Life Trove

1 January 1991

A Vision of Power and Glory (John Kehoe)

Chapter 1. The Beginning
The spiritual path is not about religions or dogma. It is not about finding the one true way. It is simply the wonder of our own beauty being revealed to ourselves. Of discovering inner sources of power and guidance, and following the path our hearts show us. It is about opening ourselves up to the amazing possibilities that life affords us. For there is more here than we can possibly imagine and all will be greatly rewarded who venture within.

Chapter 2. The Vision
Ours is a great, holy, wondrous and noble race. All power is given to us. This truth is encoded deep within us for each of us to discover. We are kings and queens with cosmic, royal bloodlines. We have been born with great destinies to fulfil. Our kingdom stretches as far as mortal eyes can see. It contains mountains and oceans and great forests and the stars and the sun and moon. It contains inner worlds where mystics and shamans have travelled and brought back tales of wonder. We are greater than our thoughts can imagine and more beautiful than anything our eyes can behold. But woe are we. For ours is a kingdom in disarray. A spell has been cast and our race, in mortal sleep, knows not its truth. We have been tricked into believing a lie and we are paying greatly for it. It has hardened our hearts, dimmed our senses and made us into something we do not understand.

Chapter 3. Honouring the Ancestors
Christ died for my sins. Buddha became enlightened so I, too, could become enlightened. Black Elk had visions so I could share his visions. We are all one tribe. We who live today receive the benefit of every spiritual act from every person who has ever lived. The river of consciousness flows through the minds of all, past and present. It is through this river that we lift each other up through acts of the spirit like kindness and prayer. We are all joined. Within our consciousness is contained the wisdom of the ancestors, learned on their own explorations. They have left beacons for us to follow home. We honour the ancestors by studying the paths they walked. Their truths exist not only in books and oral traditions, but also in our consciousness. They will speak in dreams and symbols. Within us all truth is alive, waiting for us to discover. The ancestors can help me discover a path that speaks to my heart. I will follow this path with all my being. We who are alive are the new torchbearers. I will find my sacred song and sing its truth. By kindling my flame, I become a flame of the Great Mystery.

Chapter 4. The First Gate
We live in a trance - overwhelmed by our never-ending thoughts - desires, worries, fears, regrets and hopes. They distract our attention constantly. We perceive our world not directly but through these images. We live in a cocoon of our own making. How to break out into the realm beyond? I can let go of my mind and sink below the surface of my consciousness. Searching with the mind is like swimming on the surface - swim the whole ocean and I will find nothing. I sink to the place of stillness within. I bathe in the Holy Presence. With practice, this inner sanctuary becomes a refuge within my busy world. I feel at peace. From here the inner presence nourishes me with living waters. From here my prayers carry much power. From here the voice speaks to me sweetly. Helps me in my day-to-day affairs. Tells me truths long forgotten by my race.

Chapter 5. The Book of Law
The Book of Law falls open. Its pages are empty. "What is real?” asks the voice of Truth to the spirits of all who have lived. Like the sound of a raging river, I hear the voices of millions, each proclaiming their truth - all different with many contradictions. Silence fills the air and there is great expectation: "As thou hast believed, so it is true. Whatever you believe within, that you will see without. All power belongs to those who believe."

Chapter 6. The Temple Within
Tarry not, your temple is in disarray. There is work to be done. A new temple must be built. I will show you what to do. A complete restructuring of my belief system is required. I am called to build a temple with new, more powerful spiritual beliefs. My old, limiting beliefs must be changed. Every belief I possess about myself and my world must be re-examined in this new light. Will it strengthen the temple? Empower me? Awaken within me my sacred song? Assist me on my path? All the beliefs that fail must be halved and quartered by the Warrior. "Do you serve my master?" Through countless generations of neglect, the stream of consciousness of our race has been polluted by fear, doubt and weakness. Like leeches, they suck the life force from us. Blind us from our true power and glory. Deceiver. You belong not in my temple. I am prepared to deny my reality. Turn heaven and earth upside down. I need not accept what others have previously accepted. My temple will be a strong vessel, able to withstand the most vigorous journeys, for I intend to explore vigorously through unknown waters both within and without. Great and noble are the destinies of those who dare to follow this path

Chapter 7. Building the Temple
In building my temple, I draw from many sources. I drink deeply from the well of my ancestors. I choose the finest beliefs I can find. Beliefs that speak to my heart. I feel no restraint in borrowing, adding or deleting from one system to the next. Do I believe it? It doesn't matter! Do I choose to believe it! My beliefs are chosen from within, not imposed from without. Daily, like eating and bathing, I focus and meditate upon the things I wish to believe. Imagine them to be true. And use simple affirmations. To imprint these onto my consciousness in much the same way as the times table. I know that any thought or concept which is fed and nourished through repetition will take hold within me. "Think not of results, just do." So said a Russian mystic. I labour to claim this reality. Until my beliefs become a living, flaming reality. Remember, this is not a path for the sluggard. Much is required before anything is gained. But I persist because there is no way for the temple to built but for one stone upon another

Chapter 8. Coming home
I see myself just as I am. I have spent my life trying to be something else. To be more successful, better looking, smarter. I let go of that. I pull up a chair and get acquainted with the me that exists right now. I am enough! I am beautiful as I am. This is a wonderful and courageous step. Knowing and accepting myself without illusion takes a big burden off my shoulders. I can relax and enjoy myself. I become more tolerant of myself and others. I am able to delight in uniqueness. I come home to life as well. Things are what they are. I let go and allow life to just happen, instead of trying to orchestrate it. I appreciate everything just for what it is. I've tried to make believe life is something it is not - some utopia where every dream is fulfilled. Life is happy and sad. Life is joy and grief. Life is health and sickness. Life is excitement and boredom. Life is having friends and being lonely. Life is achieving your goals and failing at your goals. Life is being confused and being sure. Life is what it is and if I look at it beyond my illusion of what I think it should be, I find within its diversity, tremendous beauty and goodness. Friendship, a brilliant blue sky, making love, sunsets, acts of kindness, the beach, trees, a good movie, delicious food, a hot bath, beautiful music. Maybe there's no caviar but there's always a hot bowl of soup and it will nourish me. I let go of any bitterness, disappointment, anxiety or frustration and let the sun warm my bones. Wake up! Life is spilling out abundantly. Come home and enjoy it.

Chapter 9. Carry thyself with dignity
Behold thyself in glory. Love thyself as I love you. In this way you honour me. It is my duty to love myself deeply, totally, unconditionally. To see my dignity and nobility. To see myself as something of great worth. To do less is to deny the task for which I was born. Look at the flowering tree. I do not examine its flaws - this flower is beautiful, this one so-so. I appreciate it for what it is. Am I less than this tree? What is this neurotic self-examination that makes me feel ashamed, not good enough, unworthy, inferior. Am I not as beautiful as any star in the galaxy? As unique as a storm? As brilliant and radiant as the dawn of a new day? Of course I am! I am beautiful, special and unique. I see it clearly, not with intellect or reason but with depth and assurance. Is that the tree smiling back at me as if to say "What took you so long?" Have I been initiated into a secret?

Chapter 10. Bind thy wounds
If you have no scars, no bitter regrets or humiliating failures, then what kind of life have you been living? You are not of my tribe and belong not at my table. I sup with those whose battle scars cover their bodies and am proud to have lived gloriously through all that life has offered. Those that have bound their wounds and moved on. Life is an epic odyssey. Battles won and lost. Opportunities missed and seized. Fortune and misfortune both ours to experience. But what of my faults and inadequacies? I resolve to love them as part of who I am. I am beautiful because of them. They are part of my uniqueness, like markings on a wild animal. They give me flavour. Make me real. Wounds heal when I forgive myself and others for our humanness. I allow myself and others to make mistakes, miss opportunities, and make foolish decisions. I recognise and accept my vulnerability and fragility. My quirks and idiosyncrasies - all part of who I am. I am beautiful and special because of my humanness - in fact, this is where my true beauty lies. I do not complain each time I am wounded. I see the gifts that wounds bring. They spur me, change me, and give me compassion. And besides, wounds heal.

