Storm Surge in Your Life! – Richard’s Commentary and Glenn Smith’s Obituary

I had one of those days when it may have been better to remain in bed under the covers! Yes, it was another storm surge kind of day! It built up early after a late night wrestling with video production, technical issues, computer sluggishness, internet connectivity glitches. The storm actually started early yesterday. I hope it surged to its climax today as I lost a DVD player (don’t ask!) and made two trips out to get the produce from our CSA (Community Supported Agriculture) farm (their delivery truck broke down, so they were having a stormy day too!).

But I do have a perspective on all of this I need to share:

On May 9, 2013, a friend and colleague, Glenn M. Smith, died suddenly and shockingly, in Huntsville, Canada. He had been ill for some months with strange symptoms attributed to ALS and then Lyme disease. I learned of this diagnosis and thought, OK, treatment is available. Then I received word he had passed. This was truly a sudden and violent storm!

Glenn and I met at a Baeth Davis Scientific Hand Analysis event and then stayed in contact and met again at another Baeth Life Purpose event. Baeth saw potential in both of us as caring, sensitive, yet strong men and suggested we figure a way to work together. We started a blog, PowerfulSensitiveMen.com and posted a few things along the way. But we both were busy with other things and then Glenn fell ill.

I have been asking myself, and him, what we should do with the blog. And I got a pretty clear answer today to write this post, post it on the blog and then see what happens. First I want to post part of Glenn’s obituary that appeared in the Toronto Star on May 24:

Glenn Smith passed away peacefully in Huntsville on May 9, 2013 of ALS and Lyme Disease. Glenn was born on April 27, 1958 in Richmond, BC, to parents Wesley and Lorraine. He is survived by his beloved partner of 7 years, Sharon Miller…Glenn was a tradesman, a massage therapist, an author (Lotus Petal) and spiritual guide. Glenn loved to play and have fun. He acted, learned the trumpet and joined a dance class in his forties. He loved to test his body through athletics – as a football and baseball player, as a runner and as a triathlete. He loved the outdoors – boating, swimming and skiing. He was an incredible cook. He was a meditator for over 30 years and a spiritual man. He loved quietly and gently being of service to others. Mostly Glenn loved Sharon. He and Sharon shared a deep love and connection that inspired others.

Glenn was a “powerful, sensitive man.” He is truly missed. I regret not having the opportunity to pursue our work together in the physical but I have a sense we will be working together in another format; because for me the work needs to continue. I know that he agrees. And whether or not our joint blog continues is only a matter of form.

I have more to say about this and Glenn, but for today I want this post to reflect his gentle nature and sweet presence I feel as I write. I will write more about storm surges and their impacts tomorrow.

My little rain-storm today was nothing compared to what Glenn and Sharon have been through. Perspective is always so sobering and so calming to that inner storm!

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Struggling? You’re Not Alone! –Richard’s Commentary

I don’t know about you but at first blush I am not comforted by Rosemary’s words that I am “not alone” in the struggles I am experiencing. Of course, what she means is not so much that I am in good company but rather that I can reach out for help because help is always there.

I don’t live vicariously. Yes, I am happy when others are happy; but I don’t seek happiness through others. And yes, I feel sad when others are sad; but I realize my sadness does not help them feel better. So, feeling that others are struggling along with me through these tumultuous times, does not ease my struggle. But finding help does!

I am fortunate to live with someone who is of great help. Rosemary is very generous with me and invites me to her events free-of-charge! Well, yes, I do offer her technical support for these events so there is an exchange of services offered. The real point here is I get great advice, especially when Rosemary hosts a Conversation with The Other Side! This was the case Monday evening, this past May 20th. And it was a great group of people who joined us, mostly online by internet and phone! As always the messages for each individual resonated with the entire group. And, I too received personal messages.

As is typical of these Conversations there were themes and key phrases and words that kept coming up for individuals and the group. Interestingly one of these words was “trying.” People seemed to be “trying to be themselves”, “trying to let go”, ”trying to be present”, “trying to trust” etc. The guides on The Other Side equated this “trying” with “struggling.” They said “trying” doesn’t do it; it doesn’t get the job done. It is a struggle to “try” so give it up. Their advice is to just “be.” Accept things as they are and look for support where it is always available.

There were several stories through the evening of Angel support: car accidents avoided, slips and near falls that didn’t result in falls, help with financial matters. How often do you stop and think to ask your Angels for support? Have you ever experienced an “almost-accident” that didn’t happen and you have no explanation of how you avoided it? Could it have been your Guardian Angel? One participant does work with Angel energy; but she even received advice to ask for their help! I for one am going to start asking my Angels for their help through times of struggle.

Part of my message was about my struggle with “shoulds.” This is a struggle against who I really am, a struggle to fit someone else’s definition of “who I should be.” The message was to “let go and trust.” Trust was another theme of the evening. Struggle comes from not trusting. It is so much easier to simply relax into a trusting mode that everything is working out as it will (not as it “should.”).

