Day Twenty-Five: Is Too Much of Anything A Bad Thing? The Downside of Fundamentalism, Extremism, Fanatical Thought & Gluttony

Have you ever loved something sooooo… much that eventually it ends up chocking

the life out of you; making you feel trapped by the lure of it? Can anything overdone

or over believed damage us or close us off from being truly free? The whole concept

of addiction makes us think of drug addicts shooting up on a crusty mattress in

a dank house with a flickering light bulb dangling side to side on a frayed wire.

Yes, addicts are trapped, but does the person who has an extreme view of

anything also have no chance at true freedom?

When you have tunnel vision about anything, good or bad, it can end up

harming you or closing you off from anyone or anything that does not

fit into that vision. You can end up with a ‘holier than now’ attitude,

poo pooing others who you see as ‘less evolved’ or below you on the

evolutionary ladder. What is the positive in that? If your belief system

creates a barrier between you and a majority of the population

you may want to consider if it is benefiting you or narrowing your

opportunities to connect with others.

People can sense when you ‘feel’ superior to them and it harms them

deeply when you shove your ideals down their throat. In doing that

you are disrespecting their freedom to define what is meaningful

to them.

Having a mutually respectful conversation about what you hold

dear is less damaging and judgmental.

If you leave the theoretical door open and accept and embrace

the differences in others it will enable you to feel less restrained.

Even good things can harm us if we become obsessive about them.

If the ‘good thing’ is consuming your every thought and action,

taking you away from being grounded, then it can flip itself

into a harmful addiction.

Today’s Focus will be centered around discovering if there are beliefs,

judgements or addictions which are holding you hostage and closing you off. 

How can you release those thoughts/beliefs and what would your life look

like if you could let them go. Write this discovery down in your Journal.

Morning Meditation: Positive Change for Recovery and Addiction

Informed Reading: Beyond Fundamentalism-Reza Aslan

Here is an interview on C-Span with Reza Aslan about his book:

Positive Music to Clear Negative Blocks:

Dr.Wayne Dyer of Kindness:

A Thought Provoking Video that illustrates the harm in making

snap judgements.

Evening Meditation: Gain Clarity and Deep Peace: Doreen Virtue

Peace, Love, Namaste

Em

Day Nineteen: Practicing What You Preach-Living with Positive Intention

“You are Beautiful Just the Perfect Way You Are”-Lori Ann Hunt

When I was seventeen and in my first year of University;

out of curiosity, I took a World’s Religions class. There were so

many incredible religions to explore-it was though my spiritual

world exploded into so many directions. I connected with so many

ideas and wanted to learn so much more. Though I appreciated

the morality of Christianity, it never felt like home. I still had this

undeniable urge to believe in something outside myself. I didn’t want

the world to be a one dimensional wasteland of duty and

responsibility. Faith and belief in something more ignited a

sparkling flame that made life more magical; more meaningful

and worth living.

Living with positive intention means you are living the life

you intend for yourself, that you are mindful that you are

creating the life you live and that your choices determine

the quality of each passing day.

I began exploring Buddhism and I really connected to the whole

idea of empathy and the value of all living beings on earth. I finally

found a religion that understood me to the core. The little girl

who would have physical pain if someone stepped on an ant,

or ripped the branch off of a tree. The idea of working on yourself

and being humble, quiet and giving; distancing oneself from the

ego.

I started reading books about positive living and thinking. I read

from ancient poets like; RUMI and Lao Tzo. I was also taking a

philosophy course and the professor just blew my mind with

the whole idea of how what we perceive defines our reality.

Meeting other University students who were just as excited

and high on learning was so phenomenal. We would sit in

a dimly lit cafe called The Library, with mismatched chairs and

bookshelves filled with classic novels. Sipping tea out of mismatched,

fancy tea cups; vibrating about how we could save the world with our

brilliant new outlook on things.