Chapter 11. And if the wounds cannot be bound
And if the wounds cannot be bound - bleed, bleed for me. For this, too, is holy. If the wound will not heal, then let it soak the earth in its pain and sorrow. Let your pain become an offering, a cleansing. Offer it joyously. Everyone must at one time or another carry a burden. No one is immune. It is the law of our being. And some carry greater burdens than others - this too is law. Ours is not to understand but to walk the path we find ourselves upon. If we have done everything we can - prayed for guidance, listened sincerely and followed - purified ourselves of self pity, depression, anger and resentment - and our path leads further into the valley of sorrow, then lift the cup to your lips and drink. "Not my will but thine." Venture ahead fearlessly, knowing there are gifts and treasures on this path too. We feel the suffering of others deep within us. We see thousands worse off than ourselves. We see we are blessed. I see the world anew through my pain. Released from self-absorption, simple things bless me deeply. I wonder why I ever worried about such trivial things in the past. But if the unhealed wound is tainted with bitterness and pity, then indeed we walk through the path of hell and all beautiful things are hidden from us. But always there is a way out, and always the path is through ourselves. Great is the mystery that shows us the path to the light

Chapter 12. Judge thyself not
The Great Mystery never judges me. It supports, nourishes, loves and accepts me totally. And it encourages me to do the same. "Love thyself as I love you." And it is not just me that the Great Mystery loves. It comforts everyone, even the most wicked. Such is its love. None will be punished except those who punish themselves. All is forgiven when you forgive yourself. One thing only is asked of us: that we love and accept ourselves as the universe has loved and accepted us. That is all. I resolve to renounce all guilt and remorse for all mistakes, past and future. I do my best. No more is asked. Sometimes I will make bad decisions. Sometimes consequences will result which will hurt others. I am human. But I will not pay too much heed to these things. I will offer a silent prayer and move on. There is no point in regret or self-recrimination. For no matter how dire the consequences I imagine, the sun will still shine. Rivers will still run. The tree will produce fruit. The ocean tides will ebb. When I allow myself to be human and let go of my harsh judgements, I flower and bloom. My eyes are opened to my worth. Talents and gifts I never knew I had, begin to reveal themselves. Every part of me bathes in the warm glow of love and acceptance. Strengths, abilities, weaknesses and inadequacies. All things become new. No regret or shame. A life nourished from within. As the day accepts the sun and the night accepts the moon, so I accept myself. And so I become complete and whole.

Chapter 13. Prayer
The spiritual path is a path of prayer. Prayer is food for the soul and the universe. Prayer connects us, humbles us, strengthens us, enlightens us and makes us one with the Great Mystery.

The Prayer of the Holy Presence. A prayer of moment-to-moment worship with the Great Mystery. One needs to spend time with the Holy One. Like any relationship, it must be built and nurtured. It needs familiarity. Trust. Quiet, special time together. This goes beyond thoughts and concepts. Losing oneself in the presence. Letting anxieties and concerns melt away as I am transcended and uplifted.

Prayer of Praise and Gratitude. The more I thank and praise, the more beauty I perceive. As if praise washes and cleanses my eyes so more is revealed. This prayer is a door into the path of beauty.

Prayer of Love and Acceptance. I start with myself. I love and accept myself totally, for I know that until I can do this, I cannot truly love another, not even the Great Mystery. When I put myself down, I ridicule the work of the Great Mystery. Next I accept and love my fellow brothers and sisters - even (especially) those most annoying and repugnant to me. How deep is our love if we cannot love the violator as well as the violated? Do not both urgently need love and healing? There is no enemy, there is only ignorance. There is no one to hate, only many to love. Does the Great Mystery love this person? Always the answer is yes. Should I do less? Then I love and accept my life, imperfect as it may be. For it is the one I have been given. My life is sacred, special and holy. It is a great honour to have this experience of life. And finally, I love and accept the Great Mystery.

The Prayer of Request. An important and relevant prayer. It is the Father's good pleasure to give me the things I desire. "Whatsoever ye pray for and ask for, believing ye have received it, ye will receive it." When I want the Great Mystery to bring something into my life, I create that image in my mind. I spend time each day claiming it as mine already. I do not hope or plead. I simply create the images in my mind and live the experience of having it - with feeling and intensity for several moments at a time. Believe that it has already happened. Then I just let go of it. Let the Great Mystery work with these images. The power at work here is greater than my understanding.

Chapter 14. Fire Keeping
Deep within each of us is a flame that burns, and that flame is the spark of the Holy One. In some it burns strongly, in others it is barely distinguishable, but always it is there. With love and acceptance this flame grows. We can help others to kindle this flame by seeing the good in them, even if they do not see it in themselves. These are the fire keepers and great is their calling. Great is their glory.

Chapter 15. The Darkness
You must rededicate and redevote yourself again and again after the inevitable lapses and periods of dullness and inactivity. You will fail again and again. You will stumble and fall hundreds, even thousands of times. Before any real growth and stability appears you will despair, lose faith, get discouraged, doubt, feel sorry for yourself, and wonder if anything will happen. Does this mean you have lost your path? No, not at all - this IS the path. A Spiritual Journal can help to chart our progress (attempts, half starts, periods of activity and slackness) and discover ebbs and flows. Understand that there is an ebb and a flow of consciousness. The inner journey flows with tides just as real as the oceans. The Holy Spirit will fill me and I will live in full and dazzling awareness of its existence. Then just as unexpectedly, the awareness will leave. To suddenly return again. I know and understand the tides. When the darkness comes, I have a lamp and oil and wait for the light to return. I am at peace in the dark, having sailed these waters before. Spiritual practices during the darkness are necessary parts of the path and they strengthen our inner being immensely. If I wish to venture into deep waters, then I must learn to swim, not just with the current, but against the tide as well. This is not a journey for the timid or frail. So have an infinite amount of compassion for yourself. Pick yourself up again and again. Everything is as it should be.

Chapter 16. Details
Cooking, paying bills, going to bed, talking to a friend on the phone, going to the store, ironing a shirt. A life is full of details. Mundane details. Yet it is in these details that the fabric of life is revealed. The fabric a whole and yet each thread a part of the whole. I love and rejoice in the parts because I love the whole. Brother Lawrence, the Christian Mystic who attained his spirituality through devotion to his duties as a cook in the monastery, said, "God does not measure the size of a deed but the amount of love that goes in it." His every act was a prayer. Nothing is ordinary unless the most beautiful gem is ordinary. Unless the brilliant colours of the sunset are ordinary. Must every star be the brightest? Every flower, the most beautiful? If so, where is the contrast, the divergence of hues? A bird, a stone, the wind, the human being-each of us has our own reality, yet we are all one family. Each living and non-living thing is intimately connected with each other thing. Each has its own song to sing. Each fulfils a purpose. Everything has a destiny. Everything is part of the tapestry. Every movement we make, no matter how insignificant we think it is, is a tiny thread of the whole. Each of us participates in our own way. Each of us adds to the tapestry. Each of us weaves. Together with the sun and moon and every living thing, we make the patterns, and so the Mystery unfolds.

