Debra's view of the River

Actualize Your Spiritual Potential

2009-04-03T00:56:00.000-07:00

Actualize Your Spiritual Potential

Roy Eugene Davis

The average person's habitual thoughts, emotional states, lifestyle preferences, and behaviors—and thus their personal circumstances—are primarily determined by subliminal (below the threshold of conscious awareness) inclinations and tendencies. So long as this condition prevails, life is experienced as a semi-conscious dream; random accomplishments are of little value; spiritual growth, if it occurs at all, is minimal.

To awaken from this dreamlike condition and begin to actualize one's innate spiritual potential, the question that needs to be asked is, "What is life for?" If the answer to this important question does not immediately arise to the surface of awareness, the fact that it is sincerely asked will attract a response from Universal Mind referred to by Ralph Waldo Emerson as "the one Mind which is common to all of us." Information will then be provided in ordinary ways, which may be intuitively recognized as being valid.

Over half a century ago, in an endeavor to apprehend the meaning of life, I prayed for guidance and avidly read the writings of people who were considered to be enlightened—knowledgeable because of their flawless insights and their personal experiences of life's processes. I discovered that saints and sages of various philosophical traditions are in agreement in regard to why we are in this world. We are here to:

·
To live in harmony with the laws (processes) of nature by using our knowledge and abilities constructively. By doing this, we can unfold our innate potential, experience personal fulfillment, and make a useful contribution to society and the ongoing trends of evolution.

To learn to experience the easy fulfillment of wholesome desires which enhance our lives and benefit others. By doing this, we can accomplish our worthy purposes and experience enjoyment without attachments to our actions or to their results.

To learn to have our needs spontaneously satisfied by the responsiveness of the universe. As our awareness becomes clarified and expanded, we become increasingly conscious of the one Power that enlivens the universe and discover that, as we compliantly cooperate with it, it unfailingly provides resources, supportive events, and appropriate relationships for our highest good.
To respond to our innate soul urge to have our awareness restored to wholeness by nurturing our spiritual growth until we are fully Self- and God-realized. The Self of us, which is to be acknowledged and directly experienced, is our immortal, true nature. We are individualized units of the one field of Consciousness commonly referred to as God.

Endeavors to accomplish all four of these primary purposes of life can be applied simultaneously. While choosing to live in accord with the laws of nature, we can also perform effective actions and be receptive to the fulfillment of desires, have faith that our needs will be met, and unfold and express our soul qualities. The key to doing this is to be established in awareness of Being while performing useful actions.

At the innermost level of our Being, knowledge of Consciousness and its processes is innate to us; here, we are always serenely conscious of our wholeness. It is only at the surface of our awareness that confusion and conflict may occur. This is why the teachers of most enlightenment traditions recommend that contemplative prayer and meditation be learned and regularly practiced.

Although the side benefits of meditation—some of which are stress reduction, strengthening of the body's immune system, enlivening of the nervous system, and orderly thinking—can be welcomed, the primary purpose of practice is to accomplish the stage of alert, tranquil awareness which allows superconsciousness to be experienced. The superior influences of superconsciousness weaken and eradicate problem-causing subconscious influences and improve the meditator's intellectual powers, allowing authentic spiritual growth to spontaneously occur in the course of time.

The key to effective living and to spiritual growth that results in emotional maturity and clarified, expanded states of consciousness is mastery of attention. A spiritually unawake person's awareness is overly identified with mental and emotional states, physical sensations, and objective circumstances. A spiritually awake person, because established in Self- (soul) awareness, is able to view thoughts, moods, physical sensations, and objective circumstances with insightful dispassion and to consciously live with meaningful purpose.

Purposes which have value (which enhance and spiritually enrich our lives and the lives of others and which nurture the planet) are meaningful; purposes which have little or no value are meaningless. Focusing attention and actions on meaningful purposes, then, is a spiritual practice.

During a conversation with truth seekers, my guru Paramahansa Yogananda said, "There is a fundamental purpose for our lives. To know it, we must understand where life comes from and where it is going. We must consider life's highest potential for development and look beyond our immediate goals to what we ultimately want to accomplish."

