“An Enlightening Game of 20 Questions”

What if you had the chance to play a game of 20 questions… with someone you knew, for certain, had all the answers?

“First question first: what’s the meaning of life?”
For you to keep on asking until you get it right.
“Gee, great insight… what on earth does it mean??”
What it means on earth is the same as in your dreams.
“Um, elaborate please! Where do I find what I seek?
You’ll find it in the hiding place which only you perceive.
“That’s three questions for you – still no answers for me?”
Or maybe just not the ones that you think you need?

“Why answer with more questions?” To show you what they mean.
“How am I to interpret that??” That’ll be the key.
“Clearly understanding’s key, yet I’m trapped in ambiguity!”
The key’s to find yourself; the truth’s to set you free.
“Can you spell it out by chance?” In no language that you read.
“Please extend an olive branch!” Please accept the olive seed.
“I know less than when I started.” You’ll know more once you cease.
“How long can I ask the same question?” Until you answer it for me.

“HERE WE GO AGAIN!!” Here you go again.
“Why would ‘I’ go here again?” To hear it all again.
“Well this time, can you say it clear?” That depends on how you hear.
“You’re confusing with your words!” You confuse them with your ears.
“This is all one big cycle.” I’m glad you’re seeing it show.
“I think we’re digressing.” I think you’re beginning to grow.
“I think ya don’t know what I think.” You think you think all that you know.
“Your answers breed more questions” Your questions breed both.

“AND HERE WE GO AGAIN‼” And here you go again.
“I don’t see where this is going,” you don’t see where this has been.
“I’ve become a better person, and I never looked back…
But I looked forward for the answers”…And you never looked back.
“How many questions do I have?” Since you ask, you’re down to nine.
“Not surprised you counted that!” Those with less, use more wise.

“Where will this end??” That would be a start.
“I’m getting lost again…” Try following your heart.
“Just enlighten me; please, all I need’s a little spark!”
If you want to see the light, you need to start out in the dark.
“Can’t you just point me to the grail or philosophers stone?”
I can, and I have, and I will, by pointing you back home.
“I don’t see how you’re helping!” That doesn’t mean you won’t.
“I just REALLY wanna know!” Are you really sure you don’t?

“Well if you’re the source of truth, why do you keep me guessin?”
Because it isn’t learned until discerned by the source of the question.
“I turn to you once more, and get turned away again!”
You turned to me, and as before, I’m turning you within.
“So why does he who helps himself even need you in the end?”
The conclusion can’t be reached until he sees where to begin.
Before you’d only seek externally when conquering your doubt.
The outward helped you inward, now going in will help you out.
With no thoughts but their own, one can hear what’s hardly heard.
You will find the key alone… and then see you never were.

“So discernment is the truth?” No, that’ll be the key.
“and with the key, I’ll see the truth?” You’ll perceive the tree.
“and what’s the tree lead to?” Truth. Living in all you see & do.
As the creative root branches through all you’ve created too.

“Why didn’t you just say so?” It’s the cost of being free.
Those who don’t find it for themselves, find it harder to believe.
“Well, that’s 19! I got more than I could ask in a 20 question game,
so for my final one: how can I help others do the same?”

JUST GIVE THEM 20 QUESTIONS! Then listen to them speak!
How you learned how to learn is how I’d teach you how to teach.
For every soul speaks differently, each language is unique.
But each one has a key; tailor-made for them by me.
And forcing the key will more often lead to broken locks and pride.
But fortunately, the doors made to be opened from inside.

So note this, as you notice folks roaming off the road:
Sharing where ya been does more than showing where to go!
They won’t believe what you know ’til they perceive it on their own;
They’ll care little how big you are, but they’ll respond to how you’ve grown.
For while there are many different paths, there’s only one summit.
And the key to life is love
…but that’s not what it’d be if I took the choice from it.

Faith takes Practice, not Perfection

strengthen-your-faith

“If you believe in God:
pray for your faith once per night.

If you don’t:
then do it twice.

Ascending to New Heights

anything is possible, ascend to new heights, fly, and shatter the sky!

“Stay down or stay level?
…gave the latter a try.
Make it to this level?
…give a ladder a try.

