Pivotal Moments

Another beautiful sunrise in the Sangre de Cristo Mountains

Consciousness recognizes Life not society. Gregge Tiffen (The Journey Continues: Sex, Lies, and Assumptions, June, 2010)

Life is an infinite series of potentially pivotal moments.

I always catch myself when I start to say ‘I always …’ Oops! There I go. Perhaps we do have characteristics, habits, ways of being that have been with us ‘always’, although ‘always’ is infinite and goes back beyond this silly measure we call time. ‘Always’ includes every experience that consciousness has had in every form physical and non-physical in the vast Universe.

That’s a bunch of experience to bring forward to this moment. No wonder life sometimes seems so complex.

But I digress. This day find myself reflecting on my own personal thoughts and our collective thoughts in times of tragedy. I’m observing how I and others respond (or react). I see elements of what looks to be our highest and our best. And, I see the opposite extreme. I reflect on how events impact us and how our collective consciousness – the combined thoughts, words, deeds of each of us – are creating the world we experience.

I’m wondering how it is that in the in the immediate aftermath of the event we know as 911 I could pen a challenge to not let fear take over our thinking?  And, I’m wondering how it is today I maintain that same sense about current events while I am not consistent in bringing that same understanding and peace to personal situations and relationships? How is it that my actions ‘locally’ don’t consistently align with my higher global worldview? These questions call for continued observation and reflection. Perhaps there is no definite answer other than how I use what I discover.

All events in life – the personal ones and the global – are FOR us. They invite us to choose whether or not we will participate and how we will do so (or not). They invite us to learn. Some invite us to be distracted from our path. Other events cheer us on.

Every event holds the potential to be a pivotal moment – one in which we choose to be true to Life rather than follow the dictates of a society that tells us how we ‘should’ be.

Every moment holds the potential to be a stand for who we are as an individual, to accept others on the same terms, and to bring authentic love and understanding into our world.  There is beauty in the prickly business of life, our opportunity is to see and respond to the beauty, not the thorns.

Beauty Blooms From the Prickliness of Life

Be The Cause

Daily walks are a bit different here ...

For every minute you are angry you lose 60 seconds of happiness. Ralph Waldo Emerson

Do not ignore your role regarding the quality of life here on Earth. It is your input that contributes to determining whether tomorrow will be a beautiful day.  Gregge Tiffen (It’s Springtime: Flow With the Power of Nature - March, 2007)

Gregge Tiffen’s quote above refers to our impact on weather. “Weather is an atmospheric blanket that surrounds us” he continues, “… our mental movements affect the atmosphere. If we are angry, upset, fearful, exhausted or in any way upsetting the normal flow of Universal energy, we affect our weather.”

As I reflect on what I’ve witnessed in the national political arena this week and notice my thoughts about and reactions to that, I wonder when, where, and how the anger will manifest. I wonder how much upset it takes to generate a hurricane like Katrina that struck New Orleans, Louisiana in August, 2005 or any of the many “natural disasters” throughout time.  I’m curious about the impact of both the travesty of how our government responded to Katrina and the impact of the upset and fear of the people impacted.

And, then I bring my reflections to me.

How many ‘seconds of happiness’ did I abdicate yesterday when I reacted in disgust to the sad state of our political discourse?  What is my responsibility for helping shift that climate simply by living life more gently and expressing kindness as an act of creativity?

What about those moments of being annoyed by a canine cancer patient who isn’t sure if she wants to be inside or out?  She teaches me so much about how to live when she lights up and jumps with joy when ‘ball, walk, and park’ are in the same sentence and we head out the door.  And, what about those times when I’m upset with me? Perhaps that’s a story for another day.

I’m struck by how the Universe continues to march forward in its own natural flow, adjusting as required to keep an infinite number of celestial bodies from crashing into one another. Who do we need to be to tap into that knowledge and wisdom?

I’m humbled to be a speck in this unfolding and to know that what I do, what I say, what I think matters and that the atmosphere I create in the moment for me (and my canine crew) impacts the weather. 