What do we want to accomplish during our sojourn on Planet Earth? Have we chosen to be victims of circumstances? Or are we intent upon learning how to live effectively so that we can experience the unfoldment and actualization of our innate potential as quickly as possible? We can easily determine the degree of our spiritual awareness by self-honestly examining how we view ourselves in relationship to life and our habitual behaviors. The seven stages of soul unfoldment have been described as follows:

1. Unconsciousness. Awareness is almost completely identified with conditioned mental states, erroneous beliefs and opinions (delusions), and illusions (misperceptions of what is observed). Apathy, disinterest, and boredom are common characteristics. If one is religious, one may seek refuge in a system of beliefs to comfort the mind.

2. Dysfunctional self-consciousness. The self-conscious state is egocentric: mind-, body-, and personality-centered. Although awareness is somewhat clarified and curiosity about life and the possibilities it offers is compelling, delusions and illusions prevail. Psychological conflicts may be troublesome. Because intellectual powers are not yet highly developed, endeavors to comprehend higher realities (even though sincere) are not always fruitful. There may be a tendency to presume illusions and fantasies to be the truth.

3. Functional self-consciousness. Although still self-conscious, one has fewer psychological problems, is able to more easily exercise freedom of choice, is more goal oriented, and is able to efficiently accomplish purposes which are considered to be of value. Functional self-consciousness provides a firm foundation upon which to investigate higher realities and to nurture spiritual growth.

4. Superconsciousness. Purified intellectual powers and intuition enable one to clearly discern the difference between ordinary states of fragmented awareness and the essence of one's Being, the true Self. When superconsciousness is stable, Self-realization is permanent.

5. Cosmic consciousness. As superconscious influences further purify the mind and refine the nervous system, episodes of cosmic awareness progressively unfold, providing clear perceptions of the wholeness of life.

6. God-consciousness. As cosmic consciousness matures, the reality of God, the one field of Consciousness, is directly apprehended and experienced.

7. Full enlightenment. Now completely spiritually awake, with all delusions (erroneous ideas) and illusions (misperceptions) absent, the totality of life is flawlessly comprehended. Soul awareness is liberated.

Is it possible to actually experience satisfying spiritual growth while attending to duties and responsibilities and relating to rapidly changing social conditions? Yes, it is possible. All that is required of us is aspiration to excellence, a clear sense of purpose, Self- (soul) confidence, willingness to learn how to live effectively reinforced by determination to do so, and compliant cooperation with the universal, impersonal processes of life that can and will produce the desired results.

Roy Eugene Davis is an internationally recognized teacher of spiritual growth processes, the author of many books, and the founder-director of Center for Spiritual Awareness with offices and a meditation retreat center in the northeast Georgia mountains.

february

2009-02-28T00:12:00.000-08:00

relief, goal obtained

effort somewhat arduous

breathe, for now it's done

good morning

2009-02-27T07:00:00.000-08:00

the morning is pink

and the periwinkle sky

sparkles possiblities

dreams

2009-02-26T07:40:00.000-08:00

dreams

where souls travel

on their way

out to sea

dream

2009-02-25T00:22:00.000-08:00

I feel like writing a rhyme

it may end up being all about time

or maybe I'll ponder space

I've been wondering about that place

we go when we sleep

sometimes it feels so deep

maybe it's a journey

to a place not far away

but to a spot that's very near

and can hold more

than a little fear

winter's release

2009-02-24T11:38:00.000-08:00

February

a shorter month

more intense

maybe

a time of change

shifting winds

until the springtime

takes the upper hand

choice

2009-02-23T07:24:00.000-08:00

inaction does not exist

choose to act? choose to react?

we each must decide;

which is easier? we ask

it all depends on the frame

oaks' power

2009-02-22T00:31:00.000-08:00

two oaks standing, reach

for the sky. reaching low, their

roots tap the earth and

wisely ground the animals

who live to roam and protect

aging (viewed in the light)

2009-02-21T09:59:00.000-08:00

like cherry blossoms

delicate, splendid, short-lived

giving way to fruit

nourishing richness, the seed

within, promises new life

symmetry and synchronicity

2009-02-20T09:46:00.000-08:00

symmetry shows reflection

synchronicity

shows connection; both hold the

mystery and are held in

our collective history

fear or trust?

