Tuesday, October 30, 2007
Creating Protected Space
Mentors encourage the creation of protected spaces. These are places where people can go to get away from the usual contexts of life. They are devoted to the inner life, development of consciousness and the release of obstructing temporal attachments. There are certain aspects of protected spaces that are important for students to know about.
First, in the temporal context, people generally think in terms of separation of opposites. Win and lose, cause and effect, action and reaction, give and take. The protected space is unconnected with such thinking. In this sense, there is no consideration given to pragmatic use in the construction of a protected space. Practicality is a secondary consideration.
Second, protected spaces are devoid of anything that is not of special significance to their creators. Your protected space works for your personal dynamics and generally has no meaning or magic for anyone else. I have never met a person who was not in need of a protected space because I have never met a person who did not need to know themselves. The space is a place you can go to find and reconnect with yourself.
Third, a protected space is rich in personal symbolism and metaphor. Because these symbols and metaphors have meanings very specific to the person, the power of the space is originated by the creator and has no meaning outside of him/her. The power of the space can be invoked only by its creator.
Fourth, protected spaces are wonderful playgrounds. If you can approach what you need to do in this life as play, you create powerful leverage. You become present in the moment. You become as a child and "of such is the kingdom." Play stops when you don't enjoy what you are doing.
What was it that you did as a child that made you forget the clock? Therein lies your playground. Therein lies the foundation for your protected space. Anxiety, duplicity and a sense of disconnection come from walking with the wrong energy in your life. You have stopped playing.
Fifth, a protected space is sealed off from the physical world. External influences cannot perforate the barrier. You are shielded from worldly stimuli. This allows you to be alone and journey into yourself ... a process that is essential to an inner life. Engagement in your space allows the infinite within you to disjoin from the arena of time and distance. You become timeless and can "spend time" within yourself. Because the kingdom of God lies within you and is itself timeless, you may connect with Him/Her.
Six, because protected spaces are largely a function of the mind, they are essentially non local and can be constructed anytime in any place. This, however, is a skill for the more advanced student and is accomplished through an expansion of consciousness and a process called shielding which is a function of the human energy field. Most people will do well to design a more specific and unchanging place for this purpose.
First, in the temporal context, people generally think in terms of separation of opposites. Win and lose, cause and effect, action and reaction, give and take. The protected space is unconnected with such thinking. In this sense, there is no consideration given to pragmatic use in the construction of a protected space. Practicality is a secondary consideration.
Second, protected spaces are devoid of anything that is not of special significance to their creators. Your protected space works for your personal dynamics and generally has no meaning or magic for anyone else. I have never met a person who was not in need of a protected space because I have never met a person who did not need to know themselves. The space is a place you can go to find and reconnect with yourself.
Third, a protected space is rich in personal symbolism and metaphor. Because these symbols and metaphors have meanings very specific to the person, the power of the space is originated by the creator and has no meaning outside of him/her. The power of the space can be invoked only by its creator.
Fourth, protected spaces are wonderful playgrounds. If you can approach what you need to do in this life as play, you create powerful leverage. You become present in the moment. You become as a child and "of such is the kingdom." Play stops when you don't enjoy what you are doing.
What was it that you did as a child that made you forget the clock? Therein lies your playground. Therein lies the foundation for your protected space. Anxiety, duplicity and a sense of disconnection come from walking with the wrong energy in your life. You have stopped playing.
Fifth, a protected space is sealed off from the physical world. External influences cannot perforate the barrier. You are shielded from worldly stimuli. This allows you to be alone and journey into yourself ... a process that is essential to an inner life. Engagement in your space allows the infinite within you to disjoin from the arena of time and distance. You become timeless and can "spend time" within yourself. Because the kingdom of God lies within you and is itself timeless, you may connect with Him/Her.
Six, because protected spaces are largely a function of the mind, they are essentially non local and can be constructed anytime in any place. This, however, is a skill for the more advanced student and is accomplished through an expansion of consciousness and a process called shielding which is a function of the human energy field. Most people will do well to design a more specific and unchanging place for this purpose.
Thursday, October 25, 2007
Dealing with Uncertainty
NOTE: Please excuse my recent absence from the blog. I was ill.
My family and I, like many others we know, have endured a great deal of turbulence and heartache over the past few years. The deaths of several very close family members and friends have been emotionally challenging. There have been challenges with our immediate and extended families and many of our most valued personal plans have not worked out.
We have often discussed how much easier it would be if we simply knew why these things have played out as they have. To know the reasons or logic behind an event gives you emotional leverage. It becomes easier to understand it in relation to the overall weave of your life.
But answers are not always forthcoming. They have not arrived for us. And this is where people most often struggle and experience pain ... when they must come to grips with uncertainty.
