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Jan. 5th, 2005
Toltec Wisdom
Jan. 5th, 2005 11:39 am* I found this book the other day, called The Four Agreements: A Practical Guide to Personal Freedom a book on Toltec wisdom and I thought I would share an excerpt from each with you. Below is the first. I have underlined the part I feel we should all take to heart, and have been witnessing much need for among some of my friends.
During our [childhood], our parents and siblings gave their opinions about us without even thinking. We believed these opinions and live in fear over these opinions, like not being good at swimming, or sports, or writing. Someone gives and opinion and says, "Look, this girl is ugly!" The girl listens, believes she is ugly, and grows up with the idea that she is ugly. It doesn't matter how beautiful she is; as long as she has that agreement, she will believe that she is ugly. That is the spell she is under.
By hooking our attention, that word can enter our mind and change a whole belief for better or for worse. Another example: You may believe you are stupid, and you may have believed this for as long as you can remember. This agreement can be very tricky, causing you to do a lot of things just to ensure that you are stupid. You may do something and think to yourself, "I wish I were smart, but I must be stupid or I wouldn't have done that." The mind goes in hundreds of different directions, and we could spend days getting hooked by just that one belief in our own stupidity.
Then one day someone hooks your attention and using the word, lets you know that you are not stupid. You believe what the person says and make a new agreement. As a result, you no longer feel or act stupid. A whole spell is broken, just by the power of the word. Conversely, if you believe you are stupid, and someone hooks your attention and says, "Yes, you are really the most stupid person I have ever met," the agreement will be reinforced and become even stronger.
The First Agreement
Be Impeccable With Your Word
Speak with integrity. Say only what you mean. Avoid using the word to speak against yourself or to gossip about others. Use the power of your word in the direction of truth and love.
During our [childhood], our parents and siblings gave their opinions about us without even thinking. We believed these opinions and live in fear over these opinions, like not being good at swimming, or sports, or writing. Someone gives and opinion and says, "Look, this girl is ugly!" The girl listens, believes she is ugly, and grows up with the idea that she is ugly. It doesn't matter how beautiful she is; as long as she has that agreement, she will believe that she is ugly. That is the spell she is under.
By hooking our attention, that word can enter our mind and change a whole belief for better or for worse. Another example: You may believe you are stupid, and you may have believed this for as long as you can remember. This agreement can be very tricky, causing you to do a lot of things just to ensure that you are stupid. You may do something and think to yourself, "I wish I were smart, but I must be stupid or I wouldn't have done that." The mind goes in hundreds of different directions, and we could spend days getting hooked by just that one belief in our own stupidity.
Then one day someone hooks your attention and using the word, lets you know that you are not stupid. You believe what the person says and make a new agreement. As a result, you no longer feel or act stupid. A whole spell is broken, just by the power of the word. Conversely, if you believe you are stupid, and someone hooks your attention and says, "Yes, you are really the most stupid person I have ever met," the agreement will be reinforced and become even stronger.
The accompanying image is of a butterfly emerging from a chrysalis and has the word rebirth.
Even if it's cold where you live, I highly recommend that you spend quality time outdoors. Lovingly observe the behavior of animals and familiarize yourself with the rhythms of the moon; watch a river flow at night and take deep inhalations of the earth's aroma; learn the names of the different kinds of clouds and trees; sing a song to the sun. Simple acts of reverence like these will bring you into close alignment with mysteriously beneficent forces. Your luck and intuition will improve, as will your sense of timing. Why? The astrological omens say that nature wants you to get to know her better so she can pour more of her magic into you.
Taurus horoscope from Rob Brezsney
How does that fit into my schedule to get the garage cleaned out and play lots of WoW? And hanging out in a rain storm when I am not fully recovered from my cold seems like a bad idea.
Good advice, but not sure how to make it work.
Even if it's cold where you live, I highly recommend that you spend quality time outdoors. Lovingly observe the behavior of animals and familiarize yourself with the rhythms of the moon; watch a river flow at night and take deep inhalations of the earth's aroma; learn the names of the different kinds of clouds and trees; sing a song to the sun. Simple acts of reverence like these will bring you into close alignment with mysteriously beneficent forces. Your luck and intuition will improve, as will your sense of timing. Why? The astrological omens say that nature wants you to get to know her better so she can pour more of her magic into you.
Taurus horoscope from Rob Brezsney
How does that fit into my schedule to get the garage cleaned out and play lots of WoW? And hanging out in a rain storm when I am not fully recovered from my cold seems like a bad idea.
