Debra Basham

Living and Loving

Tag: SCS Matters

  • Pondering Becoming a Pundit

    “You’re braver than you believe,
    stronger than you seem
    and smarter than you think.”
    ~ Christopher Robin

    A precious friend told me about 45 years ago that I should be a political pundit. According to Wikipedia, a pundit is a person who offers to mass media their opinion or commentary on a particular subject area (most typically political analysis, the social sciences, technology or sport) on which they are knowledgeable (or can at least appear to be knowledgeable), or considered a scholar in said area.

    Having watched the 2020 Presidential debates, I began the day today by asking for a revelation of truth about all of this.

    From my journal:

    V:
    How would you articulate what you already see?

    D:
    1. Whomever is elected, we will still have some navigating to do.
    2. Whomever is elected, we can choose peace.
    3. Whomever is elected, we can continue mean-spiritedness.
    4. Whomever is elected, the need to tap into the well of wisdom remains.

    V:
    There is nothing more you need to see.

    My soul longs to hear leaders courageous enough to speak the truth to a collective courageous enough to recognize truth when they hear it: “I know uncertainty can be unpleasant. While we want definitive answers to what we will do and what we will encounter, the truth is, we don’t yet know. I can promise you I will remind myself over and over that we access more wisdom and creativity in unity than in divisiveness. I assure you I aspire to have the humility to ask those who see things differently to help me see what brought them to their conclusion so we can gain wisdom together. It is without a doubt that I would be lying to make campaign promises to you beyond these truths….”

    Perhaps we would do well to make Stephen Covey’s 1989 book,7 Habits of Highly Effective People, compulsory in all education forums. You might appreciate a summary of the 7 Habits.

    Habit 1: Be Proactive® …
    Habit 2: Begin With the End in Mind® …
    Habit 3: Put First Things First® …
    Habit 4: Think Win-Win® …
    Habit 5: Seek First to Understand, Then to Be Understood® …
    Habit 6: Synergize® …
    Habit 7: Sharpen the Saw®

    For the theme of today’s blog, lets focus on Habit # 6:

    Innovate and problem solve with those who have a different point of view. To put it simply, synergy means “two heads are better than one.” Synergize is the habit of creative cooperation. It is teamwork, open-mindedness, and the adventure of finding new solutions to old problems. But it doesn’t just happen on its own.

    “If the person you are talking to
    doesn’t appear to be listening,
    be patient.
    It may simply be that
    he has a small piece of fluff in his ear.”
    ~ Winnie the Pooh

    In 2004, Covey published The 8th Habit: From Effectiveness to Greatness. It seems most fitting for us now:

    The crucial challenge of our world today is this: to find our voice and inspire others to find theirs. It is what Covey calls the 8th Habit. The 8th Habit is the answer to the soul’s yearning for greatness, the organization’s imperative for significance and superior results, and humanity’s search for its “voice.”

    “A little consideration,
    a little thought for others,
    makes all the difference.”
    —Eeyore

    * Special thanks to Winnie the Pooh and friends for the powerful pundit points!

  • 21st Century Mystic

    Sacred Stories

    They were on FaceTime, sharing their reentry to the “real” world after having been on retreat for a week. The conversation turned to the awkwardness that can arise when using intuition in our everyday work life, especially in fields that do not embrace this path.

    One mentioned having heard author Alan Seale say, “In the 21st century we will all become mystics or we will be nothing at all.” She went on to mention how spiritual practice historically had been cloistered, where those called to service were likely living within religious community that understood such a calling. On Becoming a 21st Century Mystic: Pathways to Intuitive Living, was written in 1997. Very different from today!

    A few minutes after their conversation ended, the other friend sent a text message with a photo of a paragraph written by the Buddhist nun, Pema Chödrön:


    Along with the quotation was her comment, “I guess women have always had to figure out how to be busy mystics when cloistering was not available for them. Thought this part of my reading was a synchronicity with what we had discussed.”

