How do you "Awaken" and what is Awakening?

We are each on our own journey in life. Each with our own lessons, struggles, and joy.

In our journey, many of us will, at some point, Awaken.

What does this mean, to awaken?

Some people, at a very young age, have a sense that Something exists beyond their flesh and blood. They seem to know there is the world beyond, and connected to others - the energy exchanged, the love that affects a child, the anger that withers an opponent, or the emotional and reactionary choices they make that affect their environment and those around them.

Others have a realization just as they are about to pass at the end of their life.

Most of us start with the simple knowledge that there is more to life than our physical being, and some greater purpose than our daily activities. We search for understanding through religion, spirituality, psychology or experience.

And when a new piece of knowledge resonates with us, when the truth of it feels profound, we acknowledge the "Aha!" moment or feel the tingles of truth while the hair on our arms rise.

Throughout your life, I'm sure you can recall some "Aha!" moments. The moment may have been something simple, such as a sudden understanding of how to process a math problem. Or perhaps it was a greater understanding of human nature, such as realizing why a friend always responded a certain way.

In my experience, I most often felt my "Aha!" moments when a universal truth resonated with the core of my being. As if a light switch went on as I finally realized why I had chosen the path I did.

What does AHA! mean to you?

At one point I was feeling that switch so frequently that I took to writing them down, knowing that there had to be some universal insight to the pattern of profound moments. In fact, the insight was quite personal, not something that would change all of mankind. They were shifts in my own development, growth moments that propelled me into a new awareness. However, by the time I figured this out, I had absorbed the knowledge so completely that my response was, "well, duh! That is just common sense!" It was as if I always knew these discoveries.

And perhaps I did, on some subconscious level. In fact, THIS awareness (that the knowledge was always there...somewhere) triggered a new level of understanding.

Which led to my participation in classes that were on the "fringe". Soaking up others' teachings in intuition, afterlife, and unseen energy, I practiced conscious ways of thinking such as "noticing" and "observing". By doing this, I observed how my thoughts and senses were connected to my environment.

I began to notice how a certain feeling (a spacious calmness is how I can best describe it) would precede a small crisis at work, and I began to look for that crisis before it hit. It was as if my subconscious was preparing my conscious self for action. With new awareness of my senses, I also noticed unique smells that would symbolically demonstrate to me, how someone may be behaving in my environment.

For example, I remember arriving at work one early morning, the first one into the air conditioned office, when a skunk smell wafted by. Before my expanded awareness, I would have written it off as simply strange. With my new insight and observations, this scent helped me to be ready to respond to the "skunk" I would interact with in a meeting later that day.

I also practiced new behaviors such as focusing positive energy on a crystal necklace then wearing it under my business clothes. This necklace helped to remind me to be positive (or confident, or action-oriented, or calm in the face of stress, depending on the situation I was preparing for).

As I learned more and more awareness activities, my own "Aha's" came flowing so fast I didn't have time to write them all down. Learning, and slowly Awakening to this other side to life became a part of my day. And I no longer hid those crystal necklaces, because they were no longer "fringe" in my own life. My energy practice became normal, as did constant observation of my own thoughts and actions, and how I could change my very human responses to mirror my soul's Awakening.

Is there a point when one is fully Awakened?

The thing about Awakening, is that the more you know, the more you realize there is to learn. And as we learn, the more clearly we understand that we are all connected, that our thoughts and actions affect others, that we can become compassionate in all situations, and that we always have a choice in how we respond (though we sometimes forget). And in Awakening, we realize that the profound knowledge gained is the same as simple love and empathy for the humanness of each other.

...I have been writing and revising this post for many weeks. This subject is so expansive that I find it difficult to define. In fact, part two is next week. Every day, I continue to discover and relearn aspects of Awakening.

If you have insight or examples to share that this post has triggered for you, please share with us in the comments below! We continue to learn from each other.

The Language of Energy

note: this is a guest post by author Elaine Seiler

What is Energy?

