You Are The Universe

Bear in the 'Hood, just off the back deck

You have to accept the same fundamental characteristics of the Universe as yours. Gregge Tiffen (Open Secrets: Creative Power Released – July, 2011)

This morning finds me feeling deeply into a sense of being a part of this vast, infinite Universe. The words ‘You are the Universe. The Universe is you.’ are in my head and felt in my heart, despite living a world that seems hell-bent on denying my true nature. Sometimes that world leaves me spinning as I try to make sense of it and its small, controlling, finite ways.

But then Bear, a teacher who brings forth the unconscious, visits.  Not in a dream, but in the flesh (or the fur) outside, just beyond the deck.  The world doesn't make sense in mystical terms. It can't. It won't. 

Bear helps me remember the vastness that extends infinitely, of free will regardless of circumstance, and of the qualities of this amazing Universe that we are. To define infinity is to make it finite. I am infinite. So are you.

Unlike our world which labels things ‘good’ or ‘bad’ as part of its effort to separate and control, the Universe simply IS. I am. So are you.

The Universe doesn’t compare. It doesn’t worry over whether what it does or experiences today is more/less, better/worse that yesterday, last year, or eons ago. It doesn’t compare you to me or a pine to an oak. It simply flows as ever present energy. I am that energetic flow. So are you.

The Universe IS qualities that are present as potential in each and every one of us: abundance, beauty, harmony, joy, peace, power, love, light (intelligence), and life.

I am abundance. So are you.

I am beauty. So are you.

I am harmony. So are you.

I am joy. So are you.

I am peace. So are you.

I am power. So are you.

I am love. So are you.

I am intelligence. So are you.

I am life. So are you.

Imagine a world where we have learned to step beyond our potential and more fully into who we truly are.  Imagine your world when you dare to journey on that path. From a speck of awareness that You are the Universe and the Universe is You, what’s possible? What step will I take today to live more fully into that potential?

Front and Center

Oh what a beautiful morning!

Whatever you have in front of you is what you have in front of you. That’s it! Gregge Tiffen (Open Secrets: Creative Power Released – July, 2011)

The simplicity of this statement struck me as I woke from a nap and reached for one of Gregge’s booklets in search of my focus for this week’s post.  Life truly is as simple as living in the now, focused on what is in front of us – front and center.

From ancient spiritual traditions to best-selling self-help books today, this teaching is found throughout. Yet simple does not mean easy. And, hey, it seems we humans have been working on this for a very long time.

We make life complex by layering past experiences or concerns about the future (and sometimes both at the same time) onto whatever is in front of us. Over time I’ve noticed that quite often whatever I’m fretting about in my head has nothing to do with what’s in front of me at that moment.

In its infinite wisdom, the Universe does not engage in the past or the future. It doesn’t worry over what it did yesterday or even billions of years ago. Done is done. And, the Universe doesn’t fret about tomorrow or the next election. What will be, will be.

 This doesn’t mean that we don’t reflect on and learn from our past. That’s a natural and necessary ingredient for our growth and development. Likewise, it doesn’t mean that we don’t care about and put attention on the direction of our future. We give each their time. We learn. We make adjustments. At their time, each is front and center. Then we move to what’s next. With discipline and practice, we do so without the past or future successfully claiming bit parts in our present.

Pure and simple, no matter how great or how small (but, who cares about size?), the opportunity before you IS. That’s it. With full attention on THAT, take a step, then another. Leave the past in its place. Let the future unfold as it is sure to do.

P.S. In the three short hours since I penned this post, I’ve been humbled (yet again) by how easily my thoughts wander and by the vast range of that wandering. On our morning walk I caught myself revisiting an old conflict rather than fully taking in the beauty of the mountains and the sky as the sun made its way to the top of the ridge. I chuckled as I put my attention on that and bid the past adieu. A short while later as I watered the garden I noticed myself being annoyed by what needed to be done there later rather than putting attention on the water falling on the bounty.  What’s in front of me is simple. Putting my full attention there requires commitment, awareness, and vigilance. Step by step may I rise to what is front and center NOW.

When I'm present, I notice the subtle beauty of first light filtering through the woods.

Claiming Independence and Individuality

Individuality & Independence at Crestone's July 4th parade.

