Day One - Achievement - Stagnation

 Achievement                            (Goal Number:         )            Stagnation

accomplishing, producing, fulfill, conclude                                                                        inertia, laziness, apathy, failure, undone

Of course, I am speaking here of positive achievement. It is fulfilling to achieve a goal in any area of life, to  ccomplete whatever it is and to have it done well. 

I have come to believe it is important for us to have goals, otherwise we just thrash around in life, doing this or that in random ways. And, I believe we also need to have a vision for our lives, something aspirational, not really reachable, but our overarching guide. To say I follow Christ, I need to be as Christlike as possible. So when I notice I'm not, I readjust myself and try again. In addition, a more practical and reachable goal for me is to be a beneficial presence wherever I am, with whomever is present, so that it is better because I came.

There is an urge within us to do just this. Often for me, it is a spiritual goal, such as meditate and pray daily. Or it could be to finish a  quilt, a painting, a book, or once upon a time to graduate. It can be an inner goal or an outer goal.

I am certain we are each created on purpose, with a purpose. God is counting on us to fulfill that purpose. Each of us is a one of a kind masterpiece, unique, precious. We need to step up to be the best version of ourselves that we can possibly be.

AWAKE TO THE GENUINE VALUE: Something in you longs for achievement. You have many ideas and plans. You want the nice things of life, but you also want more. You have a sense of mission and purpose. You have a passion for life on earth. You want to accomplish something noble and worthwhile and consistently take actions leading in this direction. You are determined to fulfill your dreams. You complete and conclude projects, leaving nothing unattended or undone. You intend to fulfill your potential. You enjoy trying out your skills and succeeding. And, you are not afraid mistakes, for they lead you to learning and ever increasing skills. Whenever you fall down, you pick yourself up, brush yourself off, evaluate what just happened, make new choices and move forward. 

LIVING IN THE IMPOSTOR VALUE: 

You live with stagnation in your life. It is hard for you to get going. It is hard for you to get up and get on with the projects that would lead to achievement. You think others get the good breaks in life. You may consider yourself lazy more often than not. You are apathetic about your life and the life going on around you. You have failed and left much undone You have some well-developed excuses about it all. You probably sigh frequently. You sometimes are aware that you are in a rut. You feel bored more and more often, and part of the time you have numbed yourself so that you do not have to feel at all.

What to do:

In order to achieve the things your inner self longs to achieve, some refocusing of your mind will be helpful. Begin by redefining yourself. Select one or more of the following statements to repeat with great frequency in order to develop your new mindset. Choose the statements according to your conscious listening to your intuition. Copy your choices on 3x5 cards to keep with you and use during your day.

 

•     Each day I find it easier and easier to achieve the things I set out to do.

•     I know I have achieved many things so far, and now I am ready to achieve even more.

•     I am ready and willing to achieve my highest dreams.

•     The moment I start stagnating, I turn myself around and enjoy finding a new way to achieve my goals.

•     It feels natural for me to be an achieving kind of person.

•     I have so much fun discovering new ways to reach success.

•     My mind is open to innovative ways to re-aim my focus so that I keep going toward my highest goals.

•     I applaud others in their achievements and enjoy receiving their applause for mine.

•     I came to earth to achieve great things. I am now ready to be true to my original intentions.

•     It feels good to achieve. I like it!

Action steps to take to get off the log

•     Look for examples of achievement and write the people thank you notes and acknowledgment notes, even if you do not know them.

•     Read biographies of achievers.

•     Begin correspondence with one or more achievers.

•     Develop friendship with one or more achievers.

•     Join a service club or community group that other achievers also join. Participate in it.

•     Access your clutter: desk, files, office, home, etc. Spend a week organizing, discarding, acting upon the various items. Be determined to have everything in order by the end of the week. Do not allow yourself any excuses.

•     Contact the person/persons you have been needing to contact about the project you really want to do. Make a budget, an outline, a list of action steps, and go for it.

