Daily Ramblings – Spiritual Saturday – Finding Truth

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Contemplation, Emotions, Intellect, Intuition, Meditation, memories, Prayer, The Mind, Truth

No matter how much insight we gain about God, there will always be something that lies beyond the horizon of our understanding. That is simply the nature of truth.

—Harold Klemp The Language of Soul

If you search for God, you will never find IT. God is within, buried beneath layers of the mind, the emotions, memories, intellect, and intuition. If we look deep enough, we will find God. Looking deep enough is hard because our minds are so dominant in this reality. To experience God, we need to peel back all these layers first. How do we do this?

We meditate, pray, or contemplate. In my religious path we contemplate. Contemplation is like meditation but active. Meditation typically requires us to focus on the breath, chant a mantra, or focus on an object in our mind’s eye. Contemplation requires us to visualize scenes and actively interact within. Prayer can achieve the same things by chanting a verse, focusing on a religious concept. Why do these activities help us? They focus on things other than our immediate environment. This focus projects us to another place. The more we practice prayer, meditation, or contemplation, the easier it becomes to lose ourselves in the act.

We must drop the mind. Some of you are asking, how in the heck do you drop the mind? You drop the mind when you realize that the mind is not you. You are something else. You are that which thinks about thinking. In my religion we call this being soul. Soul is the real you. It is that part of you that can watch your thought stream. Soul is not the ego. Soul is not your emotions. Soul is not your hunger or lust. Soul is not the part of you that thinks or remembers. Soul is not your intuition. Soul is you.

For some, this can be difficult to understand. It is difficult to understand because science and our society has taught us that the brain is us.  It is not. Soul is the real you.

No one will convince you of anything related to truth. Truth is something you find on your own. Finding truth takes work. It requires you to act, to take matters into your own hands. Once you find truth, you soon discover that it changes. This is the nature of things. It isn’t the truth that changes though. You change. As you change, truth takes on new meaning as you look at it through “new” eyes. Truth never changes, only illusion changes.

If you are unsatisfied with your current religious path or seek questions you cannot answer, look around this website: www.eckankar.org This is the website for my religious path. On this website you can request information. You may like what you find. I have been an Eckist for over 40 years. It is the only path I know. It is a blessing to be an Eckist. Check it out. You have nothing to lose.

If you visit this site, get the materials and still have questions, you are welcome to reach out to me directly. Comment on this thread with: “Contact me”. I hope you have a great Saturday!

Until next time…

Dave

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Daily Ramblings – Wisdom Wednesday – Cutting Through Media Bias and Misinformation

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"fake" news, Critical Thinking, Left-wing, Media Bias, Right-wing, tolerance, Truth

“Beware of false knowledge; it is more dangerous than ignorance.” – George Bernard Shaw

Read more at: https://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/george_bernard_shaw_141483?src=t_wisdom

If you follow any of the news today, you have to read it with a healthy dose of skepticism. It seems that every day some media outlet makes a claim and then, within hours or days, they must retract, when the real story comes out. In many cases these stories are nothing more than “click bait”.

Our society has become so polarized that each side of the argument now has their own news outlets to listen to or read, only to be further polarized by the now “propaganda-like” stories. I don’t care if you are on the left or the right, both sides are becoming more divided and pursue almost ridiculous lines of inquiry.

So, what are we to do? Think critically. Thinking critically involves considering the source of your information, looking for the reason behind a person’s article or posting, and looking at multiple points of view. Once you have done this, you can make your decision about what you believe.

The challenge we have today is created by the vast amount of information we have access to. The days of three television stations and a few respected newspapers are long gone. Now the news is regurgitated from one source to the next, almost like a gaggle of gossipers who don’t refute a rumor but propagate it.

If you see a news story, read it. Then begin looking at different sources of information. I look at folks like Rush Limbaugh, the Daily Wire, and The Drudge Report. I also look at MSNBC, CNN, the New York Times, the Washington Post, and NPR. Once I have looked at a topic, I make a decision. If I am looking at a true-blue topic, say like climate change, I really dig into all the information and the science. I look at the source of the information I’m consuming. I read books.

I’m retired and have a lot of time on my hands. I get it when people tell me they don’t have that time. The best action you can take in these situations is to remain a skeptic. What purpose does the story have, who is writing it, why did they write it, where did they get their information from? These basic questions can help you out quite a bit when you take the time to really understand the story, behind the story.

