No going back!
October 26, 2008
I host a fortnightly call with good friends in the US, UK and Australia, to keep abreast of current shifts in the consciousness. Our conversation last week focused on what’s ready to shift in the world as the forthcoming US presidential election draws near.
I’ve listened to speeches from both candidates and watched how they’ve conducted their campaigns. Obama appeals to me more than McCain, primarily from his greater prominence for leadership but also his profile as a president that people can trust and believe in.
And people really do need a strong basis for trust these days. Trust is like having a foothold on firm ground where the landscape all around is unstable and unpredictable. It’s a feeling that something is working with you, not only supporting you but also assisting you to accomplish whatever you’ve committed yourself to.
But trust, like hope, only takes us so far before something greater arises. What might that be? What might replace the US national motto “In God we trust”, if trust were no longer something that might be carried or dedicated outside of ourselves?
A greater force is moving us. Greater than any leader or style of leadership, greater than policies or religious faith, greater than anything that we have ever had occasion to trust or believe in.ÀšÃ‚ In these days before voting takes place we need to see that a decision has already been made. A decision made by everyone in this world – that we have reached a point where we can say with surety that there’s no going back to living in an unconscious state. That we are aware of what we choose to accept, of what we choose to create, of what we choose for our world.
“It doesn’t matter who wins because … it’s time. It’s not necessarily going to be because of who gets office. It’s that something has shifted – and there’s no going back.”
“It feels that a shift has been made, where we’re really conscious that we have the ability to choose and make the direction more stronger, sustainable and direct. That that is within us. There’s a real acknowledgement that people have the ability now to step forward and make the choice.”
The Passion and deep, deep Love
October 20, 2008
Something has been affecting a lot of people recently. A good friend has been grieving the death of her husband and other friends have been caring for parents who are seriously ill. They’ve spoken to me about their loved ones going through their life transition, either choosing to stay or to go. And I’ve listened to the celebration of their experiences, because I know that my keeness to look beyond the obvious will always brings something fresh and new to my relationships with people, and take them beyond where they see themselves.
Something of deep emotion has been moving people: the energy of something arriving rather than leaving. Something deeply passionate.
For one friend it has been a time of reviewing past memories of deep, deep love and feeling the loss of passion in her present. And for my friend grieving her husband, it has been a tearful time of passing through many emotions, to arrive at a place of celebration. This is what I wrote a few days ago (in my own passion) – of what could have been written expressly for her ….
“I know of no finer obligation than to choose a partner to be worthy of, and to spend our days together, creating and enjoying and sharing a life that we will forever cherish. And so -Â I choose you!”
He extended his hand and took hers, drawing her close, that they might gaze into each other’s eyes and see the blossoming of all the universes, mirrored on the surface of their love. And they were satisfied, for their love was truly formed and was enough, beyond gulf of separation.
And it was time, for now he could acknowledge the beauty of what he felt, and the passion moved deep within him that tears overflowed, and he knew not why it was so, but she knew.
Then they were in the passion together. Music was all around them. Music that seemed to touch on all scales of being, resonating and resounding powerfully on levels they had not sought to explore. They were captivated, seemingly held in suspension, in sound, forever. Aware of themselves in it – not wanting time to pass – wanting it to last FOR EVER.
Deeply they were held. It seemed to him that his thoughts were no longer his own but thoughts shared between them as a single thought that contained everything. And it seemed also that they passed through a dream, as a single being, unaware of any choice to be made, conscious only of travelling together, swirled together, hand in hand, bodies locked.
He awoke.
Lay awhile, listening to the sounds of waves crashing onto a beach and the rush of water over sand. His eyes opened and he looked for her but she was not there. A dream he wondered. Perhaps it was a dream.
And he felt the silence engulf him …
until he encountered the love they had made …
then he remembered …
and smiled.
What do we really feel?
Emotion is not a range of feeling that we can select from. Emotion is the expression of raw power, fueling new understanding and forging relationships through powerful energetic movements. To feel emotion is a joyous, unrelenting exploration of ecstasy that sometimes requires us to move beyond where we previously have been willing to go.
