This is one of the most profound statements of all time, in my own humble opinion. "Don't Hate the Haters".
We are in a world that says "Make a stand!", "Take up a side!" One song comes to mind that says "You gotta stand for something, or you'll fall for anything." People choose sides, and everyone is against each other. Religions, political party's, goth kids, punks, skaters, rednecks, the list of our social dividers is a long one. I beg of you to use your eyes and your ears and your awareness, and rise above this.
The Great SPIRIT loves everyone equally. He is not against you, or anybody else. Humanity is evolving into a higher state of consciousness, and SPIRIT is there waiting for all of us, even the hate-filled of us.
One of the main excuses the hate groups use is "It says so in the Bible". My statement to you is that you are allowed to make your own interpretation of the Bible, but do you think Jesus would have acted out of hate? Do you think that the message from Jesus was for us to divide?
SPIRIT
Welcome to the SPIRIT Center! SPIRIT-Healing-Music-Meditation
Sunday, November 13, 2011
Thursday, November 10, 2011
Meditation for 11-10-11(SPIRIT)
The Great SPIRIT is a big glowing rotating ball of light energy containing galaxies of galaxies each small particle contains a part of all particles so that each small particle is the whole, and the whole is each small particle.
It is what is.
Truth or reality or realness.
It is I the Great SPIRIT who looks through the eyes of this body. Listens through the ears of this body. I am working here. I move this body. I am the Divine Thoughts that this mind has. I am the talents that this body has. I am Power, not force. The mind and the body are useful to me, but not capable of comprehending me.
The mind would like for you to think that it is you and you are it. It closes your eyes and blinds you from SPIRIT. Go to a mirror and look deeply into each of your own eyes and tell yourself hello. Have a real talk. You are not the mind, you are not the body. You are SPIRIT who resides for the time being inside on your particular body with your particular mind. Your mind and your body are for you to control. You are not to be controlled and dominated by your mind.
Let go of your ideas of "good" and "bad" for every being is on the path towards the light. Each being is at a different milestone along the way, but each is on the path. Do not harshly judge someone that you perceive to be behind you, because you were there as well. Do not envy those you think are ahead of you because you will soon be there. When you have obtained awareness and are living in SPIRIT, you will cross the finish line and see that there is no path at all and that you are the path and the beginning and the end of the path. Then you will look out of the eyes, and listen through the ears and the Great SPIRIT(who is you) will guide you and you will trust in it wholly.
SPIRIT
It is what is.
Truth or reality or realness.
It is I the Great SPIRIT who looks through the eyes of this body. Listens through the ears of this body. I am working here. I move this body. I am the Divine Thoughts that this mind has. I am the talents that this body has. I am Power, not force. The mind and the body are useful to me, but not capable of comprehending me.
The mind would like for you to think that it is you and you are it. It closes your eyes and blinds you from SPIRIT. Go to a mirror and look deeply into each of your own eyes and tell yourself hello. Have a real talk. You are not the mind, you are not the body. You are SPIRIT who resides for the time being inside on your particular body with your particular mind. Your mind and your body are for you to control. You are not to be controlled and dominated by your mind.
Let go of your ideas of "good" and "bad" for every being is on the path towards the light. Each being is at a different milestone along the way, but each is on the path. Do not harshly judge someone that you perceive to be behind you, because you were there as well. Do not envy those you think are ahead of you because you will soon be there. When you have obtained awareness and are living in SPIRIT, you will cross the finish line and see that there is no path at all and that you are the path and the beginning and the end of the path. Then you will look out of the eyes, and listen through the ears and the Great SPIRIT(who is you) will guide you and you will trust in it wholly.
SPIRIT
Thursday, October 27, 2011
New Dates for SPIRIT Healing Music Meditation
The first SPIRIT Healing Music Meditation was held at Unity of Savannah Center for Spiritual Awakening, and it was a great success! There were approximately 30 people in attendance, and afterwards, there were a lot of positive remarks as well as requests to do it some more! So we are going to do it some more!
Again, I want to thank Reverend Dale Worley and Reverend Arlene Meyer, for their support, and for offering the beautiful space and facilities. These two individuals have made such a positive impact on my life, and I am very grateful that they are allowing us to use the space at Unity.
We have scheduled three more dates:
Sunday November 6th @ 5:30-7p.m.
Sunday November 20th @ 5:30-7p.m.
Sunday December 4th @ 5:30-7p.m.
Please plan to attend if you can, and also, help us spread the word! Thank you and more please!!!
in SPIRIT
Again, I want to thank Reverend Dale Worley and Reverend Arlene Meyer, for their support, and for offering the beautiful space and facilities. These two individuals have made such a positive impact on my life, and I am very grateful that they are allowing us to use the space at Unity.
We have scheduled three more dates:
Sunday November 6th @ 5:30-7p.m.
Sunday November 20th @ 5:30-7p.m.
Sunday December 4th @ 5:30-7p.m.
Please plan to attend if you can, and also, help us spread the word! Thank you and more please!!!
in SPIRIT
Sunday, October 16, 2011
On Positive Thinking
Negative thoughts are like the leaves at the top of a tree. They themselves are just small leaves, but they stem from a tall tree and deep roots. Imagine dark negative roots below the ground that rise into a trunk, and then a tall tree with many branches and leaves. This tree can only emit negativity, and only knows how to take in more negative energy to feed off of. Meditate on this cycle, it is amazing.
Negative roots do not produce positive leaves. In a tree of negativity, roots and leaves are not even aware of one another.
One day a dark, depressed, angry leaf spied a leaf of light atop a near-by tree, and curiosity was sparked! The negative leaf was tired of being dark and depressed, and especially so, now that he could see a leaf that was joyful and positive and made of light. So the dark leaf, in desperation, called out to the leaf of light, who heard the call, and gladly shared his light with the dark leaf.
At first, there were many times when the dark leaf did not feel positive, but spoke positively anyway. There were many days when the dark leaf felt hopeless, like he could never become a leaf of light, but the leaves of light were always there to reassure him, and to urge him on. The dark leaf began to pay less and less attention to other dark leaves, he surrounded himself as much as possible with leaves of light. He denied all darkness and affirmed all light as much as he possibly could. Things began to change. The leaf began to stop taking in negative energy from other dark leaves and also stopped spreading his negative energy. He learned how to spread positive energy, even though he didn't always feel like it. But one day he did feel positive! dark leaf found himself to be a little lighter. NOW HE BELIEVED!!! "This really works!!!" he exclaimed, and then he really went about this business of creating more and more light inside of himself.
Soon there was a tree who was made of very deep negative roots, a negative trunk and branches, but the top of the tree was filled with positive leaves of light. The positive leaves were careful to spend their days talking with other trees that had other positive leaves. From leaves of light, they learned how to become leaves of light themselves!
When it became time for the leaves to fall to the ground, they brought their light down to the ground, and soon, a little light began to seep in to the deeply buried dark negative roots. The great transformation had begun.
SPIRIT
Negative roots do not produce positive leaves. In a tree of negativity, roots and leaves are not even aware of one another.
One day a dark, depressed, angry leaf spied a leaf of light atop a near-by tree, and curiosity was sparked! The negative leaf was tired of being dark and depressed, and especially so, now that he could see a leaf that was joyful and positive and made of light. So the dark leaf, in desperation, called out to the leaf of light, who heard the call, and gladly shared his light with the dark leaf.
At first, there were many times when the dark leaf did not feel positive, but spoke positively anyway. There were many days when the dark leaf felt hopeless, like he could never become a leaf of light, but the leaves of light were always there to reassure him, and to urge him on. The dark leaf began to pay less and less attention to other dark leaves, he surrounded himself as much as possible with leaves of light. He denied all darkness and affirmed all light as much as he possibly could. Things began to change. The leaf began to stop taking in negative energy from other dark leaves and also stopped spreading his negative energy. He learned how to spread positive energy, even though he didn't always feel like it. But one day he did feel positive! dark leaf found himself to be a little lighter. NOW HE BELIEVED!!! "This really works!!!" he exclaimed, and then he really went about this business of creating more and more light inside of himself.
Soon there was a tree who was made of very deep negative roots, a negative trunk and branches, but the top of the tree was filled with positive leaves of light. The positive leaves were careful to spend their days talking with other trees that had other positive leaves. From leaves of light, they learned how to become leaves of light themselves!
When it became time for the leaves to fall to the ground, they brought their light down to the ground, and soon, a little light began to seep in to the deeply buried dark negative roots. The great transformation had begun.
SPIRIT
Thursday, October 13, 2011
Music Healing Sample
Here is a 2 minute Spirit Healing Music Meditation for you to enjoy!
SPIRIT HEALING MUSIC MEDITATION
SPIRIT HEALING MUSIC MEDITATION
Wednesday, October 12, 2011
Music Healing
It seems that when I say the word "healing", I get a lot of funny looks. Perhaps people think that I am talking about raising a disabled person from a wheel chair or bringing site to the blind? I feel sure that the word "healing" has gotten a bad rap, and that is too bad. It's pretty sad that people are skeptical about the idea of "healing", but maybe that is just another sign that I need to raise my voice. Healing can simply be helping someone to feel better in any way. I'm not afraid anymore that people will not like me or that they will think I'm strange. HEALING! (So there!)
Heal/ Verb(used with object)
1.
to make healthy, whole, or sound; restore to health; free from ailment.
2.
to bring to an end or conclusion, as conflicts between people or groups, usually with the strong implication of restoring former amity; settle; reconcile: They tried to heal the rift between them but were unsuccessful.
3.
to free from evil; cleanse; purify: to heal the soul.
As a child I spent untold hours listening to music, and playing guitar. My parents never had to make me practice, but they did have to make me stop for dinner. I played and played, and at some point I noticed that when I was troubled, something was wrong, or I just wanted to "get away", I could just play guitar and get lost. The main point here though, is that when I got finished playing, I felt BETTER. I had been transported to the other side of whatever had been bothering me. Music not only took my mind off my troubles, it healed me!
Music is the most powerful healing agent that I know of, and it is a true honor to be a musician. Music heals the soul. Of course I play music in all sorts of settings, but when I play what I call "Healing Meditation Music", it is mostly spontaneous. I go to my "presence", establish myself in the moment, and then I let it happen. It isn't songs, though sometimes I do work off of patterns, but mostly it is about sounds and timing. At any given time, it is safe to say that I don't know where my fingers are going to go next! I just enjoy the ride and let it flow, and I get healed! If it heals me, it might heal you too!
SPIRIT
Heal/ Verb(used with object)
1.
to make healthy, whole, or sound; restore to health; free from ailment.
2.
to bring to an end or conclusion, as conflicts between people or groups, usually with the strong implication of restoring former amity; settle; reconcile: They tried to heal the rift between them but were unsuccessful.
3.
to free from evil; cleanse; purify: to heal the soul.
As a child I spent untold hours listening to music, and playing guitar. My parents never had to make me practice, but they did have to make me stop for dinner. I played and played, and at some point I noticed that when I was troubled, something was wrong, or I just wanted to "get away", I could just play guitar and get lost. The main point here though, is that when I got finished playing, I felt BETTER. I had been transported to the other side of whatever had been bothering me. Music not only took my mind off my troubles, it healed me!
Music is the most powerful healing agent that I know of, and it is a true honor to be a musician. Music heals the soul. Of course I play music in all sorts of settings, but when I play what I call "Healing Meditation Music", it is mostly spontaneous. I go to my "presence", establish myself in the moment, and then I let it happen. It isn't songs, though sometimes I do work off of patterns, but mostly it is about sounds and timing. At any given time, it is safe to say that I don't know where my fingers are going to go next! I just enjoy the ride and let it flow, and I get healed! If it heals me, it might heal you too!
SPIRIT
Tuesday, October 4, 2011
Visit me on Twitter!
In today's world, you must have a Twitter account :) Please check it out! SPIRIT CENTER ON TWITTER
Monday, September 26, 2011
SPIRIT Healing Music Meditation on October 23rd!!!
Friends, I will be leading my first SPIRIT Healing Music Meditation session on Sunday October 23rd, and I hope you all will come and join us! It will be held at Unity of Savannah Center for Spiritual Awakening, from 5:30 to 7 p.m.
True, this is serious business, but please don't expect an air of heaviness, because this is a celebration!!! I will give a short introduction welcome and talk, and then there will be one hour of healing sounds and meditation. When the hour is up, we will have a few moments for re-entry, questions, and we will all feel better when we leave!!!
I offer great thanks and blessings to my friends Lauren Lapointe, and Cleveland Beach, for allowing me to come into their Yoga and meditation sessions and gain my first experiences playing music in these settings. Also, I offer great thanks and blessings to Reverend Dale Worley and Reverend Arlene Meyer at Unity of Savannah for supporting this dream that is now ALIVE.
True, this is serious business, but please don't expect an air of heaviness, because this is a celebration!!! I will give a short introduction welcome and talk, and then there will be one hour of healing sounds and meditation. When the hour is up, we will have a few moments for re-entry, questions, and we will all feel better when we leave!!!
I offer great thanks and blessings to my friends Lauren Lapointe, and Cleveland Beach, for allowing me to come into their Yoga and meditation sessions and gain my first experiences playing music in these settings. Also, I offer great thanks and blessings to Reverend Dale Worley and Reverend Arlene Meyer at Unity of Savannah for supporting this dream that is now ALIVE.
Saturday, September 10, 2011
Set Backs
The other day a friend of mine told me that he had been in a wreck. Someone had ran a red light and side swiped him, and so he had gotten out of the car and verbally assaulted the other driver something fierce. After the police arrived and my friend had calmed down, he apologized to the other driver, but here he was days later, still feeling badly about how he had reacted. He said,"I never act that way! I am calm and peaceful!"
It happens to us all. You have a situation that catches you off guard, or maybe you are just having one of those days where things are not going your way, and you have just had enough. This particular friend of mine has been walking a Spiritual path for quite a while, and I must say, that I cannot imagine him in a state of fury, yelling at someone. We grow and we get better and our lives do become calm and serene, and then the inevitable happens! Something happens and we don't handle it the way we would have liked to. It can be frustrating enough for people who are in the beginnings of walking the path who have moments more often, but just wait until you don't have bad moments for a while and then you have one! It can be very surprising and as with my friend, can leave you upset at yourself for days.
Now for an idea: A man was taking a walking tour of the most beautiful garden anywhere. There were plants and flowers of every kind, and plenty of "ooh's" and "ahh's" from the others in his tour group. The guide was explaining to the group about a most exotic plant that could only be found in a certain part of the world at a certain time of the year, when the man bent down to closely examine the plant and exclaimed "There's a BUG on this plant!"
Catch my drift? When I keep tabs on myself, I see that a good portion of the time is in line with my Spiritual ideals and my intentions, however, I tend to focus on the BUG. True enough I need to acknowledge and deal with the bug, but I also need to acknowledge and pay respects to all of the good things I have accomplished, learned, and share with others.
My friend handled his situation perfectly! He had a tough moment or two, but just a few minutes later he realized what he had done, and apologized to the other person. Perhaps my friend had gotten to thinking too highly of himself, or perhaps he had never been side swiped before and didn't know he would react that way. Everything happens for a reason, and the best any of us can do is to try and learn the lesson and move on.
Take an inventory at the end of the day today and write down all the things you did that you are happy with. Then write down the things you would like to do better or things you would like to change about yourself. You will see real quick that the good out weighs the bad. Then smile!!!
SPIRIT
It happens to us all. You have a situation that catches you off guard, or maybe you are just having one of those days where things are not going your way, and you have just had enough. This particular friend of mine has been walking a Spiritual path for quite a while, and I must say, that I cannot imagine him in a state of fury, yelling at someone. We grow and we get better and our lives do become calm and serene, and then the inevitable happens! Something happens and we don't handle it the way we would have liked to. It can be frustrating enough for people who are in the beginnings of walking the path who have moments more often, but just wait until you don't have bad moments for a while and then you have one! It can be very surprising and as with my friend, can leave you upset at yourself for days.
Now for an idea: A man was taking a walking tour of the most beautiful garden anywhere. There were plants and flowers of every kind, and plenty of "ooh's" and "ahh's" from the others in his tour group. The guide was explaining to the group about a most exotic plant that could only be found in a certain part of the world at a certain time of the year, when the man bent down to closely examine the plant and exclaimed "There's a BUG on this plant!"
Catch my drift? When I keep tabs on myself, I see that a good portion of the time is in line with my Spiritual ideals and my intentions, however, I tend to focus on the BUG. True enough I need to acknowledge and deal with the bug, but I also need to acknowledge and pay respects to all of the good things I have accomplished, learned, and share with others.
My friend handled his situation perfectly! He had a tough moment or two, but just a few minutes later he realized what he had done, and apologized to the other person. Perhaps my friend had gotten to thinking too highly of himself, or perhaps he had never been side swiped before and didn't know he would react that way. Everything happens for a reason, and the best any of us can do is to try and learn the lesson and move on.
Take an inventory at the end of the day today and write down all the things you did that you are happy with. Then write down the things you would like to do better or things you would like to change about yourself. You will see real quick that the good out weighs the bad. Then smile!!!
SPIRIT
Thursday, August 18, 2011
Outer Circumstances
"Other people do not make me feel the way I feel. Where I live, the kind of car I drive, and how much money and security I have, do not make me feel the way I feel."
