Good Vibrations

“I was going to buy a copy ‘The Power of Positive Thinking’, and then I thought: “What the heck good would that do?”

-Ronnie Shakes

 

A little humor to start off, but when you think about it, that’s how a lot of us think. We try to be positive, but in the back of our minds resides a little Gremlin whispering doubts. Staying positive, or, keepin’ those good vibrations happening, that should be the goal for us all. If we could all just bring a more positive attitude to everyday life, our lives would start to become so much better. Indeed, if enough of us could bring higher vibrations into the world, the planet itself would become so much better.

Since I started on my quest to become more spiritual, I’ve tried to raise my vibration. Raise your vibration and you help raise the vibes of those around you. Like a tuning fork that begins to vibrate at the same rate when you bring it in proximity of an already vibrating fork, Humans, if they are close in their vibrational frequency, will begin to resonate.

Raising ones vibration, and keeping the good vibes flowing, isn’t easy sometimes. We all experience things in our lives that bring us down. Then there are people who – God bless them- just seem to resonate negativity. Some seem to suck the life right out of you. If you can avoid these people, then do. Sometimes that’s not always easy or possible though. My current boss is one of those people. I’m around him the whole working day, five days a week. It’s very challenging to remain positive when I’m around him. I just do my best, then, when I get back to my nice home and wonderful girlfriend, I can recharge and remember how good I have it. It may be my fault. As Lynda Field  puts it: “You draw to you the people and events which resonate with the energy that you are radiating. You attract what you are, so be your best.”

I think the more I dwell on my job situation, thinking how much of a bummer it is, the more I get that negativity. This is something I’m working on. It’s a great lesson for me. Perhaps that’s why I’m living it.

Writer Tim Hoch said: “Negativity only breeds more negativity. It is a happiness riptide. It will carry you away from shore and if you don’t swim away from it, will pull you under.”

Regardless of our work environment, we must try to stay positive. How? Find satisfaction in your work. If you can’t, then pretend you find satisfaction, pretend you feel satisfied. Tell yourself you’re having a good day. Walk around with a smile. If that doesn’t raise your mood, at least it will make people wonder what you’re up to. So radiate positive energy. If you act like you like your job, pretty soon you will. Remember; your attitude determines your altitude.

Here are some things we can do to stay positive: Don’t speak about your problems, that’s just adding energy to them. Laugh loud, and often, and smile more. Be grateful, make a gratitude list. Exercise, it releases feel good endorphins. Be present, and be generous. Also, try to find the positive in others, and dish out those compliments. We attract what we focus on, so right there is incentive to think positively.

I’d like to include the stories of a couple of persons who manage to stay positive under circumstances in which many of us would have a hard time. The first person is retired Army Staff Sergeant Travis Mills who lost both arms and both legs in an improvised explosive device explosion in Afghanistan. He said to the interviewer prior to a television interview: “I’m not a victim, and I refuse to be portrayed that way.” Travis has no self pity.

The second is my beautiful girlfriend Erin. Not long ago, Erin was diagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis, a disease that claimed her sister twenty years ago. Although there is a better chance of leading a longer, healthier life at the present time, there’s still no guarantee of that. She just started the first round of many of chemo-therapy that leaves her tired and sick, on top of the symptoms from her MS. Erin remains positive and upbeat through all this. She is able to keep our wonderful home just that way; wonderful. It takes a lot of strength to stay positive when you’re dealing with such things, but Erin doesn’t dwell on being a victim.

Erin; you are the sky. Everything else is just the weather.

So, if Erin and Travis can stay positive, we should be able to.

 

May you always be

Healthy, Happy

Safe, and Comfortable.

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Compassion

“Be kind, for everyone you  meet is fighting a harder battle.”

-Plato

 

Compassion; where would we be without it? The world is a better  place thanks to compassion. I think back to my time in junior high school. I was having a bad couple of years, being picked on, rather roughly, at school. One group of bullies would wait outside my classroom, when I came out they would slam me against the lockers, taking turns punching me while students just walked by, snickering. No-one seemed to care. Then one day, one of the football players ran up and chased the bullies off. He told me to find him if I had any more trouble. I’ll never forget him. Just one person out of many. But that one act of compassion really helped. One person had compassion for another, and acted upon it.

