Thanksgiving?

Here in America we celebrate the holiday named Thanksgiving. It is a holiday that is supposed to be a joyful celebration of all that we are so fortunate to have. Our family, our friends, our homes, our jobs and really anything at all which we feel we are truly fortunate to have.

However, what it has turned into for some people is a time of stress and worry. How to pay for the turkey dinner and all the trimmings - how to pay to host the hordes of family who descend upon our homes for the entire weekend, and so forth and so on.

The Friday after Thanksgiving is the beginning of the Christmas shopping season - and it is called Black Friday since most retailers become profitable for the first time of the year on this day. Black Friday 2008 could give the term new meaning because a Walmart worker was trampled to death by the crowd of shoppers who were reported to be out of control.

I thought this was sad thinking of the employee's family and their grief at their loss - and why? A pointless death it seems. And yet, this person's death holds a huge amount of energy! I've been contemplating it all day. That's worth a lot to me personally, right there - and I didn't even know the guy. Then consider all of the people who would have read that story and stopped to think . . . a pause to consider . . . what is the true meaning of the holiday season? Thousands of people all over would give pause to ponder this question. And hopefully their holidays will be just a little more meaningful this year. And all because of the death of this Walmart employee.

The people who trampled him will most likely never be brought to trial because there were so many of them all acting in a human herd instinct. No one is responsible except for the employee who placed himself at great risk by being the one to open the doors to the mass of people who had been waiting to shop at that Walmart.

What Time Is It?

All my life I wondered what it is that I am to do here on Earth. Why am I here? Where do I fit in? Providence provided me with certain attributes so that my path has not been that bad, overall. But what of others?

That's what I'm here to explore because I know that others don't have it as easy as I do. They are not heterosexual, they are not white, they are not male, they are not American. They are the forgotten. They are the invisible. They are the lost and the wandering.

I am here to point you to a way. It's a way that may - or may not - be a way that you can follow. But I do know this one thing. It has worked for me.

With Great Love!

/David C.

Working the Plan

A wonderful lady presented herself in my reality.

Then, a wonderful gentleman popped into my reality here in the last couple of days.

I had been asking for an indication that I was not crazy - that I was not the only one who thinks, feels and believes this way.

I guess that my prayers have been answered and maybe, perhaps this is my first somewhat real outcome to trying to create something in my reality on purpose.

My interactions with the lady were cordial and social as she recommended a great inter-networking site for people who consider themselves confident in their spirituality. Who ever would have thought such a place would exist?

But exist, it does. The Village

For the first time, I am able to enter into a chat room and there are no inane comments and open 'dog-in-heat' flirting going on. It has truly been a breath of fresh air for me. I haven't found a forum as open and inviting as this one since I joined the BBQ-Brethren forum almost three years ago.

The gentleman has been a delight to write back and forth with - and I have secured his permission to reproduce our interactions here. Following is generally how things have gone . . .

wayne patrick murphy wrote:

Hi David, i am making contact with you at the suggestion of our good friend, teacher and guide. Currently i am into week 3 (Intensive 1) of his amazing book Coming Home. Such a small but gradual expansion of consciousness has been a very enlightening process as it has allowed us to see aspects and glimpses of a whole new reality... Yes, the sheer vastness of it, Divinity, with all its beauty, complexity and multi-dimensionality is staggering to even think about trying to fathom and behold... but i must admit i am very excited with the discovery that the ongoing revelations of such Universal Truth are, and have always been, right here in front of us, within us and all around. As such, i am really enjoying this incredible journey of discovery. And as i mentioned to our guide, in learning and knowing this small amount of wonderful information he has so generously shared with us, how can we not want to possibly strive even further to try and learn and to know more? So now i really want to live in this incarnation for as long as possible so i can try and learn and know all that i can. Many more lifetimes of such learning, please God! Such a long, long path ahead... But i suppose the ongoing expanding of our consciousness must be all part and parcel of The Plan within the ever expanding Universe... So it's a great feeling to know that we have consciously stepped onto the path, at last. But my only dilemma, besides all the tests that an initiate must face on the probationary path, is how best to incorporate these new understandings into everyday life at work, home etc etc? Because with this knowledge comes added responsibility... So David, i would be very interested in hearing your thoughts on how you are getting on since the completion of the Level 2 Intensive? Perhaps you could share with me any methods or insights you are using to incorporate this new understanding into your everyday life. Ok, that's enough said for now. Thanks for letting me sound you out. Looking forward to hearing from you. Blessings - wayne

To which I replied:

Hi Wayne -

Thank you for contacting me. I am honored that our guide would refer you to me with your comments and questions.

First off, let me say that, just like our guide, I've traveled a long and winding path. I've studied a variety of religious belief systems over the years and I've been able to glean a little information here and a little there, but always at least something from each one. Because of this previous exposure, while I was passing through the training, I found it rather easy to accept the concepts that he was placing forward, ever so carefully, into my consciousness.

Honestly, I'm not certain of the order of the graded expansion of consciousness that the Intensives take us through. It all seems a blur now - all tied together into a seamless belief pattern that has been forged over our guide's decades of research and study. Because I'm not certain of the order, I'm not sure if our guide has presented the concept of the fractal nature of reality at the point where you are.

In any case, I guess the best thoughts I could offer regarding day-to-day application are;

1) Don't take things too seriously. Sure, everyone passes through difficult situations, some unimaginable situations, but pass through them we do. In some of the most extreme situations we even die. I have believed for decades that these trials of life were placed here in our reality so that we could learn the best way to respond to any event. I believe that responding from an attitude of Love, Reverence and Compassion, in even the worse situations, is always the best course. Sometimes it's difficult to image what to do to express Love, Reverence and Compassion in certain situations, but that's what meditation is great for. You can go to your safe place and ask for help from your higher self when presented with situations where the answer of how to respond are not clear.

2) The thoughts that you hold in your mind create your entire reality. I'm still not certain how this works exactly. I've heard the concept before and I understand how it might work. I have not yet been able to make something happen on purpose. At least not clearly and without doubt that my thoughts did lead to this specific outcome. BUT . . . the one thing I CAN say is that, the more I concentrate and focus my attention on being positive, the better my day-to-day life seems to go. There's a wonderful web site that I've used for years and years - and the creator/owner of the web site, Ralph Marston, is an incredible human being. He has written The Daily Motivator for a very long time. You can visit his web site and read many of his inspiring and uplifting thoughts, with a new one every day at http://www.greatday.com Simply reading the message there first thing every morning helps me to keep my perspective as I move through my day.

3) My final thought for you is: Don't strive to avoid suffering. Strive to be happy. This kind of goes along with 2) above. If you are always looking to avoid suffering, your focus is on suffering. Therefore, suffering must increase in your reality. Conversely, if you are always looking for ways to be happy or improve your current happiness, then your level of happiness must increase in your reality. This has worked for me more than anything else.

Please feel free to contact me at any time with any questions, comments, suggestions and so forth. I've found that sharing what I know to be true with others often leads me to further insights for my own growth.

God has blessed us all by allowing us to be alive and have our experiences in life -

Take care . . .

/David C.
a.k.a. Brother Dave