Dependency is a basic violation of Universal law. The Universe operates on independence. The Universe operates on individuality. It operates on separation in every shape and form. … The minute you become dependent upon anyone in any way you no longer have any power to move forward in your own pattern, in your own blueprint, and on your own behalf. You come to a halt. Gregge Tiffen (Finding Freedom: The Meaning of Independence, July, 2007)

Reflect on this for a few moments and you may come to discover a key to why we so often feel stuck and experience the frustration that accompanies that ‘stuck-ness’.

Another Independence Day has come and gone here in the USA, the 241th since a small band of visionary revolutionaries, some of whom had deep mystical understanding, declared independence and set a course for a new nation.  We’ve celebrated our freedom once again. But I’ve come to wonder if we/I really know what freedom is. Do we/I know the importance of exercising our independence? Do we/I even know how?

As I observe the political landscape, I see and hear demands for freedom. Fear that someone who is ‘different from me’ will take our freedom away is rampant.  It seems we have lost our understanding that the source of freedom and independence is not man or government. Rather, free will is our gift from the Universe. Independence is Universal law.  Dependence is a violation of that law.

And yet we have created and continue to support dependence in our systems of government, education, business. We give life to these systems when we depend on them as our source. We’ve become dependent on bosses, clients, government agencies and circumstances for our happiness and well-being.  And, in doing so, we give away our freedom, our power to choose.

When I’m deeply honest with myself, I can see dependence imbedded in personal relationships and friendships as well.  We expect others to ‘be there’ for us and we may even be dependent on them needing us as well.

It’s no wonder that the level of frustration, angst, and fear has reached revolutionary proportions. We aren’t being true to our nature. We desperately want to find our way back. So we revolt. Many lash out at the ‘powers that be’ as if they are the source. Others wisely recognize that change starts within and that responsibility is key to the exercise of freedom.

A first step in taking responsibility is the recognition that the tyranny of dependence is in part self-imposed. From that awareness we are in a position to declare our own, personal independence. I’ve discovered that ‘unlearning dependence’ requires the willingness and self-honesty to look inside to what motivates my action. When I help out a neighbor am I simply using the opportunity as expression of my best self or do I have a hidden (mostly to me) agenda to fill an unmet need?

We restore our independence by our willingness to look honestly step by step and choice by choice. We learn from experience and commitment that our independence is mostly an inside job. That job is made more challenging in a culture that fosters dependence as a means to control.  Yet, in the final analysis we and we alone are the authors of our own freedom.

NOTE – this post was originally written and posted on 7-7-2016.  It still seems apropos today as I reflect on the sad state of governance not just in the United States but in many corners of the world.  http://cindyreinhardt.com/blog/breaking-the-chains-of-dependence

The Spiritual Cost of Disposability

Cool Hand Luke on our Solstice Trek to the Ziggurat

The greatness of a nation and its moral progress can be judged by the way its animals are treated. Mahatma Gandhi

We can judge the heart of a man by his treatment of animals. Immanuel Kant

Because it is inherent within nature to stay in balance with the harmonious frequency of the Universe, when we do something that sets things off balance, nature must respond by trying to put things back in balance. Our disharmonious administration of the planet causes us all – humans and the rest of the earth – to lose that balance. And nature ever operates to put things right. Gregge Tiffen (Life In The World Hereafter: The Journey Continues)

Earlier this week two viral posts crossed my path and made my heart ache.  The first was a short clip from a surveillance camera showing a puppy being abandoned by his family. The second was an article saying that pet abandonment is highest with the approach of holidays and vacation time. An accompanying photo showed a long line of people and their pets outside of a shelter where the people were about to “surrender” their pets. (Note: I’ve not verified the veracity of either, but a quick check of statistics on the number of pets arriving in shelters nationwide it heart wrenching in and of itself.)

In the midst of my anger and sadness, I wondered how it is that we came to this. How is it that so often our convenience beats our care? Up close and personal, what habits do I practice and beliefs do I hold that contribute to this darker side of our culture?

