Rob Brezsny's hardcore sweetness and light

Everyone who decides at an early age to tend spirit for the good of mankind inevitably has a moment when the world seems a desolate place of squandered potential. These youth full of flame look up for the final time at adulthood and see nothing lit, no guidance, so no way. Once I felt such angst and despair I could not imagine a world with me in it. Read all about it - tho my first short story it still rends my heart every time. But on the eve of Thanksgiving 09 I find myself surrounded by people I'm proud to look up to, giants of spirit and champions of growth.

Working at North Atlantic Books basically since I moved here six months ago, I have come across many books I like. But Personal Aristocracy by True Blue Indigo is a book I cherish. The following is from the first chapter:

To attain aristocracy is to free ourselves from our old patterns and inhabit higher levels of energy and consciousness. Aristocracy is to remind ourselves at our work, in our play, in our daily lives, that we are made to be exceptional persons, and to conduct ourselves accordingly. This life is open to each one of us as we learn to quiet the static noise of the outer world and tune in with greater and greater ability to the calm center inside.

This is far easier to do when we are surrounded by people who inspire us. "Nobility is a state of grace consciously pursued," he says, "an individualized and highly personal gathering of goodness, honor, and dignity ..." The best we can give one another is truly the best we have. You cannot give unless you know what you have. Examine yourself and find the beauty and genius you have at your own personal resource. You will find that your greatest gifts do not cost anything and will not deplete as you give them; you will find that the more you give the more you have to give. Bruce Lee believed that "the function and duty of a quality human being is the sincere and honest development of one's potential." See to your own stock and develop it for the world. Take pride in your self and as a result everything you do will be a blessing for others.

Nina Lesowitz signs my copy of LLTY

Reading Living Life as a Thank You by Nina Lesowitz and Mary Beth Sammons I came across the following quotes: "Happiness cannot be traveled to, owned, earned, worn or consumed. Happiness is a spiritual experience of living every moment with love, grace and gratitude," by Denis Waitley, and "Happiness is not so much in having as sharing. We make a living by what we get, but we make a life by what we give," by Norman MacEwan. I have written in more detail about Nina's book here, but I would like to share an exercise with you.

Gratitude Practice
When you're feeling blue, write down the feelings you're experiencing and  then write down the ones you wished you felt. You will be amazed at what this simple practice reveals. It will help you see the blessings in your everyday life.

Aristocracy is a personal issue

I have also been working with Rob Brezsny, who made my night tonight by calling me his "fellow dissident bodhissatva." Many of you know Rob from his syndicated Free Will Astrology. Others might know him for his books Televisionary Oracle or Pronoia: How the Whole World Is Conspiring to Shower You With Blessings. Yes, he really is as wonderful as that title. I have been chopping some of Rob's performances into select video clips and I would love to share a couple with you now. When I watch these on Youtube I am overcome with a happiness that I have been granted the opportunity to help spread Rob's much-needed voice around the world. So seldom are we granted breathing heroes!

That last video, "I Have a Dream," is included in the book as an exercise. As I've been going through the book I do some of the exercises and leave others for later. Below is my own "I Have a Dream" speech, written about two months ago:

If you keep talking you’ll develop personality. I promise. I used to be a silent shy insignificant dreamer. Guess what? I’m still a dreamer.

I have a dream that everyone is speaking at all times. Everyone can tune in to their heart’s desire, because that’s where the voices are coming from. All hearts are transmitters, not just receptors. Don’t you notice a correlation between how much you feel and how much you talk?

You want to taaaaallllk. But you want to have something to say, too, and you don’t because your heart’s turned down, shut off and ignored. And then you're sad because you're quiet all the time and you silence yourself even more. This might not apply to you, but it does to a lot of people. You've got to admit. You’ve got to let it flow. You’ve got to become someone. You’ve got to be more than you are. You’ve got to let it go.

Disconnected

Don’t start conversations. Connect.

