Thought for the Day​​​​​

​

We have been building on the same

theme all week, that of you

determining how you wish to feel

and using that as your singular

guidepost in distinguishing what

you choose to do from here on out

from that of what you are no longer

willing to participate in.

 

So many times you have been

miserable because you made the

decision to participate in some-

thing that your heart was not in

at all.

 

And why?

 

In most cases it is because you

placed more value on fitting in

and belonging, doing what someone

else wanted you to do, rather than

listening to your own heart and

making that voice your one and

only guide.

 

Yesterday we went so far as

to say that this choosing is

determined by what you are

committed to.

 

We will solidify your understanding

of how vital it is for you to determine

what you are going to commit your

life to by providing you an axiom

that you will follow as a guideline

for all decision making.

​

Why?

​

Because it provides the contextual

framework or foundation for every

decision made by every person on

this planet, whether conscious or not.

 

Your life experience is a reflection

of what you are committed to,

but only 100% of the time.

​

***

​

Prayer for the Day​

​

Support my heartfelt commitment

to follow my heart at all times.

 

For I know that my heart is

committed to peace, kindness and

compassion above all else.

 

May this be my only guide.

 

Amen

​​​​​​​​​​​​​​

***

​​

Thought for the Day​​​​​

​

Four different folks wrote to me

yesterday, each of which said

something similar to the following...

 

I thought a great deal about

what kind of day I wanted, how

I wanted to spend the time that

I had been given, and my day

went to hell in a handbasket

rather quickly!

 

I spent my whole day trying to

put out fires!

 

My emotions were a wreck, my

thoughts were anything but

loving or kind, and most importantly,

I wanted to be grateful all day

and all I did was complain!

​

I was a mess!

 

What's the deal?

 

The first thing I said was that there

was absolutely nothing wrong with

their day.

 

But did they remember to be kind

and gentle with themselves?

 

Were they able to be patient,

unconditionally loving and

supportive of the part of them-

selves that was presenting itself,

knowing that it, too, was equally

worthy of their gentleness,

compassion and understanding?

 

To which each replied me with

a resounding, "No."

 

There is a beautiful statement

which is made in the Introduction

to ACIM which says the following:

 

The course does not aim at

teaching the meaning of love,

for that is beyond what can be

taught. It does aim, however,

at removing the blocks to the

awareness of love’s presence,

which is your natural

inheritance.

 

The obstacles to the awareness

of love's presence...

 

Regardless how the day unfolded,

it is important to remember that

in order to have the kind of day

that you are committed to having,

everything begins to come up

that is in opposition to that

commitment.

 

So let's try this again today,

knowing that the things that come

up for us are merely showing

us what we have not yet provided

our whole hearted attention,

kindness and care.

 

Because the bottom line is this...

 

You do not have to change your

life, you just have to make a

commitment.

 

And a true commitment is some-

thing that some of you have never

made in your entire life.

 

Oh...you may start off sincere enough,

but it takes very little time at all to

weaken that commitment and before

you know it, you are sliding back into

old habits and behaviors.

​

And it is not that those old habits and

old behaviors are wrong in any way.

​

But instead of using them as

opportunities to love yourself even

more, you use them as an excuse

to be unkind and judgmental toward

yourself, treating yourselves with

anything but mercy and gentleness.

 

What would you like to make a

commitment to?

 

If you truly commit your life to

something, your life will transform

itself, seemingly of its own accord.

 

Why is this?

 

Because the universe bows before

you, providing you everything that

you need in way of support for any

commitment which is sincere.

​

***

​

Prayer for the Day​

​

Support my heartfelt commitment

to live unequivocally free.

 

Amen

​​​​​​​​​​​​​​

***

​​

Thought for the Day​​​​​

​

Short, sweet and to the point.

That is what our thought for today

 offers us.

​

Though the words may be brief,

they are full to overflowing with

possibility.

 

The instruction itself is simple.

 

Allow the following question to

simmer on the back burner of

the mind all day today.

 

How do I want to spend the time

that I am given today?

 

Let it be a constant reminder of

how you wish to live your life,

ever informing all thoughts, words,

feelings and actions.

 

Live your life today as if you secretly

knew that today would be your last

day on planet earth.

 

It could be, you know...

 

None of us is guaranteed a single

instant.

 

And a human life is not that long

in the scope of time.

 

So make the most of today.

 

Make it your day.

 

March to the beat of your own

drum.

 

If your heart is not in it, don't

waste a single instant of your

time doing it.

​

You are not here for the pleasure

of others, you were born to be

true to your own heart.

 

Really live your life today.

 

Be here. Be present.

 

Live today so fully that tonight

(if you are even given tonight),

when you lay your head upon

your pillow, one thought takes

dominion over all others, 

capturing your full attention

as it rises into your full awareness...

 

Well done...

 

Well done, beloved, well done.

​

***

​

Prayer for the Day​

​

Thank you for this day, O God.

 

Amen

​​​​​​​​​​​​​​

***

​​

Thought for the Day​​​​​

 

What does the statement, "I

need do nothing" mean to you?

 

Reflect on this today as you go

through the motions of life

and living.

 

To do nothing is the most difficult

thing in the whole universe to do.

 

We have all been so brainwashed

into believing that our efforts to

work on ourselves actually means

something.

 

So much so that if you are not

working diligently on yourself,

you are considered lazy, dull

and ignorant.

 

Working on yourself is a lie

of the most arrogant and

grandiose nature.

 

Why?

 

Because working on yourself is

a great place for you to hide from

yourself while looking like you are

sincerely and seriously seeking

a direct experience of yourself.

 

I call bullshit.

 

The same goes for all spiritual

practices. Name one spiritual

practice that has ever yielded

a sustainable experience.

 

But there are two things that

we all must do that actually

represent the reason why you

incarnated at this particular

time in human history.

 

What are they?

 

(1)

 

The ability to remain present

to your inner experience at all

times, while cultivating the

ability to be honest with yourself

about what that experience

actually is, and to do so without

editing, censoring, judging,

denying, avoiding or trying to

change that experience in any

way.

 

(2)

 

Can I meet myself as I am in

every moment with unconditional

positive regard?

 

In other words, the ability to

deeply and profoundly love and

accept yourself exactly as you are.

​

As my best friend's mother used

to say when she was alive, hair,

guts, feathers and all.

 

As we have said countless times

before, we live in a mirror universe

where what is happening in our

lives and in the mirror of our

inner experience of life is showing

us where we have yet to meet

ourselves and love ourselves honestly,

without conditions or expectations.

 

And your work is to stop all

efforts to try to change the mirror

and instead, look deeply into the

mirror and cultivate the ability

to love, respect and have

compassion for the image of the

one who is gazing back at you.

 

You beautiful, beautiful being....

 

There is absolutely nothing

wrong with you.

 

And you are never going to be

more liberated than you already

are in this very moment.

 

So love the one you're with.

 

And just in case you have not

figured that instruction out yet,

the one that you are always with

is none other than yourself.

​

***

​

Prayer for the Day​

​

Bless my beautiful, beautiful

heart as it is.....

 

Amen

​​​​​​​​​​​​​​

***

​​

Thought for the Day​​​​​

 

One of the things my mom would

ask me when I was a teenager

(which really drove me nuts btw...)

was "Just because all of your friends

and kids your age are all jumping

off of a cliff doesn't mean that you

have to do so as well."

 

But there is so much wisdom in

that rhetorical question, like it

or not.

 

Thus, my question for you today

is this...

 

Just because the people all

around you; friends, neighbors,

co-workers and strangers are all

stuck in survival mode, duality

and separation, losing their shit

when things don't go their way,

or over what is happening in our

world, doesn't mean that you

have to too.

 

It is possible for you to remain

in your heart and be peaceful

in the midst of whatever is

happening no matter what,

regardless what others say or

do.

 

Give others the space to figure

it all out. They will eventually

if you give them the opportunity

to do so.

 

Stay in your own lane and live

your life as an example of what

you know to be true.

 

How else does a species that has

not evolved that far beyond their

caveman ancestors learn that

there really is another way?

 

Today, it will seem shocking at

times how people around you

can behave like toddlers in the

midst of a meltdown.

 

Remember, the only question

that you need ask yourself is "How

do I wish to feel today?"

 

And by the way....you can ask

yourself that question as many

times a day as you need to do 

so, in order to remain happy

and peaceful.

 

Peace and happiness are not

random dispensations of grace

which are handed out for god

knows what.

 

They are a choice.

 

A choice that no one can make

but you.

