Happy New Year!

                                                               Happy New Year.
      May acceptance be with you, in whatever unfolds in this New Year...And let contentment rest in your heart... with what is.

Where your attention lies will determine peace or suffering. Suffer not and truly bring in a New Year for all humanity.

The Tide....

    One must be aware of all external actions, reactions, stimulations, surroundings (sight, sound, smell, touch) along with triggered thoughts, emotions, responses, judgements, yesterdays ideas, fantasizing, problem solving,  to do's, must haves, desires etc... In short watch yourself in detail.
   When one is totally aware of ones "outgoing" (external) movement, awareness of the "incoming"  (internal) movement naturally, organically kicks in. Moving inward cannot take place until total awareness of ones "external presentation" is known without judging nor naming. This is why "seeking" falls short.

    Like the tide, there is the movement of the outgoing, incoming and slack tide...all water, all one, and all are known within the outgoing and incoming movement of water.

What is being presented here is awaking to all movement so that you can be opened to the whole, the totality of life, nothing seperate...riding the Tide!

Go Big and Go Home!

        You are the whole...not the small self,elf!
        You are the sky...not the clouds!
        You are the water...not the ocean,stream, river nor sea!
        You are the feast....not the food, drinks, table nor settings!
        You are the Gift...not the items, trimmings & wrappings!

       You are the whole...not the teeny, tiny personal self....time to Go Big and Go Home!

      One can replace "You are" with "I Am" ....breathe with the awareness of breath and say any line from above and space/stillness is yours to reclaim...your natural inheritance.

Merry On!

     May each present moment gift you in seeing the workings & limitations of the mind (the personal I self). From this understanding the doorway to stillness is wide open...as it has always been.

Be.
Merry Christmas & Happy Holidays!
Love
Suse

Heartfelt....

    
      

       The beauty that lies in us all is not external. When you are touched with a sight, sound or situation you are opened to the space within you that is prior & beyond the conditioned known personal self. We often can't describe a heartfelt experience because that which you truly are is experiencing Itself in another, a joy moves through you in an internal/external connected moment and that which you truly are is indefinable ...

The personal "I" mind can only hold content, all else is heart. See this and life is easier, smiles come more frequently and simplicity is alive in you...it always has been.

Drop into Life!

     Life is what you are doing right now, this instant. If thought is running and you are riding along with thought, let this thought come to the forefront "life is what I am doing right now."  No judgement of what is happening at this very moment, recognize if mind uses any description to define your moment and let it go, then return to the next new moment.... only this moment is life right now!

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Light and Shadow...

    

     Internal light is always shinning, creating no shadow. Light is always shinning, even in your thought of the darkest hour...

      
         Only external light creates shadows, a movement for your enjoyment!

Coming Out....Spiritually Speaking!

     Can one honestly say my primary goal in life is internal, awakening to the Self that I am and all else is secondary? Can one let every desire drop quickly, like water cascading over the rocks of a waterfall? Can you honestly "come out" with your spirituality? Of course one can!  Dropping every thought that desires a situation to be different, is the perfect place to start with "coming out" with your spirituality!

Time out!..literally.

     Time in the external world happens in seconds, minutes, hours, days, weeks, months, years...last year, next year, today, tomorrow, yesterday, in a sec, in a minute etc. We compete with time, compete with ourselves,  each other, as nations, cultures, etc.The external world always categorizes time. Our lives are made up of and broken into time. And in time... we run out of time. The wish for more time and the acknowledgement "not enough time." Egads...time out, literally!

      We are born into time but we are not of time. Take time out of the picture and we have timelessness. Take away time and who are we? We are timeless, eternally timeless. Don't make this hard to believe.See how we are attached to time. See "who" is attached to time. Go through one day and see how the idea of time has us functioning all within a time frame...even if you are taking time out of your day for yourself, its still time!  Can you see that the nature of time is just an idea?  An idea that has us running to be on time, make time, set time, create time, etc.What is born or made in time in form is limited, you are not limited. Take time out, literally, and see what is there... I am suggesting here not to negate time but to look deeply to the attachment to time...

External Changes...internal Changeless!

