Inner Guru

Not sure if this is the same for everyone, but I often get in the flow nicely and become very positive about life and everything. This occurs especially after watching some decent film with a great message or reading spiritual books. I’ve come to realise that for me, I need to periodically remind myself of all that I know, e.g. we are spiritual beings, the Universe works for us all the time, etc etc.

As I go through life, I am often very aware of when I am not in the flow of things or that my thought patterns/processes are not as positive as they could be. It is at these times that I need a reminder. A reminder of all the things that I know. My wife and I recently went to a yoga and complementary health centre in Camden town called The Alchemy Centre. It’s a great place and we we went there after work to watch a lovely film called ‘August Rush’. This is a very powerful film about a boy and it reminds us that we need to follow our dreams and our inner guidance. If we follow our inner guidance and intuition, great things come about as the Universe works to help us flow effortlessly through life. If you get the chance to see the film, then definitely go for it.

I’ve also recently watched, ‘The Secret’ again. This was a very powerful film for us both when we first watched it and the message is stil very effective for us. We have seen it many times over and each time we ‘hear’ new things or certainly concepts that we know and have forgotten about. I find it a great way to realign my focus and energies into the right place.

At the moment I’m reading the ‘Power of Intention’ by Wayne Dwyer and this is helping me to maintain my state. I’m also doing some Chi Kung (chinese breathing meditation) on a daily basis which I find very helpful in making me focus and providing some sort of regular regime to give me some ‘time out’ time! Without some sort of structure, I’m useless in taking time out for ‘me’!

As a side note, I bought ‘A Course in Miracles’ which is a well-known spiritual text but have not really read any of it! I bought the book a long time ago (months and months ago) and plan to work through it sometime. I want to dedicate some time to it and do it properly so have decided to leave it until I can make a firm commitment to working through it. In the meantime, life is busy as usual and I am finding my own strategies to maintain my spiritual focus and keepin in the flow. What I find most useful (but also most resistant) is taking time out from ‘doing’ things and just ‘being’. At least I’m aware of it! Until next time.

waiman General, Spirituality flow, personal

One of my work colleagues went to a mind, body, spirit exhibition here in London and was very excited about it and came back posting a ‘thought for today’ notice on the board. I thought I’d share it here:

“Think Big. Rise above little things. Be a big thinker. You are what you think. So just think big, believe big, act big, dream big, work big, give big, laugh big, live big”

This is a great quote and one that I had found very useful to remind me of what’s important. The sentence “Rise above little things” was the part that had the greatest impact on me. So often we get stressed or worry about things that in reality when we take a step back is not really that important at all. We too often blow things right out of proportion, I think this is food for the ego and something that we can do without.

Put things into perspective and as they say, ‘don’t sweat the small stuff’. Next time you are feeling a bit stressed out or come across something that irritates you, think of this little part, “Rise above little things” and see if it can help put things into a better perspective.

On a personal note, I’ve not really had much time to update this blog due to circumstances that have taken my energies elsewhere. I will try and post every now and then but until my other projects are completed, then I will not be able to update too regularly.

Anyone reading this who is interested in guest posting on this blog, the just get in touch and write a comment on this post letting me know that you are interested.

waiman General, Personal Development

Following my last post about being true to yourself, I had a comment posted by Carmen. The comment was very detailed and insightful and with the authors permission, I am going to post it here as it brings up some good points and interesting observations. Hope you enjoy.

“I’ve read a few “spiritual” books. All in an attempt to make sense of the variety of seemingly incomprehensible, un-fathomable dimensions of being human. And of course, it is also my attempt to understand the unfolding of my own life. I think most people can agree that “If only we trust and follow our hearts…things work out in the end.” But many times, in the depth of a very tough situation, when one does not know where the next pay check is going to come from to pay for the rent, one returns to the old job because it offers financial security. As unhappy as one maybe with his/her current job, there is at least a warm place to live, and money to pay the rent. In other words, “reality” scares the heck out of most of us.

I supposed if we “go with the flow” and not struggle against the “dissatisfactions” that we experience with our job, quitting one’s job to “follow our bliss” may just not be the right move. Because what is causing job dissatisfaction is the expectations we have of how other people should behave or respond, of how things should flow at work in order to achieve our goals, or as simple as: “get out of my way, and just let me get my work done.” We are all working for paychecks. Some pull their load; some don’t. This is one of the many sources of job dissatisfactions, in addition to heavy “politics” at work place. For as long as human beings hold on their work grudges (past thinking), and project their fear of the same thing could happen again (future thinking), there will always be heartaches at work place and in relationships.