It dawned on me as I took out the trash this morning that we’ve created a culture of disposability. Despite my best efforts to reduce, recycle and reuse, I generate waste (hopefully far below the national average, but waste none-the-less).  That waste needs to be disposed of for practical reasons. But as we generate more waste and accept disposability of ‘stuff’ more, is it a leap to think that disposing of life could become more acceptable? Is it possible that our all too frequent disregard for life can be traced back to the boom in creating things that are ‘convenient’, thus disposable?  If so, how did we make that leap? And, more importantly, how can we restore our understanding that all of life is sacred? How can I conspire with nature to improve life on the planet rather than working against her (and, therefore, against myself)?

I don’t know. But this week I’m going to sit with these questions. I have a hunch that I won’t like everything I discover. I have a hunch that there will be some new possibilities, new choices, along with opportunities to reconcile past and future choices with my understanding of the dominion over the planet we humans were granted.

I invite you to reflect and adjust with me.

The sun is ready to peek over the peaks.

A Locomotive Goes In Only One Direction At A Time

Warm weather brings the snow melt to Cottonwood Creek on our Solstice hike.

Everything in metaphysics is like a train. Choose to be a locomotive, the cars will follow. Gregge Tiffen (Father Time – June, 2007)

Happy Summer!  This week we celebrated the Summer Solstice and experienced the longest daylight of the year. That daylight which has been increasing since the Winter Solstice will now begin its subtle retreat. We can count on nature and her cycles to remind us of consistency.

Several weeks back (just about the time that busy season for the bed & breakfast was about to begin), I decided to take a course designed to help me expand the readership of this weekly post. There were some other benefits that sounded quite useful as well so, despite the timing, I signed up.

About the same time, guests and reservations at the Dragonfly House began to trickle in. And, like the creek’s springtime thaw, the flow increased. I’m grateful. I love sharing my home and meeting amazing people from all over the world. It’s a means of creative expression that I would never have imagined. I’ve even come to enjoy the ‘darn dailies’, tasks that were once chores, but now are simply part of that expression.

I also love my walks with Luke and my quiet time in nature, with a book, or taking a nap. I love sharing this weekly muse. I no longer want to juggle a dozen glass balls in the air, making sure that one doesn’t drop.

I also love courses and learning conversations. That’s why I was surprised to find myself struggling and resisting in this course. I pushed through the barrier that the issue was one of not enough time, and slogged ahead. After a bit more suffering, it finally dawned on me that the issue wasn’t about time.

I discovered that my resistance was two-fold. First, I can only go in one direction at a time if I want to be, to give, and to express my best (I do!).

A locomotive goes in only one direction at a time. And, it stays on track!

Second, learning that tells me ‘there’s a right way and to be successful you must follow that way’ simply doesn’t resonate with my understanding of how the Universe works.

Authenticity, being true to who I understand me to be, resonates. Doing market research to tell me what and how to write doesn’t. Not to compare myself with great writers and artists, but can you imagine (fill in your own favorite artists of any type or era) doing market research then penning or painting their innermost thoughts? Who comes to mind? Rumi? Georgia O’Keefe? Beethoven?

At a whole new level, I understand why most every marketing related course or activity I’ve engaged in over several decades didn’t resonate or produce the intended results. These courses weren’t bad (in fact many are excellent). But, they aren’t my path. Okay. I think I’ve received and recorded the message this time. I’m the locomotive, on my track … Onward!

An early morning Solstice hike to the Ziggurat.

Designed To Listen

Nice hike and creek play after a day of rest.

Your first requirement is to your body and to the health of your body. This is the function and health of the body’s mobility, its communication within itself, its awareness to other body forms in nature, and its five physical senses. … and once that is done, you are almost automatically put in tune with the opportunities in nature. Gregge Tiffen (Down to Earth: Terrestrial Activities)

Your cells are as directly related to your body as they are to the earth, as they are to the solar system and as they are to the galaxy. Your cells say, ‘Move now. Sit still. Function.’ You are designed to listen. Gregge Tiffen (Impatience Fishes In An Empty Pond – June, 2008)

Let that sink in for a moment: you are designed to listen. To listen to your body, its knowledge, its wisdom. Your body is your most valuable resource for guidance in what to do next. And, when you listen, new opportunities emerge. That’s how life on the planet is designed.

