Sunday, May 8, 2011 at 11:17PM

“If we lose love and self respect for each other, this is how we finally die.” ~Maya Angelou

In our lives we have many relationships. I want to tell you about my day today. I woke this morning and went to pick up my son at my ex-wife’s house. I called my new wife as she is out of town for business for extended periods of time. After talking to my wife I called Holly, my friend and assistant, to see how her day was going.

Let’s begin with the ex wife meeting. I am a believer that love given comes home again. To say my ex and I have had a very rocky relationship is understating the facts. It ended harshly and with much pain. The damages created to the subconscious mind were tricky to overcome. Trust was taken and continually misused. It wasn’t until I shifted my attachment to the situation that the relationship could alter for the better. Together we have made a magnificent son. It is for this purpose that the relationship must function in a loving way. Still to this day she values my insights and allows me to help guide her through struggles occasionally. I value her good parenting of my son and respect her for that.

“Without feelings of respect, what is there to distinguish men from beasts?”  ~ Confucious

My son is one of the greatest relationships I will ever experience in my lifetime. He is a loving boy who tells me frequently throughout the day that he loves me. I, of course, tell him as well. We laugh and sometimes cry as we go through the learning curves of childhood. I respect him as a human and help him when he does not have the information he is seeking. He in turn respects me and always says “please”, “thank you”, and, “excuse me.” Our days are filled with fun and sometimes intellectually stimulating conversations. Kynan is 7.

I asked the universe for a "fun and easy relationship with a soul mate.” Kelly came into my life. I adore her. I am always impressed by her intelligence, wisdom, talents, and beauty. She has supported me in some of the weirdest things to ever happen to me in my life and I am so grateful for such a magnificent partner in life. She respects me and I her. We are peers and no hierarchy exists in our relationship. I love her and she me. The frequent geographic distances our relationship experiences have no effect on our feelings for one another, and we are secure in the partnership.

Holly, my friend and assistant, stood by me through the thick and thin of my spiritual work. She feels that the work is important and we must spread the word. Holly began her own business and has been watching it grow. I admire her courage for taking the leap and respect her for sticking to her guns. Holly brings a great deal of happiness to my life as she supports the work that I feel I am here to do and she also is a friendly sounding board from time to time as I am for her.

“I get no respect.”~ Rodney Dangerfield

One element you will find in all of these relationships is respect. I respect them for who they are and love them always. When times of relationship strife come in it never changes the fact that we love each other and respect each other. Dominating relationships are relationships where one is doomed to never excel. One is always held to the standards of another. Domination is in essence a lack of respect for the potential of the other. In my relationship with my son, I am the parent and a strong one. When decisions are made I always share with him the logical reason why. It is how I respect him. He in turn has come to understand that process and will not argue the point knowing there is a reason. I give him respect and he gives it in return.

There is no one on earth who is more or less powerful than anyone else. Each one of us has unlimited divine potential within. By recognizing the potential within and honoring it, you propel people forward. That is what “Namaste” is all about. I recognize the divine unlimited potential in you. Thank you for choosing to spend your time with me.

“When you are content to be simply yourself and don't compare or compete, everybody will respect you.”~Lao Tzu

Thank You
Thank You
Thank You

Monday, May 2, 2011 at 11:55PM

“An eye for an eye would make the whole world blind.” ~ Mahatma Gandhi

Osama Bin Laden is dead. This man whom the world has hunted is no longer among the living. Truthfully I was excited to hear the news. Now as I watch the reactions I am a bit ashamed that I allowed myself to fall into the trap of high running emotions. I have done over one hundred shows entertaining troops overseas. I have traveled all over Afghanistan and Iraq. I have seen firsthand the countries devastated by hateful men. The representation of these men became Osama bin Laden. Osama bin Laden was no great guy to be sure, but to knowingly go and shoot another human being, no matter what they have done, I cannot support. The man was sick and misguided. He was not a friend to Christians or Muslims. He brought death to many more than the poor people of the New York, Washington DC, and Pennsylvania tragedies. Osama Bin Laden incited such high emotions that countries were toppled and hundreds of thousands lost their lives in the wars that followed. Did it help to kill him? Those running high in emotions will say yes. “Closure” will be word of choice.

“Revenge is often like biting a dog because the dog bit you.” ~ Austin O’Malley

The mission was quick and decisive. Afterwards, out of respect, they honored his Muslim traditions by having his body interred within a day.  So after he was hunted and shot in the head it was decided to respect his beliefs? It seems a bit late. Had we created a place of understanding decades ago maybe he would have been a harbinger of peace instead of death.  This man was responsible for atrocious acts. Let us not forget the United States trained him and armed him and then left him. Was it good policy then? Who knows? It is debatable. But undeniably by supporting a man bent on war and destruction, we created the very man whose death we are now joyfully celebrating. Our focus needs to be on peace and human brotherhood.

