The power of two, three or more . . .

"The human mind is a form of energy, a part of it being spiritual in nature. When the minds of two people are coordinated in a SPIRIT OF HARMONY, the spiritual units of energy of each mind form an affinity . . . " Napoleon Hill (Think and Grow Rich)

When I was growing up, I remember reading and hearing the following words from the bible: "Where two or more are gathered in my name, there I will be . . . " or something like that. I remember being fascinated by that possibility. It was one of the few things in the bible that I found interesting. In all honesty, I'm not a fan of the book and most of what's written in it. Maybe it's the way it gets interpreted, but any book that blatantly calls for the discrimination of people, isn't at the top of my Book Club Selection list. But, that's for another blog entry at a later date. Returning our attention to those words, I do remember being intrigued by them, especially as a little kid. I remember asking my mom to really explain them to me. What exactly did they mean? Who was present? Jesus? Jehovah? Who!??

I think she said that it was Jesus and maybe a few of the angels or something. Well, I was even more interested in the whole thing. I kept on waving my hands through the air trying to see if I could feel anything. Much to the horror mixed with amusement of my mother. There was something that rang true to me about the statement. I actually felt deep down inside that this was something possible and true. I was too young to really understand it, but most likely, what I felt was the energy that Mr. Napoleon Hill talks about. Whether I agreed with what my mother and the other Jehovah's Witnesses were doing or worshiping, just the fact that they were together and united in one room with the same purpose, this was creating an energy force. In this case, we were dealing with Communist Cuba where my parents and other JWs weren't really allowed to practice their religion in freedom. Therefore, these clandestine gatherings were all they had. It was their only way of communicating and sharing their hopes and beliefs and love for their god. So, yeah, there was definitely an energy in the room and I was definitely tuned in to something going on.

As the years passed and we left Cuba and I became less and less willing to deal with the JWs, I forgot all about this. It wasn't until recently when I read Napoleon Hill's Think and Grow Rich that I remembered those words from the bible. I also remembered that Eckhart Tolle had briefly spoken similar words during the Oprah webinar for A New Earth last year. I think he mentioned that due to the technological advances with the web and Skype, etc., we were all united in sharing the same energy. I'm not sure of his actual words but it was basically this concept of two or more people coming together for the same purpose and what an amazing energy and force it created. I was again extremely intrigued and fascinated by the whole thing.

Can two or more people gathered together for the same purpose or with the same objective in mind, really have some power? Are they generating some energy that only those people at that moment can produce? Hmmmm I've seen what can happen when a mob gets together with the intent to destroy. It does seem like there is an energy that goes from person to person and builds in that kind of situation. But, in a more controlled setting, can healing, supportive, caring, peaceful and loving energy be produced? Is that energy a powerful energy, able to soothe, calm, support or inspire?

I know it is! It's not only possible but in many ways, it's necessary. The need for our coming together as humans has never been greater. I've had many amazing experiences lately when I've been involved in groups of like-minded, beautiful people. I'll share some of these this week. Until then, be aware of what kind of energy you are conjuring the next time you interact with another person. Is it loving, kind, caring, for the greater good?



Peace and Light to you and KEEP DREAMING!

Gene-Manuel

A tree . . . really isn't a "tree" . . .

"When you don't cover up the world with words and labels, a sense of the miraculous returns to your life." ~ Eckhart Tolle from A New Earth

As most of you know, I'm a big fan of Eckhart Tolle's work, especially A New Earth. I've read that book twice now and took part in his Webinar with Oprah last year. The entire book had a huge impact on my life and there are passages from the book and moments from the webinar that are still with me. One of those messages has to do with the subject of labels and words in general. There was a point in the webinar in which Eckhart took a call from a mom in, I believe, Sweden. She was wondering how she could start teaching her son to start understanding about ego and not be become attached to material things and possessions, etc. Eckhart advised her to start getting him in contact with nature and while she was pointing things out to him, such as trees or birds, etc., to say to him, "We call this a tree or we call this a bird." He explained that a tree, really isn't a tree. We don't know what it is. Tree is the word we've assigned to it but in actuality, nobody know what it is. He went on to say the same thing about us. We're not "humans." Human is just a word assigned to our species to be able to identify ourselves.