Probably I have never been more at a loss than I was, the first time these ideas were introduced to me. It just didn't make sense in any way to me. You made me angry, I did what I did because of what you did. My financial situation controlled my feelings at any given time, as did my love life. Turns out I was totally controlled by things outside of myself, and I had an excuse for everything, and none of it was my fault!
If ever there was a doozy, here it is: "I take full responsibility for how I feel and for all of my actions."
This one I had to sit with and talk with people about, and work through for years, and a statement like this is a 7 day a week, 24 hour kind of thing. I have some days that are better than others, but always I must in the end, own up and take responsibility.
The key here is in my decision making! I make lots of decisions about you and how you and the world should behave, and then I make decisions about how I am going to feel if things go my way or don't go my way. I found when I closely examined myself, that most of these things were just programmed in to me. Things like "money=happiness/no money=unhappiness" were just so normal to me that it was a given. "How could you possibly be happy if you are broke? If you have no love life? If things aren't going your way at work? If your car broke down?" I asked. So basically, I was happy as long as everyone around me was acting the way I thought they should, I had some money to spend and a girl friend. So how often do you think I was happy? Not very often. As a matter of fact I found myself getting more and more miserable, and getting in more and more trouble in life. I felt jerked around a lot. See, I would have some money and I'd be happy, but my car would break down and then I'd get mad, and then my girl friend would come and pick me up and I'd be happy, but then she would explain that she was leaving me and I'd get mad and upset. Then I'd have to go out with my friends and I'd be happy, but of course I would get mad again at something, and after a while, I didn't know which way was up any more. As a matter of fact, this is how I finally landed on a Mental Ward with a lady sitting across from me with a clipboard and nicely saying to me "I am not responsible for how you feel." She had a lot of explaining to do in my case. As mentioned earlier, I read a lot and spoke with a lot of people over the years about this, and it is still something I have to be aware of at all times.
The exercise I was given was to change my language. Instead of saying "You made me angry!" I was to say "I am making the decision to be angry at you because you are wearing that stupid hat!" It is important to not only own it, but to give reason. This is MAJOR and got me started off in a good way towards what I now know as "Self Control". By giving the REASON, I was able to easily see in many cases, that many of the decisions I was making didn't make much sense! At this stage of the game, at any given time I am either being "World Controlled" or I am practicing "Self Control". This language exercise is the best help I have found in helping me to make better decisions about how I feel. My words are of the utmost importance.
SPIRIT
Probably I have never been more at a loss than I was, the first time these ideas were introduced to me. It just didn't make sense in any way to me. You made me angry, I did what I did because of what you did. My financial situation controlled my feelings at any given time, as did my love life. Turns out I was totally controlled by things outside of myself, and I had an excuse for everything, and none of it was my fault!
If ever there was a doozy, here it is: "I take full responsibility for how I feel and for all of my actions."
This one I had to sit with and talk with people about, and work through for years, and a statement like this is a 7 day a week, 24 hour kind of thing. I have some days that are better than others, but always I must in the end, own up and take responsibility.
The key here is in my decision making! I make lots of decisions about you and how you and the world should behave, and then I make decisions about how I am going to feel if things go my way or don't go my way. I found when I closely examined myself, that most of these things were just programmed in to me. Things like "money=happiness/no money=unhappiness" were just so normal to me that it was a given. "How could you possibly be happy if you are broke? If you have no love life? If things aren't going your way at work? If your car broke down?" I asked. So basically, I was happy as long as everyone around me was acting the way I thought they should, I had some money to spend and a girl friend. So how often do you think I was happy? Not very often. As a matter of fact I found myself getting more and more miserable, and getting in more and more trouble in life. I felt jerked around a lot. See, I would have some money and I'd be happy, but my car would break down and then I'd get mad, and then my girl friend would come and pick me up and I'd be happy, but then she would explain that she was leaving me and I'd get mad and upset. Then I'd have to go out with my friends and I'd be happy, but of course I would get mad again at something, and after a while, I didn't know which way was up any more. As a matter of fact, this is how I finally landed on a Mental Ward with a lady sitting across from me with a clipboard and nicely saying to me "I am not responsible for how you feel." She had a lot of explaining to do in my case. As mentioned earlier, I read a lot and spoke with a lot of people over the years about this, and it is still something I have to be aware of at all times.
The exercise I was given was to change my language. Instead of saying "You made me angry!" I was to say "I am making the decision to be angry at you because you are wearing that stupid hat!" It is important to not only own it, but to give reason. This is MAJOR and got me started off in a good way towards what I now know as "Self Control". By giving the REASON, I was able to easily see in many cases, that many of the decisions I was making didn't make much sense! At this stage of the game, at any given time I am either being "World Controlled" or I am practicing "Self Control". This language exercise is the best help I have found in helping me to make better decisions about how I feel. My words are of the utmost importance.
SPIRIT
Sunday, August 14, 2011
I Have A Mission
Last Sunday my mother called and told me that my Uncle Kyle, who I was named after, had shot himself and was dead. Kyle was her baby brother, and she was frantically upset, but managed to tell me that my Aunt Carolyn had been away at her brother and sister in laws house, and Kyle had called and said he needed Steve(Carolyn's brother) to come over and help him with something. Steve found Kyle's body on the back porch, where he always sat and drank coffee and smoked cigars, and just watched nature.
Thanksgiving before last, Kyle gave me a guitar that he had bought a few months earlier. He had been trying to get back in to playing music as he had when he was younger. Heck, when I was a kid, he taught me a lot about playing guitar, but now he had trouble. We sat in my garage and talked, and it was the one and only time we ever spoke of his addiction battle with food. See, his fingers were so big, he couldn't play the guitar. His stomach was so big that he couldn't reach the guitar neck. It was no use. It wasn't just the guitar either. He couldn't walk very far without losing his breath. His back and knees were in bad shape. He seriously just could reach the steering wheel of his car around his stomach. Along with the guitar, he gave me his old three ring binder song book that he had used when he played the clubs like I do now. I should have known then, and I did know, but I figured he would die of a heart attack, and it never once crossed my mind that he would commit suicide. I gave him an A.A. big book and 12 and 12.(The two main A.A. books) I told him he was just like an alcoholic or an addict, except his drug was food. I told him all about Overeater's Anonymous, how he needed to get some help. He said, and I quote him here: "No I couldn't do that. I've got too much pride." We spoke on the phone a few months later, and I asked him if he had read the books. He just changed the subject, and I didn't say anything more about it.
I think back tonight about when he was in the Navy. I was just a kid, and he would come and visit us and he was just so full of life. He had a blue van, and he travelled around to lots of bluegrass festivals and played his banjo and guitar in clubs around Charleston. He would show me stuff on guitar, and he once took me to the mall and bought me the Heart "Dreamboat Annie" lp and the Boston lp with "More Than A Feeling" on it. (that would have been 1976) Then I remember my mom and dad taking me to Charleston when he got married. He was the coolest Uncle a kid could have, but when he got married, it all stopped. He lost interest in me, he got a job, he quit playing music, and "settled down" or better yet "grew up". Over 30 something years, he took up photography and then stopped, took up fishing and then stopped, took up going to various church's and then stopped, all the while battling with his weight. He would sometimes starve himself, try diets, he was grabbing at straws, because he always ended up on the losing side.
On the same day in 2009 when he gave me the guitar, he told me he was tired of fighting, and was going to just do whatever he wanted. He quoted from the bible that Jesus loves us no matter what, and I couldn't much argue with him. I took the guitar and hung it on a hanger in my room, where it stayed untouched for months. One day I just randomly picked it up, put it in an alternative tuning, and started playing. WOW it was perfect for these "New Age" kinds of sounds. As life has evolved these last few months, I have taken it to Yoga classes, Meditation sessions, and I played it this morning at Unity during service, and then during my friend Cleveland's meditation workshop. Seven days after his departure. I find it odd that it is this particular guitar that is so perfect for my healing and meditation music. I sort of believe that it is my Uncle Kyle's SPIRIT that comes through it. What "could have been". Another lifetime of another man totally whipped by this thing we call "addiction".
I did all my gigs this week except for Saturday. We played a late one Friday and I got home around 3 a.m. on Saturday morning. My other Uncle, his wife, and two of my cousins, along with my wife, all went to Columbia S.C. on Saturday, to the memorial. Tonight I feel like I just saw the ghost of "Me without this gift of recovery" that I have been granted. What's done is done, and my mom, my other Uncle, and Aunt Carolyn will all go on with their lives the best they can. I will go on with mine too, but with more resolve and purpose than ever. I have a mission to carry SPIRIT and LIFE and HEALING to the world, and tonight I feel it deeper than ever. How I love my life and my friends, and my family, and all the music and people I get to play music with, and how I love this SPIRIT group!!! Like the song says, "I get by with a little help from my friends".