“Be the change you want to see in the world.” ~Mahatma Gandhi

I watched as hundreds flocked to ground zero and the White House as the news broke. Parties erupted in public places celebrating the death of the enemy. Yet the world we should be creating is a world without such actions. If one person hits you is it not the higher ground to turn the other cheek? I am not saying to forgive and forget such actions but an eye for eye will lead us and our world into a barbaric future. People laughed and joked “thank God he is dead.”  Is this the world we want for our future? Is bloodlust rewarded with bloodlust? The world is rid of Osama bin Laden. Until we learn to work with each other, stop drawing lines in the sand and give loving respect and understanding, another will just take his place and it will escalate. Our world is at a tipping point. We can choose another path. Reach out your hand to people of all faiths. Respect their beliefs. Show them there is nothing to fear and allow them to embrace their own religious and cultural differences. The world is created through choice. Choose to love instead of fear. Mohammed said that "Kindness is a mark of faith." Let us be kind.

“My Religion is simple. My religion is kindness.” ~The Dalai Lama

Wednesday, April 20, 2011 at 10:05PM

The Four Noble Truths (Dharma)

Buddha was an amazing individual. Whether you believe his teachings or not, his concepts are valid in most religions' truths. I would like to share my thoughts on the four noble truths of Buddha in relationship to what I teach.

1.The Nature of Suffering: This is the noble truth of suffering: Birth is Suffering, Aging is Suffering, Illness is suffering, death is suffering; sorrow, lamentation, pain, grief, and despair are suffering; union with what is displeasing is suffering; seperation from what is pleasing is suffering; Not to get what one wants is suffering; in brief, the five aggregates subject to clinging are suffering.

This first noble truth sounds terrible. It does so because it is focused on the negative aspect. We automatically connect with the negative words and don’t like the connotations. I find this fascinating, especially where it says,”Separation from what is pleasing is suffering.” In my beliefs this describes perfectly our separation for the source. If you ever heard or read my regression, you might remember that it says,”Everything is Love and we were given fear as our tool to experience Love fully.” Without the polar opposite we would never understand what Love is. So we have fear as our polar opposite. One of the main products of fear is suffering. People “suffer from” anxiety, depression, and physical ailment. I believe each has its root in a fear. We tend to hold on to or “cling” to our fears. Buddha says ”the five aggregates subject to clinging are suffering.” I believe suffering is fear.

2. Suffering’s Origin:
“This is the noble truth of the origin of suffering: it is this craving which leads to renewed existence, accompanied by delight and lust, seeking delight here and there, that is, craving for sensual pleasures, craving for existence, craving for extermination.”

The Second Noble Truth talks of a “craving which leads to renewed existence.” This seeking for the sensation of pleasure is us in the physical experience seeking the feeling of Love. We tend to constantly strive for the pleasurable sensations that we define as positive or in essence loving. The very separation we are here to experience leads us to seek the feeling of it. This is why people become addicted. It is the feeling they are addicted to. The feeling of relaxation is a positive sensation. When you ask a smoker why they smoke, most will say, ”It relaxes me.” It is the feeling they want because they are suffering with fear and choose this tool to allow themselves to relax.

3. Suffering’s Cessation:
“This is the noble truth of the cessation of suffering: it is the remainderless fading away and cessation of that same craving, the giving up and relinquishing of it, freedom from it, nonreliance on it.”

This is the step one must take to reach enlightenment. The “relinquishing” of suffering/fear until nothing remains of it and we no longer need to rely on it for contrast. We must release our fear to reach the potential of humankind. We each have control of our fear if we so choose. Many choose to feel helpless within their fear. It is the wise ones who choose to be in control of their fear long enough to release it.

4. The Path to the Cessation of Suffering:
“This is the noble truth of the way leading to the cessation of suffering: it is the Noble Eightfold Path; that is, right view, right intention, right speech, right action, right livelihood, right effort, right mindfulness and right concentration.”

This last noble truth tells us how to end suffering/fear. By living in a state of doing the right things you tend to then be surrounded by the right things. It is interesting, however, that several of the Noble Eightfold Path are based in our thought/belief/faith. The other two are actions upon our belief. We each know right from wrong. We each find ourselves thinking in ways (especially about ourselves) that are not congruent with the truth. When our thoughts, words, and deeds are based in fear we suffer. When they are based in Love we thrive.

