The Little Drummer Boy

Papa Mickey just gave Caleb his old electronic drum set. Check out Caleb rockin' out!

Be sure to pause the music on the right to hear him better.

It's Everywhere

Why does materialism get such a bad rap?
Is there more beauty in the silence of meditation than a sleek, red Ferrari?
I believe not. Besides, who's to say.
For now, I'll sit in the beauty of silence without a Ferrari in the garage. Actually, If I had the money, I'd buy a Porsche anyway.

Merry-Go-Round

I haven't posted a blog in a while. I guess I just ran out of things to say, or.... it all sounds sooo much better in my head. I think the answer is the latter rather than the former.

Lately, I've been looking at the closed-loop of the ego. It gets itself into a merry-go-round of:
Hating the hate
Judging the judgement
Yelling at the noise
Resisting the resistence
Resenting the resentment
...and on it goes.
Just like a merry-go-round, it may be fun for a few minutes, but then it's time to get off. Well, I'm getting off here. I declare my freedom everyday....And then I fail.
So, do I hop back on the merry-go-round and:
Guilt the failure
Deny the failure
Resist the failure
Hate the failure
Pitty myselft in the failure
Or, redeclare my freedom and appreciate the wisdom of the failure.

It's my choice from moment to moment.

Materialism is the game the ego plays, while it strengthens its addiction to life

Did you ever ponder a reason to contemplate death starting from there. In pure ego we see reality through the eyes of somebody denying their own impermanence. The ego's inherrant nature is to preserve the 'self.' That is why heavy-ego'd people die scared, and light-ego'd people die peacefully. Therefore, the contemplation of the deeper reality of "death" may be a healthy part of our prayers and meditations.

Things and stuff can play a wonderful role in the denial of my my own impermanence. If I lose myself in the chatter of my bank account, my car, my ipod, my house, and my reputation then I never have to face another layer of me underneath. Additionally, I may not even know there's a ME in the silence without the stuff. Any mention of it must be voodoo. So, does that mean get rid of stuff? You're not getting my ipod without a fight. A resounding NOOOO! is the answer. The greater truth is that my stuff is what I borrow and nuture (Like my body), it does not define me. So enjoy those toys, take care of them, but do not allow identification through them.

Why is a challenge so beautiful?

A friend asked, "How do you stay positive after slicing four shots in a row into the trees," when discussing golf.

Why must we stay positive? His question seemed to imply that we're 'suppose-ta' stay positive in order to be happy or find success. I see 'positive' kinda positively, but it doesn't do enough for me toward true inner peace (IE. Success). I mean, it helps us get some traction in accomplishments and doing things that are extremely vital to a balanced existence. Peeling the onion, however, one needs to understand that when the journey is appreciated, the problems are accepted. It just turns the ego upside-down, man. It literally goes into another layer. However, we haven't even scratched the surface.

In addition to appreciating the journey, we must fully accept our impermanence. Because in order to fully connect with appreciating this life for what it is, we must fully connect with what this life isn't. And life is temporary. Reflecting on the impermanence gives us appreciation for presence.

So, lets move backward now. How do I prepare my mind to accept the problems that I encounter, so that I will be truly prepared to meet the problem? What is "truly prepared?" Science knows that in a negative state of mind our brain utilizes a more primitive mind. The primitive mind helps us certain ways, but not for higher reasoning. That occurs in the fore-brain. So you kinda want that part available when problems arise. It stands to reason that if I train my brain to use less negativity regularly, success will be the secondary result. The practice of loving-kindness trains my brain to win battles- WHOA!! It's so counter intuitive.

So, back to the original question. I don't think we need to stay positive in the face of a disastrous performance on the golf course. It appears that if we engage the mind in appreciating the error, we will be more present to create (Fore-brain, higher reasoning, creative mind) what we intend.

The interesting thing is that it's so simple to know, and so difficult to be. That's why they call it practice!!

It's all in the name

What is an Integrator, anyway? Here's my best understanding of who I'm claiming to be...



First off, let me give props to Ken Wilbur and Don Beck for bringing the concept of integral consciousness to the forefront. As the Integrator, I'm attempting to understand all states and stages of consciousness. Why? I think a better question is- why not? I get a great sense of fulfillment in life through understanding human consciousness. We are the most fascinating species that I know of. Ya, even cooler than dolphins. No other creature comes so close to understanding the nature of the cosmos, biology, physics, and art like we humans do.

I believe that the only way we, as a species, have any chance to survive is to understand where we are now. And that means understanding how we interpret the world and ourselves.

Every great teaching has a map. For the integral approach. One of the maps is called Spiral Dynamics. Check it out on youtube. It a video that discussed bipolar disorder as well as spiral dynamics. But, Its the very best basic description. The explaination starts at 4:38.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PSvKByYOPdo.

It all came back to center in a moment

We generally "Take a moment" every evening as we sit down to eat dinner. Tonight was a special experience. As Amy looked deeply and presently into my eyes to prepare for our 'moment,' I felt a wave through my heart. Ya see, my mind was very active, going on and on about the stresses of this modern economy. Additionally, I was ranting on about some trivial complaint about why this world isn't perfect. And I got a glimpse, through eyes of Amy, of how presence is experienced.

In an instant, my whole experience of the world shifted. It was a palpable shift from worry to acceptance, from anxiousness to presence, and from scattered to focused. I think this human experience is precious enough to enjoy some acceptance, presence, and focus on a day to day basis. Amy reminded me of what's important. Sometimes I remind her. Thanks Amy! I'm enjoying this life with you.