Taking ACTION by doing almost NOTHING . . .

All know the way; few actually walk it. ~Bodhidharma

Action. Taking action. This week, we are focusing on taking actions towards the manifestation of our dreams. This is something that scares many people. And, you know, at first glance, it can be a really scary thing. Somehow, when you put together the words action and dreams, people freak out. I think it's because our minds make it a much bigger deal than it really is. Those that are working horrible, life-sucking jobs think taking action means quitting their jobs and jumping headfirst into poverty all for the sake of dream fulfillment. Other people aren't quite sure what they want or if they even have any dreams they'd like to fulfill. So, they think that since they don't know what they want or what their dreams are, they can't really take any action.

Well, I'm here to share my experience with uniting those two words, action and dreams, and surviving . . . thriving! I can promise you that it's not as scary as it seems and if you just trust the Universe and most importantly BELIEVE that you will be alright, no matter what, the action part of the equation will literally take care of itself. At least the big actions, the physical ones where you actually have to move and do things.

As the quote above says, we all know the way. I say this all the time, we all have the answers we seek. And, the first step in taking some action towards fulfilling our dreams is to actually do very little at all, at least physically. I'm talking about meditation of course. This is the first thing I tell someone that seems to be having a hard time dealing with life or not sure of what they are doing. Like I said, we have the answers inside, the way to get to them is by listening to the stillness within.

This is an action step of the spiritual kind. And I think one of the most valuable ones on the road to manifestation. Again, some people just don't get the whole meditation thing. They can't quiet their minds. They can't sit still. They can't keep thoughts from popping up every single minute. It seems impossible to be able to get any answers when all they keep hearing is the melody to Gaga's "Pokerface." I personally don't accept any of these as excuses to not meditate. As with anything else that might tackle in this life, the more you do it, the easier it gets. And, I'm one for doing away with rules for just about everything and meditation isn't spared.

The goal is to have what Abraham calls, pure positive thought. They believe it's easier to teach us to meditate than to have just pure positive thought. And, I believe they are right. But, on the way to pure positive thought, which can be achieved via a great meditation practice, feel free to try other meditative practices.

For example, although I do meditate and love my meditation practices, my biggest form of meditation is my art. When I am working on my art, I am taking part in almost 100% pure positive thought. Why? Because I love it! I can do it all day and night if I could get away without sleeping. When I am creating a piece of art, my mind is so focused on the work and I am in such a state of JOY that hardly a thought enters it. What does that remind you of? Meditation! By doing what I love, I am connected to the creative power of this Universe and nothing of a negative nature can be attracted to me at that moment. Hence the reason I am in BLISS. I am able to reach pure positive thought and in a sense practice hours of meditation while I am doing my art.

So, if meditation scares you and quieting your mind seems like an insurmountable feat, I urge you to do something you love doing for at least 10 minutes a day. Find something that will help you focus and be able to rest your mind, quiet those thoughts. Listen to some music and make it your intention to just concentrate on the music itself, on every single note of the song. Paint, draw, sing, go for a walk in the park . . . do whatever it takes to get you as close as possible to having pure positive thoughts. This is an important and life-changing step on the road to your dreams. Believe. Listen. Allow.

Peace and Light to you and KEEP DREAMING!

Gene-Manuel

Inspired Action (2)

When I paid attention and listened to that inner voice (Inspired Action) that told me to go to the arts supply store and buy markers and paper, I had no idea what was about to happen. I bought an 11" x 14" pad of paper and a small supply of markers. I didn't know what I was doing or buying, but it all felt right.

As soon as I had the markers and the paper in front of me, and I was alone, I suddenly got this flashing vision of a leaf that I knew I had to draw. The need to draw this leaf was so strong, that for the next two hours, that's all I did. I drew this big, red leaf, with small dots and little details. After stopping, I realized two hours had passed but it had felt to me like a few minutes. A few precious minutes of bliss. For those two hours I had not thought about anything else but the leaf that was appearing in front of me. For two hours I did not think about any of the usual problems that would creep into my head. For two beautiful hours, I felt as if I had entered the Silent Mind I had heard so much about.

That's when I knew that I wanted to do this drawing thing more often. From this day on, every single free moment I had, I spent drawing. After the red leaf was finished, a blue candle kept popping into view until I had it in front of me on paper. This drawing showed the beginning of my use of symbols. One thing led to another and before I knew it, I had about 8 pieces ranging from Native American symbols to Egyptian hieroglyphs. I could not stop. As if I were possessed, I would walk into my apartment and immediately go to my drawings and start working. I would be in the middle of a sentence and as if in a trance, I'd stop talking and start drawing.

One day, I was compelled to investigate whirling dervishes. I suddenly remembered Kate Bush using whirling dervishes in many of her videos, especially the one for "Love and Anger," which I immediately searched for on YouTube. Something in their whirling made me want to know more about them. I ran to Google and was treated to an instant course in the history and images of whirling dervishes. After some time, the image of a whirling dervish in the Sema came alive on the page before me. Again, I was struck by how natural this felt to me. How creating this image was something I knew I had to do. "The Whirling" was the first of many whirling dervishes that I have had the honor of creating.

I have let Inspired Action guide me through this new-found passion and it has not led me astray. I am on an incredible journey that has brought such peace and tranquility and JOY into my life that is hard to describe. I learn from every single piece of I art I create. Every image, whether it is a whirling dervish or Buddha, a Tree of Life or a lotus flower, brings with it a message. I am humbled and consider myself one of the happiest people on this beautiful planet Earth every single time I get to sit down and create something on paper.

Always listen to that voice inside that is telling you what to do. Call it Inspired Action, Divine Intervention, gut feeling, the Universal voice, God, whatever feels right to you. You know what I am talking about because we all have it. Listen to it because it will never guide you wrong. If I would've ignored that voice that told me to go and spend money I really didn't have on art supplies that I had never bought in my life, who knows if I would be doing the art that I'm doing now? Although I have a strong feeling that I would've somehow ended up doing this anyway, it might have taken alot longer. But, by listening and not second-guessing myself, and trusting, I now create art that brings a never-ending supply of joy not only to me but to many others. I finally got the answer to those questions, "What am I doing here?" "What is my purpose?"

The answers we sometimes look for outside of us and in "things" are, most of the time, right in front of us. We have those answers and if we only make the room in our lives for them to come forth, by meditating, spending a quiet moment or two during the day contemplating all of the wonderful possibilities in life, they will come through. Like Eckhart says, "Stillness Speaks."

Peace and Light and KEEP DREAMING,

Gene-Manuel