January 31--Completing a Month of Transition

In order to be who you are, you must be willing to let go of who you think you are.  --Michael Singer

    As we leave the month of January with the its theme of transition, I leave you with these words of Albert Einstein, giving us the direction where we must proceed in order to ensure both our survival and thriving:

A human being is a part of the whole, called by us “Universe,” a part limited in time and space. He experiences himself, his thoughts and feelings as something separated from the rest—a kind of optical delusion of his consciousness. This delusion is a kind of prison for us, restricting us to our personal desires and to affection for a few persons nearest to us. Our task must be to free ourselves from this prison by widening our circle of compassion to embrace all living creatures and the whole of nature in its beauty.

    This fits the Singer quote perfectly, doesn't it? Let's free ourselves from the prison of small thinking and limitation, in order to be the loving, expanding, joyful, infinite, interconnected beings we truly are. 

        Leta

Astronomy Picture of the Day, 11/17/17

January 30--The Journey of Staying Put

It's good to have an end to journey toward, but it's the journey that matters in the end.  --Ursula K. Le Guin

    Being a person who loves to travel, 2020 cramped my style hard. Planned journeys to Arizona, Colorado, the eastern U.S., and Spain/Portugal were cancelled. Many times I have felt trapped in a much smaller world not so much of my choosing. But 2020 in itself was a journey of "home." With home as our safe place, our base, we tend to take it for granted. 2020 hopefully brought to us deep gratitude for the comforts of home--warmth in cold times, coolness in warm times, running water, those beings we live with (whether person, animal or both), comfort, safety, the ability to cook and eat well, clean water, working plumbing and electrical systems, projects to use our skills, neighbors, the beauty and character of our immediate neighborhood, the opportunity to learn and apply new skills. I've always loved my woman cave. It is my office, creative space and TV room all combined, and I still enjoy hanging there. The journey of 2020 brought us a clearer picture of what we truly value and what we choose to let go. That is "the journey that matters in the end."

    Leta

January 29--Enjoy the Ride!

Accomplishments will prove to be a journey, not a destination. 
--Dwight D. Eisenhower

    The fun is in the doing, in the process. Because once we've completed a task, goal or dream, we naturally look for the next one, i.e. the next journey, to undertake. Do we ever, upon reaching a destination, or accomplishing a goal, sit down and say, "OK, that's it, I'm done forever!"? In a universe designed to expand eternally, including the humans in it, there is no destination. It's all about the journey. 

    A couple days ago, I was able to talk myself into going for a lunchtime walk, although it was very cold outside. If all I cared about was the destination, I'd have stayed in my office, because that's where my walk ended up. It was the journey--being outside, moving my body, (sort of) clearing my head--that I was seeking. Similarly, with a barn quilt painting project, while I enjoy the end result, the "destination," it is the journey of creation that delights me--drawing the pattern, taping the lines, adding color after color.

    What journey(s) will today include for you?

        Leta

January 28--Dead or Alive?

Things which do not grow and change are dead things. --Louise Erdrich

    "Everything has a lifespan." Those are the wise words of spiritual mentor, Rev. Dr. Chris Michaels. Most importantly, each of us humans has a lifespan. With no idea how long that lifespan may be, why waste it? Growing and changing keep life interesting. Our magnificent planet offers us infinite variety sufficient to keep us exploring and learning and growing for many lifetimes. 

    A dear relative declining over recent years with numerous health problems said recently, "I'm just sitting in my chair waiting to die." In some respects, his spirit already has, as he's lost the impetus to "grow and change." It is sad and painful to witness, but I get it. He is weary.

    Change, like death and taxes, is one of the few things we can be sure of. All life, including planet Earth itself, is continually evolving. Resistance to change simply makes one uncomfortable. There's no stopping it. That's a good thing. Look at all the fun we've had as a result of all the growth and change of our lifetime--easy travel, instant worldwide communication, how-to and DIY information available for virtually every task, wireless phones with cameras built-in, shopping without leaving the house--that's just the start of a very long list. 

    Curious humans do amazing things!

        Leta

January 27--Saved? 😉😉

No one saves us but ourselves. No one can and no one may. We ourselves must walk the path.  --Buddha

    This is similar to the Jan 25 Mumford quote that "Growth and self-transformation cannot be delegated." Possibly we could replace the word "saves" with "fixes." If life is not to our liking, it's tempting to look all over the place for someone or something to FIX it. Alas, as Buddha states, the fixing or saving is our own work and can't be anyone else's job. 

    I don't consider myself a Christian. I don't have any such religious label that I apply to myself. I have been asked occasionally by a religious (usually professed Christian) person if I have been "saved." My reply is "Saved from what?" I don't believe there's anything out there "keeping score," judging me, prepared to torture me for eternity. The only thing I need saving from is my own self-limiting or self-destructive thoughts and actions, and only I can do that. This "path" that Buddha references IS life, the joy of freedom and expansion that we come here to experience. 

    Let's enjoy the walk,

        Leta

One can dream...

January 26--Integrity

There is no real development without integrity, that is--a love of truth. 
--Frank Lloyd Wright

    Holy cow, is this ever relevant, having just survived four years of a POTUS who consistently and blatantly lied, has no integrity, and not only didn't develop, but deteriorated over the four years into an even more vengeful person. It has been a glaring example of this quote, center-stage USA. 

    So with my verbal finger-pointing, I do note that three fingers are pointing back at me. This quote has likewise been true in my life. As I look back on my early years moving into adulthood and my twenties, I see very much a lack of integrity. Yes, I was "cash-register honest," but there were a lot of secrets. What folks saw on the outside was not matching the inside. There was plenty of personal, internal dishonesty, especially revolving around my addiction. It was in a 12-Step program that I learned the concept of integrity and how to develop it within myself. Like all of life, it's a practice. The more I practice, the more I grow, and the more comfortable I become with who I am. 

    I believe truth is an aspect of love, that love is the only power there is, and that truth always comes out eventually. I'm grateful for that. 

        Leta

January 25--If Only

Growth and self-transformation cannot be delegated.  --Lewis Mumford

    If they could, there would certainly be plenty of folks looking to offload the work! How silly--if someone else did our spiritual work, we wouldn't learn anything. 

    Speaking from personal experience, growth and self-transformation can be quite messy. Exploring my shadows, seeking to release character defects, striving to recover from generations of addiction--let's just say there has been a lot of angst, tears and snot. There were things that were extremely difficult and/or embarrassing to face, but at no time was my life actually in danger. Growth and self-transformation did not kill me, nor will it kill you. I don't regret a bit of the effort and messiness. It brought me to where I am today, healthy, with good relationships, comfortable in my own skin. 

    Given that our very reason for being alive is expansion, life will make us grow and transform. We can choose to proceed fighting, kicking and screaming all the way--a victim--or curiously enjoy the journey--an empowered being. Being human, we will most likely waver between those two choices, and we'll certainly learn from that which is ultimately the more satisfying approach.

    Staying curious,

        Leta