I wish I could go to one source and trust it. Unfortunately, in our world, this is not the case. The news we consume is likely a biased, poorly researched, and regurgitated story, altered to fit the line or political bias the news outlet is aligned with. Whether the news we receive is from a left-oriented story or a right-oriented story, we need to take the time to look at alternative points of view and understand the purpose behind a news outlet’s story.

If you can use your common sense, do a little digging around, and make your own judgement call about what you believe is right, you’ll be able to dispense with the blockbuster story that is “gas-lighting” twitter or some other social media channel. We have access to so much information. Take your time doing some analysis before you go off the deep end and follow one of these stories down their respective rabbit hole. You’ll be less stressed, more informed, and you’ll be able to formulate your own opinion about a topic area.

Until next time…

Dave

Daily Ramblings – Spiritual Saturday

Tags

change, Saturday, simplicity, Snowstorm, Truth, Weekend

“Truth is so simple. So why doesn’t everybody know it? Because it’s too simple. Because we have our preconceived notions about what truth is or what it should be.”

—Harold Klemp The Language of Soul

It’s snowing in Michigan! Today, most of the North East is getting pounded by the snow and we have more coming next week. I love the snow. I think it is such a great weather pattern, particularly when it snows for a while. It is so peaceful to look at.

Today’s quote relates to the simplicity that lies beneath the complexity we create. I am always amazed when I read a research study or a really good book. As you are reading a book, typically a culmination of years of research and study, you say to yourself, “How simple. Of course, that’s the way it is.” We all know truth when we see it. Truth remains hidden, behind some curtain—a curtain that is built into us. We all think truth is more than it is. This causes us to disregard the truth that is staring us in the face because it is ordinary and mundane, compared to our expectations.

Why is truth so important? Because we want the security of standing on firm ground. Truth survives the tempestuousness of our reality, which is constantly changing. Today, we’re happy and everything is great. Tomorrow, your life falls apart. Sometimes the things that change are disruptive to our life. We get sick, a loved one passes, a friend betrays us, we lose our job. In other cases, we benefit from the changes and they are life-building. We come across a large sum of money, we meet the love of our life, we recover from a incurable disease. Both groups of situations could arise. This reality we live in is in a consistent flux. Truth defies the flux. Truth never changes. When we find truth, our lives are a little more stable—we have a foundation to stand on. This solidity is what makes us comfortable. This is why we pursue truth and consider it important.

How do we find truth? We need to keep our eyes open to the things that don’t change. Truth is always there. When you find it you’ll know that you have.

I hope all of you have a great weekend and enjoy the snow if you are in an area that is getting it today.

Until next time…

Dave

Daily Ramblings – Wisdom Wednesdays

Tags

change, David Allen, habits, Improving, Paul Twitchell, Stephen Covey, Stephen Guise, Truth

“It is easy to hate, and it is difficult to love. This is how the whole scheme of things works. All good things are difficult to achieve, and bad things are very easy to get.” – Confucius

Read more at https://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/confucius_119273

Ever wonder why things that are bad for us are so easy to do and the things that are good for us are so hard to do? I have read a string of books by Stephen Guise and this is one thing that pervades his work. The bad things that are easy for us to do are there because they are easy and bring almost immediate rewards. Because they are easy and bring rewards each time, we do them, they become habits.

Conversely, the good things we want to do for ourselves are not so easy. They must be learned or practiced, which takes time. They also give us rewards but they are not instantaneous.

Bad habits like binge-watching television, eating junk food, or mindlessly surfing the Internet are all so easy to do and rewarding. We literally need zero effort to accomplish these things.

Good habits like reading every day, writing every day, exercising every day, or learning every day take work. They deliver tremendous benefits over the long-term but only if we make them habitual.

Our brains are wired to resist change. When you have a food manufacturer that offers a “healthy” option that takes 3 minutes in a microwave to prepare—beware. The rewards for this option are easy to cook and get into our bellies. The huge disadvantages are the chemical soup that is within each of these so-called, “healthy” meals, the overabundance of salt, sugar, and fat, and the preservatives, unnatural coloring, and processing that occurs that change whole foods into “Franken foods” (Stephen Guise uses this in a book I just finished about weight loss.)

If you are unsatisfied with your life, look at what you do every day. Are you on autopilot or are you making conscious choices about how you fill your day? Are you moving toward anything meaningful or are you just filling your day with meaningless activities?

I’m not trying to guilt you out. I am merely asking the question. If you are totally happy with your life as it is—don’t change it.

If you are unhappy with your life, take some time to contemplate what is missing. Take inventory of how you feel. Examine your emotional states. Are you bored? Are you stressed? Do you feel terrible and apt to get sick more than most people? Do you have back problems or issues with obesity? Are you depressed?

