life experience

24 posts

Mirror, Mirror on the Wall Who Am I?

The mirror from the story Snow White is well-known to most people. The evil queen wanted recognition as the fairest person of them all. And, this behavior suggests that the queen had gone mad due to what she saw in the mirror. But, the evil queen did not see her true self. Neither, with or without a mirror. Furthermore, what she saw in the mirror was strictly of the mind. These mind interpretations obscured the innate presence, stillness and beauty within the queen. The queen’s dilemma happens to us each day because we look but do not truly see.

mirror

Okay, let’s expand on this topic. What happens when you stand in front of a mirror? What do you see? You probably answer this question with the obvious answer that you see yourself. This is what the mind has taught you to see, think and believe. Nevertheless, I ask that you look beyond what the mind’s interpretation of your reflection. Therefore, look deep within yourself. Likewise, use the reflection of yourself strictly as a passage to the inner self. Now, ask yourself again. What do you see? Realize that there is a depth to your beingness that is not obvious at first glance. Continue reading →

A Phrase that Offers Clarity

What is all the hype about enlightenment and spirituality? Everyone wants in on this spectacular feeling. Thus, more and more people search for a way out of a mundane existence. Nevertheless, a thought, person or situation does not miraculously change because of enlightenment. Let’s refer to the following insight from a Zen Buddhism phrase to illustrate.

“Before enlightenment, chop wood, carry water. After enlightenment, chop wood, carry water.”

phrase

This phrase is a fundamental stepping stone for anyone on his or her inner journey. Please focus on the act of being, regardless of any detail within this state of beingness. I realize sharing this insight with you is repetitive. Nevertheless, a shift from mind to conscious living is a process that also involves relearning how to observe living life. Equally, how you observe yourself in any given moment offers either conscious clarity or continual mind slavery. Therefore, it is beneficial for us to walk the path of self-discovery with only the essentials in our backpack. Your conscious awakening during the inner journey does not need any extra baggage such as assuming, judging, labeling or searching. Continue reading →

Sensation of Life and Joy of Loving

Life is a beautiful sensation. Nevertheless, we often overlook the joy of breathing and the gentleness seen when a butterfly glides through the air. Must you analyze the two previously mentioned experiences? No. However, you insist on defining and labeling the act of living. But, don’t worry. You are not alone. The majority of people put life, love and the act of living under a microscope. Therefore, let’s focus on life and love during this conversation with the hope of awakening conscious awareness.

sensation

Life, is a frequency of the universe. Thus, let’s ask ourselves if love is equally a component of the universal expansion. Ultimately, love as a sensation of life, is obvious. Consequently, the act of living life introduced consciousness into objects within this realm of isness. Hence, logic suggests that the universe has the potential to experience consciousness. Please don’t misinterpret the role of any object within universal expansion. The universe and objects within the universe are of one beingness. Therefore, everything has the likelihood of awakening to the conscious act of being. Continue reading →

Deliberate Steps to Conscious Living

Yes, the majority of people are still living from the mind. And, thoughts and emotions overshadow our life experience. Nevertheless, more and more people are aware that conscious evolution is blossoming. Coincidentally, this trending expansion allows deliberate and conscious responses to ago-old involuntary and unnecessary behavior patterns. Thus, the benefits to conscious awareness in our life experience become obvious. A state of conscious being offers clarity and calmness on the path of life.

deliberate

Nevertheless, humankind, as a whole, is still struggling due to mind detail interventions. Therefore, our experience of life still fluctuates constantly in a whirlwind of insignificant details that confuse and distract.

So why do people remain oblivious to the benefits of conscious awareness? We might, at first glance, ask if this unconscious behavior is intentional. However, and obviously, there is nothing deliberate about a state of unaware existence, except the unfamiliarity with conscious awareness. We can surely agree that a conditioned mind is manipulative and restrictive to conscious expansion. Thus, the majority of thoughts and emotions induce mental playbacks that do not benefit our experience of presence. Continue reading →

Accident on the Path of Life

A recent accident caused bodily discomfort for me due to a concussion and inflamed rotator cuff in the shoulder. This might seem bad. But, please recall that the mind loves to label everything. And, the mind thrives on experiences that it can label as bad.

