EWJ # 74: Why a Marianne for President campaign is needed...

Email not displaying correctly? View it in your browser. Everyman's WEEKLY Journal # 74 © 2014 Rev. David Seacord May 25, 2014 Why a Marianne for President campaign is needed…   A few weeks ago I dream-received some game-changing ideas (visions -- or fantasies -- depending on your point of view) having to do with Marianne Williamson's candidacy for Congress in California's District 33.    Last Monday (while briefly visiting LA) I attended a large and enthusiastic support rally for Marianne -- held in a Beverly Hills art deco theater venue -- and there I experienced her in-person for the first time in many years.  Last Wednesday morning I visited her 6th floor office-building campaign headquarters briefly to present my ideas/visions to 'somebody---anybody…',  and the staffer who was available to listen was an 'oh, I'm a fellow artist too' named Susan.  Later (after watching a flash of deep interest flare through her pupils), she authentically promised me that "she was the perfect person to have shared them with."   Trusting that flashing perfection, I am now guided to share these ideas via this Journal's readership, as a public propagation. THE PLANETARY CONTEXT  According to the best intelligence I have access to (that said as a lifelong student, and said intelligence being derived from numerous diversified and trusted sources and study disciplines), the current condition on our planet is like a precarious balancing passage by high-wire over an bottomless abyss.  Meaning: there is no guarantee at this time of homo sapien long-term continuance, given the destabilizing power of the blind-to-its-impact & consequences and short-term greed-driven dehumanized forces of destruction which have been for several decades (at least) attacking Gaia's self-sustaining/self-balancing capacities, upon which our human existence does and has always relied. Given this, there is a profound and broad-based need for a great Gandhi-level leadership to arise… a leadership which is skilled in speaking the truth of the planetary jeopardy powerfully…persuasively… and effectively enough that it could awaken and potentially motivate billions of people worldwide into taking the untold many positive game-changing and life-affirming actions that human-continuance will require.  Further, the timeline… the window of opportunity for humanity to transform its consciousness and its resultant ways of being significantly enough to alter the almost certain negative future (of widespread suffering and/or possible earth-life extinction) and to instead create an alternative positive future for all beings--- this ever-shortening timeline is audibly crying out for this leadership.  It is not crying out for it 'soon', or 'next year'…. it is crying out for it Now.  In other words, the need is urgent and immediate. Enter into this context one spirit-filled fearless woman known worldwide by the name of Marianne Williamson.  Why is she known worldwide?  Because, inspired by her connection to spirit and using her gift--- the power of her words both spoken and written ---she has shared her relationship with 'God/Source/the Great Mystery' with millions upon millions of growing souls for several decades.   As a best-selling author and spiritual teacher, she has done this with utter candor and deep insight, admitting and sharing her mistakes as well as her victories.  She has not allowed her ever-increasing renown to infect her with the human egoic diseases of pride, arrogance, or superiority.   She has remained a servant of the Supreme Good, and the Unity of all Life.  In full public view, she has proven she can deliver 'the Message';  she has proven she is able to walk the Way without succumbing to the soul-bankrupting temptations of the world's false illusions.  Because of this life-well-lived, she has been and is being an inspiration to untold millions of souls to awaken, and she has become a deeply trusted Voice FOR LOVE.   THE POLITICAL REALITY When last year Marianne Williamson heard the inner message that it was the will of the Supreme Good that she enter the California District 33 Congressional race, because of her spiritual convictions, she courageously acted and accepted the assignment.  What she accepted was that her assignment now was to deliver a new and urgent message:  That it is NOW time for all people of spirit to enter the political realms and together accomplish a profound political course correction…moving radically away from self-centered political business as usual… and toward the creation of a new national and world politic unbeholden to monied special interests.  Thus, her message is that: It is time for the good of the People and of the (still living) Planet to come first, and that those interests must be profoundly championed and fully reestablished.   Because of her stature as a national and international spiritual author and orator, the fact that Marianne Williamson threw her hat into 'politics' naturally drew immediate widespread attention. In the beginning the conversation in the press was centered around the unlikelihood of her being successful, given that the seat had been held by Congressman Henry Waxman for many decades, and he was considered 'unbeatable'.  