SPIRIT
R.I.P. Kyle Ross Mitchell(Mitch)
Born on December 3, 1951
Passed on August 7th, 2011
Thanksgiving before last, Kyle gave me a guitar that he had bought a few months earlier. He had been trying to get back in to playing music as he had when he was younger. Heck, when I was a kid, he taught me a lot about playing guitar, but now he had trouble. We sat in my garage and talked, and it was the one and only time we ever spoke of his addiction battle with food. See, his fingers were so big, he couldn't play the guitar. His stomach was so big that he couldn't reach the guitar neck. It was no use. It wasn't just the guitar either. He couldn't walk very far without losing his breath. His back and knees were in bad shape. He seriously just could reach the steering wheel of his car around his stomach. Along with the guitar, he gave me his old three ring binder song book that he had used when he played the clubs like I do now. I should have known then, and I did know, but I figured he would die of a heart attack, and it never once crossed my mind that he would commit suicide. I gave him an A.A. big book and 12 and 12.(The two main A.A. books) I told him he was just like an alcoholic or an addict, except his drug was food. I told him all about Overeater's Anonymous, how he needed to get some help. He said, and I quote him here: "No I couldn't do that. I've got too much pride." We spoke on the phone a few months later, and I asked him if he had read the books. He just changed the subject, and I didn't say anything more about it.
I think back tonight about when he was in the Navy. I was just a kid, and he would come and visit us and he was just so full of life. He had a blue van, and he travelled around to lots of bluegrass festivals and played his banjo and guitar in clubs around Charleston. He would show me stuff on guitar, and he once took me to the mall and bought me the Heart "Dreamboat Annie" lp and the Boston lp with "More Than A Feeling" on it. (that would have been 1976) Then I remember my mom and dad taking me to Charleston when he got married. He was the coolest Uncle a kid could have, but when he got married, it all stopped. He lost interest in me, he got a job, he quit playing music, and "settled down" or better yet "grew up". Over 30 something years, he took up photography and then stopped, took up fishing and then stopped, took up going to various church's and then stopped, all the while battling with his weight. He would sometimes starve himself, try diets, he was grabbing at straws, because he always ended up on the losing side.
On the same day in 2009 when he gave me the guitar, he told me he was tired of fighting, and was going to just do whatever he wanted. He quoted from the bible that Jesus loves us no matter what, and I couldn't much argue with him. I took the guitar and hung it on a hanger in my room, where it stayed untouched for months. One day I just randomly picked it up, put it in an alternative tuning, and started playing. WOW it was perfect for these "New Age" kinds of sounds. As life has evolved these last few months, I have taken it to Yoga classes, Meditation sessions, and I played it this morning at Unity during service, and then during my friend Cleveland's meditation workshop. Seven days after his departure. I find it odd that it is this particular guitar that is so perfect for my healing and meditation music. I sort of believe that it is my Uncle Kyle's SPIRIT that comes through it. What "could have been". Another lifetime of another man totally whipped by this thing we call "addiction".
I did all my gigs this week except for Saturday. We played a late one Friday and I got home around 3 a.m. on Saturday morning. My other Uncle, his wife, and two of my cousins, along with my wife, all went to Columbia S.C. on Saturday, to the memorial. Tonight I feel like I just saw the ghost of "Me without this gift of recovery" that I have been granted. What's done is done, and my mom, my other Uncle, and Aunt Carolyn will all go on with their lives the best they can. I will go on with mine too, but with more resolve and purpose than ever. I have a mission to carry SPIRIT and LIFE and HEALING to the world, and tonight I feel it deeper than ever. How I love my life and my friends, and my family, and all the music and people I get to play music with, and how I love this SPIRIT group!!! Like the song says, "I get by with a little help from my friends".
SPIRIT
R.I.P. Kyle Ross Mitchell(Mitch)
Born on December 3, 1951
Passed on August 7th, 2011
Wednesday, August 3, 2011
Can I Change?
First off, let's completely forget about what we want to change. Habits, characteristics, situations, etc... Let's ask ourselves the question "Do I have the power and the ability to change?"
Oddly enough, what just popped into my head is the story of a friend of mine who achieved great success in the music business! Literally he one day had $5, and the next day he had millions! People use the term "over night success" and it was used about my friend, but I had seen him play for over 10 years! Just a few months before he "hit it big", he was driving around the country in an old van with his dog, playing for whatever he could scrape up. I remember us doing a gig and making $50 a piece. Shortly after that, and within a very short period of time, his life changed drastically.
This story is the perfect example of change being something that we work towards.
Another thing that comes up right now is "Why would I pray for more, when I don't seem to be able to handle what I already have?" Now this is a tough one, but true as the sky is blue. In my prayers and meditations I received this question, and immediately knew that something was not right with me. Upon closer examination, I found that I was asking for the "final result". Asking and asking until one day it was pointed out to me that I was asking for money, while showing no signs of being able to be responsible with money. Also, it was pointed out that I was asking for final results, as if there was no work for me to do! Then I realized also that I had fallen back into an old pattern of asking of God all the time, instead of thanking God for what I already have! Understand that this is just me, but these are major pitfalls that I have to watch out for. No asking, just thanking! (May I add, that this approach has been much more helpful!)
We have to understand that these changes we want are gigantic! When these changes occur, we are going to be in a different world, on a different channel, a different plane of existence. Also, we have to understand that in order to receive, we have to give. We have to work for what we want. We have to learn our lessons in the here and now and ready ourselves for the changes we want.
So I can't just suddenly be on top of the mountain, I got some climbing to do! I am very thankful that I have all I need to take a step today!
SPIRIT
Oddly enough, what just popped into my head is the story of a friend of mine who achieved great success in the music business! Literally he one day had $5, and the next day he had millions! People use the term "over night success" and it was used about my friend, but I had seen him play for over 10 years! Just a few months before he "hit it big", he was driving around the country in an old van with his dog, playing for whatever he could scrape up. I remember us doing a gig and making $50 a piece. Shortly after that, and within a very short period of time, his life changed drastically.
This story is the perfect example of change being something that we work towards.
Another thing that comes up right now is "Why would I pray for more, when I don't seem to be able to handle what I already have?" Now this is a tough one, but true as the sky is blue. In my prayers and meditations I received this question, and immediately knew that something was not right with me. Upon closer examination, I found that I was asking for the "final result". Asking and asking until one day it was pointed out to me that I was asking for money, while showing no signs of being able to be responsible with money. Also, it was pointed out that I was asking for final results, as if there was no work for me to do! Then I realized also that I had fallen back into an old pattern of asking of God all the time, instead of thanking God for what I already have! Understand that this is just me, but these are major pitfalls that I have to watch out for. No asking, just thanking! (May I add, that this approach has been much more helpful!)
We have to understand that these changes we want are gigantic! When these changes occur, we are going to be in a different world, on a different channel, a different plane of existence. Also, we have to understand that in order to receive, we have to give. We have to work for what we want. We have to learn our lessons in the here and now and ready ourselves for the changes we want.
So I can't just suddenly be on top of the mountain, I got some climbing to do! I am very thankful that I have all I need to take a step today!
SPIRIT
Friday, July 15, 2011
Video From July 10th, 2011 @ Tybee Church
As always, I had a very wonderful time at the Tybee Church! Sam Adams is a great man, and serves as inspiration to me every day! Please see the "Video" page for last weeks musical performance and talk!
Sunday, June 19, 2011
A Picture from the Savannah Yoga Center
This is a photograph of me at The Savannah Yoga Center, getting ready to play healing meditation music during a Yin Yoga class led by Lauren Lapointe! Thanks to Lauren and all the participants for such a moving experience!
Thursday, June 2, 2011
Religious Tolerance
Please tread carefully through this world. The ego is alive and well, and has been for century's. People in general have a strong need to be "right". People who are "right" get together, and decide that other people are "wrong". People, or ego's I should say, like to fight, condemn, and kill people who are "wrong".
THE GOLDEN RULE is called that, because of it's huge value. "Do unto others as you would have them do unto you".
Perhaps what is in question here is: What do we do when people treat us badly, or not how we would like to be treated? How do we cohabitate with people who are different? Most importantly, "How do we treat ourselves?"
These are a few good questions:
1) Do I feel a strong need to be "right"?
2) Do I feel like I know "the way", while most people do not?
3) Do I see my ego or do I feel like I don't have one?
4) Do I hold people's differences against them?
5) How do I look at people who are different from me?
We all have common threads of life, breath, and the I AM inside of us. There are African Americans, White people, Chinese, short haird Polo shirt college guy, long haired hippy guy, surfer guy, gangsta, redneck, another long list of "clicks". The most important thing that each of us has, is the same thing, the ONENESS. Please do not condemn another person. Chances are, it is someone you see on the news that you don't even know. Chances are very good that the person you are condemning is not doing anything that will affect you at all. So why do you care? To feel "better than". There is no escaping subdivisions and classes of people, no matter where you are. It isn't just in the material countries, but everywhere. Work towards catching yourself, and correcting yourself. Remind yourself of our common thread.
