e-volved living » change

Calm, Consistent, and Comfortable

dorothy — Fri, 26 Mar 2010 01:10:25 +0000

Of all the people in the world to subject to major multiple changes, I, taurus the bull (fixed earth sign who only really thrives when life is calm, consistent, and comfortable), am one of the worst. After 4 years of frequent moving, and living in temporary spaces, with only shallow or no roots in place, I am deeply longing for that solid foundation so I (we) can relax and begin focusing on other, more interesting and fun, stuff.

So, putting a plan in place for that, along with building 2 new websites, and working on several film/video projects, is why I have not been regularly writing here. Moving forward, my writing energy will be channeled into the new sites, so see you there soon!

Warrior not Worrier

dorothy — Wed, 03 Feb 2010 22:06:21 +0000

The messages I need to hear, in order to move forward in life, making progress and having fun, come to me from all directions. This is from Evelyn C. Rysdy’s ‘Modern Shamanic Living’ column in Inner Tapestry magazine.

Changing one’s life is a warrior’s journey. It is a series of choices that you make each day, in every moment that will eventually reveal your desired results—often in an unexpected form. In making those choices, you are living your new vision of yourself right now! Let go of how and when the desired results will manifest. This is called “letting go of outcome.

The whole column is great, but this passage particularly resonated because it covers so many predominant themes in my life: Change; Journey; Choice; In-the-Moment; Gradual Revelation; Letting Go/Surrendering Attachment to Results.

And then: Patience; Trust; Gratitude; and Being Outside. Patience is a biggie for me and so worthwhile, because without it we are frequently frustrated and that’s not a happy way to be. By trusting that life is unfolding and evolving just as it should be, we can relax and be patient. In order to trust, we have to let go of our belief that we have it all figured out and know just what we need (ego.) Being grateful for what we are, and have, now, shifts our focus from worrying about outcomes to fully experiencing the process. And getting outside and moving around gets our blood and energy flowing and does great things for clarity of mind and vision.

When you feel the tugs of disappointment because something that you are focused upon hasn’t happened, this “mantra” of mine may be helpful! “I trust that (Insert your Divine desire here) is already manifesting in ways that I can’t yet see.” This is a way to move through the emotional turbulence that anger; jealousy, impatience and disappointment create. Remember with compassion that these feelings are old habits and usually reveal another layer of inner landscape work that needs to be attended to. Feel them, acknowledge what they are showing you about your perceptions, and then transmute them by attending to your gratitude practice. If possible, also get yourself outside. Practicing gratitude while outside in the natural world, we more easily “reset” ourselves to the harmonious vibrations of creation.

And these central themes: Focus; Intention; Manifestation; The Path. Getting back to the moment/the process, and trusting it, we are able to remember that the universe works in mysterious ways.

Once you are “reset” by gratitude, refocus your intentions and make sure you are focused on the feelings that your desired outcome is already manifested. These feelings are critical as they can generate a result that provides an unexpected path toward the desired reality. Remember, the spirits of All That Is (and your own divine self) may have something in mind even more glorious than your mind can imagine, so always focus on simply feeling it in this present moment.

Yes, that mystery can be frustrating, confusing, and difficult, but it can also be magical, if we let it.

I thank Evelyn for this wisdom, and Baron Baptiste for suggesting we be warriors instead of worriers.

The Gift of Insight is to be Shared

dorothy — Thu, 24 Sep 2009 22:42:20 +0000

In the process of multiple, concurrent changes to the core foundational elements of this life. Not a lot of time to reflect and write about it. That will happen “soon enough”, as J has been reminding me is the case with many aspects of life.

My stack of library books was too ambitious for our summer in MI. One I had to return, but very much want to read (and just ordered) is The Widening Stream: The Seven Stages Of Creativity.

So, on the topic of sharing, I wanted to share a quote from it, which has reminded me that all I am learning is not meant to be kept to myself, but rather offered to the world around me for the greater good. It is also worth noting, that through this giving, insights evolve and advance, as life is meant to. I see it as a joyful opportunity to give back.

The alarming fact is that any realization of depth carries a terrible burden: Those who are allowed to see are simultaneously saddled with the obligation to communicate that vision in no uncertain terms: that is the bargain. You were allowed to see the truth under the agreement that you would communicate it to others…And, therefore, if you have seen, you simply must speak out. Speak with compassion, or speak out with angry wisdom, or speak out with skillful means, but speak out you must.

-Ken Wilber, One Taste

To Lead and To Follow – I Will Do Both

dorothy — Thu, 06 Nov 2008 21:11:52 +0000

KQED’s (SF public radio station) Forum program invited listeners to call and share their reaction to this election, and how (if at all) they intended to get involved in our democracy, as Obama is asking us to do. I tried and tried, but just kept getting the busy signal. It would have been the first time sharing my perspective on the radio, even though I’ve been listening for years. I guess that’s a little example of how I plan to get involved: to use my “voice” (whether written, verbal, or physical/mental/emotional action), to share my thoughts/feelings/ideas, to ask questions, to make suggestions, and to try different options (experiment.) Isn’t that what this thing called life is all about – learning, growing, figuring stuff out? The other key element in doing all that is listening (again, not just hearing, but observing, sensing, and reading, too.) Through this give and take, done with an open mind and heart, the evolution of consciousness occurs.

Yes, money equals power, unfortunately, at this current blip on the path of human consciousness and it takes mind boggling amounts to get elected. But, what really mattered in this election was our personal experiences. Concerns about survival (good work, food, shelter, safety, and hope for the future) are affecting a majority of people on this planet, not just the poor and marginalized. The fundamentals of human, and therefore planetary, life are in need of fresh approaches.

Jeph and I watched a recorded teaching by the Dalai Lama last night. Much of the session focused on the history of Buddhism (names of places it was taught, teachers, and documents/sections of documents) and I didn’t absorb a lot of that. What I took away is fairly basic: discourage anger and ignorance (not just the absence of knowledge but also the belief that your knowledge is right) and encourage emptiness (an awareness of the finiteness of material reality and the infinity of the soul.)

As I harness my new found hope for the future (yay!) and do my part to lead us in a positive direction, I will follow that guidance.

This is my reaction to the election results, which I shared with family and friends who I thought would relate. There are other family and friends who I think would have preferred a different outcome and I hope we can work towards increased understanding and collaboration on all the goals and dreams we do share.

What a great gift we have been given, and it came when we Really Really need it!

Let’s all pick ourselves up off the floor where we’ve been crouching, dust off the fallout of 8 loooooooooooooong years, envision a country we can be proud of (and the world can respect) again, and DO SOME GOOD for each other, our communities, and the people and creatures across the globe who need and deserve to be raised up.

No politician/no human is perfect, and Obama is not a god, but he offers commitment to positive change and hope for a brighter future. A class act, and what a classy first family! How wonderful to be inspired by words that are spoken with eloquence and true passion. I look forward to not turning off the tv or radio every time our administration speaks, but rather listening with interest.

“Two wars, a planet in peril, and the worst financial crisis in a century.” Things are a mess all over. It will probably get worse before it gets better. The good stuff in life is rarely easy, though, and inspiring leadership along with actively engaged citizens will go along way towards guiding us on the journey.

I just jumped up and down and did some jumping jacks and it felt great.

Let’s cultivate kindness. Let’s question reality. Let’s write a good chapter.

I’m happy to be alive at this moment,

Dorothy