But in a manner similar to Noah when building the Ark, Marianne followed her own inner knowing and began her long-shot campaign, speaking to whoever would listen (and in particular listen in District 33) her 'new conversation for a new America'.  In hindsight that she declared her candidacy in a district where her opponent was an unbeatable giant was in itself a stroke of genius, as it activated the attention the contest drew.  When (almost as if scripted) Henry Waxman announced his surprise retirement, it left Marianne in the position of being a serious contender.  Here she has remained, seizing the opportunity afforded in a now 'open-field' (ie, a field of candidates containing no incumbent) to build a passionately inspired and viably-active campaign organization committed to win/win winning a fast approaching primary election victory on June 3, 2014, ---where to qualify for being on the ballot in the general election in November she must be one of the top two vote-receivers of the large candidate field.  And as I experienced at her rally last Monday, while it's not at all 'in the bag', such a victory is being felt by her local supporters to be a valid possibility.  In other words, there is a great excitement and hope buzzing in her local campaign… that Marianne could actually be one of the primary winners. In the normal course of events following a primary campaign for a Congressional seat there are election night rallies where the winners and losers are gracious and high-minded in their oratory.  After which, the losers pack up and disappear until the next election, and the winners continue their campaigning, up to the general election in November.   But these are not normal times, and this is not a normal candidate.  This is a candidate who is speaking a much more mature conversation than that required of a local congressional district.  Marianne Williamson is speaking an urgently needed international conversation… a planetary game-changing conversation… a Gandhi-level conversation.  Given that, what are the true stakes?  What could the 'out of the box' true possibilities actually be?   Here is what I am seeing:  In the event of a June 3 primary loss, it would be a profound loss to the future of life itself should Marianne Williamson not immediately and without missing a beat declare herself as a US Presidential candidate for 2016 as an Independant.  I say this because the only thing that has prevented Marianne's huge international audience of supporters from being activated behind her Congressional candidacy is that that candidacy is for far to small a possibility, given the Being that she IS.  Therefore, I view her current candidacy as 'necessary campaign organizational practice'.  And given my experience at her rally last week, I view it as already extraordinarily successful, for should she win or lose this primary, when Marianne declares herself a Presidential candidate, she has a local organizational prototype in existence ready to be cloned state by state nationally.   Even if Marianne does win the primary, I am seeing that the integral path to her legitimate political power is to immediately declare for the Presidency anyway.  It is just being respectful of her local constituency by being straight about what is up… and it is the answer to the local question 'Why vote for her?--- instead of one of the other local candidates--- many whom hold similar views…".  The answer is: to give her the platform to enter Washington and the national political conversation AS A DECLARED INDEPENDENT PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE CARRYING AN INTERNATIONAL GAME-CHANGING CONVERSATION….A CONVERSATION FOR LOVE --INSTEAD OF MONEY-- CONTROLLING OUR POLITICS… A CONVERSATION FOR THE EARTH, AND FOR ALL THE PEOPLES  OF THE EARTH.   Basically, what I am saying is the fire that has been lighted must not be extinguished, win or lose this primary election.  Through Marianne Williamson's candidacy, a viable movement for love in politics has been born, and it is the need of all life that it blaze brighter and brighter and spread far and wide.  In time, I see Dennis Kucinich agreeing to serve as a Vice-Presidential candidate with Marianne.  Because of his past political experience, I see this would add much legitimacy to her voice.  I see that alignments with the Green movement and the Ron Paul movement as completely possible, given that they are also movements of principle and integrity standing for the Earth, and Constitutional Law, and they too stand against the erosions and usurpations of special self-interest and monied influence…. the current oligarchic paradigm in defacto control of this country.     In sum what I am seeing is that the single best action that is available to be taken to move Marianne's message out of being a local congressional district conversation and into being an un-ignorable international one is to radically upgrade the size of her candidacy itself.   