Friday, March 25, 2011 at 6:42PM

“The ultimate lesson all of us have to learn is unconditional love, which includes not only others but ourselves as well,” ~Elisabeth Kubler-Ross

Love: what is it? Is it something we strive for? Is it something that eludes us? Is it something we create? I believe it is what we are made of. I believe that the very fabric of God/Universe is Love. I also believe that we are a part of the fabric. When I had my past life regression my wonderful regressionist asked a simple yet powerful question: “What is the message to get out to the world?” The answer was,” Everything is Love and we are given fear as a tool to experience love fully.”

Our physical life experience is about separation from love. We do this so we may experience the true feelings of love, so we may come to know Love on a deeper level, to understand it. A true unconditional love is our highest desire. We want to be loved for who we are and not have limitations set upon us to be able to achieve love.

“All things appear and disappear because of the concurrence of causes and conditions. Nothing ever exists entirely alone; everything is in relation to everything else.” ~ Buddha

What are conditions? Conditions are limitations set upon something. “If you don’t get good grades, you’re grounded,” is a conditional statement. It tells the person that they will be a victim of an unloving act if they fail. It puts fear into them and creates a condition of having to perform to have the person’s love. It is a condition. But what is the root of the condition itself? Every parent wants their child to succeed. Some parents are lost in their own fears and see the children as representations of themselves. If the child fails it is a reflection on their parenting. If the child fails they are a bad parent. If the child fails then they themselves are not loved in their perception. They are also afraid of not being loved.

“Every human is the architect of their health or disease.” ~Buddha

Conditional love is a root cause of many ailments. Many people find that if they are ill then they get more attention and thus they feel loved. Many find that if the speak their personal truths they are reprimanded for who they are and so they never speak their truth. What I have found in my years of working with people is those that swallow their truth end up with digestive disorders and elimination organ (ie: kidney, liver, bowels, bladder) disorders. Once the people are broken free of the condition then they heal.

“There are two primary choices in life: to accept conditions as they exist, or accept the responsibility for changing them.” ~Denis Waitley

I worked with a child once who was paralyzed. When the child was alone in the room with me he stood up. When the parent was in the room he couldn’t. It was discovered that when the child had the accident, a rather aloof parent suddenly became a great parent and very involved in the child’s life. The child stood with me because he knew I would love him if he did. He couldn’t stand with his parents because he felt loved if he couldn’t stand.  

Our simple belief is what creates our experience. As Buddha says,”What you think you become. You create your world.” Our belief in relationship to love is the root of our experience. If a condition is placed to achieve love we will create a condition to receive it. Is your love unconditional? Was the love of the people in your life unconditional? What aspects of your life are not as you wish and what is the condition that has been placed in your way? Remember Love is a positive sensation and fear a negative one. What condition stops you from achieving the positive sensation? I love you as you are …. No conditions.

“More than anything else, I believe it's our decisions, not the conditions of our lives, that determine our destiny.” ~Anthony Robbins

Friday, February 4, 2011 at 12:27AM

"Expect your every need to be met. Expect the answer to every problem, expect abundance on every level." ~Eileen Caddy

I am so overwhelmed today. I am overwhelmed with the sensation of being the creator. A couple of years ago I was searching for direction.  I wandered in search of my spirituality. Today I am truly overwhelmed by the fact that within my own self is the power of creation. A few years ago I was in emotional turmoil. Things had brought me to the depths of despair. I decided then and there to redirect my life back onto my spiritual path, a path that was laid before me and from which I veered.  

I say “veered” and not “strayed.” In my mind “strayed” implies wrongdoing. I do not believe in wrong doing. Wow! John, that is a powerful statement and one of great controversy! I know that is being said by many of you reading this, but let me explain. You see I believe that each of us has the power to create our lives. All of the teachers of the past told us so. The reality is that even though they have said it for centuries, and we have heard it, we still were not living it. At least I wasn’t. If we are the creator then anything we create is not wrong. No one sits in judgement if we are the creator. In fact it is we, ourselves who judge us harshly. It is those judgements where we get lost in our own dark valley.

"I am not God, but I am my creator."  ~Terry Josephson

My mind was trapped in the perceived environment and so my belief was wrapped in the residual effect of my past negative creations. The result was simply… more negative creations. Our personal experience is a product of our belief and the people and events that support that belief surround us as our experience. So when do we make the shift? When do we decide it is okay to be the creator? We have dogmatically programmed ourselves to believe we are inferior and so our belief gives us reason to keep believing.