Compassion is a wonderful quality to possess, but what is it? Compassion, from the Latin root ‘passio’ to suffer, and the Latin prefix ‘com’ meaning together – to suffer together. Having sympathetic pity and concern for the sufferings or misfortunes of others. Having sensitivity. Allowing ourselves to be moved by suffering, and being motivated to help end it. There is a slight difference between compassion and sympathy. Sympathy responds to suffering from sorrow and concern, whereas compassion responds from warmth and care. It is defined as the feeling that arises when you are confronted with another’s suffering and feel motivated to relieve that suffering. Compassion is also different than empathy or altruism, but related. Empathy is the ability to feel the emotions and feelings of others, where compassion is when those feelings include the desire to help. Altruism is kind selfless behavior prompted by compassion. The qualities of compassion include: patience, wisdom, kindness and warmth.

Okay, so now we know what compassion is. Let’s look at what it does to us, and for us. When we feel compassion, our heart rate slows and we secrete oxytocin, the ‘bonding hormone’. Also, regions in the brain linked to empathy, caregiving, and pleasure light up. If that weren’t enough to convince us, people who practice compassion produce one hundred percent more DHEA, a hormone that counter-acts the aging process. What’s more, compassionate people produce twenty -three percent less cortisol, the ‘stress hormone’.    So, we already knew that compassion was good for the planet, now we know that it’s good for our bodies. There are also many psychological benefits from practicing compassion. The Buddhists define compassion as: ‘The heart that trembles in the face of suffering.’ The Dalai Lama said: “If you want others to be happy, practice compassion. If you want to be happy, practice compassion.

In these most interesting times, we seem to be drifting away from compassion. We are very busy and tend to think more about ‘Me and mine.’ That’s understandable, we must take care of our own, but let’s try to include others, if not all beings in our thoughts and actions. This isn’t always easy to remember, especially the way our leaders are carrying on at this time. Let’s rise above all that.

I remember my friend Chris and I sitting in Mother Superiors office. I don’t remember what we did to end up there, but we were being thrashed by the angry Nun, so much so that Chris started crying. Later, at recess, when we were being asked about our trip to the office, one mean spirited boy asked if Chris had cried. I told the eager crowd “No, he didn’t cry.” I’ll never forget the look of relief on Chris’s face. Such a simple thing to do, yet it made a big difference to Chris. I knew how he felt. I transferred to that Catholic school to get away from the bullying I was receiving. I remember an act of compassion performed by a football player. Small acts of compassion can go a long way. Let’s all try to be a bit more compassionate.

May you always be

Healthy, Happy

Safe, and Comfortable

 

Kelly Curtis

 

 

 

 

Karma

“I saw that”

-Karma

 

I came across The Law of Karma in my spiritual quest, and after study, decided that what I’ve read about it makes sense. Karma ties in with reincarnation, the life you incarnate into is decided by the karma you have accumulated or paid off in previous lives. Karma is automatic and there  is no escape from it. It is absolute justice, there is no mercy; or for that matter, no wrath, although every debt must be paid to karma. There is no help from a higher source due to prayer. Karma is not really punishment or reward for good or bad, it’s just cause and effect. It acts as any other natural law.

One writer says of karma: “The good man doesn’t always reap his reward of good results, nor does the wicked man always suffer, not immediately, but eventually and inexorably.”

I’ve learned that there are two ways to look at karma. There is the fear based idea of karma, where you reap what you sow. That karma is the consequences, both good and bad, that are brought to you based on your actions, good and bad. In essence, you are judged for your actions. Or, you can look at karma based on love, where karma is a gift that brings lessons for your soul’s personal growth, and will continue to bring these lessons back around until you have learned them.

Newton’s third law states: ‘For every action there is an equal and opposite reaction.’ That is karma. Good deeds bring good karma, bad deeds bring bad karma. It is the law of life and can never be altered. So, whatever you did, soon you will get it.

There are different schools of belief concerning karma. For example; the old school reincarnationists believe karma determines ones rebirth along the lines of desire and attraction. The soul’s character would attract it to rebirth according to its strongest desires, coming into life circumstances that give the greatest opportunity to work out those desires using suffering and the joys of life to grow as a better being.

The Hindu belief is that it is a great rewarder of good, and a great punisher of evil. One’s future state in the next incarnation depends on his goodness in previous lives.

Theosophists believe there is truth in each doctrine. That of the Hindu belief of the moral law of rewards and punishments, and the old school reincarnationists’s natural law idea.

There are three kinds of karma according to Hindu teachings. These are:

1- Samchita, or piled-up karma. Karma that is not yet worked out.

2- Prarabdha, or beginning karma. A persons destiny for that life.

3- Kriomana, the karma we are now making in this life by our current actions.

So, briefly, all unhappiness or pain is the result of some bad deed done in this, or some past life. And happiness, joy, and pleasure is the result of some good deed done in this or a previous life. Every soul will work out its karma and eventually reach God.

This quote gives us a good template to live our lives by: “There is a wonderful mythical law of nature that the three things we crave most in life- happiness, freedom, and peace of mind-are always attained by giving them to someone else.”

-Peyton Conway March

 

May you always be

Healthy, Happy,

Safe and Comfortable

 

Kelly Curtis

Reincarnation Part Two

July  2019

 

“I could well imagine that I might have lived in former centuries and there encountered questions I was not yet able to answer; that I had to be born again because I had not fulfilled the task that was given to me.”

-Carl Jung

 

I wrote in part one my idea of what reincarnation is. In part two I’ll present some compelling evidence for the existence of reincarnation. There are many things that point to its existence. A few examples are: Past life regressions, where a therapist guides the subject, using hypnotic regression, back in time until the subject reaches a past life. Then there’s xenoglossy, when one seems to know a language not formerly learnt. Some people may have spontaneous memories of past lives, and some child prodigies, piano virtuosos, for example,  claim to have known how to play in a past life. Some people have uncanny dreams of previous lives.

The following case is hard to dismiss: Alaskan Tlingit fisherman Victor Vincent told his niece Irene that he would be reborn as her son, showing her two scars from earlier operations. Victor died in the spring of 1946. Eighteen months later, Irene gave birth to a baby boy. The baby had two birth-marks at the exact location as Victor’s scars. When the baby was thirteen months old he insisted his name was Kahkody; Victor’s tribal name.

In another case, a three year old boy claimed he was murdered in a past life by an axe. He had a long birthmark on his head where he was struck. His family took him to many villages, until he finally recognized one. The boy suddenly walked up to a man in the village and said “I used to be your neighbor. We had a fight and you killed me with an axe. I even know where you buried my body.” The boy then led his elders to his body, and later, to the axe. Consequently, his killer confessed his crimes.

Four year old Edward hated rainy days and often complained of severe pain in his throat, he would say his shot hurt. After questioning he said he was in the trenches and described his life in the first world war, and how he was shot in the throat and killed. He eventually developed a cyst in his throat. After sharing more stories of his past life the cyst disappeared.

Then there’s the story told by a man who’s sister was born the year his father’s mother died. His father told him that as soon as his sister was old enough to talk, she said to the father: “I am your mother.”

I’ll let psychiatrist, physician, and well known reincarnation researcher Dr. Ian Stevenson have the last word:  “We are not obliged to believe that every case that suggests reincarnation has to be explained as an example of it. What we consider is whether there are some cases (or at least one case) in which there is no other explanation and reincarnation seems best to connect all the data.”

 

May you always be

Healthy, Happy

Safe and Comfortable

Kelly Curtis

Reincarnation Part One

 

“The soul grows by reincarnation in bodies provided bt nature, more complex, more powerful, as the soul unfolds greater and greater faculties. And so the soul climbs upward into the light eternal. And there is no fear for any child of man, for inevitably he climbs towards God.”

-Annie Besant

 

I’ve read much and more on the topic of reincarnation in my quest for greater spirituality. From everything I’ve gleaned on the subject I’ve come to believe in its veracity. Here’s my personal take on reincarnation: I believe we come here to learn and grow. We choose how, when, and where we come into this world. We choose our parents and life circumstances based on what we need to learn. We choose our paths to lead us that much closer to God, and each incarnation we get a bit closer. Some come into this world with harder lessons, some with easier. We may incarnate as a masle, or female, rich or poor, strong or weak, at any point on the planet. Indeed we’ve probably experienced all of these conditions and more, as we have all incarnated many times, perhaps thousands of times. Reincarnation makes more sense to me then having one chance, and blowing that chance, burning in hell for eternity. What kind of god would do that to us? Yikes.

Reincarnation; also called transmigration or rebirth, is the concept that the non-physical essence of a being starts a new life in a different body after death. It’s the central tenet of some Indian religions, Jainism, Buddhism, Sikhism, and Hinduism. Some ancient Greeks believed in reincarnation, literally, entering the flesh again.

Studies by Dr. Nat Khublall have revealed some consistencies in case studies of rebirth. Some of his findings: Learning from previous lives is retained. Personality traits persist from one life to the next. Facial features tend tend to be similar, as do body types. He’s also learned that the soul changes gender only ten to twenty percent of the time.

Reincarnation is based on the law of Karma, the goal being to progress to the highest level of being, and become on with the universe, or, God. Depending on the tradition, these new existances may be human, animal, spiritual, or vegetable. The status of each new body is the result of the quality of previous lives.

About two-thirds of us world-wide believe in reincarnation. Benjamin Franklin said: “The soul of man is immortal, and will be treated with justice in another life respecting its conduct in this.”

Carl Jung, Jack London, Plato, are just some believers. Charles Dickens wrote of it in ‘David Copperfield’, and Napoleon told his generals he was Charlemagne reincarnated.

This is all very compelling, but doesn’t prove the existence of reincarnation. In part two of this blog to be published in two days, I’ll include case studies of rebirth that may make you a believer of you.

The Law of Attraction

“Here’s the problem. Most people are thinking about what they don’t want, and they’re wondering why it shows up over and over again.”

-John Assaraf

 

In my post ‘Thoughts are things’ I stated that if we can imagine something and truly believe it, it will manifest into our lives. This is the law of attraction in a nutshell. Now let’s crack that nut and get to the prize inside.

I’ve had occasions, in my quest, where I believe the law of attraction has worked for me. When I say that, I mean that I intentionally made it work for me. We are constantly creating our reality by our thoughts. The placebo effect is an example of the law of attraction in action. We are attracting everything that’s coming into our lives by the thoughts and images in our minds. We are attracting whatever we are thinking about. Moreover; what we resist, we attract, because we focus on that with emotion. It’s all in our heads and hearts.

This is what quantum physicist Dr. Fred Alan Wolf says about it:

“Quantum physics says that you can’t have a universe without mind entering into it, and the mind is actually shaping the very thing that is being perceived.”

So, actions don’t really determine reality so much as thoughts do.

Now enough of the science behind the law of attraction. Let’s look at ways to make it work for us. First off, we must have faith, trust in the law. Expect the things you want, and give thanks in advance, just as if it has already come to pass. Speaking of giving; give in order to receive, the more we give, the more we receive. Foster the frequency of giving. Also, we must always come from an attitude of gratitude. If we keep a positive attitude, positive will happen to us. So visualize what it is you want. It might be a thing, a person, an event to occur, whatever. Visualize every detail you can, the more the better. Visualize from the perspective of already having it. Feel the excitement and joy. The more emotion you put into it, the better the results. We attract what we think about the most, so do this often. See your visualization as already being yours. Ask, believe, then let go. Don’t worry anymore about it, just keep believing. Remember, like attracts like, think of yourself as a magnet, now magnetize what it is you want and attract it to you.    Thoughts have frequencies. Match your frequency with what you want. You should also write out exactly what you want, this works wonderfully. I wrote out that I needed a home closer to the ranch I worked on,  and soon after I was living on the ranch! So you see, this stuff really works. Believe. I do.