In other words, “Go with the flow” could go either way. Quit my job and “go with the flow.” Things will work out in the end. OR, stay in my job, and “go with the flow.” Stop trying to make things the way I want it.
Stop trying to change people, because no amount of policies or rules would make people change until they see the value of change. And the change may not happen in this life time.

Perhaps we, human beings, try very hard to make sense of life. It may very well be that life is not meant to be understood. “If we trust and follow our hearts…things work out in the end” has an underlying assumption that life has something promising for us in the end. However, history has revealed over and over that many of those who follow their hearts either ended up being beheaded, burnt at stake, or crucified, or in milder form, became outcasts of society, or “heretics” in religious community.

In nature, everything unfolds according to their natural rhythm, a rhythm that follows the rhythm of nature.
No one tree reprimands the other tree for growing crooked. After two animals fight, they each walk away from each other, lick their wounds, and move on.

Human beings, however, tend to re-member old, “unresolved” issues years down the road until their body is festered with old stuff that eventually manifest as psychological turmoil or physiological imbalance leading to dis-ease of the body. In other words, the gift of memory can be both a curse or a gift. it all depends all how quickly we let go and move on. I beleive, this applies at work place. There will always be disagreements at work place. It is the nature of Being. I wonder if we shift our perspective and look at conflicts as opportunity for self-expansion, a chance to move beyond our present understanding of human relationship to a higher level of consciousness; i.e., every negative, unpleasant encounter is a “form” unfolding, happening at the right time and the right place to bring us the possibilities of moving to a higher level of consciousness. And this higher level of consciousness is the “knowing” that there is no end to human conflicts. Conflicts brings on contrast. Contrast provides us the opportunity to choose. We can choose to stay ‘inside,” and not reisit the flow; or we can choose to “pull out” and not resist the flow. In the end, both has the potential to offer us the sought upon “relief” or “things work out in the end.”

I think we are so entrenched in our current mode of being (including myself), i.e., we haul all the aches and pain,and unfairness of life from the past to the present; then, we project what could happen, what is likely to happen in the future (control of the future) and drag our fear and anxiety of the future to the present time, and we forget to live in the moment. This very moment that is full of nothing but silence and peace.

This may very well be the meaning of the rise of Dementia. It is a socio-cultural expression of the evolution of the human psyche that is so rooted in the past and clutching on to the future and fail to live in the present. Perhaps the state of Dementia is a reminder to all of us to live the present moment, because in one blip, this present becomes the past. Future is meaningless until we make conscious efforts to go with the flow as this moment unfold in front of us. Individuals who “suffer” from the condition called Dementia do not have a sense of the past nor the future. Their sense of the present is blip by blip. One blip is not necessarily connected to the next blip. It simply IS, most specially when the condition progresses to its late stage. At its late stage, they have no ability to take care of themselves. They rely on others to take care of them. This is also true when we all get too old to take care of ourselves, with or without Dementia.

The question I ask, therefore, is: Is life essentially teleological if everything is meant to be transient? Is life meant to be meaningful? “Meaningfulness” implies an answer, a relief. But every answer, every relief is temporary; there is no end to problems, to conflicts. The moment one problem is solved, another kind of problem arises. It is difficult to make sense of all the “inequalities” which lead to all the clamoring for “equality” in life. What seems to make sense is that “inequalities,” as a contrast, serves us the opportunity to expand, to understand deeper, to arrive at an inner knowing, to raise our awareness of the nature of Being. Problems become less intense when we learn to stop resisting, which stems from the need to control, to mold the situation thru the lens that I can see. Problems will always shows up. If there are no problems, there are no contrast, no progression, no expansion beyond the current state. Society becomes stagnant.

In the final analysis, problems are essential to life. When we stop resisting, problems become less pronounced, situation less intolerable. Anything better than this is a state of perfection. Life is never meant to be perfect. It may well be that our imperfections are meant for us to learn to live in complement of one another. i.e., my strength is your weakness and your strength is my weakness, together we complement and share this moment in ONE-ness. We only have this moment to share. The past is over, the future is in the process being created by us by how we attend to this moment. The unfolding of the future is a given. We only have NOW to live. The very essence of Being is the attention we put to this very moment.

I believe, life is this endless process of unfinished work, an eternal process we all, consciously and unconsciously, participate in. Like it or not, we take part in this eternal unfolding. There are no promising answers ahead. The only promising answer we can derive is from living in the NOW. This requires a major shift in our attitude, in the way we think, we see, we do, we relate with one another.”

waiman Personal Development, Spirituality being true to yourself, comments

I am currently reading a book about spirit guides and it is a very interesting read. Now, you may or may not believe in spirit guides but a lot of the general ‘teachings’ match up with those of other spiritual teachers.