SPIRIT
THE GOLDEN RULE is called that, because of it's huge value. "Do unto others as you would have them do unto you".
Perhaps what is in question here is: What do we do when people treat us badly, or not how we would like to be treated? How do we cohabitate with people who are different? Most importantly, "How do we treat ourselves?"
These are a few good questions:
1) Do I feel a strong need to be "right"?
2) Do I feel like I know "the way", while most people do not?
3) Do I see my ego or do I feel like I don't have one?
4) Do I hold people's differences against them?
5) How do I look at people who are different from me?
We all have common threads of life, breath, and the I AM inside of us. There are African Americans, White people, Chinese, short haird Polo shirt college guy, long haired hippy guy, surfer guy, gangsta, redneck, another long list of "clicks". The most important thing that each of us has, is the same thing, the ONENESS. Please do not condemn another person. Chances are, it is someone you see on the news that you don't even know. Chances are very good that the person you are condemning is not doing anything that will affect you at all. So why do you care? To feel "better than". There is no escaping subdivisions and classes of people, no matter where you are. It isn't just in the material countries, but everywhere. Work towards catching yourself, and correcting yourself. Remind yourself of our common thread.
SPIRIT
Wednesday, April 27, 2011
A Creation of the CREATOR
affirmation
"I AM okay just the way I AM. Right where I live, right where I am working, with what I possess. I AM whole and complete right here and right now! I am a creation of the Creator!"
The idea that I want to share with you today is this: If what you have isn't enough, hiding in a very subtle way behind those feelings is the little voice that says "I am not enough". It's a simple enough equation to work out, and here is an example:
1) I want a nice new car!
2) Why don't I have one?
3) Because I can't afford it
4) Because I am just a musician(excuse) and didn't go to school and I haven't been as successful as I would have liked and things haven't gone my way.(victim)
5) But I am going to keep trying to work towards it, I am going to try harder(I haven't tried hard enough), work harder(I haven't worked hard enough), do this instead of that(I was doing it wrong), and one day I will get there.(Because here is not okay)
It is a very subtle voice that I don't even hear because it is hidden. It makes excuses, it says I am a victim, it quietly suggests that maybe I haven't tried or worked as hard as I should have or could have. It masks "Here is not okay" with "I would be okay if I could be there".
Ehkhart Tolle says that "If enlightenment is something you are going to do, are going to achieve, if it is something that you are working towards, you have already missed it, because enlightenment is right here in the present moment."
Use your awareness to watch for these kinds of thoughts. The idea is to be on alert for them, catch them, and correct them. Understand that it is all untrue. It is normal for people to really feel like they need an excuse, to feel victimized, to feel as if they should have worked harder or tried harder, or put more into it. I AM here to tell you that these feelings are just untrue. You have always done your best! You have always done what anyone who was you would do. We all do the best we can with what we have. The idea is to acknowledge this fact of Truth, and to spend some time being okay in the here and now with what you have and with things the way they are. Cultivate gratitude every day, and watch it grow into happiness! Stop making excuses, being a victim, telling yourself you should have done better, and start affirming "The Creator created me, and I am a creation of the Creator!" Know that this is the real Truth. You are a creation of the Creator. Treat yourself that way, see yourself that way, BE that way, right now!
For those of you who might think "This guy is blowing a lot of smoke", I respond in this fashion:
- Person #1 Does not make excuses, and does not see himself as a victim. He knows he always does his best, and that his best is good enough. He is happy with his life and with what he has, and knows that he is the creation of the Creator. He is happy, grateful, and satisfied.
-Person #2 Makes excuses about everything, and is a victim of the world. Things just don't go his way. His mind is filled with "You should have tried harder", "You should have worked harder", "You didn't do it right" and "You didn't do as good as you could have". He is unhappy, ungrateful, and unsatisfied.
Which person is set to succeed in life? Who is more likely to get a new car? It's a simple enough equation to work out!
SPIRIT
"I AM okay just the way I AM. Right where I live, right where I am working, with what I possess. I AM whole and complete right here and right now! I am a creation of the Creator!"
The idea that I want to share with you today is this: If what you have isn't enough, hiding in a very subtle way behind those feelings is the little voice that says "I am not enough". It's a simple enough equation to work out, and here is an example:
1) I want a nice new car!
2) Why don't I have one?
3) Because I can't afford it
4) Because I am just a musician(excuse) and didn't go to school and I haven't been as successful as I would have liked and things haven't gone my way.(victim)
5) But I am going to keep trying to work towards it, I am going to try harder(I haven't tried hard enough), work harder(I haven't worked hard enough), do this instead of that(I was doing it wrong), and one day I will get there.(Because here is not okay)
It is a very subtle voice that I don't even hear because it is hidden. It makes excuses, it says I am a victim, it quietly suggests that maybe I haven't tried or worked as hard as I should have or could have. It masks "Here is not okay" with "I would be okay if I could be there".
Ehkhart Tolle says that "If enlightenment is something you are going to do, are going to achieve, if it is something that you are working towards, you have already missed it, because enlightenment is right here in the present moment."
Use your awareness to watch for these kinds of thoughts. The idea is to be on alert for them, catch them, and correct them. Understand that it is all untrue. It is normal for people to really feel like they need an excuse, to feel victimized, to feel as if they should have worked harder or tried harder, or put more into it. I AM here to tell you that these feelings are just untrue. You have always done your best! You have always done what anyone who was you would do. We all do the best we can with what we have. The idea is to acknowledge this fact of Truth, and to spend some time being okay in the here and now with what you have and with things the way they are. Cultivate gratitude every day, and watch it grow into happiness! Stop making excuses, being a victim, telling yourself you should have done better, and start affirming "The Creator created me, and I am a creation of the Creator!" Know that this is the real Truth. You are a creation of the Creator. Treat yourself that way, see yourself that way, BE that way, right now!
For those of you who might think "This guy is blowing a lot of smoke", I respond in this fashion:
- Person #1 Does not make excuses, and does not see himself as a victim. He knows he always does his best, and that his best is good enough. He is happy with his life and with what he has, and knows that he is the creation of the Creator. He is happy, grateful, and satisfied.
-Person #2 Makes excuses about everything, and is a victim of the world. Things just don't go his way. His mind is filled with "You should have tried harder", "You should have worked harder", "You didn't do it right" and "You didn't do as good as you could have". He is unhappy, ungrateful, and unsatisfied.
Which person is set to succeed in life? Who is more likely to get a new car? It's a simple enough equation to work out!
SPIRIT
Thursday, March 31, 2011
SPIRIT group on Facebook
SPIRIT is now on Facebook!
This is an open group, so if you would like to join, all you have to do is come on and join!
This is an open group, so if you would like to join, all you have to do is come on and join!
Wednesday, March 30, 2011
Attention= Love
After years of searching and reading and experiencing, I have come to the conclusion that "Attention=Love". It surprises me that this is all there is to it, but I think I'm right.
Like most, I was first introduced to the idea of "love" by television, movies, and of course music. Romance, heartbreak, soul mate, the one that got away, etc... We cannot forget nature here, as most of us probably had a childhood crush or two, a favorite movie star or singer, and we all have to go through puberty, and what is more romantic than puberty? How we find our way through physical attraction, chemical reactions, all that we are exposed to in the world, is beyond me. The divorce rate has been and still is over 50% in America, so we probably aren't known for our healthy, strong, emotional relationships. One would have to say that a country who has a divorce rate that high doesn't know much about "love". (at least half of us anyway)
First off, people really do have crush's and physical attractions, and chemical reactions to other people, and people really do go through puberty. This is all very real for us, and these experiences are all very natural too, but what we don't realize, is that we start thinking "I need something or someone OUTSIDE of myself to make me okay". If someone we are attracted to isn't attracted to us, we may think "What is wrong with me?" Maybe you aren't pretty or handsome enough? Maybe you don't have the right car or job? In many cases, this slide of consciousness happens without us realizing it. After all, a favorite song may be about just this kind of heartbreak! We become WANTING beings, and LOVE is not WANTING is it? The simple fact is that in our society, we are not introduced to ourselves. We are not together inside. We need somebody or something else to make us okay. The trouble with this is that when we get what we want, we don't want it anymore, because(drum roll please) IT DOESN'T WORK!!!
We go through relationship after relationship, perhaps job after job, maybe we move to a different city, take on a different style of dress or a different activity, on and on the search never ends as long as we are searching for something outside of ourselves.
Also in America, many of us suffer from ADD.(Attention Deficit Disorder) Let's face it, you gotta be fast to be American because we are in a hurry! We can't pay attention. We can't read something and then tell you what we just read. We don't have time for those details, we just do what we gotta do to get what we want. The details don't matter.