Get 1,000 miles high;
…then after that, fly,
hit a glass ceiling and
SHATTER THE SKY!

~exert from “Getting up Now”

Universe You: Your Reality Check Bounced!

What is your Awareness of Reality?

Do you fancy yourself to be more of a rational thinker or unbridled spirit – a man or woman of reason, or a child of God?  Depending on one’s level of awareness, perhaps you do not make a distinction between the two.

Independent of your worldview, one thing holds true – at some level of granularity, your journey through life is 100% unique. This also means that, at some level, all journeys are 100% the same, paradoxical as it may seem.

This series is designed to explore, challenge, and ultimately/ ideally expand your level of awareness. Depending on your current vantage point and your receptiveness to expanding it you could be in for a wild ride, so buckle-up.

Chapter 1: Your Reality Check Bounced!

How aware are you of a greater reality?In this installment, let’s start with the beginning and end points – two points make a line, let’s see where you draw yours!

The “Starting Point”:

A single cell on the fingertip of an outstretched arm

Stretch your right arm outward and extend your right index finger as if you are pointing to something in the distance. Close your eyes and picture a single cell on the utmost tip of your finger.

Envision THIS single point as your current point of awareness.  

THIS single cell and everything within it is your universe.

Is this single cell too small to utilize as an analogy for your entire universe? Yes, no, maybe – all of the above.  After all, what is ‘small’? An objective assessment of the term would lead an individual to conclude the word is ‘relative’ at best! So let’s start here – because it is THAT relativity which will help tear down your ‘relative’ walls of perception.

While your universe is encapsulated in a single cell – there is no shortage of activity, potential, and quite literally, LIFE, within it. It has been said that a single cell in the human body contains 100 times as many atoms as there are stars in the Milky Way (which has hundreds of billions of stars).

Now envision the world as you know it (a microcosm of the universe), as one of the trillions of atoms existing within the single cell on the utmost tip of your right index finger.

On that morning, you became aware of the other universes around you

Imagine that one idle morning, while oscillating with nearby friends and family somewhere in the universe of your fingertip, something changed.  YOU BECAME AWARE.

You functioned as a critical component in a critical atom which made up a critical cell – and the combination of awareness, perception, individualism, and ego were the ingredients which caused you to once believe the universe stopped there….

But that critical component you played in that critical atom which was part of a critical cell was part of something bigger.  By being part of something bigger – one can feel smaller at first, or recognize that their contribution has not changed, but rather, they are contributing to something greater as well.

You became aware of the other cells which make up that fingertip around you.

And your universe expands to include those adjacent universes …

As one acknowledges the other universes contributing to the same cause your ‘original’ universe is – one can stop differentiating between them.  Their separation was caused by your perception that they are separate – but at some level, they are not separate at all. Thus, your awareness of ‘your universe’ expands to include those adjacent universes.

And it continues. Your awareness expands exponentially.

You see your part in the finger, and the finger’s part in the hand. You see the hand as an extension of the universal arm, you see the universal arm as a limb in the universal body.

Even within that single cell, which you still perceive yourself as residing in, you become conscious of a ‘greater whole’, and your consciousness shifts from ‘that of the cell’ to ‘that of the body’.

The “Final Point”:

From a sub-particle to a cell at the tip of your finger, your universe expanded beyond to recognize the part you played, not just in the cell – but in the hand, the arm, the limb, and body as a whole.

You have the consciousness of “the body”. This is now “you”, and YOUR UNIVERSE. But what was the real lesson learned?

The lesson learned was not in a “finite point” my friend – it was in the PATTERN ITSELF…. You broke down (cellular) walls to see life beyond your original perspective, freed yourself from the concept of time (a whole other series), freed yourself from the need to ‘stop’ just because ‘you started’ — you embraced the pattern.

An infinite loop – the circular reference of perception:

For there you sit today – with the consciousness of the body. You have a name – and you recognize that there are others around you, similar but unique, you are together but separate.

