Category: Spiritual

The Simple Life

© 2008 Anne S. Katzeff / Artist
© 2008 Anne S. Katzeff / Artist

I have always loved the expression “Live simply so that others may simply live.” Implicit in that statement is a recognition of interconnectedness—an understanding that what I do affects the lives of others. If I live without conscious awareness of each of my actions, the entire planet feels the impact. Something as seemingly small as conserving water or buying locally grown organic food makes a difference in the world. How we live creates our future, now.

Equally important is stepping away from the emphasis on consumerism that permeates U.S. culture, especially during the holiday season. Commercials, advertisements, and the mass media promote material acquisition to the point of excess. Much has been written about our throw-away society in which people endlessly buy and discard, buy and discard, overloading landfills and polluting the environment in the process. Segments of the population live in poverty while others aspire to the “lifestyles of the rich and famous.” Money, cars, houses and all sorts of material goods to fill them is supposedly the American Dream. But is it really?

True abundance has absolutely nothing to do with money or possessions. It’s an ongoing appreciation for life’s simple gifts: air to breathe, food to eat, love of family and friends, the beauty of the world around us. Filling our lives (and the planet) with things is not abundance; it is waste. Waste that leads to an inner emptiness. If we continually look outside ourselves for fulfillment, we will always be seeking, always feel somehow lost and lacking. It is the simple life that brings the greatest contentment. Moment to moment, we eat, sleep, laugh, love. We can find extraordinary pleasure and fulfillment in the simplest, most uncomplicated activities of living a human life on Planet Earth. Chop wood, carry water, as Zen Buddhism describes life before and after enlightenment.

These are not unreachable aspirations restricted to those who want to live alone in the woods like Thoreau or achieve spiritual enlightenment. Some would say that we already have enlightenment within us, that we are already filled with infinite abundance and love. I believe this. My life is rich in countless ways that are not dependent on monetary wealth. It is the simple joys of daily life, sunrise to sunset, wherever I happen to be, that fill my heart to overflowing. In this time of evolving human being-ness, I think many people are now beginning to feel within themselves a desire for greater simplicity, inner peace, and a connection to the source of all life on Earth. May it be so, for each and every one of us.

 

Peace, Love, and Extreme Fear

Photograph © 2013 Peggy Kornegger
Photograph © 2013 Peggy Kornegger
Is it possible to remain peaceful when you are faced with extremely frightening events? Can you feel fear and peace simultaneously? And hold love in your heart through it all? More and more, we are living the answers to questions like these. In Massachusetts, where I live, during the 2013 Boston Marathon, residents found themselves in the midst of a terrorist drama that dragged on for five days. As fate would have it, I was away from home, on retreat with Panache Desai in Florida, during that exact time period. Within the group of 46 people from all over the world, there were several of us from Massachusetts.

We first heard the news about the explosions at the Boston Marathon when the daughter of one couple phoned her parents in tears. Remembering with a terrible sinking feeling that my partner was at the marathon, I left the session to phone her. Finally, I got through and cried with relief upon hearing her voice. In the days that followed, those of us from Massachusetts kept in touch with loved ones back home, supported by the deep caring of others in the group, many of whom knew firsthand about living with political unrest and violence in their own countries. Panache himself grew up in London, where bombings were an ongoing part of life.

During the course of the week, together we held a space of peace, love, and compassion for those in Boston as well as for those elsewhere in the world who face terrorism, violence, and gut-wrenching fear. True, we were one step removed from the events in Boston, but because many of us had family and friends there, the fear was very real for all of us. Each day brought some new painful piece to assimilate. On Friday, when I learned that pursuit of the two suspected bombers was taking place less than a mile from my home, I once again felt adrenaline course through my system. On the phone, my partner told me that the entire city was under lockdown, and she could hear helicopters flying low over the house, searching the area. It was surreal—and frightening. Yet, even in the midst of it, she and I found we were able to remain relatively calm and centered. “Breathe,” she said to me. “I’m here. I’m okay in this moment.”

And that’s how we got through the week, one breath, one moment, at a time. Feeling everything and letting it flow through our bodies. All of us in Panache’s group were experiencing our various individual fears and pain within the larger spaciousness we had opened ourselves to—allowing instead of resisting what had occurred in the past and what was unfolding in the present. I’ve found such a deep wisdom in that process. For me, it means being open to every part of life—embracing it all, every exquisite or excruciating minute. Within that embrace is a peace that helps me to live my life with less suffering and tension, even in the middle of frightening or upsetting circumstances.

Back home in Boston, I was especially moved by the stories of those who stepped forward to help others during the explosions and by the community spirit that flowed within and toward Boston from individuals and groups across the country and around the world. A One Fund was established to help those most affected by what occurred. One, oneness—it was empathy and heart-felt love that people were feeling. May that love continue to expand, and may we peacefully heal the separation that gives rise to violence.

“The greatest gift that you can offer our planet is the gift of your peace.”—Panache Desai

Don’t Miss the Miracle

Photograph © 2012 Peggy Kornegger
Photograph © 2012 Peggy Kornegger

Sometimes we are so submerged in the day-to-day details of our lives that we forget to look up and see the bigger picture. Literally. With our heads down, focused on our endless to-do lists, we lose sight of what is really important in life. It’s not the errands, tasks, or dollar signs that will pass before our inner eyes at the end of our lives. It’s the people we’ve loved and the moments of wonder and joy that we’ve experienced we will remember as we leave this lifetime. As we navigate this time of global awakening, we are being continually reminded to see the miracles in every moment. And we need those reminders. At least I do.