•     If you find your life slipping back into stagnation, stop, take 3 slow, deep breaths, and use one of the Focusing Statements, repeating it until you are focused again. Now, ask yourself what would be the fulfilling thing to do here. Listen, trust, and take action.

 

In An Instant Everything Changed

 A few years ago, as I thought about how our values are our rules that lead our lives, I had a sudden inspiration. We have 40 Genuine Values instilled in us, in our souls. The problem is that on earth we have challenges, wounds, losses, suffering, and such, and shift to impostor values. The list came tumbling out of me into my computer. " "Values Remembered," a book, a set of cards, and a workshop were born. I taught it in many places. It was impactful.

The situation is that with the betrayal and loss earlier this year, I no longer have copies. This morning I awoke with a jolt. You have the list. Put it on your blog, and discuss each one, one a day for 40 days.

So below you will find the 40 pairs. Look over them and begin to consider which are your 7 key values, the ones resonating deep in your soul.

Tell your friends to join us for this 40 day adventure.

“Values Remembered”

A Values program by Rev. Dr. Marlene Oaks

There are 40 pairs of values. It is helpful to discover or decide which 7 Genuine Values are your key or most important values to you, so that you live a life true to your Higher yourself. So first please consider all 40 and put a star or highlight your 7

Also, we dance the dance of these pairs of opposites. Which way we dance our lives determines our experiences. It takes a lot of courage to turn one’s feet in the direction of the Genuine Values and dance out of the mist into the clarity of authenticity. The important thing is that it can be done, and being aware of it makes it not that difficult after all

Knowing that words have no meaning, but people have meaning that use words, I looked up the 80 words in the Thesaurus and wrote the synonyms. Focus your study and implementation of this program into the essence of it, not wasting time quibbling with the words. By looking at the main word and the sub-words, you can discover just how I am using the word in this program. Listen to your heart as to how they apply to you.

value n. - The social principles, goals, or standards held or accepted by an individual, class, society, etc.

value vt. - To place a certain estimate of worth on a scale of values.

values - The inner rules by which one runs one’s life.

Introduce Yourself To The Values

See where you are in the dance between the pairs of opposites and discover or decide what are your core values anyway, the rules you wish to run your life by?

These may not be all of the values there are, but these are a great start. I think if you succeed in living on the side of the Genuine Values listed here, whatever else will become clear and self-evident to you. If these 40 were lived by a majority of the people of our earth, what kind of a place do you think earth would be? I think it would be a really terrific place to be, even more terrific than it is now. I think we could solve our own problems and our planetary problems.

Just look this list over. Notice where you are with each pair. Maybe make a couple of dots to indicate where you are between the pairs of opposites at this moment and also in general in your life. Then set a goal for each Genuine Value. Between 1 and 10 how important is it for me to fully express this value with my life? Let this number be your initial goal for each value. This is important to do before we go on with the rest of this program together. Take a couple of hours to sincerely consider this list and its relationship to your life.

Genuine Values                                                     Impostor Values

Achievement                            (Goal Number:         )            Stagnation

accomplishing, producing, fulfill, conclude                                                                  inertia, laziness, apathy, failure, undone

Advancement                           (Goal Number:         )            Retreat

improving, progressing, promotion, uplift                                                                       worsen, deteriorate, waste, regress, decay, languish

Adventure       (Goal Number:         )            Unwillingness

pioneering, excitement, daring, quest, mission                      resistant, guarded, over cautious, wary, play it safe

Aesthetics      (Goal Number:         )            Vulgarity

artistic,  beautiful, good taste,  decorous, pleasing                 coarse, discordant, unrefined, low, disrespect for the                                                                                                                                                   lovely                                              

Affection          (Goal Number:         )            Violence

liking, caring, kindness, fondness, favor                                hate, heartlessness, hostility, ruthlessness, savagery

Affiliation        (Goal Number:         )            Separation

community, involvement, bonding, companionship                withdrawal, aloofness, standoffishness, unsocialbleness

Commitment    (Goal Number:         )            Apathy

adopt, action,  consecration, dedication, diligence                 indifference, passive, wait, dawdle, lethargy, resignation