Have you ever felt you were ‘a part’ of something bigger?  As your consciousness resides in the body – THAT IS JUST THE TIP! That body is part of an atom in the fingertip (perhaps the country you live in) – which is a component of the hand (perhaps planet earth) – which is a part of a limb (perhaps the solar system), that is part of a body (perhaps the milky way)…

You recognize this as the body of “all that is”… and with that recognition, you’re reminded of the pattern…. and you wake up, all over again.

And in conclusion, there isn’t one.

You recognize the pattern, it is infinite. This ‘expanded awareness’ lead you back to the same place all over again – the body of the milky way, seen from an expanded vantage point, is merely the cell of a body in the tip of your (our) right index finger. One is bred to perceive one body.

This cycle continues through all time – time is a characteristic making up other aspects of the similar but different universes.  There are cells as they are today and bodies made of cells as they were yesterday and others as they will be tomorrow.

What hasn’t changed is your role.  No matter your level of awareness and current perception of reality – you are always a critical part of a critical atom in a critical cell which makes up something greater.

You are a critical part of an infinite cycle in a finite world, a critical milestone in a timeless trend in a world bound by time.

Expand your awareness and, in the next installment, this awareness will help you perceive the patterns of creation!

Shout out to Bert!

This series was inspired by a conversation between Bert and myself in the comments of the “What are you gaining” one-liner (“all that is gained in life is lost in death”).

There is some great dialogue in those comments regarding the concept of the ego, afterlife, the state of ‘being’, and perception of the ‘whole’ for those interested.

Please take some time to review the great perspective he has to offer on his “Who is Bert”  blog – “a dialogue on mind, consciousness and existence”.  Relevant to the topic at hand, I recommend his recent post on “identity, separation and love”. Enjoy!

– – +- -+- -+-+- = IT’S ALL RELATED = -+-+- -+- -+ – –
(Part 1) Universe You: Intro to Connecting the Dots
(Part 2a) Universe You: Positive Relationships
(Part 2b) Universe You: 3 Pillars of a Positive Relationship
(Part 3) Universe You: Why YOU Matter
(Part 4) Universe You: Giving Yourself Space

What are you gaining?

life quote: all that is gained in life is lost in death“All that is gained in life;
is lost in death.
Share.”

Surviving the Loss:

We gain many things in our time, which are used in our test;
….for all we accrue in a life — we will lose in our death.
Yet much perspective can be gained, as one becomes aware;
That the things we have which survive are the ones we share.

PROJECT E.G.O.- 3 Phase Plan to Win the Conflict Within

The Ego is a Snake, often coiled, but always ready to attack

Make no mistake, we are at war friends.

Our enemy is deceitful, conniving, and…. surprisingly logical.

Our adversary will strive to convince us that it is not a foe, but a friend.

Our opponent will remind us of all the great things we are, and attribute it to our successes. Then subsequently  remind us of all we are not, and attribute it to the failures of others.

Our rival goes by the name of “Ego”, and it has been called the source of ALL conflict! Welcome to Project: E.G.O., the 3-step battle plan for shared victory in our individual battles.

Continue reading “PROJECT E.G.O.- 3 Phase Plan to Win the Conflict Within”

The Tallest Tree had a Striking Ego

The Tallest Tree once looked down upon the ones smaller than he, then got struck by lightning!

“The Tallest Tree
once looked down upon
the ones smaller than he.”
~LoopholesOnLife.com

Reflection:

Appreciate all that you have;
Be humble for all that you are.
Learn for yourself, not for the class;
And only strive to raise your own bar.

For all that you were & are just now;
Will inevitably, like all things, be struck down.

Ego is the useless residue left behind with all else removed.

Reflecting on your Life

One-liner quote: EVERYTHING you experience in life is a reflection of YOU!

“All the good & bad you see or do;
is a perfect reflection of you!”

~LoopholesOnLife.com

Universe You: Give yourself Space!

5 Things You can Improve by Giving Yourself Some Space!

Matter dpes not space but space always matters.

Do you focus on what matters? Maybe what ‘really matters’ is the space BETWEEN the matter.

Want to become a better artist, musician, cook, speaker – or even a better person? Give yourself some space!

Continue reading “Universe You: Give yourself Space!”