    From the back cover of On Becoming a 21st Century Mystic:

    Intuition, in its highest form, is nothing less than the voice of God within you. It is one of God’s greatest gifts. Journey deep into your heart. Uncover your innate intuitive gifts. Discover vast realities beyond your outer senses. Experience the oneness of your rational and intuitive minds. A breakthrough book – a clear and practical guide for spiritual and intuitive living in the 21st century.

  • On the Shark’s Terms

    Like my parents taught me,
    ‘There are no monsters in the sea,
    only the ones we make up in our heads.’
    ~ Christina Zenato

    A friend shared an amazing video of a woman swimming with sharks. But this woman is not just “swimming” with the sharks. Christina Zenato, a professional diver, is removing fish hooks caught in their flesh!

    Christina says, “It’s done on the shark’s terms, not mine.”

    Amen!

    Christina has a box containing over 300 hooks….

    I wrote in my journal earlier today:

    Dear Holy Spirit,

    I am so impatient with John. What will help me be kind?

    (Note* The catalyst for this latest round of impatience was him wanting to use the tablet Stacey gave him instead of lugging around the huge 3-ringed binder. He went the home of a music friend who has software he likes a lot. John returned minus his tablet, excited that his friend was going to set it up for him. Soon, John’s friend came, unable to complete the download without my email address. I get triggered into frustration at having to manage John’s technology as well as my own, especially when it is something I am not fluent in. True confession: I do not know how to work this Android tablet, nor do I know anything about this software….)

    The VOICE in my journal responded:

    V: The impatience is not with him, it is within you. Like so many humans currently, strong emotions around the helplessness related to the pandemic are arising. Are you providing enough space for all you are experiencing? We know you are navigating a lot, but so was Viktor Frankl.

    Man’s Search for Meaning is a 1946 book by Viktor Frankl chronicling his experiences as a prisoner in Nazi concentration camps during World War II. Living through horrific happenings, Frankl was able to find purpose and positive feelings using his psychotherapeutic method.

    A quick search brought up this quotation:

      Between stimulus and response there is a space.
      In that space is our power to choose our response.
      In our response lies our growth and our freedom.

      ~ Viktor Frankl

    During the Oakwood Retreat, John Orr shared having asked Aaron why human incarnation is so difficult. Aaron said we choose incarnation because the catalysts for growth are so readily available on this heavy density plane. Aaron said there is a plane on which soul growth can happen without so much difficulty, but without a physical or emotional body (only a mental and spiritual body), the soul growth is soooooo slow, like millions of years. Aaron said, “Soul’s who are impatient for growth choose the earth plane!”

    Between stimulus and response there is a space….

    You can watch for “divine” themes in each day. Howard Thurman’s Word for the Day from Gratefulness.org : Whatever may be the tensions and the stresses of a particular day, there is always lurking close at hand the trailing beauty of forgotten joy or unremembered peace.

    In that space is our power to choose our response….


    And the Deep Spring Center Thought for Today from Aaron:
    Perhaps as you sit there by the water, let’s use a big sloppy wet dog as example, the dog comes running along and jumps across your lap. You’re wet, you’re covered with sand. You have a scratch where his claws dug into the flesh. He’s licking your feet and it’s an unpleasant feeling. Ultimate reality has not gone anywhere; pure awareness hasn’t gone anywhere; but for the moment you can’t access it. Your mind and body come back to a lower vibration. You breathe a few times. A friend comes over and dries you off with a towel. You open up, see the dog frolicking so happily, catch his joy a bit, and you open back up into pure awareness.

    In our response lies our growth and our freedom….

    May all beings experience the beauty of forgotten joy or unremembered peace.

  • Blue Jays!

    Sacred Stories

    She was out of state, caring for/visiting with her elderly father, when she received a text message from a friend: “Not sure what’s going on with you, but Blue Jays are hanging out here in groups up to a half dozen.” Her friend knew that Blue Jays were often a spiritual visitor for her….

    She wrote back: “I am here at Dad’s, enjoying many ordinary moments. I had many Blue Jays at my feeder before I left and wondered where they would find food while I was gone. I had hoped they would head to your nearby home. Perhaps they have!”

    They both understood.

    EVERYTHING responds to loving intention….