Good advice, but not sure how to make it work.
Clearing Clutter
Jan. 5th, 2005 03:48 pmHave you ever noticed when you really need to focus on something in your life, the universe finds ways to nudge you in that direction over and over again?
In the last month or so I have purchased several books that I intended to give to a friend. Instead I have been reading them myself, and finding how much I needed to be reminded of the messages contained therein.
Many years ago a friend gave me the book Creating Sacred Space with Feng Shui, by Karen Kingston. It is not like a lot of the other Feng Shui books I have seen since as she talked a lot more about the negative effects clutter can have on your life. It was depressing to read at the time because I felt that there was no way I could really clear all that clutter from my life. I was living with a partner who was worse about collecting clutter than I was and we just compounded our clutter habits by living together. I remember feeling hopeless at the time because I knew it was good advice, but I felt I could not take it at the time.
Fast forward to now, and all these books I keep buying for this friend, yet needing myself. One of them is Clear Your Clutter with Feng Shui, by Karen Kingston. I did not even notice it was the same author until I just started skimming through it today. This friend just moved and ended a long term relationship and this just seemed timely. Upon skimming through I am reminded that it is timely for me as well.
Certain events are conspiring to suggest that I need to reduce clutter in my own life in a major way. So, since I decided I was going to stick to one resolution this year, instead of making a list, here it is:
I resolve to reduce 50% of my clutter by next autumn.
In the last month or so I have purchased several books that I intended to give to a friend. Instead I have been reading them myself, and finding how much I needed to be reminded of the messages contained therein.
Many years ago a friend gave me the book Creating Sacred Space with Feng Shui, by Karen Kingston. It is not like a lot of the other Feng Shui books I have seen since as she talked a lot more about the negative effects clutter can have on your life. It was depressing to read at the time because I felt that there was no way I could really clear all that clutter from my life. I was living with a partner who was worse about collecting clutter than I was and we just compounded our clutter habits by living together. I remember feeling hopeless at the time because I knew it was good advice, but I felt I could not take it at the time.
Fast forward to now, and all these books I keep buying for this friend, yet needing myself. One of them is Clear Your Clutter with Feng Shui, by Karen Kingston. I did not even notice it was the same author until I just started skimming through it today. This friend just moved and ended a long term relationship and this just seemed timely. Upon skimming through I am reminded that it is timely for me as well.
Certain events are conspiring to suggest that I need to reduce clutter in my own life in a major way. So, since I decided I was going to stick to one resolution this year, instead of making a list, here it is:
I resolve to reduce 50% of my clutter by next autumn.
Ready to return to the Hoard
Jan. 5th, 2005 04:29 pmWow, am I posty today. Guess I am making-up for last week.
In a recent post,![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
waywardbound talks about returning stuff to the Hoard. No, this is not a WoW reference, it is in fact from Niel Gaiman's American Gods. The idea is a great one to keep in mind during a purge of clutter, and so I was not surprised to find a similar idea in the Clear You Clutter book I mention in my last post.
Karen Kingston, the author, quotes Stuart Wilde's book Infinate Self on how to "Hold on to Nothing." What he calls the God Force could just as easily be the Hoard.
And his advice on spending:
In regards to my resolution to reduce my clutter by 50%, this is something I am going to have to keep in mind.
In a recent post,
waywardbound talks about returning stuff to the Hoard. No, this is not a WoW reference, it is in fact from Niel Gaiman's American Gods. The idea is a great one to keep in mind during a purge of clutter, and so I was not surprised to find a similar idea in the Clear You Clutter book I mention in my last post.Karen Kingston, the author, quotes Stuart Wilde's book Infinate Self on how to "Hold on to Nothing." What he calls the God Force could just as easily be the Hoard.
Everything you have is in the care of the God Force. If you come home and the stereo is missing, you can say "Ah, the've come for the stereo, " rather than getting uptight about it. It's just gone back to the God Force. Somebody else has it now. That leaves space for another stereo to come into your life. Or it leaves space for no stereo at all. Now you'll have the silence to meditate and think about who you are and what you want in this life.
And his advice on spending:
The whole function of money is not to have it; its function is to use it. The main reason for generating money is to buy experiences. You want to get to the end of you live with zilch in the bank, and look back and say. "My God, look at the huge pile of experiences," because none of your memories are ever lost.
In regards to my resolution to reduce my clutter by 50%, this is something I am going to have to keep in mind.