 

May you always be

Healthy, Happy

Safe and Comfortable

 

Kelly Curtis

 

 

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Personal Power

July 10 2019

 

“Whatever you can do or dream you can, begin it. Boldness has genius, power, and magic in it.”

– Johann Wolfgang Von Goethe

 

I’ve come to learn, in my quest for a more spiritual life, that we as humans are very powerful. It’s no wonder, we are sparks of God. We are part of the one consciousness. Our bodies are vehicles for this consciousness, little sparks of God that have gone out into the universe to explore, to experience, to grow and learn, temper our souls, and work our way back to God. Part of God? Really? Kind of an arrogant way of thinking right? Well, here’s what author and professor of literature Joseph Campbell has to say about it – “You see, there are two ways of thinking ‘I am God.’ If you think, ‘I, here in my physical presence and in my temporal character, am God,’ then you are mad and have short-circuited the experience. You are God, not in your ego, but in your deepest being, where you are at one with the non dual transcendent.”

Heady stuff right? That we are vehicles for consciousness has been proven. Studies at the University of Virginia School of Medicine have found that the brain does not create consciousness as we’re used to thinking, but it is a receiver of consciousness, so that makes us very powerful indeed. We receive the same consciousness that created the universe; we create our own universe. We are not our body, we are God.

Once I began to understand this, I saw that I am powerful enough to accomplish my dreams and live my highest purpose. Now, I can’t go out and perform miracles. Yet, ha ha. I have a lot of work to do in this area. I have to unlearn everything that’s been programed into my brain since I was born. It’s all in what we believe. We create our reality, but really, our reality was created for us by first, our parents, then teachers and others that interacted with us. We were taught that we can’t do miracles, that this or that is the way life is. It’s hard, but we must unlearn the old programs and remember that we are Gods. Like sparks from a forest fire, drifting off to start our own fires, and grow. We can grow, thrive, and soar, out into the universe. Remember who you are – Boldness has genius, power and magic in it.

 

May you always be

Healthy, Happy

Safe and Comfortable

 

Kelly Curtis

Mindfulness

July 7 2019

 

“The best way to capture moments is to pay attention. This is how we cultivate mindfulness.”

Jon Kabat Zinn

 

In my quest for a more spiritual life I’ve found the practice of mindfulness to be most important. Stilling my mind, if just for fifteen or twenty minutes a day is just what the Yogi ordered. That constant chattering going on in my head, those in the know call it ‘Monkey Mind’. If you’re anything like me, you know what I mean. There’s a song running in a constant loop as soon as I step out of bed. Where this song comes from is a mystery, but it’s a different song each day. At least my inner DJ is a fan of variety. This inner music, or dialog goes on all day; while I’m waiting for my boss to pick me up in the company truck at the park and ride, while eating lunch, pretty much always. Something had to be done. Mindfulness meditation was just the ticket.

I’ve dabbled in meditation off and on for years and have found it to be very challenging. Though I’ve gotten a little more serious about it lately. I’ve found that the technique that works best for me is Breath Meditation. I get comfortable – no Lotus position for Mister Stiff here, it also kills my tailbone. I’m just not made for that position. I just sit in a  chair, or on a pillow on the floor. The important thing is to keep the spine straight. I then take a few deep breaths and relax my body as much as possible, then I simply concentrate on each breath. I don’t always get very far before a thought intrudes. When I notice one of these stealthy intruders, I just let it go, let it float on by like a cloud and resume concentrating on the breath. This happens many times in my session. I don’t get upset, I just notice the thought, let it go, and resume watching my breath. That’s the practice.

I’ve found that so far in my practice the run-away thoughts are still with me through-out the day. What mindfulness does do for me is that it helps me notice these thoughts more often, helping me to calm my mind, and become more aware of my breathing.

As Thich Nhat Hanh said: “The present moment is the only time over which we have dominion.”

The more I practice mindfulness at home, the more I remember the practice throughout the day. I notice my breathing more while in line at the store, or any idle time I have. The greatest benefit to me is that I notice my thoughts more often and can stifle the negative ones. Since thoughts are things, this is very important.

 

May you always be

Healthy, Happy,

Safe, and Comfortable.