​

The instability you feel is not

a result of what happens or

doesn't happen outside of you.

​

They are the fruit of being

tethered to True North or your

old amigo, the ego.

 

Are you an autonomous being

with complete agency over your

own life, or are you simply a part

of the herd of humanity which

rules this planet?

​

Just because everything is an 

expression of light doesn't mean

that your way has to be through

the school of hard knocks, which

is also known as...

​

Gloom, despair, and agony on me...

Deep dark depression, excessive

misery...

​

***

​

Prayer for the Day​

​

I choose to march to the beat

of my own drum.

 

I choose a happy and peaceful

life.

 

Amen

​​​​​​​​​​​​​​

***

​​

Thought for the Day​​​​​

 

Sunday's exercise is simple.

 

A single thought is given you to

hold most dear.

 

Memorize it.

 

Allow it to walk in the space before

you, ever informing you of a most

sacred truth.

 

It is requested that you do not try

to censor, edit or seek to change

your behavior or that of anyone

else's.

​

Gently allow what is to be.

 

Can you be deeply present to this

experience and if/when you feel

a compulsion to try to change the

experience or make it wrong in

any away, hit your pause button.

​

See if you can move into the

experience itself, as it is, with

acceptance, radically choosing

to give it space to be without

any interference on your part.

​

And the statement which I asked

you to commit to memory, allowing

it to shape every experience for you

is the following...

 

This too is composed of light.

 

And with the faculty of imagination,

see, sense or feel the one light

which is the source of all form and

phenomena passing through it.

 

Remember, the mind is a meaning

making machine, prone to selfish

and self seeking reactivity, quick

to judge and believe that it is right.

 

It ranks all experiences on a scale

of its own making, based on its

parameters of desirability.

 

But the Universe does not see this

way at all.

 

It knows that all experiences are the

same; all equal and all beautiful,

because they share the same source.

 

Be soft and open to all experiences,

and when the mind jumps in and

is ever quick to judge and find

wrong or unsatisfactory, take another

step back and remind yourself of your

thought for today...

 

This too is composed of light.

​

***

​

Prayer for the Day​

 

I can definitely see how living my

life this way is going to require

me slowing down and stepping

into the shoes of the witness,

rather than spinning my wheels

trying to control and manipulate,

judge and make wrong,

 

I do see life rather hierarchically.

 

And this is a way to ask miss bossy

pants to take a day off.

 

Imagine seeing all experiences

equally filled with light, worthy

of their expression without my

interference?

 

So may I live this day...

 

Amen

​​​​​​​​​​​​​​

***

​​

Thought for the Day​​​​​

 

In keeping with this week's theme

of maintaining our peace, as well

as our vow of keeping the weekends

more low key, I thought we could

change things up a bit and actually

try something fun for today.

 

Let me begin by saying that I feel

that we are a very funny species.

 

And if you cannot have a good belly

laugh at how crazy we can be, then

you are about as fun as a trip to the

dentist's office for a root canal.

 

There are lots of times I have a

problem trying to keep a straight

face when I am watching someone

who is losing their shit over the

smallest of things.

 

So I thought we could each share

one of the funniest things that

we have been witness to.

​

And in my case, the example I am

sharing happens every single time

I have to take myself somewhere.

 

Pop me an email or a text and I

will post your entry with your

initials only.

 

I will get us started.

 

Being almost 73 years old, I don't

drive much and when I do, I like

to keep it at the speed limit or 5 mph

under.

​

You are never going to catch me

speeding anywhere.

 

I drive a small 2 mile square, the four

corners of which are the Doctor's

office, Trader Joe's, Central Market

and Whole Foods.

 

If I have to go outside this zone in

which I feel comfortable driving, I

take an Uber, a train, or ask a friend

if they happen to be available.

​

I even take the Dart train to the 

airport!

 

So I am used to the world being in

a hurry while I am not.

 

And the thing that amazes me

constantly is how people do not

stop to think that being triggered

all the time is not helpful to the

world in any way.

 

It's also hell on your health and

well-being.

 

So here is my funny....

 

I find it amazing that people actually

believe that yelling at someone,

pounding on your horn or flipping

them the bird will actually improve

their driving skills.

-KP

 

What's your favorite?

​

***

​

A favorite expression that often

applies...

​

"Never have so many said so much

about something they know

so little about!"

 

Attributed to Winston Churchill...

JB

​

***

​

"People who bitch and complain 

about everything. Like that is going

to change anything."

VC

​

***

​

As you know I am in Wisconsin for a few days.

Having 4 (very different) women in one tiny

cabin has been hilarious and eye opening in 

itself. But what I want to really share is my

craziness around coffee. I am SO particular

about the “taste” - strong, full bodied with a

tiny bit of cream…just so! 

When I can’t achieve that because the

“formula” is off, I actually get down right mad.

I’m pouty britches the whole morning.

 

Bless my heart. 😏

CS

​

***

​

Prayer for the Day​

 

Light hearted happiness...

 

This is the wealth I vow to share

with my world today.

 

Amen

​​​​​​​​​​​​​​

***

​​

Thought for the Day​​​​​

 

Peace is everything.

 

Every day I get to wake up and feel

like the wealthiest person on this

planet because I get to be me.

 

And being me offers me a world

that has been tailor made just

for me.

 

I am loved and cherished, adored

and appreciated by myself.

 

I consider it an honor and a privilege

to be me.

 

But I have a bit of news for you.

 

Even my peaceful and loving world

is a part of the Matrix.

 

No matter what you do, no matter

how you choose to live, this world

is based on impermanence.

 

But here's the thing....

 

No matter what you are dreaming,

you are influencing the world with

your dream.

 

So in my dream there is....

~no more defending myself.

~no more protecting myself.

~no more justifying myself.

~no more explaining myself

to anyone.

~no more doing shit I don't

want to do.

 

Ever.

​

You get it?

​

Nothing comes at a cost of

my own well being.

 

So if you are going to dream, why

not dream the dream of peace?

 

Why not dream the dream of joy?

 

Why not dream the dream of calm?

 

Why not dream the dream where

there is love and respect for everyone

because we know we belong to

each other?

 

My dream is a dream which reflects

the truth which never changes.

 

It is a soul-full dream.

 

It is what ACIM folks refer to as

the happy dream.

 

This is my dream and the only things

that my dream is lacking are stress,

victim consciousness, self-pity, sleepless

nights, anxiety, worry, fear and anger,

sucking up to others because I care

more about what they think and

fitting in and belonging than I do for

myself.

 

And keeping all of those plates in the

air and spinning?

 

Nightmare on Elm Street to me.

 

What's in your dream?

​

***

​

Prayer for the Day​

​

Today, with my every breath...

 

I choose to be peaceful.

 

I choose to be kind.

 

I choose to be loving.

 

I choose to be fully tenderized.

 

I choose to walk peacefully in the

midst of a world that has forgotten

that this is a dream and they are

taking themselves and this world

waaaaaayyyyyyy too seriously.

 

Amen

​​​​​​​​​​​​​​

***

​​

Thought for the Day​​​​​

 

Let's deepen our work with yesterday's

thought, shall we?

 

Although it is quite often seen

an act of bravery, more than anything

else, the willingness to guard your

peace is an act of self love.

 

I do not know about you, but I grew

up in a household which was rarely

peaceful.

 

So once I was able to leave the house-

hold of my birth, I made a living

amendment to myself which said

that I would never ever put myself

in any situation which was volatile,

argumentative or hostile ever again.

 

And I think that I have done a

remarkable job with that, to the point

of choosing to cut all ties with all of

my siblings.

​

I have done so because rather than

cherishing peace, they each have

chosen to carry on the family legacy

of survival and suffering.

​

And I am 100% unwilling to participate

in the uncertainty of waiting for the

other shoe to fall, the endless chaos

and cruelty.

​

Thrills and chills are just not my thing

and they never have been.

 

Peace is our natural state and the only

way our species stands a chance of

growing up is if we draw a line in the

sand and model peace.

 

We came here to this incarnation in

order to demonstrate a new way of

being human.

 

That way is by being a living

demonstration of a palpable peace

which we protect at all cost.

 

Last night, before retiring, I marveled

at the stillness that surrounds me.

 

This is not an unusual state for me,

it is my normal state of being.

 

I could feel the hum of peace in every

single cell of this body, it filled the mind

and made my heart purr like a kitten.

 

I felt a palpable sense of being anchored

in something which was magnetic and

immovable.

 

So beautiful was this state of being, that

it moved me to tears.

