The Soul of the EveryMan

We all want things. They can be physical objects, or positions of esteem and power. Fulfillment of our desires is always the future, forever out of reach. Do we get what we want? Or what we deserve? We discuss. . .

The EGO is Untouchable and Invincible. . . Its power grows as you struggle against it, feeding like a parasite in the darkness. The Light of Consciousness is your sword, cutting like a sunbeam through shadow. We discuss. . .

Fate: As Thoreau famously said, "Most men lead lives of quiet desperation." Buddhists call it Samsara, the endless wheel of Karma. The source of this desperation is the Unobserved Unconscious, the feeling of being trapped in the Pain Body. The Light of Consciousness brings awareness to this spinning darkness, We discuss. . .

How do we know when we are being Authentic? How do we come to the Authentic SELF and not the EGO self? Authenticity is Creative, it engenders Trust and Love. It is revealed when we suffer, when we struggle and overcome. We discuss. . .

CREATIVITY The process of bringing something new into existence is associated deeply with Presence and Being. True creative force flows from our connection to Source. Stillness is the root creation and the path to our creative power. We discuss.

Affects every relationship, both human to human and human to source. Disarming contention is the first step onto the pollen path .. .the beauty way. We discuss. . .

Suffering also TAKES time - - stealing from your present LIFE. Fear of suffering can rule us. The Memory of suffering can cripple us. Live without suffering in the NOW We discuss. . .

Problems: We all have them, and in the worst case they seem to come from within. The EGO loves identifying problems, and its toxic voice can be internalized, finding fault in all that we do. All of this falls within the "Dilemma of Me. . ." The ego-persona which wishes to exist in our thinking mind. This is our only true problem. We discuss.

Unconditional. . . Love is a word in the same way that Death is a word. We see a symbol, move our breath, utter a sound, and, we think we know it. We no more understand Love than we do Death. Both are beyond us, and both are Unconditional. . . We discuss.

Non-Attachment: Stoicism Conserve your attention! Guard your engagement with people, and avoid emotional attachments. People engage in melodrama. They wish to feed on your energy and occupy your awareness. Do not give your attention haphazardly Detach from PEOPLE and find your inner PEACE We discuss. . .

You are NOT special: On the other hand, you are a unique and irreproducible creation, living a life of extraordinary exceptionality. Both these things are true. We discuss. . .

Gratitude: The root of JOY is GRATITUDE. Far too often we neglect to be grateful for what we already have. We spend our days seeking that which we lack, rather than accepting and being thankful for what we have. Ingratitude brings negativity, envy, and resentment – stealing our Joy in the Present Moment of NOW. In this world with all its troubles, more than ever we must be mindful of our blessings. We discuss. . .

The WORLD is a pathless wilderness. There are no maps, no shortcuts. No wrong way. No right track. Life is an adventure to be LIVED. We discuss. . .

Being good means following the rules, playing fair, and doing unto others as you would have them do to you. But why? Often the motive is a selfish one, an unspoken “Quid pro Quo” or “This gets that”. If I am good, we reason, then good will come to me. We deserve it. But this is FALSE. Life does not care if we are good. Bad things come regardless. Good is not a reward. Bad is not a punishment. We discuss. . .

Overcoming Past Trauma Memory is crucial to our ability to function. But it is a two-edged sword, and living in a world warped by the past is stultifying and stressful. Overcoming and integrating Past Trauma is the key to unlocking Present Joy. We discuss. . .

It’s POETRY NIGHT! And we’re picking one of our favorites by Longfellow: A Psalm of Life. . . Enjoy!

The PRISON of MEANING LIFE is MEANINGLESS. You are not. Sartre, Niechtzhe, and Camus proved that the Universe is absurd, without meaning, void, and endless. But the UNIVERSE is contained within your consciousness. It exists nowhere else. Meaning cannot be found in any goal or achievement. Yet every instant of your existence contains boundless worth. We discuss. . .

The PRISON of STUPIDITY Stupidity is a force of nature. A scion of the fundamental chaos underlying the universe - it channels energy from an infinite source, overcoming any imaginable barrier or safeguard. Few prisons are so vast, deep, or dire. We discuss. . .

The PRISON of HABITS Habits are spirits. They posses you. They can shape your life and the lives of those around you. They have the power to animate your body. They enable EGO and energize the PAIN Body. Habits can be a prison - easy to get into - difficult to escape. We discuss. . .

Prison Series Part 5 The Prison of Anxiety Continued: Escaping the Prison The Prison of Anxiety is dark and deep. Those trapped inside often need guidance to escape. We discuss. . .

Part five in the PRISON Series: The PRISON of ANXIETY Anxiety, Worry, Stress, Tension. . . All come from living in the unknown FUTURE instead of the present moment of NOW. Your focus is on that which ‘could be’ or ‘might be’ – stealing enjoyment from your present life. Worry is toxic to the soul – a prison made of imagined fear. We discuss. . .

Sacrifice is the key to MEANING What is meaningful in your life? Relationships, Conversations, Goals. All require SACRIFICE to achieve, and all have meaning in direct proportion to how much you sacrificed for them. A meaningful experience requires sacrifice. An EASY life is also a MEANINGLESS one. We discuss. .

Prison Series Part Four: The PRISON of GUILT Atonement or At-One-Ment is the sense that you must reunite with one that you have separated yourself from. Our actions separate us from our loved ones. ATONEMENT brings us back into alignment with them. The sense of Guilt, Shame for one's actions, Realization that you have wronged another, Action to admit your transgression, and finally to make Restitution. These are all phases of ATONEMENT. It is, as Dostoyevsky says, “. . .what we must do. . .” We discuss

Can you AFFORD your EGO? The cost of the unobserved EGO, in experience, relationships, somatic illness, and wasted energy can be enormous. Few realize how much of their limited and precious lives are spent feeding this insatiable monster. The solution lies within, but it requires the WILL to choose it. We discuss. . .

Prison Series Part Three: The PRISON of NARCISSISM The Prison of the Mind is built from more than Dogma and Rules. It is also walled with the mirrors of Self-Love and Self Hate. The Obsession with Self and the endless Critical Voice of judgment are both manifestations of Ego. The relationship of Narcissus with his Reflection is an analogy for this internal Duality. The Ego seeks the imperfect Other, gratifying itself in finding Fault and Lack that can never be assuaged. The KEY to this PRISON is in our grasp – if we can tear our eyes away from our reflection long enough to use it. We discuss. . .