Compassion     (Goal Number:         )            Insensibility   

considerateness, benevolence, mercy, kindness, goodwill                                  unfeeling, unperceptive, unkind, heartless, unsympathetic

Cooperation     (Goal Number:         )            Opposition

teamwork, supportive, consensus, reciprocity, alignment                              self-serving, alone, protest, contradict, clash, friction

Creativity         (Goal Number:         )            Imitation

.inspiration, innovation, originality, authenticity, freshness                              impostor, drivel, inanity, mimicry, copy, repeat       

Discipline         (Goal Number:         )            Pandemonium            

self-control, self-command,  aplomb, practice, apprenticeship                       out of control, disorder, confusion, muddle, slipshod

Faith     (Goal Number:         )                             Fear

rust, reliance, conviction, expectation, optimism, hope                              anxiety concern, dread, doubt, agitation, worry,                                           \                                                                                                            nervousness, faith in what is unwanted   

Famly (Goal Number:         )                               Outsider

kindred, tribespeople, related,  lineage, ancestry, community                             alien, stranger, foreigner, intruder, misfit, blacksheep, other

Forgiveness      (Goal Number:         )            Resentment

patience, pardon, magnanimous, generous                                         discontent, bitterness, anger, fury, acrimony

Freedom           (Goal Number:         )            Confinement

liberation, spontaneity, choice, individualism, independence                              imprisonment, rigidity, restriction, isolation, restrain]

Friendship        (Goal Number:         )            Estrangement

intimacy, trust, harmony, devotion, amicable, respect                              alienation, hostility, distrust, hard feelings, tension

Generosity       (Goal Number:         )            Miserliness

unselfishness, bountiful, bigness, fullness, sufficiency                              pinching, scrimping, tightwad, cheapskate, stingy, withhold

Gratitude         (Goal Number:         )            Ingratitude

appreciation, thanks, praise, indebtedness, bless                  nonacknowledgment, denial, unthankful, curse

Health  (Goal Number:         )                        Unhealthfulness

robust, optimum, vitality, spark, fitness, hale, hearty                            dysfunctional, drab, toxic, unwholesome, polluted

Inner Harmony            (Goal Number:         )           Inner conflict

peace with oneself, accord, oneness, love, acceptance                              at odds with oneself, turmoil, antagonism, opposition

Integrity           (Goal Number:         )            Depravity

congruence, honesty, sincerity, upright, decency, honor                              incongruence, dishonesty insincerity, corruption

Intuition           (Goal Number:         )          Close mindedness

honoring and listening within, insight, revelation                    biased, intolerant, prejudiced, dishonoring insight

Justice  (Goal Number:         )                    Injustice

fairness, impartiality, rightness, balance, right reason                              unfairness, wrongness, biased, one-sidedness, dirt

Learning           (Goal Number:         )            Ignorance

enlightenment, scholarship, intellect, aware                          crass, uninformed, superficial, unaware          

Love    (Goal Number:         )                Hate   

tender, caring, accepting, regard, devotion                            abhor, spite, contempt, detest, loathe, enmity

 oyalty             (Goal Number:         )            Betrayal

allegiance, trust, fidelity, treason, corruption, infidelity                              treason, corruption, infidelity

Order    (Goal Number:         )         Disarray           

organization, stability, current                               inconsistency, restlessness, behind

Peace            (Goal Number:         )           Combat

serenity, calmness, nonviolence, nonaggression, tolerance                              offensive, attack, assault, quarrelsome, violent

Pleasure           (Goal Number:         )                    Pain

hhumor, enjoyment, fun, comfort, ease, happiness, joyfulness               weariness, complaint, sorrow, discomfort, annoyance

Power  (Goal Number:         )                       Impotence

effectiveness, potency, vigor, competency, able, virility                              helpless incompetent, victim, powerless, ineffectual

Prosperity        (Goal Number:         )            Adversity

well-being, successful, winner,  triumph, good fortune, affluence hardship, failure, hard fortune, unsuccessful, loser, tragic