 

I cannot tell you how many people,

situations and circumstances I have

walked away from through the years

because peace is my only priority.

 

And here is a question that I have for

you...

 

If you have to get upset or raise your

voice to make your point, or to be

in the company of who you are with,

are you sure that you are where you

are supposed to be and doing what 

you are supposed to be doing?

 

We must begin to shine a very bright

light on every single relationship and

aspect of our lives.

 

My job is not to see how peaceful

I can remain in stressful situations.

 

My job is to take lovingly care for myself

and walk away from everyone and

everything which does not share the

goal of peace.

 

Bottom line?

​

I came here to learn to truly love myself;

to meet myself without judgment,

ever embodying the state of peace.

​

Why are you here?

​

What is your bottom line?

​

***

​

Prayer for the Day​

​

When I had a healing center in the

90's, there was a sign on the front

door which said:

 

"Do not speak unless what you have to

share improves on the silence."

--Anthony de Mello.

 

I felt that way them.

 

I feel this way today.

 

May all beings know peace.

​

May peace prevail on earth.

 

Amen

​​​​​​​​​​​​​​

***

​​

Thought for the Day​​​​​

 

A simple set of instructions are

offered you today, for surely

they reflect one who really loves

themselves and feels most

worthy.

 

If it is not peaceful, it is not

for me.

 

If it is not loving, it is not

for me.

 

If it is not joyful, it is not

for me.

 

If it is stressful, a vexation

to my spirit, it is not for me.

 

If it is drama-filled, it is not

for me.

 

Today, perhaps for the very first

time in your life, you are going

to put your love of self first.

 

Above spouses and children,

friends and neighbors, bosses

and co-workers, the media,

both local and global, you, my

dear, come first.

 

If your participation will not

improve the situation, walk away

with no comment.

 

You do not owe anyone an

explanation for anything.

 

Got it?

 

Today you will do what you have

always known in your heart of

hearts that you needed to do on

behalf of yourself.

 

A good mantra to repeat silently

to yourself as a gentle reminder

when you have need of it is this.

 

I do not need to be around anyone

who is still on the hamster wheel,

still trying to fix themselves or the

Matrix.

 

Today there is one feeling tonality

that you will cherish above all

else:

 

PEACE.

 

We will end today with a question.

 

If it does not feel good to me, what

is this doing to my brain and nervous

system, my overall health and well-

being?

 

Beloved, it is okay to put yourself

first.

 

It is okay for you to guard your peace

and to want peace above all else.

​

***

​

Prayer for the Day​

​

Breathing in peace for myself,

breathing out peace for my

world.

 

Amen

​​​​​​​​​​​​​​

***

​​

Thought for the Day​​​​​

 

Today we build on yesterday's

thought, for surely it only

represents one side of the coin.

 

To fiercely look upon the coin's

other side, one has to possess

a sincere desire to explore

the meaning of the word,

unconditional.

 

For no one who has walked

this earth has ever mastered

its meaning completely.

 

Perhaps the man Jesus did,

but certainly no one that I have

ever known has come close

to its embodiment.

 

If you would know what the

love of God truly is and your

eternal Oneness with it,

you must viscerally know that

there is no love which this

world offers that is even in

the same zip code as the love

of God.

 

If there is no peace other than

the peace of God, then surely

it is equally true that there is no

love other than the love of God.

 

Can you even begin to fathom

what it means to love without

conditions of any kind?

​​

For here, love is limited to one

of three meanings.

 

Being able to live up to another's

expectations.

​

But what happens when you

cannot live up to the demands

placed upon you by someone

else?

 

You lose.

 

It can mean a social contract,

a quid pro quo sort of thing.

​

What if one party breaks the

agreed upon contract?

 

Again you lose.

 

Or it means one embodies

certain qualities that another

finds so distinctive that it

sets them apart from all others

which then makes them special.

​

And what happens if someone

comes along who possesses

more of the same qualities

that you are being loved for?

 

You got it. You lose and someone

else is the new winner.

 

No one in this world loves another.

 

For who they love does not exist.

 

What they believe they love is the

image of the other that they have

made in their minds.

 

And when one finds themselves

incapable of living up to that image

or even understanding what that

image actually is, the gig is up

once again.

​

Who can live up to an image?

​

Is not the word image the root

of the word imagination?

​

And less you miscontrue what I am

pointing to, I am not suggesting

that we are here to somehow 

change ourselves into a more perfect

reflection of what is possible.

​

What I am suggesting is that 

unconditional implies an abilty to

be soft and gentle, unconditionally

loving and kind to the human being

that we are as we are and to do so

without wavering.

​

We were all born in trauma suits

of one variety or another.

​

Who the hell has the right to

stand outside of my experience

and tell me how I should be or

how I should have responded to

the life which has been mine to

live?

​

As far as I can see, the answer is

no one.

​

And it is just as true for you as it is

for me.

​

Doe it not then follow that no one

can really and truly know me other

than myself and it then follows that

no one can love me the way that

only I can?

 

Imagine loving the human being that

I am simply for the sake of loving,

no strings attached?

 

A love which asks for absolutely

nothing in return.

 

Could I actually love myself this

way because it is my nature to do

so, that it could be no other way?

​

Could this kind of loving become

as natural to us as breathing?

 

Imagine knowing that this is the

living substrate of all things manifest

and that the only way one has to

show the world who they truly are

is by our demonstration of the love

we have for ourselves exactly as

we are?

 

Watch how the natural world gives

today and contemplate the meaning

of the word unconditional.

​

What but nature could show us what

it is to give to ourselves as we are

without compromise or expectation?

 

As for me, I compete with no one

other than myself.

​

I want to completely love myself.

​

I know what I have experienced.

​

And I know that no where on this

planet is there someone more

worthy of my unconditional love

than me.

​

The extraordinary life I wish for 

myself has to be born of the 

unconditional positive regard I

have for the all-too-human

human being that I am, knowing

that she is beautiful as she is.

​

I know myself as soul. But I also

know myself as the fragile and

tender human being I experience

as me each day as well.

​

I have no need for her to be any

other way.

 

My life has always been one of

challenging how deep and how far

I can take my human life by loving

myself completely as I am now.

 

So an exploration of the nature of

love on the one hand, and having

given my life to the study of what 

unconditional deeply means on

the other hand has been the sum

and substance of a lifelong pursuit.

 

I would love to hear your thoughts.

 

livingonlylove@yahoo.com

 

Do write back if you, too, wish to

explore the nature of loving

oneself...

​

***

​

Prayer for the Day​

​

I could care less what the

world believes is true or

is the meaning of life.

​

Nor do I give a damn what

the world thinks of me or who

or how I am.

 

My only prayer is that I may

live long enough to master

what it means to truly and

unconditionally love myself.

 

If love is infinite, can it ever

be fully known and embodied?

 

Can there be edges to one's

loving?

 

Or is it bottomless and edgeless?

​

Is it that which cradles all that is

as a mother does her only child?

 

Would it not then stand to reason

that when I have learned all that love

has to show me about loving myself,

I will have embraced all that is as it

is?

 

Amen

​​​​​​​​​​​​​​

***

​​

Thought for the Day​​​​​

 

I really love it when someone asks

me a great question, and yesterday,

a very bright young man actually

did.

 

He said, "If nothing about my

human life has any effect on who

I actually am, why do we bother

with things like peace? Does

anything really matter?"

 

And this is what I said to him.

 

We 'bother' for three reasons.

 

First of all, life organizes itself

around our relationship with

ourselves.

​

Our world will unavoidably be

a mirror image of that relationship.

​

It cannot be otherwise.

 

This is why we focus on loving

ourselves and making peace with

the past. So that life is organizing

itself around the energy of love,

the clearest and most profound

demonstration of the divine.

 

Secondly, what we experience as

our lives is a byproduct if our

relationship with our present

moment experience.

​

Most people live their entire

lives in either the past or future.

​

Every wonder why there are certain

experiences which repeat themselves

in your life over and over again?

​

When you are complete with the

past, it integrates. Which means no

more reliving of things over and

over again.

​

And lastly, when we open our

hearts to the infinite possibility

that is available to each of us in the

moment, we are actually inviting

the miraculous into our experience.

​

I don't know about you, but I really

love feeling like my life is a living

invitation to something which is so

far beyond my wildest imagination.

 

This is why we make peace with

ourselves.

 

This is why we make peace with

the past.

 

This is why we make peace with

what is happening in the present

moment.

 

And this is why we introduce the

element of infinite possibility into

all the moment's of our lives.