2009-02-19T06:48:00.000-08:00

feeling swept away

and carried by the current

only for a day

why resist and keep control?

honor trust, there is no fail

if effort prevails

and keeps life tied and trussed

with no surprises,

still there is no guarantee

the result would be more just

so when the mighty river swells,

I'll endeavor to let go,

enjoy the ride, and trust.

peace within

2009-02-18T01:33:00.000-08:00

coming home

to that space inside

filled with love and never fear

always someone there to hear

hay siempre personna que oir

listening silently

to all that is dear

rainbow

2009-02-17T07:16:00.000-08:00

prisms suspended

the sun's pure light divided

revealing depth

rain

2009-02-16T00:21:00.000-08:00

what is the rain saying to me?

it whispers so softly

and moistens the dry

softly, like cotton

la lluvia

shapes

the earth, and her animals;

her plants and her rocks

raindrops and torrents

through treetops and forests

obstacles

for rain, do not exist

courageously, it does persist

until one day, the sun will shine

and rain will go until

it's time

Air Moves Us

2009-02-15T23:29:00.000-08:00

Air moves us
Fire transforms us
Water shapes us
Earth heals us
And the balance of the wheel
Goes round and round
And the balance of the wheel goes round.

- Cathleen Shell, Cybele, Moonsea, Prune
http://www.reclaimingquarterly.org/web/chants04/chants04.txt

seasonal pattern

2009-02-15T00:51:00.000-08:00

rather than reasons

we have our four seasons

each with a different voice

born to hope

rains refresh

and bring growth

while harvest

brings us the "prize"

finally time comes

to rest a bit

we close our weary eyes

dimensions of experience

2009-02-14T01:45:00.000-08:00

we notice space

we notice time

but when you look,

can't you see -

all that is and all that could be?

decide what you want

and then observe

signs will

show you what to note

follow your river

stay on your boat

and you will get

to where you're going

then when you arrive,

you will see

all will be

exactly

what you believe

wisdom

2009-02-12T23:45:00.000-08:00

oh how I savor the unfolding knowing

which the years surely do bring

I can't understand it

the message was sent

but now we are turning towards spring

the rain keeps on falling

not really squalling

bringing on feeling

and subsequent healing

to our infinite world's own pain

weather

2009-02-12T07:25:00.000-08:00

sun and rain

wind and fire

cancel the game

intensifier

life on earth

2009-02-11T00:54:00.000-08:00

poetry and reason

faithfulness and treason

arbitrary seasons

all wrapped into

one

synchronicity

2009-02-10T00:06:00.000-08:00

one night I understood

all that is,

is connected

because this theory

bends my mind,

I asked for signs

spacetime bent and complied

eyes

2009-02-09T00:39:00.000-08:00

gazing through the glass

the dark provides reflection

light shows us the truth

tanka on the mountain

2009-02-08T08:19:00.000-08:00

at times the light dims

energy diffused, dispersed

shifting inertia

at the summit, feel the sun

recharge, shine; above the fog

bad dreams

2009-02-07T00:15:00.000-08:00

There sometimes can be fear

when darkness swallows light

I promise to shine bright on you

when nighttime brings on fright

early spring

2009-02-06T00:55:00.000-08:00

deep roots, baby leaves

tiny blossoms now appear

harvest foreshadowed

antennas

2009-02-05T01:04:00.000-08:00

Nurtured by the earth

And inspired by the sky

The trees synthesize

knowing

2009-02-04T00:14:00.000-08:00

I always know

just what I know

but how do I know?

I just know it,

you know.

healing

2009-02-03T08:04:00.000-08:00

weakened

by a virus,

rest is all he needs;

his body knows,

just what to do;

healing is automatic

Feb 1st & 2nd

2009-02-02T13:28:00.000-08:00

the sun rises warm

burning fog from the landscape

i am radiant

*****

the first flowers bloom

yellow, to announce the spring

coming, in due time

the wheel, always in motion;

after resting, our earth shines

Shine

2009-02-02T11:46:00.000-08:00

We can (and must) burn off our own fog.

imbolc

2009-02-01T00:18:00.000-08:00

the first flowers bloom

yellow, to announce the spring

coming, in due time

the wheel, always in motion;

after resting, our earth shines

The Net

2009-01-31T08:59:00.000-08:00

We are all snagged in it, but it is dissolving.