So what I can ask you to do, is as always, what I have done. Begin to pay attention to how well you can pay attention. Do you look people in the eye and listen when you are having a conversation, or can you not wait to interrupt them and tell them your more important information? Can you read and retain information? Pay attention to how well you pay attention, and work towards getting better! I guarantee you that as you begin to pay more attention to people, you will see just what I have been speaking of. Some people are really caught off guard and are really uncomfortable when you give them your full attention, and they don't know how to react. Notice who pays attention to you, and notice who interrupts you when you are speaking. Gaining this awareness and watching is good and will help you increase your attention skills. In many cases, ADD can be overcome just by awareness and working toward correcting the problem.
When I first began to watch myself, I was really out of sorts to learn how little communication skills I had. Not only did I have a hard time listening to other people, but I began to notice that I did not convey information very well either. I would talk all over the place and many times just get confused by how confused I was. However as I worked hard at it, I finally got to where I could give people my attention more and more, and then I could respond to what they were saying, instead of just reacting. When I give my attention, I am giving ME and MY attention to them, and I feel what LOVE really is. Love and attention is nice to get and we all want it, but the simple fact of the matter is that if you don't know how to give it, you don't know how to receive it.
Better learn to start paying attention!
SPIRIT
Like most, I was first introduced to the idea of "love" by television, movies, and of course music. Romance, heartbreak, soul mate, the one that got away, etc... We cannot forget nature here, as most of us probably had a childhood crush or two, a favorite movie star or singer, and we all have to go through puberty, and what is more romantic than puberty? How we find our way through physical attraction, chemical reactions, all that we are exposed to in the world, is beyond me. The divorce rate has been and still is over 50% in America, so we probably aren't known for our healthy, strong, emotional relationships. One would have to say that a country who has a divorce rate that high doesn't know much about "love". (at least half of us anyway)
First off, people really do have crush's and physical attractions, and chemical reactions to other people, and people really do go through puberty. This is all very real for us, and these experiences are all very natural too, but what we don't realize, is that we start thinking "I need something or someone OUTSIDE of myself to make me okay". If someone we are attracted to isn't attracted to us, we may think "What is wrong with me?" Maybe you aren't pretty or handsome enough? Maybe you don't have the right car or job? In many cases, this slide of consciousness happens without us realizing it. After all, a favorite song may be about just this kind of heartbreak! We become WANTING beings, and LOVE is not WANTING is it? The simple fact is that in our society, we are not introduced to ourselves. We are not together inside. We need somebody or something else to make us okay. The trouble with this is that when we get what we want, we don't want it anymore, because(drum roll please) IT DOESN'T WORK!!!
We go through relationship after relationship, perhaps job after job, maybe we move to a different city, take on a different style of dress or a different activity, on and on the search never ends as long as we are searching for something outside of ourselves.
Also in America, many of us suffer from ADD.(Attention Deficit Disorder) Let's face it, you gotta be fast to be American because we are in a hurry! We can't pay attention. We can't read something and then tell you what we just read. We don't have time for those details, we just do what we gotta do to get what we want. The details don't matter.
So what I can ask you to do, is as always, what I have done. Begin to pay attention to how well you can pay attention. Do you look people in the eye and listen when you are having a conversation, or can you not wait to interrupt them and tell them your more important information? Can you read and retain information? Pay attention to how well you pay attention, and work towards getting better! I guarantee you that as you begin to pay more attention to people, you will see just what I have been speaking of. Some people are really caught off guard and are really uncomfortable when you give them your full attention, and they don't know how to react. Notice who pays attention to you, and notice who interrupts you when you are speaking. Gaining this awareness and watching is good and will help you increase your attention skills. In many cases, ADD can be overcome just by awareness and working toward correcting the problem.
When I first began to watch myself, I was really out of sorts to learn how little communication skills I had. Not only did I have a hard time listening to other people, but I began to notice that I did not convey information very well either. I would talk all over the place and many times just get confused by how confused I was. However as I worked hard at it, I finally got to where I could give people my attention more and more, and then I could respond to what they were saying, instead of just reacting. When I give my attention, I am giving ME and MY attention to them, and I feel what LOVE really is. Love and attention is nice to get and we all want it, but the simple fact of the matter is that if you don't know how to give it, you don't know how to receive it.
Better learn to start paying attention!
SPIRIT
Monday, March 28, 2011
My Favorite Joke! (Is This You?)
There are two things that most people don't like: 1) The way things are, and 2) CHANGE!
Of course I found this joke in one of the many publications that I read, and HAD to adopt it for my own! I have used it everywhere and it always works, because everyone can relate to it. The simplicity of it is what really makes it useful to me, and probably why it means so much to me. I cannot tell you how often it comes up in my mind, and how much it has helped me to lose fear and anxiety, but also I get to laugh at myself!
The great paradox is that those of us on a Spiritual path work towards living in the "now" or the "present moment", and being okay and satisfied with ourselves and our lives, while at the very same time are working to change and better ourselves towards our Spiritual ideals. So the question "How am I supposed to be in total acceptance of everything right now, but be striving to change?" is a very reasonable one. The answer to the question, for me anyway, is to HAVE A CHARTED COURSE.
Having a charted course means having a list of priority's, a list of goals or ideals or intentions, and a plan for achieving. I have a friend that helps me with mine, and find this to be of great importance. A friend or therapist can look from a different perspective, can spot ideas that don't make sense or that aren't realistic towards my intended goal. I am always surprised at how I can be so unrealistic, and that is why I need help from the outside. On my charted course, I can each day see where I am. I know what actions I am supposed to be taking, and I can feel good during and at the end of the day, knowing I am doing what I am supposed to be doing in order to get to my goals. A charted course can erase confusion, leaving serenity!
Today I ask myself and you these questions: What are your priority's? What are some things that you would like to change? Do you have a clear ideal of how you would like your life to be? Are the actions you are taking today realistic towards creating the life you want? Do you know how to handle it when the unexpected occurs, or when there is a seemingly sudden big change? Last but not least, do you have any other great jokes for me?
Of course I found this joke in one of the many publications that I read, and HAD to adopt it for my own! I have used it everywhere and it always works, because everyone can relate to it. The simplicity of it is what really makes it useful to me, and probably why it means so much to me. I cannot tell you how often it comes up in my mind, and how much it has helped me to lose fear and anxiety, but also I get to laugh at myself!
The great paradox is that those of us on a Spiritual path work towards living in the "now" or the "present moment", and being okay and satisfied with ourselves and our lives, while at the very same time are working to change and better ourselves towards our Spiritual ideals. So the question "How am I supposed to be in total acceptance of everything right now, but be striving to change?" is a very reasonable one. The answer to the question, for me anyway, is to HAVE A CHARTED COURSE.
Having a charted course means having a list of priority's, a list of goals or ideals or intentions, and a plan for achieving. I have a friend that helps me with mine, and find this to be of great importance. A friend or therapist can look from a different perspective, can spot ideas that don't make sense or that aren't realistic towards my intended goal. I am always surprised at how I can be so unrealistic, and that is why I need help from the outside. On my charted course, I can each day see where I am. I know what actions I am supposed to be taking, and I can feel good during and at the end of the day, knowing I am doing what I am supposed to be doing in order to get to my goals. A charted course can erase confusion, leaving serenity!
Today I ask myself and you these questions: What are your priority's? What are some things that you would like to change? Do you have a clear ideal of how you would like your life to be? Are the actions you are taking today realistic towards creating the life you want? Do you know how to handle it when the unexpected occurs, or when there is a seemingly sudden big change? Last but not least, do you have any other great jokes for me?
Wednesday, March 23, 2011
On Religion Becoming Extinct
--RELIGION--
ETYMOLOGY
From religiōn-, the stem of the Latin religiō (“scrupulousness”, “pious misgivings”, “superstition”, “conscientiousness”, “sanctity”, “an object of veneration”, “cult-observance”, “reverence”), from religō (“I bind back or behind”), from re + ligō (“I tie, bind, or bandage”).
NOUN
1) A collection of practices, based on beliefs and teachings that are highly valued or sacred.
2) Any practice that someone or some group is seriously devoted to.
3) Any ongoing spiritual practice one engages in, in order to shape their character or improve traits of their personality.
4) An ideological and traditional heritage
**The above information is from the Wiki on-line dictionary.**
There was a recent article that was brought to my attention, that stated "Religion may become extinct in 8 different countries". The article read that the number of people in these particular countries who claimed "no religious affiliation" had grown at a large rate, and that religion will soon become "extinct" in these countries. Just for the record, Australia, Austria, Canada, the Czech Republic, Finland, Ireland, the Netherlands, New Zealand and Switzerland were the countries that the article was about.
It has been an on-going concern with many religions, that attendance has been dropping in all other countries too! I heard several years ago of concern of the Catholic church, and I'm sure that just a little digging around would produce plenty of articles on the subject.