Chapter 17. The Awakened Heart
The awakened heart exists in one whose boundaries between self and others have been expanded. My heart expands to embrace others. And so I help because I want to. To lend a hand, an ear, give some time, concern, money - whatever seems appropriate. As I lose myself momentarily in service to others, I am nourished and find a nurturing inner peace. I let my heart breathe and beat for more than just myself. I become the vehicle through which the Great Mystery showers gifts upon others, because so many gifts have been showered upon me. I need not join any organisation, just follow my heart and do good. One step at a time. The heart opens slowly and sweetly like a flower emerging from a tight, hard bud. Sometimes when I practice service, I do it as an act of worship. I lose myself in worship of the GM. "As ye have done to the least of my brethren ye have done unto me." Every act of kindness becomes a prayer. Whatever good I do, I do not expect any praise or benefit. I am only a warrior serving my king. When I strive, I feel anxious, not in tune. When I let go, do what I am called to do and allow things to be what they are, I feel empowered, free, and alive. Sometimes I am called to action. Sometimes I am not. Not all crosses are mine to bear. I have not come to save the world and solve every social problem. It is enough to save myself and maybe make a good hot cup of tea for my fellow brothers and sisters along the way. Anything more is folly and conceit. I embrace action but renounce striving. I will do my best and let the universe take care of the rest. I can of myself do nothing unless the GM works through me. The GM has within it rhythms and cycles beyond what any of us can understand. The tides ebb and flow. The moon grows full and wanes. So it is with the affairs of men and nations. I allow these things to be and simply follow my heart wherever it leads me. I am never called to strive or worry or concern myself with consequence. A greater one than me looks after these things. I am the branch and the GM is the tree. I am a vehicle by which the source nourishes and spills out abundantly to its people.

Chapter 18. The Warrior and the Sacred Song
Each of us has a gift, a talent to give back to the world. It may be small or large, it does not matter. The sacred song is our own unique gift, our purpose, and each of us was born to discover and share it with the world. The sacred song can only be brought to life when the awakened heart weds the warrior's spirit. Only we can sing our sacred song. If we do not awaken it, it is lost to the world forever. We need the warrior's spirit within us. The world cries out for warriors. Gentle, kind and loving. But warriors nonetheless. Men and women who are not afraid to follow their vision. To be different. To risk all for the sake of something great. And to do this takes immense bravery. Brave, not through arrogance, but through humility and trust. The warrior approaches each task with a quiet confidence. Confidence because the voice within is an ally: it guides and directs him. Confidence because the power of the whole universe will come to his aid if he is rightfully aligned. Is this a sacred task? Will it nourish the people? The warrior goes into battle well prepared. His armour is his beliefs. Powerful beliefs about himself and his relationship to the GM, created through discipline and training. And in his right hand is a sword unsheathed - dynamic will, fulfilling the vision of the inner voice. For the warrior fights not just for himself, but also for the greatest good of all. He fights to birth the vision and he fights to win. It is his duty to win. The warrior knows the trickery of the enemy. The power of laziness, fear, doubt, confusion, feelings of inadequacy and a host of other demons to which the polluted waters of our race have given birth. He knows these enemies must be defeated. He stalks them with ingenuity and cunning. Gets to know their ways and habits and then quietly but effectively surmounts them one by one. True warriorship will take place within us when we shed our weakness and awaken to the act that we come from a long lineage of great ones, and we agree to take our place amongst them. We are the carriers of the torch of consciousness. We are creators of the future. The warrior's spirit exists in one who has dedicated himself to the path. The spirit of the warrior is one of resolve and determination. It drives through and over all obstacles. It is a commitment to follow the vision whatever the vision may be and wherever it may lead. To be genuine in each moment of our life. To be honest with ourselves. To respect the path we have chosen and follow it through to completion. This is how the sacred song is birthed. How our destinies are fulfilled. Each of us adding in our own way. Each of us an integral part of the whole. Each of us the Mystery unfolding.

Chapter 19. The Path of Power
Come let us tap into a source of power infinitely more reliable than any you have known before. All power comes from the GM. To walk the path of power, this truth must be as real to us as the sun at noon. It is possible to draw to ourselves whatever we desire. It is possible to become great in whatever our calling. It is possible to be as the mighty ones of old. We can do this because we can draw directly from the great cosmic reservoirs. Understand the Great Paradox. The Path of Power involves becoming less, not more. Less of me, the ego. More of the Great Mystery. When I quieten my mind and remain in stillness and feel this power, I feel renewed and empowered. To do this is to drink from the living waters. Here is the source of all power. Here is the source of my being. And here too, is my centre - not only mine but the centre of all centres. And in this holy centre, which existed before time itself, I live and move and have my being. Within me flow the living waters. Within me exist the laws and secrets. Within me is the source of all power. Within me lives the Holy Presence. Within me, everything. As my consciousness expands, my whole being changes and I vibrate at a higher frequency. Inner truths are perceived. Veils are lifted. I see with new eyes. It is through my deepening awareness that the gates of power are opened to me. Power is like a river. One is either aligned with it or not. Swimming with the current or against it. To recognising the GM as the source of all things and to align ourselves with it, is to have access to this power. We will find it indeed brings us all we desire. If we rely solely on our own means, what little we have will be taken away. The amount of energy we receive from the great cosmic reservoir is limited solely by our capacity for realisation.

Chapter 20. Walking the Path of Beauty
It is our sacred duty to awaken beauty in our lives. To let it fill our hearts and minds. In this way, we help to purify the consciousness of our race. The first step is when we accept life totally and unconditionally. Like a lover or an old friend, it has been with me through ups and downs. One day I wake up and realise I love it. Pain, heartaches and all. I allow life to be what it is. Life becomes my lover, spouse, companion. When we expect life to always please us, we live an illusion. It is neurotic too need to be happy, fulfilled, stimulated every hour of every day. We shun anything unpleasant. Flee from these experiences instead of accepting them as part of life. In so doing, we unconsciously reject life. Wait for something better than what is happening right now, when in fact all around us the miracle is unfolding. For every desire we fulfil, new desires rush to take their place. This was Buddha's great realisation. Everything in life is transitory. Feel the tenderness and fragility of it all. This makes it all the more precious. For every moment is unique. It can be appreciated only once and only now. Let us kiss our lover each moment. Let us accept it totally. Everything is perfect in being what it is. When I fully accept this, I walk the path of beauty. When I cease my judging, criticizing, comparing, I see that all things have their place. Even failure, sickness, misfortune play their part. In the grand scheme of the universe unfolding, all things are as they should be. Not so much as a hair is out of place in the universe. All things are unfolding in their special way. I have nothing to be concerned with or complain about. On the contrary, I have much to celebrate. The present moment is always alive with infinite treasures. Life is spilling out at us in abundance. Children playing. Birds singing. Colours. Flowers blooming. Wind in the branches. Ants crawling. Night and day. Poetry. Music. Making love. Friendship. Travelling. Eating. The universe is celebrating. Let us celebrate with it. A child sees everything as wondrous. Walking the path of beauty means living moment to glorious moment, letting everything be new and exciting again. Let us also see the beauty in one another's hearts. For every act of cruelty or deception, ordinary people perform a thousand acts of kindness. As you see beauty, praise it. Give thanks for it. Fill your mind with it. It will multiply and pour back a hundredfold. Open your heart and mind with continual practice. This will bring bountiful fruit. Like William Blake, we too will see God in a blade of grass and eternity in a grain of sand. Walking the path of beauty means worshipping at the temple of ourselves. Celebrating ourselves as beings glorious as the sun. As tender and innocent as newborn babes. As powerful as a raging river. Mysterious. Sacred. Holy. This is who we are.