I have a dream that all hearts are transmitting into the air and I can feel it when I breathe. I breathe deeply. Air goes straight to my heart!

How can skies be clean before hearts? Only in the good old days. Good news! Surprise— these days are pretty kickin too. It isn’t so bad to be the ones who reconnect after a long silence. Nature has been missing us, dying for our presence. We've turned away, it's been too long. It's not enough to sustain yourself; that’s only negative presence neutralized. What it takes is painting the world with your feelings. Being good for the world. That used to be a natural thing but it isn’t now. It isn’t so bad.

I will be unnaturally good! Help me, I wanted to be a seer and my dream came true and I’ve forgotten what it means. I think I need to be alone. Am I? Do you know where I could catch a glimpse of life? I actually meant to say light, but I meant something else - something higher or bigger or more intense. Something to shake it up a little, me, the world, the way I see things. I don’t go out of my routine enough. I have so many exciting things on my shelves and in my mind but I don’t look at them usually and I don’t go for walks. I focus on getting the job done, and I have friends but they’re all doing the same thing I’m doing. I guess what I’m asking is would you slow down and open up with me somehow, be more authentic, be more in love and more open, open, in everything open? I want to be more open now than I am or ever have been.

Me too. Be my favorite book.

Be my favorite author.

Provide me with the things I need.

Be my parents, be my author.

I really just want more light more than anything else. I don’t want another significant person. I don’t want to focus on any one thing but the light. We each get a chance--

It’s about stepping up when you have it and being as authentic and resounding as you can be knowing you are the one who people are listening to now and there could be a reason for that if you make one.

I have a dream where everyone says now is the time for me and I can be that person, and if there’s no one around for me right now I will practice and learn how to be amazing which is to say learn how to be myself and I will do it and do it and do it until I know what I’m doing and I know what I am; beyond that I will keep doing it and keep doing it and keep doing it, and one day I will be that person because I will have stretched out my moment and I will not stop when I have it because I have already done it for no one and I’ve done so all my life and this isn’t just for some nameless group of individuals who will mostly never meet each other, readers from random demographics, this is for me, endearing nameless, and it isn’t selfish. Who cares if I speak or don’t speak if there aren’t other people involved? -- I don’t have to talk to let it out. I can eat and fight and make love too. This is a choice. And it’s in part because of you.

I‘ll try not to forget that if you keep listening.

I have a dream that humanity is enlightened. All coffers and eyes are open, hands only empty right after they’ve given. I have a dream that art is no longer necessary, that we can amuse ourselves and be healthy by impulse. I have a dream in which the value of human life is not contingent upon even our noble aspirations. I have a dream that for better or for worse we come together as a unified thing called humanity and all decide to believe in the capacity of our own intelligent minds, and to use them the best we can. I dream that everyone tries to be less lazy, all of their lives, so that each generation becomes stronger. I have a dream—everyone is open to the ever-present conversation that is the mixing of our hearts, for this is so, and no man or woman gives any other man or woman reason to turn their bodies and their hearts away in doubt that this is so. We have the power to turn people’s hearts on and off, and the more we choose OPEN the more others will choose OPEN and inspire others to OPEN. I dream that everyone wants to be a hero not to be the hero but because everyone wants humanity saved.

That’s why the world followed US in the first place. Same as gravitating around the ones everyone can tell can see and whose history precedes them. Destiny is what happens when you fulfill your history. To be the future you must transcribe the heart perfectly. Let’s do this, patiently, with attention to detail. We’ll know we have it when we all agree whole-heartedly. When all voices unite to form 100% pure sound...

We are the heart and anyone who has ever loved knows the heart can do anything. My dream? A collective voice throbs like red-healthy heartbeat and bursts from passion.

Rob asks: "What would it be like to fight tenderly for beauty and truth and love without despising those who spread ugliness and lies and division?" And I think I'll leave you with that question.

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