Perhaps what many of us have been experiencing these past few days has not been loss or sadness but a joyous liberation in our power to feel. The passing of something new into our feeling of life. Perhaps a greater, deeper love is now more available to us. And the only way that we are going to embrace that possibility, for whatever it can give us, is to leave aside our thinking of what it might be … in order to experience what it wants to become.
The Face of Creation
October 16, 2008
I watch ‘The Daily Show with Jon Stewart’. It’s a light-hearted commentary on US politics and in recent months has focused heavily on this year’s presidential campaign.
Last night’s show contained a stunning example of adverse reality creation. John McCain, the Republican runner for president, was addressing a crowd of his supporters when a lady in the audience stood up and damned Barack Obama as an Arab, saying that she feared him. The mood of the audience was already stirred up in resentment against Obama before she spoke and this provoked further outcry. The camera showed the distress on McCain’s face as he (hopefully) had a moment of realisation, that he had helped create a situation of contempt for (and hatred of) his opponent, that was clearly not what he wanted.
I’m making some political commentary here but I’m also using this situation to illustrate other points.
- That in order to be authentic, and well received for what we truly stand for, we must be clear about what we seek to achieve for the good of all people. This sets the stage for our audience to be connected to our intent, understand where we are coming, and realise how that affects them.
- That in order to truly understand what we are seeking to achieve, we must be conscious of the forces that move us. It’s important to see how our energies are being shaped and directed, and whether we have a clear, conscious voice that is independent of others.
- That in order to be conscious of our actions we must create ourselves to be in total integrity with our potential for expansive visionary leadership.
I use the term ‘expansive visionary leadership’ to illustrate the difference not only between Obama’s and McCain’s respective campaigns, but also to emphasise that what is real and of lasting value is generally transitory in nature. This sounds like a riddle, I know, but let’s put it like this – it’s not the political record of achievements that’s important or the promises of what actions will be taken: it’s how we conduct ourselves in every moment; it’s what we have to say about others; and it’s our understanding of what they epitomise and seek to create.
Let’s assess these two leaders in terms of their potential for creating visionary leadership in others.
Obama has expansive visionary oratory suited to global leadership. He focuses on vision and seeks to establish practical steps that lead to the implementation of that vision.
McCain has a style of leadership that is bravery in the face of adversity. There is courage and determination for extraordinary change, yet the fire of passion and the eloquence to have people trust in themselves is missing. His is the ‘follow me approach, for I have the answers’.
Now who has the vision to inspire and promote greatness in people? That should be the question facing the US right now. A question that aptly applies to anybody in a position of leadership. We are looking at these two men to assess what they can create for this world. We are wanting them to demonstrate that they have the special quality that brings people to own their greatness.
Will John McCain realise that his candidacy is dependent on providing courageous change in the face of adversity, to lead the US into prosperous times? Or will he continue to allow the creation of fear-mongering to continue in his name?
There are just a few days left before we see the outcome. Whoever is elected will need more than ideals and values in their term of office. They will need to bring about a resurgence of self-empowerment in the American people, not unlike the spirit that moved the founding fathers themselves. And that will take tremendous courage and vision indeed!
Beyond the Words
October 15, 2008
A few days ago I was looking through various song titles on the Internet, trying to find something suitable for me to sing at a forthcoming “Britain’s Got Talent” audition. My voice has a particular range that is more operatic in delivery but I didn’t want to narrow my choice of song so I was looking in the popular section.
Suddenly I was drawn to listen to Leona Lewis sing ‘The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face’. That did it – tears started to stream down my face! She was delivering the intensity and passion of the song, and it reverberated in me. Later, when I tried singing it, I knew that I was also in that place of enchantment. Such exquisite emotion that I could barely sing the words.
I looked at the lyrics and my instant impression was that I was reading poetry. This wasn’t just a love song this was a description of overwhelming beauty. So I looked a little deeper into how the song came to be written. Ewan MacColl wrote in it 1956 for his lover Peggy Seeger, at a time when he was already married. Ah … lovers and passionate affairs! It is said that she phoned him and requested a song for a play that she was performing in, and he wrote it for her on the spot, and then taught it to her over the phone.