Some people offer easy explanations for life events. They attempt to provide an easy answer. If a child dies they may say to the parents, "Well, God must have needed another angel." These shallow statements do more harm than good. Surely God would not tear open a parents heart simply to add another being to the heaven world. But, then, what is the purpose of these gut wrenching events?
Mentors sometime sense that there are purposes behind them but also recognize that we may receive no clear answers about them in this lifetime.
Paradoxes abound and there seems to be no shelter in which to escape them. Manasseh, King of Judah, was an extremely wicked man, sacrificing his children and shedding a great deal of innocent blood. Yet he reigned without challenge in Jerusalem for 55 years and was eventually buried in his palace garden. On the other hand, ten of Christ's apostles ... men of peace and healing ... were executed while the eleventh was thrown into exile. Easy answers crumble under the weight of these paradoxes.
Often, the best that we can do is to acknowledge the existence of the paradox, our vulnerability to its existence and learn to live with the uncertainty that our temporal life brings.
In the West, we often wrestle with life. We attempt to control and explain, manipulate and qualify life's circumstances. We are a society in search of answers and bent on control.
Within Eastern philosophies, it is often easier to flow with life. There is less struggle and less of a need to explain. Pain and uncertainty are not denied. They are simply recognized.
To expend energy on trying to address all of life's uncertainties or to search for answers where there is none, is a human tendency but it is wasted effort. It prolongs the initial pain. It keeps the wound open. better to acknowledge the event, to grieve and to heal than to extend the life of the wound through continual questioning.
Mentors offer no easy answers. There are none. They answer what they can and acknowledge what they can't. They respect the intelligence and emotions of their students simply to acknowledging their pain in dealing with uncertainties when they occur. Often, that is all that can be done. Often, that is all that is needed.
My family and I, like many others we know, have endured a great deal of turbulence and heartache over the past few years. The deaths of several very close family members and friends have been emotionally challenging. There have been challenges with our immediate and extended families and many of our most valued personal plans have not worked out.
We have often discussed how much easier it would be if we simply knew why these things have played out as they have. To know the reasons or logic behind an event gives you emotional leverage. It becomes easier to understand it in relation to the overall weave of your life.
But answers are not always forthcoming. They have not arrived for us. And this is where people most often struggle and experience pain ... when they must come to grips with uncertainty.
Some people offer easy explanations for life events. They attempt to provide an easy answer. If a child dies they may say to the parents, "Well, God must have needed another angel." These shallow statements do more harm than good. Surely God would not tear open a parents heart simply to add another being to the heaven world. But, then, what is the purpose of these gut wrenching events?
Mentors sometime sense that there are purposes behind them but also recognize that we may receive no clear answers about them in this lifetime.
Paradoxes abound and there seems to be no shelter in which to escape them. Manasseh, King of Judah, was an extremely wicked man, sacrificing his children and shedding a great deal of innocent blood. Yet he reigned without challenge in Jerusalem for 55 years and was eventually buried in his palace garden. On the other hand, ten of Christ's apostles ... men of peace and healing ... were executed while the eleventh was thrown into exile. Easy answers crumble under the weight of these paradoxes.
Often, the best that we can do is to acknowledge the existence of the paradox, our vulnerability to its existence and learn to live with the uncertainty that our temporal life brings.
In the West, we often wrestle with life. We attempt to control and explain, manipulate and qualify life's circumstances. We are a society in search of answers and bent on control.
Within Eastern philosophies, it is often easier to flow with life. There is less struggle and less of a need to explain. Pain and uncertainty are not denied. They are simply recognized.
To expend energy on trying to address all of life's uncertainties or to search for answers where there is none, is a human tendency but it is wasted effort. It prolongs the initial pain. It keeps the wound open. better to acknowledge the event, to grieve and to heal than to extend the life of the wound through continual questioning.
Mentors offer no easy answers. There are none. They answer what they can and acknowledge what they can't. They respect the intelligence and emotions of their students simply to acknowledging their pain in dealing with uncertainties when they occur. Often, that is all that can be done. Often, that is all that is needed.
Tuesday, October 9, 2007
Are you a dorcas?
In today’s culture, if somebody calls you a dorcas you would probably take offense. But perhaps you shouldn’t.
In the book of Acts, there is a story about a woman named Dorcas. Dorcas “was a woman full of good works and alms deeds.” A person of modest means, she was a clothes maker who made clothes for the poor people of her village and met other small needs where she could.
When she passed away, her village mourned greatly and called for the disciple Peter who happened to be in a nearby town at the time. When he arrived, he found the widows gathered around the body “weeping, and showing the coats and garments she made.” She was obviously held in high esteem by townspeople and they were deeply grieved at her passing. Peter was so moved at their grief, that he raised her from the dead.
