We Are All In This Together

I recently came across someone on social media through a friend who carries an interesting energy. He claimed to be a "lightworker", yet he was so full of judgment and arrogance I could tell he carried a good deal of unacknowledged darkness. That is not to say he did not also carry light. He did. He is just not quite as evolved as he believed himself to be.

I noticed a lot of competing energies in him. On the one hand, he had some understanding of the fact that we are all One and are not separate. On the other hand, his understanding of being One was everybody needed to subscribe to his way of thinking because he was right. Every other word was a judgement. Most of what he did and said perpetuated separation.

When I pointed out the judgment and separation, I became the one he judged. I became the one whose darkness he analyzed. I chose not to respond to this personal attack. He was correct in many respects, on top of the fact that he was obviously reacting to my pointing out of his judgment. In other words, I triggered him. As I did not want to continue on in that energy, I let it go. That said, when I failed to engage him in the fight, he went on and attacked someone else. At that point, I blocked him, mostly for my own peace of mind. I do not care to be part of his attacks on others. (He triggered my fight for the underdog instincts. LOL!)

The past several years, I have been working on analyzing and releasing my own judgement. I have been able to let go of many of the judgments I was programmed with through the circumstances of my birth. I am a work in progress. I still have a long way to go before I am able to allow everything that exists without fighting it.

As humans living in this 3D reality, it is easy for us to get lost in the fight. We are taught there is a distinct "right" and "wrong" and that it is important to choose what is "right" and resist all that is "wrong". The problem with this way of doing things is the vast majority of these judgments are subjective and dependent upon the cultures that promote them. When we make the decision to join in the judgment, we choose to stay separate from anyone who does not think like we do.

We are here to play, to learn, to expand in ways that would not be possible outside of separation. This is why we choose to come to such a dark and dense place. The energy of unconditional love is what keeps us connected. It is only when we remember this love that we begin to learn and grow in the ways we intended. We are much stronger and learn much more quickly when we ignore the separation and choose to love without limits. When we make the choice to lift up our fellow BEings, we also lift up ourselves. We are all in this together.

The Energy Of Judgment

We live in a world where we are taught to judge. Everything is perceived as good or bad, and then we draw those good things toward us and distance ourselves from those that are bad. This is where the problems begin. When we chose to consciously stop or repel certain things from entering our lives, we have created blocks to otherwise free-flowing energy.

Let's break this concept down a little bit more. Judgment is a symptom of thinking with the mind. What do I mean by thinking with the mind? (And isn't that they way we are supposed to think in the first place?) Our minds are what we use to process all the stimulus we connect with in the 3D world around us. We get sensory information from our senses of sight, hearing, taste, touch and smell. We also receive ideas and concepts from the people around us--parents, friends, coworkers, society in general. We use the sensory information to understand things and people in our environment. We learn that a fire is hot and can hurt us, so we either stay away from it or are very cautious around it. We learn that homemade chocolate chip cookies make our tastebuds happy, so we are attracted to them. The ideas we learn from society are a much deeper level of judgement.

I'm not going to mince words here. What we learn from society is programming. It begins from the moment of our births and is incorporated into pretty much everything we do. These thoughts and ideas about what constitutes good and bad are so ingrained in us that we automatically assume they are truths. We then begin to use this information to tell us what to keep in our lives and what to avoid. This is where all biases and prejudices come from. The end result becomes fighting, war, greed, poverty, disease, etc.

Take a few minutes to sit back and think about something you consciously stay away from. It might be religion or drug addicts or fake people--the list is pretty unlimited. Have you been personally hurt by these things? (The answer might be yes.) Has society told you these things are bad? Is this true?

Look and feel into the relationship you have with this person, group or object you are judging. Do you feel closed off? Insulated? Separate? Understand this is a choice you have made based on the thoughts your mind filters. The choice may have been unconsciously made, but it was made all the same and can have an effect on how well your life flows (or, more likely, does not flow). Judgment is an energy that can keep you from living abundantly.

The planet is evolving. It is time to be conscious of all those things that hold us back from creating a new world--the world of our dreams. As long as we hold judgment, we block energy from flowing. Learn to let go of your judgment. Learn to let your heart be your guide.

~CSE

      

Rethinking Money And Energy Exchange

As I reflect on money this morning, I realize how seriously warped my ideas about money are. It has nothing to do with greed or taking advantage of other people. Rather, my thoughts flow to memes I have incorporated into my being that limit the money and other blessings I allow to flow into my life. I realize I am my own worst energy block when it comes to receiving! 