    

Here in the Northeast we are in the throws of witnessing the transitional change of the Fall season. The beauty of change in; color, transcendence, movement, sounds, tastes and smells, along with the subtle and large changes with our own adaptability to this change escapes no one. The fall season is a pulse that is frequent with gentleness and temperament. This all happens externally and you are a witness to it all.

Internally there is no change. There never is. As a witness to the external, can you go internal and sense a quietness? The changeless quietness is there, as real as the external ...even more real, because that is what you are. Even if you sense nothing internally believe it is there. Embrace the changes and smile with delight with the changeless!

All thoughts are a distraction....

   

    All thoughts are a distraction from the present moment of life itself. See for yourself...watch how the mechanism of thought takes precedence over the present moment, see how one voluntarily gives attention to thoughts........thoughts are an addiction, compulsion. If you can see that, then you are loosening the reigns that thoughts hold on one.

                 Choose the present moment...it will make you smile and deepen your heart!

Stay out of judgement when you catch yourself in thought...there is no thought more important than another, trust this truth.

Rest...

        In this life of "time' we all have had moments, brief as they may be of knowing the underlying truth of all. We may not have been able to articulate them nor completely identified with these moments of truth but we all have had glimpses without a doubt knowing something much deeper than what appears.  Don't try to recall the moment(s), put no effort in trying to remember ...that would be of the ego, the personal I conjuring up experience(s). Give your self permission to let everything be as it is through out your day, little to no interference is best. Even in a working environment noninterference can happen...let all things be. This will give you rest, maybe even peace... rest is needed as awakening blooms within you!

Be the Buddha, Flower and the One who see's....

  
Buddha lifted a lotus flower in his hands for all to see at a gathering, the silence of sound was there but only one saw behind the flower. Be the Buddha, the flower and the one who sees! You can, quiet that which is compulsive...go beyond the sound of silence, go beyond what is seen.

Mirror Image...

      Behind every form there is the eternal, that which you are. We spend a life time focusing on the seen, the tangible...spend a few minutes, moments each day with what is behind the seen...you may discover that you see yourself! This is what is meant as the "mirror image."

"Large & In Charge"...Your Not!

It was a wonderful, laugh out loud shift for me when I first heard .."Your not in charge." It was also a great relief. All  this time thinking that I had to be in charge, responsible, for all the roles I play. I can let "her" go,  the she/me who was always trying so hard to figure it out, hard on herself with judgement while keeping the low self esteem barometer afloat, I could step  back and watch, observe life happening....wow!

The more you allow the observer, that is deep within you watch, the less you become identified with the personal I form.

The observer is  spaciousness, still and peaceful.

The observer within you does not operate from an egoic construct, there is no judgement, no thought running only watching.  The observer is un-manifested, that is why the word spacious, still & peaceful are used.You do not become speechless with no reactionary response to situations as the observer...in fact your words & reactions arise out of clarity & wisdom. Isn't this the only desire (clarity & wisdom) within us?? Go for it!!! Suffering ends here.

Too Much...

    For many giving up an identity as a separate personality is too much. Accept this and let it be so. All things play out in time and space as they should. Until the safety net of a personal I (separate self) no longer holds true for you an unfolding naturally presents.

Rest....

Amidst the chaos and suffering of others (or yourself)  there is perfect quiet peace within you...go inward and rest there.

Know that you know....

The Body...

The body is a vehicle for consciousness (the natural spirit, soul that you are) to be expressed through you. Your body is the vehicle for the light to shine through and touch all light. You are the beacon of light, you always have been! Know that you know....

Who Am I?

If your not a body and not the personality that has been developing sense out of the womb and not the accomplished adult with years of experiences under your belt... and the question has risen within you to inquire...well, then Who Am I? Ahhh now you are teeter tautering on the brink of what lies beyond all conceptual  thoughts!

This is where the watcher, the witness observes all without thought interference, hence a sense of peace, quietness with what is and action arises when needed from the place of the watcher not the personal I with gazillion concepts running. But don't stay there! Move deeper....Let the watcher, witness go now too....

Running loop cycle...