There is a saying that 'the way to solve small problems is to take on much bigger ones…'.  I am saying that in my view that is the situation here.  If Marianne declares now, there are two years available to build with, and to present her case to the people with. Obviously, running for President comes with it's problems.  As it is 'no small thing', it may take all of Marianne's enormous soul courage to expand to this degree of selflessness as it will certainly mean giving up her personal life to a huge degree.  However, Goethe is quoted as saying:  "Whatever you dream you can do, begin it!  Boldness has genius, power and magic in it!"  For the good of all life, I am praying Marianne Williamson will find this boldness, and soon.  I am seeing it would make a huge difference.   If you agree, please let her know also.  Thank you.  Namaste, and Sat Nam,  David ______________________________________________________________ FYI: If you would like to share this Journal as a webpage, at the very top of the email where it says: "Email not displaying correctly? View it in your browser." etc. …. well, the word 'browser' is a clickable hyperlink that will open this email as a webpage… which you can then copy and paste anywhere (like to share it on Facebook, or elsewhere).   ALSO:  If you would like to share the link to the SUBSCRIBE page, here is the clickable or paste-able code: http://davidseacord.us1.list-manage1.com/subscribe?u=306aba00e6959c604de750bcc&id=62a1ee7045 ALSO: fyi, these Journals are being archived at:  www.everymansweekly.blogspot.com If you get value from reading this Journal, I do appreciate your assistance in expanding it's distribution.  Thank you so much.   ________________________________________________________ Addition links to other writings, websites, etc: Rev. David Seacord Fine Art Painter / Sufi Cherag david@davidseacord.com www.davidseacord.com www.davidseacord-everymansjournal.blogspot.com www.davidseacord-acimcommentaries.blogspot.com www.everymansjournal2011.blogspot.com www.everymansjournal2012.blogspot.com www.everymansweekly.blogspot.com www.thelovedeclaration.org http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100000212043080&ref=tn_tnmn

EWJ # 73: Mother's Day....

Email not displaying correctly? View it in your browser. Everyman's WEEKLY Journal #73 © 2014 Rev. David Seacord May 11, 2014 Mother's Day… Because it is 'Mother's Day' I sense that I could suggest to you the radical notion that perhaps all of us human beings are both female and male, if the truth be fully told.  Certainly as I evolve in consciousness, it appears I am becoming increasingly more sensitive to the sex that I am physically not, and I can empathize more readily and feel the place within me that is 'like the other' much more easily.  I am convinced we all must do this, or we will never experience a true unity with the Creation that we are inseparable from.  For in such a unity is it not self-obvious that both the sexes of our own species would also be necessarily and equally included?  Are we not, in our highest awakeness, actually androgynous?  In any case, I am that I am (at least to certain 'others', and by my own self-defined experience) a male mother at times, and I know many men who are such mothers also.  To immediately reverse and balance the statement, in all fairness I also know many women who are very skilled at fathering (even if they might call that fathering 'mothering').  I suspect that our individual skills in these regards often has a foundation built for us by our parent's examples, but I offer no empirical data in support of that. I just have a knowing within me that the more self-successful to myself I am, the more I am also the best of my mother and father.  At my best, I am them both--- evolved, forwarded in time, harmonized, and (especially where between themselves they may not have been) at peace. **************************************************************** Yesterday about dawn I was out in my gardens and energizing upon my rebounder when something large and light landed on my shoulder.  At first I thought it was a fallen leaf, but then I realized it was a butterfly….in fact it was a magnificent Tiger Swallowtail.  It was a moment similar to the one in the movie Avatar, where the 'pure souls' that floated like dandelion seeds landed upon Jake… I knew I was receiving a blessing, even though at the same time I was thrown into the mystery of not knowing too.  After a few moments, in my simple-mindedness, I pushed the river by slowly and experimentally offered it my finger as a branch to step up on.  And when it flew away in a flutter of beauty instead, I felt a mix of emotions-- sadness that the moment was over (and why had I not just let it stay on my shoulder undisturbed?)  and awe that the moment had even existed, especially involving a Swallowtail--a type of butterfly I had never before seen on this little increasing riparian desert property.  I completed the moment by releasing the sadness and accepting the lesson, and feeling the joy and delight of having been blessed by the contact.  