You may already know by following this journal that I have been advocating a regular practice of self inquiry based on the power of compassionate self acceptance, the "goal" being self-liberation.  When we liberate ourselves from past conditioning, dualistic thought, and survival preoccupations, affirming that we are safe, significant and connected, another perspective of life becomes possible, one that may seem quite foreign, disorienting, or disconcerting. Why the hell would anyone choose to give up a path that is so familiar in order to plunge into an unknown way of being in the world?  

Presently, we are discovering that our prevailing human mindset has propelled us "headlong" toward the brink of ecological destruction and never ending violent conflict.  And it seems to offer no path out.  It is precisely a new mode of operating that is needed, but it is not possible without liberating ourselves from what is familiar.  Albert Einstein left us with some guidance on this subject: 

"The significant problems of our time cannot be solved by the same level of thinking that created them."  
​"The intuitive mind is a sacred gift and the rational mind is a faithful servant. We have created a society that honors the servant and has forgotten the gift."    

"A human being is a part of the whole called by us universe, a part limited in time and space. He experiences himself, his thoughts and feeling as something separated from the rest, a kind of optical delusion of his consciousness. This delusion is a kind of prison for us, restricting us to our personal desires and to affection for a few persons nearest to us. Our task must be to free ourselves from this prison by widening our circle of compassion to embrace all living creatures and the whole of nature in its beauty."  

"The most beautiful experience we can have is the mysterious - the fundamental emotion which stands at the cradle of true art and true science."

"Imagination is more important than knowledge. For while knowledge defines all we currently know and understand, imagination points to all we might yet discover and create."  

"Whatever there is of God in the universe, it must work itself out and express itself through us." 

To be awake is to have no script.

Truth is who you are without your story.

"Me" & protection come in the same box.

You are openness with nothing to protect.

Open to True Nature directly by sensing.

Innocence looks curiously and asks "What is it?"

Innocent curiosity moves toward all experience,

You are the mystery experiencing itself.

Truth is the only thing that has no agenda.

There is no such thing as a true belief.

Be still and stop avoiding any part of experience.

The paradox is to know by not knowing.

Possibly the only fear greater than death is real love.

The true I am is free of anything I thought I was.

Allow the mystery of being to unfold experientially.

Dissolving identity delivers aliveness and presence.

Waking up requires letting go of false views.

True Love recognizes itself behind all masks.

The True Self is not a form but the source of form.

Emptiness is the substance of existence.

Liberation happens when desire for control ends.

Let go of any demand on the moment.

Stop trying and simply be still.

Be the beauty of what you are.

What you are cannot be acquired 

It's impossible to figure out how to be, so stop trying

I am (your are) not a problem to be solved

Compassion does not seek to alter anything

See the wholeness in what surrounds you

Spend time being with whatever is hated.

When we welcome whatever is being experienced we sometimes encounter hateful, aggressive or rejecting attitudes.  When preferring to be "kind" or "good", we will struggle to meet such inner parts with unconditional acceptance.  How, then, is it ever possible to love all aspects of ourselves unconditionally, let alone ever love someone else who has attacked us?

A clue to the answer lies in the word "struggle" above.  This indicates that two parts of one's self are in opposition to each other.  Whatever is preferring to be kind or good is opposing anything that it perceives to be not kind or good.  In essence this represents an internal reaction by one part of the self to turn away from or even reject another part. Sound familiar?  A previous journal entry introduced the idea that the source of suffering is the mind, which utilizes a dualistic approach.

The great news is that it is possible to create an unconditionally loving space to hold any and all opposing parts:  decide to deeply and compassionately sense into and explore the sources, strategies, conditions, and energies that created and maintain each one.  Trust that each one represents a significant investment of Life Energy which remains unavailable until the dualistic "standoff" is fully attended, accepted, and appreciated for what it is.  Integrate this approach into being with one's self (and others, if possible) on a regular basis. Through such Radical Acceptance Practice we notice that "shift happens!"

Our bodies are built for love: as young children we have a built in need to be loved by others, and later, as adults, we are gratified by loving ourselves and others, especially children.  Pretty amazing isn't it?  There seems to be a natural flow to love among human beings.   The teddy bear above is covered with the various forms of loving care needed by young children.  If these needs go unfulfilled, they may carry into adulthood as insatiable yearnings seeking that missing "something" be supplied by other people, activities, substances, thought, things, or feeling states.  Inability to find fulfillment in life can be evidence of early childhood need denial or deprivation.  It blocks our flow of love.

Getting back in touch with that flow is not quick or easy.  It requires a loving and supportive holding environment that offers personal safety and interpersonal connection while reflecting each member's inherent value and unique gifts.  In essence, it takes a "village" to support a recovering adult through the process of re-embodying their full capacity for loving him or her self.  Find out more about the process by viewing on this website the two "sense-a-books" I Simply Am ...not who I think I am and Discovering Life Before Death.

Each one of us grew into personhood under the formative influence of insecurities of various forms.  We adopted befitting strategies at different ages of development to protect us in some way or another from dreaded outcomes.  Some of these meant sacrificing or denying something precious or valuable about ourselves in order to provide some perception of safety, significance, or connection.  Later, the more "mature" parts of us can become harshly judgmental (plaguing us with "shoulds" and "shouldn'ts") about early life experiences, choices, feeling states, and reaction patterns that still continue to limit or interfere with wellbeing.

As long as we view anything about ourselves as a problem that needs to be corrected, we will remain caught up in trying to "get it right."  Well, real freedom to change cannot occur unless it is realized that there is no correct way to be. So decide to trust that you are and always have been completely OK, no matter what has been thought or felt.  In fact, fully reclaim & rejoice in what's true: that your multifaceted being is a unique expression of Life that is beyond human judgement. You are free to be. 

A regular practice of being with your self and others is a good way to strengthen the mind's capacity to operate in present time and reduce reactive thought and feeling patterns carried forward from the past. For more information view for free on this website my latest Ebooks, gallery images, and Workshop presentation.

To be truly present is to develop and operate from a mindset that is welcoming, attentive, curious, grounded, patient, observant, accepting, empathetic, engaged, calm, caring, etc., as seen in the word image above.  This creates a container for an infinite variety of experience to enter awareness, for there are no longer fear-based structures in the way to limit the possibilities. It is in this empty yet powerful space that Life Energy and Grace play together and can be expressed in unique form via one's body and mind.  

A regular practice of being present with self and others strengthens one's ability to shift into this mode of being at will.  It then becomes an open doorway to insight, creativity, and connection.  Learn more in the Books/Resources section of this website.