and I don't want to miss any of The Big Dance. Actually, I guess it's only partial madness for me--I don't watch every single game. But I did just fill out my bracket, and I'm picking Louisville to win it all this year (just for the record).
What are YOU passionate about? What gets you excited, moves you, makes you smile, love the thrill? Can you get excited about simply being alive and having another day here? Edwene Gaines says, "Earth is the party planet, didn't you know?" There is so much fun and magnificent stuff to enjoy here in this glorious playground Earth.
Have a great week!
Party on,
Leta
What are YOU passionate about? What gets you excited, moves you, makes you smile, love the thrill? Can you get excited about simply being alive and having another day here? Edwene Gaines says, "Earth is the party planet, didn't you know?" There is so much fun and magnificent stuff to enjoy here in this glorious playground Earth.
Have a great week!
Party on,
Leta
Sunday, March 10, 2013
More from "The Untethered Soul"
I am currently facilitating a class on Michael Singer's book, The Untethered Soul.
Here's a quote: "What you'll see, if you watch carefully, is that you have a phenomenal amount of energy inside of you. It doesn't come from food and it doesn't come from sleep. This energy is always available to you. ... When it is flowing strongly, you can actually feel it coursing through you in waves. It gushes up spontaneously from deep inside and restores, replenishes, and recharges you. The only reason you don't feel this energy all the time is because you block it. You block it by closing your heart, by closing your mind, and by pulling yourself into a restrictive space inside. This closes you off from all the energy."
We want to keep this awesome energy flowing, don't we? Why block it? We do that when something happens that we don't like, that doesn't match our rules about how the world should be. It may be an event, a remark, something unexpected--lots of things can rattle our world-view. Most of these rattlers are really pretty trivial in the grand scheme of things. For instance, why let one "bad" driver spoil a whole day?
Alas, many are truly hooked on melodrama, and creating huge deals out of trivial things. As Mr. Singer states, "It's not healthy."
How do you not block your flow of energy? Begin to really pay attention to your heart. It is an awesome signaler that something is disturbing you. Breathe, relax around your heart, and release the energy--just let it flow on out with your exhale. It's a small exercise with a huge payoff--lots of free-flowing, creative energy.
Breathe!
Leta
Here's a quote: "What you'll see, if you watch carefully, is that you have a phenomenal amount of energy inside of you. It doesn't come from food and it doesn't come from sleep. This energy is always available to you. ... When it is flowing strongly, you can actually feel it coursing through you in waves. It gushes up spontaneously from deep inside and restores, replenishes, and recharges you. The only reason you don't feel this energy all the time is because you block it. You block it by closing your heart, by closing your mind, and by pulling yourself into a restrictive space inside. This closes you off from all the energy."
We want to keep this awesome energy flowing, don't we? Why block it? We do that when something happens that we don't like, that doesn't match our rules about how the world should be. It may be an event, a remark, something unexpected--lots of things can rattle our world-view. Most of these rattlers are really pretty trivial in the grand scheme of things. For instance, why let one "bad" driver spoil a whole day?
Alas, many are truly hooked on melodrama, and creating huge deals out of trivial things. As Mr. Singer states, "It's not healthy."
How do you not block your flow of energy? Begin to really pay attention to your heart. It is an awesome signaler that something is disturbing you. Breathe, relax around your heart, and release the energy--just let it flow on out with your exhale. It's a small exercise with a huge payoff--lots of free-flowing, creative energy.
Breathe!
Leta
Sunday, March 3, 2013
the cosmic field of play
This is a daily meditation written by Rev. Noel McInnis.
Life is a symphony, and the action of every person in this life is the playing of their particular part in the music. Hazrat Inayat Khan
Until the Original Moment when space and time began, God had no room in which to move. And so it was in the beginning that God spoke forth the Word: Let a cosmic playground be, where all that is may know its own enjoyment by taking itself lightly.