Energy doesn't communicate in human tongues, but it does speak clearly. It speaks through the metaphors of our lived experiences, the hurricanes and earthquakes of nature, the expressions of the body’s symptoms, or the whispered message of a randomly chosen passage in a book.

Energy communicates through colors, geometric shapes or symbols, as well as through the dreams and the events that occur unexpectedly in our lives. This language, like any new tongue, is challenging. Learning it begins with paying attention to the ways in which the invisible world communicates. Whatever the situation, there is a message. It just takes a little exploration to uncover its meaning.

Personal Story

At a party some time ago, I had some insights into the way nature gives us messages. The conversation turned to the weather – how “unseasonably terrible” the rains had been, and whether that was a sign of climate change or just another rainy season.

Characteristics of an Indigo Child by Carol Lawrence

Carol, of Intentional Conscious Parenting, succinctly describes an Indigo Child. http://www.intentionalconsciousparenting.com/2011/01/characteristics-of-indigo-children.html

Carol also has an active blogfrog community. Perhaps you can connect to her there and discuss: Does your child have Indigo characteristics? Or you can leave a comment below. We'd love to hear from you.

Namaste, Leigh

Honor 2010, Set Goals for 2011

As 2010 concludes and a new year waits for us, our minds are naturally pulled into the past, and through to the future.

What did I accomplish this year? What do I hope to accomplish in the coming year?

Small Gestures Make a Big Difference

When I was 10 or 11 years old, our family spent many Sunday afternoons skating at the local ice rink. My sister, brother and I took lessons, and then we would skate during the public skate.
 While my siblings skated and chatted with their friends, I circled the ice looking for black flies, helpless, frozen on the ice. I would pick one up in my mitts, enclose it in warmth, and breathe a little warm air into its temporary cave. After a few minutes, I opened my mitts and it would fly away.

Saving flies.

“What’s the point?” I heard. “With millions of black flies, you’re not really making a difference.”



And I didn’t think I could make a difference, at least to other people, when I was young. I remember the cool kids in school. I tried not to notice that some "cool" kids had a way of teasing others. They didn't appear to be malicious, but they left others feeling broken by their words. But how could I make a difference? I was too meek to rush to someone else’s defense.

When someone I knew was being picked on, I felt torn between wanting to help and feeling my own insecurity and need to fit in. Any words that escaped my tightly gripped lips were jumbled in emotions of nervousness, self-consciousness, and pleading to be nice.

I was frozen, a small fly in a big world.

And yet, when I skated alone on the ice, surrounded by children enjoying themselves and smiling, I could pick up a lone cold fly, and with a gentle touch and breath, bring it to life. When I wasn't surrounded by school yard expectations, I found clarity in this small task.

I still felt helpless on the playground. However, growing up I discovered I could make a difference to others. I could help them with small gestures or a gentle touch. This became important in my first few jobs. A smile to restaurant patrons. An extra minute with a lone child at the community center. I may not have been effective on the playground. "Effective" felt momentous to that 11 year old. I wish I knew then what I know now.

What have I learned?

1. Small steps can make the greatest difference. It only takes one step.

2. Changing another person’s day only takes a moment. If we all took a moment to stop and help, imagine how we’d all feel at the end of the day.

3. Those that don’t smile back, or acknowledge the gesture, probably need it the most.

4. If I didn’t make an effort, or take a moment to smile, it would probably go unnoticed in the hundreds of tasks we do, or in the dozens of people we pass by each day. So we lose nothing, whether we try to make someone else’s day or not.

5. If I had known how simple yet transformative a smile could be, I may have shared more smiles on the playground when I was young. A person feeling uncertain in a situation might feel better receiving a smile.
In giving a smile, it isn’t about me. It is about how I’ve left others feeling. We each have a responsibility to do what we can for others. Often, it comes back to us anyways, as good karma tends to do.

6. Sometimes the kooky things children do (like picking up flies) have a purpose, as they sort out how the world works.

What small gesture do you enjoy sharing with others?

Hesitate to Jump for Spontaneous Joy?

Joy.