Imagination is more important than knowledge.

2009-01-03T22:44:00.000-08:00

For knowledge is limited, whereas imagination embraces the entire
world, stimulating progress, giving birth to evolution.

- Albert Einstein

intimacy is

2009-01-03T15:24:00.000-08:00

the art of finding balance between safety and excitement.

Injustice?

2008-11-20T00:59:00.000-08:00

As the water shapes the riverbed and her stones, external events -
fair, or unfair - have shaped me. Is that justice?

Inertia

2008-11-18T09:51:00.000-08:00

"All That Is" (Creator and Creation) can be described by just three words

* Stillness

* and

* motion

http://www.manyofone.com

food for thought

2008-11-18T09:49:00.000-08:00

Here's something for you to chew on . . .

Daily Compass:

* When available, use Inspiration to make choices.

* Otherwise, use resonance to make choices.

* Use flow to continue/pause choices.

http://www.manyofone.com

free flow

2008-11-16T13:34:00.000-08:00

It's not so much about doing something different, getting something,
causing something to happen. It's about removing, eliminating, all
that is extraneous, unnecessary and blocking our flow. If we endeavor
to remove the blockages, spirit (grace, god, universal life energy,
light, love, etc.) will flow through us freely. Our egos build little
blockades in the effort to channel the great force that is essential
to our nature.

Einstein Quote of the Day

2008-10-30T08:47:00.000-07:00

The most beautiful experience we can have is the mysterious. It is
the fundamental emotion that stands at the cradle of true art and
true science...

falling in love with myself again

2008-10-11T12:08:00.000-07:00

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KvW4XCrc2SI

Similar mother, similar father, similar dog, cat and fish
And we'll make the same wish
When the birthday candles lit
We'll both be older
We won't get our wish
Yes, I think that I'm falling in love with myself again

Chorus:
Yes, I think I'm falling in love with myself again
Yes, I think I'm falling
Yes, I think I'm falling
Yes, I think I'm falling in love with myself again

With her hand in my hand and my hand in hers
Don't we look a blur
Me and her and me and her
Hey, kiss her, oh kiss her
Our friends do concur
Yes, I think that I'm falling in love with myself again

(Chorus)

I can't see with you in front of the mirror staring, staring
I can't hear myself think with all that music blaring, blaring

Yes, I'm falling
Falling, falling
Yes, I'm falling
Falling, falling
Yes, I think I'm falling in love with myself again

I bring home the bacon and eat myself
Here's to my health
Hope that I'm feeling well
I'm burning the candle at both ends, oh well
Yes, I think that I'm falling in love with myself again

(Chorus)

the flow

2008-09-22T22:30:00.000-07:00

Let yourself be silently drawn by the strange pull of what you really
love. It will not lead you astray. Rumi

Time Budget

2008-09-21T11:48:00.000-07:00

When it comes to making purchases, most people have an idea in their
minds of what they're willing to spend. You probably wouldn't walk
into a shoe store and say, 'I will buy that pair of shoes no matter
how much they cost.' If the salesperson says the shoes cost $400,
most people would not buy them. That's because when it comes to
making purchases, people set a budget in their minds of how much
those shoes are really worth to them.

But what about when it comes to how you spend your time? Do you
sometimes spend more time on certain tasks than they're really worth?
For instance, when it comes to cleaning your home do you spend an
hour a day doing so? Two hours? Three hours? More than three hours?
Is dusting really worth that much of your time? What about your other
projects and appointments? How much is that time worth to you?

We all get the same amount of time each day--24 hours. At least 8 of
those hours are allocated to sleeping. So, we
all have approximately 16 hours when we're awake.

By setting a time budget for certain activities, you will always
ensure your time is being spent on what is most important to you,
your family and your future.

