Intelligence Manifests Itself by Responsiveness

“Intelligence manifests itself by responsiveness…” (Thomas Troward. 1904) Hmmm, I read this statement, pondered it for a moment, and then read it again, before I came to the realization of how powerful those 5 words are.

All we have to do is look at the progression of Science or Technology and we can see where intelligence has manifested itself by its own responsiveness. For example, electricity has always existed. From the first thought when the planets were forming our solar system and the ether of space was expanding exponentially, electricity existed. Once the human race realized what electricity was and how to use it, by the laws of electricity, it responded to our use of it and how we harnessed it…now not only do we use it to light our homes, but to heat them, cook for our families, and power our gadgets too.

We have countless examples of people who have discovered how to make the intangible…tangible. People who have been the vehicles of invention which have enhanced or changed the way we live tremendously. From Thomas Edison to Steve Jobs, we have people who have been pushing past the idea that precedence is the end all, be all. Let’s understand that if it didn’t work one way, it doesn’t mean we should give up and never try again. Just because it didn’t work for one person, doesn’t mean it won’t work for another. It is our consciousness, our ability to think beyond the limited idea of what has already been created. What does the future hold for the human race when the new thinkers of today do not accept the limited ceiling we have so easily accepted as our defining experience?

We must understand that nothing ever happens by chance or accident. Everything that occurs, in our lives, occurs because we have somehow or other, allowed it happen, or gave it power or permission to show up in our lives. Now before you get bent out of shape, let’s take a look at ways that can happen.

Order is the first cause of the Universe. If we didn’t have order, the planets couldn’t orbit the Sun, they would be bouncing into one another. If we didn’t have order…we wouldn’t have the capability of walking, talking, thinking, driving….you get the idea right? There is order to everything, even when things appear to have no order…they are orderly in their disorder. Even shitty cancer has some form of order. Within the disease, it multiplies and functions in its order. That’s why scientists can study it, understand it, and discover ways to cure it and eventually they will be able to eradicate it. So if something as horrific as cancer has order, then Harmony, Peace, Prosperity, and Love must have order.

We know this. It is so easy to think about and talk about, but somehow when we go to apply it to our lives we get lost between the thought and the action. 

But you need to know…you can do it. You don’t have to accept the limited idea that you have to be miserable or meek to live a noble or spiritual life. It is time someone told you that you are worthy of every moment of wonderfulness that is waiting for you. All you gotta do is accept it!

You are the most amazing thing in this world. Did you hear me? YOU ARE AMAZING! Think about it, every day you wake up, every day you breathe, walk, talk, and blink you are proving a miracle. You are the most miraculous thing in this world. But it doesn’t even stop there, because we actually have something even more miraculous than the physical functions of our bodies, we have thought! We are able to think and reason, we have volition and choice. We have the ability to change our minds, and with that, we have the ability to change our lives.

It is when we choose to live consciously, that we can manifest or “bring forth into our lives” experiences we want. Here, let me explain. Have you ever met someone who never gets pissed off at things? “I fell into the toilet in the middle of the night again, because you didn’t put the seat down!” or “Come on A-HOLE, I gotta get to work and you’re driving like my granny!” We all tend to experience something that we react to negatively, it happens. But then you meet someone who isn’t affected by the same things…and you’re totally blown away at their calmness. 

How can some people be so lucky while the rest of us must suffer? It is nothing more than how they choose to think and relate to their experiences.

Remember, you have volition, you have choice. That’s what so amazing about being who you are; you can choose how you are going to live. If you want to be angry, pissed off, sick, poor, or weak you have the choice to be that way. But if you want to be happy, peaceful, healthy, prosperous, and strong, you must make the choice. It is always in the words you use, the thoughts you think, and the actions you take that define your life. 

Someone upsets you…it is how you react to them that keeps the feelings there. You’re not happy at your job, well, it’s your job. What choice do you have? You can either find the small moments that make it amazing or you can keep focusing on the lack of pay you are getting.
 

Now try this…humor me…spend the next month, finding all the great things in your life. Even the smallest of wonderfuls will begin to change your view of the world. Every day, think about all the things that went right, give thanks for those moments.

Then you need to be conscious of the words coming out of your mouth. Take notice of the words that follow the powerful statement, “I AM.” If you are saying I am and putting anything limiting and negative behind it, stop and change the words...Stop and change your words and thoughts.