The first meme that has created havoc in my life is the idea you have to put effort out in order to gain money. The meme in and of itself is not a bad concept. Life is about putting energy out and gaining it back in a never ending cycle. Energy exchange. That is the way it works. What is messed up is energy exchange as it relates to physical money. We have been taught that only certain actions are worthy of receiving money. The fact of the matter is, each and every one of us expends a good amount of energy doing things for other people, animals, the environment, etc. that we do not get paid for--often actions that are extremely valuable to life on planet Earth.

A good many problems in our world are the direct result of believing only certain occupations are worthy of receiving money for. If the energy you put out is not on the list of jobs that can earn income, you are considered lazy and good for nothing. Ironically, much of this can be the exact same energy output as what we actually do every day. For example, you get actual money for taking care of elderly people in the nursing home. However, take care of your elderly parent in your home fulltime and get nothing back in return (except the knowledge you are providing for someone you love). Is this right? Is this fair? Granted, it all needs to be done. My point here is, we expend positive energy and should receive positive energy back. We allow society to dictate what we can receive back. Blessings blocked!

Our beliefs about income earning jobs are also warped because we value certain jobs much more highly than other jobs. That's why workers at places like Walmart and McDonald's get paid minimum wage and high level managers at corporations get paid millions of dollars. The basic idea here is that "brain power" should be much more highly paid than manual labor. After all, anyone can do physical labor. Not everyone is intelligent. Right?

I'm going to call BS on this idea right now! We are all gifted in our own ways. If we are putting our energy out in the world in positive ways, shouldn't we expect to see it come back to us as a liveable wage? We need to become a people so conscious of our actions that we value the contributions each of us makes to society, even if those actions are currently deemed selfish--like taking care of an older parent or our children! We need to understand that taking care of our own families often has even greater value than taking care of people outside our families because we are also loving, valuing and honoring the ones we take care of! We need to understand that flipping burgers at a restaurant has value! We need to understand that collecting others' trash has value! Even a simple smile has the power to make another's day better! We need to be a people who understand what REAL value is!!!     

The next meme that has created problems for me is "Do no harm". While this, too, is largely a good meme, I am one of those people who takes it to the extreme. I want to be sure that the energy that comes back to me is good, untainted energy. I am very conscious of my actions towards others, animals and the planet. What creates problems for me here is my prejudgment of situations and potential outcomes. 

For example, in my part-time retail job, we are encouraged to have our customers apply for credit. For each person we get to apply, we get a couple extra dollars on our paychecks. I have very definite ideas about credit and indebtedness being the very institution that creates modern-day slaves. Consequently, I do not get all that many credit applications. I do, however, find it interesting how several of my young, high school aged coworkers get lots of credit applications. I attribute their success to the fact they do not prejudge the impact applying for credit is going to have on the other person's life.

What I usually fail to recognize when I prejudge a situation is that there are often consequences I do not anticipate. I do not know what others came here to learn! Maybe one of the lessons they signed up for was to face hardships when they got themselves into too much debt! The point is, when I fail to offer someone else a certain experience, I may not actually be helping them. I am also denying myself the blessings the situation may be able to bring me. 

Our world is seriously twisted in so many ways. We are here to help bring it back into balance. It is only by questioning the status quo that we can make the changes that benefit the whole. Money and energy exchange play such a huge role in our lives on planet Earth today. Isn't it time we rethought how it functions so that it is much more fair and balanced as well? By doing so, we have the potential to create a life of abundance and prosperity for all!

~CSE

We're Looking At Politics All Wrong!

This Presidential race has been a very eye-opening experience for me. Because of past experiences, I have chosen to not participate. I did not go to my primary. I am not going to vote in November. I do this because I am convinced it does not matter. The candidates are pre-selected to make us think we have a say.

That said, sitting back in observation mode has been an extremely eye-opening experience. I have to admit, the shake-up in the Republican party has given me a reason to hope. It isn't that I see Donald Trump as some big savior. I definitely believe he has a big role to play in this drama, but even if he ends up being elected to the highest office in the land he is not going to solve all our problems. Like everyone else Trump has his good points and his bad points. He is both evil and good, and this is where the heart of our problems reside.

We are looking at politics from the perspective of judgment! We have been so highly programmed to see everything as black and white, right and wrong, good and bad that we continue to divide ourselves up and separate ourselves into groups. We then identify with these groups so strongly that when someone else has a different idea of what "right" is we fight. This is why this Presidential race has gotten so nasty. We can blame our fighting on the faultiness of the opposing candidate, but the bottom line is we have chosen our sides. Fighting is our choice.