What is your body saying right now?  Not the mind chatter that’s yelling about what the world (jobs, bosses, friends, family, etc.) says you should do. But what does the body need right now?  Nourishment? Exercise? To start or finish a project? A nap? Your body knows.

When we’re experiencing illness, the body asks that we rest and allow it to heal. The body knows how to do this. Your job is to give it that direction and support for the healing process. In our modern world though we often mitigate the discomfort with drugs and forge ahead with whatever plans and projects we’re engaged in.

I’ve rarely been a follower of that path. I’m simply not good at pushing myself when I don’t feel well. There was a time that I thought that I was ‘wimping out’. No more.

These days more and more I aim to deepen my ability to listen, to hear, and to respond to what my physical body requests of me.  Recently it’s messages that more ‘winter-like’ than active, ‘summer-like’ ones. My body has asked that I slow down, pace myself differently, and sometimes it simply asks me to ‘Stop’.

I’ve never been one to nap much or to ‘just sit’, but recently have felt guided to do both. I’m learning to take time mid-day for nourishment and a bit of rest before re-engaging in the activities of the day. One evening I sat on the back deck for a couple hours just listening to and watching the woods, and wondering about the unseen, unheard lives of the trees and other inhabitants of these woods.

Earlier this week, on a day that I was prepared to dive into my prioritized list of summer projects, my body told me to ‘stop’.  No, a slow pace or doing a few things was not acceptable.  ‘Stop, rest, read, sleep.’ ‘Yes you can check email, FB, and even play a computer game. But, STOP.’  I listened and followed the body’s guidance. After a bit of  grousing about all that I ‘should’ be doing, I surrendered. I slept, I read, I sipped tea. I slept, checked email, read some more. And, yes, I played a few games of Mahjongg Solitare. Luke seemed content with a couple short walks and trips outside and dozed nearby most of the day.  He’s a good role model.

Beyond the sense of satisfaction I felt, I was rewarded with waking the next day to several B&B inquiries, a new reservation, and a reenergized body that was ready to get up and go.

In body, we are of nature. I continue to discover that, when I follow nature’s guidance, life flows as easily as the breeze in the pines.

Sunset on another glorious day in the San Luis Valley

Energy Balancing: The Power of Sound

Blooming Sweetness in the Prickling Cacti

The work of keeping energy balance on earth, in terms of energy, is done through sound. … We are getting the effect of sound today as a result of the total sound history on this planet from its inception. That quality has left its mark on humanity as a whole, and that’s why we aren’t further along.  Gregge Tiffen (Open Secrets: An Honest Performance - June, 2011)

I’m blessed in my life to spend a lot of time listening. I listen to nature – the hummers are buzzing about in the early dawn this morning. I listen to Luke, a quiet creature who ‘speaks’ more through gestures except when he wants to engage another canine in play or is deep in a dream. And, I listen to people – those I host here at the Dragonfly House, coaching clients, folks whose paths I cross out and about in the community.

In the course of the past week filled with guests, clients, community I’ve heard lots. I wonder how much of what I heard contributes to keeping energy in balance. What do we/I say that makes a positive contribution to ourselves and to the energy of the planet? What might we/I want to think twice about before I give it voice?

Here’s a sampling of the many words that, to me, are positive contributions:

• “What a lovely job the volunteers did planting flowers in town!” – acknowledgement and gratitude
• “Thank you.” – perhaps the best words we can speak, a prayer in itself
• “I will do that.” – determination and will
• “I’m clear on what I need to do next.” – clarity and direction
•  “What do you think?” – seeking input

And, some that, again to me, may contribute more to chaos than to keeping energy (individual and collective in balance):

• Loud, disconnected chatter about what he did, thought – confusion and jarring to the system
• “I know she will …” "I know it will ..." – declaring what another will do or how some event will transpire, which is something we can’t know
• “They should …” – me speaking about what’s none of my business unless I choose to actively participate

I could go on, but you get the drift. We each need to take responsibility for our immediate environment and for what sounds, especially the words, we put into the environment beyond. 

This week, I invite you to listen – to yourself, to others and to engage with the commitment to add your voice in ways contribute to balancing the chaotic energy of our planet. This doesn’t mean not speaking your truth … but that’s a story for another day.

Planting Day has finally arrived ... pots ready (check) ...

