Tag Archives: Oneness

AWAKENING TO RELATIONSHIPS: INTIMACY, PART 2

Posted on March 27, 2013 | 2 Comments

“Real intimacy is a sacred experience.  It never exposes its secret trust and belonging to the voyeuristic eye of a neon culture.  Real intimacy is of the soul, and the soul is reserved.”   John O’Donohue, Anam Cara: A Book of Celtic Wisdom

Bee seeks flower for intimate relationship

Bee seeks flower for intimate relationship (Photo credit: ZaraBaxter)

What does intimacy mean to you? Do you experience intimacy in all your relationships?  Is it important to you? 

Many Types of Intimacy

Like empathy, I feel that intimacy is an important part of relationships, and we can experience it with friends or lovers because it can be experienced physically, emotionally, intellectually, and spiritually.  Intimacy is an aspect of relationship that comes from one’s deepest nature.  It is personal and private and based on trust.

The Intimacy of Friendship

A couple months ago, I sat in a café on a cold, blustery day with a close friend who had been out of town for a couple of months.  As I sat sipping my coffee, I felt warm all over, not so much from the coffee as from the pleasure of being with this person to whom I can tell my deepest secrets without ever fearing she will share them inappropriately.  I trust her completely because she is truly a loving and empathetic person and treats relationships as sacred.

At home or Intimacy

At home or Intimacy (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

The Challenges of Emotional Intimacy

It is also possible for a person to be intimate in one aspect, but not in another.  I once dated a man whose intellect was amazing.  Having a conversation with him was like making love with words, for the passion of our ideas and the way they intertwined was so exciting.  I could always say what I thought without fearing that he would criticize me.  Even if he disagreed, he did it with respect and admired my intellectual ability.

Unfortunately, our relationship didn’t last because I couldn’t trust him emotionally.  When there was emotional conflict, he often responded angrily and shut off all possibility of discussing the issue.  His ego was so fragile.  He would say hurtful things to assert his power. Although I loved him, being emotionally intimate with him was impossible, and without that, the physical intimacy was not satisfying.

Intimate Communication

As John O’Donohue says, “Real intimacy is of the soul.”  This suggests that in order to experience real intimacy, we must connect at the soul level, and that requires us to share what is deepest within us.  We must find the courage to share our feelings, to express our love, to show empathy when our friend or lover is in distress.  We have to learn to listen, and if we are to be trusted, we must demonstrate in the relationship that we will always make loving choices and respect each other.

But in any relationship, the way we communicate has a powerful impact on the intimacy level of the relationship.  I have had the pleasure of experiencing Imago Relationship Therapy which is based on the idea that we draw to us people who bring our deepest childhood wounds to the surface so that together we can heal those wounds.  Developed by Harville Hendricks, who has written many wonderful books on relationships, the process involves learning to communicate so that one can listen and respond with compassion.   Without this, a relationship has little chance of developing intimacy.

The Intimacy of Making Love

A physical relationship without an emotional connection is merely having sex.  While the touching and closeness provides us with pleasure, it involves only physical intimacy.  When we make love, we are relating in a deeper way, and intimacy, an aspect of love, is present.  It may take on another whole dimension of experience that enhances the emotional aspect of a relationship, for it is about giving pleasure to each other, not just pleasuring oneself.

The reason we are so drawn to a sexual experience is that it takes us beyond this earthly realm.  It is ironic to me that some religions see sex as unspiritual because an organism is an ecstatic experience that blots out ego and time.  After I balance my chakras, I integrate the work by drawing energy from the base of my spine, up the spine and over my head.  It feels virtually like an orgasm.  This loss of time and space is also typical of Tantric practices.

Ecstatic Spiritual Intimacy

There are many examples of religious ecstasy that reflect the same experience.  In Rumi’s poetry, he speaks of his relationship with God as a lover’s relationship.  In the writings of St. Teresa of Avila, the 16th century Christian mystic, her experiences of religious ecstasy seem to reflect this same lost of ego and time.

And so this aspect of intimacy and the spiritual intimacy we experience in meditation, take us to a deeper relationship with Spirit. The experience of Oneness transcends the earthly and connects us with all that is.  On earth, there is no greater and satisfying relationship than one that encompasses the emotional, intellectual, physical and spiritual aspects of intimacy.  Challenging to create—oh, yes it is, but in the end it is worth it even if we only manage some aspects of the intimacy.  Even that is far superior to a relationship that lacks them all, for when no intimacy is present in a relationship, it can serve only a superficial purpose.