 

I ended the conversation by offering

a totally unrelated and off the wall

life example.

 

If I was sick or somehow incapacitated

and I asked two different people if

they would be willing to go to the

grocery store and pick up a few things

for me, that I had made a list, and

the store was less than a mile away,

which person would I rather receive

groceries from?

 

Person (a) goes to the grocery, list

in hand, bitches about no place to park

when he gets there and proceeds up

and down the aisles, gathering items

from my list, while complaining about

having no time, running late, resenting

my having asked this of him and his

need to be elsewhere.

 

Person (b) goes to the grocery, list

in hand and feels happiness about

being able to help a friend. He thanks

his parking angels for finding him

a parking spot near the front door

right off the bat. Gathering a cart

with list in hand, he searches for

each item on the list, pausing to look

for the singular item which seems

to be calling out to him. "Buy me.

I am the one she will love." With

each item he offers a brief and silent

prayer. "May this bring health,

happiness and peace. May my friend

feel how much she is treasured."

 

Both people arrive home with

everything on their appointed list.

 

Which person would you prefer

to receive groceries from?

 

Would it matter? 

​

Could it make a difference?

 

How do you show up for the life

which is yours to live?

 

Are you always in a hurry?

 

Or are you present?

 

Do you recognize that this moment

will never be repeated, ever, so do

you do your best to squeeze from it

all the love it is offering you?

 

Do you realize that you matter

and that you are leaving your legacy

behind in every moment of your

life?

 

What is your demonstration

teaching your world?

​

***

​

Prayer for the Day​

​

May I be here, really and truly be

here, for each and every moment

of my life today.

 

May my life be inseparably linked

to my heart song, ever singing 

"you matter" to all beings 

everywhere throughout all time.

 

Amen

​​​​​​​​​​​​​​

***

​​

Thought for the Day​​​​​

 

Your assignment for today has

two parts.

 

Part I

 

Allow the following question to

walk in the space before you,

ever informing every seeming

decision or choice that you make.

 

Commit yourself to this question,

honoring only this, not just some

of the time, but all of the time.

 

If you do, you will soon recognize

that you already own and therefore

are, the very freedom that you seek.

 

How do I want to feel?

 

Part II

 

A mantra is given you to use

with great generosity.

 

Apply it liberally to every thought,

feeling and sensation, as well as to

every encounter and every life

experience.

 

This cannot and does not affect

the truth.

 

Therefore, this cannot and does

not affect me.

​

***

​

Prayer for the Day​

​

Let me not forget for a single

instant that I will never be any

more free than I already am in 

this very moment.

 

Amen

​​​​​​​​​​​​​​

***

​​

Thought for the Day​​​​​

 

In adhering to our plan to keep it

simple on the weekends, our

assignment will be to contemplate

the following question:

 

How do I relate to me?

 

Whenever someone gets a new job,

they usually are given the task of

shadowing the person who was doing

the job prior to them for a few days.

 

Can you be that present, attentive

and available to yourself?

 

You know, it takes more than a

simple wave of Harry Potter's

magic wand for your life to catch

up to where you are now.

 

Give yourself a break, will you?

 

The undoing of the survival based

self is no small thing.

 

So be kind to yourself.

 

Pay attention.

 

Listen.

 

The secret to everything is this...

 

The closer you are to your heart,

the more everything about you

and your life begins to reorganize

itself around the energies of love

and peace.

 

Give your life a chance to be

wonderful, beloved, for surely

it is clear to you by now that

you were born hardwired for

freedom and for happiness.

​

***

​

Prayer for the Day​

​

May I be as attuned to my own

heart today as are the synchronized

swimmers to each other in the

Olympics.

 

Amen

​​​​​​​​​​​​​​

***

​​

Thought for the Day​​​​​

 

Many of you made declarations of

independence and pledges to both

yourself and the Universe yesterday,

not committed enough to put it out

there for all of this world to bear

witness to, but a heartfelt declaration

of your truth nonetheless.

 

Remember, we are the doers of nothing.

 

For many decades now I have said that

self-realization is a happy accident.

 

There is absolutely nothing you can do

to make this happen.

 

But there are things which you can

do which have a strong tendency

of making you more accident prone.

 

You cannot make yourself more loving.

 

You cannot make yourself more anything

in truth.

 

All the love of this entire cosmos is already

being expressed through you at all times,

whether you are consciously aware of it or

not.

 

There is nothing but the fully realized

state.

 

So if this is a statement of the truth

which is always true, then it is only a

matter of getting quiet enough and

still enough, palpably knowing that

we are all always entirely worthy,

and thus allowing ourselves to connect

with our own beautiful hearts;

the very seat of the Divine.

 

For nothing can exist without this

substrate of love, light and presence

as its core.

 

It is what animates all of life.

 

It flows through every cell, every atom,

molecule and nanoparticle of existence.

 

So in the quiet moments of today,

such as waiting at a stop light, in line

at the grocery store, waiting for your

gas tank to fill, etc., close your eyes

and hit your pause button.

 

Connect with your breath (ride your

dragon).

​

My baba used to tell me that if I could

not sit down on a busy street corner

in Calcutta at 12 noon and connect with

myself as soul, God wasn't the One with

a problem, I was.

 

So feel yourself settle into your light.

 

Settle into your presence.

 

Settle into your love.

 

Bask in your effulgence.

 

Feel yourself expand and grow

larger with each new breath.

 

And stop trying to get things from

other people that you know and I

know you are never going to get.

​

They are on their own perfect journey

just as much as you are on yours.

​

You came here for the sake of one

person and one person only, yourself.

 

It is time for you to recognize that

it is you that you have been waiting

for all along.

​

***

​

Prayer for the Day​

​

I have always been my own

unsung hero, waiting, wishing

and hoping for others to come

along and sing my song.

 

But I am not here for other

people.

 

I am here for me.

 

And it is time for me to step up

and start singing my own song.

​

After all, God is listening.

​

Is that not enough?

 

Amen

​​​​​​​​​​​​​​

***

​​

Thought for the Day​​

​​​

Let's try something radically

different today.

 

I have to tell you, that I am more

than a little excited to see what

we come up with.

 

I will offer a simple statement

that I heard from soul this morning,

and those who wish to participate

can either email or text me their

own personal statement of power.

 

I will then publish what you send

to me below mine.

 

I promise I will use initials only.

 

But this is all about you taking

your power back and declaring

agency over your own life.

 

It is a personal pledge that we

are making to ourselves but

declaring to the Universe.

​

(Remember, the first is straight

from soul and the one beneath

it is mine.)

​

Here goes.

 

I refuse to dim my light in any

capacity ever again just so that

you can feel more comfortable.

 

"From this day forward, I am

going to genuinely be myself, no

holds barred, and I no longer

care if you happen to have a

problem with that."

KP

​

"The light is always there.

There's nowhere to hide.

I give up pretending and keeping it inside.

​

Let my light shine wherever I go!

Blinding

Loving

All encompassing

A Joy to behold!"

SA

​

"Let rigidity go- making room for more

silly, more unpredictable and more

tenderness."

CS

​

"I will live more forgiving and more

from my heart. I will learn to love."

JB

 

I look forward to hearing from you.

 

Again, my email is:

 

livingonlylove@yahoo.com

 

Have a beautiful day.

​

***

​

Prayer for the Day​

​

I am so tired of trying to live

my life for other people.

 

And the damnedest thing is

that it never worked anyway!

 

I want to trust and respect the

face that I see gazing back at me

in the mirror each day.

 

And even if it means that I

I am all alone the rest of my

life because I made this

decision, at least I will always be

in good company.

​

And I would rather have that

than the approval of the whole

world.

 

Thank you for that, dear soul.

 

Amen

​​​​​​​​​​​​​​

***

​​

Thought for the Day​​

​​​

One of the things which the man

that we historically know as Jesus

shared on several occasions was this...

​

2 And Jesus called a little child

unto him, and set him in the midst

of them,

3 And said, Verily I say unto you,

Except ye become as little children,

ye shall not enter the kingdom

of heaven.

​

Matthew 18:2-3

​

Simple words, but utterly profound.

​

How does one become childlike?

​

Notice the qualities that you observe

in the children you encounter

today.

​

Small children, approximately five years

old and younger.

​

And take note of the infants too.

​

What do you see that is unique to

children, yet rarely demonstrated by

adults?

​

And when you feel the slightest ripple

of reactivity toward anyone or anything,

including yourself, hit your pause button.

​

Close your eyes.

​

Silently ask yourself, "Can I

embrace this?"