Chapter 21. The Journey into Now
Here is home. Right here where I am, in this moment, regardless of where I am or what I am feeling. Each day, the journey takes me deeper into unknown territory. I am a nomad. We are all nomads. There is no stability here. No permanence. Nothing to grasp and hang onto. I cannot make life stand still. Everything is moving, changing, becoming something else. I can coax it. Try to direct it in the ways I want it to go. And I do these things and sometimes very successfully. But just when I think I’ve got everything sorted out and co-operating with me, off it goes, full of twists and turns, absurd reversals, outrageous surprises, crises, things you could never imagine and it won't stop. Home is movement, constant movement. If I wish to be comfortable in my home, I had best embrace the journey, pack my bags and travel lightly. I rid myself of excess baggage. I resolve too lose my life in order to find it again. With the smell of the open air and the wind at my back, I discover that I am at the very centre of the universe. And the pulsating, ever present Now reveals itself to me. Joyously letting go. Now becomes alive, radiant, all encompassing. Nothing is needed when I lose myself in its presence. Desires, worries, what are these? How feeble and pitiful. They scurry away frantically, in shame. They know they possess no glory like what is present. Even thoughts themselves seem subdued and timid. A fusion of one hundred million sensations all packed into the instant. The dance of Shiva. Colours, sounds, events. Frame by frame the universe unfolds. Now puts everything on a pedestal. Worships it. Proclaims it more holy than all. I celebrate this day, this moment. Needing nothing, wanting nothing. Everything contained within myself this very second. And suddenly I see it clearly. The kingdom is here this very instant. The kingdom I have sought so diligently is none other than my awakened consciousness. I have been at the steps of the kingdom all my life and knew it not. Contained in every second. Contained in every person. Our mortal eyes see it not, so preoccupied are we by day to day affairs, but spiritual senses, once awakened, fly to it like a bird to a nest. One enters the kingdom not through truths or teachings but moment-to-moment surrendering to the Mystery.

Chapter 22. All and Everything
I am the prism by which all is perceived. I need not change, make myself better or more beautiful - I have merely to behold myself as beautiful and it will be so. Ugly, it is so. Wondrous, it is so. Unworthy, it is so. All exists within. So it has been and will be forever more. And so I choose to behold myself and my life through the vision the GM has shown me. I will behold my life as glorious in sickness as well as health. In despair and in hope. In sadness and happiness. This will be my gift. This is my sacred song. To behold the wonder and glory - and to proclaim it loud and clear for all to hear. There is no greater honour than to honour myself. My life. All I can see and touch. Every person I meet. Each day becomes my miracle, simply because I live within the GM. The GM is there in all I do and experience. Each day becomes a tribute and a prayer and worship. Always together. Always one. Holy art thou, Mysterious One.

Beauty

It was one of those days when it's a minute away from snowing and there's this electricity in the air, you can almost hear it. And this bag was, like, dancing with me. Like a little kid begging me to play with it. For fifteen minutes. And that's the day I knew there was this entire life behind things, and... this incredibly benevolent force, that wanted me to know there was no reason to be afraid, ever. Video's a poor excuse, I know. But it helps me remember... and I need to remember... Sometimes there's so much beauty in the world I feel like I can't take it, like my heart's going to cave in. American Beauty
Beauty is to the spirit what food is to the flesh. It fills an emptiness in you which nothing else can fill. Frederick Buechner
We all share beauty. It strikes us indiscriminately. . . . There is no end to beauty for the person who is aware. Even the cracks between the sidewalk contain geometric patterns of amazing beauty. If we take pictures of them and blow up the photographs, we realize we walk on beauty every day, even when things seem ugly around us. Matthew Fox in Creation Spirituality

Wonder

Celebrating wonder

Life is measured not by the number of breaths we take but the number of moments that take our breath away.
We are all connected through this world of wonders that's more plainly referred to as life. Charlie O'Shields
When it's over, I want to say: all my life I was a bride married to amazement. I was the bridegroom, taking the world into my arms. Mary Oliver
From wonder into wonder existence opens. Lao-tzu
Rich in the simple worship of the day. John Keats
Wonder is the basis of worship. Thomas Carlyle
The highest human purpose is always to reinvent and celebrate the sacred. N. Scott Momaday
People usually consider walking on water or in thin air a miracle. But I think the real miracle is not to walk either on water or in thin air, but to walk on earth. Every day we are engaged in a miracle which we don't even recognize: a blue sky, white clouds, green leaves, the curious eyes of a child - our own two eyes. All is a miracle. Thich Nhat Hanh
Wonder rather than doubt is the root of knowledge. Abraham Joshua Herschel
Wonder is the beginning of wisdom Greek proverb quotes
Wherever life takes us, there are always moments of wonder. Jimmy Carter
I've seen things you people wouldn't believe. Attack ships on fire off the shoulder of Orion. I watched C- beams glitter in the dark near the Tannhauser gate. All those moments will be lost in time, like tears in rain. Time to die. Blade Runner
It is a wholesome and necessary thing for us to turn again to the earth and in the contemplation of her beauties to know of wonder and humility. Rachel Carson
Be aware of wonder. Live a balanced life - learn some and think some and draw and paint and sing and dance and play and work every day some. Robert Fulghum
If a child is to keep alive his inborn sense of wonder, he needs the companionship of at least one adult who can share it, rediscovering with him the joy, excitement and mystery of the world we live in. Rachel Carson

Wonder in the every day

If we could see the miracle of a single flower clearly, our whole life would change. Buddha
The invariable mark of wisdom is to see the miraculous in the common. Ralph Waldo Emerson
The child lives in the neighbourhood of wonder where innocence keeps mystery playful. Each new event and encounter is all absorbing. John O'Donohue

Knowledge and wonder

The larger the island of knowledge, the longer the shoreline of wonder. Ralph W. Sockman
As knowledge increases, wonder deepens. Charles Morgan
The possession of knowledge does not kill the sense of wonder and mystery. There is always more mystery. Anais Nin

All inspiration and wisdom comes from the Great Mystery. Let go and listen

Awaken intuition. Reflect on the fact that the perfect answers and solutions exist within you. State clearly what it is that you wish your subconscious to bring to you. Repeat confidently "My subconscious is now bringing me..." Relax and fill your mind with faith and expectancy that the right answers will come. Then listen to your feelings and hunches and "inner voice." John Kehoe
Within our consciousness is contained the wisdom of the ancestors, learned on their own explorations. Christ died for my sins. Buddha became enlightened so I, too, could become enlightened. Black Elk had visions so I could share his visions. We are all one tribe. We who live today receive the benefit of every spiritual act from every person who has ever lived. The river of consciousness flows through the minds of all, past and present. John Kehoe
Knowledge speaks, wisdom listens.
We live in the lap of immense Intelligence. Ralph Waldo Emerson
Inner wisdom, take over now please. Susan Jeffers
I ask wide questions that tune me into the universe and my inner intelligence: Where would you have me go? What would you have me do? What would you have me say and to whom? Susan Jeffers
Trust your intuitive heart. Open your eyes and heart to your greatest source of wisdom and grace. Set aside a little quiet time to clear your mind and listen. Pay attention only to the calm thoughts and feelings that surface. Richard Carlson
Real feelings are the language of the soul. I listen. N. D. Walsch
Today I will witness the choices I make in each moment. When I make a choice, I will ask myself two questions: What are the consequences? will it bring happiness and fulfillment to me and those effected by this decision? Then I will ask my heart for guidance and be guided by its feeling of comfort or discomfort. Deepak Chopra
We have to recognise that intuition is not a flaky concept. Basically, intuition is accumulated knowledge. Andre Alkiewicz