Experience Joy

Bring joy into your life and all else will fall into place. I truly believe that.

Do you wish to:

• Connect more to your children? Play joyfully with them.
• Find the job of your dreams? Go with the occupation which brings you most joy.
• Create closer relationships? Drop the worries and complaints and focus on the joy in your life.
• Connect to universal consciousness/god/source/inspiration? This is easier to do when you consciously feel love, and joy is a powerful emotion based in love.

I know what the answers are, so why do I personally find it so difficult to take the leap into joy on a regular basis?

I believe I've found the answer to that one.

As a parent of young children (7 & 9) I have taken on the serious role of guiding, teaching and role modeling proper behavior, decision making, thoughtfulness and responsibility. I believe this prepares them for life as they grow older. Where does JOY fall into this? My children laugh all the time. They find the smallest events to giggle about. Sometimes they even start to laugh just for the sake of laughing, and when the other follows, their laughter erupts into pure JOY. I don't HAVE to role model spontaneous joy, as they were born knowing that one.

What else?

Spontaneous Joy is about letting go of worries, concerns, habits and control. I think it is the last one that gets to me. What will happen if I lose control? Will I be a bad example for my children? Will the responsive laughter remind me too much of childhood teasing? While I think I'm over that last one, maybe somewhere, deep in my subconscious, it has a role in my decision to maintain control.

These two "answers" seem logical, but spontaneous joy is not about logic. It is about love - for the moment, for those around me, for myself. It is the key to a more fulfilling life.

What is keeping you from experiencing more spontaneous joy? Is the underlying belief really necessary, or even truthful? Can you let go of it?

Now that I've found my answers, I believe I can.

The Terry Jones Event: Will Fear End our World?

Last week Terry Jones, a man running a church with 50 members, sparked an international outcry. World leaders and business people felt compelled to respond to stop fear from escalating.

When the public discovered a New York City mosque was to be built two blocks from the World Trade Center memorial site, people were upset. They staged protests and rallies decrying this move. Others voiced equally passionate responses, stating that freedom of religion is one reason America is so wonderful, and stopping the mosque from being built would put this freedom at risk.

Out of nowhere Terry Jones, who runs the Dove World Outreach Center in Florida, announces he will burn the Quran, the religious text of Islam, in protest to this mosque.

Of course those of Islamic faith are upset. Of course they shout for response and reaction.

Surprising, however, is the speed this information traveled around the world, not because it was lightening fast, but because this information was derived from such a small part of the world.

Why did this man's threat cause such an uproar? Set aside the obvious reason that the Quran is a sacred book and symbol for Islam. Were people upset because no one could actually stop it? He was breaking no law, after all. Was it because it hit us at a point in our memory where two towers fell and thousands died? More likely these were trigger points to something deeper. Yes, his actions were an affront to Islam. But his actions dug deep at the root of fear.



Photo: Veer Images



Fear brings two reactions: Flight or fight. We couldn’t move away from this crazy fodder for worldwide media. Therefore we had to fight, or at least react towards this pending symbol of anger.



But if this is just a symbol, to what would we really be reacting? Our response is to fight against the perception that something might happen if we chose to do nothing. Kind of a circular argument, don’t you think? Yet this may be how fear continues.

Worldwide, Jones' statement splashed across the internet, on TV screens. The furor spread fear through followers of the Quran, among those that wish for peace, and to world leaders. People were fearful of what may have occurred if one person burned this religious symbol. State and religious leaders feared that their followers might question their strength.

Fear is the base of all trouble and turmoil. Fear of loss of control, fear of survival, fear of terror, fear of societal regression. The action of Terry Jones hit the heart of some very human fears. Jones' fear. Americans' fear. The world's fear. Fear is False Evidence Appearing Real. And did it ever appear real for a brief moment in time.

But what would have happened if each person did not allow fear to take hold? What if each person felt empathy, love and understanding?

What if the media turned off their cameras early on and walked away, letting Jones do what he may. What if people saw his actions as one silly stunt and ignored it. And instead let love, understanding and compassion travel the world?