    (Note* – The “totem” meaning of Blue Jay is strength and endurance; we are able to endure difficult situations in life.”)

  • Mercury Retrograde! October 14 – November 3

    Belief can be overrated. If one did not believe in gravity, would gravity still have an effect? Of course, it would. It is likely that astrological influences are having an effect on us in much the same way.

    Mercury went retrograde on October 14, where it will stay through November 3.

    Tuesday, November 3, 2020, is election day….

    How Mercury In Retrograde Is Affecting Your Body And Energy Levels – It’s all happening! by Susannah Guthrie

    Expect to have more or less energy than you’re used to, particularly of the nervous variety.

    October 2020’s Mercury retrograde will either sap you of your usual zest and leave you feeling lethargic, or fill you with chaotic, scattered energy that might have you feeling restless, unfocused and anxious.

    In our third year of Dharma Path, Barbara Brodsky and Arron (check out Aaron’s new blog) have us working with a wonderful practice to navigate strong emotions in a way that prevents us from being overcome by them.

    Here are the basic steps of “Akashic Field Practice.”

    1. I open myself to this field in which there are both spaciousness and calm and peace, and disturbances. Because of the essence of my practice, I am willing to experience the disturbance. I’m not afraid of the disturbance, because I know that the spaciousness is much vaster than the disturbance. And so, instead of focusing on the disturbance, I focus on the spaciousness.

    (We are encouraged to think of holding and comforting these uncomfortable emotions like we would hold a distressed baby, seeing the baby as a more infantile consciousness, and we ourselves are able to hold that infantile consciousness with mature consciousness. Saying to ourselves, “It is going to be OK. I love you. You are safe.” This holding, comforting, supporting is based on our highest intention for highest good of all beings, harm to none, and lovingkindness.)

    2. Invite spirit (God/Higher self/Love) to support your choice for kindness.

    3. Ask in your heart of any entities (angels/guides/masters) that come, “Do you come for the highest good, in service to all beings, and harm to none?” Wait until you get a clear YES.

    4. Invite all loving beings (entities) to get closer as you clearly state your need. “My body is shaking. I really feel rotten. I’m not emotionally scared so much as my heart is pounding and I feel the fear in my whole body. Please help.”

    Imagine feeling a warm energy moving throughout your body; loving energy surrounding you; energy clearing, as spaciousness opens up inside you.

    Remember YOU always have access to this energy. This is always available.

    Music can help your “mature” consciousness calm your “infantile” consciousness, especially kind during this Mercury retrograde over the next few weeks. I love Karen Druker’s Gentle with Myself, and Cecelia’s Amazing Grace (with whale sounds!).

    October 14, 2020 Daily Word: Let Go, Let God

    I work in divine partnership to accomplish great things.

    A surfer harnesses the ocean’s power to complete the exhilarating ride to shore. I, too, place myself within the divine wave of God’s power. I neither move out in front of it by forcing my will nor do I hold back out of fear and insecurity. Only when I center myself in the wave can I discern the answer or direction I seek. I let go into the magnificent power of God and ride the wave that is my inner guidance and direction.

    In prayer, I release the need to know what is going to happen and trust that my highest good is unfolding. I do what is mine to do, leaving the greater part to God. I listen to my intuitive knowing, heed the guidance I receive, and then follow through on my inner promptings with deliberate, purposeful action.

    You are indeed my rock and my fortress; for your name’s sake lead me and guide me.—Psalm 31:3

  • Airbnb

    Sacred Stories

    Difficult as it was, she determined she probably needed to cancel her plans to go to an Airbnb for her birthday. Money was tight.

    Going online, there was a message on the listing: Aaron wants you to enjoy your stay!

    Her spiritual teacher’s name is Aaron….

    “According to Vedanta, there are only two symptoms of enlightenment, just two indications that a transformation is taking place within you toward a higher consciousness. The first symptom is that you stop worrying. Things don’t bother you anymore. You become light-hearted and full of joy. The second symptom is that you encounter more and more meaningful coincidences in your life, more and more synchronicities. And this accelerates to the point where you actually experience the miraculous. (quoted by Carol Lynn Pearson in Consider the Butterfly)”
    ― Deepak Chopra, Synchrodestiny: Harnessing the Infinite Power of Coincidence to Create Miracles

  • 1:30 pm

    Sacred Stories

    She used her “walking meditation” time to enjoy a bike ride. Summer was gone now, and winter was closer day-by-day.