I swear to you my mouth dropped when I heard this discussion. Up until that point, I had never realized how true this was. Of course a tree isn't a "tree." We are not "humans." We do not know what a tree really is or a bird or a dog for that matter. Our dogs and cats probably look at us and wonder why we keep calling them these words. This really opened up my mind to new ways of thinking and viewing the world around me.

This new way of thinking made one of Eckhart's exercises even easier to do, which was to go out in nature and just . . . be. I remember spending a Sunday afternoon in Central Park with Jhon and attempting to do the exercise. At first it wasn't easy. We are so accustomed to noticing something and immediately knowing what it is. But, the more I spent time not thinking about what I was looking at but instead conjuring up a feeling of wonder and awe, the easier it became. I particularly remember this tall tree that had all these different markings and colors. I walked up to it and just placed my hand upon it and walked around it. I made it a point to not even bring up the word "tree" to mind. This was just some thing that I had stumbled upon. I pretended that I had never seen anything like it before. This experience was nothing short of magic. There was an energy and vibrancy in that moment that I find hard to explain. In fact, this was over a year ago and right now, as I sit here in front of my laptop, if I close my eyes, I can see every single detail of that tree trunk and the surrounding area. By being as present as is conceivable and really placing my attention without judgement or preconceived notions on the object in front of me, everything about that moment just popped. There was energy and life!

Ever since then I make it a point to do that exercise as many times as possible. I've written before about how on my way to catch the bus, I look up at the sky and take in the clouds, etc. I do this exercise and every single day I am in awe because it's always a little different and I'm never sure what I will see. This practice also opens your eyes and mind to the beauty that is always around us. A beauty that we sometimes take for granted because we're so used to it just being there. How many times do you pass by a tree or a garden and not even notice it? Next time, make it a point to stop and just observe the miracle that is before you. Without immediately acknowledging what kind of tree or flower you are looking at, just take it all in. View it as if you are seeing whatever it is for the very first time. Notice how the miraculous and the ethereal in a flower becomes evident. I promise, if you approach this exercise with an open mind and with the sense of wonder of a child, you will reap amazing benefits.

My Flowers (22) by Llima Orosa

You see, there is an even more important reason to do this exercise. Eckhart advises to start in nature because it's so much easier to look at trees or birds or animals and not immediately label them or put them in a specific category. The ultimate goal of this exercise is to then do the same to people. How many times do we encounter others and immediately place them in a certain box in our mind? How does this affect our interactions with each other? How does this affect our relationships with ourselves?

I'll go into this next time. There are valuable lessons to be learned from viewing our fellow human beings as just that, humans . . . being. Everything changes when you can truly understand how we are all ONE. Until next time, go out there and be as present as you can. Be as open and full of wonder and excitement as you can. Look at the world around you as if you were seeing it all for the very first time. Get rid of the names and definitions for things and just observe them. You'll notice how even that annoying fly that sneaked into your apartment can be a mysterious and fascinating thing.

Peace and Light to you and KEEP DREAMING!

Gene-Manuel

In CHANGE there is POWER . . .

"It takes a lot of courage to release the familiar and seemingly secure, to embrace the new. But there is no real security in what is no longer meaningful. There is more security in the adventurous and exciting, for in movement there is life, and in change there is power." ~ Alan Cohen

I recently received a phone call from a good friend of mine, Erica, and since I was rather busy at the time of the call, I let it go to voicemail. Erica left me a very nice message, asking me how I was and hoping that all was well with us. Since Erica is quite funny, I love receiving her messages because the message will undoubtedly make me laugh. At the end of this particular message, Erica wished me what ended up being, much bliss. Erica had a hard time finding the right words since this was sort of new to her. You see, Erica was trying to speak "that crazy, wacko talk" I now have. Those were her words. Meaning, my new-found spirituality and positivity.

Now, I don't want you to think that Erica was trying to be mean or disparaging. There was a lot of love in the message and in her own way, she was trying to acknowledge my new state of "blissfulness" and let me know, she had been paying attention. This was just Erica being Erica and I loved her for that very much. But, I must say that I found the comment interesting. I immediately knew I'd be writing about it and that's always exciting news. With all of the other projects I'm involved with, being inspired to write and making the time to write is sometimes not so easy.

Erica's comment about my "crazy, wacko talk" made me realize how over the last year or so, I have indeed changed from the old me, to this new wacko talking me. How the person that I was several years ago, no longer really exists, but only a minor glimpse of him can be found every now and again when there's a slight glitch in my connection. Like a ghost. It also made me truly see how much happier I am with the me that I've finally let shine through.