Quality             (Goal Number:         )            Common

excellence, first class, valuable                                            low, base, vile, shabby below par

Responsibility              (Goal Number:         )           Evasion

respond appropriately, stand, sponsor                                  neglect, escape, indolence, ignore, hide from

Security            (Goal Number:         )            Calamity

trustworthiness, safety, reliable, surety,  assurance                humiliation, hardship, ruination, disastrous, uncertain

Self-respect      (Goal Number:         ) Self-hate

trust of self, personal identity, connection, self esteem, dignity                    deprecation, disconnection, detached, deflating, shame

Service             (Goal Number:         )            Disservice      

beneficial, blessing, boon, help                                            damage,  harm, injurious, curse, hurtful

Spirituality       (Goal Number:         )            Irreverence     

closeness to God, faith, inspiration                                       separation, sanctimony, impiety wicked

Variety             (Goal Number:         )            Uniformity

openness to newness, diversity, inclusivity                           closed, homogenous, conformity

Virtue  (Goal Number:         )                 Vice

goodness, purity, spotlessness, innocent                              weakness, fault, wickedness, degradation

Wisdom           (Goal Number:         ) Folly

clear thinking, keen, good sense, comprehension                 foolish, dull, frivolous, drivel, weak

 

 

Are You a Throne of God?

 She democratizes God when she says, “Every faithful soul is a throne of God, if it reverences God wisely.” We are all “cosmic centers,” or thrones of God.  -- "Hildegard of Bingen, A Saint for Our Times" 

 Oh what a picture forms in my head. I may have to try to paint this. Let's unpack this a bit, remembering that with Hildegard there are layers of meaning. 

I agree with all parts of her statement. I have long taught that everyone is sacred, a one of a kind masterpiece of God. Her image of God being a throne in each of our souls is a visual image of that. 

She adds a but, an if. First the modifier, faithful. Are we faithful so that we can even be aware of who we are in Reality?  Or are we shallow and easily distracted?

Then the if, if we reverence God. Are we in awe, in love, filled with gratitude? Or do we just take life for granted or take all credit for ourselves, living from ego?

Then the modifier, wisely. Are we quietly reverencing, deep within, humbly? Or are we boasting and loud? Are we sincere, or are we just fanatical? Does the way we live teach the Reality of God to those paying attention, or do we say "Look at me, look at me!" Or do we teach the opposite as we cheat, lie, gossip, judge, and exhibit the opposite of "the fruits of the Spirit"?

So are we awake to being a "Cosmic Center" with our souls being the "Throne of God"? Are we even willing? What changes would we need to make? Would it be a good thing for us, for the world? How would the world be different if all, or at least many of us, heeded Hildegard's words?

Please think on these things. 

Movin gOn

 This weekend my life opens to a new adventure. I move into my own apartment in a senior apartment complex. It will be different than anything I've lived before, yet the same as all people are at the core human children of God. 

So many hands and feet and hearts and prayers have led me through the valley of betrayal. God's Love  has enfolded me. Spirit has guided and inspired me every single moment. 

Now I will have new experiences, make more friends, and have the comfort of my own place.  I will meet people who I likely never would have met if I hadn't moved there.  It makes me think of Frost's "Two roads diverged in a yellow wood and I, I took the one less travelled by..." It will be a place without any trace of Gilbert and the horrifying memories. None of my treasures are mine anymore. All is new courtesy of my wonderful church community. It is a fresh start and up to me to embrace it and celebrate it. 

At 85 I begin a new life. I launch into the unknown every day, and I recognize this a larger unknown than the typical day. It is reassuring to know that as always, God will be there with me. 

May you too remember that wherever you go God is there with you. 

Beware - Think

 I met a man yesterday, a highly educated man by the current standards. But even in the University he was "taught" only one side. It was apparent that he listened only to one side of the news. Our conversation was terrifying and enlightening. 

Terrifying because it was apparent that he had not received education but propaganda and that he thought he was educated, plus he held a powerful job.