If any of these things sound like you and you’re tired of feeling or being this way, take some steps to make a change. You don’t have to strike out on some crazy crusade. Too big of a change will not work. You will try for a day or so and digress to your old patterns and behaviors. Make really small changes. Changes that don’t require too much willpower or motivation to accomplish.

If you’re wondering why I ask all these questions and tend to gravitate toward this subject matter on most of my postings, there is a reason. I used to be that guy. I could play video games for 24 hours a day. I could binge watch entire seasons of shows on Netflix, all while stuffing my face with absolute garbage. What was the result? A back surgery that put me down for 2 years, walking around with a back brace. Massive weight gains up to 247lbs before I put a stop to that. The loss of not one, but three separate marriages. I also filed for bankruptcy—twice!

I’m trying to provide advice to people who may be in the same situation as I was. It is a horrible place to be when you realize one morning that you can’t make yourself do what you know you should do. I was really in a very dark place.

How did I turn things around? I took some time to do some research. I began searching for information about how we form habits. I began looking for information about how to make changes. I began to examine the things other successful people were doing each day that made a difference in their lives.

My searches resulted in some books that I re-read every year. These books are here for you. Read these books and put the suggestions they offer to good use. These books changed my life for the better and will do the same for you—promise.

Booklist:

• Mini Habits by Stephen Guise
• The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People by Stephen Covey
• Getting Things Done: The Art of Stress-free Productivity by David Allen
• The Shariyat-Ki-Sugmad by Paul Twitchell

These books helped me create a personal framework for self-improvement. They gave me categories of life to cultivate. They gave me a meaningful way to write down my goals, plan my weeks and days, and utilize an “outside brain” instead of depending on my own brain for everything. They taught me how to make very small changes that have a lasting and awesome impact. They opened my mind to wisdom, truth, and provided me with an architecture of what our existence is truly about.

My levels of self-discipline, motivation, and determination are on an entirely different plane. I found that our improvement never ceases. There will always be another plateau to reach, another level of proficiency to attain, a new area to explore. It all starts with very small steps.

If you are tired of the way things are in your life, take some time to read one of these books. I would recommend Stephen Guise’s book first. It is the easiest read and contains the means of starting your transformation with very little effort. His book is the one that jump-started my journey.

I wish you well.

Until next time…

Dave

Daily Ramblings – Wisdom Wednesday

Tags

Happiness, Knowledge, Rabbit hole, Searching, Truth, wisdom

“The greater our knowledge increases the more our ignorance unfolds.” – John F. Kennedy

Boy, is this a good one!

When I was studying for a Doctorate, I truly began to realize how true this and other statements are about our limited knowledge in so many fields. When we discover something new, we begin to discover more avenues to follow and begin to discover there is a lot more to understand. It’s almost like running down a never-ending rabbit hole, much like the one in Alice of Wonderland. The key difference is the rabbit hole only leads to other ones, and other ones, ad infinitum.

I think we just need to understand that this seeking will never end. There will always be something more to know, more to apply, more to do. It is never ending because with each new discovery, more doors open in other fields, more doors open for commercial application, and more doors open to refine the idea just discovered.

Subsequently, science needs to keep seeking to understand that it needs to seek some more only to understand that this answers this question and presents ten more. We need science, but science will never discover the truth about our reality. Truth is only experienced. Truth is known when we see it. Truth is unchanging. When you find the truth, you don’t need to continue looking. Truth just is.

Our search for knowledge also concerns other aspects of our lives. Think about happiness for a moment. Are you happy? If not, why not? Happiness is a state of mind—an attitude. You either are happy, or you are not happy. Happiness, like truth, is within. We must learn how to be and nothing more.

Until next time…

Dave

Daily Ramblings – Spiritual Saturdays – The Three Things…

Tags

Anger, Emotions, Fear, Jealousy, kindness, Necessity, Truth

Whenever you’re in doubt about any action, ask yourself: Is it true? Is it necessary? Is it kind? You can also ask, What would love do now?—Harold Klemp The Language of Soul

This can also be said about the words we speak and the thoughts we have. Anger, jealousy, and frustration can all lead us to say things about others that we really don’t mean, but lose our ability to control in the present moment when the emotion of anger sticks its ugly head up. Why does this happen?

When the emotions kick in, particularly if they are strong enough, they literally block any mental processing. Have you ever heard the statement: “He was so mad, he couldn’t think.” This is the condition I am talking about.

It is hard to pull ourselves out of an emotional frenzy or firestorm when we are under their control. The best thing you can do if you recognize you are in this state is literally separate yourself from others until you’ve cooled down. It is also necessary to be aware enough to begin capturing the telling signs that your emotions are about to take over.