This transformation, if you want to call it that, has been a long time coming. I've been attracting all kinds of teachers along the way since my early 20s when a friend and her girlfriend gave me Marianne Williamson's A Return to Love. I read it then and although some of it made sense, I wasn't ready for it. At the time I had issues with the word God and anyone that spoke to much about God, just wasn't for me. I had just escaped from my religious background and I could not get past the G word.

Then a couple of years later, I was introduced to The Magic of Believing in an interview with comedic genius Phyllis Diller. Phyllis was asked about her start in comedy when she was already in her 40s, with five children. She said that she had read a book that had changed her life. That book was The Magic of Believing by Claude M. Bristol. I immediately ran out to get this book which at the time was basically almost out of print. I found a copy and devoured it. Loved it to so much that I photocopied the entire book and gave it to my friends for X-Mas that year. I don't think any of them cared for it but for a brief time, this book had made perfect sense to me. In fact, in hindsight, I've used the principles in that book ever since I read it. Most of the time, I wasn't really aware of it but I know I did. I don't think I was completely ready for what I was learning but what is obvious is that these kinds of teachings have always been around me. I've always been attracted to them and they've always been presented to me in one way or another.

It just took a while for me to really make a connection with it all. For years I think I was afraid to truly believe in anything. I didn't want to be thought of as crazy. I also didn't know who I would become if I stopped being this bitter, sarcastic, people-hating, rage-filled Gene-Manuel. Who would I be? That had been my identity for so long! That's the person I had been hiding behind because it was much easier to complain about life and how much I hated it, than to do something about it and get out of my fucking way. I had also surrounded myself with beautiful people that accepted me as that bitter wise-cracking individual, warts and all. Who would I be in front of my friends? Would they all think I was nuts or even believe me? Would we have anything in common anymore? For a long time I had a fear of letting go of the familiar, of being miserable, for what I thought was only fantasy. There is great comfort in accepting what you think is your toll in life without venturing out and really living.

Once I became aware that I had to change in order to save my life, in order to start enjoying my life, all other concerns paled in comparison. Being stuck in an endless cycle of depression and anger was definitely not a way to live. All of these new ways of thinking that I was attracting, such as The Secret, Abraham-Hicks and Eckhart Tolle, were breaking through that exterior I had created to protect me. Eckart Tolle's writing made me aware of my ego and the part it played in the things I did or did not do. Once you're able to understand how ego can take over your life, then what others think of you becomes less of a concern. People will either accept you or they won't but you can't ever live your life worried about that. And once I became comfortable with who I was becoming, and believe me, I was as surprised at first as anybody, the Universe took care of bringing the right teachers and people into my life that I could connect with. The right books and movies came into my hands. I was more open to the messages. I became more understanding of what I was meant to be doing with my life. I slowly said goodbye to the old Gene-Manuel.

I had a rather interesting dream that was a sort of farewell to him. Luckily, Louise Hay was there to help me do it. In her calm and gentle way, she basically told me that the old me was no longer. He had served a purpose but it was time for me to say Goodbye. I no longer needed to hide behind that facade. It was a beautiful dream that I can still remember vividly. When I awoke, I felt a sense of loss for that old me but a renewed sense of self as well. So many things made sense, not only in regards to my actions in the past but of what I was doing in the now and things to come.

So it's ok if people think I'm talking crazy with all my positive posts, Day-Dreaming Tuesdays, Thank You Universe Rampages and Louise Hay quotes. That is just wonderful! I'll keep doing things this way as long as I feel the connection and keep floating downstream. I thank all of you that have joined me on this journey. All of your encouragement and kind words about what I'm doing now really keeps me in the flow and I am so grateful. Let's continue our wacko talk together! What amazing things we'll be able to create!

Peace and Light to you and KEEP DREAMING!

Gene-Manuel

Inspired Action (1)

One of my most important experiences with Inspired Action happened in the summer of 2008.  I had been looking for a way to meditate and bring some peace into my life. Fresh from reading Eckhart Tolle's A New Earth, I had started the practice of taking a few minutes every day or so to be as still as possible. I also started asking the Universe to help me find some answers. Mainly, I was asking for help. "What am I meant to do here on earth?" "Why am I here?" "What am I DOING HERE?"