 

Kelly Curtis

Thoughts are things

July 6 2019

“Believe in your heart that you’re meant to live a life full of passion, purpose, magic, and miracles.”

Roy T Bennett

 

Thoughts are things – quite a statement. Is this true? Yes, according to quantum physics. It’s the universal law of potential and probability. If the universe is potential and probability, then anything is possible. So, if you can imagine it in your mind, it is possible, it has the potential to exist in our physical world. Wow. How does that work?

The universe is an energetic field and we are part of this field of potentiality. Since we are a part of this field, it is available to us. It is my belief that  this field that permeates the entire universe is God. This potentiality is in the form of energy. Everything in the universe exists as energy vibrating at different levels, or frequencies. Solid matter as exists in our world vibrates at a much lower frequency than say our souls.

Now, if all of this is true then we have great power. Thoughts are things, this is how the law of attraction works. If we can imagine something, and believe, truly believe it, it will manifest in our lives. In order for this manifestation to occur we create powerful thoughts, or energy waves. These waves match the potential in the universal field to create that thought or idea.

Today I’m writing more about creating our own reality rather than how to use the law of attraction. As we have seen, thoughts are powerful. We must be very careful with them. If I spend my day thinking negative thoughts; I’ll have negative experiences. Conversely, If I spend my day thinking positively, I’ll attract positive events, people, and things in general into my life.

I’d like to quote Albert Einstein again –    “Everything is energy and that’s all there is to it. Match the frequency of the reality you want and you cannot help but get that reality. It can be no other way. This is not philosophy. This is physics.”

That sums it up beautifully. I believe I’m in the negative employment situation I find myself in now because of the negative attitude I had towards being an ’employee’, and my attitude towards my rather grumpy and petty boss. I’m treating this job as a test and learning experience. I’ve learned how to be more positive towards the experience, and that has helped considerably. My life is improving as I learn to be more positive, especially in difficult situations. Let’s all try to be more positive, perhaps it will raise our vibrations and the vibration of our beautiful planet.

Remember: Thoughts are things, be careful!

May you always be

Healthy, Happy

Safe, and Comfortable

 

Kelly Curtis

Gratitude

July 4th 2019

 

“Let us rise and be thankful, for if we didn’t learn a lot today, at least we learned a little, and if we didn’t learn a little, at least we didn’t get sick, and if we got sick, at least we didn’t die; so let us all be thankful.”

-Buddha

 

   Gratitude, it’s such an important quality to have. One of the most important I believe, right up there with kindness and honesty. I’ve really been trying to foster my sense of gratitude in the last few years, develop an attitude of gratitude if you will.

   At this time I’m working in a physically and spiritually challenging job, and living from paycheck to paycheck, but when I stop and think about my present situation, I realize that I’m far better off than the majority of people on this planet. I’m probably not even what would be considered lower middle class here in the U.S., but I have so much. I live in a safe environment, I can walk down any street at any time and not fear for my life. I have plenty of food and clean water, hot or cold, whichever I prefer. I live in a wonderful home, so I have shelter, and a comfortable bed. Most importantly though, I have a wonderful woman, Erin, to share life with. Plus, Annie, the best dog ever, and our three cats, one of which we saved from living in a wood pile. I’m sure he’s grateful. I say a prayer every night; thanking the universe for all of my blessings and for taking care of my loved ones and I. Sometimes I may forget these things, but I’ve made it a habit, at the end of my warm shower each night to give thanks. I love my wonderful, tension dissolving showers, so that’s how I remember to say my thanks each night. I’ve also developed the habit on my bike ride to work each morning, of asking the universe to bless all of the beings I encounter that day.

Gratitude is so very important. Let’s all try to be thankful for our blessings. You might have many challenges in your life, but look for the good. I’m sure you can find many blessings if you try. Live from love and gratitude, that will bring much needed positive vibrations to our beautiful planet. Find a time each day to thank the universe, or God, if you prefer, for you blessings. Live in an attitude of gratitude. If you could do that, I would be very grateful.

 

May you always be

Healthy, Happy,

Safe and comfortable

 

Seth Kelly Curtis