A few minutes later, I was standing (like a slowly-breathing newly blessed mother) near my line of three pallet-constructed composting bins listening to the dripping of the automatic watering system delivering early morning drinks to all my plant-children, when a brilliantly-colored orange-headed bright yellow breasted small bird landed on the plastic watering pipe spanning the bins, and proceeded to bob it's beak into the dripper emitter watering the compost. This time I did not move.  I just was fully present and appreciative of the beauty and the miracle of the moment.  As much as I was able, I intentionally forgot myself and became the bird. I became it's appreciation for the gift of my water source, I became it's wild vitality, I became its song, I became its awesome bright coloring… and then I became the beat of its wings as it lifted back up into the skies.  Coming back into 'myself', I went to my computer and entered descriptive terms, and after narrowing the possibilities, came to the conclusion I had hosted a western tanager, in another first time seen here moment.   These are two of my mothering success stories… examples of how I am being used to be the Godnesses hands--- used to offer love to this small piece of land and to aid it to flourish. Flourish. It's a beautiful word, and a beautiful work. Yes? Somewhere recently the thought was given to me that what the phrase 'the pursuit of happiness' really means is 'to be able to flourish'.  To me, such sense of flourishing is deeply connected to the ancient wisdoms of our indigenous ancestors, who knew their oneness with the Mothering of the Earth.  I am thankful that a piece of them is awake within 'me'.     ************************************************************** The love of making music is upon me these days with a passion.  In my mother's living room…the space recently vacated by Ambrose… I have been inspired to set up my full sound recording studio… the first time I have unpacked all my equipment completely from their protectively padded storage boxes, chests, and suitcases… and set it up as a functioning studio---in perhaps a dozen years.  It has been like slowly and fully awakening an old dream.  And it is like setting up a painting studio… only instead of laying out all the colors and tools and canvases, here I am preparing to paint with sound. But the process is similar--- to create my musical vision, I am first setting up a musically-creative dedicated space--- then I am using the space doing practicing and warmup exercises to get fluent within the space--- until the ripeness is entered, and the recording begins in earnest.  I am now in that practicing… my daily sadhana including many musical expressions… vocal exercises, piano-drum-guitar-flute-clarinet practicing, lyric and arrangement memorization,  and a lot of digital recording technology studying hours (in order to be able to capture and produce the coming music as beautifully as possible).   Why am I doing all this… what is inspiring this passion?  To me, it is simply 'the call of my ripeness'. I am sure it is the same in you… that beyond whatever our mental reasons are for why or why not, there is something from deep within that calls us into our choices, our actions.  Sometimes we call this 'following our dreams', but perhaps what we are following is something else… perhaps we are simply surrendering to being used of the Godness… perhaps we are being its joy.  I believe when we are being truest to our Self, this must be also true.   Therefore, as the Ricki Byer/Beckwith lyric goes:  "May our joy be so triumphant… that we rest in God, and say Amen."   May each of us---you and I---complete the Universe.  May we live true, and be its Joy.  Namaste & Sat Nam, David ______________________________________________________________ FYI: If you would like to share this Journal as a webpage, at the very top of the email where it says: "Email not displaying correctly? View it in your browser." etc. …. well, the word 'browser' is a clickable hyperlink that will open this email as a webpage… which you can then copy and paste anywhere (like to share it on Facebook, or elsewhere).   ALSO:  If you would like to share the link to the SUBSCRIBE page, here is the clickable or paste-able code: http://davidseacord.us1.list-manage1.com/subscribe?u=306aba00e6959c604de750bcc&id=62a1ee7045 ALSO: fyi, these Journals are being archived at:  www.everymansweekly.blogspot.com If you get value from reading this Journal, I do appreciate your assistance in expanding it's distribution.  Thank you so much.   ________________________________________________________ Addition links to other writings, websites, etc: Rev. David Seacord Fine Art Painter / Sufi Cherag david@davidseacord.com www.davidseacord.com www.davidseacord-everymansjournal.blogspot.com www.davidseacord-acimcommentaries.blogspot.com www.everymansjournal2011.blogspot.com www.everymansjournal2012.blogspot.com www.everymansweekly.blogspot.com www.thelovedeclaration.org http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100000212043080&ref=tn_tnmn

EWJ # 72 "I need you help"...