Dorcas didn’t do any of the things that were normally associated with the “gifted” disciples of that time. She didn’t heal the sick, she didn’t cast out demons, she didn’t raise the dead, she didn’t speak in tongues. She was simply a person with a good heart who helped take care of the poor and needy people in her village. And, for that, she was greatly loved.
There’s probably a lesson there for all of us. Sometimes we focus on the spectacular when we should focus on the routine. It’s a great gift to be able to heal someone of an illness. It’s also a good thing to spend a little time with someone who is ill. It would be nice to be able to speak in tongues. But it’s also rewarding to drop off some groceries for a family in need. It would be thrilling to have an encounter with an angel. But it’s a warm feeling to help tutor an at-risk student.
Those are the kinds of things Dorcas did. She saw needs and she helped meet them. And for that, she was deeply loved.
So, the next time someone calls you a dorcas, thank them!
In the book of Acts, there is a story about a woman named Dorcas. Dorcas “was a woman full of good works and alms deeds.” A person of modest means, she was a clothes maker who made clothes for the poor people of her village and met other small needs where she could.
When she passed away, her village mourned greatly and called for the disciple Peter who happened to be in a nearby town at the time. When he arrived, he found the widows gathered around the body “weeping, and showing the coats and garments she made.” She was obviously held in high esteem by townspeople and they were deeply grieved at her passing. Peter was so moved at their grief, that he raised her from the dead.
Dorcas didn’t do any of the things that were normally associated with the “gifted” disciples of that time. She didn’t heal the sick, she didn’t cast out demons, she didn’t raise the dead, she didn’t speak in tongues. She was simply a person with a good heart who helped take care of the poor and needy people in her village. And, for that, she was greatly loved.
There’s probably a lesson there for all of us. Sometimes we focus on the spectacular when we should focus on the routine. It’s a great gift to be able to heal someone of an illness. It’s also a good thing to spend a little time with someone who is ill. It would be nice to be able to speak in tongues. But it’s also rewarding to drop off some groceries for a family in need. It would be thrilling to have an encounter with an angel. But it’s a warm feeling to help tutor an at-risk student.
Those are the kinds of things Dorcas did. She saw needs and she helped meet them. And for that, she was deeply loved.
So, the next time someone calls you a dorcas, thank them!
Thursday, October 4, 2007
What do you believe?
One day a skilled tightrope walker developed an idea to string a wire lengthwise across the precipice of Niagara Falls. He planned to walk across the wire and, to add a certain flair, he would push a wheelbarrow. A successful journey would make him rich and famous around the world. One slip, however, would send him plummeting into the raging water to be crushed and drowned at the foot of the falls.
The day of his undertaking arrived with news crews and scores of people milling about waiting for him to attempt his crossing. Just before he stepped up on the platform, he approached a well wisher and asked if he thought he would make it across. The man replied that he had full confidence in him. "After all", the man said, "you have practiced tightrope walking for many years, have never fallen, never used a net, have intense concentration skills and are known across the country for your abilities. Yes, I believe you'll be successful."
"I'm glad to hear that." beamed the walker. "Would you like to ride across in the wheelbarrow?"
This is a good example of passive and active belief. Passive belief is believing the tightrope walker will make it across the falls safely. Active belief is jumping into the wheelbarrow.
In a sense, active belief is passive belief acted upon. It is passive belief put into action, taken off the drawing board of the mind and woven into life experience and behavior patterns. Passive beliefs generally do not reflect in behaviors or actions. Perhaps this is why Jesus taught that people would know his disciples "by their fruits." Active belief patterns are observable and confirmable because they manifest in conduct.
The fields of psychoneurolimmunology and quantum physics demonstrate the importance of what and how you believe. Belief structures are somehow translated into measurable material phenomenon.
Light, for example, can manifest as either a particle or a wave depending on how you set up the experiment and expect to see it manifest. In this sense, there is a certain flexibility to reality. It is open to change. We have some ability to shape outcome. Perhaps in the same way the general pattern of results we see in our lives reflects the way we believe things will be.
Although passive beliefs generally produce few results, active beliefs can generate powerful outcomes ... both positive and negative. It is, therefore, as important to believe the "right" things actively as it is to shift from passive to active beliefs.
The shift from becoming a passive believer to an active believer is a journey. You do not travel from New York to Florida in the twinkling of an eye. It takes some time and effort. Be kind to yourself. The Universe will guide and support you if your intentions are genuine and proper.