When reading the book, I came across a great quote that for me sums up the why we should follow our dreams and passions in life.

“A gardener knows that a seed contains a certain blueprint or potential. It is useless to plant a tomato seed if you want to grow an oak tree; no amount of persuasion, tending, discipline or threat will make the seed change what it is able to produce. Also, if the conditions are not right for the seed, it will sicken and die.”

- excerpt from ‘Working with Spirit Guides’ by Ruth White

We all have dreams that we wish to follow and many of us are following them. There are also huge numbers who feel trapped and not really doing what they love. I find that these people intuitively know that something isn’t as good as what it could be, an example of this is with careers.

Some fall into certain careers due to circumstances and some because their parents wanted them to follow a certain path. Certainly doing something out of necessity and not from free choice (though everything is a free choice at the end of the day), is a receipe for unhappiness and an unfulfilled life.

People working often do not feel fulfilled with what they are doing and feel trapped due to the ‘need’ of a salary and security of work. In putting up with such a situation, things can get stressful, they can become quite unhappy especially if there are tensions at work or it is high-pressured. Soon enough, they become ill with colds, chest infections, stress, ‘depression’ etc etc. The body does eventually say enough is enough and the individual may be forced to take time out. Hopefully, at this juncture, they get some insights and make some changes to their lifestyle. It is an opportunity for them to review things and take a step back to decide what it is that they really want to do.

If only we trust and follow our hearts, we often find that things work out right in the end. The Universe has a strange way of helping us along to follow our chosen path with coincidences and presenting opportunities at the right moments. It is up to us whether we heed our inner knowing and follow our passions in life.

Go with the flow of life, not struggle against it!

waiman Personal Development, Spirituality follwo your passion

What is life all about? It is a question that I have often pondered and I have my own answer! For me life is about experiences and having the courage to living the life that you want. This can often be a tough to actually do and follow through on.

In theory it is fine to say go out and follow your dreams but people have responsibilities, like mortgages, jobs etc. This I totally understand and it comes down to personal choice. People will always say that they cannot do something because they have a mortgage to pay or that they have a good paying job. In reality, there is nothing really stopping them from selling the house or getting a different job. Any excuses that they bring up are just choices. They choose to live in the house or to stick with a particular job. It is an illustration of free choice. There is no rule book that says you MUST do something. It is all about choice, and how much you want to conform versus following your dreams.

For those of you who are working towards a particular goal or objective, here is a great inspirational video that I came across a while ago and had forgotten about. Recently I came across the video again someone so I thought I would share it, enjoy.

waiman Personal Development inspiration

This is a beautiful story and one that I came across about
a year ago, it's crossed my path again so I thought I would
post it here for you to read.

"At a fundraising dinner for a school that serves children
with learning disabilities, the father of one of the
students delivered a speech that would never be forgotten
by all who attended. After extolling the school and its
dedicated staff, he offered a question: 

"When not interfered with by outside influences, everything
nature does is done with perfection.   

Yet my son, Shay, cannot learn things as other children do.

He cannot understand things as other children do.   

Where is the natural order of things in my son?"   

The audience was stilled by the query.   

The father continued. "I believe that when a child like
Shay, who was mentally and physically disabled, comes into
the world, an opportunity to realize true human nature
presents itself, and it comes in the way other people treat
that child."   

Then he told the following story:   

Shay and I had walked past a park where some boys Shay knew
were playing baseball. Shay asked, "Do you think they'll let
me play?" I knew that most of the boys would not want
someone like Shay on their team, but as a father I also
understood that if my son were allowed to play, it would
give him a much-needed sense of belonging and some
confidence to be accepted by others in spite of his handicaps.   

I approached one of the boys on the field and asked (not
expecting much) if Shay could play. The boy looked around
for guidance and said, "We're losing by six runs and the
game is in the eighth inning. I guess he can be on our team
and we'll try to put him in to bat in the ninth inning..."  

Shay struggled over to the team's bench and, with a broad
smile, put on a team shirt. I watched with a small tear in
my eye and warmth in my heart. The boys saw my joy at my son being accepted.   

In the bottom of the eighth inning, Shay's team scored a
few runs but was still behind by three.   

In the top of the ninth inning, Shay put on a glove and
played in the right field. Even though no hits came his
way, he was obviously ecstatic just to be in the game and
on the field, grinning from ear to ear as I waved to him from the stands.   

In the bottom of the ninth inning, Shay's team scored again.   

Now, with two outs and the bases loaded, the potential
winning run was on base and Shay was scheduled to be next at bat.   

At this juncture, do they let Shay bat and give away their
chance to win the game?   