Email not displaying correctly? View it in your browser. Everyman's WEEKLY Journal # 72 © 2014 Rev. David Seacord May 4, 2014 "I need your help." "I need your help."  That is all his text said. I accepted it as true, because at 28, he has no reason to not be honest with me.  I received the text a couple of hours after it was sent because I'd been working away from the cell phone for a while.  I texted back "Call me" and in less than a minute we were talking about it all…. All dramas are 'complicated', yes?  Particularly in relationship, which contain so many surprises.  He emoted the confusion better than he could put it into language for a while, while I listened and downloaded.  Now you may remember (bringing in another thread here) a couple three weeks ago I mentioned at the end of my journal that I was going to start reviewing Radiant Joy Brilliant Love with some close friends via Skype once a week?  That has been happening… and since we restarted at the beginning (thus causing me/blessing me) to restudy the early material… which is a fact that became relevant to the conversation he and I were having because, well, it was fresh and potent (and it said it so much better than I probably ever would have).  When he paused for a moment for breath, I said, "Let me read something to you"… "OK"… and so I read him Clinton's Chapter 1 words on 'expansive learning' (as distinct from 'defensive learning').  As I read, I could feel the truths of Clinton's words reaching him, giving him a reference point that stabilized the angst of mind-swirl, and slowing the spinning.  When I read "It's ok to not know" I could hear his breath change.  To make sure he had a fair chance at getting it, I slowly read twice the line "If you guard yourself against disillusionment and disassembly, you eliminate the chance of discovery"…  because when I'd reviewed it earlier that day, it had hit me as profoundly profound…like a freight train (again, and more potently than when I read it the first time).  Then we carefully went over Clinton's foundational conversation about 'building matrix'…(via our 'practicing')…. about how building our matrix is so core to being able to stay awake, and then, to continue growing ever more conscious.   And in the end, (because he's now working [for money] for a Meher Baba devotee) I told him the most important Meher Baba story I knew…  about a trip Baba took halfway around the world on a steamship and by train… from India to Santa Fe, NM.  And how all he did when he got there was to walk to the plaza and make eye-contact with an old Native American sitting on a blanket selling pottery.  That done, he turned around, walked back to the train, and returned to India.  I have always understood that story to be about the need to complete karma lawfully, and in full.  As we were talking about he meeting his relationship karma, it felt a good story to share.     All in all, it 'used up' more than an hour of 'our' lives, that conversation, and in the end, his "Thank you" was a true one, and complete, and enough.  Lots of things use up a lot more time, but in the end, are probably much less important than the heart time we give to each other.  **********************************************************************************  What was good for me to get, to see, this week… was that I am certainly nobody special anymore.  This is very happy-making for me.  Perhaps I will make fewer mistakes this way.  That would be good, since as the rules say you gotta clean up ALL your messes somehow, sooner or later, best to stop making so many.  ************************************************************** Another thought-gift that I was able to catch this week was to 'remember your teachers more'.  Bingo. I right then started to do it.  As I started toreview (I think there is a theme emerging here btw) my memories of my most cherished learning moments…moments given from my connections to different for-real Enlightened Ones, I got seriously grateful.  Who would I be today if not for those experiences?  I cannot imagine.  Actually, I do not need to.  I just look at the world around me, which is filled with so many of the barely living.  Nowadays, among them I see my real work… that is what my knowing knows.  The mission now is to pay it forward. It is also my dharmic growth path. I do not even need to choose whom to… they always choose me (just like you do, choosing to read these words).  It is something that can be felt, or even seen… like a fish rising up to meet the bait.  Actually, it is just frequency magnetism.  I am sure you know what I mean.  In any case, let us get real.  Egoically, if I get lazy, yes, I can easily dream I am more enlightened than I am actually being. You too?  