Instead, let’s not consider the accident as anything. Neither good or bad. Yes, there are factors to consider from a bodily standpoint. But, discussing or even treating the bodily discomforts does not require labeling the experience.

accident

The practice of non-attachment and non-dependency are beneficial. I wish to again emphasize the usefulness of this practice in all daily situation. Non-attachment and non-dependency are corner stones in the foundation of your/our conscious awakening experience. Please, reach out to me if there is any confusion about the practice and usefulness of non-attachment. Let’s share ideas and insight. Continue reading →

Brainiac Needs to Dominate You

We consider the mind to be a biological machine capable of fantastic feats. DC Comics have a popular comic book super villain named Brainiac. The word Brainiac derives from two words. Brain and maniac. This is the focus of our discussion.

brainiac

What causes our brain to often become a maniac? Comic books depict Brainiac as an arch enemy of Superman. This scenario suggests the age-old struggle between good and bad. However, let’s use this scenario as an inquiry into the confusion that results because the mind overshadows conscious awareness. As a result, the mind demands and absorbs energy from our conscious state of being. Continue reading →

Complexities and Our Sense of Being

Life is a mystery. At least, this is what the mind tells us. Therefore, this unknown mystery is one of the mind’s many complexities. And this is ongoing, since the dawn of our self-consciousness. Furthermore, the mind’s frantic attempts to rationalize hold us as a slave to its devices (behavior). Nevertheless, the practice of conscious awareness can elevate us far above the mind. There is one particular area relating to the age of conscious awakening that recently plagued me.

This use of the word plague indicates that I began to question my deep inner insight about the word being. This word signifies something that is. But, generally it is not possible to express beingness in words. Nevertheless, the other day, I began to question living and being. However, I didn’t so much question my existence as much as questioning my awareness to the explicit act of being. After all, being is an absolute.

complexities

Our understanding of the word being is similar to other behavioral aspects in our existence. We concentrate more on the word or meaning of being instead of its actuality…simply and profoundly being. Humankind’s complexities result from a misinterpretation of living. This is a loss of inner acknowledgment and acceptance to the flow of life energy. Continue reading →

Eating Grapes and Living Life

I invite you to share my breakfast adventure as I discover an additionally stepping stone to conscious living. Grapes are great! I should have a t-shirt printed with this statement 😊. Eating grapes is a daily delight for me, either fresh or as raisins. But, not necessarily as wine 😉. Do you like grapes? You might wish to grab a few grapes to eat as I share an experience this morning from my kitchen. Are you aware that white grapes are easier than red to pick and clean? The red grape stubbornly hangs on the plant stem during picking and also when you clean it.

eating

Imagine, if you will, your eagerness to eat some grapes, perhaps with yogurt, cereal or honey. However, it is best to wash the grapes before eating them. Not a problem. Right? Well, this experience, as with all life experiences, offers us a lesson in conscious living. And, this became evident to me as I washed and removed the grape stems this morning. I choose red grapes today for my eating delight at breakfast. Consequently, as mentioned above, the red grapes held firmly attached to the stems. But, I was eager to eat. Continue reading →

Deceit and the Mask We Wear

You, I and all others have a vast array of masks. We wear masks according to the mind’s interpretation of any given experience. Are we afraid to show ourselves to others? Definitely! And, the majority of people are also unable or unwilling to accept themselves. Furthermore, mind conditioning thrives on this evolution tendency. Moreover, the mind gives us countless reasons to explain the phenomenon of mask wearing. So, we deceit ourselves by listening to the mind and its lies. We can call this behavior many things. However, living solely in accordance with mind interpretations is a lie, plain and simple.

deceit

Nevertheless, the mask of deceit worn by most people is complex and is not intentionally worn. It is astonishing to observe the masquerade played out by everyone, including myself. Why do we need masks? It is fear that prevents us from simply accepting ourselves? Is it shame? Or lack of self-esteem? There is no easy answer. This is because the masks we wear are due to a combination of all experiences. Nevertheless, it is possible to take off your mask(s). The first step in this process is to consciously accept that you are not the image in the mirror. This acknowledgement is usually enough to widen your conscious perspective. Thus, the mirror image is actually a non-reality.

Dare to look beyond the mind

A deeper and truer beingness is always beyond the images of the mind.

Continue reading →

Realize Consciousness and Know the Mind

How do you regard the title of this article? Firstly, please recognize that the words are only and always just words. I often refer to words, symbols, thoughts and emotions as signposts or stepping stones to our inner universe. So, attempt to visualize the title statement as a stepping stone. And, with practice, you acknowledge the insignificance of the words or detail, other than as stepping stones. This is a step-by-step pathway. Thus, our state of presence shifts more and more to conscious awareness with each step. Likewise, every situation or moment offers the potential to realize the endless depth of our inner journey. This is the path of self-discovery beyond mind limitation.

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Therefore, to know something is to perceive or understand what you experience now. We can illustrate this in the following insight. Be aware of awareness and know you are aware. Hence, you realize consciousness in its essence. Additionally, conscious realization benefits the relationship between you and the mind. Suddenly you observe the mind work efficiently without any interference to your aware state of being. Consequently, you will experience thoughts and emotions for what they are and nothing more. Henceforth, the spaciousness of conscious presence becomes your permanent home. You will still experience everything. But, conscious living allows clarity, balance and harmony to thrive. Continue reading →