Oneness — remembering our divine essence
People see God every day, they just don’t recognize him.
~Pearl Bailey
I sometimes think I’d like to be God. You know, have the power to have things just like I want them, make people do what I think they “should,” prevent the occurrence of things that I believe are unfair, unjust, or unexplainable in a bad way. Of course this desire stems from my own ego that says that I am omniscient and omnipotent.
Other times, I remember that I am God…and you are God…and my cats are God…and Iraqis are God…and Republicans are God…and criminals are God…and trees are God…and so on. This connection to our holiness is not an ego trip, it’s a reminder that we are all divine light and we are all part of an interconnected divine presence.
In the first mode of being, I feel superior, righteous, and apart from others. Its as if my thinking I’m all powerful clouds my brain and numbs my nerves, cutting me off from the truth of life. However, when I’m in the second way of being, I feel intensely connected to all life, see myself as neither above nor below, and actually have an acute sense (physically and spiritually) of the web of life in which I am at home.
I share all this as a preface to this video I found called Becoming Me. I think this story beautifully illustrates what I’ve attempted to say in my own words. I hope you’ll enjoy Becoming Me (which is, of course, about becoming “you” and becoming “we”).
If you don’t know what’s meant by God, watch a forsythia branch or a lettuce leaf sprout.
~Martin H. Fischer
Remember love
As we prepare to move into this new year, I want to share a delightful love poem with you. It’s called Do You Remember Love? Written down by James Jacobson, it’s wisdom about love and life from his dog Maui. He’s put the poem to music and has it as a video on his site, so I hope you’ll take the time to watch/read Do You Remember Love? Enjoy!
Mastery in action — Christmas style
I’m mesmerized by awesome artists. Craftspeople so skilled at what they do that they can bring tears to your eyes and a tremor to your heart when you witness their wizardry. I came across such magic today in a video my friend sent me. It features Straight No Chaser, a men’s a cappella group formed at Indiana University in 1996. Here is a video of their performance of the 12 Days of Christmas. Visit the group’s website to watch other music videos or buy their CDs.
It’s time to move off the fence
“I must do something” always solves more problems than “Something must be done.”
~ Author Unknown
Overwhelm. Powerlessness. Fear. Confusion. Busyness. What’s the excuse you give most often for sitting on the fence of life, waiting for things to change? ALL of us do it. Though our hearts call us to act, we restrain ourselves, then tell stories to justify our inaction.
There are two primary problems with doing our lives this way.
- The cries for help go unanswered. Situations get worse (Rwanda, Bosnia, Darfur) or things are destroyed all together (New Orleans, animal species, West Virginia mountain tops).
- We lose our souls. Our lives lose meaning because we’re not doing what we know in our hearts to be the right things to do.
Are there potentially millions of causes that need our attention? YES!
Is it easy to sometimes thing we’re too insignificant to change the tide? YES!
Does it seem that we might lose convenience or comfort if we work for peace/justice/transformation? YES!
Do we sometimes receive contradictory messages or lose our way? YES!
Are we sometimes too preoccupied with our individual issues to notice what’s happening around us? YES!
Do any of these reasons mean that sitting on the fence is where we should be? Hell NO!
I urge each and every one of you to notice the fence you’re currently sitting on, and GET OFF! Start with that one action of choosing to fence-sit no longer. Then take the next action — writing a letter, getting the facts about an issue you care about, joining a group working for change. One step at a time away from the fence and toward a better future for us all!
Enjoy this song from Madonna, “Hey You!” It’s the theme for the Live Earth Concerts taking place on every continent today, 07/07/07. It’s an anthem for living your life OFF the fence — there’s a million reasons why, and there’s no time to waste.
Theme song for remodeling your spirit
Ever feel like you need some spring cleaning for your soul? Does it feel like your spunk has been spanked, your energy evaporated, and your creativity cramped? When you’re feeling down, cranky, mopey, or otherwise less then your most ebullient, loving, and playful self, it may be time to do some spiritual cleaning, remodeling, or even a complete renovation.
Of course everyone knows that manual labor can actually feel fun if you’re working to a rhythm, so here’s a recording/video of a little theme song for your spiritual scrub down. It’s from gifted songwriter, singer David LaMotte. It’s called “Crawl Inside” and can be found on his album, Change. Click the play triangle to listen (David tells some stories before beginning the song; audio quality is so so but the song is well worth the listen). The song’s lyrics are below the video. Alternate option — Listen to “Crawl Inside” on David’s MySpace page.