Though I have been reading ‘self help’, ‘religious’, ‘poetry’, ‘new age’

titles for over 25 years, I still find it hard to ‘live what I’ve learned’ 100%

of the time. I beat myself up when the stress and responsibilities of

life take me so far away from living a life of positive intention that I

am no longer able to “Practice What I Preach”.

I go through this pattern when life gets to be too overwhelming.

The cycle of self deprivation and abuse begins and I get covered

in a cloak of darkness. I know that the solution is to connect to

myself and care for myself again, to not be so self destructive.

During these times, I am so vulnerable that the vultures out there

in the world sense it and come in for the kill. My guard is down

so I get even more buried in the quicksand of despair.

We all fall down, and disconnect from ourselves and what is

good. We need to realize that we deserve goodness and positivity.

The times we are most disconnected from our positive intention

are the times we need it most. The challenge is in holding on to

the rope when we are falling-to not let it slip away, and if it does,

to not let it slip completely away.

Even the authors of these ‘spiritual and self help guides’ fall.

Life is about embracing the darkness and the light.

We are all incredibly strong and frail, but we are human and

can learn even more from the darkness than the light.

It all depends on how you look at it.

Today’s focus will be on living a mindful life focused on

positive intention and gratitude.

Morning Meditation: A Meditation on Intention from The Chopra Centre

Journal Entry: Create Your Own Declaration of Intention and 

make it beautiful. Frame it and hang it somewhere you will see it.

Intended Listening and Viewing:The Power of Intention-Wayne Dyer

Mindfulness & Intention Panel Discussion-Mindfulness Experts & Deepak Chopra

Living With Intention: Lynne MacTaggert: 

Physical Activity: Go for a walk in nature and silently reflect

on the intentions you have for your life-present and future.

Evening Meditation:

Day Ten: Clearing a Path to Zen

As I push my way through the debris of my past I see

a light in the distance. A clearing that is opening up new

possibilities, a new way of thinking, a new way of being.

A transformative place where I allow myself the room

to inhale and exhale, live and love, take time to feel

things again, create and give again.

Being conscious of what caused my life to spin wildly

out of control and my role in it are the first epiphanies

I raise my awareness of. Is it true that we teach people

how to treat us? I’ve always trusted that people are

innately good, but in reality I have been the target of

anger because I am a soft place to land. As I learn to

shield myself, the largest part of this process will be

treating myself with the respect I want others to

treat me with. If this does not happen I will continue

down the same path of self destructive behavior and

deprivation. Connecting with my higher self, my spiritual

self will allow me the armor I need to rejoin the world.

Today’s focus will be clearing a path to zen.

When you wake up this morning, think about past

behaviors and how others have treated you. Is there any

connection between how others treated you and how you

treated yourself? If so, think of how you can make positive

changes to reteach yourself and others about the treatment

you deserve and demand.

Morning Meditation: Zen Garden-Torrance Griffin-Youtube

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5egW-_iDjok

Journal Entry: Today write about any debris you feel is in your path.

What can you clear away? What would your zen look like?

There are no limitations, dream big here!

Musical Inspiration: Mix-Zen Lounge-Hypnotic Room Records:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9A9lgVjns2Q&list=RD9A9lgVjns2Q#t=13

8 Hourse of Relaxing Zen Music: ColorfullMoon:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X4N0eQZ7u5U

Inspired Reading:

Dr.Wayne Dyer wrote an incredible book called Change Your Life,

Change Your Thoughts.

It summarizes, explains and puts into practice the principles of the Tao. Reading it

changed the way I viewed life and living and I feel revisiting the teachings will

help me clear the path to zen.

Inspired Listening: Dr.Wayne Dyer on the Tao: Change your Life,

Change Your Thoughts-Live Discussion on PBS

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ytU80oKrjbw

20 Minutes of Physical Activity: 7 Spiritual Laws of Yoga:

Chopra Centre:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uY2fnLpz02Q

Evening Meditation: Clearing the Fog-Jason Stephenson:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0zuZZUOtQxA

Enjoy Your Process

Peace, Love & Namaste

Em