Surprisingly, Shay was given the bat. Everyone knew that a
hit was all but impossible because Shay didn't even know
how to hold the bat properly, much less connect with the ball...   

However, as Shay stepped up to the plate, the pitcher,
recognizing that the other team was putting winning aside
for this moment  in Shay's life, moved in a few steps to
lob the ball in softly so Shay  could at least make contact.   

The first pitch came and Shay swung clumsily and missed.  

The pitcher again took a few steps forward to toss the ball
softly towards Shay.   

As the pitch came in, Shay swung at the ball and hit a slow
ground ball right back to the pitcher.   

The game would now be over.   

The pitcher picked up the soft grounder and could have
easily thrown the ball to the first baseman.  

Shay would have been out and that would have been the end
of the game.   

Instead, the pitcher threw the ball right over the first
baseman's head, out of reach of all team mates.   

Everyone from the stands and both teams started yelling,
"Shay, run to first!   

Run to first!"   

Never in his life had Shay ever run that far, but he made
it to first base.   

He scampered down the baseline, wide-eyed and startled.   

Everyone yelled, "Run to second, run to second!"   

Catching his breath, Shay awkwardly ran towards second,
gleaming and struggling to make it to the base.   

By the time Shay rounded towards second base, the right
fielder had the ball. The smallest guy on their team who
now had his first chance to be the hero for his team.   

He could have thrown the ball to the second-baseman for the
tag, but he understood the pitcher's intentions so he, too,
intentionally threw the ball high and far over the third-baseman's head.   

Shay ran toward third base deliriously as the runners ahead
of him circled the  bases toward home.   

All were screaming, "Shay, Shay, Shay, all the Way Shay"  

Shay reached third base because the opposing shortstop ran
to help him by turning him in the direction of third base,
and shouted, "Run to third!   

Shay, run to third!"   

As Shay rounded third, the boys from both teams, and the
spectators, were on their feet screaming, "Shay, run home!

Run home!"   

Shay ran to home, stepped on the plate, and was cheered as
the hero who hit the grand slam and won the game for his team.   

"That day", said the father softly with tears now rolling
down his face, "the boys from both teams helped bring a
piece of true love and humanity into this world".   

Shay didn't make it to another summer. He died that winter,
having never forgotten being the hero and making me so
happy, and coming home and seeing his Mother tearfully embrace
her little hero of the day!

waiman General

During my little spiritual journey through life, I’ve read quite widely and most of the various authors and ‘guru’s’ seem to say the same thing. One of the teachings is that life is an illusion.

Now, this is an interesting statement and one I didn’t really understand at first. When I read about stuff like quantum physics and all the weird stuff that have been discovered, I started to become clearer about what people were saying when they said that life is an illusion. From a scientific viewpoint, everything in the World is made up of atoms, which in turn are made up of electrons, protons and so on. At the fundamental level, things seem to be vibrations of energy. From this viewpoint, nothing is really as it seems. Everything can be taken as being energy and connected in this way. There is no separation between you, me and the chair in the room, it all depends on the frequency of vibration.

At another level, one which is more spiritual, we are not who we are. The body that is you, is not really you. The body can be seen as a vehicle in which your spirit resides in and experiences life in. The body is a transitional and physical aspect of you but the real you is the eternal being, the eternal soul and spirit. Thus, on the level of Ultimate Reality, the day-to-day life that you lead is an illusion because it is not who you are and all the stuff associated with it like houses, mortgages, cars etc doesn’t matter one little bit because it is ‘not real’. This is the other meaning of ‘life is an illusion’ as I understand it.

It reminds me of a time when I was talking about something similar to a friend and I said that life is not real or that the table next to us was not real. Obviously he gave me a blank look and thought I had gone mad but I couldn’t really explain very well what I had meant. It was also a source of confusion for me as I understand the explanations above and I do believe it but then, what is life and what is it about?

It’s more recently that I have come to sort sort of understanding within myself that reconciles the saying ‘life is an illusion’ and the life that I live. I believe strongly that life is an illusion in the sense that it is not Ultimate Reality and that we are spiritual beings living in a human body to experience life. But on the physical level, all the material stuff, the money, the house, the table etc, are very real. It is real in the sense that it is there and that we can experience it, but it is not Ultimate Reality.

We can go through life getting caught up in the dramas, and the material possessions of life which can lead to stress and unhappiness. If we remember what the Ultimate Reality is, then we can be more at peace with ourselves and trust in the way things are going. Life is about experiences and to do the things that we want to do for the evolution of the soul. For why else are we here and why do we work to get money? Think about it.

waiman Spirituality

Towards the end of last year my dad passed away and there were plenty of other things going on in my life. At the time I had a lot of time for reflection and such events tend to make you think about the direction your life is going and what you would like to achieve.