Thus the cosmic field of play brought forth from the at-one-ment of God's own being. Seeing this as good, God said, Now let there be amongst the play some time of rest from playing.
Hence began the periodic darkness, whose service is enhancement of the light. This, too, God saw as good. Now let the field of play be filled with players, God decreed, and the procession of life began.
Seeing still that all was good, God finally declared, From amongst the players, let those come forth whose game it is to write their own script. Eventually, the cosmic field of play emerged as you and me, and we, God said, are very good, good enough to continue writing our own scripts forever.
Play passionately!
Leta
Life is a symphony, and the action of every person in this life is the playing of their particular part in the music. Hazrat Inayat Khan
Until the Original Moment when space and time began, God had no room in which to move. And so it was in the beginning that God spoke forth the Word: Let a cosmic playground be, where all that is may know its own enjoyment by taking itself lightly.
Thus the cosmic field of play brought forth from the at-one-ment of God's own being. Seeing this as good, God said, Now let there be amongst the play some time of rest from playing.
Hence began the periodic darkness, whose service is enhancement of the light. This, too, God saw as good. Now let the field of play be filled with players, God decreed, and the procession of life began.
Seeing still that all was good, God finally declared, From amongst the players, let those come forth whose game it is to write their own script. Eventually, the cosmic field of play emerged as you and me, and we, God said, are very good, good enough to continue writing our own scripts forever.
Play passionately!
Leta
Monday, February 25, 2013
Two Quotes and Two Questions
Marcus Aurelius: "It is our own power to have no opinion about a thing, and not to be disturbed in our soul; for things themselves have no natural power to form our judgments."
Judy Garland: "Always be a first-rate version of yourself instead of a second-rate version of somebody else."
Q1: Why does it (someone else's behavior, a situation, an event, etc.) matter to you?
Q2: What about you is not good enough to simply be who you are? (As in trying to please or impress others.)
Hmmmm.... outer influences have no power over us other than the power we give them. They have no "natural power" to form our judgments. You've most likely experienced this -- on any given day, a remark, event, person, whatever, makes you crazy, and that same thing on another day doesn't phase you. Oh, yes, it's a choice how you react.
And often, we react in a way that we hope will please others, even if it goes against our basic nature, or violates our sense of self. This doesn't feel good. This is an example of being a "second-rate version of somebody else."
Food for thought, time to watch basketball!
Love,
Leta
Judy Garland: "Always be a first-rate version of yourself instead of a second-rate version of somebody else."
Q1: Why does it (someone else's behavior, a situation, an event, etc.) matter to you?
Q2: What about you is not good enough to simply be who you are? (As in trying to please or impress others.)
Hmmmm.... outer influences have no power over us other than the power we give them. They have no "natural power" to form our judgments. You've most likely experienced this -- on any given day, a remark, event, person, whatever, makes you crazy, and that same thing on another day doesn't phase you. Oh, yes, it's a choice how you react.
And often, we react in a way that we hope will please others, even if it goes against our basic nature, or violates our sense of self. This doesn't feel good. This is an example of being a "second-rate version of somebody else."
Food for thought, time to watch basketball!
Love,
Leta
Wednesday, February 20, 2013
White Beauty!
I am blessed to have a home office that looks out on my beautiful garden. It snowed!!!!
We are in an area starved for moisture, so wet stuff on the ground in any amount is a VERY welcome sight. We probably have 3 inches, with more predicted. Let it snow, let it snow, let it snow.
Yes, I drove in it this morning. Took it easy, slid around some, made it home safely. Here are some other ways to look at this situation that you may not have considered:
1. It's beautiful. What if snow falling to the earth was pea soup green--that just wouldn't be the same.
2. You are in no hurry. There is truly no rush--you are the creator of time, make as much as you need.
3. This magnifies the blessing of a warm home, a good book, a hot cup of tea (or in my case, cable TV for basketball!!!!).
4. It's an opportunity to be kind and careful with yourself and other drivers.
5. It may inspire you to have some basic food stock around the house for such instances, so you don't need that extra stop at the store.