How important do you think intimacy is in a relationship?

© 2013 Georganne Spruce                                                                   ZQT4PQ5ZN7F5

Related Articles: Tantra:  Sexual and Religious Ecstasy, Harville Hendricks – Imago Couples Therapy, Rumi Love and Ecstasy Poems

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AWAKENING TO COMPASSIONATE COMMUNICATION

Posted on March 13, 2013 | 2 Comments

“Every man takes the limits of his own field of vision for the limits of the world.”  Arthur Schopenhauer

best of most of group

What do you do when you are offended by what someone says to you?  How often do you stop and think about your response before speaking?  How can you create peace in a conflicted situation?

We can only see what we can see.  When I was four, my world consisted of the house where my parents and I lived, my great aunt’s and great grandmother’s house next door, my grandparents’ garage apartment and my grandfather’s carpentry shop below, and the yard in between.  It was a rich, loving world filled with cats, birds, a boxer dog, and a bureau full of books.

Life Experience Can Broaden Our Vision

Many years later, my world is quite different.  I have lived in urban environments in all four parts of the United States and spent several weeks studying in West Africa.  All those loving people who surrounded me at four have passed.  I am now surrounded by the mountains I love, but the world I know stretches far beyond this hollow.

The more I have been exposed to people who are different from me, the more I have grown in my understanding of human nature.  Part of this is related to my own curious mind.  I love learning about almost anything.  I have always been curious about views that are different from mine and I don’t feel threatened at all by being exposed to new ideas.  I read, explore, and if I feel the idea or practice may be useful, I work with it for a while to determine if it has value for me.

Communication Is The Key To Understanding

Because of my exposure to different cultures, I have become more aware that the way we communicate is the key to understanding each other.  There are many practices that relate to compassionate communication, but I want to look at one specific aspect of communication today.  What is our intention when we speak?

Having tended a number of discussion groups over the last few years, I have observed that there are some people who just want to let off steam.  Others want to prove they are right and turn any discussion into a debate.  Many people want to connect with others in a way that builds community and deep connections.  These are all very different ways of communicating.

Personally, I want to connect in a way that allows me to understand others and that they understand me, for understanding helps me respect the views with which I disagree.  I don’t have to agree with what another believes, but I need to respect it and be compassionate because this can create peace where otherwise there may be conflict.  I want peace in the world and this is one way I can help create it.

Check Within Before We Speak

We can’t control how another person acts, but we can choose to take responsibility for ourselves.  Self-monitoring helps us become more conscious.  For example, a discussion becomes heated and we feel ourselves becoming offended by what is being said.  Before we speak, it is wise to check within.  Are we feeling defensive or angry?  Are we feeling disrespected?  Can we offer our perspective in a way that may calm tempers and shift the tone of the discussion?  When we speak, what is our intention?

Our Choices Reflect Our Intention

 Our intention is reflected in our choice of words.  It is amazing how powerful this choice is.  For example, consider the difference between chatter and rant used as words to describe a comment you’ve made.  Chatter is defined as trivial or idle talk.  Rant is defined as pompous or overblown speech.  Neither word is a compliment.  So, it is important to be mindful enough to choose words that will not insult the other person if what we want is a meaningful dialogue.

The Outer Reflects the Inner

Our choice of words is a reflection of our intention.  The outer expresses the inner and that is why we need to be willing to examine our intention and we need to be willing to listen carefully to the other person and observe their body language and tone of voice.  What they are expressing reflects their inner selves as well.  If we are compassionate, we will try to put aside our ego needs and listen with love.

If what the other person is expressing is negative, we need to remember that behind all negative attitudes, there is fear.  Where there is fear, there is pain.  Perhaps they cling to certain beliefs because their whole world would fall apart if they even considered an alternative. We all experience this, so the question is:  When we are listening to someone who is expressing a view we find irritating or offensive, can we remember that we are hearing their pain and can we also consider that our negative response may be coming from our pain.