And, so it is for each of us.  Know the importance of doing that which makes you happy and brings you joy this day (and the next …). Be the cause that creates the effect you want on the planet. Do it for you. Do it for humanity. Do it for the planet. Moment to moment. Day to day.

Luke's 'cousins' Bonner & Gilley

Luke sporting his protective shirt (and that's another story for another day!)

Polarities

What polarities do you notice?

You cannot separate yourself from the Universe.  Gregge Tiffen (The Language of a Mystic: Polarities, February, 2009)

One of the characteristics of the Universe is its infinity. You and I, like every other being on the planet are a part of this infinite Universe.  Another characteristic, or universal law, is polarity.  Earth and sky, negative/positive, visible world/invisible world, liberal/conservative are polarities. Each with its own energetic vibration is the opposite of the other, and yet, each is a part of the Universal whole.

Individually, we each carry all of the Universe’s characteristics as a part of us. At the same time we are each different, our own unique and individual expression of this Universe of which we are a part.

From these individual expressions the illusion of separation arises. In our passion for a cause or a candidate, we forget our Universal commonality. I don’t know about you, but much of the political rhetoric here in the United States seems to be designed to do just that: have us forget what we have in common. In our fear about what may happen in the future, we forget that we share the common future that is infinity: no past, no future, only this moment – now.

I find myself challenged to hold this lens in place when I observe politics in action. Some would say ‘just turn it off’, but the political science major in me is curious about the players, the process and, especially, about where our collective choices will take us.

Closer to home, I’m challenged to remember my commonality when controversy arises in my community, differences take the spotlight, and I clearly see that one ‘side’ represents a better way forward than another.  Likewise, when I experience a friend whose approach to an issue sounds harsh and I know there is a softer way. 

What about here?

Given how we humans have evolved and the systems that we’ve created, perhaps it is inevitable that our unique expressions clash.  In a perfect Universe (which I believe it is), there must be a purpose. Perhaps our learning opportunity is to learn how to navigate our differences, polarities if you will, without the rancor and judgement that we’ve come to expect from these differences.

Many individuals and groups are committed to creating just such a future.

I’m willing to take that on. What about you?

Luke says 'hello' everyone!

To Infinity And Beyond

Portal to Infinity ... and Beyond!

The worst part of this Universal infinity concept is that as we grow up we lose the reality of infinity.  Gregge Tiffen (The Journey Continues: Communication With the Living – February, 2010)

To infinity and beyond! Buzz Lightyear (Toy Story)

Shoveling snow this week brought me to reflect on infinity. Although there is a finite number of snowflakes, that number is so huge that it stretches my mind to think about it.  I’m further stretched to consider that, like we humans each with our unique fingerprints and DNA, each snowflake has its own unique design.  

I really wonder how many snowflakes there are ...

Consider that, as in all of nature, the life essence of the snowflake is infinite. It has been and will always be. Forever.  The snowflake changes form and loses its identity as a unique snowflake. Then, it is no longer part of a beautiful snow landscape. Perhaps it melted and is flowing into a stream that will carry it the ocean or to an underground aquifer. Or, maybe it evaporated and will return to earth as another form of moisture.  That vastness and the cycles that reflect nature on our planet give me just a little glimpse of what infinity is.

The thing about infinity though is that, by definition, it can’t be defined. To define is to limit. And infinity has no limits.  That’s hard to fathom in a world structured to limit and control.

It may seem unimportant to consider infinity, but in reflecting this week, I found myself drawn to that place within that is Universal infinity, a place of peace and of remembering that I am an infinite being blessed with infinite possibility.  I had no beginning.  I have no end.  Simply, I AM. 

And, so are we all.

Take that in for a moment. Let it land deeply in your cells. They know this truth.  Savor it.

Then, file this recipe away for a time when you are stressed or feel stuck with no choices that seem good or right.  Let it remind you that in this infinite Universe there is always another way. That is the reality of infinity.

Nature's beauty is infinite