It IS common territory these days…and it does feel good to 'help', yes?  It feels good to offer higher views.  It sorta makes us 'somebodies'.  There are so many of us that are all hip to this little ego racket nowadays that we are sorta buried in a culture of it, yes?  But you know, what is true is that when we met those who were our REAL teachers, we could feel something important was up, and that no posing or ego-BS was allowed.  So you and I just got naked, and told the truth, and made some important discoveries.  Authenticity… that's the reason we got given the teachers real gifts… So now the job (seeing that we are all now being used as teachers …. to somebody…) is to keep those gifts (that we received by grace of authenticity) fit, well tuned, ready to go, functional, well practiced, usable…   How?  My download this week… remember your teachersmore.  :-)  I.e., keep them close around… don't isolate.  Give THEIR voices space in your head. All those other crazy-making voices…take them and their stories and drag them up to your teachers, and let your teachers nail and crucify your crazies away… Hey, it can be fun!  I've been imagining all my teachers in a circle with me… if I have a question, I throw it out and wait for an answer… Who's better to ask?   :-) ************************************************************************* The other book I have 'out' where I can see it all the time is "The Impact of Awakening" by Adyashanti.  The other day, I felt the download to random open it, and it opened to the dedication… to three of his teachers… the last one being Nisargadatta Maharaj.  I hadn't known this before (about Adyashanti), but I felt my already deep affinity for him deepen, as I too have felt the impact of Nisargadatta in my life (when, as I young man of about 28 I wandered (by referral from other 'travelers' into his hands for several days in what was then a Bombay slum, because that was his karma of where to be, and be his awakeness….  And in his hands, I ceased to exist as who I had been before…a story I will share at another time...).   A couple of days later, a downloaded intuition was received to visit Adya's YouTube channel, and I found myself watching the opening of a new upload.  Here, the editing had omitted the hosting's formal introduction, but it was obviously significant because Adya begins speaking about his own Native American grandfather, and the visits that he remembered to the grandfather's house as a child. And he remembered that the grandfather would always do a kind of strange dance around him, and sing in Cherokee… and that he and his siblings had just thought then that Grandpa was making 'silly'.  Only much later did he come to see that his Grandfather had been offering a traditional Native American blessing for him.   At this point Adya refers back to the edited out introduction, which contextually I understood now was a kind of blessing.  He completes his reference by noting that, like his grandfather's ritual, "real blessings (from the sincere heart) have a real impact in our lives…"  Knowing that that was my teaching, I didn't watch more, but I did notice my awareness of my sincerity was expanded.  And I saw I have visible other examples in my own life that are plain to see.  One notably is Snatum Kaur, whose voice carries such an authentic devotion to 'God' that I was immediately blessed upon hearing it with the knowing that Imust Get Up And Go (to where I could hear more, which was Sat Nam Fest last spring 2013).  That's where all my motive to be on these 'sound teams' originated… so that I could have the opportunity to be around her, and other devotee/musicians.  And as I have been around, I have listened and hear person after person after person testify that they too first were called by Snatum's voice… carrying to them the blessing of her deep love for God, and the peace that now lives in her heart.  In a world of falseness, the most powerful teachings are simple, authentic, and true, and delivered by the most humble… by those who are BEING their message.   ************************************************************************** Clinton speaks of 'expansive learning' as being a space where it is allowable for truisms to take their time in finding their connections to each other… like each truism world can exist as a self-referential island-continent vibrating high energy, but independently, perhaps for a very long time. In other words, in expansive learning, there is no pushing the river.  There is simply staying present to it. So I can see for me that there now exists this Sikh connection as an island, and another island is my advaita practice, and another is being an artist/musician/writer, and another is my world of family karmas and their completions. And there are many many more…like my interest in law, for instance.  