You see wealthy people, praise them, celebrate them, you see happy people smile at them, rejoice in their happiness. There is nothing more worthless than to waste your energy on jealousy. And in the same breath, it’s worthless to fill your heart with guilt. Don’t beat yourself up for not being perfect or slipping into the negative thoughts. Because guess what? Nobody is perfect, we are human and above all else, at least you caught yourself; so let go of the guilt. 

Eventually you’ll begin to recognize when you aren’t coming from that authentic place within you and you’ll automatically correct your thinking. Because when you see the Peace, Joy, Harmony, and Love around you—you will invite it to stay in your life. And when you invite Peace, Joy, Harmony, and Love into your life, you can’t help but experience more and more of it. Then, you will start living beyond any precedence that was set in your life. You will be living the intelligent life you were always meant to live and it will respond to your actions appropriately!

Thanks for hanging out and reading my ramblings~

Live Consciously

To live consciously, you must be aware that there is something to be conscious of.

Just because there is a precedence of facts staring you in the face, doesn’t mean it is the end all, be all. Back in the day we never thought anyone would fly through the heavenly skies or dive in the deepest parts of the oceans, and yet we continue to obliterate world records, prove the un-thinkable, and create standards that were never considered feasible let alone, possible.

So how does the human race do it? How is it that we are able to obtain the unobtainable, develop and expound the capabilities in technology, medicine, and science? It happens when we begin to understand the law of Cause and Effect.

When we understand that precedence isn’t the defining moment of expansion, but the beginning point of true discovery, we will begin to understand the power of our intentions. It is when we reach beyond the proven and grasp the undiscovered.

Let’s not forget…15 years ago we didn’t even know what the Internet was, let alone how much it would change our lives. Was all this technology and innovation always there? Yes, but we just didn’t know how to use it. Just as nothing changed in the law of gravity or law of mathematics when humans figured out how to fly through the air. Nothing in the law of mathematics or electricity ever changed when we learned how to harness its potential and use it to better our lives, the only thing that changed was our understanding of how the law worked.

How is this relevant to our lives? Us little people who think we can’t make a difference in the world, or dent in the Universe?

It is more relevant than you know.

When you truly understand, with every fiber of your being, that thought is the most powerful tool in the Universe; nothing will impede your expansion and growth…except your own limited thinking.

If you’ve never used the great power that lies within you, how can you ever know what to do or how to use it? Let me tell you right off the bat; don’t concern yourself with how it works. You use electricity without fully understanding how it works, and it tends to do exactly what we want it to do.

All you need to learn, understand, and remember is that what you focus on, what you give your attention to, always shows up in your life. What you talk about, will always give it permission to stay in your life. Stop and think about it…ask yourself; what am I saying about my family, and my friends? What am I telling people about my job, my bank account, and my health? Am I agreeing with the people who are miserable, sad, broken, and angry; or am I finding the smallest blessing in the worst of moments? Because when you decide to approach life with love in your heart and mind, your life will change.

Life always begets life. What you decide to think into your experiences is exactly what you will get back. Authenticity will always bring Authentic events into your life. Because it is not only the words you speak or think, but the feeling you put behind your words and thoughts that gives them power.

Pay attention and be conscious of what you are accepting into your life. Believe, feel, and know, beyond a shadow of a doubt that you are worthy of a harmonious, healthy and loving life. You are amazing and you deserve the best life possible!

Thanks for hanging out and reading my ramblings~

Dreams Come True!

Faith is what gets you up every day; even while fear is making other plans.

Whatever dream you have, the fear that keeps you from taking that first step…I understand it. I know how hard it can be to allow that initial push that propels you into the world of uncertainty. The chill evoking, perspiring, heart racing fear of, “what did I just do.” Trust me, I know. Everyone feels insecure at times.

We look at our dreams and instead of looking at the first step ahead of us we focus on the steepest part of the mountain, and decide at that moment to give up. I get it. I know how that feels, the thoughts of, “I’m too old, too weak, fat, poor, uneducated, too______(fill in the blank).” I totally relate to how unsure it feels to take a piece of yourself and let the world have it. It can be scary. It can be overwhelming, even sickening; but when you learn that the only thing that matters is how you think, and feel about it. Besides if you don’t believe in yourself, how is anyone else?

Hey, one year ago on September 4th, 2011 I self-published my first novel. Talk about striping buck naked and running down the street. Yes, I will tell you there were days I would cry and scream. There were days I thought I wasn’t going to be able to do it. Every day when I would write another chapter, another paragraph, I would wonder if it was any good. But there was something driving me; something greater than my fear and uncertainty…it was my total belief that I found my purpose.