Be Open To Learning

Schopenhauer portrait1

Schopenhauer portrait1 (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Schopenhauer said, “Truth passes through three stages: First, it is ridiculed; Second it is violently opposed; Third, it is accepted as self-evident.”  There was a time when mankind laughed at anyone who suggested the earth was round.  We all evolve and our understanding of life hopefully evolves too. When we find ourselves quickly dismissing another’s ideas, it may be a good idea to explore the possibility that a truth lies hidden beneath what we consider the chatter or the rant.

Setting the intention to listen and speak compassionately primes us to be more mindful and respectful.  Who knows—maybe the next outrageous idea we hear, in six month’s time, will be the answer to a major dilemma in our lives.

© 2013 Georganne Spruce                                                         ZQT4PQ5ZN7F5

Related Articles:  Compassion Is Not Optional, Make Love Your Habit (Wayne Dyer), Compassion Is the Key (audio – Wayne Dyer), Living Peacefully

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AWAKENING TO SPIRITUAL SURRENDER

Posted on February 27, 2013 | 3 Comments

“When one approaches any effort with the energy of reluctance or half-heartedness, the result will not be satisfying.  When you choose a spiritual path because your mind tells you that you should, you can expect to be disappointed.  When you practice a spiritual discipline begrudgingly, enduring the repetitions, rather than savoring them, the method will prove fruitless.  For the vibrancy of any approach is based not on the mechanics of the practice but upon one’s total surrender to the direction in which the practice leads you.”  Oneness

Biltmore Estate 2011 015

How do you deal with your frustration when your meditation or other spiritual practice does not give you the peace you seek?  What expectations do you have about the spiritual path you follow?

Has your spiritual practice always led you in the direction you expected?  Mine hasn’t.  In fact, I would describe my spiritual journey as a spiral dance, often changing direction and going where I least expected.  At times, my life has felt stuck in an uncomfortable and unpleasant place, and it has taken me many years to understand that, in most instances, my resistance was keeping me stuck because I wanted the experience to be what I wanted it to be, not what it actually was.

Living  With Traditional “Shoulds” and Should Nots”

Growing up, my family attended a traditional Protestant church and I learned many “shoulds” and “should nots.”  That, along with my perfectionist tendencies, made me a person who was comfortable with a situation only when it was the way I thought it should be.  But as time went by, it seemed that too many things happened that shouldn’t have.  My brother shouldn’t have had polio.  I shouldn’t have had rheumatic fever.  We were good kids and our parents were good people.  Why was this happening?

Eventually, as a young adult, I realized this spiritual path wasn’t working for me.  I knew I was supposed to be religious, but I gave up and allowed myself to find the inspiration I sought in the fine arts where each creation I experienced was a glimpse into the artist’s soul.

Perfectionism Limits Freedom

I was so conditioned with “shoulds” that they continued to haunt me.  Early in my modern dance training, I was so focused on not falling and doing every movement perfectly that I was always tense.  As I became more confident and skilled, I finally surrendered and let myself become one with the movement, choosing the exhilaration over the perfection.  I felt free for the first time. That’s when I really began to dance and dance began to feed me spiritually.

Learning to Savor the Moment

When I learned to meditate, I tried so hard to do it correctly.  I judged myself for not being able to be calmer more quickly until my teacher finally said, “You don’t have to do it perfectly, you just need to sit there.  Just notice your thoughts and let them go.”  Eventually, I learned to “savor” the stillness and quiet of sitting.  I saw it as a vacation from my busy life.  Like lying on the beach listening to the ocean waves brush the shore, I let my thoughts flow through my mind without judging them.

Exploring Spiritual Practices

Exploring Spiritual Practices (Photo credit: robinsan)

Surrender Opens Us To A Spiritual Connection

As Oneness points out, the only way we can move forward with our spiritual practice is to “surrender to the direction in which the practice leads you.”  As we practice, a feeling of peace may come over us with guidance that helps us take a step forward in our life process.  It may seem strange, but we have to learn not to pay attention in order to notice what really matters.

Having Courage To Follow The Path

When the direction the practice leads us is one we like, we look forward to practicing because we envision a positive and refreshing experience.  But if we truly practice, we do not control what appears and it may be darker rather than light.  It is human to want to avoid the unpleasant; yet we cannot grow and expand without acknowledging the negative aspects of our thoughts.  These are often the moments when our fears appear, flooding us with despair or anger, and we have to acknowledge them and then let them go.