How much time are you willing to invest with a spouse or loved one?
How many hours will you allocate to working, cleaning, exercising,
eating or watching television?

Before doing anything, ask yourself how much time you're willing to
invest. Write those time investments down so you're able to reference
them regularly. Then, stick to your time budget.

Time isn't an unlimited currency, so be sure to spend it wisely.

by Maria Gracia - Get Organized Now! http://www.getorganizednow.com

Giant Boulders

2008-07-03T20:12:00.000-07:00

Sometimes there are giant boulders in the river. They create danger
and turbulence. We can spend a lot of our energy attempting to push
the boulders out of the way. This seems to make sense, because it
would be better if they weren't there.

But the boulders are immovable.

Another choice is to practice steering so that we can move around
them without colliding into them. In the end, this consumes less
energy. It also hones our navigational skills.

Einstein Quote of the Day

2008-05-31T14:15:00.000-07:00

If we knew what we were doing, it wouldn't be called research, would it?

Einstein Quote of the Day

2008-05-07T07:03:00.000-07:00

. . . from iGoogle widget

All religions, arts and sciences are branches of the same tree...

Making Contact

2008-05-03T15:58:00.000-07:00

"I want to love you without clutching,

appreciate you without judging,

join you without invading,

invite you without demanding,

leave you without guilt,

criticize you without blame,

and help you without insulting.

If I can have the same from you

then we can truly meet and enrich each other."

– Virginia Satir, Making Contact

Einstein Quote of the Day

2008-04-28T18:37:00.000-07:00

What does a fish know about the water in which it swims all its life?

How deep is your river?

2008-04-24T14:36:00.000-07:00

Einstein Quote of the day from iGoogle Widget

2008-04-16T08:05:00.000-07:00

Coincidence is God's way of remaining anonymous.

after the rapids, a calm stretch

2008-04-15T08:54:00.000-07:00

perhaps after we've been riding the rapids for a while;

and the river slows to a calm, clear stretch;
we have to use our oars for momentum
rather than just to steer the course.

the decreased danger resulting from the calm waters
perhaps results in a feeling of let-down;
because of the reduced adrenaline-induced energy
feeding us from seemingly external forces

slapping sharks

2008-04-07T08:34:00.000-07:00

What's that thing? I said. O, that's an oar, he said, in case we hit a calm stretch & we decide we need more excitement & also it's good for slapping sharks.

Strawberries have lots of seeds & they are delicious too

2008-03-29T14:46:00.000-07:00

"Every problem has in it the seeds of its own solution. If you don't have any problems, you don't get any seeds."

- Norman Vincent Peale

Taking it a step further: if you feed your kids seedless fruit, they can't grow their own solutions. If you don't allow them to harvest their own problems, they will rely on you (or others) for fruit indefinitely.

Each of us creates our own World

2008-03-24T11:48:00.000-07:00

The quote in my previous posting was credited to Talmund. I also found references attributing it to Anais Nin. In any case, in reading more about that quote, I came across another, credited to Anais Nin.

"Each friend represents a world in us, a world possibly not born until they arrive, and it is only by this meeting that a new world is born."

This is a sentiment that rings true to me. Several weeks ago, while listening to the audiobook version of Eckart Tolle's A New Earth, I was struck by the truth in the following passage from chapter 10:

"Those two movements, the outgoing and the return, are also reflected in each person's life cycles. Out of nowhere, so to speak, "you" suddenly appear in this world. Birth is followed by expansion. There is not only physical growth, but also growth of knowledge, activities, possessions, experiences. Your sphere of influence expands and life becomes increasingly complex. This is a time when you are mainly concerned with finding or pursuing your outer purpose. Usually there is also a corresponding growth of the ego, which is identification with all the above things, and so your form identity becomes more and more defined. This is also the time when outer purpose--growth--tends to become usurped by the ego, which unlike nature does not know when to stop in its pursuit of expansion and has a voracious appetite for more.