What if fear gave way to love, the only other emotion with which we are born?

Love makes the world go round. Fear one day may stop it.

Let’s keep the world turning.

Leigh Harris discovers the juxtaposition of metaphysics and concrete solutions in life and in her writing.

Soggy Cookies and Wet Floors

"Mmmm, these are crunchy!" My six-year-old says to my friend's sister-in-law, who brought cookies to the pool recently.

I was impressed. "Our cookies and crackers seem to soften the second they come into our house."

"It's the humidity. An east coast thing," she said, knowing I was from the west. "Put put your stuff in plastic containers."

What? I thought. The humidity softens crackers? I was in unfamiliar territory again, a feeling I thought I was past, given that we've now lived a full year in New Jersey.

Then I recalled the conversation I had with my husband earlier this week, shortly after returning from vacation. "Do you remember turning on the humidifier in the basement and setting it on that rubbermaid lid before you left?" He said.

"Yes. I heard it would be humid," I replied.

"You were right. I went down there and water overflowed all over the floor."

"What? How much moisture can their be in the air?"

"Obviously more than you thought."

"On the new carpet?"

"No, just the concrete."

Unbelievable. The dehumidifier was left by the last homeowners. Clearly there was a reason for it.

Soggy cookies and wet floors. Who knew humidity was more than just extra heat in the air?

Not me. I've only lived here a year.

The Basics of Intuitive Parenting, part 1

Intuitive parenting is our natural gift when life is unruffled. Follow our gut. Breathe. Listen to the little voice in our head. Act on our child's requests, especially when it resonates deeply.

But how do we remember to breathe or ignore our own frustrations when soccer practices, recitals and mac 'n' cheese dinners jam every waking thought?

"I'd love to find a better way to get my children to listen without yelling. I feel so busy, I don't have time to tell them twice," says Andrea, a mother of two, five and nine years old.

"My children love their after school activities - soccer, ballet, guitar, baseball - but it is too much! I feel like a bus driver, not a mother," says Sara, mother to three children.

When time is overobligated, not only do we react without thinking, we make mistakes. We don't listen to our intuition. Instead we act out of frustration, annoyance or exhaustion.

"Where is your violin?!" I said to my son after we arrived at school. Meanwhile, my thoughts were racing. "Why didn't he remember his violin? I guess I should have reminded him but I was just too busy to remember."

Does this sound familiar?

However, we can learn to be frustrated or exhausted, still be able to hear our intuition and respond with the right words or actions.

Solution

Intuition is essentially a choice. Choose the correct path or make the right decisions.

To listen to intuition - and remember to do it - start by practicallly taping your mouth shut. Post notes on the fridge, TV and computer screens, as well as the corner of the family room entrance. "Close," or "listen," are two innocuous words that may work for you.

Then use body language and your ears. Listen to your children and listen to yourself.

If you are at your wits end, you know your body feels pulled in three directions: child, self, to-do list. If you give a few minutes to your child, you may even feel rejuvenated yourself, and then you can attend to your to-do list.

In the meantime, be conscious of what your thoughts are saying.

"I'm tired!"
"I don't have time for this."

Be conscious of them, but don't act on them. When you zip your mouth closed and simply listen to yourself, you become empowered to make more conscious decisions, and more open to listen to your intuition.

"Ok. I'm tired. I may not have the energy I normally have, but it is simple tiredness."

Once you acknowledge what your thoughts are saying, you can move on.

"I am tired. I can also listen to my child by sitting down. Maybe I can even drink tea or cold water while I do that."

What do your children want? Your full attention. Stop what you are doing and sit with them while they tell you about their scraped knee on the playground, or their new art project. Give them a hug or put your hand on their shoulder. You hardly have to say a thing to give them the attention they crave.

Keep your mouth closed except for the occasional "hmmm, that sounds fun," or "tell me more."

When your mouth is closed your child gets your attention, and you may remember to "just breathe." Maybe you will forget this time, with your thoughts suddenly becoming louder and clearer, but perhaps you will remember. In the space between your thoughts, there may be one deep breath that you remember.

