Last month I talked about the Physics of Grace and Rest, whereby the act of becoming conscious actually, physically, takes energy. That’s been my personal experience. I’ve talked about other aspects of this in the past on BeachWalks.tv as well, and today I found a neat little statistic from the American College of Neuropsychopharmacology on the LiveScience website (#8):

The modern brain is an energy hog. The organ accounts for about 2 percent of body weight, but it uses about 20 percent of the oxygen in our blood and 25 percent of the glucose (sugars) circulating in our bloodstream, according to the American College of Neuropsychopharmacology.

I find the numbers somewhat astonishing, because most of us do not think of “thinking” or mental problem-solving, much less becoming a more conscious human being, as physically taxing much less calorie spending!

I experience a lot of changes in consciousness as I unplug from old circuits and re-build new ones based on the updated data I can now access. A lot of my circuits were built around the fear response – a natural survival mechanism. Now I am living without the need to be tripping circuits all the time, as my life flows from one moment to the next. I don’t perceive or experience danger around every corner. My “neuropsychopharmacology” is now available to create and explore in ways previously unknown to me. I just love that! And I am happy to feed it well.

Photo Credit: The Brain by RobW on Flickr.com

Aloha,

I went to the beach this evening with Lexi Dogg in a melancholy mood (the vog has been in town today) and ended up “focusing my lens” on the beauty that was all around me. This post is a photo walk, with homage to my friend Liza (@amauiblog) who does these great photo posts on her blog! I took them with my iPhone using the Hipstamatic app.

I am facilitating a Divine Openings Book Club this summer (read more here) as we read Lola Jones’ book, Things Are Going Great in My Absence. In session 3 there is a discussion of God, (aka the Presence, the Indweller, the Lord) and the various names and relationships we have with the power that we experience as greater than us. Lola advocates having an incredibly personalized, subjective, and intimate relationship. She also talks about the hurdles many of us face in even saying the word “God” and being able to sort the often conflicting beliefs we were raised with in comparison to the documented experiences we have had in our own lives. (Learn more about this image of the Ant Nebula from the Hubble Telescope.)

I definitely went through a period of both atheism and agnosticism, as I could not reconcile many of the teachings of the Catholic Church – in which I was raised. Central to this confusion was “How could an all-loving God allow innocent children to be born with original sin?” And “What if you just weren’t lucky enough to be baptized Catholic? Why should you be denied Heaven?”

However I was also continuously drawn to the study of religions and to “all things spiritual.” I loved reading about the peyote experiences of Carlos Castaneda and the ability to shape shift. I have taught meditation classes based on The Tibetan Book of the Dead. I have Hubble telescope photographs as the screen saver on my computer! I have known in my gut there is more to life than just this one period of time, that there is some sort of organizing principle that connects “out there” with “in here.”

Never have I had such a direct connection to the Divine though as I do now. In session 3 we have the chance to write down a description of “the new type of God you can relate to.” So here is my angle on this part of the grand hologram. I am pleased to introduce you to my God, as of today, as I spoke directly to the Presence within me:

You are everywhere.
You are incredibly funny.
You are full of surprises.
You are detached from “caring” what happens. It’s all good.
You are listening, watching, doing.
You are not in a hurry.
You can act fast though!
You are comfortable with physical reality yet you also like pushing it outside of normal boundaries.
You are not only fear-less, you are unfear, nonfear, you are devoid of fear! I long to be closer to you in that respect. And I am with every breath I take.
You are relaxed and powerful, resting, and yet always ready for action!
You see beauty everywhere.
You have amazing ideas.
You are the biggest part of me; you are me.

Now, please tell me about your God. If this presence is not 100% for you and 0% against you, then may I suggest you could opt for a God upgrade!

Aloha,

My neighbor (82 year old widow) is experiencing a number of uncomfortable issues in her life. She and I are close in an odd sort of way – it’s an energetic thread of connection tho we don’t “do” much of anything together. I carry her trash to the curb; she makes us mango and banana bread from the fruit in her yard.

The other morning I was reflecting on the multi-generational drama that is occurring in her family, her new cancer diagnosis, etc., and just as I was asking myself, “How much do you want to be involved in all that Rox?” I started being flooded with a powerful new take on awareness and sensitivity.