Often, in being able to see and feel the fear, we are able to understand what to do about the problem that created it.  It’s not unusual for so much clutter to be cleared out during mediation or other practices that we can finally see a solution that comes from our spiritual self rather than the ego that is so busy trying to be right.  The solutions that include the deeper aspects of a problem are the most satisfying ones, for they don’t just gloss over the problem, they expose it so it can be solved.

Savoring each repetition and moment of silence in our practice centers us and raises our vibration, allowing Spirit to guide us to what we most need to experience.

What is your most meaningful spiritual practice?

© 2013 Georganne Spruce                                                            ZQT4PQ5ZN7F5

Related Articles:  Yoga, A Spiritual Path, Enlightened Beings: Secrets to Walking A Spiritual Path, Wayne Dyer – There Is a Solution, What Is the Meaning of Surrender in Spiritual Practice

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AWAKENING TO ALL THE LOVE

Posted on February 13, 2013 | 2 Comments

“Love is a state of Being.  Your love is not outside; it is deep within you.  You can never lose it, and it cannot leave you.”  Eckhart Tolle

Malaprop's Book Signing

Malaprop’s Book Signing

When I think of love, I have to remind myself that it comes in many forms.  There’s the romantic version with roses and champagne, kisses and hugs.  There’s the long-lasting, deeper love that allows one to accept and solve the real problems that always arise in life and stay together over time.  There’s the love of friendship and community, of being there for each other for fun and support.  There’s the spiritual love that puts us in touch with something greater than ourselves, greater than anything we can find on the physical plane.  There’s love of mankind that motivates us to become involved with helping those who have less than we do.  There’s also the self-love that allows us to accept ourselves, be the best we can be, and see our mistakes as learning opportunities, not has a reason to condemn ourselves.

A Different Valentine’s Day

Last Friday, I read from my memoir Awakening to the Dance: A Journey to Wholeness at Malaprop’s Bookstore in Asheville.  It felt like Valentine’s Day, for the room was full of friends, acquaintances and strangers.  Some were there just to support my writing efforts; some were there because they were curious about the story; others were there just because we love each other.  Robin, who introduced me, made me sound like a celebrity.  The audience was wonderfully responsive and asked great questions.  It was fun to use my dramatic skills to interpret literature publicly – especially since it was my own creation, and I could see immediately the audience’s response to what I had written.

Malaprop's Signing 002

Surrounded by Loving Friends

Among my friends were several who have seen me through all kinds of challenges, especially the most difficult one, two years ago, when a love relationship ended.  The pain overwhelmed me, but the constant flow of warm hugs and kind words helped me remember who I really was—a loving and loved woman.  How they put up with my tears and lengthy sad stories I don’t know—actually I do know—they are incredibly loving people.  Even if they thought my book was horrible, which they don’t, they would have come to this event because they know how much it took for me to complete it and put it out into the world.  And they know that I hope that what I’ve learned will help someone else create a happier life.

Real Love Connects With Spirit

When I read Eckhart Tolle’s quote on love, I started searching for some articles and videos to share.  In some of these writings, he points out that our love is often ego-based, but it is real love only when the transcendent becomes a part of it.  He says, “Love becomes a source of suffering when the transcendental is missing.”  Hmm.…So I’ve gathered some articles and videos by him because I think his work is so important for us to understand.

English: Head-shot of Eckhart Tolle from direc...

I’ve also written a lot about love this year and if you missed any of these posts, I’ve listed them for you.  So, instead of doing a new post, I want to ask you to do this:  look over the links below, trust your intuition, and when you feel drawn to one, look at it.  It may be just what you need to hear today.

Love

Happy Valentine’s Day!  Remember we are all lovers.  We don’t need anyone to complete us although it is always nice to share our love.  Let the love within you fill your day.  You are Love!

© 2013 Georganne Spruce                                                                 ZQT4PQ5ZN7F5

 RELATED ARTICLES on Eckhart Tolle:  Relationships: True Love and the Transcendence of Duality, Eckhart Tolle – One-Sided Love Relationship – Video, Real Love Doesn’t Make You Suffer, Eckhart on Personal Love

RELATED BLOG POSTS: Awakening to Love Ourselves, Receiving Love, Awakening to Love the World, Part I, Awakening to Love the World, Part II, Diversity, Awakening to Love the World, Part III, Cooperation, Awakening to the Healing Dance: Feel the Love

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AWAKENING TO OUR WORLD COMMUNITY

Posted on January 16, 2013 | 4 Comments

“If you want to make peace, don’t talk to your friends.  You talk to your enemies.”  Desmond Tutu

English: Sunday morning sermon delivered by Gr...