Plants ready (check), blog posted (check) ... ready, set, PLANT!

Life As Creative Endeavor

A place to awaken the senses and be curious about nature's ways.

Creative force is the necessary energy to begin a new experience. … Creative momentum leads you to the kind of experience that leads to knowledge. That is what the whole story of life is about. … Nuances are the creative opportunities to get into the experience.  Gregge Tiffen (Open Secrets: An Air of Optimism – May, 2011)

What do ‘creative force’ ‘momentum’ ‘nuances’ have to do with the activities of maintaining life? You know the ‘darn dailies’ required to sustain our existence on the planet?

I’m discovering more and more that there is opportunity for living life as a creative endeavor.  I don’t need to set aside a block of time and have all the necessary supplies to “be creative”. Opportunities abound to invoke the creative force in most everything I do. Curiosity and awareness are the keys. I can choose to become aware of what I don’t know and curious to find out. That’s the root of creative force.

So, each of us – you, me, everyone – has the capacity to be creative.  Being creative isn’t dependent on having the skill to make music or art. Those are clear creative acts, but so can be most any action in life – when you make the choice to BE and to tap into discovering what you don’t know about whatever activity you’re engaged in. That awareness and curiosity hold the potential to bring light, joy and wonder to most any task. And, that’s truly living.

We each have routine tasks that we do daily. We rise, we brush, we dress, we eat, we walk the dog, we work … and the list goes on. We can do these tasks with awareness or not. We can view them as burdens or not. We can look for the creative opportunities right there, subtle though they may be, or not.  And, those choices that we make moment to moment determine the quality of that moment, the next one, and extend beyond to the overall quality of our lives. Yep, those little choices add up to a really big deal – you.

Most days Luke and I walk the same route each morning. When I’m aware that I don’t know what will be different today, I can choose to engage my curiosity to find out. Our walk becomes a creative endeavor of discovery, not a boring ‘chore’ that must be done.  My awareness is in the senses: eyeing Luke as he sniffs his way from place to place; noticing how the light is filtering through the trees; feeling the warmth of the sun on my skin; hearing water make its way over rocks and around bends; and, just this morning noticing the fresh pine scent that permeated the air along our route (I thought of how fresh cut boughs brought indoors invoke the winter holiday spirit). Each day is different, and from these observations I learn little bits of nature’s ways.

I don’t limit this awareness and curiosity to walks in nature. Now that the ‘busy’ season has arrived at the Dragonfly House, I’m engaging in the daily maintenance requirements in much the same way. I observe guests – what they eat, what they use, what they are interested in – from curiosity. I wonder what I can learn about how to make their time here more enjoyable and how I can be more efficient. I engage in cleaning, making beds, preparing each room and the like with curiosity as well. Yes, I know how to do these tasks, but I don’t know what new look and feel I might create or how I might be more efficient. That wonder invokes the creative force giving each routine task its own sense of being new.

So often we look at the tasks of life as chores that we must ‘get through’ so we can get on with our ‘real’ work or some fun, creative project. Yet, when we take a moment to inquire, just below the surface we find creative opportunity abounds, creating momentum for lightening the load of what we once considered the heavy, boring burdens of life.

Aware, curious ... I'd say this is what creative engagement looks like!

Every Thought Counts

Storm Clouds Building

Every thought leads to the next thought.  Gregge Tiffen (Open Secrets: An Air of Optimism – May, 2011)

I could have a zillion thoughts about writing my weekly post this late in day. Most would be gunk or guilt, leading to the next critical thought. Some might even be accurate. Today, the choices I made early in the day, coupled with a mid-day webinar put a different rhythm on the day than most Thursdays. I deem it an experiment. And, I learned that the commitment that I’ve honored for 194 weeks now - to write the blog first before any other business – is a good practice and one to continue. That’s especially true if I want to maintain the flow and ease and joy that each week’s writing brings. Perhaps that’s a story for another time.

This day though, I want to highlight what I’ve recently observed about my thoughts.

Most of us know – or at least we think we know – just how powerful our thoughts are. Rarely do I maintain consistency in keeping my thoughts on the high plane that honors that power. 