The power of stillness

I will Find You in the Stillness

You need not leave your room. Remain sitting at your table and listen. You need not even listen, simply wait. You need not even wait, just learn to be quiet, and still and solitary. The world will freely offer itself to you to be unmasked. It has no choice; it will roll in ecstasy at your feet. Deepak Chopra
Searching with my mind is like swimming on the surface - swim the whole ocean and I will find nothing. I sink to the place of stillness within. From here the inner presence nourishes me with living waters. From here my prayers carry much power. From here the voice speaks to me sweetly. Helps me in my day-to- day affairs. Tells me truths long forgotten by my race. John Kehoe
In the stillness, you will find your true being. In the silence, you will hear the breathing of your soul - and of God. You will find God in the Stillness. N. D. Walsch
To the mind that is still, The whole universe surrenders. Chuang Tzu
I lovingly nurture the god in embryo that lies deep within my soul. I awaken myself to the deep stillness that lies deep within my heart. Deepak Chopra
All power comes from the Great Mystery. I can draw directly from the great cosmic reservoirs. The Path of Power involves becoming less, not more. Less of me, the ego. More of the Great Mystery. When I quieten my mind and remain in stillness and feel this power, I feel renewed and empowered. To do this is to drink from the living waters. Here is the source of all power. And here too, is my centre - not only mine but the centre of all centres. As my consciousness expands, my whole being changes and I vibrate at a higher frequency. Inner truths are perceived. Veils are lifted. I see with new eyes. John Kehoe
Nothing worth knowing can be understood with the mind. Woody Allen
The cosmic psyche whispers to us softly in the gap between our thoughts. We can learn more about the universe "between our thoughts" than actually "from our thoughts". Deepak Chopra
Silence is the language of God; It is also the language of the heart. Dag Hammerskjold
Much silence has a mighty noise. Swamile

The Journey Inwards

The longest journey of any person is the journey inward. Dag Hjalmar Agné
I soon realized that no journey carries one far unless, as it extends into the world around us, it goes an equal distance into the world within. Lillian Smith
I think that I travelled not outwards but within… Imtiaz Dharker

Stillness in Nature

In the mountain, stillness surges up to explore its own height; In the lake, movement stands still to contemplate its own depth. Sir Rabindranath Tagore
Untroubling and untroubled where I lie, the grass below, above, the vaulted sky. Clare John
Twilight has always seemed like God's indrawn breath, a pause in the progression of time. Emilie Richards

The Pure Witness

When the mind is quiet, we come to know ourselves as the pure witness. Deepak Chopra
To see your drama clearly is to be liberated from it. Ken Keyes Jr

Being Still

Simply be quiet. Be with your Self in the stillness. Do this daily. Just stop. Stop all your doing ness. Stop all your thinking. Just "be" for a while. Take an hour every day at dawn and give it to your Self. Meet your Self there in the holy moment. Then go about your day. You will be a different person. N. D. Walsch
Wherever I go in the midst of movement and activity, I carry my stillness with me. Deepak Chopra
I get in touch with the power of pure potentiality by taking time each day to be silent, to just be. I take time each day to commune with nature. I will practice non- judgement. Today I shall judge nothing that occurs. Deepak Chopra
Enter into the stillness inside your busy life. Become familiar with her ways. Grow to love her, feel with all your heart and you will come to hear her silent music and become one with Love’s silent song, the song of Songs. Noel Davis
Stillness within finds stillness without as the framework through which all activity occurs. Breathe deep and full. Relax always. Grace unfolds from within to dance about in joyous recognition. Rob Campbell
He who does not go within, goes without, N. D. Walsch
There is a place in you where there is perfect peace. There is a place in you where nothing is impossible. There is a place in you where the strength of God abides. A Course in Miracles
To meet everything and everyone through stillness instead of mental noise is the greatest gift you can offer to the universe. Eckhart Tolle
Trying to find the Truth through words and speech is like putting your head in a bowl of glue. Yuan Wu
The Chinese word for “busy” is composed of two characters: “heart” and “killing.” When we make ourselves so busy that we are always rushing around trying to get this or that “done” or “over with,” we kill something vital in ourselves, and we smother the quiet wisdom in our heart. When we invest our work with judgment and impatience, always striving for speed and efficiency, we lose the capacity to appreciate the six million quiet moments that may bring us peace, beauty, or joy. As we seek salvation through our frantic productivity and accomplishments, we squander the teachings that may be present in this very moment, in the richness of this particular breath. Brother Steindhl-Rast

Simple and focused is beautiful

Focus

I do 1st things first. I focus my efforts on the rewarding 20%.
I focus! I know what my one goal is.
Simplicity. What cannot be left out? What are the three most important? I do the vital 20%.
Be a minimalist. Only retain what you need and use regularly. Reduce clutter. Let only the fittest survive. Travel light. Keep it down to the essentials.

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Simple is beautiful

The ability to simplify means to eliminate the unnecessary so that the necessary may speak.” Hans Hofmann
Beauty of style and harmony and grace and good rhythm depend on simplicity. Plato
Genius is the ability to reduce the complicated to the simple. C.W.Ceram
An intelligent fool can make things bigger, more complex, and more violent. It takes a touch of genius -- and a lot of courage -- to move in the opposite direction. Hoshang N. Akhtar
Making the simple complicated is commonplace; making the complicated simple, awesomely simple, that's creativity. Charles Mingu
Out of intense complexities intense simplicities arise. Winston Churchill
The great artist and thinker are the simplifiers. Henri Frederic Amiel
Simplicity, clarity, singleness: these are the attributes that give our lives power and vividness and joy. Richard Halloway

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Simplify!

The simplest things are often the truest. Richard Bach
Simplicity means knowing what can't be left out. Paul von Ringelheim
The ability to simplify means to eliminate the unnecessary so that the necessary may speak. Hans Hofmann
Everything should be made as simple as possible, but not simpler. Albert Einstein
An eye for small things leaves big things undone. Confucius
Never use two words when one will do. Thomas Jefferson
One of the great maladies of our time is the way sophistication seems to be valued above common sense. Norman Cousins
Our life is frittered away by detail... Simplify, simplify, simplify! ... Simplicity of life and elevation of purpose. Henry David Thoreau
When the subject is strong, simplicity is the only way to treat it. Jacob Lawrence
Eliminate physical clutter. More importantly, eliminate spiritual clutter. D.H. Mondfleur
Life is really simple, but we insist on making it complicated. Confucius
The wisdom of life consists in the elimination of non- essentials. Lin Yutang
"Think simple" as my old master used to say - meaning reduce the whole of its parts into the simplest terms, getting back to first principles. Frank Lloyd Wright
It is the sweet, simple things of life which are the real ones after all. Laura Ingalls Wilder
Simplicity is indeed often the sign of truth and a criterion of beauty. Mahlon Hoagland
Simplicity is the nature of great souls. Papa Ramadas
Simplicity is the ultimate sophistication. Leonardo DaVinci
In character, in manner, in style, in all things, the supreme excellence is simplicity. Henry Wadsworth Longfellow
In dwelling, live close to the ground. In thinking, keep to the simple. Tao Te Ching
A key tenet of the Zen aesthetic is kanso or simplicity. In the kanso concept beauty, grace, and visual elegance are achieved by elimination and omission.
Simplicity means the achievement of maximum effect with minimum means. Dr. Koichi Kawana

There is more than enough

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Life is Abundant

It's an abundant universe. There is lots of everything for everyone if we but open ourselves up to it. Look at nature - lavish, extravagant, even wasteful in its abundance. Try and count the number of stars in the sky. Look at wildflowers in a field spreading out far beyond. John Kehoe.
To you the Earth yields her fruit, and you shall not want if you know how to fill your hands. Kahlil Gibran
There are staggering opportunities for abundant health. Staggering opportunities to make new relationships. Staggering opportunities to advance myself. Staggering opportunities to become closer to my family. Staggering opportunities to live a fun- filled life. Staggering opportunities to make a great deal of money. John Kehoe.
Never begrudge someone else's good fortune. Acknowledge it and feel good about it, for it is proof that it can be done. Look for and acknowledge success everywhere you can. John Kehoe.

