conscious living

8 posts

Eating Grapes and Living Life

I invite you to share my breakfast adventure as I discover an additionally stepping stone to conscious living. Grapes are great! I should have a t-shirt printed with this statement 😊. Eating grapes is a daily delight for me, either fresh or as raisins. But, not necessarily as wine 😉. Do you like grapes? You might wish to grab a few grapes to eat as I share an experience this morning from my kitchen. Are you aware that white grapes are easier than red to pick and clean? The red grape stubbornly hangs on the plant stem during picking and also when you clean it.

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Imagine, if you will, your eagerness to eat some grapes, perhaps with yogurt, cereal or honey. However, it is best to wash the grapes before eating them. Not a problem. Right? Well, this experience, as with all life experiences, offers us a lesson in conscious living. And, this became evident to me as I washed and removed the grape stems this morning. I choose red grapes today for my eating delight at breakfast. Consequently, as mentioned above, the red grapes held firmly attached to the stems. But, I was eager to eat. Continue reading →

A Peaceful Easy Feeling Is Your Choice

What is at the top of your list of wishes? Not all, but most people will say that they desire peace and blissfulness every day. Nevertheless, these same individuals then say that a peaceful easy feeling is an impossible dream. Really? Why is harmony and balance difficult to experience? You are the only obstacle that prevents happiness and calmness. I realize that it is difficult to take responsibility for your unhappiness and suffering. It is much easier to point the finger at someone or something. Nevertheless, such unconscious behavior is fuel for a conditioned mind. And, your choice during any situation determines how you live life.

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What daily practice can you use to become the active observer of your life experience? Firstly, accept everything. Sound impossible? Okay, the mind has taught you to deny and question almost everything you experience. But, must you behave in such a manner simply because the mind tells you? No, definitely not. Furthermore, acceptance is the easiest step to reaching a peaceful easy feeling in any situation. Trust me, there was a time when I also could not accept many situations. This contaminated my experience of life. Oh my, yes, it was so easy to avoid the responsibility for my state of presence. Everyone and everything were responsible for my uneasiness and anxiety. It seems very surreal in hindsight. Continue reading →

Reach Out and Consciously Touch Someone

Does this statement sound impossible? The mind will tell you yes. But, please don’t believe everything the mind tells you. And, never take the mind too seriously. So, can you consciously reach out to someone and unite? Yes, you can. Furthermore, this happens every moment. And, yes consciousness connects you with everything. So, it is obvious that consciousness is not something that is here and then fades away. This reference suggests that consciousness is not similar to a temporary thought or emotion that comes and goes. Instead, consciousness manifests through your state of active awareness to it. Energy is the basis of this flowing process. This energy is ongoing. And, vibrates beyond the limitations of mind, space and time.

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Therefore, you always share a conscious bond with everything. Similarly, this vibrating dimension is always there, whether you are aware of it or not. Furthermore, your level of aware presence can influence the flow of this energy. Unite with this energy. And, just let it continue to flow. Acknowledge this flow and the result is an exponential expansion of pure awareness. Thus, you literally reach out and unite with the part of you that is within everything. Continue reading →

Do You Ride Shotgun on the Path of Life?

The mind is often a vicious driver. Equally, the mind occupies itself with getting from point A to point B. And, the mind doesn’t smell the flowers along the way. Everyone enjoys a good old-fashion western movie. So, you have probably heard and use the term ride shotgun. This expression offers us a useful analogy, beneficial in the process of conscious awakening. A thinking mind is a necessary tool for survival. Yes, this is an accurate statement. But, the mind is most efficient when you consciously observe its behavior and interaction accordingly with life and living. Let’s recap the role of a person riding shotgun and how this parallels conscious living.