IMPRISONED BY TIME: Part 2 – Discover the Boundaries

Discover the bars you've been kept behind in the prison of time.

As the bell tower chimes for the last “time” — let freedom ring!

Your escape from an enslavement many still refuse to believe exists begins now.

This journey will take no time at all; in fact, it will leave all time behind.

Welcome to the rebellion.

Continue reading “IMPRISONED BY TIME: Part 2 – Discover the Boundaries”

A Single Moment, A Lasting Impact – 12/12/12 @ 9:30 PM EST

12/12/2012 - an individual contribution to a lasting change

Many throughout history have alluded to the idea that if a large enough percentage of humanity “wished” for global peace simultaneously, that a lasting change could happen instantaneously.  Skeptics and believers alike have a chance to be a part of a world-wide test of this theory TONIGHT, 12/12/12, at 9:30 PM EST.

A Single Moment, a Lasting Impact; An Individual Contribution to Global Change:

CHALLENGE: take a moment to think about the word “smiling”.

Think about it for a second longer.

NOW, try to think about the word “smiling” without actually physically smiling! If we’re honest with ourselves, one can almost feel the contention between “thinking one thing” and “doing the other”.  That is how the video which introduces this world-wide ‘moment of peace’ begins:

Don’t believe in the power of prayer? How about statistics?

If you are still someone who has a hard time conceptualizing the inter-connectivity of all things, from yourself to the universe, from thought to action to physical manifestation — you are not alone.

As mentioned many times in this blog – at this point in our history, truth and lies are so intertwined in nearly every subject matter that it is hard to fully trust anything.  This is particularly evident as many question the dogma of institutionalized religion. However, when science, spirituality, AND MATH actually converge to support a particular hypothesis – isn’t there some providence to the findings that should not be overlooked?

I have expanded on the “Universe You” concept in a series of articles, so will try not to digress further — BUT — it is important to note that several independent studies have measured the impact of group prayer and meditation, actually showing statistically significant drops in crime rates.

From your own personal experience – haven’t you ever walked into a room, or a party, which you felt, simply put, had a “bad vibe”?  Haven’t you been around people who’d you classify as having a “magnetic personality”?  Prayer, meditation, POSITIVE THOUGHT — after we get past the subtleties which differentiate them, they are really not so different at some juncture.   If you believe that “starting your day on the right foot” leads to an, even ever-so-slightly, increased probability for a “good day” — as opposed to the days when you “wake up on the wrong side of the bed” — then are you sure you really have any reason to be skeptical with “this cause” at all?

If you ARE still skeptical, I do not blame you! After all, I epitomized the word ‘skeptic’ for many years even AFTER being aware of these so-called ‘studies’ — it takes time for an individual to “re-calibrate” their understanding. Look up the information, try to go into it your ‘research’ with an open mind, and discern for yourself.

HOWEVER – I will say, skeptical or not, take a moment at 9:30 PM to contribute a positive thought or two to a world which needs it! Worst case scenario — it certainly cannot hurt!! Best case scenario…. where would I begin and where would I stop?!

Let’s take a moment and see if we can’t surprise ourselves with the results.

I wish you all the best! Now — and at exactly 9:30 PM EST Tonight! 😉

Additional references:
http://heartflow2012.wordpress.com/2012/12/10/12-12-12/

“The Key to Freedom”

The Key to Freedom is Releasing the Need

Seeking starts with understanding we don’t really comprehend;
A decision beginning the process of perceiving what’s at ends.
Many pros and cons will follow one’s conclusion to commence;
And the choice appears more shallow the deeper one descends.

The truth resides within the lies; where belief & doubt suspend;
Forever united in the division and the agreement to contend.
It hides between one and zero, while oddly even forming ten;
A key to freedom releasing a feeling which leashes us again.

It may seem positively negative based on previous pretense;
Until we feel rightfully wronged once enriched by being spent.
We open new eyes & old wounds; we bleed so we can mend;
It takes those ups & downs to see the peaks & valleys blend.

Each mission is similarly different – but the anomalies will trend;
As we discover strength in weakness we had easily condemned.
Once we put the quest in question, it means that truth impends;
The meaning is straight forward, and it is just around the bend.