    Today was beautiful, and she was debating taking a longer ride — soooo welcome after seven long days of sitting meditation. She could use the time set aside for lunch/rest to log another five miles.

    Observing the practice of noble silence throughout the retreat, she had her phone with her but the ringer was shut off. Something nudged her to check her phone, and she saw a text message from the Zoom host. The message had been sent at 12:52 pm.

    “I have some things to attend to this afternoon. Okay to make you the host starting at 1:30?”

    She immediately sent a text message back: “I am out on my bike right now, and it may be a couple of minutes after 1:30 before I get there, but I’m heading back right now.”

    That nudge to check her phone came at the exact point where she could get back.

    She logged on to Zoom as host at 1:30 pm….

  • Barbara’s Call

    Sacred Stories

    She sent email sharing a funny experience:

      While lying in a yoga pose listening to a friend/spiritual teacher’s (Barbara’s) instructions, recorded at retreat the previous day, almost falling asleep, the phone rang.

      Strange.

      It said the call was from Barbara.

      How could she be calling while I am listening to her giving a talk? It was almost an out-of-body experience.

      I answered the phone and indeed it was Barbara!

      Duh!

      I told her about it and she thought it was funny, too! (Sort of like dreams I wake up from, feeling they’re so real, that people are with me in the house, so I go to the back bathroom instead of the one I usually go to so that I don’t wake them up! And then I see that no one is there!)


    The world of reality has its limits; the world of imagination is boundless.
    ~ Jean Jacques Rousseau

  • Poppies

    Sacred Stories

    She had just spent 8 days on “virtual” retreat. Her closing remarks included her sharing of Poppies, a beautiful poem by Mary Oliver. As many, this Mary Oliver poem focuses on elements of nature.

    Moments after her sharing of the poem, a friend also attending the “virtual” retreat sent the following photo and message:

    My recent purchase: poppies on glass.

    The following morning, she sent her friend this message:

    Just had to share with you this amazing additional piece of synchronicity with poppies, this one by this year’s Nobel Prize winner Louise Gluck (whom I’ve only recently discovered and like a lot). This came just yesterday, as the poem of the day, but I saw it in my email today. I think it’s interesting that once again, the themes of our retreat and the teachings we receive in general are mirrored in this poem in the voice of a poppy.

    A few lines from Mary Oliver’s poem: Poppies

    There isn’t a place
    in this world that doesn’t

    sooner or later drown
    in the indigos of darkness,

    But I also say this: that light
    is an invitation
    to happiness,
    and that happiness,

    when it’s done right,
    is a kind of holiness,
    palpable and redemptive.

    Thank you, Mary Oliver, thank you poppies….


  • Let it Shine!

    We think that the point is to pass the test or overcome the problem, but the truth is that things don’t really get solved. They come together and they fall apart. Then they come together again and fall apart again. It’s just like that. The healing comes from letting there be room for all of this to happen: room for grief, for relief, for misery, for joy.

    ~ Pema Chödrön

    This week’s Oakwood Retreat has been very intense. Staying at home for retreat has some benefits. You don’t have the expense of lodging or travel time, and you get to sleep in your own bed. Like all of life, though, everything holds its opposite.

    The morning instruction on working skillfully with distortion and heavy emotions was soooooo relevant…

    I have had one of the decidedly most unskillful weeks I have had for decades. When you are sitting in meditation for 6-8 hours, day after day, stuff will come up. The catalyst for my stuff was the (hopefully) last of the work to complete home repair related to the mold remediation. But vital to realize the catalyst (whatever the catalyst) is not the distortion. The distortion is how we relate to the what is triggering us.

