Hello Gratitude!

It is a good time for practicing gratitude now—as it always been, and will always be—but perhaps more so now because of the impending holiday season. Many people may feel bluesy at a time where the mad (shopping) rush has started; it certainly did start in the US and today is a seriously ‘black’ day (Black Friday). This is a frenetic, sometimes violent rush which is lacking any spiritual connotation or meaning. We are part of it, in our own way—especially when it comes to Lindt chocolates!—but it doesn’t mean we are getting up at 4:00 AM on Black Friday, or queuing up outside a store for hours. Come to reflect on it, it must be pretty painful to be devoured by materialistic consumption. I send my heartfelt compassion to those who wobble in it blindly—to the point they find a so-called pleasure or excitement in it.

On a deeper level, after a long period of silence, I am asking myself about the meaning of all what I sensed and experienced during the past few weeks, since I last wrote on October 10. There were some intense moments of discovery and enthusiasm, especially when I came across the Biology of Kundalini site developed by Jana Dixon (Gratitude to you, Jana)

http://biologyofkundalini.com/

I was picked up and transported by intrepid curiosity, and entertained a thirst to know more as some of my life events took on a different perspective—especially the dark night of my soul which took place long ago in a different land (read state). I bought Jana’s book, read a bit about it, couldn’t find the answers I was looking for (about the biological changes that I have been experiencing in the past six months) and suddenly lost all interest in that specific search. How intriguing! The answers to my query are there, somewhere in me, and that is why I no longer search: they will bloom in the glory of my life whenever the appropriate spring time rings in.

Many other smaller pieces are coming back to me now, naked of the emotional intensity they carried at the time they took birth. A small example is that of a woman who worked at a client’s location in Paris and who sort of “kicked us out” of a business deal in favor of her previous employer. It wasn’t a very painful experience then, more of a surprise, and yet I always wondered why it took place. I recently got reconnected—mystically enough—with this person via LinkedIn and sent her a friendly message to which she responded; and even offered to connect her with one of our friends in the new place where she now lives. How interesting are these little spiritual pebbles on the road as we approach the end of another year! I see those as a good opportunity to finally disregard—or burry, if you will—what no longer serves us. Certainly this “woman in Paris” event didn’t serve us, except for being an avenue to reflect, question Life, and eventually move forward. Gratitude to you, “woman in Paris”!

Yesterday, there was what I would call “interesting negativity” in my life; nothing new in terms of the messages my mind was brewing and serving me, but I deeply questioned why it was so, and why it occurred one more time. Why is it that my mind needs to remanufacture what it already served me? What purpose does it serve since I didn’t fall into its trap the first time?

Even though I didn’t get any answer—I assume the answer is there but I can’t see it yet—, I feel this is a useful process that allows us to ‘corner our mind’ into yet another of its limitations. I invite you, my friends, to practice this ‘spiritual curiosity,’ this intense questioning, and see what happens, or what kind of response you get.

And then, as the Universe would have it, my eyes came across the Eckhart Tolle’s November quote that appears on the wall calendar I bought early this year.

“Whenever there is negativity is you, if you can be aware at that moment that there is something in you that takes pleasure in it or believe it has a useful purpose, you are becoming aware of the ego directly. The moment this happens, your identity has shifted from ego to awareness. This mean the ego is shrinking and awareness is growing.”

Eckhart Tolle

I can’t tell that I am fully aware of that “something in me” that is taking (sadistic) pleasure in sending me dark messages, or thinks what it does has a useful purpose, but it nicely dovetails with my questioning; sort of the icing on the cake. Gratitude to you, my friend Eckhart!

And today we enjoy a clear blue sky. I can see beautiful white clouds in the distance that are flying low. It feels like a white lining covering the horizon, right behind the trees. This is indeed a beautiful day to be alive.

Gratitude to you, Life!

Many thanks for sustaining us living beings, as well as our living environment.

Please find below an amusing picture—very appropriate at this time of the year!