The final click comes in time, but we need relinquish “When?”
For us to see how far we’ve come before we leave again.

ARE YOU IMPRISONED BY TIME?

Are you a prisoner of time? Free yourself.

We awake to a new day. There are new experiences to be had and new choices to make. It may sound liberating at first. Yet, we begin each morning by believing everything we’ve been trained to see; and there are no better slaves than the ones who are convinced they are free.

Continue reading “ARE YOU IMPRISONED BY TIME?”

Inspired by: Truth Behind Lies

Truth can never be totally eclipsed by a lie -- it always shines through.

“One lie can overshadow a hundred truths;
But a single truth can shine through a million lies.”

~LoopholesOnLife.com

“Timeless Words” – 23 famous quotes unveiling the secret of time

look to the cycle, not the progression

From rock ‘n roll icons to religious leaders;
From ancient philosophers to 20th century scientists;
From inventors & poets to politicians & social reformers;

The mystery of time has been revealed to us through a series of clues left behind by history’s most influential figures. It’s been easy to overlook the common theme across such an uncommon group – UNTIL NOW!

The most renowned and wise of our kind all spoke about “time”. Think about the themes you see, as the sayings from 23 of these individuals are brought together in a timely verse of their timeless words.

Continue reading ““Timeless Words” – 23 famous quotes unveiling the secret of time”

“Seeing What Is”

I once saw what I wanted, now I’m seeing what is;
was ignorant, but now I get the reason it’s bliss.
for I was lost and then found my reason to live;
amazing grace didn’t sound more sweet than it did.

Continue reading ““Seeing What Is””

Universe You: Why YOU Matter!!

You are important. Without you, the rest of us would be nothing.

If you think that’s an overstatement, think again.  Better yet, stop thinking!

It’s time to reclaim your self-esteem. The building blocks of confidence start by deconstructing the building blocks of matter.

YOU MATTER… let’s explore how you matter, both literally AND figuratively! Continue reading “Universe You: Why YOU Matter!!”

Be Inspired: You’re Re-minded what Matters!

Inspire and reminded what matters

“if you believe MIND OVER MATTER, it will leave MATTER UNDERMINED.”

~LoopholesOnLife.com

Universe You: 3 Pillars of a Positive Relationship

Understand the 3 Pillars of Positive Relationship building by understanding yourself, the universe, and everything (and one) in between!

Relationships fail for many reasons, but start with yourself, and take accountability for it. It is painful to own problems, but once you do, it is infinitely peaceful. After all, there is nothing you are in a better position to change than yourself! Continue reading “Universe You: 3 Pillars of a Positive Relationship”

Universe You: Positive Relationships (Part 2a)

What is the secret to creating & maintaining a positive, long-lasting, relationship?

All of us long for “connection”.  It is our relationships, THE connectivity, which gives meaning to our experiences and validates our existence. Some of us even strive to connect based on a perceived lack of connection!

Whether you are looking to “find love”, whether you are interested in cultivating a positive relationship at work, whether you hope to develop a more meaningful relationship with a family member or friend — the answer is ALL the same, and can be found in “Universe You. Continue reading “Universe You: Positive Relationships (Part 2a)”

“Universe You”: Intro to Connecting the Dots (Part 1)

“Universe You”: Intro to Connecting the Dots (Part 1)

Universe in the Eye of the Beholder

To make the most out of a life, one needs to be able to change it. To change a life, one needs to understand what it is made of.  To understand what it is made of, one only needs to understand the highest- and lowest-level components which life as we know it is made of, existence & experience, the UNIVERSE & YOU!

The “Universe You” Series will provide overarching concepts and universal truths to help an individual understand existence and maximize their experiences within it.  A new part of the series will be posted every Friday morning for the next several weeks.

This is the first piece of a multi-faceted puzzle, and by no coincidence, the whole will be greater than the sum of the parts.

Part 1: Introduction to “Connecting the Dots” – what does understanding “Universe You” get you?  Continue reading ““Universe You”: Intro to Connecting the Dots (Part 1)”

%d bloggers like this: