Yellow Brick Road: Your Path to Heart & Health

Spiritual Victory

By Debra Basham, on November 6, 2020

The willingness to consider possibility
requires a tolerance of uncertainty.

~ Rachel Naomi Remen

Sitting in meditation recently I became the yin/yang symbol, flowing back and forth from a sense of form to knowing myself as nonform, experiencing a momentary flash of luminosity at the tipping point as the endless flow of black flowing into white, white flowing back into black. I had a brief thought this might be a another full-body dissolution (where ego dissolves into awareness). This is a practice in meditation. One does not cease to be, but one does cease to be identified as a body or a thought or an emotion or a sensation.

Imagine the yin (the dark swirl with the white dot) as being associated with femininity and our shadow side; the yang (the white swirl with the dark dot) representing brightness, passion and growth.

Each contains the “seed” of the other.

You know you are this fluid AWARENESS.

The thought for today from Aaron is also related our identity: “The self that aspires to be perfect while loving itself as imperfect moves from a place of love. The self that strives to be perfect because it hates itself as imperfect moves from a voice of fear.”

I have been considering the possibility of registering for an upcoming weekend retreat November 13-15. Today is the registration deadline. Wanting to always be generous with dana (offering) for the teachers, knowing our seasonal rent is coming due in a few weeks, and John’s $2,500 dental appointment this past Tuesday, the financial aspect of attending the retreat has been dominating my mind.

I decided to draw a card asking, “What is true about my attending this retreat?”

Osho Zen Tarot: The Transcendental Game of Zen

I love that card, and the truth that The Master is not a teacher for others, but he a teacher for himself, without personal purpose nor desire for anything, but always letting thing happens as it should be – knowing truly there is nothing to strive for.

One of things that has been pulling me to attend this retreat now is the generous offer for me to use a friend’s cottage.

I can feel a sense of uncertainty about leaving my space here that has been my womb since April 6. I can also feel the possibility. This would be the first retreat since October 2019 where I could truly be in noble silence the entire time. Noble silence is a central part of knowing the mind, and letting go the identification with all the suffering caused by the mind.

I picked up my phone to look at the date. Saturday, November 14, 2020 is Diwali.

Diwali is the Indian festival of lights, one of the most popular festivals of Hinduism, but with slightly different emphasis also celebrated in Sikhism, Jainism, and Buddhism.

Diwali symbolizes the spiritual “victory of light over darkness, good over evil, and knowledge over ignorance.”

Now that is a true spiritual victory!

Common Sense: Common Good

By Debra Basham, on November 5, 2020

Just when all the chips are down,
the chins should be up.

~ Neale Donald Walsch

This morning I could feel a subtle pull to look at media, but everybody knows as soon as a winner of the Presidential election is resolved, that news will be widely known. So, why participate in any of the drama?

Yesterday morning, during the post-election 24-hour meditation event Deep Spring Meditation Center was hosting on Zoom, the fifty-fifty nature of the polarization of our country came up. I asked Barbara about the information SCS calls the Drama Triangle, Cognitive Triangle, and Transrational Pyramid.

Here is a section of Aaron’s response:

This is playing out on all the spheres and on all the levels including, of course, the human level. You are not pawns in some game of chess. You have enormous power. You have advisors on the spirit level, but you humans are the ones that can control whether, when, and how this transition will happen.

Along with those of you who are of a much higher consciousness, there are those who are of high intelligence, with a lot of power and understanding of power, but with intention to use that power in service to the self. This is really what this shift is about—power in service to self, or power in service to all beings.

The Roman games come to mind. Roman games, called ludi, were probably instituted as an annual event in 366 BC. Might common day sports be the current iteration? Or perhaps politics? Red, white, green and blue teams inspired great loyalty. Wondering if the red and blue of the political parties somehow also originated with the Roman games.

In 532 AD rioting sparked by the disputes of chariot fans destroyed half the city of Constantinople!

Augustus only banned fighting to the death due to a shortage of gladiators. It has been estimated that 500,000 people and more than 1 million animals died in the Coliseum, Rome’s great gladiatorial arena.

Human history is rife with dark times.

Dagnabbit, we have more common sense to use for the common good!

One source attributed ‘dagnabbit’ to Elmer Fudd. His twisted version of “dang rabbit” was sputtered while stomping his foot on his hat, after the rabbit that always outwitted him when he was hunting did it again.

In The Long Linguistic Journey to ‘Dagnabbit’ linguists say humans are afraid of speaking the True Names of enemies so we create taboo deformations. My grandmother would say flitter, in the exact same situations my dad would say $*@#….

All too often, people go through life being cautious in the name of being careful, when it is, in fact, a matter of fear. Moving ahead boldly is a better indicator of self-assurance and has a much better chance of ending in success. ~ David J. Bloyd; MS, CMP Emeritus

One of my dharma sisters shared a mantra composed by the Vietnamese monk, Thich Nhat Hanh, known as a philosopher, teacher of peace, and all things positive. The mantra loosens the grip fear can have on you.

While silently breathing in, say the first line of the two-line phrase; while silently breathing out, say the second line of the two-line phrase:

Breathing In, “I recognize fear as Energy,”
Breathing Out, “I express Gratitude for Energy;”

Breathing In, “Energy and Fear are Power,”
Breathing Out, “I can safely hold Power;”

Breathing In, “Power supports Wholesome Change,”
Breathing Out, “I Invite That, which is for The Highest Good!”

F.E.A.R. (false evidence appearing real) may be the true name of humanity’s only true enemy, but fear has myriad names: greed, anger, cruelty, vengeance, hatred, bigotry, sexism, racism, impatience, insecurity, shame, blame, ignorance, meanness. The list is long.

For sure, common good is common sense….

Breathing In, “Power supports Wholesome Change,”
Breathing Out, “I Invite That, which is for The Highest Good!”

Condolences and Congratulations

By Debra Basham, on November 4, 2020

Lift up your faces,
you have a piercing need
for this bright morning
dawning for you.

~ Maya Angelou

Yesterday’s Yellow Brick Road contained the foundation for today’s: Today 49% of the people will be disappointed. That assumes 51% will be relieved or glad.

While elections have winners and losers, we do not have to be one or the other.

Daily Word for November 04. 2020

Hope

I am hopeful and positive.

I begin this day with gratitude. Before I get out of bed, I give thanks. I fill my mind and heart with hope for the coming day and for my future.

Making a habit of practicing gratitude upon awakening helps me create positivity and hope. Even in the most dire circumstances, I resolve to be hopeful. I look beyond outer circumstances and trust indwelling Spirit to inspire me to find good in the midst of all situations.

I give myself plentiful reminders that I have reasons for hope. I can make lists of all that I have now as well as things I hope for in the future. Maybe I can enjoy walks outdoors or time spent with optimistic friends. There are always reasons to be hopeful when I stay focused on gratitude.

Let your steadfast love, O Lord, be upon us, even as we hope in you.—Psalm 33:22

I purposely have not tuned in to any returns yet. I chose to write the post for today before I have any news.

In the 1970’s John and I took Parent Effectiveness Training. P.E.T. was developed by Thomas Gordon. Problem solving was a key component of the program and I still remember clearly one of the teaching stories. A man and woman were arguing, each stating, “I need the car tomorrow.” Well, they only had one car!

The process was to tease out of the seeming impasse the actual need.

He needed to get to his office downtown.

She needed to get to the mall to buy a winter coat for their son while it was on sale, one day only.

Once the needs were stated without the distortion of “It has to be my way,” myriad solutions emerged. He could call a co-worker for a ride; he could take public transportation; she could drop him off. She could ask a friend for a ride; she could take public transportation; she could have someone pick the coat up for her.

One of my favorite NLP exposures is Core Transformation: Reaching the Wellspring Within, by Connirae Andreas and Tamara Andreas.

Joseph Chilton Pearce, author of The Crack in the Cosmic Egg said this is “One of the most important works I have come across in any field, Core Transformation should be adopted as the principal therapy by every therapist in the country, understood and practiced by everyone in the helping and legal professions, as well as parents and teachers. I stand in awe at the simplicity, clarity and directness of a work of such magnitude, and will do all I can to promote it.”

The key was to recognize limitations are truly doorways. One state, often called
“Inner Peace,” “Joy,” “Love,” or “Oneness.”

“Oneness and Being,” the goal of most psycho-spiritual approaches, is no longer a mysterious ideal.

As the results of this election unfold, rather than offer condolences or congratulations to losers or winners, lets experience core transformation.

“Somebody was talking today about feeling weary of practice. Is there no end to it? There is an end to it. You will find full realization of your true being, full liberation from the cycle of birth and death. All beings will. But meanwhile, consider this. You’re in the situation of somebody with tall weeds growing in their back yard. If you don’t attend to the weeds with some regularity, they’ll take over not only your yard but your neighbor’s yard because the heads will go to seed and fly off in every direction. So here you are doing a wonderful practice of attending to the weeds. Eventually all of this prickly, thorny stuff will dissolve. Truly it will. ”

Vote!

By Debra Basham, on November 3, 2020

The vote is precious.
It is almost sacred.
It is the most powerful
non-violent tool
we have in a democracy.
~ John Lewis

Today is election day 2020. From my journal entry this morning:

Last evening while John was showering I picked up his phone to take photos for him of his PT care plan from his online chart. A text message popped up. John was urging another to vote, saying, “We might be able to turn this thing around for Trump if enough people turn out to vote.” His next message was saying that he plans to vote in person today.

When I told John I wished he would have voted by absentee ballot, his response was, “It’s as safe as shopping.”

We have had friends shopping for us since we got home from Florida on April 6, using Instacart until they could manage the risks of shopping themselves. They have done this for our safety as John is considered high risk with diabetes and having been on steroid therapy for polymyalgia this past year.

I put the question into the search engine: ‘How safe is in-person voting?’

I saw those exact same words John had used! “The risk of voting in person is comparable to the risk of going to the grocery store.” Of course… The article went on to say any amount of risk may be too great for those who fall into the high-risk category — or live with someone who does. “That includes older adults, individuals with diabetes, and those with cancer or compromised immune systems are are at greater risk of severe complications from COVID-19.”

I was understandably disappointed.

The subject line from The Tapping Solution this morning:
49% of People will be Disappointed Today.

I had the opportunity to get a head start!

Or not….

At 9:30 pm EST Deep Spring Meditation Center will open a ZOOM meditation hall. The hall will remain available until tomorrow night so our sangha can gather. We plan to read encouraging words from the Mala Recollection: When wholesome thoughts arise, cultivate the wholesome. When unwholesome thoughts arise, abandon the unwholesome…. Tend the contents of the mind with compassion as a mindful gardener tends his garden. We will chant. We will pray. We will meditate. We will sing.

A friend shared the link to the University of Michigan’s Virtual Choir. She was most moved by the finale which was 300 people singing Enya’s “How Can I Keep from Singing?” (lyrics slightly altered to match the choir).

Through all the tumult and the strife,
I hear its music ringing,
It sounds an echo in my soul.
How can I keep from singing?…

No storm can shake my inmost calm,
While to that rock I´m clinging.
Since Love is lord of heaven and earth
How can I keep from singing?

(If you’re interested this song starts at 53:25.)

Sound (singing, chanting, drumming, humming) has been scientifically proven to bring us back to our hearts.

Following the amazing Enya song, Melanie DeMore breaks into a wonderfully happy ‘Lead with Love.” Here are the lyrics:

(repeat all 4 lines)

Verses (call and response):

Don’t give up hope
You’re not alone
Don’t you give up
Keep movin’ on

Lift up your eyes
Don’t you despair
Look up ahead
The path is there

I know you’re scared
And I’m scared too
But here I am
Right next to you

Words & music (c) Melanie DeMore.

(usually sung a cappella)

Melanie DeMore gets my vote!

People knowing how to move themselves up the emotional scale gets my vote. People putting one foot in front of the other gets my vote. People leading with love gets my vote.

How can we keep from singing?

Imagine Healing

By Debra Basham, on November 2, 2020

Because humans process their subjective experience, in part, as pictures, when one says, “I just cannot see how I will get through all of this,” according to Dr. Emmett E. Miller, author of Deep Healing: The Essence of Mind/Body Medicine, we are not just hearing words, we may well be witnessing destiny.

~ From the SCS-Matters.com/Imagine-Healing/ home page.

Imagine Healing has been my central work over the past two decades. Five simple steps to Imagine Healing can make all the difference if you or someone you know is anticipating surgery, going through medical treatment, or experiencing the need for healing in any area of life. These steps include:

I am encouraging readers of Yellow Brick Road to use this process NOW, to imagine healing beyond the physical body. Imagine healing for our country, for our world, and for all sentient beings. You are invited to post this on Facebook, share it with groups, and use it to support yourself during these chaotic times.

Identify a person, a pet, a place, or an experience which you find easy to love. Let yourself immerse yourself in that feeling. (One client used a stuffed animal!)

Step 1: Relax to feel peaceful. Go for the basics on this one and take the few minutes to follow the links to some of my favorite (vital) reminders:

PNS is BIG. You must activate your parasympathetic nervous system. Legs up the wall!

Ten minutes wearing an icy gel mask is A Chilling Way to Calm Down.

Another simple technique is to quiet yourself and imagine that you are sucking on a juicy lemon drop, bathing your tongue in saliva. If that does not work for you, fill your mouth with warm water and hold it, as you allow yourself to begin to relax.

Let me know if you want access to the A to Z of relaxation (aromatherapy to Zen) handout. Knit, paint, walk, soak… use your W.I.T. (whatever it takes).

Step 2: Discover what you need to know. Learn to “see” the tilting of truth within politics. Public record shows if there has been the erosion of environmental protection; don’t let your emotions confuse ideas with facts. The definition of politics is the activities associated with the governance of a country or other area, especially the debate or conflict among individuals or parties having or hoping to achieve power. Tilting of truth is happening…. Notice.

Step 3: Create positive expectations. Gratefulness.org had a beautiful message today by Br. David Steindl-Rast: “Imagine a country whose citizens—maybe even its leaders—are brave, calm, and open towards each other; a country whose people realize that all human beings belong together as one family and must act accordingly; a country guided by Common Sense.”

Step 4: Organize a support group. Deep Spring Sangha is planning to open a ZOOM meditation hall at 9:15 pm Tuesday night. Volunteers will read and share sacred writings. People will meditate. Some will chant. Many online groups are offering support. Especially now, it is soothing to join with others who help you come home to your heart.

In the use of Imagine Healing to prepare an individual for surgery, we ask, “Who do you know wants you to have a good outcome? Who will be thinking about you, praying for you, caring about you? What supports you?” People often list family members and friends. Pets or totem animals. Looking beyond these, loved ones in spirit? Saints? Spiritual Masters? Make a mental list of these supports. Hold a rosary or another tangible item, look at a photo, listen to an audio. So much support!

These five steps were designed so you can recover more quickly and completely when you practice positive mental and emotional health.

Ask to be shown the best possible outcomes: short-term, mid-term, and long-term.

Throughout the process, call forth your capacity to be carried across the chasm: “Even though things won’t go exactly as you imagine, imagine a scene that proves to you — beyond a doubt — that things have gone so well, even better than you imagined….”

Philippians 4:6-7

Do not be anxious about anything,
but in every situation,
by prayer and petition,
with thanksgiving,
present your requests to God.

And the peace of God,
which transcends all understanding,
will guard your hearts
and your minds
in Christ Jesus.

Awaken the New Species

By Debra Basham, on November 1, 2020

We must not wish
for the disappearance
of our troubles
but for the grace
to transform them.

~ Simone Weil

Yesterday John did not mention my blog post, so I did not share it with him. I watched the choice points for stories to arise: he doesn’t really care; he still does not value what I write and share; I won’t bring it up unless he mentions it…. on and on and on the ego drives us away from peace, if we allow it.

Last night I turned on my heated mattress pad and was heading to the shower looking forward to crawling into bed early before I realized just how early it was. If I set the manual clocks to the end of daylight savings at that moment, I would have been going to bed at 6:45 pm!

Ugh…

So, I came into the office and surfed for something enlightening, settling on a talk by Barbara Marx Hubbard, an American futurist, author and public speaker. In Awakening the New Species in You, Barbara opened shared how she recognized her life purpose as — “I am helping the noosphere to get its collective eyes.”

Barbara’s vocation was/is to be a communicator and teacher about the history of this planet, the current events, and our opportunity for conscious evolution.

(According to the World Wide Fund for Nature’s 2020 Living Planet Report, wildlife populations have declined by 68% since 1970 as a result of overconsumption, population growth and intensive farming, which is further evidence that humans have unleashed a sixth mass extinction event.
~ NationalGeographic.com )

Barbara’s message prepared me for a good night’s rest and for today’s post:

“We are at a vital shift point where our own actions could lead to greater extinction, or our own actions could lead to greater evolution, or conscious evolution.”

We are at choice to help the nervous system of humanity devolve or evolve! What we do with our energies each moment makes a contribution.

“Our crisis is a birth. We are one living system and we have come to the limit of one phase of natural growth on a finite planet We must learn ethical evolution quickly As we seek to facilitate a gentle birth, a graceful and nonviolent transition to the next stage of our evolution, we will discover a natural pattern, a design of our birth transition, and develop a plan to cooperate with this design.”

This morning, I read the transcript of Dharma Path class from Tuesday, October 27, 2020. From Barbara Brodsky and Aaron:

Let’s start at the end, what you hope to bring forth this year: To learn how to co-create with love. To co-create in your own body, mind, spirit. To co-create in the world. To do this work can only happen from less of the ego self and more of the awakened heart/mind, as I like to call it. You cannot co-create for the highest good of all beings and still be centered in the ego. It doesn’t mean there will be no ego, but there will be ways of bypassing that ego, not getting caught up in the ego’s stories.

This brings to mind The Four Agreements: A Practical Guide to Personal Freedom by Don Miguel Ruiz:

Agreement 1: Be Impeccable With Your Word.
Agreement 2: Don’t Take Anything Personally.
Agreement 3: Don’t Make Assumptions.
Agreement 4: Always Do Your Best.

These agreements are a pathway we can all walk making room for the ego, without getting caught up in the stories.

… the ego self is the outer clothing. We don’t say, “Barbara is a blue vest.” It’s just something she’s wearing today. The ego, the thoughts, the body, all of these attributes of the self are precious, but they are not your essence.

The last section I highlighted from Tuesday’s Dharma Path class:

My dear friends, as humans you are not meant to 100% glitter. You would burn each other’s eyes out! You need to have a bit of dimness, it’s okay. You teach each other patience, compassion, generosity of spirit.

Barbara Marx Hubbard speaks well the opportunity: “If we continue to grow separately and in competition with each other we could self destruct.”

Or we could awaken the new species!

The Things that Frighten Us

By Debra Basham, on October 31, 2020

Denial and lies are
almost an intrinsic
part of an epidemic.
~ Nicholas A. Christakis

On the heels of the previously expressed idea that John and Debra (and you and yours!) truly are the macrocosm and microcosm, soon after my blog was posted yesterday morning I saw a post John made Tuesday on Facebook: The Dems and the media are so corrupt. Vote Red and encourage your friends to vote Red.

I grabbed my journal and wrote: “I feel the tension in my body.”

As I sat with that tension, I could see my listening to the Rabbi’s talk and choosing to include it in my blog. I had not acknowledged the Rabbi’s admonition but I knew he had one, and I included the link to his talk.

When John and I walked later in the morning, I told him I could see where my choice — my action — was spinning the karmic wheel. I asked him if he had realized how he could have agreed with the sentiment of the post he was commenting on, but without adding to the poisonous political climate plaguing our nation by singling out the “Dems” and liberal media as liars, and going even further by telling others how to vote. He said he had not been able to see that at the time.

As we walked on together, we articulated more skillful ways of commenting. For example, “I saw the interview. I’m praying for all the lying to end.” As we explored further we also saw opportunity to speak a more wise world into being, “We all need to work together and support ourselves. The fighting is such a waste of energy and resources.”

All of you, as you come through this series of human lifetimes, are going to find yourselves as teachers of compassion in the universe. So don’t minimize what you are doing. It’s not about you. It’s not even about your country or your world. It’s about love and the transformation of everything through love. And you are at the heart of this. There are so many beings that appreciate the efforts that you make and support those efforts. ~ Aaron

John and I grew up in a world of double standards nobody questioned and few even recognized. In 1966 when he and I conceived Stacey and got married, he was allowed to finish high school. I was banned. It took both of us to get pregnant, but only one of us was held accountable….

Often the most subtle of distortions have the most toxic ripple effects.

This post’s opening quote is by Nicholas A. Christakis. He says, “Everywhere you see the spread of germs, for the last few thousand years, you see right behind it the spread of lies.” You can listen to a 47-Minute NPR interview with Christakis about his book Apollo’s Arrow: The Profound and Enduring Impact of Coronavirus on the Way We Live. Warning: It is not easy to hear the possible impact.

Christakis says the coronavirus has come at a time when we are very vulnerable because of the polarization. He encourages us to let the science do it’s job. Either masks help or they don’t. He says, “Let’s get the science straight first.”

The things that frighten us just want to be held.
~ Mark Nepo

Mark Nepo, author of The Book of Awakening.
In 1987 he discovered a lump on the back of his head that was eventually diagnosed as a rare form of lymphoma.
He is now a two-time cancer survivor.

The interview closes on an encouraging word:

We are a remarkable species…

We have so many wonderful qualities, we humans.

These include the capacity for love, the capacity for friendship; that we cooperate with each other; that we make sacrifices even to benefit strangers.

Which Wolf Will Win?

By Debra Basham, on October 30, 2020

You do not have to be an expert in the stars to recognize that a lot of heavy emotions are being triggered right now. If you are curious, however, you might appreciate at least some awareness of what the planets are doing.

According to Mars Retrograde Is About To Make Our Lives (& The Upcoming Election) A Chaotic Mess, Elizabeth Gulino says, “Worth mentioning: Mars will be retrograde during the 2020 election.”

Want to know how close Mars really is? This photo was taken by my friend, Rich, in Colorado.

Been experiencing mini (many) temper tantrums and meltdowns? Narayana Montúfar, senior astrologer for SunSigns.com says, “The truth is that it will take tons of self-care and anger management to deal with the impulsivity and fire coming from this retrograde. It’s also helpful to know that when facing obstacles, the more we push, the harder things will become.”

This all brings to mind The Story of Two Wolves. The teaching story (Cherokee?) is about a grandfather who tells his grandson there is a fight between two wolves going on inside him. “One is evil – he is anger, envy, sorrow, regret, greed, arrogance, self-pity, guilt, resentment, inferiority, lies, false pride, superiority, and ego.”

Grandfather continued, “The other is good – he is joy, peace, love, hope, serenity, humility, kindness, benevolence, empathy, generosity, truth, compassion, and faith. The same fight is going on inside you – and inside every other person, too.”

With wide-eyed wonder the boy pleads to know, “Grandfather, which wolf will win?”

“The one you feed,” replied Grandfather.

As I was preparing for meditation this morning, I listened to “Wrestling and Dreaming: Engaging Discussions on Judaism | Episode 16: A Good Name.” Rabbi Dobrusin reflects on the coming election from the perspective of a traditional Jewish text.

It is possible to use many sacred texts to say different things or come to different conclusions, says Rabbi Dibrusin. However, this is not the case with sacred texts related to character. The Jewish text refers to “the crown of a good name” as the most valuable of all achievements one can possess. Your crown of a good name is “earned through your actions — the way you conduct yourself in the world, the way you speak about others, the way you respect others.”

We don’t know what life will bring,
so it is what we bring to life that matters.
~ Patricia Campbell Carlson
(Gratefulness.org)

Which wolf will win? The one you feed.

Here is a link to Wrestling and Dreaming: Engaging Discussions on Judaism | Episode 16: A Good Name, Rabbi Dobrusin’s 7-minute podcast.

Compassion is Not a Luxury

By Debra Basham, on October 29, 2020

We live in a time when science is validating
what humans have known throughout the ages:
that compassion is not a luxury;
it is a necessity for our well-being,
resilience,
and survival.

~ Roshi Joan Halifax

This morning I saw a headline “How Next Door Neighbors With Different Political Views Have Stayed Friends.” The photo shows a driveway with a Biden sign on one side and a Trump sign on the other. By each of the political signs was a sign of compassion.

Handmade yard signs with arrows, reading ‘We (Heart) Them,’ stand alongside opposing political signs in the Mitchell and Gates front yards in Mt. Lebanon, a suburb of Pittsburgh.

Last evening my dharma buddy said John and I are the macrocosm and microcosm. Macrocosm and microcosm refers to a realization that a part reflects the whole and vice versa. Think about a wave in the ocean.

The Mitchell and Gates households are also the macrocosm and microcosm.

I received an email of cartoons about President Trump this morning. A wave of nausea arose as I saw the depth of unkindness of the content. In Traveling Mercies: Some Thoughts on Faith, Anne Lamott writes, “Not forgiving is like drinking rat poison and then waiting for the rat to die.”

You may have heard that same sentiment expressed about anger: anger is like eating the poison and expecting the rat to die.

We can add: lack of compassion is like eating rat poison and expecting the rat to die.

If you wonder how you can allow compassion to arise, especially in those times and circumstances where it is clear we do not see things the same way, search Quotes Disagreement. Here are a few helpful hints:

Friedrich Nietzsche:
“He who cannot put his thoughts on ice should not enter into the heat of dispute.”

Criss Jami:
“Together, we form a necessary paradox; not a senseless contradiction.”

Jonathan Swift:
“That was excellently observed’, say I, when I read a passage in an author, where his opinion agrees with mine. When we differ, there I pronounce him to be mistaken.”