Why the decline? I can only speak for myself and give my own opinions, but fear, guilt, and shame based religions just don't work anymore the way they used to. Many people of my generation, and younger generations, just don't buy into the idea that
if we are "saved" we will go to Heaven when we die, and if we are "sinners", we will burn in Hell for eternity. Even at the age of 8 years old, I knew that this idea was crazy. Then there are these little what I call "pods" of people who get together and figure that they alone have it "right" and if you aren't like them, you are "wrong". The Baptists, the Catholics, and the rest of the long list. Wars have been fought because some people believed differently and were "sinners". We all know history and all the atrocities that have gone on, some still to this day.
That's it??? The human need to be "right" and "better than" has been the needless death of many. Has seen the rise of billions of dollars worth of places of worship, when billions of hungry people could have been fed, housed, and clothed with that money. Seriously, do you think Jesus would have agreed to spending even a measly half million dollars to build a church? Jesus in fact warned us of such places, yet still they have risen through the years and are still rising today. They were obviously present even during the time of Jesus, and they were oddly enough, the same people who crucified Jesus. The same people who crucified Jesus are building the church's, standing up there in the pulpit preaching to you and reading to you from the Bible, as if you cannot read for yourself. These people and religions have always made me feel sick to my stomach, and angry in my heart, but let us remember that it was Jesus who told his disciples "They do our works". Jesus basically said "Let them kill me, it is okay."
SPIRIT lives in us all. The Great Creator created us all and all that we know. We are not to join together and make our own little "pods" of "right" and "wrong", we are to just love. We are to love all. The Creator created it this way. We can only work on ourselves and that work is inner. An inner transformation and joining with the SPIRIT leads us to see that all people are joined, the "good" and the "bad" the "right" and the "wrong", we are all UNITED by a common thread, and that is the thread of our Creator.
I don't have to go anywhere or do anything special to talk to my Creator. The SPIRIT is with me always in I AM. I do enjoy being with a group of people who are worshiping together, even when I know that each different person may have a different idea of what we are worshiping. I will end this writing with what has been revealed to me in the stillness of meditation: "When you walk into a church, you walk into a place of business." THUS "What is the business of your church?"
SPIRIT
ETYMOLOGY
From religiōn-, the stem of the Latin religiō (“scrupulousness”, “pious misgivings”, “superstition”, “conscientiousness”, “sanctity”, “an object of veneration”, “cult-observance”, “reverence”), from religō (“I bind back or behind”), from re + ligō (“I tie, bind, or bandage”).
NOUN
1) A collection of practices, based on beliefs and teachings that are highly valued or sacred.
2) Any practice that someone or some group is seriously devoted to.
3) Any ongoing spiritual practice one engages in, in order to shape their character or improve traits of their personality.
4) An ideological and traditional heritage
**The above information is from the Wiki on-line dictionary.**
There was a recent article that was brought to my attention, that stated "Religion may become extinct in 8 different countries". The article read that the number of people in these particular countries who claimed "no religious affiliation" had grown at a large rate, and that religion will soon become "extinct" in these countries. Just for the record, Australia, Austria, Canada, the Czech Republic, Finland, Ireland, the Netherlands, New Zealand and Switzerland were the countries that the article was about.
It has been an on-going concern with many religions, that attendance has been dropping in all other countries too! I heard several years ago of concern of the Catholic church, and I'm sure that just a little digging around would produce plenty of articles on the subject.
Why the decline? I can only speak for myself and give my own opinions, but fear, guilt, and shame based religions just don't work anymore the way they used to. Many people of my generation, and younger generations, just don't buy into the idea that
if we are "saved" we will go to Heaven when we die, and if we are "sinners", we will burn in Hell for eternity. Even at the age of 8 years old, I knew that this idea was crazy. Then there are these little what I call "pods" of people who get together and figure that they alone have it "right" and if you aren't like them, you are "wrong". The Baptists, the Catholics, and the rest of the long list. Wars have been fought because some people believed differently and were "sinners". We all know history and all the atrocities that have gone on, some still to this day.
That's it??? The human need to be "right" and "better than" has been the needless death of many. Has seen the rise of billions of dollars worth of places of worship, when billions of hungry people could have been fed, housed, and clothed with that money. Seriously, do you think Jesus would have agreed to spending even a measly half million dollars to build a church? Jesus in fact warned us of such places, yet still they have risen through the years and are still rising today. They were obviously present even during the time of Jesus, and they were oddly enough, the same people who crucified Jesus. The same people who crucified Jesus are building the church's, standing up there in the pulpit preaching to you and reading to you from the Bible, as if you cannot read for yourself. These people and religions have always made me feel sick to my stomach, and angry in my heart, but let us remember that it was Jesus who told his disciples "They do our works". Jesus basically said "Let them kill me, it is okay."
SPIRIT lives in us all. The Great Creator created us all and all that we know. We are not to join together and make our own little "pods" of "right" and "wrong", we are to just love. We are to love all. The Creator created it this way. We can only work on ourselves and that work is inner. An inner transformation and joining with the SPIRIT leads us to see that all people are joined, the "good" and the "bad" the "right" and the "wrong", we are all UNITED by a common thread, and that is the thread of our Creator.
I don't have to go anywhere or do anything special to talk to my Creator. The SPIRIT is with me always in I AM. I do enjoy being with a group of people who are worshiping together, even when I know that each different person may have a different idea of what we are worshiping. I will end this writing with what has been revealed to me in the stillness of meditation: "When you walk into a church, you walk into a place of business." THUS "What is the business of your church?"
SPIRIT
Wednesday, March 9, 2011
Tybee Church 3-6-2011
This is my latest talk at the Tybee Church! Thanks Sam and Simple Hearted Ministries!
Georgia Kyle at Tybee Church 3-6-2011 Part 1
Georgia Kyle at Tybee Church 3-6-2011 Part 2
Georgia Kyle at Tybee Church 3-6-2011 Part 1
Georgia Kyle at Tybee Church 3-6-2011 Part 2
Saturday, February 19, 2011
Spirit
Spirit is the "watcher". Spirit is the awareness that I am not my body, and I am not my mind. Of course, the body and mind are attached to me, but until I began to understand this third part, the "watcher", my body and mind were caught up in terrible cycles of all kinds, and without me!
Were you to sit and watch your thoughts, but not get involved with any of them, you could then understand that there is someone who is watching. That someone is YOU. So how could you be your thoughts? We are not our thoughts, but many people are not aware of this, and are so caught up in their minds, that they do not even live in reality. Their minds can be anywhere at anytime, and a person who lives in his mind is rarely, if ever, in the present moment. A person who lives in his mind has little awareness of his surroundings, including other people. A person who lives in his mind, causes his body to feel all sorts of emotions, constantly feeling anger, or elation, and this, many people believe, is the cause of much illness. We can feel all of these strong emotions, our bodies can get tight, our breath quickens, and the only thing going on is the movie in our head.
Just try it! Imagine that your thoughts are like clouds drifting by. Instead of getting on one and taking a ride, just watch it go by. Another one will soon follow, and another, but you just watch and don't let them entice you to get involved. At first, there may be many thoughts, but if you don't stir them up, there will begin to be gaps between them, and with practice, they will stop! Stillness! What is left? YOU. SPIRIT. This is YOUR body, and YOUR mind, not the other way around.
It takes practice and determination, but can be done by anyone! Get to know your SPIRIT!(YOU)
Were you to sit and watch your thoughts, but not get involved with any of them, you could then understand that there is someone who is watching. That someone is YOU. So how could you be your thoughts? We are not our thoughts, but many people are not aware of this, and are so caught up in their minds, that they do not even live in reality. Their minds can be anywhere at anytime, and a person who lives in his mind is rarely, if ever, in the present moment. A person who lives in his mind has little awareness of his surroundings, including other people. A person who lives in his mind, causes his body to feel all sorts of emotions, constantly feeling anger, or elation, and this, many people believe, is the cause of much illness. We can feel all of these strong emotions, our bodies can get tight, our breath quickens, and the only thing going on is the movie in our head.
Just try it! Imagine that your thoughts are like clouds drifting by. Instead of getting on one and taking a ride, just watch it go by. Another one will soon follow, and another, but you just watch and don't let them entice you to get involved. At first, there may be many thoughts, but if you don't stir them up, there will begin to be gaps between them, and with practice, they will stop! Stillness! What is left? YOU. SPIRIT. This is YOUR body, and YOUR mind, not the other way around.
It takes practice and determination, but can be done by anyone! Get to know your SPIRIT!(YOU)
Sunday, February 13, 2011
Body/What kind of seeds do YOU plant?
I am not sure how to begin this talk. This is the subject that has had the most profound affect on me, and wanting to share it, I just don't know how to begin. Perhaps the best way is to just go back to the beginning of my experience, so that is what I will do!