My life is already abundant

If you look at what you have in life, you'll always have more. If you look at what you don't have in life, you'll never have enough. Oprah Winfrey
It's not about having what you want. It's about wanting what you have and what you are, right at this moment. Zen saying
Give up on the idea that more is better. The desire to have more and more and more is insatiable. As long as you think more is better, you'll never be satisfied. As soon as we get something, or achieve something, most of us simply go onto the next thing. Immediately. You can learn to be happy with what you have by becoming more present moment oriented, by not focusing so much on what you want. You can spend your life time wanting more, always chasing happiness - or you can simply decide to consciously want less. The latter strategy is infinitely easier and more fulfilling. Richard Carlson
Think of what you have instead of what you want. Richard Carlson
My riches consist not in the extent of my possessions but in the fewness of my wants. J. Brotherton
Be content with what you have, rejoice in the way things are. When you realize there is nothing lacking, the whole world belongs to you. Lao Tzu
Need does not exist. I need nothing to be happy. Happiness is a state of mind. N. D. Walsch
Appreciate the abundance of what's good in your life, rather than measure and amass things that do not actually lead to happiness. Cherie Carter-Scott

I am enough as I am

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I love myself as I am

Behold thyself in glory. Love thyself as I love you. In this way you honour Me. It is your duty to love yourself deeply, totally, unconditionally. To see yourself as something of great worth. To do less is to deny the task for which you were born. What of your faults and inadequacies? Resolve to love them as part of who you are. You are beautiful because of them. They are part of your uniqueness, like markings on a wild animal. They give you flavour. Make you real. Allow yourself and others to make mistakes, miss opportunities, and make foolish decisions. Recognise and accept your vulnerability and fragility. Your quirks and idiosyncrasies - all part of who you are. You are beautiful and special because of your humanness - in fact, this is where your true beauty lies. As the day accepts the sun and the night accepts the moon, so you accept yourself. And so you become complete and whole. John Kehoe
I resolve to renounce all guilt and remorse for all mistakes, past and future. I do my best. No more is asked. Sometimes I will make bad decisions. Sometimes consequences will result which will hurt others. I am human. But I will not pay too much heed to these things. I will offer a silent prayer and move on. There is no point in regret or self-recrimination. For no matter how dire the consequences I imagine, the sun will still shine. Rivers will still run. The tree will produce fruit. The ocean tides will ebb. When I allow myself to be human and let go of my harsh judgements, I flower and bloom. My eyes are opened to my worth. Talents and gifts I never knew I had, begin to reveal themselves. Every part of me bathes in the warm glow of love and acceptance. Strengths, abilities, weaknesses and inadequacies. All things become new. No regret or shame. A life nourished from within. As the day accepts the sun and the night accepts the moon, so I accept myself. And so I become complete and whole. John Kehoe
I am the prism by which all is perceived. I need not change, make myself better or more beautiful - I have merely to behold myself as beautiful and it will be so. Wondrous, it is so. John Kehoe
Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. It is our light, not our darkness, that most frightens us. We ask ourselves, who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented and fabulous? Actually, who are you not to be? You are a child of God. Your playing small doesn't serve the world. We were born to make manifest the glory of God that is within us. It's not just in some of us; it's in everyone. And as we let our own light shine, we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same. As we are liberated from our own fear, our presence automatically liberates others. Marianne Williamson
Respect heroes above men, gods above demi- gods, but above all, respect yourself. Pythagoras

The strength from within

When your centre is strong, everything else is secondary. Elie Wiesel
A pleasant and happy life does not come from external things. Man draws from within himself, as from a spring, pleasure and joy. (Plutarch)
Eliminate dependency. I may want but I do not need. I am the sunshine of my life and having you in it makes it even brighter. Dr Wayne W. Dyer
He that respects himself is safe from others; He wears a coat of mail that none can pierce. Longfellow
Joy is not in things, it is in us. (Richard Wagner)
How many cares one loses when one decides not to be something but to be someone. Coco Chanel
When you do not require a person to show up as you imagine you need them to be, then you can drop expectation. Then you love them exactly as they are. Yet this can only happen when you love your Self exactly as you are. N. D. Walsch
Accept yourself as you are right now. I may not be perfect, but I okay just the way I am. Richard Carlson

I am enough

I grow to experience greater happiness, not to improve or because I feel incomplete. Dr Wayne W. Dyer
Happiness is having a sense of self - not a feeling of being perfect but of being good enough and knowing that you are in the process of growth, of being, of achieving levels of joy. Leo Buscaglia
I may not be totally perfect but parts of me are excellent. Ashleigh Brilliant
Freedom from must and shoulds is freedom from musturbation. Replace musts and shoulds with I may or I choose. Albert Ellis

This moment is home

Here is home. Right here where I am, in this moment, regardless of where I am or what I am feeling. Each day, the journey takes me deeper into unknown territory. I am a nomad. We are all nomads. There is no stability here. No permanence. Nothing to grasp and hang onto. I cannot make life stand still. Everything is moving, changing, becoming something else. I can coax it. Try to direct it in the ways I want it to go. And I do these things and sometimes very successfully. But just when I think I’ve got everything sorted out and co- operating with me, off it goes, full of twists and turns, absurd reversals, outrageous surprises, crises, things you could never imagine and it won't stop. Home is movement, constant movement. If I wish to be comfortable in my home, I had best embrace the journey, pack my bags and travel lightly. I rid myself of excess baggage. I resolve to lose my life in order to find it again. John Kehoe
With the smell of the open air and the wind at my back, I discover that I am at the very centre of the universe. And the pulsating, ever present Now reveals itself to me. Joyously letting go. Now becomes alive, radiant, all- encompassing. Nothing is needed when I lose myself in its presence. Desires, worries, what are these? How feeble and pitiful. They scurry away frantically, in shame. They know they possess no glory like what is present. Even thoughts themselves seem subdued and timid. A fusion of one hundred million sensations all packed into the instant. The dance of Shiva. Colours, sounds, events. Frame by frame the universe unfolds. Now puts everything on a pedestal. Worships it. Proclaims it more holy than all. I celebrate this day, this moment. Needing nothing, wanting nothing. Everything contained within myself this very second. And suddenly I see it clearly. The kingdom is here this very instant. The kingdom I have sought so diligently is none other than my awakened consciousness. I have been at the steps of the kingdom all my life and knew it not. Contained in every second. Contained in every person. Our mortal eyes see it not, so preoccupied are we by day to day affairs, but spiritual senses, once awakened, fly to it like a bird to a nest. One enters the kingdom not through truths or teachings but moment-to- moment surrendering to the Mystery. John Kehoe

Living in the Moment

This moment is perfect...