Historically, out there in the culture and here in my typical behavior set, the sensitive people have to defend themselves chronically against feeling all the world’s pains and traumas. If you are aware, then there is this cultural imperative for what you must do and how you must feel. If you are aware and are not being reactive to other people’s problems then you don’t “really get it.”

Not any more! I can be sensitive even to very small details and signals, but I don’t have to let them affect me. I don’t have to be drawn in to other people’s dramas. I can sit on the sidelines and radiate compassion should I feel inclined, without getting further involved. I can also do nothing, by moving my attention to my own life and taking it off other people’s lives. Jackie taught me early on not to be a “nosy neighbor” and she is a beacon of “Live and Let Live.”

This is not cruel to me, in fact it is loving. It is based on the solid foundation that everyone is supported 100% by the universe, that each person is the Divine incarnate walking the earth. Who am I to think I am either more powerful or more responsible for the random things that affect other people?

Let’s look at some other fundamentals. When we put our attention on others, that is energy moving in their direction. If I am feeling pity, confusion, sadness, hopelessness for her, that is what I am sending. I remember when Magic Johnson was diagnosed being HIV positive. He pleaded with people NOT to feel sorry for him; he knew on some level that having all that pity aimed at him was not useful and he didn’t want it.

Of course this does not preclude me from being helpful when I am inclined, and my neighbor knows she can ask me for assistance any time. I have empowered her to be the one to decide when and how that might happen – not by me insinuating myself into her life. As it turns out, I take her to chemo treatments every two weeks. She asked AND I was available. She carries on as an independent woman in charge of her own life. It’s all good!

My sensitivity now feels sweet, private, liberated, and with no imperative to have to go out and do something. Instead, I trust that all is well. Sometimes it takes quite a bit of distance to get that, so my new mantra is “Rox, back away from the fence.”

Photo by Made in Mississippi on Flickr.

Love,

I have always loved science and do not think of it as being in competition with spirituality. Instead, I use it to explain things we have heard but never quite got anchored into who we really are.

I’ve noticed that when I am undergoing change, when I am unplugging from previous patterns and rebuiding new ones, that I can indeed be quite tired by the end of the day! I suspect you have had this experience too.

I remember Lola Jones writing about her return from India, how she felt so relaxed and released. She mentions that she would stay in bed some days and just rest as the Divine energies were recycling and rewiring old patterns and their conflicting information!

Just remember this:
Allow yourself to sleep.
Get as much of that deep restorative rest as possible.

That may mean sleeping when “you should be doing laundry.” It is a rich part of the understanding of Divine Openings. It may feel ethereal however receiving Divine Openings and having moments of enlightened consciousness truly demand and consume energy.

It is so easy to forget that just because the body is not overtly involved, that there may still be enormous energy expenditure taking place.

Translation: consciousness upgrades still require the shift of electrons somewhere and it all requires energy in our physical, human reality. Taking time for rest is both smart from an energy management point of view and also evidence (IMO) of that shift in consciousness. Most things can wait!

I allow myself to take breaks as often as possible. We are no doubt “burning rubber” on the road to enlightenment and a roadside rest is just part of the journey.

Love,

Be filled with all that palm trees represent: refreshing and soothing tradewinds, flexible spines, home to singing birds, dancing fronds, you know.

Join this consciousness book club for this summer! I am so excited about this! As you know, I discovered Divine Openings about a year and a half ago. You can watch a Beachwalks.tv video episode about my 5-day retreat journey.

This is what I call a “consciousness upgrade” as it allows me to tap into the larger intelligence of the universe so that I may live a happier and freer life. The practical results create a tangible experience in my life and in the lives of people around me. If we choose to believe in the theories of divine grace, of oneness, of being connected to god-nature (and I do!), then all of the good things that have been happening make perfect sense.

Being an entrepreneur and very active business woman, I am especially interested in how this applies to our “work days” – which consume so much of our energy and attention. I have personally been applying the actual mechanics of consciousness and spirituality to business for several years, and am coming out of the closet! I actually think of this book club as a “tech transfer” process that you and I will be sharing.

Let’s make 2010 The Summer of Enlightenment!