What if I told you it isn't about choosing sides? What if I told you our problems have occurred because of our own apathy and lack of participation in the decision-making process. No, I'm not talking about voting. I am talking about paying attention, being aware of what is happening in the world and following our hearts as to what we can BE in the world that will contribute our gifts and talents on useful ways.

As far as Presidential candidates go, I like Bernie. I like him because he sees the hurt in the world and wants to fix it. That said, I don't think his solutions would work. He is trying to work within the system we already have. That system is so corrupt no amount of changing the funding is going to fix it. It is extremely easy for the powers that be to minimize him because of this. 

As I look at the situation at hand, I don't really like the person I perceive Trump is. He is brash, arrogant, and in some ways corrupt himself. However, in this moment, I don't believe our present choice is about fixing our problems. I believe it is about upsetting the apple cart. No amount of mortar is going to fix the foundation that is crumbling around us. 

As I look back at my own life, there is one thing I understand. My best and biggest learning experiences occurred when I endured the most pain. To a casual onlooker, those experiences could have been termed "bad". Yes, they were difficult. Yes, they were painful. I would not be the person I am today if I had not gone through them. 

Understand this Presidential race is not about separation. It is not about us and them. It is about setting up the conditions to break down what is unstable so that we may begin again and create something new and infinitely better. The pain we experience now is not the end. It is a stepping stone to the place we want to go. Trust the process!

~CSE

  

If We Lived From The Heart

I talk a lot about the world making the transition from living from the mind to living from the heart, but it occurs to me that is not as easily understood as I would like it to be. People think they know what that means. Often, they conclude that thinking from the heart would mean chaos and confusion as all logic and common sense is lost in the emotional onslaught. Honestly, that doesn't sound like a place I would want to live in either. There is logic and common sense involved in living from the heart. What is lost is judgment.

The way we function now--which I like to call from the mind--is thoroughly encased in judgment. For example, people who worship the god Science actively look for truth by engaging in experiments and basing conclusions on those findings. While I believe there is value in such an approach to life, I also believe it is limited. People who rely mainly on science to explain the world around them are subject to not only the biases of the people running the experiments, but they can also be controlled and manipulated by outright lies presented by some of these "scientists". People who rely solely on the mind cannot tap into the guidance of their intuitions in order to ascertain who is lying and who is credible. They become prey to those who would deceive them for power or gain.

People who live their lives through religion also function largely from the mind. Such people use the holy books of their religions and the personal teachings they have either grown up with or chosen as adults to shape their actions. Even though some of these people actually do end up having some sort of encounter with the Divine, they end up defining it through their religious perspective, limiting what they allow that experience to be and never quite fully engaging their hearts/intuitions. Questioning the basic tenants of most religions can result in excommunication and eternal hell.

Living from the heart is more of a blank canvas which you continue to create as time goes on. Instead of looking outside yourself for answers, you internally ask what you should do in this moment of now. Looking within is key because it is your heart that connects you to everything that exists (what I call Oneness).

To illustrate the differences between each perspective, let's look at a murder. This particular murder is one where the person killed his entire family in a drug induced rage. From a science-based mind approach, a person might see someone who is terribly addicted to drugs and out of control. Of course this person needs to be locked up, probably for life. He can be treated for the drug addiction, but there is always the possibility that he is beyond hope as his brain may have been permanently damaged from the drugs.

From a religious, mind-based approach, one might see a lost soul who has chosen to live without God. Not only does the murderer need to repent of his sins, but he is also in need of accepting the services of a personal savior in order to escape the fiery pits of hell. In this lifetime he may be offered treatment and counseling services, which could help some. However, life imprisonment and even a death sentence might be more in line with the nature of the crime.

In a heart-based perspective, a person would look at the murderer and ask internally what they need to see and know about this situation. This person might be guided to the physical aspects of the addiction, but also the conditions that led to the addiction in the first place. Former abuse could be uncovered. Pain, hurt and confusion would run deep within the murderer, and the heart is what would uncover it. Yes, the person would still be locked up, but they would be treated with compassion. If there is a way to heal the murderer, the heart will find it.

Today's world is one where we function as if one size fits all. The simple truth is, each situation we encounter is just as distinct and different as each individual on the planet. The mind likes to sort these things in boxes. The heart allows for these individual differences and provides for the needs of each one. The more we incorporate such thinking into our BEing, the closer we are to creating the world of our dreams!

~CSE

    

Identifying Judgment

We all live in judgment. I have spent the past several years trying to identify the judgment I carry around in order to let go of it. Why? Judgment is all about separation. In my quest to BE unconditional love, I do not want there to be anything that stands in my way, especially myself and my ego.