It is so easy to forget, to lose yourself in thoughts or distractions. Yet, if you just remember to take a breath and look around, there is extraordinary beauty everywhere. The other day, as I waited for the bus, I watched towering cumulus clouds forming huge white cotton balls against the bluest of skies. Then, slowly charcoal-gray rain clouds moved in, creating a dramatic play of darkness and light. The entire sky was filled with an infinite variety of cloud formations, and I felt blessed to be standing there at that particular time, witnessing Nature’s pageantry. The rest of my day was uplifted by the experience.

Such moments are not infrequent if we just pay attention. Often it’s as simple as walking to a window in the early morning or evening. Daily, the sun puts on a radiant multicolored light show as it rises or sets. Each day is different. Like snowflakes, no two sunsets are the same. And the colors frequently linger well after the sun has disappeared below the horizon—mauves, lavenders, and pinks against an indigo sky, as the stars begin to appear faintly. What more could any human ask of a day on Earth?

Of course, equally important as connections to the natural world are connections to other human beings. Those we love, friends and family as well as those we may just meet in passing, bring us warmth and happiness if we have ongoing appreciation for each person’s uniqueness. There is a cashier in the store where I buy my groceries who is a true master in the art of appreciating people and lifting their spirits. He always has a smile and friendly word for everyone who passes through his line. I learn from him each week how simple it is to be kind, and what a difference it makes.

At times, life’s passing irritations or problems cause us to forget how special the people and experiences in our lives are. Yet, each one is a miracle—each passing cloud or ray of sun, each spring flower, and each extraordinary person. Every single moment is a miracle, even the challenges. Don’t miss your life as it unfolds before you in glorious living color.

 

The Field

© 2012 Anne S. Katzeff / Artist
© 2012 Anne S. Katzeff / Artist
“Out beyond ideas of wrong-doing
and right-doing, there is a field.
I’ll meet you there.”—Rumi

This is one of my favorite Rumi quotes, and lately I’ve been thinking it would be the perfect engraved quotation to appear at the entrance to all government buildings in Washington, D.C.—or in all government buildings everywhere, throughout the world. Better yet, abolish the buildings and just meet in the fields! Something needs to change, that’s for sure. Entrenched attitudes and political posturing are part of the old paradigm of separation and irreconcilable differences. The new paradigm, which we are living into day by day, calls for these to dissolve and make way for open hearts and open minds. And for listening instead of nonstop talking.

Politicians are not the only ones caught in this trap. When people identify heavily with their personalities, they frequently find themselves stubbornly clinging to being right and finding others wrong. Beneath the personality and egoic roles, however, lives the individual spirit or soul who sees commonality and connection instead of “otherness.” Here is found the oneness and peace we all seek. My soul doesn’t care if my personality is irritated by someone else’s beliefs or behavior. My soul doesn’t care if my ego feels wronged by another person’s opinion of me. My soul is just witnessing all of my life experiences, without comment, without attitude. In that place of pure spacious being within, there are no opposing sides—all is one.

If we could pause, breathe deeply, and drop into that space periodically throughout the day, our lives would flow with greater ease, and our relationships would become more flexible. To live from an open heart and a peaceful spirit is to find true happiness in each moment—and common ground for collective decision making in our communities and in the world at large. Give up right; give up wrong. Consider the possibility that there really is a field out there where we can meet and learn from our differences instead of fight over them.

In Lynne McTaggart’s book The Field, she writes of the space within and between everything on Earth and in outer space, which scientists have heretofore labeled “dead.” McTaggart makes a convincing case that this space is alive with energy and vibration, the very basis of the universe. This is ancient knowledge within the realm of spiritual masters, and today many quantum physicists also agree that a “unified field” of intelligence or infinite consciousness does indeed exist, and we are part of it. If I am not mistaken, Rumi’s field and McTaggart’s field are one and the same. The silent space of spirit within is connected to the space between all forms on Earth and in the cosmos. The energy within and between vibrates a web of light that is pure oneness. When we consciously “step into” that rainbow field of light, hardened conflicts soften, and you and I recognize each other as we.

Ascension for Everybody

Photograph © 2012 Peggy Kornegger
Photograph © 2012 Peggy Kornegger

What is ascension anyway? The word historically has had either a religious or an astronomical context: the ascent of a human body to heaven after death or the position of a celestial object in the skies. Another definition refers to spiritual masters who spontaneously dematerialize from this plane to another, higher one. Today, however, there is an expanded meaning used by those who believe our planet is undergoing an evolving shift of consciousness. In 2013, ascension is about becoming conscious spirit within our living human bodies on Earth—in essence, “ascending “ into our soul selves and bringing Heaven and Earth into alignment in the process. Not just for masters or dead people, this ascension is for everyone.

The level of spiritual awareness and wisdom attained by the average person is growing exponentially in the new millennium. So many have a sense of something greater touching their lives, even those who don’t consciously subscribe to a particular religion or new age philosophy. God, or the Divine, is no longer a concept associated only with special days or events that take place within a church, synagogue, or temple. Spirit is everywhere, at all times, and humans have given it many names. Some call it Source energy or an intangible Intelligence that permeates all things. Others consider Mother Nature to be the most sacred spirit of all. And many believe that language concretizes something that is beyond physical description, a connection that can only be found in the stillness of one’s own heart.

However expressed, more and more people do seem to be experiencing some kind of greater Presence. It is this awareness that, once fully felt, connects each of us to our individual spirit, or soul. In discovering the Divine within and opening to that powerful flow of energy, light, and unconditional love, we “ascend” into our unique soul-ness here on Earth. We begin to live as our authentic selves—not the ones society told us we should be, but the ones we came to this planet to embody, full of endless possibilities. Body, mind, feelings, and spirit become a cohesive whole, and we learn to love ourselves, as well as others, at a deeper level. Our authentic soul selves live in harmony, peace, and oneness, not separation, conflict, or hatred. Ultimately, that is Heaven on Earth. That is ascension.