The day of his undertaking arrived with news crews and scores of people milling about waiting for him to attempt his crossing. Just before he stepped up on the platform, he approached a well wisher and asked if he thought he would make it across. The man replied that he had full confidence in him. "After all", the man said, "you have practiced tightrope walking for many years, have never fallen, never used a net, have intense concentration skills and are known across the country for your abilities. Yes, I believe you'll be successful."
"I'm glad to hear that." beamed the walker. "Would you like to ride across in the wheelbarrow?"
This is a good example of passive and active belief. Passive belief is believing the tightrope walker will make it across the falls safely. Active belief is jumping into the wheelbarrow.
In a sense, active belief is passive belief acted upon. It is passive belief put into action, taken off the drawing board of the mind and woven into life experience and behavior patterns. Passive beliefs generally do not reflect in behaviors or actions. Perhaps this is why Jesus taught that people would know his disciples "by their fruits." Active belief patterns are observable and confirmable because they manifest in conduct.
The fields of psychoneurolimmunology and quantum physics demonstrate the importance of what and how you believe. Belief structures are somehow translated into measurable material phenomenon.
Light, for example, can manifest as either a particle or a wave depending on how you set up the experiment and expect to see it manifest. In this sense, there is a certain flexibility to reality. It is open to change. We have some ability to shape outcome. Perhaps in the same way the general pattern of results we see in our lives reflects the way we believe things will be.
Although passive beliefs generally produce few results, active beliefs can generate powerful outcomes ... both positive and negative. It is, therefore, as important to believe the "right" things actively as it is to shift from passive to active beliefs.
The shift from becoming a passive believer to an active believer is a journey. You do not travel from New York to Florida in the twinkling of an eye. It takes some time and effort. Be kind to yourself. The Universe will guide and support you if your intentions are genuine and proper.
Tuesday, October 2, 2007
Mentoring - Lifes Important Issues
What is it that we value in our lives? What do we put our hearts into? What do we feel is most important to integrate into our patterns of living?
The answers, of course, may vary greatly from person to person. They may range from family, to friends, to money, to the pursuit of knowledge, to fame and beyond.
But the very act of living may distort for us what the truly important issues of life really are. It may be difficult for us to truly define what the most important issue are until we come to grips with our mortality.
When life is going along smoothly, it is easy to put off until tomorrow the difficult task of taking the journey into the heart to find the meaning of life. After all, you are too busy for such an undertaking today. You have to finish that report for work, the lawn needs mowing, and you have to rotate the tires on the car. You can always take your first step on the journey tomorrow.
Everyone faces the decision as to when and how they will take the journey into the heart. Not to decide is to have already decided. But the fact of our physical mortality will ultimately force the choice. There is a shift in consciousness that occurs when one is faced with the prospect of death. Values change. People are forced to prioritize and to reconsider beliefs.
A friend of mine is a grief therapist who works very closely with dying patients. She has on many occasions, held the hand of a person who is taking their last breath. During a recent discussion we were having about life values, she commented that the most important lessons in life are learned in the last 15 seconds before you die. In other words, people on their deathbed seldom wish that they had spent more time at the office and there are no atheists in foxholes.
The trick in living is not to wait until your last 15 seconds to discover what is most important in life.
Mentors encourage their students to take the time now to define their values, to think about what makes their life worth living, to imagine what they would hold dear in their hearts if they had only 15 seconds more to live.
The answers, of course, may vary greatly from person to person. They may range from family, to friends, to money, to the pursuit of knowledge, to fame and beyond.
But the very act of living may distort for us what the truly important issues of life really are. It may be difficult for us to truly define what the most important issue are until we come to grips with our mortality.
When life is going along smoothly, it is easy to put off until tomorrow the difficult task of taking the journey into the heart to find the meaning of life. After all, you are too busy for such an undertaking today. You have to finish that report for work, the lawn needs mowing, and you have to rotate the tires on the car. You can always take your first step on the journey tomorrow.
Everyone faces the decision as to when and how they will take the journey into the heart. Not to decide is to have already decided. But the fact of our physical mortality will ultimately force the choice. There is a shift in consciousness that occurs when one is faced with the prospect of death. Values change. People are forced to prioritize and to reconsider beliefs.
A friend of mine is a grief therapist who works very closely with dying patients. She has on many occasions, held the hand of a person who is taking their last breath. During a recent discussion we were having about life values, she commented that the most important lessons in life are learned in the last 15 seconds before you die. In other words, people on their deathbed seldom wish that they had spent more time at the office and there are no atheists in foxholes.
The trick in living is not to wait until your last 15 seconds to discover what is most important in life.
Mentors encourage their students to take the time now to define their values, to think about what makes their life worth living, to imagine what they would hold dear in their hearts if they had only 15 seconds more to live.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