Enlightenment is understanding that there is nowhere to go, nothing to do, and nowhere you have to be except exactly who you're being right now. N. D. Walsch
Today I will accept people, situations, circumstances and events as they occur. I know that this moment is as it should be because the whole universe is as it should be. When I struggle against this moment, I struggle against the whole universe. I embrace the present and become one with it. I fully experience it. Deepak Chopra
The Universe is unfolding precisely as it should. We are all of us, exactly where it is perfect for us to be, all the time. And we need nothing more of our evolution than exactly what we have, and are experiencing, right now. N. D. Walsch

...it brings nothing but angels and miracles

Every event of life is a miracle, as is life itself Life is designed to provide your soul with the perfect tools, the perfect circumstances, the perfect conditions with which to realise and experience, announce and declare, fulfil and become Who You Really Are. Therefore judge not, and neither condemn. Love your enemies, pray for your persecutors, and embrace every moment and circumstance of life as a treasure, a perfect gift from a perfect Creator. For I have sent you nothing but angels. I have given you nothing but miracles. N. D. Walsch
Life is simple. Everything happens for you, not to you. Everything happens at exactly the right moment, neither too soon nor too late. You don't have to like it... it's just easier if you do. – Byron Katie
I have sent you nothing but angels and miracles. See the perfection. Your soul chose your life to create the opportunity to fulfill your soul's agenda. There is no such thing as a chance encounter. Everything is occurring in perfect order, as it should be. You are creating it so. There is always a reason at the soul level why your life is as it is. You are a spiritual being and you came to your body to experience Who You Are. To do this, you are, every moment, drawing to yourself the exact and perfect peope, places and events to experience exactly what you came to your physical body to experience. N. D. Walsch
Whatever relationships I have attracted into my life at this moment are precisely the ones I need in my life at this moment. Deepak Chopra
Imagine everyone you know is enlightened. The people who you meet are all here to teach you something. Perhaps the obnoxious driver or disrespectful teenager is here to teach you about patience, the punk rocker might be here to teach you to be less judgemental. Richard Carlson
Today I will accept people, situations, circumstances and events as they occur. I know that this moment is as it should be because the whole universe is as it should be. When I struggle against this moment, I struggle against the whole universe. I embrace the present and become one with it. I fully experience it. Deepak Chopra
Nothing happens in life by accident. Nothing. Nothing occurs in your life by chance. Nothing. Nothing takes place without producing the opportunity for real and lasting benefit to you. Nothing at all. The perfection of every moment may not be apparent to you, yet that will make the moment no less perfect. It will be no less a gift. N. D. Walsch

This moment is powerful...

Every moment of your life is a holy moment, a moment of creation. Each moment is a new beginning. In each moment, you are born again. N. D. Walsch
When our attention is in the present moment, we push fear from our minds. Fear is the concern over events that might happen in the future. Richard Carlson
The present moment is a powerful goddess. Tasso Goethe
Love the moment and the energy of that moment will spread across all boundaries. Corita Kent
Nothing is worth more than this day. (Johann Wolfgang von Goethe)
The foolish man seeks happiness in the distance; the wise man grows it under his feet. (James Oppenheim)
We are here and it is now. Further than that, all human knowledge is moonshine. H.L. Mencken
Success is a journey, not a destination. (Ben Sweetland)
There is only one time that is important—NOW!! It is the most important time because it is the only time that we have any power. Leo Tolstoy
You must live in the present, launch yourself on every wave, find your eternity in each moment. Henry David Thoreau
We are travellers in a cosmic journey - star dust, swirling and dancing in the eddies and whirlpools of infinity. Life is eternal. But the expressions of life are ephemeral, momentary, transient. Buddha once said "This existence of ours is as transient as autumn clouds. To watch the birth and death of beings is like looking at the movements of a dance. A lifetime is like a flash of lightning in the sky." We have stopped for a moment to encounter each other, to meet, to love, to share. This is a precious moment, but it is transient. It is a little parenthesis in eternity. If we share with caring, light heartedness and love, we will create abundance and joy for each other. And then this moment will have been worthwhile.

This moment is home

Here is home. Right here where I am, in this moment, regardless of where I am or what I am feeling. Each day, the journey takes me deeper into unknown territory. I am a nomad. We are all nomads. There is no stability here. No permanence. Nothing to grasp and hang onto. I cannot make life stand still. Everything is moving, changing, becoming something else. I can coax it. Try to direct it in the ways I want it to go. And I do these things and sometimes very successfully. But just when I think I’ve got everything sorted out and co- operating with me, off it goes, full of twists and turns, absurd reversals, outrageous surprises, crises, things you could never imagine and it won't stop. Home is movement, constant movement. If I wish to be comfortable in my home, I had best embrace the journey, pack my bags and travel lightly. I rid myself of excess baggage. I resolve to lose my life in order to find it again. John Kehoe
With the smell of the open air and the wind at my back, I discover that I am at the very centre of the universe. And the pulsating, ever present Now reveals itself to me. Joyously letting go. Now becomes alive, radiant, all- encompassing. Nothing is needed when I lose myself in its presence. Desires, worries, what are these? How feeble and pitiful. They scurry away frantically, in shame. They know they possess no glory like what is present. Even thoughts themselves seem subdued and timid. A fusion of one hundred million sensations all packed into the instant. The dance of Shiva. Colours, sounds, events. Frame by frame the universe unfolds. Now puts everything on a pedestal. Worships it. Proclaims it more holy than all. I celebrate this day, this moment. Needing nothing, wanting nothing. Everything contained within myself this very second. And suddenly I see it clearly. The kingdom is here this very instant. The kingdom I have sought so diligently is none other than my awakened consciousness. I have been at the steps of the kingdom all my life and knew it not. Contained in every second. Contained in every person. Our mortal eyes see it not, so preoccupied are we by day to day affairs, but spiritual senses, once awakened, fly to it like a bird to a nest. One enters the kingdom not through truths or teachings but moment-to- moment surrendering to the Mystery. John Kehoe

See also

Practising the Power of Now (Eckhart Tolle)

Love is at my core

I am Love. Life is about making love. To everything. Love is the point of it all. Love is the energy of which I am made. It is the energy that holds me together. Love is my experience of Self when I see everyone as part of me. It is unity expressed. We are all part of God. I love you = "the god in me sees the god in you." N. D. Walsch
Least effort is expended when my motivations are motivated by love, because nature is held together by love. When my actions are motivated by love, my energy multiplies and accumulates. Attention to my ego - when I seek power and control over others or seek approval from others - consumes the greatest amount of energy. When my internal reference point is my spirit, when I am immune from criticism and unafraid of any challenge, I harness the power of love. Deepak Chopra
My internal reference point is my spirit which is love. In object referral, we are seeking approval of others and need to control things. Our behaviour is in anticipation of a response, therefore fear based. Ego based power lasts only as long as the object of reference is there. As soon as the money, power, title, job goes away, so does the power. In self referral, my self is immune to criticism, unfearful of a challenge, feels beneath no- one, yet feels superior to no- one because it recognises that everyone is the same spirit. Deepak Chopra
Fear is the energy which contracts, closes down, draws in, runs, hides, hoards, harms. Love is the energy which expands, opens up, sends out, stays, reveals, shares, heals. Fear wraps our bodies in clothing, love allows us to stand naked. Fear clings to and clutches all that we have, love gives all that we have away. Fear holds close, love holds dear. Fear grasps, love lets go. Fear rankles, love soothes. Fear attacks, love ammends. Every human thought ,word or deed is based in one emotion or the other. You have no choice about this, because there is nothing else to choose. But you have free choice about which of these to select. N. D. Walsch