All are lawful to my soul because they all require honesty of me.  All thus contribute matrix.  All empower awareness.  All bless me.  If I am to tell the truth, what in my life does not ultimately serve my awakening?  It's sort of like what Guru Nanak said "Show me the direction where God is not, and I will point my feet there…" (I know that comment is 'out of nowhere', sorry.  He was in Mecca on his pilgrimage to the Ka'ba and fell asleep with his feet pointing toward the shrine… and was awakened by a guard about to behead him for the crime. That's when he said those words…and the guard, because his heart was true, became a devotee…).  *********************************************************  Perhaps these words will carry a blessing for you.  Every once in a while one of you lets me know I did good.  That's appreciated.  In the meantime, there is 'chopping wood and carrying water'… i.e., lawful karma to complete.  From what I can see, mastery starts being approached when we accept our karma joyfully.  I'm exploring that one…. Many blessings,  Namaste & Sat Nam… David     ______________________________________________________________ FYI: If you would like to share this Journal as a webpage, at the very top of the email where it says: "Email not displaying correctly? View it in your browser." etc. …. well, the word 'browser' is a clickable hyperlink that will open this email as a webpage… which you can then copy and paste anywhere (like to share it on Facebook, or elsewhere).   ALSO:  If you would like to share the link to the SUBSCRIBE page, here is the clickable or paste-able code: http://davidseacord.us1.list-manage1.com/subscribe?u=306aba00e6959c604de750bcc&id=62a1ee7045 ALSO: fyi, these Journals are being archived at:  www.everymansweekly.blogspot.com If you get value from reading this Journal, I do appreciate your assistance in expanding it's distribution.  Thank you so much.   ________________________________________________________ Addition links to other writings, websites, etc: Rev. David Seacord Fine Art Painter / Sufi Cherag david@davidseacord.com www.davidseacord.com www.davidseacord-everymansjournal.blogspot.com www.davidseacord-acimcommentaries.blogspot.com www.everymansjournal2011.blogspot.com www.everymansjournal2012.blogspot.com www.everymansweekly.blogspot.com www.thelovedeclaration.org http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100000212043080&ref=tn_tnmn

EWJ # 71 Being True...

Email not displaying correctly? View it in your browser. Everyman's Journal #71 © 2014 Rev. David Seacord April 27-28, 2014 Being True… I can't say it's 'spring in the desert' right now…because it isn't, but then again, it is.  What winter rains there were are February's ancient history, and the slight greening that they did to the rocky mountainous crags and hillsides nearby has already returned to brown…and, the energy-sapping Heat will be getting serious soon…so out in the world, spring has 'past'.   That said, on this little property where I, after a lifetime of wandering, have somehow landed (as least for now) it is a delightfully different story.   I am awakening from my 5 successful days of water-fasting bed-occupying detoxification hibernation (several pounds lighter, yeh!) into a very alive bird-song filled personal world, like this little lot is a small riparian zone.  The two large guamuichil trees that offer me afternoon shade and a home for my summer treehouse sleeping platform are in early fruit--- and the results of a couple of days of strong winds this past week testifies to that---as I pick up a small basketful of the long curly fat pea-green pods, some already burst open along their seams and revealing the tasty softly textured whitish semi-sweet pith that surrounds each of the small hard flatish black seeds in the pod string.  The bees are swarming on the tops of the saguaros too, as they are loaded with flowers about to open.  The one-day-only blooms of the Pipe Cactus have also just happened, and new fig leaves are unfolding on the four year old black mission tree (bush, at this point) daily.  As I up the time on all the automatic watering systems, I am grateful for it, and at the same time, I miss the days when I did it all with a hose (but then, seeing the need for summer traveling and the aging condition of our neighbors who had watered for my parents in the past, I installed the systems… I'm now glad I did).    