English: Sunday morning sermon delivered by Greg Barrett, author of The Gospel of Father Joe: Revolutions & Revelations in the Slums of Bangkok. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

What have you done this week to create peace in your heart, your family, or your community?

Spiritually Inspiring Talk

Last night I was mesmerized by Greg Barrett, a Pulitzer-nominated author who spoke about his latest book, The Gospel of Rutba: War, Peace, and the Good Samaritan Story in Iraq.  This is the story of how Rutba, a rural desert town in western Iraq, rescued three American peacemakers during the Shock and Awe bombings of 2003.  Not far from the Jordanian border, the peacemakers’ taxi careened off the road and crashed.  One of the occupants was very seriously injured.  A truckload of Iraqis found them and took them to a small clinic in Rutba where the hospital had recently been destroyed by American Bombs.  Despite the destruction and lack of supplies, the Iraqi doctors saved the men’s lives and refused their money.  The Iraqi’s only request was, “Tell the world.”

Seven years later, despite warnings from the American military and the Iraqis that they would probably be killed, the peacemakers returned to help the town heal.  Greg Barrett accompanied them.  They refused to carry weapons and when the Iraqis discovered their intention for returning, they welcomed them as brothers and sisters.

English: US Marines cook kabobs for Iraqi patr...

English: US Marines cook kabobs for Iraqi patrons on the streets of Al Qaim (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Love Heals All

This story is just another example of how, when we choose to act out of love and peace, we can heal the divide between us.  Seeing the love of humanity that Greg Barrett exudes reminds me how important it is for us to have the courage to reach out in whatever way we can to those who are different.  We must learn to see “the enemy” as humanity.

Respect Cultural Differences

In the discussion after the talk, my favorite story was the one Greg told about the dinner the peacemakers and Iraqis had together on the return trip. Knowing that the Iraqis ate their food with their hands, scooping it up with pita bread, the Americans followed that custom out of respect for their hosts.  There was no interpreter and they did not speak each other’s language.  After they began eating, the Americans looked across the table at the Iraqis to make contact.  What they saw were the Iraqis eating their meal with utensils.  Both sides smiled at each other and burst into laughter.

What more can I say?  Well, I can only say I hope you will visit the book website and Greg’s blog—he’s a wonderful writer and a thinking, caring human being.  He’s on a book tour, sharing this story to open minds and connect us all, and he’s trying to raise money to do a documentary on the story.  Maybe you can help.

Hearing Greg’s story has inspired me and I hope it will inspire you too.  Namaste.

© 2013 Georganne Spruce                                                     ZQT4PQ5ZN7F5

Related Articles:  Gospel of Rutba (on Amazon.com), Muslim Peacemaker Teams, After Nine Years in Iraq: Reflections on Peace, Nonviolence, and Reconciliation

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WE ARE ALL ONE

Posted on December 26, 2012 | Leave a comment

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May your holiday be filled with peace, love, and joy!

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AWAKENING TO RELEASE ILLUSIONS

Posted on December 20, 2012 | Leave a comment

It is“ only when we have the courage to face things exactly as they are without any self-deception or illusion that a light will develop out of the events by which the path to success may be recognized.”  I-Ching

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Once again, we are in that time of year when the darkness passes into the light at the Winter Solstice.  It is a deeply spiritual time when many religions focus on significant rituals and holidays.  This year we are also approaching 12-21-12, a time of transition when we and the earth will move into a higher consciousness.

This Is The Beginning, Not the End

This date is significant as the end of the Mayan calendar, but the Mayans do not see it as the end of the world.  In order to understand it’s meaning, I ask that you view the video “The Maya Talk About 12-21-12.”  To find it you will have to scroll down the page.

Find Love For All In Our Hearts

In this special time, let us put aside the presents and make time to release the negativity from our lives so that there is room for the light.  Let us reach out with love to all those around us.  Forgive those we feel have hurt us.  It is more important now than it has ever been for us to remember we are all human, no matter how different we may appear.  The only separation that exists is in our minds, and we can choose what we think.

