During [these] periods of relaxation after concentrated intellectual activity, the intuitive mind seems to take over and can produce the sudden clarifying insights which give so much joy and delight.

- Fritjof Capra, physicist

Yes, sitting poolside can produce insights (not to mention a good tan). This month is a pilgrimage for me. Looking at how to bring all my separate parts into a unified whole. Spending lots of time sitting in stillness and pondering the questions, “How can I slow down and accomplish more?” and “How can I best use the life I have been given?”

Thank you all for your patience while we get our blog working properly. Your thoughts and comments are appreciated as always…
Great Blessings,
michael

“It is possible that the next Buddha will not take the form of an individual. The next Buddha may take the form of a community, a community practicing understanding and loving kindness, a community practicing mindful living. This may be the most important thing we can do for the survival of the earth.

Thich Nhat Hanh

Sitting in the So. of France thinking of our wonderful community in Nevada City and all the outposts of people have been touched by our beautiful and loving tribe…  Although I am a long ways away, I feel so completely connected with you all…

One thing that I have learned is the importance to taking breaks. If I did not do that it would be hard to give myself fully in my commitment to love and serve. You who are a vital part of this community and who are co-creating an evolutionary jump in unison with so many other communities around the world are the ground on which I stand and I am so grateful. Thank you for your love, support and ongoing encouragement…

Love and Blessings,

michael

I look forward to being with you again in September…

It’s so simple to be happy,
but so difficult to be simple…
Gururaj

Dear Friends,

A simple question? What can you do today to simplify your life. I invite you to ponder that and open to your own happiness…

Blessings,
michael

A human being is part of the whole called by us universe, a part limited in time and space. We experience ourselves, our thoughts and feelings as something separate from the rest. A kind of optical delusion of consciousness. This delusion is a kind of prison for us, restricting us to our personal desires and to affection for a few persons nearest to us. Our task must be to free ourselves from the prison by widening our circle of compassion to embrace all living creatures and the whole of nature in its beauty. The true value of a human being is determined by the measure and the sense in which they have obtained liberation from the self. We shall require a substantially new manner of thinking if humanity is to survive.
Albert Einstein

Dear Friends,

Today I invite you to notice all the ways you are connected to the whole… Observe how many thoughts, words and deeds are sourced from a deeply ingrained and unexamined belief that we are separate. What new manner of thinking would lead me to embrace the truth of my interconnection with all life?

In celebration of our relatedness…
michael

I celebrate myself, and sing myself, And what I assume you shall assume,
For every atom belonging to me as good belongs to you.
Walt Whitman

Let’s dedicate today to sharing our goodness… What better way to transcend self doubt, criticism and fear than to recognize our inherent goodness and share that with others by seeing it in them. It is in giving that we receive, so be prepared for goodness to fill your consciousness today.

Great Blessings,
michael

There is a vitality, a life force, a quickening that is translated through you into action, and because there is only one of you in all time,
 this expression is unique.

If you block it,
it will never exist through any other medium and be lost.
The world will not have it.

It is not yours to determine how good it is;
nor how it compares with other expressions.
It is your business to keep the channel open.
You do not even have to believe in yourself or your work.
You have to keep open and aware directly
to the urges that motivate you.

Keep the channel open.
 No artist is ever pleased.
 There is no satisfaction whatever at any time. There is only a queer divine dissatisfaction;
 a blessed unrest that keeps us marching
 and makes us more alive than the others.

- Martha Graham to Agnes De Mille

What else it there to say?