And that is how it starts.

Shells, Like Life

Shells have always fascinated me. I know I'm not the only one. Shells have a mystical beauty to them, with perfect lines, neverending swirls, and pastel colors.

In my holiday trip to Florida in December we visited Fort Myers Beach. I was amazed at the number of perfect shells littering the high tide line, like a sparkling point of no return. I was a child again, excitedly picking up overflowing handfuls of perfect shells, looking for a bag or container in our belongings so that I could go back to get more.

My son joined me for a while, and my daughter, but the icing sugar sand intrigued them more. The sand was perfect sand castle texture and they were determined to dig deep enough and build high enough around them to become part of the beachscape.

But the beauty that the ocean left behind on it's daily retreat, drawn by the moon, was entrancing. Perfectly curved creamy lemon and orange shells, some with dark purple or iridescent insides, lined our walk.

I continued to wander up and down the tide line with our dog. He sniffed as we walked along, and perked his ears forward at every dry piece of seaweed that moved in the breeze. "Shadow, they aren't alive." I'd whisper.

Then I wondered, why were there so many shells? Did something happen to the tiny creatures that once inhabited these beautiful homes? The obvious answer, yes, was replaced with wondering if something unnatural happened in their living habitat. As the rented power boats created a constant hum this side of the horizon, I wondered if humans had been careless enough to affect the ecosystem of the shells on this shore.

I tried to shake those negative thoughts. I was determined to find a way to display my collection to honor nature's beauty. I was also careful to ensure I was allowed to bring them home.

Shells are a symbol for all things living. They start their life as a tiny being, then radiate out in perfect uniformity, growing and expanding. As they grow, the beginning point becomes stronger. When we as humans grow, internally we become stronger.

The nautilus shell, the one that spirals round and round, has been examined in mathematics, engineering and metaphysics. The mathematical Fibonacci sequence (adding each number together to get the next number) is also seen in the spiral of the shell.

As I examine these perfect shells, their graceful forms, their calm colors, I decide that I can honor their beauty through my life. I can reach for more grace and calm, and with childlike attention, notice the moments of living perfection before me. As the spiral of my life continues to grow, and I become stronger internally, I hope to reflect the beauty of the shell.

And so that those shells are always there for others to see, I must choose my steps carefully, aware of my effect on nature and those around me, so that we do not reach a point of no return.

Negative Energy vs Positive Energy

Is energy really positive or negative?

Energy, in and of itself, is neutral. How energy effects a person is what makes it positive or negative. Or more accurately, how a person perceives the energy or event they interact with is what changes neutral energy into either positive or negative.

Can we actually change energy? Well, quantum physics is discovering how our intentions affect an object (or a subatomic molecule), but the concepts of negative or positive are purely human.

And if something is only negative because we assign the negative label to it, then that same object (or action, situation or circumstance) can be neutral or positive. It changes depending on the spin we put on it. It changes when we consciously decide it changes.

And to be a bit more accurate,something is negative because of how we perceive it to affect us. Once we sense an effect, we attach a label. We describe. We attach an emotion.

So, in any circumstance, action or situation, we can always decide how something affects us. Sometimes we feel like we don't have any control in that decision, but we do. We always do. We always have a choice to feel negative or positive in each moment of each day.

Positive energy. What an affect it can have...

Metaphysical Links

Are you doing book research, reading for interest or expanding knowledge ? There are many useful links on metaphysics.

Here are some of my favorites:

My Meditation Coach Brett and Greg offer classes near San Jose as well as drop in group meditation sessions. Their site has some great links on meditation including the medical benefits of meditation.

Foundation for Mind Being Research This is an academic site on the science and philosophy of consciousness and mind. They also have meetings in the Bay area.

Bay Area Metaphysics This group is active on meetup.com, and offers a large range of metaphysical gatherings, instruction and events, as well as active an forum and blog.

Mihaly Csizszentmihalyi One of my favorite authors - his concept of "Flow" has been instrumental in my own career path.