Take this time to look at your life.  What illusions are you harboring?  What are you denying on the surface, but deep within know is true?  What changes do you need to make? We are all points of light if we choose to be and if we choose to be, that light may take us into a world of love and community.  What will you contribute?

Release Our Fears and Express Our Light

More than ever we need to remember this:

Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate.

Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure.

It is our light, not our darkness, that most frightens us.

We ask ourselves, who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented and fabulous?

Actually, who are you not to be?

You are a child of God.  Your playing small doesn’t serve the world.

There’s nothing enlightened about shrinking so that other people won’t feel insecure around you.  We are born to make manifest the glory of God that is within us.

It is not just in some of us, it’s in everyone.

And as we let our light shine, we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same.

As we are liberated from our own fear, our presence automatically liberates others.

 Release your fear, open your heart, express your light in the world to empower all you meet.  We are at the beginning of something wonderful! We can change the world.

Peace, Love, and Joy to you all!

© 2012 Georganne Spruce                                                                           ZQT4PQ5ZN7F5

Related Articles:  What’s the ‘real’ Truth?  Awakening to Shadow’s Treasure,

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AWAKENING TO WHOLENESS

Posted on December 12, 2012 | Leave a comment

Dear readers, If there are inconsistencies in my blog, please excuse them.  Each time I preview it, what appears is different.  The post page keeps changing what I have put on.  such is the technical world.  Look carefully for the words with links.  They are not holding the blue color.

“I now have a view of spirituality I didn’t have before.  It’s a more integrated spirituality where wholeness is experienced throughout the entirety of our lives.  I now believe that separation of sacred and mundane is hurting our civilization more than helping.”  Dr. Amit Goswami

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Do you feel whole within or do you always feel something is missing?  If you feel whole, how did that come about?  Are you able to express it in your mundane life?

The End Is The Beginning

Today is 12-12-12.  Some identify it as the end of the Mayan calendar and the end of an era.  Some believe it’s the end of the world.  But one truth stands out above all the theories for me.  Every ending is a beginning.  We are leaving behind a life totally centered on rationality and patriarchal values.  This change is a beautiful opportunity to balance and find wholeness within ourselves and our world.

Making the SHIFT

I’ve  pointed out that we need to move from competition to cooperation, but today, I want to look at another split we need to heal and this integrated approach to spirituality is beautifully described in an article “Endless Emergent Possibilities:  Spirituality +Science =SHIFT!” by Kathy Young in the December issue of Science of Mind Magazine.

For many of the years I was a dancer, my spirituality came from the transcendence I experienced while dancing or creating dances.  I felt the same thing when I wrote poetry.  In those moments, I was (and still am) in touch with something greater than myself.  Athletes would call this being in the “zone.”  In those moments we go beyond the physical body to a place where there are no boundaries and no limitations.

Integrating Sacred and Mundane

In the article, Dr. Goswami states, “We see that anytime we have a creative feeling, we are engaging with the sacred.  It makes much more sense to abolish the separation and recognize that the sacred is the creative, and to actively invite that into every activity in everyday life.”  Artists and writers understand this although they may not necessarily label it as sacred.

Valuing the rational above all else has limited our development as human beings.  There are always times when we need to think rationally.  It allows us to organize, focus, and act.  It is a valuable trait, but it is only one aspect of mind power.  To be whole, we need to embrace the rational and emotional, the mundane and the spiritual, and the masculine and the feminine in each of us.  The Tao symbol is the perfect visual image of the balance we need to achieve, for the yin and the yang are intertwined.

Religion has given us an image of the sacred that is controlled by rules and the idea that we must transcend this earthly plane to become spiritual.  But when we find the spiritual wholeness at our centers, it is not limited by man’s definitions of what we should be.  Our mundane and sacred aspects become One and we experience a beautiful freedom that opens the mind.  As the mind opens more, we can accommodate new ideas and new visions.

Education Must Include Creativity

One of the worst things we have done in our society is to remove creative classes from our schools.  Art develops spatial awareness.  Music develops mathematical awareness.  Dance develops spatial and kinesthetic awareness.  Being involved with theater productions develops so many talents, I can’t list them all—all the above and psychological understanding of character, empathy, and how to take different elements and integrate them into a whole.

It’s no surprise that our most amazing business people are the most creative ones.  What if we started encouraging creativity in all areas of life and rewarded those who came up with new ideas?