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Contrary to our behavior, riding in the front passenger seat is a responsibility and not a privilege. Still, you see modern movies that depict people wanting the front seat. They call out shotgun indicating their wish to ride next to the driver during a road trip. Commonly, this behavior results from our want and need to feel important or special. But, riding shotgun has nothing to do with either. Let’s illustrate this role as depicted in western stories/movies. The responsibility of this person was to watch over the driver and passengers from any interference, both internally or externally. This suggest having a keen eye and always observing everything in a state of active awareness. Continue reading →

Feather Floating Free Just Like You

Many people may be familiar with the feather at the beginning and end of the movie Forrest Gump. A reference made at the end of the movie suggests that we live life like a feather in the wind. How accurate is this analogy?

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We use the term destiny or fate to describe the unfolding of events in our existence. However, this is different than observing life as a whole. A feather floats back and forth in the wind. Is this its fate in life or is it simply going with the flow as the wind blows? The latter is more likely true.

Now ask yourself this same question. Should we label everything that happens to us as fate? And, do thoughts, people and basically everything blow us back and forth in the dimension of life? Which is it? However, the first question is difficult to determine accurately. Is it one or the other, or both? Let’s simply say that it is neither.

Is there really such a phenomenon as fate? You can label how you decide to observe life as fate, if you wish. So, does the mind, other people and situations manipulate how you live? If yes, then you allow this to happen. Either unknowingly or knowingly. Do you wish for clarity and enlightenment? If yes, then you must look within yourself and observe the mind, from outside of the mind. It is possible. And, easier than you think. No pun intended by using the word think. Nevertheless, please don’t accept the mind’s interpretations of life and how you should live. Instead “be” life. And, live in the acknowledgement that you influence the flow of life. After all, your true essence is within everything you experience.

Continue reading →

Booklet on Conscious Living

My hope and wish are that you are well and experiencing a nice day. I will soon publish a booklet. The book offers guidelines that serve as stepping stones during your awakening to consciousness.

The booklet shares insight that can be useful as a daily reminder for you. Your life experience is changing from mind to consciousness. This book can help you to focus on this awakening process. And, it will surprise you to experience shorter and shorter intervals between moments of awakened consciousness.

Simply said, you can use one booklet paragraph a day as a conscious awakening focus point. Accordingly, you can apply the insight to any given situation when you are actively aware of your state of being. Continue reading →

Disappointment Is Just Around the Corner

Most people experience disappointment. But, have you ever asked yourself why? I am not referring to you wanting a Mercedes, but instead getting a Volkswagen. Expectations and attachment cause dissatisfaction. So, ask yourself. Do I expect something? If yes, what is it? If so, why the attachment to my expectancy? And lastly, what happens if I don’t get what I want?

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It is beneficial to consciously observe the mind when you ask these questions. You should not base the answers on the thoughts or feelings about what you want. Otherwise, you experience disappointment again and again. Is long-term mind satisfaction possible? No, only in intervals and for a short time. We are notorious for finding reasons to complain and be unhappy. Let’s call this behavior a paradise complexity. We expect a perfect paradise, without cares, worries, hurt, or fear. Furthermore, this expectancy dates back to the dawn of modern humankind. Continue reading →

Equanimity: A Helpful Stepping Stone in Life

What is equanimity? This word has many interpretations. This is true for all words. However, conscious enlightenment is beyond words, thoughts, and the mind. Therefore, I ask that you practice understanding without defining. Please exercise knowing without needing to clarify. Why do I ask this of you? Because you hold universal intelligence within your grasp as the essence of your being. Anything that we use is merely a stepping stone back to the totality of our being. We are always on this path. Lao Tzu expresses The Way of life in the “Tao Te Ching”.

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So, we can say that the stepping stones are The Way. Then why does it seem so difficult, even impossible, to experience the enlightenment of our true nature? This is because we usually are not aware of the path markers along the way. A diversity of conditioned mind thoughts, feelings and behavior cause us to overlook the obvious. We actually choose to blindly walk the path of life. We unconsciously take each step because we don’t truly observe The Way. Still, and foremost, this unconscious state of living is irrelevant once we awaken to The Way in life. The moment will come when a person will know without needing to know why he or she knows. Continue reading →