I am the Sacred Witness

The beginning of freedom is the realisation that you are not the "thinker." The moment you start watching the thinker, a higher level of consciousness becomes activated. You then begin to realise that there is a vast realm of intelligence beyond thought, that thought is only a tiny aspect of that intelligence. You also begin to realise that all the things that truly matter - beauty, love, creativity, joy, inner peace - arise from beyond the mind. You begin to awaken. Eckhart Tolle
When you surrender to what is and so become fully present, the past ceases to have any power. The realm of Being, which has been obscured by the mind, then opens up. Suddenly a great stillness arises within you, an unfathomable sense of peace. And within that peace, there is great joy. And within that joy, there is love. And at the innermost core, there is the sacred and immeasurable, That which cannot be named. Eckhart Tolle
I watch myself unfold. I become the observer of my life instead of being trapped in the midst of the drama. Susan Jeffers
"I wonder what Graeme is going to do now?" I set myself apart from the drama. I become the observer instead of the decision maker." Susan Jeffers
When we become the observer, we take ourselves one step away from the drama. Becoming observer allows me to let go of expectations and to create a sense of wonder instead of fear about the future. Susan Jeffers

I am a spiritual being

At the end of your life, you will know that nothing you have done will matter - only who you have been while you have done it. Have you been happy? Have you been kind? Have you been gracious? Have you been compassionate and considerate of others? And most of all, have you been loving? You will see that it is who you have been, not what you have done, that matters to the soul. And you will see that it is your soul, after all, that is Who You Are. N. D. Walsch
I lovingly nurture the god in embryo that lies deep within my soul. I awaken myself to the deep stillness that lies deep within my heart. Deepak Chopra
In reality, we are divinity in disguise, and the gods and goddesses in embyro that are contained within us seek to be fully materialised. True success is therefore the experience of the miraculous. It is the unfolding of the divinity within us. It is the perception of divinity wherever we go, in whatever we perceive. Deepak Chopra
I am unhappy if I think I am my things - job, friends, appearance, money. Sure, I can have fun with them, but not confuse with Who I Am. They have nothing to do with displaying or experiencing my True Self - and that is what I came to do. N. D. Walsch
At the end of my life, I will know that nothing I have done will matter - only who I have been while I have done it. That is what matters to my soul. And I will see that it is my soul that is Who I Am. N. D. Walsch
My soul is the essence of who I am. I am a spiritual being. The being I am is Love. Thats why, when I'm being that, I find my greatest joy. I am God and God is Love. I am an aspect of divinity, experiencing my Self. N. D. Walsch
Your soul doesn't care what it does for a living - and when your life is over, neither will you. Your souls cares only about what you're being while you're doing whatever you're doing. It is a state of beingness the soul is after, not a state of doingness. N. D. Walsch
I am the prism by which all is perceived. I need not change, make myself better or more beautiful - I have merely to behold myself as beautiful and it will be so. Wondrous, it is so. All exists within. So it has been and will be forever more. And so I choose to behold myself and my life through the vision the Great Mystery has shown me. I will behold my life as glorious in sickness as well as health. In despair and in hope. In sadness and happiness. This will be my gift. This is my sacred song. To behold the wonder and glory - and to proclaim it loud and clear for all to hear. There is no greater honour than to honour myself. My life. All I can see and touch. Every person I meet. Each day becomes my miracle, simply because I live within the Great Mystery. The Great Mystery is there in all I do and experience. Each day becomes a tribute and a prayer and worship. Always together. Always one. Holy art thou, Mysterious One. John Kehoe

27 December 1990

Favourite Meals

Doug and Claudia's pepper-corn steak (a highly secret family recipe)
Colin's and Natalie's sea food curry (Perth)
roast beef & yorkshire pudding (touch rugby)
kushiri (Cairo)
the food in Istanbul (Turkey)
Hagendaaz Icecream (Kensington)
Cambridge crepes
Tescos Crème Caramel (London)
Spur Hot Rock & Pecan Nut Sunday
Thick shake & Blue Moon Pancake (Dahab)
Le Perla crayfish
Barrister's Madagascan Fillet
The Grove rib-eye steak (London)
Sally's crème brule
curry prawns in Gothenberg
Ally's lamb & pavlova
On the Rocks prawns
Buttlers Funky Fab pizza
roast beef & veggies & kiersch (Gran)
Over the Top - desert
Fish Platter (Ocean Basket, SA)
pork ribs @ John Barleycorn
Cassanova veal and cassata
pint of prawns (Plett)
lamb rack in Gothenberg - best lamb ever
Granny Station's roast chicken & junket
mum's chocolate mousse, banana pudding & crème caramel
Argentinian steak (Buenos Airies)
Pocara steak (Nepal)
Rosemarie's chocolate gateau and risotto
Boschedahl buffet
Franschhoek cheese platter with caremelised fig
Sea food hot pot (Ko Bulan, Thailand)
Lamb chops (El Calafate)
Buffet by weight (Rio)
Leche sorbet at San Marcos (Sea Point)
Meal at web council
Ally and mum's chicken soup
Mum's Xmas cake
Jo's peppermint pudding and date balls
Melissa's French Nougat
Melissa lunches and coffee
Nandos chicken, chips with perinase and olives
Marcel's peppermint crisp blizzard
Brazil self service icecream (Isla Grande)
Volvo Thursday roasts
Scollops in knightsbridge, London
Jamie's crayfish
meals at George's Place (Butterfly Valley, Turkey)
Ally's apple pie with ginger
Ally's lemon merengue pie
jam donuts and custard slice at Silwood bakery
Coimbra chicken
Yak steak (Nepal)
Cream tea in Devon
Ritz tea (Ally)
South African braais with sizzling boerewors
mum's Xmas dinners, particularly xmas pudding and brandy butter
Mexican wrap and berry smoothy from Kuali
Steve Fuhrter's strawberry juice
Woolies picnics
Le Petite Fermet lunches
Constantia Uitsig lunches
Desserts at The Village restaurant
Dessert wine at The Oxo Towers, London
Granadilla lollies, St James
Caramel crisp icecreams as a kid
Nachos at Cocacabana (Bolivia)
Ribs at The Spur
mum's Sunday Roasts
coffee and Top Deck wtching TV on Saturday nights
Spur Hero Burger
Crepes and thick-shakes at Dulces
Allies Jamie Oliver's sweet and sour chicken
Brooklands court sunday picnics in the lounge (rocket,archichokes, piclked onion, sundried tomatos, chicken)
yoghurt and honey (Olympos, Turkey)
mum's rice pudding
North Carolina onion rings
Wilga and Normon's garden picnics
Putney gourmet burgers
North Acton lamb and mint burgers
Aylesbury Tin Roof
Biltong from The South African shop, London
sushi (Vancouver)
Mike Vanderbeck's mexican dinner (Canada)
Mexican at Ponchos (Cape Town)
South African Don Pedro
sea food on the beach at The Strandloper
Kendal Mint Cake (Granchester, Lake District)
Carrol's roast beef cheese platters
Welsh Rarebit
Birkenhead dinners with granny and grandpa as a kid
Appletizer on the beach with grandpa as a kid
Mount Nelson lunches with the family as a kid
spring rolls from Dean Street Chineese
Glue vine
Lamb in pastry at The Wild Fig
Glue Vine (and Swedish Glug)
Meals at La Taska (Gothenberg)
Gran's lumpy custard

26 December 1990

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Middle East

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Antarctica

Antarctica and South Georgia

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About Ally

Before moving to Cape Town from Joberg, my childhood memories are of eating Kumquats from the tree just outside my bedroom window (and gettig many a sore tummy), and making duvet homes in the backyard.

Leaving behind all I loved at 8, including my grandparents, was hard but I soon grew to love seeing the mountain from our porch in Cape Town, and having the independence of having everything within walking distance. My favourite subject at high school was fibre art (weaving, batik etc.) but after investigating a career in that, I decided to keep it as a passion. I decided instead to combine peope and business, hence my current career in Human Resources. My next goal is to open up my own career guidance practice as it lifts my soul when I am able to help guide people. One of the happiest days of my life was when I married the love of my life, the G Man, in 2000. We enjoy so much together. Some of my favourite things to do are