Is today the day of your shift? Is today the day you call upon the universe to do your bidding?  If in fact you are the creator, then how are you going to create? Out of fear, jealousy, and greed? Or out of love compassion and happiness?  All negative emotion has fear inside of it. And that fear in some form is the fear of not being loved. So create from positive belief that you are loved and the universe/God will respond. “Ask and you shall receive.” Be the joyful expression and so a joyful expression is your life.

I came from that place of turmoil into the most loving relationship I have ever experienced, a joyful career, a sense of purpose, and fulfillment. How did I do it? I called upon the Universe and believed I would receive it……. And I did.

"Abundance is not something we acquire. It is something we tune into."  ~Wayne Dyer

Thank You
Thank You
Thank You

Wednesday, November 24, 2010 at 9:45PM

Each year we have a day that reminds us to be thankful for what we have in our lives.

I am thankful for:

Being able to wake each day.

Having a roof over my head.

Having wonderful friends.

Being able to serve.

For all that spoke truth.

For all that speak truth.

For all that will speak truth.

For the others who sacrificed of themselves to afford me the freedoms I enjoy now.

BUT MOST OF ALL:

For finding Kelly again

For my son Kynan and all the joys that he gives me.

Kelly saying “yes.”

Kelly saying” I do.”

The awareness to joyfully create the life of my desires with the people that I love most.

All this being said, I AM grateful for this and more every day.  Don’t wait for one time a year to be thankful and to share with those that matter that you are thankful for them.

Thank You
Thank You
Thank You

Friday, November 19, 2010 at 4:55PM

“Ability is what you're capable of doing. Motivation determines what you do. Attitude determines how well you do it.” ~Lou Holtz

I am always speaking of the power of words. I am a true believer that your words are a product of belief.  I also believe that all creation/healing must be done in the present moment:  the I AM moment. When we use words like “want”, “need”,” hope”, or “try” we are actually creating nothing in our present moment. These words are a product of the belief that you are not doing it now. I watch as people shift their faith to the present moment and miracles happen in their lives.

I recently was working with a really cool guy who is having some difficulties in his life. He has found himself in a state where his legs aren’t working. He can move his toes but his legs do not work. I got down on the floor in front of him and began the process of assessment. I was assessing where his belief was allowing him to go. As I said, he can move his toes. I asked him how he was able to do that - he said "I just do it." I told him that is the faith he must have in all of what he is creating.

“The outer conditions of a person's life will always be found to reflect their inner beliefs” ~ James Allen

I placed my hands on either side of his knees and asked him to move his legs. I watched as he struggled to move them. I then asked him to relax and say, ”I AM moving my legs,” as he did. His legs began in the slightest way to move, first one then the other then both. You could see the quadriceps muscle flexing as he did it.  We talked, discussing what he had just done, and I then said, “Try and do it again.” He struggled to move them but the muscles didn’t fire. Again I said,” I AM moving my legs,” which he repeated. The muscles fired and the legs slightly moved.

He has found where his faith is as he begins his wonderful recovery. He is now declaring, “I am growing stronger every day." As long as he holds his belief that he is and reinforces it with his words then he will one day soon dance, even though he says he never did.

“Men often become what they believe themselves to be. If I believe I cannot do something, it makes me incapable of doing it. But when I believe I can, then I acquire the ability to do it even if I didn't have it in the beginning.” ~Mahatma Gandhi

Monday, November 8, 2010 at 12:19AM

“I found out that I can change my life. There is a possibility for that and it's an easy possibility. It's not as hard as it looks.” ~Veronica Martinez

Mahatma Gandhi said that we each must “Be the change we wish to see in the world.” This is a magnificent statement especially as it pertains to global matters.  If we take this same statement and apply it to our lives, we can make significant strides towards a happier experience. Every day we each arise to our day usually with a list of things that we are going to do. As we fulfill each task the experiences that surround us are a direct response to the things we have done and are doing. In matters of spiritual thought we tend to aggrandize the prominence of the esoteric thought. If we look at the teachings with a much simpler eye we begin to find a great truth. We have much more influence in the creation of our lives. We must BE that which we wish to experience.

“To be, or not to be– that is the question: Whether 'tis nobler in the mind to suffer the slings and arrows of outrageous fortune, Or to take arms against a sea of troubles and, by opposing, end them.” ~William Shakespeare

If you look at each of the simple aspects of your life (relationships, career, home, finances) you will be able to quickly discern which of these areas are not harmonious with your intent. In each of these areas we must be the change we wish to see. Your thought, word and deed create motion, and though you may not be where you would like to be, if you started thinking, speaking, and acting in alignment with the experience you wish to see then that experience is the byproduct of your actions.