I look around at my self-sufficiency food growing experiments… I detect a problem with the corn---not sure what yet, it just seems 'stalled'--never grew corn in a bale of straw before-- but right next to it in the same bales my flat summer pan squash plants are kicking the pigskin through the uprights… I am thinking I will be looking for many new creative ways to prepare them soon…  And, thank you Godness,  because when I went down to the irrigation canal drainage ditches in the fertile bottomlands near here and helped myself to the free dirt that is piled alongside them as a result of cleaning them out once in a while, I didn't know that I was going to be receiving upsprouted 'weed' seeds too… but yes, there they are, popping up right beside my intentionally planted species… beautiful edible highly nutritions purslane, lambsquarters, and amaranth.  I am not such a fool as to pull them out… to me they are precious and delicious free fresh greens…and a beautiful morning chlorophyl munch.    The Acerola cherry (Barbados Cherry) that I planted as a twig three years ago has become the best success story of all my tree planting attempts… and it's six foot high bushy volume is  loaded with many hundreds of cherry blooms and young baby cherries.  I admit they are not like the sweet bings or rainier's I love to u-pick and eat up in the Northwest each summer but they are tasty and I am a proud papa of that bush (which I must somehow shape into a tree, I think pretty soon..).    Not all is well everywhere though… the grapes are struggling to grow faster than the something that is eating their leaves, and the same with the jujube tree… and I've been wondering for a while if the Chinese Mulberry that I put into the ground in 2010 is ever going to amount to anything… it doesn't die, but it doesn't grow much either.  The poor Loquat is a casualty, following the footsteps of my failed attempts with plum, anna apple, pear, and avocado.  So not everything works, at least not until I am more experienced.  But to be involved with producing and growing my own food is so very deeply satisfying to me… and whatever the outcomes of my experiments, it what been time well spent.  Why?  I realized one answer to that today… Because most of the time when I am so involved with tending other living species, my mind is fairly quiet.  It's not quiet like there is no thoughts… it is quiet like 'fully focused'… like as when I am painting, or truly practicing or playing music.  Somehow the download dropped in on me as I was seeing this… that 'see, the spiritual path is ALL about mastering the mind'.  Duh, huh?  Well, it's the best I can say it right now. Please don't think I've never seen this before or anything, ok?  But each time we/I get something, especially if it is from a completely new vantage point it IS like 'something brand new'.  Obvious, but brand new.  What I saw along with this is that what we are doing with 'spiritual practices' is very simple.  We are simply staying sane….staying human.  That is the gift we receive from practice.  Look at the world that does not 'practice'something/anything, is not the instability obvious and apparent?  Is not 'dehumanization' easily visible nearly everywhere in our 'mainstream' culture?  Maybe that is because it is 'mainlining' addictively on something false.  Could that be a viable and true statement?   It is a conundrum, is it not, to walk through this world, to be a part of it, and yet remain true to Self.  However, to me, that is the journey.  I am just a simple man with a few gifts that distinguish me.  I am sure truth be told that is a fitting description of just about everyone.  I suggest that the purpose of our each having gifts is to give them to each other.  Here I press up against the distinctions between giving, and selling.  I think selling something is 'to generate a desire to have or possess something strongly enough that the desirer will offer something of value in order to possess it'.  (Just made that up. :-)   So here we/I are/am, a soul needing nothing, placed for 'soul-growth-opportunities' in a holodeck-world that preaches from nearly every speaking mouth that 'you need, you must have, you must do, you can't survive without, you're not cool unless'… all that.  What to do but listen to our/your/my own drumbeat, heartbeat… and walk your own true path.  Yes?  Yes.  My very best to you in this…. this 'being true' to you.   Namaste,  David ______________________________________________________________ FYI: If you would like to share this Journal as a webpage, at the very top of the email where it says: "Email not displaying correctly? 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David Seacord Fine Art Painter / Sufi Cherag david@davidseacord.com www.davidseacord.com www.davidseacord-everymansjournal.blogspot.com www.davidseacord-acimcommentaries.blogspot.com www.everymansjournal2011.blogspot.com www.everymansjournal2012.blogspot.com www.everymansweekly.blogspot.com www.thelovedeclaration.org http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100000212043080&ref=tn_tnmn