Enlightening be cause I was given a glimpse into the bring down America campaign's inner workings. It was subtle at first, then more and more emboldened. 

My mind sent back to my education.  At least 5 professors had  Eric Hoffer's "True Believer" as required reading. Also I took a class entitled "Social Control." I learned the way of mass movements and propaganda. I read Saul Alinsky's "Rules For Radicals" later. These and more added up to both a warning and a recipe of how to strike at the heart of our freedoms, most of all free speech and critical thinking.  I see it in action right now. So we are back to terrifying.

Can de-programming be done for so many? Can we somehow present all sides so the programmed can hear them and not just shout them down, not just hear but also consider, weigh, and really think ?  

It's hard at so many levels and in so many ways.For example, television and smart devices are hypnotic, direct access to the subconscious mind.  But we can't just say, "On the count of three, when I snap my fingers, you'll be wide awake."

Einstein

Einstein says, “In the face of creation I feel very humble. It is as if a spirit is manifest infinitely superior to man’s spirit. Through my pursuit in science I have known cosmic religious feelings. But I don’t care to be called a mystic.”

 It seems to me that many great scientists are led to the cosmic spiritual point of view by their science. Awe is a door into the Infinite, as told by the great scriptures and writings of the mystics in every religion. Delving into the vast universes as well as the micro universes of atoms and quarks lead to a sense of awe. Delving into life sciences lead to awe, as we discover how wonderfully made all of life is. 

How magnificently made is creation.  How amazing are the principles that guide creation. 

Going through the door of awe,  wonder, gratitude, and delight can lead us to experience The Presence. There are incredible principles, yet that is not all. There is the earth shattering experience of the Presence of God, sometimes multiple such extraordinary experiences.  Then we KNOW the ineffable.  Doubt vanishes. We realize fully, totally, Oneness. The great truths also known by spiritually awakened ones, come alive in us. 

Jesus told us those who hunger and thirst for righteousness will be filled. I see a deep spiritual hunger on earth.  Let us open to awe, wonder, gratitude, and delight and begin to end the spiritual famine. 

Stuck In a Boxed in Trench

 It fascinates me that some people label themselves as this or that, and dig a trench within those  limits, making it deeper and deeper until they are so entrenched in it they cannot peer over the edge to see beyond.

This happens in every area, across history. 

It happens with tribes, nations, religions, politics and on and on. People often see anyone not in their trench not only as wrong, but as evil, the extreme other.

Heated arguments, loud name calling, distortions/lies, violence, wars ensue. 

We can find a myriad of examples in history, some seem humorous to us here in their future. But it seems more difficult to see our own trenches, our biases, those things we say "of course it is...."

I like John Weekly's thought:

Do all the good you can, / by all the means you can, / in all the ways you can, / in all the places you can, / at all the times you can, / to all the people you can, / as long as ever you can".

 But, in a deep trench, the definition of what is good differs, and there is resistance to listening to other ways to look at something.

At the risk of upsetting you,  I'm going to offer two hot button examples. 

1) The discussion of trans people in girl's sports. One side says they have rights to identify as whatever sex to which they feel affinity without discrimination. The other side says girls who have been training for years are losing medals and scholarships to biological males. Testosterone based bodies have an unfair advantage. Plus, it is upsetting to girls seeing naked men in their locker room and showers 

What is the higher good?  It needs to be so both sides win. How about a Trans Athletic Association? Or some other solution not thought of yet. 

2) The discussion over immigration. One side says let anyone who comes in, give them services and perks, don't screen them. It is racist to keep them out or send them back, even the criminals. The other side says we cannot afford unlimited immigration. We have laws about how to do it. People who don't follow the rule of law are not good candidates to become American. Let them leave or return them to their country, and then let them apply for visas and return legally.  

What is the higher good? It needs to be good for all concerned as far as possible. How about sponsor programs in poor countries to teach skills so the people can prosper surrounded by their friends and family? Or some other solution not yet thought of.

Let's stop shouting at each other and seek meaningful solutions for our problems.