In relationships, for example, we each in our lives wish to be loved. Many of us actually spend a great deal of time focused on what we don’t want and so those things rush towards us. If you foster the loving relationship, it will show itself. Look at your partner and see the things that make them happy and find joy in their joy. Realize that in your relationship you want happiness and not strife and so be happy in your relationship.

The essence of fear that permeates our world tends to make us think and act in negative ways. It is a conscious choice to create something different and that creation comes in your being. Be that which you wish to see in this present moment, I AM that I AM.

“Be the Change you wish to see in the world” ~Mahatma Gandhi

Saturday, November 6, 2010 at 9:56AM

Good Morning Love.

I am grateful for the love in my life. I feel it in so many ways. Due to my fianceé’s work we do spend quite a bit of time apart. When she is away, the first thing I do each morning is roll over, grab my phone, and text her “Good Morning Love.” It is a simple message, but one with a great deal of meaning to me. I convey my message to her and yet this statement is powerful in that I start each day greeting love. After our morning exchange I then think of the other aspects of love in my life. I have a beautiful relationship with my son. We laugh and jokes and tell each other, “I love you, “often. I also remember that I love the world and the people in it, no matter what their actions are. I then remember the love I have for myself.

Good Morning Love.

All of these Loves make up my experience of Love. It is a wonderful experience of my choice. I choose daily to greet love into my life and so it manifests in many and varied ways. I Love…. Love. It fills my spirit. It lightens my step. It makes the day begin and end with a smile. There is a quote in the book of John that says, “God is Love.” God/Universe/Goddess, Whatever you call the source of it all, is made of Love. Each morning to greet Love and move forward is to see our source in all Her/His glory. It is to welcome the feeling of Love into our day. The day is of our choosing and how we interact with Love is the experience we are creating. Love is not judgmental or vengeful. Love is always there and supportive. Love always gives a second chance, But it is you who has to take that chance. Choose Love over fear and negativity and you will touch something larger.

Good Morning Love

Don’t think of Love as enormous. Think of Love as always there to greet you. Don’t think of Love as hurtful. Think of Love as Joyful. Open your eyes and greet Love with the anticipation that Love will greet you with a good morning. This brings about a joyful interaction with Love.

Good Morning Love.

Wednesday, October 27, 2010 at 1:50PM

"Stress is basically a disconnection from the earth, a forgetting of the breath. Stress is an ignorant state. It believes that everything is an emergency. Nothing is that important. Just lie down."~ Natalie Goldberg

Today stress reared its ugly head. It wasn’t fun. It didn’t feel good. It was vented. It was not judged by another, it was just released. It did, however, happen. Sometimes things happen in life. We each have a series of triggers created in our past experiences that can be a reactive force in our lives.  That is human. It is what we do with the stress that is important. Many of us, including myself, have aimed our stress at another with blame. Many suppress and suffer through.

Stress is a choice. Think of the things we get stressed about. Are they physically on top of you, like an elephant, crushing the life giving air from your lungs? Probably not.  Instead they are outer circumstances that we allow our minds to get wrapped in but they are not here and now. They are all based in fear. Fear of not achieving, fear of outcomes, fear of not being loved. Fear is a choice. To be fearless is a choice. If you ask anyone who is known for a heroic act they usually say they didn’t have time to think or they decided they needed to help.

"If you ask: what is the single most important key to longevity, I would say it is avoiding worry, stress and tension. And if you don't ask me, I'd still have to say it."~ George Burns

The reactive hero doesn’t give fear a foothold and so they react.  If they hesitated then there might have been a different outcome. The decisive hero experiences the fear and then decides to set it down to proceed. Either way choices were made and acted upon. Does your stressful choice enhance the experience? Does it actually help get the things done? The only thing that stress does is make us miserable. Why would we choose that?

The stress state comes with many physiological responses. The first most obvious is it affects our breathing. It makes us feel as if the elephant has climbed on and we can’t breathe. All the effects of stress are the same as any other fear response. Stresses build upon stresses and the origin gets lost in the mire of the fear that created it.  Yes there are things in your world that have priority. Dealing with those things without judgment or fear is life mastery.

If you could simplify all the elements of your perfect life wouldn’t all of them lead you to a fun relaxed state? Choose that state now. And watch your stress disappear.

"For fast-acting relief, try slowing down."  ~Lily Tomlin