    On one walk, I saw two crickets. On another, about a half dozen earth worms. Twice I had a red-bellied woodpecker hanging right on my window! Every day that shrub is filled with the comings and goings of sparrows. But one morning I heard a disturbance, opened my eyes and saw that a hawk was actually in the middle of the shrub. I had six Blue Jays at the feeder one morning, and this morning I had four big crows.

    Cricket totem: A sign of good luck in many cultures, cricket symbolizes initiative and intelligence, and having the gift of foresight.

    Earthworm totem: Working old ground; examining the past and its effects upon present conditions; including exploring past lives.

    Sparrow totem: Integrity, empowerment, persistence, hard work, peace and wisdom. Guides us to learn to work hard with all.

    Woodpecker totem: The power of rhythm. Discrimination. Connected to the heartbeat of Mother Earth herself. Symbolizes the stimulation and awakening of new mental faculties. New ways to look at things — new wisdom and new rhythms to dance to.

    Hawk totem: Represents focus, strength, and poise, and can show you your hidden abilities to lead yourself and others to a more positive outcome.

    Blue Jay totem: Symbolized by assertiveness, determination, and above all, intelligence.

    Crow totem: Watchful creatures with sharp and powerful foresight. An omen of transformation and change.

    When you go on retreat, you practice noble silence. This does not just mean not talking. You are excused from any of the normal social politeness. No small talk, no anticipating others needs, no distracting yourself with discursive thought. You see clearly the weeds in your own garden. So I wrote a poem.

      When Weeds Grow: A Haiku

      Every place where weeds grow
      Oxygen is shared with you
      Breathe in and feel TRUTH

      Challenges abound
      And LOVE is always around
      We have so much help

      What do you see as
      Weeds grow there in your garden?
      Breathe…. They are pure gift

    During the final sitting, my mind went back to some trauma I experienced while traveling to Europe in 2011 — this exact same week! Mind was churning trying to remember the details. What was the name of the country where I had gone to the exotic gardens? Thinking, grasping, trying to remember until I let my mind soften, like taking a step back, and simply intended access to the information. Pop! Monaco….

    This is not a new lesson for me. I remember leaving the house a bit late with my earrings in my hand. Pulling up to the stop sign, the left earring slipped in but I could not find the hole in my right ear. The next stop sign, I tried again. Again without success. At the third stop sign I asked for help. Pop! The earring went right in and I heard a voice say, “We would have helped at the first stop sign if you had asked.”

    I have wired lamps, lifted heavy objects, remembered things, found things, and received guidance regularly for a very long time. Our teacher, Aaron, was speaking of how the mundane mind can be very helpful to orchestrate some tasks. One student asked Aaron if he uses Barbara Brodsky’s mundane mind for working with the technology. Aaron replied, “No, I just invite the computer to co-create with me.”

    The current conditions are chaotic. We need all the co-creation with spirit we can access. As Aaron said, “How can I save anyone if I can’t save myself?”

    This week I saw a quotation by Thich Nhat Hanh: “The next Buddha may be a sangha.”

    It definitely took a sangha to offer this wonderful week of focused dharma practice. Sharing a few notes from my journal:

    You have come as midwives. You can be the midwife who is there in the room being calm or the one running around the room saying, “It isn’t coming quickly enough!”

    Be with things as they are. Not stoically, but lovingly. Liberation means walking on the unstable ground and finding your own balance.

    Allow the practice to ground us in the innate perfection without denial of the conditions.

    Say, “I consecrate this effort to the good of all beings.”

    Each time you are able to offer kindness in a difficult condition, it changes the world around you.

    One day when we sang “This Little Light of Mine” the teacher said it is really a great big light, so I wrote new words to the tune:

    This GREAT Big Light of Mine
    (sing it to the tune of This Little Light of Mine)

    This GREAT BIG light of mine
    I’m gonna let it shine
    This GREAT BIG light of mine
    This light is divine
    This GREAT BIG light of mine
    Isn’t even really mine
    Let it shine, let it shine, let it

    Let it shine around your town
    We can let it shine
    We have help, we’re not alone
    Please just let it shine
    Let it shine when fear appears
    We can let it shine
    Let it shine, let it shine, let it shine