​

Then feel yourself embracing the

reaction fully.

​

These are parts of you that are

seeking your love, your care,

that they might receive the

redemption which only

you can offer them.

​

Not that there is a damn thing wrong

with any reaction that you might

experience.

​

But can you honestly say that you

enjoy feeling non-peaceful states?

​

Everything longs to return to the very

light from whence it came.

​​​

So as you feel yourself consciously

relaxing into the isness of what

is happening in your inner world,

begin anchoring your awareness

on the inhalation and exhalation.

​

(Ride your dragon, as we did

yesterday if that works for you.)

​

And silently sing the following to

yourself while feeling yourself

soften and lean into what is...

​

This little light of mine

I'm gonna let it shine

Let it shine

Let it shine

All the time...

​

And remember to smile.

​

Smile a lot.

​

Nothing is nearly so difficult or intense

as the mind tries to make it.

​

Repeat this process whenever it feels

necessary.

​

And do let it be the very last thing you do

when you go to bed tonight.

​

***

​

Prayer for the Day​

​

Tender...

Trusting...

Happy...

Playful...

​

May these be the qualities

that I bring to the banquet table

of life today.

​

Amen

​​​​​​​​​​​​​​

***

​​

Thought for the Day​​

​​​

Today I am going to offer a modified

version of how His Holiness, the

Dalai Lama begins each day.

 

It is a simple enough practice, and

I have found it profoundly helpful

through the years.

 

For it sets my sails in the direction

I wish to go, and I repeat this self-

same process before going to sleep

each night.

 

I have found that the quality of my

sleep has improved vastly because

of it, and I awaken rested and

refreshed each day, peaceful and

ready to embrace whatever this day

holds for me and my world.

 

Here are the steps.

 

(1)

 

Anchor awareness clearly on the

breath. For me, I find that feeling

as though I am riding a dragon

works best.

​

You will find what works best for

you.

 

(2)

 

I then go through the process of

feeling myself switching from the

imposter that lives between my two

ears, to the cave of the heart, the

Sanctum Sanctorum.

 

(3)

 

I rest here, whilst still maintaining

breath awareness, until I feel the

unmistaken connection with soul,

grounded in peace, my natural state,

where I dedicate my day to the practice

of being the light of the world who

shares the most precious of all gifts

with all humankind: The presence

which is the foundation of all things.

 

(4)

 

Then I go about my day, however that

happens to shake out.

 

However, I do so with one major

difference, I assume that if you come

into the sphere of my awareness,

you are here for a purpose.

 

We have a shared destiny for this

one unrepeatable instant.

 

I make eye contact with you. I smile

genuinely. And then I connect with

you, heart-to-heart and I send you

a love bomb.

 

Many times throughout the day, I

reflect on our whole planet.

 

Remember that dragon I was riding

when I first awakened and connected

with the breath?

 

I feel myself soaring on my dragon

above the earth, and instead of breathing

fire on everyone and everything, I feel

myself showering the earth in liquid

light, love and peace.

 

And if I am experiencing a day which

I find difficult, I lay back down on

my bed as soon as possible and I

repeat this process.

 

I have found through the years that

there is no limit to the number of

times one may begin their day again.

 

Simple, but I have found that these are

the best ingredients with which to live

the life I came here to live.

 

Give it a try.

 

What have you got to lose?

 

I promise you, you will never feel

disappointed.

​

This is such a magnificent life...

​

***

​

Prayer for the Day​

​

I and my dragon are ONE,

for we are soul, and so are

you.

 

Amen

​​​​​​​​​​​​​​

***

​​

Thought for the Day​​

​​​

Behind all of the seeing and practicing

that you did over the weekend,

there was something powerful that

I hope you were able to catch sweet

glimmers of.

 

Your third center, the seat of your

power, contains the light of

10,000 suns.

 

When you withhold it from yourself,

you leave yourself alone, frightened

and small.

 

And when you withhold it from the

world, you are just another cog in

the meaningless machinery of this

virtual hellscape.

 

This world has absolutely nothing

to offer you or anyone else, my

dear.

​

What have you ever had or could

ever attain from this world that

you can take with you when you

leave this body and this world

behind?

​

One day, you will return to the very

light from whence you came.

 

And the sooner that you get that,

the sooner you will embody

the very freedom and the power

that you thought were lost.

​

The world cannot give this to you.

​

Only you can choose to embrace

the freedom, the power and the

peace which is your natural state.

 

So get out there and live your life

today and let your light shine

so that all the world may partake

in its glory.

 

It doesn't matter if they see you.

 

It does not matter if anyone

gets you.

 

I see you and I get you.

 

But more importantly, it is your

birthright that you live in this

world as the grateful recipient

of the greatest power in the

Universe because it is the only

power in the Universe.

​

Why would you ever choose to

believe that you are not a part

of that?

​

Further, can you not see that

everything in all existence is also

part of this great light and there-

fore part of you?

​

***

​

Prayer for the Day​

​

Oh light which illuminates

this entire universe, come fill

this heart and live this life

as me.

 

Amen

​​​​​​​​​​​​​​

***

​​

Thought for the Day​​

​​​

I have a dear friend who read the

TFTD yesterday and texted me the

following:

 

I make myself available and willing

to see where I am still insisting that

I am not good enough today.

 

To which my reply was the following:

 

The only way you see it is by being

present to your present moment

experience.

 

Are my eyes pointed outward or

are they pointed inward?

 

Are you unconditionally loving,

kind and accepting of every

experience?

 

Is your heart always open to you?

 

Do you realize the world is about

nothing other than you and your

relationship with yourself?

 

For no one lives in your world

but you.

 

It is inhabited by one being.

 

We each live in a world of our own

making, And being ever attuned

with THAT is the key to FREEDOM.

 

You see, what I am trying to help us

all see, myself included, is that we

each make these vague and nebulous

promises to ourselves and the universe

or to whomever is listening, and then

we go about merry way.

​

And we have gotten very good at that,

creating our mantras and our affirmations.

 

And sometimes we are loving, but

more often than not, we are not.

 

Mostly we are neutral.

 

And not neutral in the present sense,

neutral as in the zombie sense.

 

Ever living and maintaining the hoax,

as we walk the procession of the living

dead.

 

And we feel this inner gnawing, this

inner angst, this inner restlessness,

and then we busy ourselves in order

to not be present to how deep our

despair and the profound emptiness

of our lives.

 

We go happily along, trying to live our

day with as much integrity as we can

muster, while being totally distracted,

hoping that is enough, hoping that this

will be something that the universe

recognizes as sincerity.

 

So the second part of our weekend

assignment is this...

 

We begin by fully recognizing that

there is so much more to living a

present moment life, a life wherein

one remains attuned totally to radio

station Y-O-U.

 

And this you will attempt today, noting

that the only thing you will be responding

to is you and your relationship with

you, you and your relationship with

your experience.

 

We first have to admit to ourselves that

we use other people and busyness in

order to claim we do not have the time

to make ourselves such a one-pointed

preoccupation.

​

After all, wouldn't that be the ultimate

of spiritual arrogance?

 

And then we look at how we answered

our questions from yesterday.

​

"Do I actually deserve to live my life

from the embodied liberated state?"

 

"Do I deserve to live my life from a

state of constant conscious connection

with the Soul?"

 

"Do I deserve to be happy, successful,

peaceful and fulfilled?

 

And if our answer to these questions was

yes, then we look at another question with

honesty and answer it.

 

Why then do I struggle with allowing

myself to experience it and live it?

 

Here we see that we have been the only

one who has truly been gaslighting

ourselves our entire life.

 

Because if you were not gaslighting you

already, do you think anyone else

would try to get away with it or ever

could?

 

So here we come to the real nitty gritty.

 

We can, in each moment, source our

experience from something greater, from

something which is beyond the human

experience, and then meet our human

experience from here.

 

And if you dare to take this baton as

it is being passed to you, do not be

surprised by anything that happens.

 

Noticing that the moment we stopped

being our authentic selves as children

is the very same reason that we avoid

being true to ourselves now:

 

When you are fully empowered in your

truth, it brings everything up and out

of everyone and everything around you.

 

This is when you became fake you, posturing

you, and then this became your pattern that

you returned to each and every time you or

another became triggered in the light of

your presence.

 

When you choose fake you over being

in your peace, being in your love, you

are denying yourself a life which is

beyond your wildest imagination.

 

And by choosing to not live in your

true power, in your true authority,

choosing, rather, fake you, you deny

yourself and your world the very

light that you came here to bring.

