The Daily Lightwave: Asking the Right Questions

Ever notice when you're in the market for a house, you suddenly see all the "For Sale" signs? How about when you're considering buying a certain kind of car and suddenly those cars are everywhere; whereas before you never noticed them?

These are simple illustrations of how we really do see what we're looking for. Posing a question to the mind immediately sends it looking for the answer. The visible world really does effect invisible thought, so this is powerful, effective stuff that yields results!

There's strong evidence of this in the world of science where people think they are dealing with objective phenomena. Studies are showing that scientists are actually creating what they're looking for rather than discovering it. Their belief in and desire to prove their theory actually creates the phenomena that support it in the physical world. In quantum physics, the "observer effect" suggests that things have no place in space time until they are observed. All of this brings us back to consciousness.

Max Planck who originated quantum theory and won the Nobel Prize for physics in 1918 wrote this statement, which relates to the scientific process: 

All matter originates and exists only by virtue of a force... We must assume behind this force the existence of a conscious and intelligent Mind. This Mind is the matrix of all matter.
Read more at http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/quotes/m/maxplanck211839.html#l7AWatu6HI1K2O1F.99

All matter originates and exists only by virtue of a force... We must assume behind this force the existence of a conscious and intelligent Mind. This Mind is the matrix of all matter.
Read more at http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/quotes/m/maxplanck211839.html#l7AWatu6HI1K2O1F.99

 "All matter originates and exists only by virtue of a force... We must assume behind this force the existence of a conscious and intelligent Mind. This Mind is the matrix of all matter."

All matter originates and exists only by virtue of a force... We must assume behind this force the existence of a conscious and intelligent Mind. This Mind is the matrix of all matter.
Read more at http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/authors/m/max_planck.html#gxFMjkpgcUVYHEt3.99

All matter originates and exists only by virtue of a force... We must assume behind this force the existence of a conscious and intelligent Mind. This Mind is the matrix of all matter.
Read more at http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/quotes/m/maxplanck211839.html#l7AWatu6HI1K2O1F.99

Aren't we in a sense scientists of our own life? So why not create theories that lead to happiness, health, thriving, expansive outreach, and then set out to prove those theories true? How fantastic would that be?

The Daily Lightwave: Mental Nutrition

The Daily Lightwave #dailylightwave #lightwave
 
I cultivate tastebuds for thoughts that are as heightened as tastebuds for food so that I can easily discern between poisonous harmful thoughts and healthy life affirming thoughts. This keeps my mental diet clean and pristine.

I notice more and more how tangible thought is. When I pay close attention I see that even though invisible, thought manifests immediately as bodily sensation, circumstances, emotional reactions. I'm understanding that my mental diet is as, if not more, important than my physical diet in maintaining health and well-being. Some might even say that it's what we think about our food more than the food itself that helps or harms. A really interesting example that illustrates this in some measure is found among an Italian-American community in Roseto, Pennsylvania. They've become a subject for research because historically they've had one of the highest longevity rates in the country. It was determined that the main distinguishing characteristic to living longer was tied to the sense of connection they had with one another. Their diet would be considered unhealthy - cooking with lard, a lot of fatty meats, they performed hard manual labor, even smoked, and yet they were more healthy than most Americans. If you want to learn more, look up the "Roseto Effect." Just one indicator that there's probably way more to health than following the latest diet or exercise fad. One write-up I read even used the phrase "people nourish people." Interesting indeed!

When "right" and "want" align ~ ahhhhhhh Freedom!

Today's Daily Lightwave is commonly depicted as the good angel/bad angel phenomenon. For me this struggle is linked to and has it's antidote the idea of dharma. I'm often reluctant to use the word "right" because it can have connotations of outer requirements and expectations. But the "right" I speak of here is tied to the heart - the dharmic path - which very often might differ from the outer expectations of society, other people, even our own conditioning.

 When I embarked on yoga teacher training, I was coming off of a few consecutive years of living without any real spiritual grounding. The little bits of yoga philosophy we were given were the beginning of the end to my spiritual drought. I remember the concept of dharma being especially profound and powerful for me. At the time, I felt it to mean that there was an orderly and specific universal intention for each and every individual. That was incredibly comforting to me as my experience had been extremely lacking in the purposeful direction department.

Though the word dharma originates in Hindu philosophy it is a universal concept that finds it's way into all spiritual teachings that I know of. Even a tiny understanding of dharma has huge ramifications in the human experience. It brings one into a place where the ego or personality is submitting to spiritual individuality (that which is linked directly to Source). The Chopra Center website describes dharma like this: "Following our dharma in the deepest sense means that we’re not really obeying the laws or regulations set down by society. Dharma isn’t about the external world but about aligning with the pure spiritual force within. When our intentions, thoughts, words, and actions support our life’s purpose, we are in dharma. And then we bring fulfillment to ourselves and everyone else affected by our actions."