Crawl Inside
Gonna crawl inside your head
Gonna move a few things around
You got your furniture up against the doors
It’s bound to be slowing you down
You’ve been getting in your own way
And that’s a silly thing to do
I’m gonna crawl inside your head
Make it work a little better for you
I’m gonna crawl inside
I’m gonna crawl inside
I’m gonna crawl inside your heart
And bring a whole bunch of paint
From the outside it’s so beautiful
From the inside it just ain’t
And I know this will be hard for you but your graffiti’s got to go
I’m gonna crawl inside your soul
So you can see what we all know
I want to crawl inside your soul
Gonna cook you up a little meal
‘Cause you’ve been feeding yourself this garbage
Makes you feel the way you feel
You got stuff in your refrigerator
That’s way, way overdue
I’m gonna crawl inside your heart
And give you something that’s good for you
I’m gonna crawl inside
I’m gonna crawl inside
And when we’ve got the dishes washed
And soaked the brushes in turpentine
I was wondering if you might have a minute
To help me work on mine
I’m gonna crawl inside
I’m gonna crawl inside
Words and Music by David LaMotte
©2005 Lower Dryad Music/ASCAP
Love and commitment — a winning combination
At the peace rally held in Washington, D.C., just before the US went to war in Iraq, one of the things we often chanted was “this is what democracy looks like.” I think that if you want to know what love and commitment look like, you can find the answer in the story of Dick and Ricky Hoyt. May this touching video inspire you to boldly give your love and commitment in whatever way life calls you to.
“Love is a force more formidable than any other. It is invisible - it cannot be seen or measured, yet it is powerful enough to evolve you in a moment, and offer you more joy than any material possession could.”
~ Barbara De Angelis
The courage of mothers
Courage is not the absence of fear, but rather the judgment that something else is more important than fear.
~Ambrose Redmoon
Though Mother’s Day is now controlled by Hallmark and many of us think of this holiday as the time we give thanks to the mothers in our lives, Mother’s Day has an origin much different than most of us know. The video below explains the original Mother’s Day celebration and gives us an opportunity to join in the traditional aim of the mothers who founded the day.
May we each find the courage of the women who first celebrated Mother’s Day. May we answer the calls of our hearts as these women did, following our own unique path through life. May we take time to create peace within ourselves and on our planet. May we give thanks to the mothers who helped us become who we are today.
Accomplish your biggest dreams. . .starting now
I have an irrepressible desire to live till I can be assured that the world is a little better for my having lived in it.
~Abraham Lincoln, 16th U.S. president
What’s the song that plays in your heart that you’re afraid to sing out loud?
What dreams from your youth tug at the sleeve of your soul?
What visions dance in your mind until you remember you’re
too busy, too old, or too settled to pursue them?
We all have contributions to make to our world. In large and small ways, we are here to share our gifts. Many of us, however, substitute trivial ambitions for meaningful desires, not because we don’t have passion, but because we listen to that little voice in our heads that says we’re not “enough” to give ourselves to following such calls.
Our ordinary mind always tries to persuade us that we are nothing but acorns and that our greatest happiness will be to become bigger, fatter, shinier acorns; but that is of interest only to pigs. Our faith gives us knowledge of something better: that we can become oak trees.
~E.F. Schumacher
The world needs your biggest game!
I believe we’re at a crucial time when it’s no longer enough to sit on the sidelines, play the small parts, or delay the pursuit of our dreams until everything is “just right.” Right now, all the forces of the universe are waiting for you to stand up and give the best you can offer. There is no better time–in fact, there is no other moment than this present instant, to commit yourself to giving all that you’ve got. This may be your last opportunity. . .start making your visions into reality, take your dreams out of the closet, and let loose that song in your heart.
Always remember this. . .
- Though you may still doubt yourself from time to time. . .
- Though you may occasionally feel discouraged, confused, or disillusioned. . .
- Though you may sometimes believe you’re all alone. . .
There is someone/thing that remains in constant connection with you, knowing your true heart, your deepest dreams, and your greatest gifts. This spirit has a message for you. A message for you to remember for all those times when you lose hope that your biggest dreams can come true. This spirit gives voice through the gifts of Nick Arandes, and his song (or spirit’s song with Nick’s voice), I Believe In You (listen/watch below).
Thank you Nick, for this powerful, evocative reminder that there is always faith in us, even when we’ve forgotten to have that faith in ourselves.
Oh, the worst of all tragedies is not to die young, but to live until I am seventy five and yet not ever truly to have lived.
~Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.