 

When you are completely honest with

yourself, don't you feel that it is time

you got on with living the very life that

you came here to live in the first place?

​

***

​

Prayer for the Day​

​

I choose myself...

​

I choose to be authentically me...

​

I choose to be true to me...

​

For the sake of us all...

​

Amen

​​​​​​​​​​​​​​

***

​​

Thought for the Day​​

​​

For decades I was taught, and I

taught others as well, that the

third center is our power

center.

​

It is also the seat of fear.

 

So many bodily processes are

controlled by the third center,

namely digestion.

 

It also governs the major organs

of liver, pancreas and spleen.

 

And most of us can recall moments

when we sincerely took portions

of our power back and felt surges

of energy pouring from the solar

plexus region of the body.

 

And just as certainly we can

remember moments when we

folded our arms across our

solar plexus.

 

We felt threatened and defensive

and were therefore protecting our

bread basket in an effort to hold

onto power when we perceived

that someone was trying to strip

us of it.

​

And although each of these things

is true as far as the human being

goes, they fail to miss the hidden

truth behind the activity of the 

power center of the body.

 

So today, as you go about your

business of living your life as it

unfolds, I would like you to reflect

on a deeper meaning to the third

chakra.

 

Because long before one takes

their power back or gives it away,

long before one feels threatened

or defensive, lies the real emotional

conclave of which the third center

is all about.

 

And herein lies the real reason you

either give yourself permission to

be present to your present moment

experiences, or go off galavanting

in the head, listening to the meaning-

making machine between your ears

prattle on and on about things with

no other purpose but to get you all

riled up about something.

 

The third center is about your value

and your worth as a human being.

 

The fundamental question then of

the third center is rather straight-

forward.

 

"Do I actually deserve to live my life

from the embodied liberated state?"

 

"Do I deserve to live my life from a

state of constant conscious connection

with the Soul?"

 

"Do I deserve to be happy, successful,

peaceful and fulfilled?

 

Because it is one thing to keep telling

yourself over and over again like

a broken record "I am as God

created me," and it is quite another

thing to lovingly acknowledge and

accept that when you are completely

honest with yourself, there are large

portions of yourself that do not feel

worthy.

 

That you still have a tendency to

judge yourself harshly and are not

only unkind toward yourself, but

lacking any mercy or willingness to

extend yourself some grace for no

other reason than that you love

yourself no matter what.

 

Be very cognizant of your real honest-

to-God feelings in the trenches

of life today.

 

For the world looks not upon our

intentions, but our actions. And these

reveal themselves most clearly on

the fly and when you are under stress

and feel the pressure of time.

 

Today is a wonderful day to look

deeper at your relationship with you.

 

Not the relationship that you want to

have, not some idealized version of

yourself that is no more real than

Santa Claus, but the relationship that

you actually have with yourself.

 

And when something comes up, let it.

 

For today is such a good day to be a

true blue and most loving friend unto

yourself.

 

Today, we part the curtains and step

through, standing nakedly in the light,

daring to see ourselves with such

pristine clarity, seeing ourselves as

we have never dared to see ourselves

before, loving ourselves as we have

never dared to love ourselves before,

and meeting our own redemption.

​

***

​

Prayer for the Day​

​

The only thing I could need redemption

from is the self I created out of desperation.

​

The trauma informed self that I created in 

ignorance in a futile attempt to feel safe

in a world that was anything but safe.

​

May I use this day wisely.

​

Wisely and lovingly for the sake of all

humankind, for my redemption is

the world's redemption.

​

May all beings be free.

​

Amen

​​​​​​​​​​​​​​

***

​​

Thought for the Day​​

​

Do not be surprised if you feel like

a train wreck that is looking for

a place to happen these days.

 

This is to be expected for three

reasons, one of which we spoke

of yesterday.

 

The fact that you are experiencing

more outrageous feelings than

ever, some of which you do not

recall ever experiencing at any

time before, is such a good sign.

 

You are loving yourself so much

more than you ever have, so the

part of you that counts most, is

finally beginning to feel that you

are trustworthy.

 

As we said before, you are becoming

a safe place for you to land and

because you are no longer willing

to avoid or repress things as much

as you once did, this part of you,

that you left abandoned in the past,

is starting to truly trust you for

the first time in a very long time.

 

You are becoming someone that it

wants to share its pain, confusion

and fear with.

 

Secondly, this process in which you

now find yourself is as much physical

as it is psychological, emotional or

spiritual.

 

The cells of your body are purging

themselves of the trauma based

self you created because you believed

you needed it in order to survive.

 

You are no longer trying to survive

anything.

 

You are more loving than you have

ever been.

 

This is a time for extra kindness,

gentleness, patience, and love.

 

Drink more water.

 

Get more rest.

 

Get some exercise outside, in nature,

every single day.

 

Care deeply about what food you

are willing to put in your body.

 

And remember that an epsom salt

soak and a bit of dark chocolate

go a long way toward finding

balance and harmony again.

​

I have that on good authority, based

on what a dear friend once told

me when I was in the midst of an

epic melt down.

 

We do not avoid, but neither do

we engage in or participate with

what is coming up.

​

The dance you are looking for

is the sweet spot that lies between

allowing and letting go.

​

You will feel its resonance deeply within,

so look for it.

 

Lastly, you are no longer terrified

of who you are without all these

things.

 

There is a part of you, however

small, which now feels curious

and hopeful about your life and

what lies ahead.

 

Soon you will be feeling better

than you have ever felt. Younger,

healthier, stronger, more buoyant.

 

And this is just the physical stuff.

 

You will also feel more clarity,

more peace, more centeredness

and more presence.

 

These will grow exponentially day

by day.

 

A magnetic sense of aliveness and

unqualified joy are most attractive.

​

These are your calling cards.

 

This is who you are.

 

And this is as it should be.

 

The body was always meant to be

your servant. You did not take

birth to become slave to it, nor

to be a slave to your life or this

world.

 

You are on your way to a future

so bright you will have to wear

shades!

 

So rejoice! You have a lot to feel

thankful for.

 

Trust yourself.

 

And trust the process.

 

Everything is unfolding exactly

as it should.

​

***

​

Prayer for the Day​

​

Thank you for the gift of being

me.

 

Out of eight and a half billion

people, I am the only one on this

planet who is truly qualified for

the job of being me.

 

I am in the right place at the right

time experiencing the right things.

 

Not just some of the time, but

all of the time.

 

Now that's a lot to be appreciative

for and cheer about.

 

Amen

​​​​​​​​​​​​​​

***

​​

Thought for the Day​​

 

You will save yourself immeasurable

time if you will remember one

very simply rule.

 

It has to come up in order to be

freed of it.

 

Regardless how tempting it is to

believe that your upsets are

caused by other people, places or

things that are invading your

experience, they are not.

 

Ever.

 

Life is simply willing to go to any

lengths to get you to look at the

very things you have devoted a

lifetime to trying to avoid.

 

Keep it clean by honing in on your

experience.

 

Your side of the street, remember?

 

Breathe.

 

Relax.

 

And let it go.

 

The heat has been turned up on this

planet every day of this decade and it

will continue to do so.

 

How else will the ascension of an

entire planet occur if we are not all

forced by life to look upon what

we have denied because it was a

truth we did not wish to see?

 

It most certainly is not the absolute

truth.

 

For that is what is left when all of

these oddly mismatched artifacts

from the past that you have chosen

to hold onto are all finally integrated.

 

This decade has been and is a crash

course in the death of ego.

 

This is why things are so intense so

much of the time.

​

And the most amazing thing is that

the more you love yourself, the stuff

that you find coming up for you

increases exponentially.

​

Why is this?

​

It is because for the very first time in

your entire life, you have become

a safe place for yourself.

​

A gift of grace, for sure.

​

So let it come. Let it come.

 

Have some compassion for your-

self and your fellow human beings.

 

You have the good fortune to under-

stand what is happening and still

it is hard for you.

 

Can you imagine what life is like for

those who have no contextual

framework with which to comprehend

what is happening to them and to

our world?

 

Nor do they have a loving support

system in place, such as you do,

where each member understands

what is happening in our world right

now.

 

You have been so blessed.

 

You have been given a great gift, for

you live in unprecedented times.

 

You are a member of a species which

is finally growing up and emancipating

themselves, a process which can be

rather messy.

 

Messy to observe.

 

Messier to experience directly.

 

So remember this...

 

It is truly remarkable how far a little

gratitude goes in the revelation and

restoration of lasting peace.

  

​

***

​

Prayer for the Day​

​

Help me practice the perfection of

patience.