Living Enlightenment On Earth

This morning I read an article that describes so perfectly what I am saying and what Dr. Goswami is suggesting about integrating the sacred and mundane.  On the Biltmore Estate, they are growing canola plants.  They will be harvested and the oil will be sold to local restaurants.  The left-over leaves will be fed to cattle.  After the restaurants use the oil, it will be recycled into biodiesel fuel to run the machinery on the farm.  Brilliant!

If we encourage and allow people to become the naturally creative beings they are, we can truly save the world because that creativity can take us to that realm where all the answers reside.  We don’t need to transcend this earthly plane to achieve enlightenment.  We just need to learn to live enlightened lives right here, right now and change our world so that we are all whole, healthy, and respect all life.  Bringing the sacred and the mundane together can heal all our lives.

© 2012 Georganne Spruce                                                             ZQT4PQ5ZN7F5

Online Interview with Georganne: Dames of Dialogue

Related Articles:  What is Quantum Activism? With Dr. Amit Goswami, Scientific Proof of the Existence of God,  The Divine Feminine and Sacred Sexuality

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AWAKENING TO UNUSUAL DELIGHTS

Posted on December 5, 2012 | Leave a comment

“If man is to survive, he will have learned to take delight in the essential differences between men and cultures. He will learn that differences in ideas and attitudes are a delight, a part of life’s exciting variety, not something to fear.”  Gene Roddenberry

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A village pushing our truck out of a sand dune in Senegal

Are you generally open to new experiences or do you avoid people and situations that are different from what you are comfortable with?  How do you react to people with a different point of view?

The Delight of A Sacred Toast

When I traveled to Africa on a Fulbright-Hays Travel Abroad Grant in 1994 with 12 other teachers from Louisiana, one of the events that stood out in my mind was drinking a toast with palm wine.  Because it spoils easily, it is rarely exported, but it was a drink that frequently appeared in the African novels we read in a Teaching the African Novel course we had taken the year before. It seemed exotic and rare, and I was very excited to know how it actually tasted. The experience was quite special because we drank it as a good-bye toast as we left a sacred space where we had witnessed a sacred ceremony performed by a water goddess.  It was a toast to the connection and friendship we had experienced that day with the Africans.

The wine tasted like fermented pineapple juice and I never tasted it again, not even at the West African restaurant I frequented in New Orleans where the fried plantains were perfect and the greens hot and spicy compared to the mild ham and greens of my southern childhood. But the wine was merely a symbol for the extraordinary experience of living in a different culture for five weeks.  And yet it wasn’t so different, for much of the New Orleans food had its roots in West African, just as other New Orleans traditions were translations of West African ritual.  The whole experience made the world seem smaller and more connected for me.

Appreciating Nature’s Surprises

When I lived in the middle of Nebraska among the flatlands where trees were scarce, I remembered all the stories I had read about those who settled the west. Actually, living there amid the blizzards of winter and the high winds taught me to appreciate the stoic nature of those who ventured into the unknown.  Seeing the Sandhill Cranes landing by the hundreds on their yearly migration reminded me that nature presents us with unusual delights even where its beauty is usually so subtle we may easily overlook it.

The Beauty of Humility

There was nothing subtle about the beauty I saw in New Mexico where color and art enliven the beige expanses of desert.  I have always been drawn to the Native American culture’s connection with nature, but it was an act of humility that touched me most deeply.  When a Native American child is spoken to by an adult, they gaze downward and do not make eye contact.  After dealing with many “in your face” teenagers over the years, I was deeply touched by this expression of respect and humility.  I was most grateful for this unusual delight.

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Dancing in New Mexico

New Experiences Teach Us Spiritual Lessons

When we avoid anything that is unfamiliar, we miss many of life’s delights.  Each point of view that we encounter is an opportunity to learn about another and to find a place where our beliefs and experiences connect.  We will change our world one person and one encounter at a time.  The time of separation is ending, and to resist it only creates difficulties.  Our greatest lesson is to be who we truly are and to accept others as they truly are.

I’ve learned that when I really resist something, it’s usually a sign I really need to look at it more closely.  There’s a lesson hidden in the issue or in the person I avoid.  Recently, I experimented  by deliberately sitting next to a person who usually irritates me.  My intention was to be at peace no matter what the other person said or did.  Several times I had to remind myself of that intention, but I was able to release my attachment to resistance, and as a result, my experience was pleasant.