With reflection I had some things in mind that I would like to change and some goals that I wanted to achieve for the following year and for how I would like my life to be generally.

With the New Year 2009 things were underway and of course going quite well. There is a realisation that as you go through life it is quite easy to get caught up in everything that you are doing and just going through the motions so to speak. It can get to the point where you almost forget what you are aiming for and start to lose the excitement of living.

Part of this for me is staying Present and enjoying the moment but also to take note of life’s little nudges. These are ’signs’ and ‘coincidences’ that occur in life to remind you of things. An example for me is Canada. I’ve only been there once and it is somewhere that I would love to travel properly for a good period of time and even live there for a period. Over the past couple of months I have had lots of references to Canada, whether it be from television or an advertisement in a magazine. These are the small signs and nudges that keep those things in your mind and remind you of your intentions.

The lesson generally is to be aware of the things around you. To take ‘coincidences’ as signposts to remind you of what you are about and what is important in life for you. When you are presented with enough of these signs, consider whether it is time to take action and act upon it.

If you do you will be amazed at how well things flow to make it happen. There are so many examples of this. There is a degree of trust and faith required, but take action and try it, I’m sure you will be astounded at how the Universe works to bring about the things that you deisre the most.

waiman General, Spirituality personal

Following on from my last post when I said that after reading the book, ‘A New Earth’, I am currently in a state of ‘flow’, I feel very connected with everything and there isn’t much stress at all for me. There are a few words that come to mind to give a sense of how I got to where I am. One word is ‘Surrender’.

For me, surrender means giving yourself up. What does this mean? When I say to ‘give up’, I do not mean in the usual sense of the word to give in as such, but more to let go of expectations. To surrender to what is, and not be resistant to it. In doing so, you come to a place of acceptance. Whether you are currently in a position in your life where things are ‘good’ or ‘bad’ you come to accept it as it is.

Without resistance, you flow more easily through life, not always fighting against what is not necessarily there. A given situation just ‘is’ and whether it is seen as ‘good’ or ‘bad’ depends upon the meaning that you give it.

In this state of surrender, one is freed of the need for a particular outcome and you can be evermore Present in the moment and enjoy life as it was meant to be. By giving in to the moment you are also not constantly looking towards the future for your happiness or to your past for your identity.

Surrender yourself to live in order to live it more fully and more present.

waiman General

I am currently reading a book by Eckhart Tolle called ‘A New Earth’. Eckhart is the author of the best-seller ‘Power of Now’ and is a very insightful spiritual author. I’m near to the end of the book and have gained some great insights.

A New Earth

Basically, the book talks about the human ego and how the physical form around us is not really who we are. Who we are, are spiritual Beings, energy, souls, consciousness, call it what you will. We are here in physical manifestation. In other words, we are all a lot more than what we see physically with our eyes.

When we remember who we are, and look beyond the physical form, you get a glimpse of the wider reality. It reminds me of a time about 6-7 years ago, living in London, having a lot of debt and not a very high paying job. And I was reading a book by Tony Robbins called “Awaken the Giant Within”. As I was reading some early chapters, something about gratitude I think or appreciation. As I was reading I had a spiritual moment, and my first one at that. I had a great sense of inner peace flow through me and all stress and tension just lifted. It was quite sudden and amazing.

For about 6 months after that, I was in a state of what I can describe as Bliss. I had lots of things going on around me but I had total inner peace and could not be fazed. It was great. After the 6 months, tension and life gradually took over and I lost the feeling. Since then I have been on a personal journey to try and rediscover what happened and how to get that state back.

For me it has been an interesting journey and I have had many glimpses of that moment that I experienced many years ago. Since reading ‘A New Earth’ I’ve certainly feel like that I am almost back to that point again and it is really great. Something has shifted and a greater awareness is within me, of my life and of all life itself. I understand what Eckhart is talking about and hopefully you will get a chance to read his book and experience a similar shift in consciousness.

This book was chosen by Oprah Winfrey for her book club. She does a great job in spreading the word on spiritual teachings and has a fantastic website. She actually has an online workshop with Eckhart Tolle himself, that works through the book chapter by chapter and discusses the concepts. You can read more and even download the webcasts so you can join the study group as you read the book yourself to deepen your understanding. This is highly recommended. Click on the link to go to her website.

A New Earth - Oprah Book Club

If you click on ‘Webcast Archive’ you can download or view all the workshops!

waiman Personal Development, Reviews a new earth, eckhart tolle