Nothing much seemed to happen. Although, I did start to notice I was calmer and peaceful.  But in terms of actual answers, I did not see or get any. Until, one afternoon in July, I clearly received a message, a small nudge. It was in the form of that inner voice that can be heard with such clarity once you learn to block all the noise from the outside world.

In letting in those moments of stillness, I had opened the way for Inspired Action to flow. What was the message? My inner voice told me to go to my nearest arts supply store and buy markers and paper. That was it.

This thought was so clear and made so much sense to me that I didn't question it. It was like "of course I have to go and get supplies! There is nothing strange about that at all?  I have always needed to do this?"

As I walked to the nearest Utrecht, I had no idea what was about to happen to me. How Inspired Action and not questioning but "acting" on it, would change my life.

More to come.

 

 

A boulder in the road . . .

In the wonderful DVD, You Can Heal Your Life, Louise Hay speaks about our spiritual paths and how we never stop learning. How when we start out on our individual journey, at first, there are all these boulders in our path. As we continue the journey, we start getting the boulders out of our way, up to the point where the path is just gravel. She says, "gravel you can handle . . .you can do things. . . and then occasionally, there's an old boulder." And you think, "hmmm, I thought I had taken care of that one" or "I thought I had learned all the lessons this boulder had to teach", "I did this one already." Louise then asks, "Well, how do you know you've done it, (learned the lesson) unless it comes by once more and see how you react? Have you really learned it? Or are you going to go right back to the same old reaction?"

I was speaking to a dear friend today and this topic came up. The one about knowing better, or thinking that the lesson was learned way back in the day, and all of a sudden, you're back to what feels like your old behaviour. That boulder in the road, blocking your progress.

I was recently greeted with a boulder I know well: depression. I thought I had conquered it, done it, lived in, out and through it so many times in the past. I thought that finally, I really had come out the other side. But there it was. Faced with situations that made me feel uncomfortable, helpless and hopeless, I once again felt the grip of depression take hold. Even the things in my life that were bringing me so much joy, such as my art, seemed to lose their power to bring me joy and peace. In fact, a piece I had started prior to this depression bout, has taken me longer than any other piece I've ever done. My heart was just not in it.

But, this time, things were a little different. Although there was the day where all I did was sit in my recliner and play solitaire on my iPhone, I was able to at least for an hour or two, rise above the misery. Even though the next day I cried on and off for two hours before leaving the house, I was able to reach for a better feeling thought and spend a few hours in what I call mind-relief. I was able to focus on something else that wasn't my depressed emotional state. In the past, I would've marinated in the feelings of despair and would've come up with every single reason why I was justfied in feeling this way.

This time around, I was able to face the depression head-on and instead of it blocking my progress on my life journey, I only stayed put for a couple of weeks. And even while I was there, temporarily stuck in the road, I was still able to look around the boulder and see that the path was clear. Behind this boulder of depression, there was only gravel. And, yeah, gravel I can handle.

And you know what, I was also able to appreciate how much I loved and enjoyed my life prior to the depression kicking in. I realized that the only thing that had changed, was the way I was thinking about things. I missed that new me that had emerged from the years of self-inflicted pain, despair, anger and rage.

As it turns out, I guess I have been paying attention. All the wonderful teachers that I've attracted to me, and their words of wisdom and hope, had given me something I lacked before. Eckhart Tolle taught me to be as present as possible. Byron Katie's work allowed me to do The Work on the issues that were causing me such pain and rage and suffering. The messages and rampages of Abraham-Hicks were a blessing and a comfort. Every now and again I would hear Wayne Dyer's voice in my head, reminding me that by changing my thoughts, I could change my life.

I'm happy to say that I was able to slowly and carefully remove that boulder from my path. It has rolled to the side of road and although I hope I don't have to meet with it again, I feel pretty confident that I'll able able to handle it if I do. It just takes a constant awareness of what I'm feeling and what thoughts I'm focusing on. I can't always control the things around me, but I do have the power to control how I react to them. And, really, I feel it all boils down to trusting that the Universe is always looking out for me. If deep in my core I know that I'm being taken care of by an all-loving, peaceful and generous Universe, then I've got nothing to worry about.

Until next time.

Peace and Light and keep dreaming,

Gene-Manuel