I'm going to pick on vegans to illustrate my point about judgment. Understand there are vegans out there who do not fall into this category, and I am really not trying to badmouth any vegan's goals or life choices. I honestly appreciate the fact they do not want to harm animals. There is definitely value in this point of view.

What gets me about vegans is you almost always know they are vegans. They shun all animal products--including clothing--and are usually very vocal about why. Why am I using vegans to illustrate my point about judgment? Vegans are a group that often hold the idea they are superior because of their vegan standards. This is why many vegans become activists. They want to push their judgment onto everyone else. They want you to know what an awful murderer you are because you eat their friends.

I have found most of my personal judgment revolves around my very Christian upbringing. Even with all the time and effort I have put into overcoming my judgment, I still feel twinges of judgment when I run into someone who does something my background has taught me is a "sin".

How do I know I have run into judgment? I know because I feel myself holding back from someone or something else. I do not freely exchange energy with them. I do not love them unconditionally. While this might seem like self-preservation at times, I don't believe the ultimate goal for our lives here on Earth is separation.

When we learn to identify the judgment we carry around, we can sit with it and allow it. In doing so, we are able to accept all those things considered bad or good in ourselves and others. Ultimately, it leads us back to our hearts. It leads us back to unconditional love. It leads us to Oneness. It leads us home.

~CSE

   

The Energy Of The Fight

I recently found myself emotionally triggered by a vegan who is very vocal in his stance for animals rights. I have no problems with veganism itself. I honor people who intentionally choose not to consume animal flesh and can understand their way of thinking. What triggered me was the superior attitude the guy had because he was vegan and the implication that veganism was the only correct way to eat.

Because I had been triggered, I took a few minutes to look at the situation to see what questions I could ask and what information was trying to make itself known to me. Anytime emotions get set off, there is unresolved energy that is asking for attention and help.

Two things really jumped out at me. The first was the energy that confronted me--the energy of the fight. It was judgmental. It was superior. It was forceful. It sought to overpower. It sought to win, which also implies there has to be a loser.

The second thing that jumped out at me was how I chose to respond to this situation. I wanted to shut it up and close it down. I wanted to show rationally how it wasn't the superior argument. I wanted to fight back, and I did even though the action did not sit right in my heart.

The world I observe is the world created by my perspective. While it contains pieces of truth, it is still limited to those pieces I choose to see and become aware of. If the world around me is a reflection of myself, what does this situation say about me?

The situation tells me I am still part of the fight, still part of the drama. It shows me that I am in judgment--ironically of people who are in judgment! I definitely still carry the energy of the fight, just as much as the person I encountered.

We we can lay aside the energy of the fight and allow what is to exist without trying to tame it or control it, there will be peace.

~CSE

The Myth Of Self-Sacrifice

From the time we are small children, we are molded and shaped by society in an attempt get us to live in certain prescribed patterns. Over the past few weeks, one of these patterns has drawn my attention as it is something I have allowed myself to be trapped by for a very long time. I call it the myth of self-sacrifice.

The vast majority of us are convinced it is noble and good to sacrifice our own desires for the greater good--that it is more important to do for others instead of ourselves. We look up to figures like Jesus and Mother Teresa as examples and believe it is important to emulate them. I believe this is a lie. It is not a choice between being selfless and being selfish. The real choice is to connect to and follow the guidance and wisdom in your own heart.

The difference between choosing selfish/selfless or choosing to follow your heart is judgment. If you make decisions based on selfishness or selflessness, you are coming from a place of judgment. When you choose to follow your heart, your decisions are not based on thoughts of what is right or what is wrong. Your choices are based on what the Universe considers best for the whole. Understand the difference sounds subtle, but is extremely profound!

When you follow the guidance of your heart, there are times when people will judge your actions to be selfish. At other times your actions will be seen as selfless or self sacrificing. The actions being judged are short term consequences that may actually have long term results that are not anticipated. Actions taken upon advice from the heart typically result in circumstances working out beautifully in a cohesive whole. The beauty is often only seen in hindsight.

At this point in my life, I understand how much damage I have done to myself because I allowed my own personal judgments (aka guilt) to guide me in my decision making process. At times when I believed it was best to sacrifice myself in service to others, I missed opportunities that were presented to me. I could have had more and done more. I could have shined as myself instead of allowing my relationships with others to define me.

Before you begin to jump into judgment, understand I am not talking about doing things for myself first. I am talking about consulting my heart for guidance when making decisions. It is not about me wanting to be selfish or selfless. It is about me wanting to make decisions based on what the Universe believes is for the greater good. Sometimes the decisions will benefit me. Sometimes they will be more blessing to others. It's really all about the bigger picture and not the little individual pieces.