6. It may inspire creativity with whatever is the pantry :)
Enjoy whatever beauty surrounds you, whether it is white or not!
Love,
Leta
We are in an area starved for moisture, so wet stuff on the ground in any amount is a VERY welcome sight. We probably have 3 inches, with more predicted. Let it snow, let it snow, let it snow.
Yes, I drove in it this morning. Took it easy, slid around some, made it home safely. Here are some other ways to look at this situation that you may not have considered:
1. It's beautiful. What if snow falling to the earth was pea soup green--that just wouldn't be the same.
2. You are in no hurry. There is truly no rush--you are the creator of time, make as much as you need.
3. This magnifies the blessing of a warm home, a good book, a hot cup of tea (or in my case, cable TV for basketball!!!!).
4. It's an opportunity to be kind and careful with yourself and other drivers.
5. It may inspire you to have some basic food stock around the house for such instances, so you don't need that extra stop at the store.
6. It may inspire creativity with whatever is the pantry :)
Enjoy whatever beauty surrounds you, whether it is white or not!
Love,
Leta
Tuesday, February 12, 2013
Casino Experience #2
This past Saturday evening, I had my second experience at a casino for gambling. I've got nothing against gambling or casinos, or the folks who enjoy them, and winning money certainly is a fun thing. I just feel like sharing my feelings and experience.
Overwhelming is the first work that comes to mind. I recently visited St. Peter's Basilica in Rome, and it's the largest Catholic church in the world, and I think several of St. Peter's would fit inside the Kansas Star Casino. There's so much color and noise and so many choices, it's hard to know where to start. I feel like everyone else knows what they are doing and they are winning, and I'm clueless and losing. I feel like a nerd with my $35 or so limit, which I can easily stick by. My casino stay is not long, as I lose my money quickly. I leave smelling like an ashtray--that seems to be the one place where smokers can still smoke and enjoy a "kiss my ass!" attitude.
The financially-responsible part of me is truly traumatized by this experience. How many folks are there gambling money they don't have, and losing it, running up charge cards bills or whatever? That's a sad aspect of human nature, a discouraging picture of hope and hopelessness. While I can survive the loss of $35 without much difficulty, still, next morning I found myself thinking of all the more fun and rewarding things I could have done with the money. Also, the computer geek in me has a field day thinking of all the programmable ways for gambling machine developers to "stack the deck" against the players.
I did have fun with my gal pals, and they all got a big laugh at my expense when I squealed when I won $10 (a pittance in casino terms). Yes, I may go to a casino again, but I don't care if a few years pass till my next visit.
Your thrifty friend,
Leta
Overwhelming is the first work that comes to mind. I recently visited St. Peter's Basilica in Rome, and it's the largest Catholic church in the world, and I think several of St. Peter's would fit inside the Kansas Star Casino. There's so much color and noise and so many choices, it's hard to know where to start. I feel like everyone else knows what they are doing and they are winning, and I'm clueless and losing. I feel like a nerd with my $35 or so limit, which I can easily stick by. My casino stay is not long, as I lose my money quickly. I leave smelling like an ashtray--that seems to be the one place where smokers can still smoke and enjoy a "kiss my ass!" attitude.
The financially-responsible part of me is truly traumatized by this experience. How many folks are there gambling money they don't have, and losing it, running up charge cards bills or whatever? That's a sad aspect of human nature, a discouraging picture of hope and hopelessness. While I can survive the loss of $35 without much difficulty, still, next morning I found myself thinking of all the more fun and rewarding things I could have done with the money. Also, the computer geek in me has a field day thinking of all the programmable ways for gambling machine developers to "stack the deck" against the players.
I did have fun with my gal pals, and they all got a big laugh at my expense when I squealed when I won $10 (a pittance in casino terms). Yes, I may go to a casino again, but I don't care if a few years pass till my next visit.
Your thrifty friend,
Leta
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