There have been so many times in my life when I've felt the painful consequences of doing what I wanted to do instead of what was truly aligned with my nature. Of course I still grapple with this! But I now have a cultivated taste for what's aligned and what isn't so I'm more likely to make an authentic choice. It's like knowing the bad feeling you're going to have in your stomach if you eat a bad piece of food even if it tastes good in the moment keeps you from taking the first bite. I know, for me, a few experiences of choosing what's right over what's wanted, leaves an impression that keeps me coming back for more. So far, I've found nothing more satisfying and peace-inducing than feeling the freedom from inner conflict that comes when the pull between the ego and the Self is mastered. Even contemplating this state, causes me to feel a physiological release in my entire body. This tells me that this way of being has a direct effect not only on my mental and emotional well being but on the health of my physical body. Wow! That's something worth cultivating.

It takes constant practice (surprise!) to live out from this dharmic place of heart centered alignment. As with everything, the specific practices needed will differ from person to person and will shift as consciousness evolves to new states of awareness.

For further exploration, a few books that come to mind are: Bhagavad Gita, The Bible (if read from a place of inspiration and not dogma), and The Great Work of Your Life: A Guide for the Journey to Your True Calling by Stephen Cope.

Beyond the Problem-Making Mind

I noticed after I wrote Today's Daily Lightwave #dailylightwave that it's closely related to the often referenced idea of Albert Einstein, "We can't solve problems by using the same kind of thinking we used when we created them." The tricky point about this is that most of us (myself included) would argue that we're not creating our problems because problems appear as things that happen to us rather than projections of our own beliefs. So the first tendency is to try to fix the problem rather than the projection. Kind of like running to the movie screen to solve a problem that originates with the movie projector. The point of practice becomes, at first appearance of a problem, to entertain the notion that perhaps it's not what it seems to be. This immediately turns focus inward to thought (the projector) rather than to sense objects (the movie screen). From this place the problem-making mechanism of the mind can be transcended rather than indulged in.

I like to think of it like this - in the same way that water can take the form of steam, ice, or liquid, thought can be expressed mentally, emotionally, or physically. The mental and emotional aspects of thought are easy to accept, but when it comes to the physical it's harder for most of us to grasp, trained as we are to believe that the physical senses take in an objective reality. We can start to notice this in little ways by paying attention to how thought affects the body. For instance, what happens in your body when you're afraid, angry, excited, peaceful, etc. Every state of the body can be linked to a conscious or unconscious belief. And this understanding has huge ramifications in learning the art of self healing. A recent, dramatic example of this is found in the experience of Anita Moorjani who was dying from cancer. All of her organs had stopped working, she was in a coma, and through what has been labeled a near death experience (though I think it's more accurate to call it a "near Life experience), her consciousness shifted in such a way that her body had to reflect it back to her. She's completely well today and using her experience to live an expansive life of service. This is one among many examples dating back to ancient times of how inseparable body and belief are. Things like this also prove that all things really are possible to elevated consciousness.

If you're reading this I hope you'll begin to challenge the notion that any problem is beyond repair. From that place you will be guided to whatever is needed to transcend any given phase of belief.

The Road Less Traveled Life of Service

Oak Park, California

I once sobbed for an entire day at the prospect of taking a job that most people would have jumped for joy to have - retirement plan, health benefits, and great income. Believe me at the time I could've used the money and people looking from the outside in must've thought I was crazy not to take that job. That's ok - not the first time and won't be the last. Intuition often looks like insanity to those trapped in conventional mind sets. It can even feel like insanity to the one who is relying on it. This is the story of my life. Yet I didn't always recognize that intuition was what was guiding me. I often thought I was a loser, a flounderer, a cop out, or just plain nuts.

Looking back I can see some dots connecting and understand that the times where it felt in the moment like I was lost, there was actually an intelligent shaping of my character going on that would prepare me to fulfill my calling - not just hold down a job. The years of study in New York - acting, movement, and voice weren't  about becoming a famous celebrity. These years were smoothing out some unresourceful wrinkles in my character (self doubt, introversion, fear of being in front of people, lack of awareness in how I carried my body, bad habits of posture - to name a few)  that would've hindered my potential for being of service. Going out on these limbs that challenged me to the core coupled with living in a strange city without close friends or family also turned me more deeply towards spirituality for support, so I was simultaneously cultivating lasting spiritual wisdom and strength.