And then just when you thought you made it or that you belong here, the return movement begins. Perhaps people close to you begin to die, people who were a part of your world. Then your physical form weakens; your sphere of influence shrinks. Instead of becoming more, you now become less, and the ego reacts to this with increasing anxiety or depression. Your world is beginning to contract, and you may find you are not in control anymore. Instead of acting upon life, life now acts upon you by slowly reducing your world. The consciousness that identified with form is now experiencing the sunset, the dissolution of form. And then one day, you too disappear. Your armchair is still there. But instead of you sitting in it, there is just an empty space. You went back to where you came from just a few years ago.

Each person's life--each life-form, in fact--represents a world, a unique way in which the universe experiences itself. And when your form dissolves, a world comes to an end--one of countless worlds."

Maya is the window

2008-03-24T09:52:00.000-07:00

Maya is like a window, we only see our reflection when we are looking through to darkness.

If we look through to the light, we see the truth on the other side.

"We do not see things the way they are, we see things the way WE are." - Talmund

Equinox

2008-03-22T10:41:00.000-07:00

"The Sun goes into Aries on the Equinox and the Moon goes into Libra Friday morning. Aries is all about finding our own identity, passion and purpose in life. It's where the spark of life ignites for each of us, where we are willing to take risks, to begin something new.

Like the Fool in the Tarot, we have to trust blindly to our instinct for LIFE. Libra is about what worth our purpose holds for others. How are we received? Who are our partners in this journey through Life?

Libra wants to balance Self and Other, with fairness and justice. How do we take other people into consideration when we have goals to achieve? Desires to manifest? Look at our leaders – Aries is all about leadership – and see how they're doing regarding relationships, fairness, justice and honor. Is their passion and purpose to serve themselves or to serve the people? Don't we need a new vision of leadership?

Not only in our elected officials, but in ourselves? Aries also asks us to consider how we see ourselves. Where do we find our sense of Self? "

teach your child how to use their own rudder

2008-03-11T07:20:00.000-07:00

Our children are generally closer to source energy than we are. They haven't spent as much time trying to move up river and they are more likely to have a memory of their purpose for being here than we are. They don't know how to steer their vessel & often neither do we. It is our job to steer our own vessel & our duty to help our children to learn how to steer their own. We cannot steer for them. We cannot "protect" them from contrast. That is why they are here. Let us help them to flow down river, for as they struggle up river , their energy becomes more set in these patterns and it becomes more difficult for them to manifest positive growth.

where the river narrows

2008-03-08T08:12:00.000-08:00

Walking along the Russian River yesterday afternoon, I observed a spot in the river where the water suddenly seemed to flow faster. The current appeared faster at the surface, and along the edges of the river the water gurgled as it rushed through some plants.

The parallel in life that I notice is that when our "river" is wide, we coast gently down current. As our "river" narrows, or constricts, the current seems to speed up. The same volume is passing through, it just seems more hectic.

A contrast also occurred to me: while at the point where the river narrows, the water increases in speed; the point at which the freeway narrows, traffic inevitably slows.

The degree of love we manifest determines the degree of spaciousness and freedom we can bring to lifes events. Imagine taking a very small glass or water and putting into it a teaspoon of salt. Because of the small size of the container, the teaspoon of salt is going to have a big effect on the water. However, if you approach a much larger body of water, such as a lake, and put into it the same teaspoonful of salt, it will not have the same intensity of impact, because of the vastness and openness of the vessel receiving it. Even when the salt remains the same, the spaciousness of the vessel receiving it changes everything.

We spend a lot of our lives looking for a feeling of safety or protection--we try to alter the amount of salt that comes our way. Ironically, the salt is the very thing that we cannot do anything about, as life changes and offers us repeated ups and downs. Our true work is to create a container so immense that any amount of salt, even a truckload, can come into it without affecting our capacity to receive it.

--Sharon Salzberg, Lovingkindness
from Everyday Mind

Welcome to my blog

2008-01-30T06:23:00.000-08:00

Hi & welcome to my new blog. The River is my metaphor for life. I believe that we are all on a journey through many lessons during our lives.

We have a responsibility to watch where we are going, steer, assist our travel mates and attempt to learn the lessons that are presented to us along the way.

I have created this blog to record my thoughts about the process and share my views with those who may be interested.