Posted By admin on September 6, 2010

“The really valuable thing in the pageant of human life seems to me not the State but the creative, sentient individual, the personality; it alone creates the noble and the sublime, while the herd as such remains dull in thought and dull in feeling.”  –  Albert Einstein, The World as I See It

As you move through the ticking moments of your life, what in reflection has actualized your being adding creativity, balance, harmony and gratitude to your palette of meaningful existence?  No, not a trick question.  Your personal response may surprise you, and then again this present consciousness may have never entered your thought process.  This isen’t meant to be confusing as simply stated by Goethe, “What is the hardest of all?  That which seems most simple to see with your eyes, what is before your eyes.”

It doesn’t make a difference what your “bio” contains or how “connected” you are with the world.  Of course, in some circles ”being connected” will get you first class priority seating on an airline of your choice, a prestigious table at a coveted restaurant in your favorite global city anywhere in the world, and lest we not forget . . .  the gold standard circle club suite in a luxurious five star hotel with amenities that go on for days.  Ah yes, this is pretty heady stuff . . . really?  The words of Voltaire are quite poignant . . . “It is hard to free fools from the chains they revere.” 

We are surrounded by legions of those whose “bios” should read bonded, certified and licensed “prostidigitators. . .” you guessed it “magicians!”  This is nothing new, just the on-going process of man’s continuing evolvement taking the ususal twists and turns of growth.  Benjamin Franklin had an interesting observation on this type of folly . . . “Trickery and treachery are the practices of fools that have not the wits enough to be honest.”

Honesty begins from within, first with ourselves, then present conscious awareness followed by realized authenticity practiced in every moment of every day through sentient beings embracing grace, dignity, integrity, character and courage.  We don’t have all the time in the world to “get it.”  Dispell that illusion, and cogitate on the words of Elisabeth Kubler Ross . . . “Watching a peaceful death of a human being reminds us of a falling star; one of a million lights in a vast sky that flares up for a brief moment only to disappear into the endless night forever.”  When you disappear into the endless night forever, and we all will . . . how luminnous will be your star be which was ignited by your life?      JLR

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Posted By admin on September 2, 2010

“Wisdom comes by disillusionment.”  —   Santayana

At times, our lives appear to be in a “holding pattern” where we move through the day to day activities without achieving grandiose accomplishments.  The word “wandering” comes to mind even possibly a “meandering of sorts,” imposing a shadow of confusing direction as time fleetingly passes.  Within those minutes of uncertainty, we continually experience an urgency of having to achieve some goal, or purpose which will sustain our “raison d’etre.”  Voltaire’s thought on this was quite simply, “Every man is guilty of all the good he didn’t do.” 

Perhaps part of our “wandering” is necessary for many times in our lives, in order for us to evaluate, clarify, comprehend, focus and envision a journey with a greater degree of substance over form.  What occupies your thinking, day after day?  In order for us to reach our authenticity, we really have to recognize who we are.  Spinning our wheels and accomplishing little, often is the norm and not the exception.  We’ve all had the experience at one time or another, witnessing the words of Voltaire, ”There are some that only employ words for the purpose of designing their thoughts.”  The trick then is discerning consciously when, how or why this happens . . . and for what distinct purpose. 

Have you ever asked yourself the simple question . . . my plans, expectations, priorities, purpose or journey just aren’t working right now . . . what might I do to enhance, enrich, embellish, support and infuse someone else’s life?  And if you have asked yourself that specific question . . . did you act on it?  Will you now?

The quote by Santayana regarding wisdom coming from disillusion, embodies those times of our lives when we become confused, misguided, misdirected and insecure.  For some of us, consciousness comes about through angst, anxiety, fear, dispair and hurt.  With patience, we infinitesimally embrace enlightenment through a prism of  present awareness and begin to integrate the words of Albert Camus, “You will never be happy if you continue to search for what happiness consists of.  You will never live if you are looking for the meaning of life.”  You have “struck it rich” when your journey brings a golden light to your path, and by your realized authenticity . . . your fellow man.      JLR

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Posted By admin on August 24, 2010

“I know but one freedom and that is the freedom of the mind”  –  Antoine de Saint-Exupery

We engage in a potpourri of random/selective thoughts during the course of any given moment/day.  If we look at this process as a forum of consciousness where we blithely choose from the reservoir of thought . . . what then dictates the course in our lives?  For instance, have you selected to experience joy?  In reflection, when was the last time you experienced the vibration of joy on any level?  In the last analysis as stated by Santayana, “There is no cure for birth and death save to enjoy the interval.”

The internet, newspaper headlines, media broadcasts on radio/TV may interject gloom and doom on all fronts, however, the conscious choice remains ours to implement another environment within that “sacred space of peace, serenity, solemnity and tranquility.”  When we finally come to the realization that we have contol over almost nothing . . . we can begin to select those possibilities that attract joy into our lives.  Once again George Santayana puts it another way, “The world is a perpetual caricature of itself; at every moment it is the mockery and contradiction of what is pretending to be.”