When it got tough, or someone would say something that would shake my foundation, I would have to say to myself, “that’s not the truth of me.” When people would say or I would read on the internet, “self-publishing is hard,” or “nobody will take you seriously, you self-published,” I would say to myself, “that’s not my story.” When hurdles would crop up, I wouldn’t allow them to even enter my consciousness. None of that hogwash was going to be part of my story. And when I would have days where my consciousness wasn’t as strong, I would look up success stories and prove it can be done. Whatever your dream, what you invest in it, is what you’ll get out of it.

Don’t let other people’s stories or experiences be your defining moments.

This is your journey not theirs. Let your story be paved with your dreams, your desires, and your beliefs. When naysayers come to squawk, let them alone, they are coming from fear. Fear you don’t need or want.

There is more than enough to go around, so praise success. When you come from graciousness, grace shows up in your life. When you come from authenticity, authentic events happen in your life. If you see someone following their dreams, celebrate them. Praise their good, and come from sincerity. When you are sincere in your life, life will always show up for you.

When I decided to publish Wilson Mooney and I needed a graphic designer. I struggled with how I was going to make it happen. I was wrong…I kept coming from fear. Fear of inability to pay them, fear I wasn’t going to be able to find someone that saw my same vision. Fear I wasn’t going to be able to “make it” happen. But the minute I gave up the “how” and accepted the “it is already done” a wonderful graphic designer came into my life, perfect timing. She is amazing! The minute I gave up the story riddled with fear, lack, and limitation, and accepted a better story for myself, she showed up. And she happens to be one of the most giving, wonderful persons I have ever met.

I have several stories like that, I needed a professional editor; again I feared the lack of funds, the fear of judgment in my shaky handle on the English language and all its rules. Even though I knew I had a good story I was afraid of being judged. But the moment I let go of that fear, that self-judgment, the most wonderful thing happened…I was contacted by an incredible professional editor. She saw my vision and she was willing to work with me. She sees beyond my short comings and believes in what I am doing. And lucky me, we work well together. She also is a very giving and gracious person.

Same goes for my beta readers, musical talent, readers, and supporters. People want to help you succeed. We all want to be a part of something that makes us feel good. That’s why we cheer for the underdog and praise the humble winner. We love to see people succeed.

But it starts with your vision, your dream. It starts with a spark that ignites the desire for something greater in your life. When you realize that—when you find your purpose and you learn to let go and let your journey unfold, anything is possible.

Thanks for coming by and reading my ramblings!

My Sunday Talk...@ the Center for Spiritual Living, Diablo Valley

The body of my talk Sunday Aug. 26th, 2012.

“Everybody is a genius. But if you judge a fish by its ability to climb a tree, it will live its whole life believing that it is stupid.” One of my favorite quotes by the brilliant Albert Einstein.

How often do we find ourselves believing we are less than or stupid? Whether it is in our physical being or our consciousness? How often have we allowed others to judge us by what we do, or how we look? And on the flip side, how many times have we judged others?

Let’s look at the first four words of the quote. “Everybody is a genius.” It doesn’t say only scientists are geniuses or bankers are geniuses or this race or that religion is genius. Einstein said everyone. EVERYONE is a genius.

In Roman times, the Latin origin of the word genius meant, the guiding spirit. The noun, genius is related to the Latin verb gigno, which translates, “to bring into being.”

Wow, of course we are all geniuses. Just by being born into this world, we get to own the definition, genius. When we are brought into being, Infinite Intelligence, or God, places within each of us the guiding spirit; that intuitiveness deep within us that keeps nudging us onto our spiritual path. Some people call it their still small voice, or an inspiration that floods their consciousness with ideas. Some of us might define it as that cosmic rack a pop on the back of the head. However you can relate to it in your own mind.

Isn’t that wonderful, to know that each and every one of us are geniuses! So as we relate to that, as we swim in the greatness and glory of being a genius, there is something else we have to understand and then embody.

The second sentence of Einstein’s quote… “But if you judge a fish by its ability to climb a tree, it will live its whole life believing it is stupid.” Now I wanted to relate this to others judging us for who we are and what we do, but I couldn’t. I felt the need to relate this to our own consciousness. Because the only way we are going to change the world around us or the way it treats us is by changing our own consciousness about how we fit in it.

So often we judge ourselves and never think twice about it. Any time we say “I am” and put something negative or limiting behind it, we are judging the fish for not climbing the tree.

We all have a purpose. Proverbs 16:9. A man’s heart devises his ways; but the Lord directs his steps. And thank goodness we each get to live our purpose in a unique way. Just as a fish demonstrates perfectly its genius as it breathes and swims in the water; just as it’s body has “brought into being,” the ability to live life entirely in water...so are we designed to embody and live our lives in our own life experiences.

We are all familiar with the saying, It is done unto you, as you believe. It doesn’t say, it is done unto you as someone else believes. Or that your life is the result of someone’s thoughts or beliefs. We have all been given the freedom of thought, the power to choose how we live our lives. 

How empowering is that?

When Jesus said, “Go, let it be done to you according to your belief,” in Matthew 8:13, he was basically announcing that your life is the result of your thinking. So it only makes since that if you want a better life, get a better consciousness. 

I will tell you I like to challenge and ask questions, dissecting words and meanings about passages or books that strummed a chord in my spirituality. I always felt that if I am going to invest my time and spiritual(ness) into anything; I am going to question things I don’t understand and embody the things I do. That’s why I found Religious Science so perfect for me. I was encouraged to ask, study, and take from the belief system what worked for me as a youth in this teaching.

Einstein stated, “You can’t fix a problem, using the same level of consciousness that created it.” Pretty powerful huh? We can’t fix anything in our lives if we are coming from the same belief or thought patterns that created it.

If we want to have Peace in our lives; we can’t go around cursing people out for cutting us off on the freeway. We want success in our business, how are we talking about our occupations to others? Are we giving the best part of ourselves to everything we do, or are we holding our hands out expecting someone to fill it with what we think we lack.

When I came to the realization that I am responsible for what happens in my life; that what I focus on grows in my life, I decided to change my mind about everything around me. Because there is nothing more powerful than a made up mind. 

As easy as I make it sound, it’s anything but…trust me on that. 

Just as habits and conditions that we have embodied didn’t appear over night, so is it with changing our beliefs. It takes daily practice. It takes conscious living. And it takes the faith to do it. But we must be willing to recognize when we fall back into old patterns and forgive ourselves when we do. If we can learn and move from a situation a better person, we’ve accomplished something grand.

We don’t have to worry about how it is going to happen or try and map out how spirit is going to work in our lives. All we have to do is have total faith that IT knows what to do and how to do it. 

We stop judging our short comings and start basking in our accomplishments, no matter how small. Rejoice when our lives open up to something greater. You got up today and came to hear me speak. Celebrate the fact that you’re here. Give thanks for everything in your life, no matter how small. Because as you do that, as you transform your thoughts and ideas from judgment and condition, to Love and Peace, you begin to see what your true purpose is. 

When you praise the sun for shining another day, or the refreshingly deep breaths that keep filling your lungs, your consciousness opens up to the Universe and your life unfolds to your unlimited possibilities. Suddenly you will find yourself grateful for the new job you have, the abundance in your bank account, the health you are celebrating, and all the other wonderful things that have opened up to you. What will happen is you’ll see the genius in your life and you will realize it was who you were all along!

What Are Your Dreams?

If you could have anything you wanted, what would it be? Have you thought about it lately? Have you stopped running from here to there to think about what you want in your life? How about what you want to do in your life? 

Oh, now stop blowing it off as poppycock. I know there are a lot of you saying, “Come on, Gretch, you gotta stop living in La-La Land and get real.” And you know what? I can appreciate that. Because I used to believe my boat sailed on what my life’s dream was…until, my life’s dream…changed. 

How many of you keep that feeling tangled against your heart? Oh Geez, put your hands down!

Let’s digress back to when we were kids and we thought the world was ours to discover. We weren’t aware of responsibilities of a household, business, or careers. We didn’t worry about where our next meal was coming from or how we were going to make ends meet. We lived under the guise of bliss. We believed in a world of endless possibilities!

Come on how many of us wanted to be professional sports figures, dancers, singers, actresses, or musicians?

It wasn’t until someone came to our party and walked around with a stick pin and popped all our balloons, that we felt we couldn’t live our dreams. Before that, we thought we were going to be the next big thing.

What’s a unfulfilled dream anyway? Is there something different we could to call it? Maybe a lost opportunity? What is a lost opportunity, but a moment we goofed and didn’t open up to the unlimited possibilities in our lives? But hold on…you want to know what’s so amazing about life? It is always giving us new opportunities. Anything is possible. 

That’s right, I said it, and I’ll say it again…The only thing that hinders possibilities is a lack of faith in them.

If we could go back 5 years and ask anyone who knew me, if they thought I would be a writer and a published author whose books are selling, they’d probably laugh in your face. They would first check to see if you are delirious, then laugh in your face.

That is what’s so amazing about life…you can be anything you want if you’re willing to do the work. Dreams change, our bodies’ change, and our ideas change, so maybe the dream of being a world famous ballerina at 45 is unreasonable, but opening your own studio might not be. Funding young people who have talent and opportunities might become your dream.

Dreams of your childhood always have a way of evolving and morphing into dreams you have as adults.

Maybe the dreams you had as a child catapulted different dreams for you as an adult. You never know where life is going to take you, so why are you trying to hold onto the reigns and control it.

I tried that. Hell, my hands hurt so bad from clutching those reigns of life. I still find myself trying to control life. But every time I let go and let the Universe guide me, I find it turns out so much better than when I try and outline what is going to happen or how it will occur.

It's always so funny to me; the moment I stopped trying to steer the roller coaster it instantly became more enjoyable. Suddenly, I was excited to feel the drops, turns, and loops ahead. I had no control of what was going to happen to me, so when I realized and embraced it, I had a blast. Besides the fact that roller coasters don’t have steering wheels!

Okay, I’ll let you in on my dream when I was younger…I desperately wanted to be an actress, to the point of majoring in drama in college and continuing my schooling with private lessons in the city for several years…I never made it to Hollywood, but I learned how to connect with my inner confidence and speak to large groups, and I discovered I could write pretty good stories. By following my dream to be an actress, it opened me up to my adult dream of becoming a published author. I could say my dreams came true, even if it manifested through my novels.

Thanks for hanging out and reading my ramblings~

The sunset as we drove to see the Red Hot Chili Peppers!

Expectations...Really???

So what happens when we can’t be everything to everyone? Are we supposed to shrivel up and blow away? Maybe we think we have to shrink back into that empty space we clawed and fought so hard to overcome.

Let’s admit it; no matter who we are, or what we've accomplished in our lives, we’ve all been dealt this card before. Whether from family members, friends, acquaintances, or perfect strangers, we’ve all had to deal with disappointing someone!

If we look at our essential titles of parent, best friend, brother, sister, or spouse, we will find expectations of how we’re supposed to act, feel, and live within those definitions.

We all pretty much know how we’re supposed to be when acting in the confines of what we are when society calls us a sister, friend, mother, etcetera. But what happens when we become tired of dragging hurried moment across our lives? What will it take to allow who we truly are to obliterate the guilt of not fitting into the mold society has so pretentiously slapped across us at birth.

Do you ever wonder what would happen if we decided to accept each other for whom we really are? How freeing it would be to work in a cooperative manner instead of the pressing judgment from the competitive mind. Don’t get me wrong, I’m not saying some competition isn’t good, but why must we feel threatened by the success of another? Of all the things in the world to be threatened by, successful, happy, innovative, harmonious people shouldn’t be one of them. We should be celebrating greatness within each and every person we meet.

When we recognize the potential steeping within every person; when we take the time to connect with the genius that radiates from their hearts, we will experience a mental shift toward living in gratitude. Life can come at us from all different directions, but when we consciously make a choice to live in gratitude, people open up, our world shifts, and we start to attract the relationships that guilt, fear, and doubt have no place.

When we come from love and gratitude, we understand that there is no need for guilt to hammer us. Holding on to anger or resentment isn’t an option when you live in gratitude and love. Let me be perfectly clear, I’m not saying that when we live in love and gratitude, we will never get angry or feel guilty. That is part of being human; life isn’t so black and white. But when we act with good intentions and live life consciously, we can’t help but increase our chances to have a creative, loving, harmonious life. When we learn how to let people’s limited ideas and conditional love go, the hold of the judgmental will weaken until it dissolves from our lives.

But we must make a conscious choice to come from that unadulterated creative space within us. We must choose everyday to let go of the idea that we can’t live up to the expectations people label us with; because we really don’t have to. Once we learn to live life in gratitude and interact with others from love…what people think of us tends to matter less. Their judgmental pokes and prods start to melt away and we begin to see they really have no power over us. They are likely to drift away from us and become the rocks that outline our path to our full potential.

We want to change our lives; we must begin by forgiving ourselves. Only then can we forgive others. Once we do that…once we decide to heal our personal pain with forgiveness, then the world becomes our oyster and our consciousness can’t help but expand to encompass more love, joy, peace and prosperity. Just remember to give thanks and pay it forward!

Thanks for hanging out and reading my ramblings!