On the negative side of the self-sacrifice myth, when you believe life is all about giving you may give until  you have nothing left inside you. This is not a productive place to be. However, the bigger problem with sacrifice is that you not only deny yourself but you also deny your own power. You are not the master and creator of your own life. You are a slave to judgment and to those who want to use your power for their own personal gain.

If you want to live in authenticity and in power, it is important to lay aside judgment and consult your heart. It is your heart that connects you to Oneness. It is your heart that overcomes the separations of duality. It is your heart that knows what choice is best for the greater good. Learn to consult it. Your life will flow in a much easier and less troubled way.

~CSE

Rethinking Selfish

We have all been programmed to believe selflessness is a good thing. While it is true that helping your fellow man is a virtue, it is also true the selflessness has the potential to be harmful as well. For me, the difference between the two lies in the ability to connect to and follow the guidance of your heart. Often, some of the actions our hearts tell us to take seem selfish initially!

Doing no harm is a good thought. The problem is, thoughts occur in our minds. While our minds can be helpful in making decisions, they are not our hearts. They do not have access to the full spectrum of wisdom and knowledge like our hearts do. Decisions made based on the wisdom of the mind are always limited at best.

There are times when doing something for yourself first is preferable. For example, have you ever flown on an airplane? When they do the little safety talks before the plane takes off, they always mentions what happens if the cabin becomes depressurized. Little air masks drop down for people to breathe through. This is because air is extremely thin at certain heights and oxygen becomes so scarce it is easy to pass out and die. In the safety instructions, they always tell you that if you are flying with children to put the mask on yourself first. Why do they do that? Wouldn't most people want to do the selfless thing and save their children first? They council you to do that so you are still thinking clearly before you pass out!!! If you are not thinking clearly, you may not be able to help your children and you could all die!!!

When you are selfless, your main thought is other people. You will do anything and everything you can to help your fellow man. This approach will often leave you empty and broken yourself though. If you spend all your time caring for others and not replenishing yourself, you will soon have nothing left to give others. 

When you follow the guidance of your heart first and foremost, it will tell you when it is appropriate to help others and when it is appropriate to help yourself. There are times it will tell you to do the selfless thing. There are other times it will tell you to do the selfish thing. The point here is to listen to your heart when it tells you to do something!!! 

Wisdom has never been about being selfless or selfish. These judgments don't even come into play! Wisdom lies in following your connection to Oneness, your heart. The heart knows how your actions will play into the whole. Your mind, with its limited understanding, may not understand the long term consequences and make poor choices. 

It is time to get off the "selfish" bandwagon. Taking care of yourself is not a bad thing if your heart tells you to do it. Free yourself from judgment and allow yourself to be cared for and nurtured by the One. In doing so, you become part of the big picture. You become part of the solution.

~CSE

 

Your Intuition And The Choices Of Others

I read a thought-provoking article this morning about how to talk to women without children, and it made me think about all the judgments we carry that make articles like this necessary. Why is it that we need counseling about what is or is not appropriate in our treatment of others who are different from ourselves? It's because we live through our "rational" minds instead of our hearts!

Let's look at childless women. Here in the US, most of us just expect to grow up, marry, and raise a family. When someone doesn't fit into that mold we don't know how to handle the situation. We usually have a little more sympathy for someone who has tried to conceive a child but cannot (still not a good situation because we over-pity them and don't focus on what is good in their lives). However, for those who make the choice to focus on a career or something else, we automatically assume they are selfish lowlifes who are not nice people!!!

I have much to say on this topic--mainly because I worked for many years as a daycare teacher and have seen both sides of this issue from the perspective of the child and the childcare worker. I know some incredibly brilliant parents--several of whom planned not to become parents and then accidentally became pregnant. I also know some lousy parents who wanted lots of children and couldn't handle the ones they had. I appreciate people who understand what good parenting entails and choose not to have children to focus on other things. They know themselves and their hearts and are trying to follow that guidance.

Understand this. If you are standing back judging someone else, you are not following your heart!!! Your heart is the place of connection! Every time you sit in judgment of someone or something you are choosing separation!!! Your heart is the place of love! It is the place of forgiveness! It is the place of acceptance! It is the place of peace! Following your heart leads you to places of empowerment for yourself and others.

If you are following your intuition by tuning into your heart, you are really not focused on the choices of others (things you cannot control). You are focused on how to help. You are focused on how to encourage. You are focused on the things you personally can do to make a difference!

Listen to the wisdom and guidance of your own heart!!! You will live every day in the brilliance and magic that is you!!!

~CSE