As you read these words today, ruminations of thought may flood your perception with a myriad of possibilities in moving forward with your life.  Perhaps you’re ready to make a change . . . perhaps not.  Insightful introspection with the essence of who you really are requires, “letting go of who you thought you were, and excavating authenticity.”  For some this requires a bold step engendered in the words of Albert Einstein, “The only thing that interferes with my learning is my education.”  What is interfering with your learning about yourself on a more conscious level?

The actualization of present consciousness may arrive in a most unexpected moment when in a split-second you “get-it,” in the resonation of these exacting words of Dr. Wayne Dyer . . . “The last suit that you wear, you don’t need any pockets.”  What then might you take with you?  Only the essence of your authenticity, and the consciousness of your being . . . no pockets necessary!       JLR

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Posted By admin on August 5, 2010

“Do not seek outside yourself.”  – from Self-Reliance by Ralph Waldo Emerson

Chaos creates an environment of static perception and perspective.  Choices become clouded with uncertain inevitabilities layered in fear.  Our path and direction include markers we don’t recognize and fail to understand.  We become mired in shaded half truths and foolish priorities.  We slowly begin to realize with split second clear mindedness . . . we have lost our way and wonder how we arrived there.  Ralph Waldo Emerson suggests, “As long as a man stands in his own way, everything seems to be in his way.”  Surely, this was not a charted expectation, expedition or whispered prayer . . . perhaps we need to think again.  We are exactly where we are supposed to be, with the help of our ego, intentions, mis-guided priorities and blind perception.  We don’t recognize this landscape that we created, it has become as alien to us as experiencing peace, serenity, tranquility, truth, honesty, integrity, dignity, trust and joy.

What will it take to experience the unfolding of a rose, emergence of a butterfly, the illumination of a star, the hushed whisper of the wind, the changing tides of the ocean, the song of a nightingale, the incandescence of the moon or the radiance in candlelight?  Einstein expressed it another way, “We still do not know one thousandth of one percent of what nature has revealed to us.”  How then do we go about the excavation of our authenticity?  Beginning this journey is uncomfortable, challenging, lonely, and bereft of light.  We all choose to travel this path in one way or another, as characterized by Emerson with “What you are comes to you,” and arriving consciously is the first step toward this revelation.  The waters are uncharted while we check the ego, mapquest and GPS at the door.  The only tools we may bring with us are present conscious awareness, trust, faith, honesty, courage, humility and gratitude.

Entering the shadows of the unknown present inordinate fears, and conquering that initial hurdle is immense.  Of course, you can put it off . . . again . . . only to arrive at the same place down the road in the next week, year, decade or maybe never . . . the choice is ultimately yours, and as Walt Whitman suggests, “Whatever satisfies the soul is truth.”  Time passes and indelibly beckons to each of us a continuum of conscious choice.  We can always slay the dragons, reptiles and fears of this journey in another time or place, but as stated in the words of Joseph Campbell, ”The privilege of a lifetime is being who you are.”  The caveat of waiting, may be experienced in one unforseen moment, when the ultimate choice may not be yours.     JLR

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Posted By admin on August 4, 2010

“The wisest mind has somthing yet to learn.”  —  George Santayana

Have you stopped to think about what you’re really doing with your life?  More importantly, have you stopped for any period of time the IPod, computer applications, Facebook, Myspace, Tweeter, Youtube, Texting or cell phone usage?  Of course, the next interrogatory following might be, are you capable of stopping for any given period of time or are you profoundly hooked?  Perhaps, you just don’t care, and that’s perfectly acceptable in this moment.  Unfortunately, life doesn’t always work in a “neat, controlled, applied” way.  In fact, you may be experiencing a crisis unlike any other you have ever known, and the maze of “which way to turn,” is beyond present comprehension on any level.  The words of Joseph Campbell wisely state, “When we quit thinking primarily about ourselves and our own self-preservation, we undergo a truly heroic transformation of consciousness.”  It’s time step-up and be the hero in your own life!

You’ve heard and used an abundance of excuses for months even years, and now it is woefully obvious that you just can run away from yourself . . . remembering that wherever you go . . . there you are.  Once again the work must be done by you, and excavating your authentic self is a bigger job than you ever thought.  Yes, you can seek counsel from experienced practitioners, and that simply boils down to . . . whom do you really trust with your inner most thoughts, hopes, desires, aspirations, dreams etc., and conversely who can trust you with theirs?  Albert Camus spoke quite eloquently when he said, “You cannot create experience, you must undergo it.”

Time will pass no matter what your choice, it does seem to be quickening for all of us.  No one is going to “step up to the plate” and do for you what you must do for yourself.  It just doesn’t work that way, it never did.  I have always reflected upon beginning from within as a good place to start.  For all of us this means different things, and Chuck Palahniuk projects this thought, “We all die, the goal isn’t to live forever, the goal is to create something that will.”  What are you actively in the process of creating that will illuminate your presence here?     JLR

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