Thoughts spin in a continuum loop, it doesn't matter what the content is, thoughts run all day long! We loose the vitality of life itself (the present moment) when we pay attention to the thought and it's content, its like hopping on the loop track and running along side of thought and it's content, this is where we run with thought anywheres from a 200 meter dash to a full on marathon! No wonder why we are exhausted!

Just watch how thoughts rise & fall, observe how the mind churns out the thoughts at a rapid pace...do not judge or step onto the track with any thought, no matter how juicy the content is....now watch your breath inhaling & exhaling, rising & falling....Your choice, one gives energy, the other takes away energy....Stay off the loop track!

Falling Away...

      When you no longer believe who you thought you were, there is a falling away of  concepts once held near and dear about oneself...for me the falling away has a sense like the seeds of a dandelion that are blown by the wind, a bit at a time...there is no feeling but a simple knowing that that is what is happening. Yes there is a lightness to this awareness....

Let what is be...

Can you let what needs to unfold, unfurl without naming it? Can you let what ever is being presented to you be without judging it, without changing any part of it?

It is here where you choose to be present with what is or not...be present with what is, it is much more peaceful and fun!
 


                                     
































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Changing the externals....

If you want the plumbing to be right the internal connections all have to be in fitting harmony, to keep the water flowing with the right amount of pressure, to keep the water faucet from dripping, to have hot water & cold water, etc...To keep the externals outside of us in  fitting harmony  it is paramount to work on the "fittings" within us.

Stay diligent on removing the conceptual layers of a separate, independent, identified self. This is the harmonic "fitting" that will change and heal the external  world. Don't try to see how or what the changes are, trust that your internal alignment is at the forefront... "fittings" for harmony!

What's Important...

What's most important to you right now, your present thought(s) or the present moment. The answer leads you to Awareness...or not. Ask yourself this question throughout the day and see where your attention truly lies. Your choice is your "free will."

Breath of Life

    We are taught that we breathe in air, oxigen and the breath out is carbon dioxide, it is said that air is the bodies life force. This is true of the personal I world where identification, duality reigns to believed to be real. Let's look at this with a different perspective...You are that formless spaciousness of air! The body is sustained by that what you are, not you are the body breathing air!
Take gentle, healthy care of the body, the consciousness that you are, when realized moves through you like the sweetness of Spring.

Simplicity of Quietness...

There is a whirlwind of activity...a dance of sorts outside of you, let it all be. The dance does not need a partner!

 

Go within, move inward, breathe, feel your feet upon the surface, notice the movement of your hands...be quiet inside and watch where your attention goes. Stay inward, mind (the personal I) will want to go outward and be a part of the dance and multie task (the ever insane popular statement!). Drop it all for the inward simplicity of quietness. You will have a prosperous day, things will get done...Move your attention inward each time your attention steps out to dance.

Application...

How is it that we intellectually know but can't seem to wrap our selves around this knowledge and live it in our daily lives?

    Spiritual knowledge comes in the form of a clarity of knowing, an unshakeable certainty, application of this knowledge takes place effortlessly when one is no longer attached to the idea of a separate, independent self. Dig deep, deeper to see where we hold on to for dear life to the me, the personal I...and know that this is not you. There is no separate independent self...from here (non duality) life flows through you with ease, even when a crisis is at hand.

        Awakening, Enlightenment, Self-Realization are all concepts too within the framework of the personal I (ego) identification. These concepts are to be dropped as well.What one has relied on will not present the truth, it can not because the personal I is dependent on a dualistic construct (hot-cold, right-wrong,etc.), it can however bring a deeper understanding of how the mind works...and that is all.

       Drop ownership of all thoughts. If you have me, mine, your thoughts running then you are identifying as a separate, individual self and full on in the game of suffering & fleeting happiness. See how you are dependent on concepts and decide from there...truth or illusion. Drop ownership of thought and place your attention on the present. It is a mind trap to think that one concept or idea is better or worse than another, all thought lies only in the construct of the personal I (ego) separate , independent self. Separation is a concept, drop that too!

Believe????

      For too long we have believed that we are a separate self, independent, an individual, etc. A belief that is built on conceptual thought...that is all. Lean away from conceptual thinking, lean away from the "I" stories, lean away from duality(something with its opposite). Tilt your attention to the present now, your breath, sound, watching (without judging or labeling). This is the place one can catch oneself leaning towards thought and tilt the other way, to the present moment.

