Monkey Mind

When I am attempting to connect with someone or something else, my brain tends to keep wandering off into memories of the past, various assumptions, judgments or projections into the future, thus preventing me from a firm heart connection.  This sort of thing can happen to me when I am enjoying a sunrise on the beach, walking in the woods, meditating, meeting someone new or talking with an old friend.  Basically my brain just automatically begins projecting future events or making assumptions based on my past, and preventing me from living in the present and making a meaningful connection.  What works best for me is to notice what is happening and bring my brain back to the present, without any sort of judgment or criticism.

Projecting

Projecting my own issues on to someone rather than listening directly to them is certainly something I have been guilty of in the past.  My projections frequently results in false assumptions and misunderstanding, obscuring connection.  What I have done in the past was to subconsciously take my own issues and project them on others.  For example, I used to remain angry over various events for a long time, even years.  I would also assume that others did the same, thinking they were still angry long after they had forgotten the event, I would misunderstand them, assuming they were still angry.  I need to guard against that sort of thing in order to connect.

Actions Based On Love

I strive to conduct my daily activities from within a “bubble of love”, primarily because of the potential outcomes of any interaction and also the impact on the people I contact.  If I approach my activities love, I am likely to get a positive outcome.  Otherwise, I am likely to get an outcome such as what I described yesterday,.  Others can sense that bubble and  react to my presence, what I do and what I say in a manner that increases the integrity of the universe.  My approaching life in this way is a definite win-win situation.  Everyone benefits and the outcome is generally serene, peaceful and clear.

Love & Compassion

In my experience, violence always leads to more violence.  On the other hand, I have been amazed at the outcome to a potentially violent situation, when love, compassion and understanding are applied.  In a given situation, I have the choice of interacting out of fear and hurt or interacting out of love and compassion.  Fear and hurt lead me to anger and will stimulate that part of the other person, usually leading to a negative outcome.  On the other hand, interacting out of love and compassion usually leads to a peaceful outcome.  When I feel things like defensiveness, fear or anger coming up inside, I am better off excusing myself from the interaction, at least momentarily, and calming myself down.

The Seed Of Love Or God

It is important for me to realize and always keep in mind that, regardless of the various actions anyone has performed, the seed of God or love is within each of us, we need only to find and nurture it.  That seed is often obscured by addictions, hurt, fear or anger, but it is always there.  That seed is also often obscured by negative, self-centered or violent tendencies.  At times people perform despicable or harmful acts, necessitating their removal from society, but when I encounter them, I can still find and connect with the loving part.

Choosing Love & Connection

Our scientific, materialistic, competitive and individualistic culture conflicts with the spiritual realities of love, compassion and connectedness.  Personally, I am very acutely aware of the conflict and I have learned to live with it.  Others that I work with feel the conflict acutely and have internalized it.  Having internalized the conflict, it gives them a large amount of difficulty and contributes to  myriad emotional and physical problems.  I have made the choice to live according to love, compassion and connectedness, but then, I am an old man who finds it easy to be a bit eccentric and not fit in.

Being Of Service

While it is true that I often receive some sort of personal benefit from being of service, I often give no thought to self and it is quite possible to do so without thought to a return.  At first it took considerable discipline for me to say nothing, but it was better for me when no-one knew of my act of service.  I also tried to keep in mind that “a master craftsman leaves no trace”, meaning that if no-one noticed, I had done my job well.  Having gone through an extensive period of disciplined not striving for a return, I now usually just act to help.  I found/find it amusing to watch my ego protest at not getting proper recognition.

Being Of Service

Being of service is extremely important to me, it feels like the least I can do in response to what I have been given.  Being of service is a recognition of the connection and love that has been given to me and that I feel toward others.  Loving others, agape, to me, means extending myself for their emotional and spiritual growth.  If I do that, without thoughts of self, I am taken care of as well.  I have also taken the ego driven approach of selfishly focusing on getting my own needs met, which is not as satisfying nor does that approch work as well.

Sacred Pipe

I was just given a sacred pipe.  Its origin is Lakota and there is now a strong feeling that it has found its way home, very exciting and a big responsibility.  Being a pipe carrier is about being a person of integrity and being of service.  To me the importance of the pipe and the notion of integrity and being of service goes well beyond the standard Caucasian cultural emphasis on linear, logical, intellectual, concepts.  It includes the emotionally and spiritually complex ideas such as the connectedness of all things and the sacredness of all of life.  I am touched and honored by the gift and what it represents.

Healing

I have witnessed and been a part of the healing that results from the love of the God place that I mentioned yesterday.  Using intent, I first fill myself with the feeling of the loving energy that I have learned.  Again using intent, I funnel that energy into my hands and then direct the loving energy to the object of healing.  In order to use my intent this way, I first have to clear my mind of any distracting, selfish or fear-based thoughts.  After I clear my mind, I can feel the energy flow into my hands and to the recipient.  Be it myself or someone else, the recipient can also feel the energy flow.  I cannot say that I understand the process more than what I have just described.