A few years ago I went for a massage, and while sitting in the waiting area, I picked up a book on Christianity and thumbed through it. The author and I shared very different idea's about things in general, but this one particular chapter caught my eye. It was, in fact, a chapter devoted to the human eye. The author went into some detail about the human eye, how it reacts to changes in light and distance, how it operates so fast that we don't even notice it. We don't even notice it. The author gave much more detail about the human eye, but by that time, I had gone into sort of a trance. The human eye is more powerful, and a far greater machine than any human or team of humans could make. I immediately began to think "Man can't make an eye ball." It sounds kind of silly to me now, but the thought crept out into everything. Bodily organs, skin, the sense of smell, the ears, animals, pine straw... My close friends can back me up on the fact that one of my favorite sayings became "Man can't even make a piece of pine straw!"
It may be that a great creation of the Universe, the human body, is something that we don't even notice. That's because we have never been without it! We get so used to having eyes and ears, and of being able to walk and move around, that we don't even think about it, it's a given. Building a spaceship to fly to the moon isn't nearly as complex as the simple act of us opening our eyes and getting out of bed.
What we can do is plant seeds. I have begun to ask myself the questions "What kind of seed am I?" and "What kind of seeds do I want to plant today?"
A few years ago I went for a massage, and while sitting in the waiting area, I picked up a book on Christianity and thumbed through it. The author and I shared very different idea's about things in general, but this one particular chapter caught my eye. It was, in fact, a chapter devoted to the human eye. The author went into some detail about the human eye, how it reacts to changes in light and distance, how it operates so fast that we don't even notice it. We don't even notice it. The author gave much more detail about the human eye, but by that time, I had gone into sort of a trance. The human eye is more powerful, and a far greater machine than any human or team of humans could make. I immediately began to think "Man can't make an eye ball." It sounds kind of silly to me now, but the thought crept out into everything. Bodily organs, skin, the sense of smell, the ears, animals, pine straw... My close friends can back me up on the fact that one of my favorite sayings became "Man can't even make a piece of pine straw!"
It may be that a great creation of the Universe, the human body, is something that we don't even notice. That's because we have never been without it! We get so used to having eyes and ears, and of being able to walk and move around, that we don't even think about it, it's a given. Building a spaceship to fly to the moon isn't nearly as complex as the simple act of us opening our eyes and getting out of bed.
What we can do is plant seeds. I have begun to ask myself the questions "What kind of seed am I?" and "What kind of seeds do I want to plant today?"
Wednesday, February 2, 2011
Georgia Kyle Live From The Tybee Church
If you missed hearing me speak at Tybee Church, or if you were there and want to see it again, here are some links for you, and mark your calendars for March 6th, when I return :)
Tybee Church November 21st 2010
Tybee Church January 2nd 2011
Tybee Church November 21st 2010
Tybee Church January 2nd 2011
Wednesday, January 19, 2011
The Mind
True prayer that will work, cannot happen inside of a cluttered and unsettled mind. Racing thoughts, anxiety, worries, and resentments, thoughts of great things that will be, thoughts of terrible things that will be, these are all ALWAYS either in the future or the past, and not right here and now. I encounter people every day who are not "present". I encounter people every day who are in a really big hurry, as if they are going to save a dying person, and I know that they are usually going to work, home, or shopping. I also know that when they get wherever they are going, they are going to be in a hurry to get to the next place. It is so easy to fall into the traps of "there, not here" "when, not now", When we get to where we are going, or when we get what we want, we don't even look at it! We focus our attention immediately on the next place or thing. Do you have things that you just had to have, but you never use? I do too.
If your mind isn't quiet, it probably won't quiet down in a minute or two. It is something that can take time, and also practice. I sit every night and take 25 breaths, and practice focusing. I don't take the biggest breaths I can take, but I breath my body. After the 25 breaths, I stop breathing my body and just watch my body breath on its own. During the day, when I notice that I am not "present", I just become present. ATTENTION. FOCUS. I have battled racing thought on and off for most of my life, sometimes It feels like I am taking a beating. My brain just goes and goes, but I find that if I don't get in there with it and push it on, the thoughts will usually go away. I think of it as watching clouds in the sky. I just sit and watch them move by. The less involvement I have with them, the more likely they are to just pass along.
A quiet mind. A sound mind. Relaxation therapy, meditation, yoga, tai chi, walking, soothing music, a good book, anything that will help you quiet your mind, is a good idea. Think of a lake with no ripples. Seek and find ways to calm your mind. When the mind is calm, reasonable, sound, quiet, that is when the Great Spirit can appear. The Divine Mind.
Trust me, I know it isn't easy to learn how not to worry. We have been developing ourselves for years, and this quieting the mind is not such an easy task for some of us. It can require much self examination, perhaps help from a friend or therapist as well. Whatever it takes is what we will do. If what you are doing isn't working, or you want to improve, then you gotta start doing something else.
The Divine Mind, Divine Ideas, Divine Power, Divine Life.
If your mind isn't quiet, it probably won't quiet down in a minute or two. It is something that can take time, and also practice. I sit every night and take 25 breaths, and practice focusing. I don't take the biggest breaths I can take, but I breath my body. After the 25 breaths, I stop breathing my body and just watch my body breath on its own. During the day, when I notice that I am not "present", I just become present. ATTENTION. FOCUS. I have battled racing thought on and off for most of my life, sometimes It feels like I am taking a beating. My brain just goes and goes, but I find that if I don't get in there with it and push it on, the thoughts will usually go away. I think of it as watching clouds in the sky. I just sit and watch them move by. The less involvement I have with them, the more likely they are to just pass along.
A quiet mind. A sound mind. Relaxation therapy, meditation, yoga, tai chi, walking, soothing music, a good book, anything that will help you quiet your mind, is a good idea. Think of a lake with no ripples. Seek and find ways to calm your mind. When the mind is calm, reasonable, sound, quiet, that is when the Great Spirit can appear. The Divine Mind.
Trust me, I know it isn't easy to learn how not to worry. We have been developing ourselves for years, and this quieting the mind is not such an easy task for some of us. It can require much self examination, perhaps help from a friend or therapist as well. Whatever it takes is what we will do. If what you are doing isn't working, or you want to improve, then you gotta start doing something else.
The Divine Mind, Divine Ideas, Divine Power, Divine Life.
Monday, January 17, 2011
Prayer
"Behold, the Kingdom of Heaven is at hand". God is omnipresent, all through us and all around us. Our breath that happens automatically, our site, our hearing, all of our senses are gifts of Creator SPIRIT. The SPIRIT lives through US, and in that sense, we are all parts of the Creator. I look at all living things as God, and truthfully, if we examine things we would call "dead", we would learn that nothing is "dead". Look at a 2x4 board under a microscope, and see for yourself. Look at a rock of any kind, and see for yourself. Everything is AlIVE and in its own way, a piece of the SPIRIT. The Great Creator.
How we learn to communicate with SPIRIT is of the utmost importance, because in our cultures, and in many cultures, people are many times taught ways of communicating that don't work. Does prayer work for you? Do you have a working relationship with SPIRIT? Do you wish to gain more of a relationship with the Creator?
YOU are a prayer! Your "being" is a prayer. Everything about you is a prayer. Your actions, your feelings, your thoughts, are all prayers. Right now in this moment, we all have LIFE. Skin and bones, eyes and ears, the senses of smell and taste and touch, hearts, lungs, entire organisms called "BODY". Also right here in this moment, we all have "MIND". As a piece of the Creator, we have access to the Divine Mind. We also have "SPIRIT", or energy that we actually emit from ourselves. You may have said or heard statements like: "He/she really gives off a positive vibe", or "When he/she talks to me, he/she is really THERE". We are all attracted to different things, different people, different places, and in upcoming blogs, we are going to talk more about MIND, BODY, and SPIRIT. We will more closely examine prayer, and what it means, and how to build a better, working relationship with the Universe.
How we learn to communicate with SPIRIT is of the utmost importance, because in our cultures, and in many cultures, people are many times taught ways of communicating that don't work. Does prayer work for you? Do you have a working relationship with SPIRIT? Do you wish to gain more of a relationship with the Creator?
YOU are a prayer! Your "being" is a prayer. Everything about you is a prayer. Your actions, your feelings, your thoughts, are all prayers. Right now in this moment, we all have LIFE. Skin and bones, eyes and ears, the senses of smell and taste and touch, hearts, lungs, entire organisms called "BODY". Also right here in this moment, we all have "MIND". As a piece of the Creator, we have access to the Divine Mind. We also have "SPIRIT", or energy that we actually emit from ourselves. You may have said or heard statements like: "He/she really gives off a positive vibe", or "When he/she talks to me, he/she is really THERE". We are all attracted to different things, different people, different places, and in upcoming blogs, we are going to talk more about MIND, BODY, and SPIRIT. We will more closely examine prayer, and what it means, and how to build a better, working relationship with the Universe.
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