• A book club: we’ll read Lola Jones’ book together, Things are Going Great in My Absence. Book clubs are well-established tools for learning new things in a group setting. (Think Oprah Book Club.) I’ll prepare questions for discussion. We’ll be able to discuss the practical applications of Divine Openings in your work, your relationships, and your own spiritual connections. This also is more affordable than one-to-one sessions, in case that is relevant to you. Naturally, this book club is still relevant even if you have already read the book!
• A conference call: as a community, we will share experiences with each other and talk through the topics raised in each chapter. You each gain the energy and support of the other readers, be it figuring out ideas, staying focused or finding like-minded souls. This live interactive community can be very inspiring as we co-mingle our large selves and consciously share our insights. Having the hands-on assistance to soothe your small self and train your mind is a very effective way to bring more grace into your life.
• Live Divine Openings: I will give each of you in the course a Divine Opening at the end of the call. Moving this energy just feels so incredibly good! Each chapter in the book includes a Divine Opening. These are powerful and, many people also appreciate the “amped up” energy that you can experience from a live Divine Opening with a Giver. There is a tremendous sweetness when receiving these live.
• The cost is $325 for the 10-week course.
• The course runs from June 27 – August 29.
• The teleconference will be live on Sundays from 8 – 9 pm EDT. Check your time zone here.
• UPDATE: I am limiting this to a maximum of 10 people so you will be sure to get plenty of talk time if so desired.

If any of these things appeal to you, then perfect! I hope you will join us. I will be recording the calls so if for some reason you have to miss a live session, you will be able to listen at any time. That applies to all of you who may want to repeat experiencing a session during the course. Learn more about Divine Openings here.

Please register now. I will contact you with further instructions once your registration is received.

One of the things I love about Twitter is how every now and then a perfectly distilled idea comes across in 140 characters! Such was the case today when I saw the message, “Is it judgmental to tell people not to be judgmental?”

I must have surely helped create this as only a few weeks ago I was in fact busted for this very same thing! I was irritated with a close friend who has been judgmental lately. It is terrific catch-22, my wanting this person to not be judgmental! Of course I was judging the situation myself, saying this person should be different.

What tripped me up initially was my desire to want my life to be filled with positivity and open-mindness. Of course I can be all “rainbows and unicorns” at times, and I love it! I love seeing the glass half-full. Sorting out how I get to have my delicious subjective preferences without being judgmental is an exercise in world peace you might say!

I believe that the more compassion we have for ourselves, the more we will have for others. It’s a corollary to something I heard Wayne Dyer say (I am approximating), “When you judge others, you are also judging yourself.”

So if you are feeling the urge to (judge) request others to not be so judgmental, I feel for you. Here’s what I do, when I remember: I move my attention to something completely different. Something that resonates with me, something that raises my vibration. Something that allows “they who I find irritating in their judmentalism” to fade out of my sphere of awareness.

I think it is much more fun that way, and never do I have to judge myself for being judgmental about wanting others to be less judgmental!

It’s easy to confuse the spiritual plane with the human plane. I look at all of life like a game – we are here to play! That means as humans we take on many roles, and of course, sometimes we “lose.” That’s when it is time to step back and look at the Big picture. It helps us understand our own pain and suffering, as well as that of others. When we turn to the Divine to do the heavy lifting, everyone wins!

When other people are suffering, it is not our job to save them. We can help if we want or more importantly, if they ask, but sometimes our help can actually interfere with the natural laws of feedback. Feedback can help prevent problems from re-appearing. Being conscious of how we help is so much more useful in my experience – for both the helped and the helper. Parents learn that it hurts to see a child fall, but the wise parents know that by allowing your child to stumble and learnt o get up, is one of the best things a parent can do for a child.

Here is the podcast I mentioned about “Creating Your Own Reality.”

Watch this BeachWalks.tv episode on the mom who let her young son ride the NY Subway by himself.

I recommend clicking on the 4 arrows in the bottom right corner of the video to watch it full screen.

They pointed the telescope at a place in the sky where “there was nothing,” And they discovered thousands of new galaxies. Reality is not as we “know it.” Anything is possible and the seeds of our creativity are being born as well as planted every moment of every day.

Are you living in the limits and boundaries of last century’s “known world” or are you embracing the knowledge that we are all flecks of God in an existence that reaches far, far beyond any one person’s wildest imagination?

Your problems may feel large (mine woke me up this morning at 5 am!) yet they are just parts of the game, distracting and delighting us simultaneously albeit on different levels of consciousness.

Today go forth, conscious with with causeless bliss and play the game any way you wish!

And if you don’t know about causeless bliss, please read about Divine Openings!

Love, Rox