Things to Believe

Here is the Group Belief narrative
from www.awakened-journey.com

Hope to see you there.


We believe that humanity is at a cross-roads in her journey to a better world.
We believe that we are all a part of One world and that together we can make a difference.
We believe that what we do, and think, and choose, matters.
We believe we can create a better world.
...In fact, we believe we already are!

www.awakened-journey.com

Toltec Teachings

Toltec quotes:
by Kristopher Raphael

"Our Dreamer is much, much larger than we are. On the level of Destiny the Dreamer is the one in control. As the leaf is a part of the tree, we are part of our Dreamer. However we are a part with a "mind of its own". It is this mind of ours with its beliefs, wounds, patterns, attitudes and ego that get us into trouble, and convince us that we are separate from that which we really are, our Dreamer."

"The elements of the world don't exist the way we assume they do. They exist only because we discriminate them from other things. As separate things they don't exist. As separate things WE don't exist. The problem is that the world we live in is so linked with our concepts that we cannot separate who we are and the world we live in from the content of our minds. We are not just living IN the past, we are living the past."

"Within the human the Nagual aspect is the unstructured part of self. It is UNLIMITED. Our tonal is our personality aspect, which consists of our mental, emotional and physical bodies, is our structured aspect. Our personality contains our POTENTIAL. If we fully align our tonal to the Nagual through the Dreamer we have UNLIMITED POTENTIAL."

"The jaguar moves silently following every movement of its prey. The prey is unaware of its presence. When stalking we, like the jaguar, must also observe in silence. If we begin to judge or try to change what we observe, we lose our stance as the stalker. We become that which we are stalking."


From don Miguel Ruiz:

+ Nothing others do is because of you. What others say and do is a projection of their own reality, their own dream. When you are immune to the opinions and actions of others, you won’t be the victim of needless suffering.

+ Your life is the manifestation of your dream; it is an art. And you can change your life anytime if you aren't enjoying the dream. Dream masters create a masterpiece of life; they control the dream by making choices.

+ Christ called it heaven, and Buddha named it nirvana. But they mean the same and what they tried to express is that experience that they had when they experienced the truth. And whoever experienced the truth, he will explain in their own way, but whoever listens, whoever is explaining the truth will understand it right away because they were there.

+ Be aware that even if you meant your words as honey, other people can turn what you said into poison.

+ You face life depending on who you believe the main character is, the way you learned to be. Your father tells you that you are this way. Your mother tells you that you are that way. And that's what you become.

+ The infinite, the absolute, is a living being and the only one living being that really exists. And we all are part of that living being. And from that point of view, the way I see the universe, the way I see God is as perfection, like only perfection exists and it's not difficult to understand at all.

+ At the present time I really have no religion at all. But I love and respect all religions and philosophies. I see how they get formed, how they grow up, and how powerful they are. But for me to believe in a specific god.. no.

+ I can tell you that we have only one mission and that is to make ourselves happy. The only way we can be happy is by being who we are.+ Death is not the biggest fear we have; our biggest fear is taking the risk to be alive.. the risk to be alive and express what we really are.

+ Every human is an artist. And this is the main art that we have: the creation of our story.

Eating Right to Feel Our Best

At its simplest, food is fuel. Though our preferences regarding taste and texture can vary widely, we all rely on the foods we eat for energy. Most people are aware that it is vital we consume a diverse assortment of foods if we aspire to maintain a state of physical well-being. However, the intimate connection between diet and our mental well-being is less understood. Just as the nutritional components in food power the body, so too do they power the mind. Some foods can impair cognitive functioning and sap our energy while others heighten our intellectual prowess and make us feel vigorous. What we eat and drink can have a powerful effect on our ability to focus, mental clarity, mood, and stress levels.

Food allergies, which don’t always manifest themselves in forms we recognize, can also play a significant role in the maintenance of mental health. Thus, for most of us, even a simple change in diet can have a profoundly positive impact on our lives. Taking the time to explore whether anxiety, muddled thoughts, or inexplicable tension can be linked to a food allergy or food sensitivity can empower you to treat your symptoms naturally. The benefits of a healthier, more personalized diet are often felt immediately. Sugar, saturated fats, wheat, and dairy products are frequently allergens and can stress the body. For people that are allergic, consuming them can cause imbalances in the physical self that have a negative effect on the body’s ability to nourish the brain. Water, fiber, nuts, unprocessed seeds, raw fruits and vegetables, and vegetable proteins, on the other hand, support physical and mental functioning by providing those nutrients we do need without additional substances we don’t.

A balanced, natural diet can ease mood swings, panic attacks, anxiety, and mild depression. Intellectual clarity and agility is improved when the mind receives proper nourishment. Even those individuals who are blessed with the ability to consume almost any food can benefit from a healthier and simpler diet. Since the mental and physical selves are closely bound to one another, we must feed each the foods upon which they thrive.

My Zen Dog

I was watching my dog Jersey this morning sitting in the back yard watching a squirrel. The squirrel knew he couldn't be reached, and he seemed to torment and tease my Jersey girl in joyful play.

The startling thing was, about an hour and a half later, I looked out the window and Jersey was still sitting there, peacefully, engaged in the moment, just watching and looking around a bit.

