Everyman's Journal 2011, #36

© 2011 Rev. David Seacord

Feb. 20

Yesterday one of my wins was just accepting without resistance another persons "No", as I spent a good part of a carbon-footprint-creating day driving from place to place, looking for possible flyer posting sites (like bulletin boards... to post the flyer I've made about Loren's CREATING PERFECT HEALTH seminar, flyers which lead the reader to www.creatingperfecthealthyuma.wordpress.com). It challenges me when I am convinced my intentions and motives are altruistic and noble to have the world say no to me, but I also understand the best way to deal with it is to not 'take it personally' (which is one of the 'four agreements). But, since my approach in that instance had been unsuccessful, at the next place that I needed permission to post, I altered it. It was almost like I was in a 'practicum lab' --like being sent out of the theory lectures on being effective-- into the world to practice the techniques. So the next time I took a moment to say something complimentary to the lady behind the desk and then was measuredly humble when making the request. I got an affirmative permissive response that time. So that's how I played the game for the rest of the day.

In my previous (mostly Landmark Education) theory classes on being powerful and effective in the world, it is made clear that our most powerful ally is the quality of our ability to be.... to be with what is happening, to be present with other people, to be with ourself. As Landmark markets itself into the corporate world as an education that produces an edge, or advantage, in the game of living a power life, I have often been sad inside myself that the spiritual principles that I recognize that they are installing in their classrooms are not openly acknowledged as what they are... but all that is lawful. It's like a 'bingo' I had a while back--- to see that the real challenge to my Peace is: If God allows it, can I?

So, people are allowed to say no and I get to practice accepting their no, OR being with myself being upset about their no. The win yesterday was I chose not to choose being upset... to just not go there. As in, why waste the energy.... there is clearly more important work to do.

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The real inquiry of the day was larger.... and a part of the continual preparation for non-existence. The other day I was checking the weather on the National Weather Service site and a little sentence caught my eye... it was about a solar flare/ sunspot eruption that was having an effect on the telecommunications systems on earth. I clicked a link, then another, and suddenly I was looking at a temperature-gradiated image of the suns surface. There it was, like I was out in space somewhere next to it, glowing like a ball of lava, in some places quite dark and cool, in other places erupting and white-light hot. Something shifted in me profoundly as I contemplated this new perspective on my earth's sun.... the sun my life was ultimately dependent on. I awoke to the reality of my place in life in a completely new way. It's hard to describe using any language I currently know... but I know I set down more than a few illusions in that eyes-open meditation. Intellectually knowing the sun would die, intellectually knowing I am on a spaceship dependent on that sun had not prepared me for that image. Carlos Castenada's books often had talked about the sorcerers way was to walk through life with death on his left shoulder. That what I got... the sun as same same... same as me... mortal yet immortal, wise in the heart but so often blindly ignorant in the mind, and alive beyond physical realities.

Anyway, it loosened the grip of the worlds appearance of solidness for a bit, and crosswired a few neurons. All part of this artist's path through this life.

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Time to let thinking slow to a more quiet knowing. May we all meet there.

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Namaste,

David