These are not new concepts. However, all that is happening in the collective calls forth a need to live these values humanity holds in common, even when we have very different opinions: Judge not, that ye be not judged. For with what judgment ye judge, ye shall be judged: and with what measure ye mete, it shall be measured to you. Matthew 7:1-3 (KJV)

I just posted a link to a very timely article titled, “No Time For Self-Care? Try These Snack-Size Habits,” on the Imagine Healing Facebook page. For those who do not have access to Facebook, trust me (or follow the link to scan the list of great suggestions for yourself) this is doable. Take a nap. Breathe slowly. Watch a favorite movie. Take a bath. Write in a journal. Exercise. Sing.

Self-care — like compassion, is not a luxury….

And a lovely reminder at the close of the article: You don’t have to do everything, but doing something small each day can and will have a cumulative effect on your capacity to deal with “the new normal,” “tremendous uncertainty,” and “unprecedented times.”

Deep Spring Center
Thought for Today

We do not state with an initial ego intention, ‘I’m going to save the world,’ but rather we start with the loving intention to see how we can dance with others and with the Earth and with spirit to co-create deeper peace and well-being for all sentient beings. We invite ourselves to be open and listen, to be guided, rather than having the ego dictate, ‘No, it should be this way.’ When you do this you find there truly are no limitations.

We need the comfort
and solace
of each other’s
presence!
~ Joan Borysenko

Need to Do

By Debra Basham, on October 28, 2020

You must cherish one another.
You must work —
we all must work —
to make this world
worthy of its children.

~ Pablo Casals

Is this opening quotation, as it is written, true? Less and less I am concerned with being a doer, as more and more I am aware of the importance of how I am being. Listening to Rupert Spira speak about there being no doer, however, I also recognize the stages of learning we are experiencing around all of this. Spira says the belief and feeling “I am a person” is the same belief and feeling of “I am a doer.”

In mindfulness, this thought “I am a person” could be seen as operating from ego.

New Years Eve 2000 — twenty years ago — our meditation focus was a powerful writing titled “The Recovering Hero Proclamation.” Here is the last stanza:

~Aaliyah LivingWell
aka Gina Dawn Gavaris
GeneratingLove@aol.com
www.GeneratingSolutions.org

It is important to realize that this does not mean all action ceases. As Spira says, “No…. Cars continue to be driven, meals continue to be cooked, inquiring into the nature of experience continues to be undertaken.” Everything continues, but it doesn’t imply that there’s a doer.

I found this note in my journal: I forgive myself for believing it is my job to be the hero in any situation or save anyone else from having the experience they are creating.

Wow.

Those familiar with the SCS/NLP materials recognize fully we are moving off the Drama Triangle and experiencing life from the transrational perspective.

If we are able to drive, cook, and inquire into the nature of things without identifying ourselves as a doer, notice how much more can be done through the expanded awareness.

Recently a friend who hosts two of the Florida Zoom groups I participate in sent a message saying she has reached her stress limit and is going off the grid. We are still able to use her Zoom account, but she is not meeting with us.

William Wordsworth’s opening line in, “The World Is Too Much With Us”: The world is too much with us; late and soon.

Spira invites us to imagine a pink elephant under the chair. Both the statement, “There is something for the pink elephant under the chair to do,” and the statement, “There is nothing for the pink elephant under the chair to do,” are equally absurd.

Is there something we need to do? Today’s Daily Word:

Guidance
I am divinely guided from within.

There are times I find myself wondering which way to turn. Rather than feeling stressed or pressured into making quick decisions, I know these instances are perfect opportunities to calm myself and check my internal compass for divine direction.

The source guidance I receive allows me to perceive possible paths and shows me the way if I veer off course. All I need to do is become quiet and feel aware of my connection with God by pausing, breathing deeply, releasing, and relaxing into my intuitive knowing.

From this place, I instinctively know which way to turn and what to do. In faith, I follow the guidance of my inner wisdom and know everything I will need for the journey ahead is already mine.

Though we stumble, we shall not fall headlong, for the Lord holds us by the hand.—Psalm 37:24

Of course we do things. Until the mind jumps in after the activity and claims, “I did this, I did that” there is only a sense of the raw experience. A baby probably does not draw from the mother’s breast and think, “I just ate.” The nourishment and the nurturing and the satiating of hunger are the raw experience. No commentary is necessary.