Choose Peace Rather Than Judgment

When we cling so desperately to our religious or political dogma that we are unable to see any value in other points of view, we usually do that out of insecurity.  We are afraid of what is different, but the irony is that our only real security in this world is to understand each other and respect different points of view.  This doesn’t mean we have to choose another’s lifestyle as our own; it simply means we respect their right to make different choices, and when our lives intersect, we choose peace rather than judgment.

What is something different that you have learned to respect in another person?  Please comment.

© 2012 Georganne Spruce

Related Articles: Nebraska’s Annual Sandhill Crane Migration, Why We Fear the Unknown, Personality:  Why We Fear Doing Things Differently

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AWAKENING TO OUR CHOICES

Posted on November 7, 2012 | 3 Comments

“If we really want to be full and generous in spirit, we have no choice but to trust at some level.” Rita Dove

When you make a choice, do you think about the consequences?  Do you think about how your choices will impact those around you?  What do you expect our country’s leaders to base their choices on?

The Balance of Power Has Shifted

Yesterday was a game-changing day for the United States.  Barack Obama was re-elected as president, but who elected him is as significant as the victory itself.  Something is shifting in this country.  Ninety-three percent of African-American voters voted for him.  Seventy-one percent of Hispanic voters voted for him, and fifty-five percent of women voted for Obama.

These groups of people, who during my lifetime have struggled for equality in the system, are finally stepping into their own power.  Now the numbers are great enough to influence change in this country, and I think that’s a good thing.  Their choices count in a way they never have before.

We are fortunate to live in a country where we have a system that allows us to choose the people who run the country.  The choices we make on Election Day are significant, but the choices we make each day of our lives can also bring about huge changes.  The diversity in this country will not go away.  We have only one choice—learn to live with people who are different from us.

We Must Choose To Trust One Another

To be the spiritual beings we truly are, we must be willing to trust.  To do that, we have to give up the need to be “right” all the time.  Our need to be “right” keeps us attached to issues that need to be released.  In Rasha’s Oneness, Oneness says “When you are able to let go of the need for ego validation on the issues that help define the history of this lifetime, you have taken the tentative first steps toward liberation from those patterns.”  This is how we become unstuck.

Fear Beneath the Need To Be Right

Have you ever made a decision to prove you were right only to have it blow up in your face?  When we let our egos run our lives, we often miss making the wisest choices.  When we feel the urge to prove we are right, we need to look for the fear beneath that need and deal with that first.  Releasing the fear frees us to act from a deeper place and calms the ego.

Likewise, our leaders need to stop worrying about whether the vote on an issue is won by the Republicans or the Democrats.  This isn’t a football game.  The only thing that matters is did they do what is best for the majority of the people?  Will this decision help people to live better lives?  Our leaders must choose to be trustworthy so that they can trust each other and the people can trust them.  Too often, good ideas have been dropped because one side couldn’t stand to see the other “win” and blocked the law’s passage.

Act For the Highest Good Of All

The question then is not “Am I right?  Did I win?”  The only question we ever need to ask when making a decision is “Is this for the highest good of all?”  If it isn’t, the decision isn’t the right one.  Our decisions are energy flowing into the cosmic ocean to support its life or to pollute it.  When we act out of love and generosity, our spiritual energy feeds the whole.  We should expect no less from our leaders.

As Oneness says, “All the rules are changing now.  Your world, as you have been schooled to understand it, has already ceased to be.  The cellular structure of every life form on your planet has been altered.  The resonant vibration of every living thing has been augmented.  And the attunement of all consciousness to heightened levels has been achieved.  As a race, the human population has opened itself to receive the gift of Grace.  And even though precious few are aware of that shift, all are manifesting the result, in one form or another.” (Page 104)  One result of this shift is that we are no longer in control.  Resistance to the change taking place is pointless.

Those who are creating the positive changes in our society are the ones who are aware and are leading the way for the rest of us.  Because of these changes, we need to make better choices in our own lives and insist that our leaders make better choices that will create a life that will uplift and enrich us all.  We all deserve a life that is “full and generous in spirit.”

© 2012 Georganne Spruce                                                                  ZQT4PQ5ZN7F5

Related Articles:  Is Being Compassionate Healthy? Freedom Is Accepting Our Consequences, Leaders Who Work Most Effectively

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