I'm not gonna lie - this was not easy! I watched most of my friends establish lucrative careers, enjoy exotic travels, and/or get married and start families while I was penniless moving almost every year with very little material gain to show for it. Society was frowning upon me in a big way and I felt the sting. This continuously turned me inward looking for answers, having none of the common outside things to lean on, and this made me strong from the inside out. It took nearly 20 years to embark upon what feel like two very aligned channels for my calling: teaching yoga and writing. To the microwave generation in which we live, I'm sure this sounds like a very long time. Maybe it is. But believe me the process was organic, non-GMO, no pumping in artificial stuff to make it happen faster. From where I stand now I am immensely grateful for this.

And finding the channels for my calling is only the beginning and continues to require steadiness, patience, and persistence. A powerful nugget of wisdom from the Bhagavad Gita has been a continual source of strength: "you are entitled to your actions, never to your actions fruits". This insight has saved me from falling into outcome oriented thinking. It keeps me acting even when things don't seem to be happening as I think they should. The humility it takes as a yoga teacher to show up and give to one student what you would give to 30 - knowing you're monetary compensation will be somewhere in the ballpark of $7 for 90 minutes of your time and energy, not to mention the preparation that went on beforehand, is incredibly strengthening. What this continues to teach me is that when I stand before a student or students as teacher, I am there to serve them, not to get an ego boost from them. It's ALL about SERVICE. Literally! 

After about five years on this path, I finally feel that I'm building a following of students who understand me and genuinely appreciate what I'm offering - probably because I'm getting more clear about that myself. This too is a non-GMO, organic process. And the greatest reward is the heart felt appreciation from those I serve. This may take the form of verbal or wordless thanks, monetary compensation, or gifts - all have equal value. Only capitalism would make me believe money is more important than other forms of gratitude. On a recent Sunday after class a student felt she had received so much that she put the beautiful necklace that she wore in around my neck as a gift! This necklace is absolutely priceless to me and I have no idea how much money it's worth. Just one small example of the service-centered model of compensation.

What makes all my struggles more than worth it, is to think that my life might give others the courage to honor their organic process - whatever that may be. That's why I've started writing about this journey now. For several years, I've thought I needed to wait until I had some hint of society's measure of success namely, until my calling had made me a boat load of cash! I don't remember ever reading anything from the vantage point of the process when I was struggling. I do remember inspiring stories written by people who were living their calling, but only after they had made their fortune and had the world's stamp of approval. As uplifting as these stories were, they still encouraged the notion that the ultimate goal is money, and left me with a lump of shame at not yet having achieved that. Society's notions of what success has to look like, are hard habits to break. What I now know is that I'm committed to a "service-centered" life, not a money-centered life. I never have, nor will I ever live for the dangling carrot called retirement. I will continue to live to be of service. If I have nothing to serve, then I no longer have a reason to be. I am convinced, based on experience, that a life of service is ultimately more satisfying than a life of accumulation. I will travel light so that I can serve more. And those who do shower me with praise because of what they've received can trust that it will fuel me to be of greater service, rather than inflate my ego. And I can say this with confidence because of the wisdom I've cultivated in the slow-cook-process to my calling.

I believe, beyond doubt, that my greatest offering to humanity will ultimately bring me the greatest abundance in every way - not just in a lot of money and things. I already live this abundance to a large degree through a truly balanced life, time in nature, and loving connected relationships. I don't think these things and money are mutually exclusive, but I will say that if I had to give up any one of these things in any degree just to have more money, I absolutely,100% decline.

Some might find their calling in a more conventional undertaking that pays well. Others may work at something to give themselves a financial cushion before embarking on a service oriented lifestyle. There's nothing wrong with these choices and they are supported by society. The "road less traveled" pathway that I have taken is equally as valid, but not as supported, which can make it very isolating at times. That's why I endeavor to give this pathway a much needed voice. So, my service-centered friends, take heart from my story. Wherever you are on your pathway to or within your calling, let it be organic, never be fooled by the dangling carrots of conventional ways - they will always keep you chasing another carrot, and above all trust. Trust that you are here to serve and imagine a world where each individual knows that they are here to serve. And then know that you are facilitating that awareness by the way you live your life; and that all of our systems of politics, capitalism, business, social service, education, and economics ultimately have to conform to that. And the only way this can happen is if we don't first conform to them.

"I shall be telling this with a sigh
Somewhere ages and ages hence:
Two roads diverged in a wood, and I,
I took the one less traveled by,
And that has made all the difference."

~ Robert Frost~