Eckhart Tolle An amazing author for the new age. His books are capable of transforming people's lives.

Metaphysical Dictionary The definition for any metaphysical word or concept you've ever discovered is here.

Oprah - Yes Oprah! She has a page on her site dedicated to spirit, including inspirational authors and speakers.

Contact Talk Radio "Consciousness in Action" - conversations and events on consciousness, mind and body, including a store with items from subjects on "green", "kids", the Institute of Noetic Sciences, and more.

And finally, a simple yet thoughtful video on the Law of Attraction.

Out for a Jog

I was jogging today, and I had moments where I felt a true expansion, a connection to the rest of the world, or at least to the sky above me. The moments were fleeting but real, and distracted from my ego, which fights for attention some days, the moments left me with a sense of peace.

I've often wondered if I can truly meditate while jogging. After all, to meditate, you are supposed to sit, breathe, be in a quiet place, and empty your mind of all thoughts. I know that when I jog, my mind has an opportunity to settle, to clear of my daily to-dos, frustrations, and chatter, it is then that I have moments of emptiness. It is then that my mind has an opportunity to feel peace, to feel silence, to notice the expanse of earth we are on.

It is then that my mind can create. And today, the question came, "how can we become enlightened beings, at one with each other, when our daily lives continue at their normal frenetic pace, when horns honk, children bicker, and one more hit of the snooze button cause us to be late?" I want to believe that we all want peaceful, fulfilling lives, but our definition of 'peace' and 'fulfillment' may be different to each one of us. I also believe that we are learning, growing and becoming more universally conscious at different rates, and it is not up to one of us to tell another that they are too slow, too fast, or moving in the wrong direction. We each have our paths... sometimes they meet, sometimes they don't, and sometimes they clash.

I've struggled with that question for years. As a mother with a 4 and a 6 year old, I often wonder how I can maintain my own sense of peace, lack of ego and serenity when I'm telling one child to stop hitting the other. I try to stay in the moment. When I do, I can often see the moment leading up to the hit, and preempt, distract or redirect. I've decided it's ok to give myself a pat on the back when I perform a stellar "mom" move like that, even if it is to boost my ego. Since my ego hasn't managed to stay out of the way for all difficulties, so as to give my consciousness free space to be in the moment, reward is temporarily a good thing.

But how can I more frequently bring in that sense of peace in my daily, very real life? I don't have all the answers yet, but I do know that giving moments to calm, to observation, to stillness does help.

What I mean by this, is that, though all my training says to take 20 minutes to an hour or more to meditate and be still, my real life tells me that this isn't frequently possible. So while I am trying to become enlightened, I have an additional battle going on within myself that says I'm not giving enough time to my process of enlightenment. Creating battles in order to reduce them... perhaps that's one way of going about becoming enlightened, but I'm not sure I want to go that way. Instead I've decided I want to look for ways to bring those moments into my daily life, at frequent intervals throughout the day.

Some days, I find those moments harder to find than others. But there are days that I can create them. Those are often on days where I make time to take a break and have a healthy lunch, where I sit and read while I drink tea, or when I make time to go for a short jog. Those days also occur when I make concessions with my children.

I received a Zen garden from my sister-in-law for Christmas. She hand made it. It is lovely and just the thing I want. However, given that it is full of sand, rocks and shells, it is also something my children find lovely and just what they want. I could hide it away and keep it for my own zen moments, but I've decided I would share it with them. The only rule: they must ask me before then start changing the pattern in the garden. Of course, I have yet to say no, but it gives them a certain respect for something that is not theirs, and gives me some opportunity to use it as and when I need. It also gives me those small moments throughout the day to stop, be still and observe. I can observe what I am designing (which may only take 30 seconds), or I can observe what one of my children are designing. Either way, it is a meditative moment. It is a moment where frustrations and to-dos are put aside (hopefully I can do this for 30 seconds) and where, sometimes, I feel a connection to the rest of the world.

I'd like to think my children feel these moments as well.