Now the words are impactful but to really give emphasis to their flowering you need to have a connection to what brings the words together, essentially to what brings the lovers together in the first place. The secret seems to be in the rhythm. For me Leona has the right delivery. The lyrics are drawn out in a long wavelength motion that carries you deep into the heart of the music: a vibrational frequency that both expands and fills you. Listen and get your own experience of it.
Of course, you will create your own memory of it, your own connection to it, and your own remaking of what the song is for you – for what we really touch is the beauty and purity of what we value most.
Time for a New Declaration?
October 13, 2008
I love shows like the current UK TV series “John Adams”. The historical background and the insightful period reconstructions impress me tremendously.
Adams was one of the leading forces behind the drafting of The Declaration of Independence, and later became the second US President. His story is exciting and somehow seems very topical, perhaps because of the coming presidential election and the breaking apart of many of our world systems.
I think it’s his heroism, undying dedication, and moral integrity that commands my respect. Adams was impelled, perhaps propelled into the spotlight, because he would do what others feared to speak about. I have no doubt that his calibre of determination progressed the writing of that document, and made possible the self-evident rights for all.
What a time to make a stand. What a story to tell. But surely there is another story beyond all this. For this is a time for a new, progressive and compelling declaration. One that more perfectly fits these times of tumultous changes. A declaration to inspire future generations in their own empowerment: something of universal agreement, that can last through time, and set precedents for all us to cherish and be moved to live into.
That declaration of 1776 made possible the break from what was no longer just or acceptable. It was written on parchment and enshrined in the heart of the new nation. Yet something tells me that the old writings have passed their “lived by” date.
What shall a new declaration say? How shall it be formed and brought into being? What shall we say of its living presence? What shall it say of us?
The Horse that carries Beauty
October 12, 2008
There is a new type of power in the world – subtle, transparent, yet highly effective. Maybe, you say, it’s always been here and we’ve overlooked it or called it something else. But “no”, I say, for as ever-changing, energy-aware beings, we can always tell what’s really new. Without doubt this is a quality of energy that we’ve not experienced before.
So what is it? How can we describe it?
I was coaching a lady about how she could best handle family situations that challenged her, and we were reviewing how she could take full responsibility for her actions – simply by emanating her awareness of herself. It would, I said, alert others to be more aware of themselves.
by kind permission of Julie Popowicz http://www.pencilartbyjulie.com/
As we talked, I felt that she was more capable than she’d given herself credit for. And then suddenly she realised that life is a beautiful experience that she can design herself. In her words “it’s like Power is the Horse that carries Beauty“. Hearing that, I knew I had to experience what she was experiencing, because that was where the conversation was going.
You can experience it too. Imagine this – what we know of ourselves is only a part of what we can know, and that is only a part of what we allow ourselves to be. Let go of what you know for a moment and, in the space that opens up, feel your self growing vaster and more expanded. Breathe the air of rich new possibilities of who you can be and what you can do, and feel that the vastness breathes this potential with you.
What do you feel? Lighter perhaps… calmer maybe, and more present. A feeling that you could sing and the soundwaves would ripple around the world, revitalising the air. You notice that everything becomes effortless, that your energy moves to those things that are important and that you let go off what is not important.
In this space where your priorities are re-ordered, you may discover that power is a light yet amazing strong force, accomplishing much by apparently doing very little. A force that sets you free, to look with deep fascination at the beauty of people, and to explore with exquisite delight the artistry of nature. Your landscape changes. No longer do you have to wonder if there is a way to hold onto these moments of perception, for you see that you create the ability to explore and expand the creativity of life. And you see the beauty because the energy of your dedication will not allow it to fade. You create the beauty.
As soon as my friend declared that “power is the horse that carries beauty”, she claimed the power for creating her life. Power is effortless movement, seeing and creating beauty wherever it goes.
Things that matter most!
October 1, 2008
The things that matter most to me are what life and the art of living is all about, without which there would be no point at all in staying here in this world, pretending to be interested in this extraordinary creation.
These are my writings with pictures, videos and sounds, that support my love of this stunning world and its amazing people. For without us things just don’t have zing!
Santari