 

I realize that when we pray for any-

thing, we are really asking to be

shown all the reasons why we are

not that way right now.

 

So I realize that in asking to learn

patience, I will be given lots of

opportunities to practice patience

with myself, others and my world.

 

Why do I always seem to be opening

yet another can of worms?

 

Patience is not something I have ever

been particularly good at, but times

necessitate me learning it now.

 

For the sake of peace....

 

For the sake of us all...

 

Amen

​​​​​​​​​​​​​​

***

​​

Thought for the Day​​

 

By now it should be painfully clear

to you why you are not experiencing

the freedom, peace or steadfast

inner calm you claim to seek.

 

If your ascension depended on

anyone or anything other than you,

you could legitimately cry victim.

 

But at all times, you are the prisoner,

the jail cell and the guard who care-

fully stands watch, day and night,

lest you attempt to escape.

 

Try as you may, you will fail. This

is a guarantee.

 

Why?

 

Because a part of you believes that

your survival depends upon holding

these things in place.

 

For it is only when we reach a state

of such sheer inner desperation that

we would gladly trade everything to

feel free, that the very FREEDOM that

you seek reveals itself to you.

 

But while the things of this mind, this

body and this world still call to you

and you still fear losing them, that

which you claim to seek will remain

shrouded, even though it is always

in plain sight.

 

That is the mystery of mysteries, that

you are doing this to yourself.

 

The freedom you seek is freedom from

you, the created self, and its tiny kingdom,

built with baubles and trinkets and things

that glitter, those temporal things which

still seem precious to you, that keep you

trapped in this prison of your own making

and continuously tug at your heart and

call to you.

 

"Don't leave me... You need me... You

would be lost without me!"

 

While all the while the soul says nothing

and does nothing, waiting patiently

for you to get sick and tired of your silly

game of seek but do not find.

 

Any time you try to prevent something

from coming up, each time you distract

yourself, medicate yourself, numb your-

self, busy yourself or run away... Each

time you try to change your thoughts,

change your feelings or change your

experience, you know what you have

chosen.

 

You are white knuckling your grip on

the prison cell of what you think you

are and its world.

 

I do not wonder why the world is as it

is. I marvel that it continues to work

to the degree that it does, given how

bat shit crazy everyone is here.

 

Everything that is happening is supposed

to be happening. It's purpose is to free

you of all you have made, not further

your slavery to ego and its world.

 

The masses do not understand what is

happening, but thank heaven, you do.

 

If it is coming up, allow it to come up.

 

Turn and embrace the winds of your

own despair.

 

This may be a solitary journey each one

must take on their own when they are

ready to do so, but you do not have to

go it alone.

​

You are never alone.

 

We are here for you.

 

We await your arrival to the HOME

which you never left, and which never

left you.

​

***

​

Prayer for the Day​

​

Well that's a fine howdy do.

 

I see myself and this world plain

as day.

​

Oh, what a plight!

​

Fighting our way out of chains which

do not exist!

 

It brings tears to these eyes to see

what a fine mess we have made

out of things.

 

Our lives could be heaven on earth,

were it not for the fact that we are

innate saboteurs of our own happiness

and freedom.

 

May today mark the ending of our

sleep and ridiculous games we

have been playing.

 

Amen

​​​​​​​​​​​​​​

***

​

Thought for the Day​​

 

Today is to be a day of quiet

inner reflection and contemplation.

 

We are asked to consider a single

question and honestly LOOK at

how this question directly applies

to you.

 

Why do people choose to hold onto

anything?

 

Why do you choose to hold onto

things which you know are ruinous

to peace?

 

Who suffers when you hold onto

things? You or the one for whom

you have judged and deemed

unworthy in some way?

 

There is a beautiful question posited

in A Course In Miracles.

 

It says, "Do you want to be right, or

do you want to be happy?"

 

For surely no one gets both, in spite of

how the mind tries to convince you

that being right is the path to

happiness.

 

But I assure you, it is not.

 

Yet knowing full well the truthfulness

of this statement since I was a child,

I still have chosen time after time to

value being right more than I did

peace on more occasions than I

can count.

 

Live your day as you feel guided.

 

No one has agency over you.

 

And let's be absolutely clear: Never

ever give your mind agency over you.

 

Simply allow the heart to look honestly

at the question that you might clearly see

what the answer is for you.

 

I cannot think of a better time than NOW

to consciously make the decision to no

longer be willing to hold onto anything,

regardless how we happen to feel about it.

 

Could anything be more important or more

valuable to you than peace?

​

***

​

Prayer for the Day​

​

Self honesty...

 

I am done with trying to pull

the wool over my own eyes.

 

Let me see clearly and then

consciously choose to drop it.

 

I would live as transparently as air,

letting nothing cling.

 

For nothing is more valuable to me

than is peace.

 

Amen

​​​​​​​​​​​​​​

***

​

Thought for the Day​​

 

I have tremendous respect and

gratitude for the program of

Alcoholics Anonymous.

 

In fact, I have done the steps

myself dozens of times, in the

past, in an futile attempt to

make peace with my childhood

and those who populated it.

 

Although working the steps

was challenging, it was also

quite liberating in some areas

of my life.

 

Speaking only for myself, it never

truly healed anything for me,

nor did it provide any lasting sense

of freedom or peace.

 

What it did do for me was help

me establish a relationship with

the God of my understanding.

 

For that, I will always be eternally

grateful.

 

And I am profoundly grateful

that millions of former alcoholics

as well as other kinds of addicts

have been able to live chemically

sober lives.

 

And herein lies the rub.

 

I cannot say I have ever met

a single person in the program

who is actively working the steps

who found any true sense of

emotional sobriety.

 

And after years and years of

studying the steps, working

them, watching others who were

diligently working them, I finally

hit on where I believe the problem

lies.

 

(1)

 

The steps encourage one to feel

guilty and to believe that they

have seriously wronged others.

 

(2)

 

Working the steps cements this

belief in its followers by highlighting

the cause as specific defects of

character. Therefore, It validates 

feelings of not being good enough.

​

It also miscreates lopsided

relationships, giving the one you

supposedly wronged and to whom

you have made an amends to, power

and authority over you. In what world

could that ever be right?

 

(3)

 

Magically, like Harry Potter's wand,

one is to go to their Higher Power

and ask It to remove all the defects.

​

Isn't that like calling God a terrible

Creator? You are exactly as God

created you. How could any part of

that be defective?

 

(4)

 

The emphasis is on getting right with

people. To seek their forgiveness, to

bringing restitution for one's 'sins'

through a process of highlighting the

wrongs you committed and making 

amends for them wherever possible.

 

(5)

 

I cannot subscribe to any doctrine which

teaches anyone that they are anything

less than a perfect child of God.

 

(6)

 

I cannot support any program that

does not tell its followers that you are

exactly the way you are supposed to be.

That what happened was supposed to

happen or it would not have happened.

 

(7)

 

I will not follow any teaching that would

seek to make me feel guilt or shame

for anything whatsoever. Ever.

 

(8)

 

No one can find clarity or peace while

they are still burdened by the past.

 

(9)

 

Here is the thing about the past. It

wants to divorce itself from you as much

or more than you want to divorce

yourself from it.

 

(10)

 

Yes. You own your past. Every damn bit

of it. You are no longer willing to run

away from anything.

 

(11)

 

No past, no ego.

 

We find completion with the past so

that we can be emotionally sober.

 

(12)

 

It's not about getting right with other

people, beloved, it is about getting

right with yourself.

 

(13)

 

No one has the ability to be in the

present moment until they have found

completion with the past. And I do

not care if you happen to be little baby

Jesus in a diaper. It is 100% true for

everyone 100% of the time.

 

(14)

 

Thus, completion with the past is all

about ego death, which is true

liberation while yet embodied. It has

absolutely nothing to do with anyone

else.

 

(15)

 

Every single thing which you have

experienced since you shed your

first tear (which was probably when

someone gave you a firm slap on

your teeny tiny tooshie), has been

geared toward you becoming a

safe place for you to land.

 

(16)

 

What else could there be after this?

What could you feel other than peace?

Would you not then be entirely prepared

to face anything, come what may,

because you know you have you and

that is the kindest, most loving and

accepting place on God's green earth

you could ever hope to be?

 

Well, that pretty much sums up my

relationship with AA.

 

I know I have pissed a lot of people off,

but I hope I was able to breathe the

spirit of peace and freedom to a whole

lot more.

 

Be happy.

 

We were created to live happy lives.