What a reflection of inner peace. Just being in her moment, sitting quietly enjoying the day. I couldn't help but think that I would not have been able to sit that long without a fidget or distraction. It seems like a long time since I have sat quietly in the yard (or anywhere for that matter) for such an easy, luxurios extended-moment of pure beingness.

Thanks Jersey! namaste

The Facts of Life

A fresh attitude starts to happen when we look to see that yesterday was yesterday, and now it is gone; today is today and now it is new. It is like that - every hour, every minute is changing. If we stop observing change, then we stop seeing everything as new. ~ Dzigar Kongtrul Rinpoche

The Buddah taught that there are three principal characteristics of human existence: impermanance, egolessness, and suffering or dissatisfaction. According to the Buddah, the lives of all beings are marked by these qualities. Recognizing these qualities to be real and true in our own experience helps us to relax with things as they are.

When I first heard this teaching it seemed academic and remote. But when I was encouraged to pay attention - to be curious about what was happening with my body and my mind - something shifted. I could observe from my own experience that nothing is static. My moods are continuously shifting like the weather. I am definitely not in control of what thoughts or emotions are going to arise, nor can I halt their flow. Stillness is followed by movement, movement flows back into stillness. Even the most persistent physical pain, when I pay attention to it, changes like the tides.

I feel gratitude to the Buddah for pointing out that what we struggle against all our lives can be acknowledged as ordinary experience. Life does continually go up and down. People and situations are unpredictable and so is everything else. Everybody knows the pain of getting what we don't want: saints, sinners, winners, losers. I feel gratitude that someone saw the truth and pointed out that we don't suffer this kind of pain because of our personal inability to get things right.

Pema Chodron
The Places that Scare You

The Spirit of a Place - Visiting Sacred Sites

Teotihuacan, Mexico
In '02 I made a power journey to Teotihuacan, Mexico with my beloved warrior group. It was so wonderful and a reminder for today that we need only "tune in" to visit these wonder sites around the globe.


The Spirit of a Place
Visiting Sacred Sites

Connecting energetically with sacred sites in the world allows you access to their peace and power if you cannot visit.

From time immemorial, the hands of men and women have built sites guided by both the earth’s life force and benevolent beings of light. It is because of this guidance that the sites we deem sacred have long served as repositories of wisdom, energy, and illumination that can be accessed by all. The needs that inspire seekers to converge upon sites known to be sacred vary by individual. Some crave spiritual fulfillment above all else, while others hope to draw upon a site’s energy for the purpose of enlightenment, healing, or deep meditation, awareness and knowledge of information long gone.

Sacred sites can appear insignificant to those who close themselves off from the notion of a living earth. But sites can provide us with a link to a unified consciousness that involves the living and the dead, infinite cultures, the physical plane, and the spiritual world. When we look beyond well-known sites like Stonehenge, we discover energetically active sites such as the Iron Age fogou caves of Cornwall, England, or the pyramids of Meroe in the Sudan. Similarly, it is easy to imagine that hallowed places exist only in remote or exotic locales. Yet many of the most richly vital sites are easily accessible, and visiting these lesser-known sites can be a profoundly moving experience. One such site, Serpent Mound in Ohio, was thought to be created by the ancient Adena peoples nearly 1,000 years ago to align with the summer and winter solstices. Its precise purpose remains unclear, but many who visit the site conclude that it was meant to be a conduit through which cosmic en! ergy could flow into the earth.

The sacred sites that call to you from afar—capturing your imagination and resonating deep within your soul—will nearly always be those that can help you forge a deeper connection with the divine energy that sustains all life. During your pilgrimage, reaffirm your intention to accept whatever gifts are conveyed to you through the sites you visit. Your receptiveness will help you establish lasting relationships with these sites so that you can draw upon their peace and their power from wherever you are.

DailyOm

The Happiest People

The happiest people don't have the best of everything. They just make the best of everything. Love generously Care deeply Speak kindly Leave the rest to God.

~ author unknown

Buddah Basics Pt. IV - Right Speech

Sit-a-Long with Jundo: Buddha-Basics (Part VII) — Speaking Right

We continue our stroll along the Eightfold Path with Right Speech, the first of three branches devoted to ‘Ethical Conduct’ (Sīla)…

The words passing our lips have power to be weapons or constructive tools, to help or hurt others, express care or disdain, make enemies or friends, start wars or bring peace.

The Buddha advised that we should:
…abstain from false speech, especially deliberate lies
…abstain from slanderous speech and words used maliciously against others
…abstain from harsh words that offend or hurt others
…abstain from idle gossip.

This means that we should, as best we can amid the complexities of life, seek to tell the truth, to speak lovingly, warmly and gently, and to be careful in our words.

Thich Nhat Hanh has sometimes worded it this way:

Aware of the suffering caused by unmindful speech and the inability to listen to others, I am committed to cultivate loving speech and deep listening in order to bring joy and happiness to others and relieve others of their suffering. Knowing that words can create happiness or suffering, I am committed to learn to speak truthfully, with words that inspire self-confidence, joy, and hope. I am determined not to spread news that I do not know to be certain and not to criticize or condemn things of which I am not sure. I will refrain from uttering words that can cause division or discord, or that can cause the family or the community to break. I will make all efforts to reconcile and resolve all conflicts, however small.

Right Speech: Shambala Sun