     It's simple, only mind (thoughts) complicates. Stop believing that your seperate, stay present, tilt away from thought. What reveals is your true nature that has always been there. You have gone nowhere, only the belief that you are separate makes one feel like there has been a journey.

Bottom of the well...

Do you really want to know the truth of who you are?
Is it a deep burning within you to know "Who am I?"
Is it an emergency to know the truth?

       It will arise within you to know the answer to these questions without a shadow of a doubt...there will be no wishy washyness about it ...you will reach the bottom of the well and know that none of this can be real...so what is there if none of this is real...start from here. Life will show you what is real if you lean your attention it's way. If you cling to thought you are living behind the veil where it is impossible to know truth.

Externals....

      You are not the externals that come and go in one's life. We are conditioned to believe that we are, that we created them & responsible for them... this believed "reality" is an illusion, a nightmare. It is this believed separate self  "reality" that causes pain and suffering...you are not any of this.

Go inward, stay inward, observe breath, watch without the personal I's attention to labeling or judging...the body will join the dance of life as the dancer, perfectly timed step by step without the personal I separate self operating...you are not the choreographer of life's dance, you are the dance!

Truth...

                         Don't imagine the truth...Be the truth.

Lightness of Being...

        All thoughts are distractions. Placing your attention on thoughts creates a density within us, thus unable to recognize the magnificence of life moving through us. Place attention on the present moment without labeling, categorizing, preferencing (another words, no judgement) and you will naturally feel a sense of lightness.

Do you know who you are?

Can you locate who you are? Can you set out on a table who you are? If you were to lose a leg or arm would you be any less of who you are? Discover for yourself who you are without thought telling you.

No Path, no journey...

         There is no path, journey one must take in order to Self-realize. This is only an idea, a thought that one must "do" something, or take steps, make ready,etc. in order to become. Know that you already are, stillness, peace joy, unlimited!  If you feel lack in any way (physically, emotionally, intellectually) you have chosen to believe in a thought that you have forgotten who you are. Stop playing a child's game. Know that you know and have fun with life! No path, no journey....move inward and let all externals play out around you.

Love...that knows no opposite.

"Teach only love for that is what you are." ...acim

          
 The way here is discovering what you are not! Look inward and see all concepts and ideas you hold/believe about yourself and ask, where do these beliefs come from, where do they originate...question every thought that is believed.

You will discover that you, the you who you think you are is not you at all but only an idea, a thought. This knowing of what you are not, can allow enough light/space through revealing your true nature .... A love that knows no opposite. And this "you" will teach only love, for that is what you are.

Seeking, Enlightenment, Self-Realization, Awakening...these too are concepts that represent ideas, ideas of the personal I self (ego) construct. Know that one can only peel back, unfurl what you are not. Yes, there is a "doing" to peeling, unfurling back conceptual beliefs and the personal I(ego) can do this, but it can only go so far. Rest, Be; quiet, present, still and patient....that which you most deeply are will shine through.

Look to see who's running the show....

Any thought, idea and/or concept that you are engaged in is only an idea/concept of a separate, individual self. When this happens the personal I story is running full tilt, running the show and it manifests as believable because it is what you believe to be true. Even believing in something is an idea...  Recognize there is no me, personal I story, let all of it fall away, and when it falls away you will know emptiness, spaciousness and the world will appear more alive than any "thought" possible!

Inexplainable joy...

To look, see with no preference, no reference is to see without the conditioned mind.Seeing without the personal "I" giving story to what is being seen. No limitations, no boundaries, just pure seeing opens one to in-explainable joy!

Always There...

Behind all happenings be it; chaos, peace, raucous wildness, play, madness or suffering there is always perfect stillness, that which you truly are, with no agenda, always there....

                                                       
                                                 You are never not there.

 All things are appearances...always changing and unstable.

That which you naturally are is changeless, still and quiet. Let all attachment to thought drop away. Watch, look with no opinion, judgement, amendments, additions,etc... the changeless in you has never left.Where you have placed your attention is what you will know....know your perfect changeless Self!