Initially, this is hard, but with practice, you will begin seeing the triggers that set you off. When you see them, you can begin working on de-escalation strategies so that they do not get the best of you. This is really important because there are some things your emotions will cause you to say that you can’t take back. The damage to another person can be irreparable.

Emotions are like a wave. They rise and they fall during an “episode”. They always have something that initiates them, they have a peak of expression, and then they subside. The human body can only sustain so much stress before the emotions will literally rip it apart. Anger and its cousin fear are the worst. Jealousy is definitely up there in the rankings.

How do we combat these nasty emotions? Learn what triggers them. If you understand the triggers you can avoid the rollercoaster before you hit the summit. The key is to recognize these emotions when they come, then let them go. This is not easy. It takes practice. One of the ways to learn how to do this is to simply try to engage the emotions at will just to get used to these feelings when they arise. You can do this during your meditation practice by imagining things that make you angry or jealous and mocking up scenes in your mind that spark these emotions. Once you achieve jealousy or anger, engage with it to really understand it. You’ll find that once you get inside these emotions there is nothing there. We learn that we created these out of thin air and we can make them go away the same way.

You can imagine anger or jealousy as a piece of paper. You crumple it up and throw it away in an imaginary trashcan. You could imagine your anger or jealousy to be a pile of dust on the floor and brushing it away with a broom. You could also imagine anger or jealousy to be a balloon. Popping it causes the jealousy or anger to dissipate.

The key to all of these exercises is to get yourself to slow down the escalation of these emotions so you can think. Thinking will allow you to really understand whether what you are going to say or do is necessary, kind, and truthful.

Enjoy your Saturday!!

Until next time…

Dave

Daily Ramblings – Spiritual Saturday – Truth is never hidden

Tags

answers, Golden-Tongued Wisdom, Listening, Patience, Truth, Waking Dream, Watching

The principles of Spirit are embedded in the literature and in the life of our culture. Truth is never hidden. It is always available for the Soul who wants to take the next step. —Harold Klemp The Language of Soul

I find that the answers I seek are always available. Some come as nudges from within, while others come in the form of a message on a radio, a conversation I overhear, a magazine article, website, or even a novel. In Eckankar, we call these insights the “Golden-Tongued Wisdom” or the “Waking Dream”.

Try this out for yourself. Ask a question (write it down or say it to yourself). Then wait. Sometimes the answer will come quickly, while other times it will take a while to come in. When you get the answer, test it, confirm it, really make sure you have what you were looking for. This “intuition” will be right more often than not.

I had to make a life-changing decision in December 2016. My Father has been struggling with Dementia for more than a few years and it has begun to get worse. In conjunction with my Dad’s illness, my personal situation was collapsing to the point that I had to make a move one way or the other. I decided to come home to help out my folks.

As I drove from Arizona to my home state of Michigan, I began doubting my decision. I was saying to myself, “Dave, what are you doing?” These doubts ran rampant over my mind as I trudged along the highways between my old home and my new. Since I could not quiet my mind, I decided to ask for a confirmation. I really wanted to know that I was making the right move.

On the highway, on the way home I looked to the right as I talked with my Dad and a billboard had a message on it that confirmed my decision. A day later as I was crossing the Michigan Ohio border I saw another billboard off to the left of me as I moved slowly during a traffic jam. This was the second confirmation. I would like to keep these messages private, but you get the point. I asked and received two confirmations in the form of billboard messages. Crazy? Maybe. But the solution that presented itself has been good for me and good for my family, particularly my Mom who was having more difficulty taking care of my Dad.

I have found in my personal life that these truths or answers are out there for the taking if we only take the time to formulate what we are looking for and being patient for the answer. They always come. The key to this whole process is being open to the source it comes from. It could come from anywhere and anything. Just listen and watch.

Well, we’re fast approaching Memorial Day! I hope all of you are having a great weekend so far!

Until next time…

Dave

Daily Ramblings – Daily Quote

Tags

Benjamin Disraeli, Facades, Quote, Truth

Today’s Quote

“Never apologize for showing feeling. When you do so, you apologize for the truth.” – Benjamin Disraeli

So many people shelter their true feelings, hiding behind a facade they use when in public. Why not be genuine? It is so much easier.

Acting differently than who you really are is the same as lying. Everyone figures out who you really are in time anyway. Be yourself. Those people that are truly your friends will accept you for who you are, the rest don’t care and aren’t worth the trouble.

Until next time…

Dave