 

We were created free and to live in

that freedom, sharing that glory

wherever we go, content and delighted

with the most humble of tasks, that

of just being you, beloved.

​

And I happen to have it on good

Authority that that is more than

enough.

​

***

​

Prayer for the Day​

​

It's time for me to land this plane.

 

I have been circling the airport for

how many decades now?

 

Let's land the m_ _ _ _ _

f _ _ _ _ _ _.

 

I am ready to get on with the happy,

joyous and free part.

 

Amen

​​​​​​​​​​​​​​

***

​

Thought for the Day​

​

Great news!

 

Disclaimer #1:

 

No person was ever harmed from

feeling their feelings.

 

Disclaimer #2:

 

No person was ever harmed by

being present to their inner

experience of life rather than

trying their level best to avoid it.

 

Disclaimer #3:

 

No person was ever harmed by

integrating the past in the present.

 

So what do you have to lose

other than a lifetime of suffering?

​

***

​

Prayer for the Day​

​​

My new anthem?

​

May it ring from every hilltop:

 

Freedom or bust.

 

Amen

​​​​​​​​​​​​​​

***

​

Thought for the Day​

​

Today is an important holiday

in the USA, as far as holidays go.

​

It is America's 250th birthday.

​

Although this country has drifted

away from some of its original

core values and what our founding

father's wished for us as a nation,

most would agree that it is still

one of the best and safest places

on this globe to reside.

 

So happy birthday America.

 

Have an amazingly conscious

and present fourth of July

celebration.

 

Remember, wisdom sees with

the heart and is ONE with

the living NOW.

​

And when you hit natural pauses

in your celebrating, take the time

to reflect on the following question:

​

Is it possible to be a fully

conscious energizer

bunny?

​

In other words, if one were fully

conscious, could they even be

an energizer bunny?

​

Who is in the driver's seat if you

are in a hurry and always running

late?

​

Are stillness and frenetic doing

compatible bedfellows?

​

***

​

Prayer for the Day​

​

My I receive all of life today.

 

I am very very fortunate.

 

It is a GIFT to be able to live

my life in this nation and on

this side of the pond.

 

Amen

​​​​​​​​​​​​​​

***

​

Thought for the Day​

 

You have spent your entire life

rushing from one thing to the next,

never allowing yourself to stay

in one place long enough to take

it all in before you dash off to

whatever is next on your agenda.

 

Why is this?

 

I had a friend who dropped by

yesterday, and she stayed for perhaps

all of five minutes before she had

to rush off.

 

She is the first to tell everyone

how much she has slowed down

since the pandemic and is really

taking all of life in, compared to

how she used live her life.

 

I, however, just don't see it.

 

Her visits feel like drive by

shootings.

 

You are whirling and gagging

by her arrival.

 

You whirl and gag while she is

here.

 

You are left whirling and gagging

on her exit.

 

In the 20 or so years I have known

her, she has always been in a hurry,

always claimed to be running late,

and her presence is like a little Texas

dust devil.

 

Beloved, you are not running a race

with anyone or anything.

 

Life is not a game of beat the clock...

 

Today is a good day to begin to

change all that.

 

Wouldn't you agree?

 

We do not talk about what we are

going to do.

 

In silence, we take meaningful action

so that those within our energetic field

cannot help noticing and feeling the

difference when they are in our presence.

 

Give yourself the gift of grace today.

​

Are you a human doing, or are you

a human being?

 

Do not rush through anything.

 

Be a safe person for yourself, for

goodness sake.

 

I would never be able to consider

myself a safe person for myself,

nor would I trust myself if this was

the way I moved through all of the

precious moments of my life.

 

Beloved, your past is trying to find you

in the present so that you can bring

all the stuff that you have been holding

onto for so long to completion.

 

Ride that wave and be here now.

 

How can you bring more love and

more light to the trauma informed

human being who has lived their

entire life as if it were a race they

were trying to win?

 

Your past has found a window in

the present whereby it can find

completion if, and for some of you

that is a pretty big if, you will

allow it.

 

Why would you circumvent that

by never ever slowing down?

 

This moment will never be repeated.

​

Try as you might, you will never get

this one back again.

 

Why live your entire life in a future

which may never come to pass?

​

How you will die is how you are

living now, beloved.

​

Can you see the hand writing 

on the wall?

 

Is this really how you wish to be

remembered when you are no

longer here?

 

So I leave you today with one

pertinent question.

 

How will you live your life today?

​

***

​

Prayer for the Day​

​

My life has been a gift but I

am beginning to see that I have

not been present for 99%

of it.

 

Help me remember to hit

my pause button frequently

today, returning to breath

awareness, taking the time

to stop and smell the roses.

 

Amen

​​​​​​​​​​​​​​

***

​

Thought for the Day​

 

Your mission, should you accept it,

is the same each and every day.

 

Can I stay with myself in my present

moment experience rather than

react to my reactions and those

of others?

​

Most people on this planet live with

an out of control id.

​

Not that that is wrong in any way,

but it does make one's life unconscious

and miserable, leaving the world 

in states of unnecessary mayhem

and despondency.

 

Have I grown up enough to cease

running away from myself,

self-medicating and distracting

myself in an effort to avoid what is?

 

Can I be my own best friend?

 

Can I choose peace rather than

chaos, love rather than fear, kindness

and spaciousness rather than

contraction and playing small?

 

Can I follow the same protocol in

all life situations and circumstances?

 

(1)

 

Relax.

 

(2)

 

Soften, lean in and open wide.

 

(3)

 

Slow my breath and mount

awareness on each inhalation

and exhalation.

 

(4)

 

Accept what is.

 

When you can embrace what is,

you enter into the presence

of peace, which is your natural

state.

 

This is how you provide the body

an avenue of freedom in which

it may integrate whatever arises.

​

Your presence opens the door of

possibility.

 

The key is to relax in the presence

of every experience.

 

And the greatest secret of all secrets?

 

There is no part of your journey

that was, is or ever will be wrong,

beloved.

 

And if this is true for you, it is also

true for every other person on

this planet, as well as for every

situation or circumstance.

 

This is also why trust is no longer

optional, it is pivotal.

​

Bringing everyone together in service

to Oneness and the resoration of

peace is the goal.

 

And life doesn't mind using every

possible situation or life circumstance

in order to bring this to pass.

 

Got that?

​

***

​

Prayer for the Day​

​

I have my marching orders.

 

Let the day begin.

 

Amen

​​​​​​​​​​​​​​

***

​

Thought for the Day​

 

A Safe Place To Land

Part II

 

There is no one alive that has

never experienced the LOVE

of GOD directly that can

begin to fathom just how wide

and deep and boundless

unconditional actually is.

 

Today we begin, perhaps for

the very first time in our lives,

to make ourselves available

for such an encounter.

 

For the direct experience of

the LOVE of GOD is as much

a physical experience as it is

a psychological and emotional

one.

 

What else could clear us of

everything fraudulent we have

made in a futile attempt to

create a counterfeit that could

begin to substitute for that which

has no replacement?

 

We begin by slowing down.

 

We watch our breath.

 

We make of body, mind and

spirit a living invitation

for the truth of LOVE to enter

in.

 

We accept with gratitude the

aches, the pain and fatigue that

we now feel on a daily basis.

 

New experiences that seem to

be reaching a fever pitch.

 

For we understand what is

happening within us and why.

 

We are so used to the way in

which the world loves. We

seem to inherit that discordant

melody in our cellular memory.

 

It is all we have ever seen or

experienced, demonstrated to us

by others in this world.

​

What is a love which has no 

conditions or expectations?

​

A love which asks for nothing in

return?

 

How can you wrap your head

around something which is so

pure, so unconditional, so

bright, which is absolutely free

and comes with no strings

attached that it casts no shadow

whatsoever and engulfs you,

as you are, completely?

 

But this is precisely what we

make ourselves vulnerable

and available to receiving with

silent awe and hope filled

reverence.

 

It is like defying gravity; something

which entirely upends all we

have ever known.

 

The world can never comprehend

something so entirely beyond

its little scope.

 

Yet it is for this which every heart

aches and yearns.

 

Will today be the day you offer your

complete and unqualified yes?

 

Will you be the home of such a

love?

​

***

​

Prayer for the Day​

​

My little kingdom for Thine?

 

I do not ask to understand

what cannot be known by

any other way than direct

experience.

 

Gladly do I offer all of me

and mine for Thine.

 

Ravish me O Lord in Thy Light.

​

For I am yours and Thou art

forever mine.

 

Amen

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***

​