That said, I consider myself to be an optimistic person. I can sense, if not clearly see, the ‘silver lining’ in most any dark cloud. It sometimes takes a while to shine the light there, but somewhere deep inside I know it’s there – whether or not I’m aware enough to search. I trust that the Universe is unfolding as it should, as it must. I trust that events unfold as opportunities for us to experiment with and to learn from.

I’ve noticed that these beliefs are easier to call upon when the darkest clouds are gathering into a big storm, the kind that wakes you up and rocks your world. And, I’ve noticed in the midst of daily ‘to-dos’ (I can’t bring myself to call them tasks or chores – ugh!) that I can suddenly find myself in a thought stream of worry and negativity. The ‘monkey mind’ of racing thoughts has no clear cause but will spread like wildfire if I don’t snuff them out.

Having experienced that monkey mind a bit more than I’d like to admit recently, I began wondering Where does it come from? What is the cause? Is there a negative streak inside that wants attention, and, hopefully, to be set free?

I’ll let you know what I discover. Meanwhile, I’d love to hear your experience with the dark clouds of ‘monkey mind’.

P.S. Apologies to the haplorhine primates around the globe – how dare we humans saddle you with our silliness.

Yes. Snow & Rain. May 10, 2017

And a beautiful white blanket when the new day dawns.

Life: Sandbox or Sandpaper?

Robin sings and brings new beginnings of Spring

As willing adults, we are able to trust, be curious, be enthused, be pleased with ourselves, and be fully generous once again. We are able to know and feel and experience the peace, joy, and love creatively produced by Mother Nature as we live in harmony with Her.  Gregge Tiffen (Mother Nature – May, 2007)

I’m feeling my childlike nature come alive as the temperatures warm, the songbirds sing songs of courtship, and the green of new growth appears on the aspens and cottonwoods. The creek is flowing more freely and swiftly, and budding cones are forming on the pines. Will I embrace new growth and life as my sandbox? Or, will I succumb to the dreary news and the ways of the world that grate like sandpaper on my soul?

The bright green of new growth as the snow melts and Cottonwood Creek flows

I have children on my mind and in my heart this week. Up close and personal, my stepson’s daughter is about to celebrate completing her third year on the planet and begin her fourth. We haven’t met yet other than via the wonders of technology, yet she’s always in my heart.  That same heart aches at the suffering we humans have created for one another, especially for the children who face survival early on in life. Surely we can do better. We must.

It is the nature of a child to be trusting, curious, enthusiastic, satisfied with self, and generous. Those childlike ways of being are pure energetic qualities that we each have access to. They are the sandbox of life.

Somewhere along the way sandpaper arrived on the scene. We lost touch with our nature. Someone, maybe many, told us it was time to ‘grow up’ or ‘get serious’. They didn’t understand that life is a sandbox. Education and other systems of the world echoed this sad message.

The curious eyes of Cool Hand Luke trained on a turkey vulture high on a limb stretching to dry its wings

But changing our nature is not the way of nature. In nature there is consistency, nurturing, and growth. From a seed in the ground a tiny sapling pushes through the earth and, through all of its years, fulfills the pattern in its seed. It keeps on being that tree through cycles, weather events, nesting birds and insects who find a home there.

In staying true to its nature, the tree invites us to do likewise – stay true to our nature as trusting, curious, enthusiastic, self-satisfied, generous beings. As humans with consciousness, awareness and free will it is our choice to do so. Or not. Moment to moment, day to day we can develop our capacity to return to the life affirming nature of our childlike ways.

We do so by accepting the care and protection of the Universe and having unwavering trust in that protection. We experiment curiously with life’s events to discover how life works (and, in the process, we discover things that don’t). We expect and allow our curiosity to nurture enthusiasm as we experiment, explore, and, yes, even when things don’t turn out as we aimed for them to. We allow ourselves to be satisfied. Even when we think we’ve fallen short, we trust that we gave it our best shot and that tomorrow will dawn anew. Finally we give what we naturally have to give – a warm smile, a hug, a word of encouragement, a helping hand, a laugh and, oh, so much more.

When we embrace life’s events as a sandbox with everything needed to build castles in the sky, the rub of sandpaper fades away and we move forward in our natural state to create the world, our world, anew.

Spring! A fertile time for bunnies, ideas, and other new growth.