Rosemary’s Conversations are always powerful and filled with wonderful advice. Often it is both specific to the individual receiving the messages and Universal in application to the entire group that assembles. The messages from Monday were no exception. And as a special offer to my readers I will add my message in tomorrow’s (Friday’s) post. Be sure to tune in for that message!

And be sure to “tune-in” for the next Conversation Rosemary offers. You won’t be sorry! You might even get advice on how to stop the struggle and go with the flow! I sure did.

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Brain Science, Storytelling, and YOU! – Richard’s Commentary

I have a recent story to tell and I hope I only have to tell it once! As always it is a question of learning the lessons. Here’s the story:

About a week ago I started running a fever. I had no real symptoms other than the severe body aches and pains that often accompany a fever. As this one developed not only did the aches and pains get worse but the fever turned into significant shakes and sweats over a three-day and night period. I had not experienced this kind of illness since I came down with malaria in Africa more than 40 years ago – it was that bad!

The fever was at its worst right at the New Moon/Solar eclipse last Thursday evening. I went to the doc Friday afternoon about the time I started to feel just a bit better. Lots of causes, thankfully, have been eliminated. And now I am much better, finishing a course of antibiotics even though I suspect it was viral. But much more important than the medical report or even my symptoms and treatment are the lessons and symbols represented by this fever and my experience of it.

I have been processing this experience, this story since I was well enough to meditate and write about it. And my old friends, QRS (remember my “floating heads”?) have helped me with some interpretation. Here’s the real story of my serious fever:

What is the message from my unconscious mind via my body?

QRS: Your body heated up to burn out some impurities. The shakes were because you are not using the “shaking technique” from Jeff Primack (this is a Qi-generating approach by shaking the whole body for a period of time; we did it for 12 minutes at the Qi-Revolution weekend!). Do it for five minutes every day. It will help. The sweats were to purge impurities through your largest organ – your skin. Shower to cleanse away the toxins. Heat, fire is from the heart. You are heart-broken for multiple reasons. The fever was a reminder of the fire and passion of your heart and that you need to attend and mend the brokenness before you can do any real work of consequence. The fire was a tempering and a mending process. You will emerge from this stronger if you take these words “to heart”! The weakness was to get you to rest. You have to be quiet to mend. Your quiet time has helped. The aches and pains were your body knocking at your door to let you know it needs your care. Yes, Qigong has been good. But keep it up. Don’t let your body turn to brittle old bones!

Your mind has been in a fog. This was a reminder to not slip away into a fog like your dad did! Awaken! And stay awake.

You think you have been working hard on yourself. Don’t mistake effort for accomplishment. Working hard is only part of it. Achieving is necessary. Awaken! It is time to break out. Move beyond the chrysalis stage and emerge, fly. You have so much to do, but time is not infinite. Deaths of your friends are to remind you of this. Their time ran out; mission accomplished. Yes, you have your purpose, your mission, but you only have the rest of your life to fulfill it. Don’t let us down. Wake up!

This explanation of my story has helped me realize the fever had its purpose. And I have my lesson to take to heart. As I wrote this I also recalled the Buddhist prayer, or Evening Gatha, we recited at Zen Mountain Monastery when I spent some time there:

Let me respectfully remind you,
Life and death are of supreme importance.
Time swiftly passes by and opportunity is lost.
Each of us should strive to awaken. . .
. . . awaken,
Take heed. Do not squander your life.

Do not squander your life…

Are You the Rose or the Thorn? – Richard’s Commentary

I write this on a nasty, stormy day here in the East – blame storm “Saturn” for it. In Annapolis we were fortunate enough to get nothing but rain and a little wind, nothing too damaging. Oh, there was an overturned semi-tractor-trailer on the Bay Bridge which shut down both spans in both directions. This is a major headache for traffic in this area and it ties up roadways for miles and hours. I’m sure a few thorns came out for people today!

I felt a bit prickly myself. It is a very busy week for me working to get class material finalized and assembled for Rosemary, helping to set up presentations and making sure I am ready to video record the whole class, working on my own practices including preparation for Qigong Instructor Certification this Saturday, and keeping up with the normal routine.

And with the storm shutting down schools and work for the anticipated snow the house was full of people today with many pulls on attention and energy. The energy, in fact, swirled at times beyond the normal boundaries and out of control. My Qi was disturbed.

I am working hard to keep my calm, to smooth out my Qi, to remain in flow and let go of all the little things that can too often ruffle my feathers. And yet my thorns came out! In some sense these thorns were for protection, not necessarily of my beautiful inner rose, but of my time, my priorities, my space, my practice, my, my, my…

But is this why the rose has thorns, to hide her flower. I don’t think so. The rose displays her beauty for all to see. Her light shines on everyone. She opens her softness to reveal that light and inner beauty. All she asks in return is a small amount of space. Her thorns protect that space. Yes, they are sharp but they only stick in a little bit, only as a warning not to come any closer.

Too often my thorns stab too deep. I only need a little space and too often create cold distance. I need time to breathe but don’t want to breathe alone. I struggle with balance here between protection and open sharing of my light.

The advice I hear is to “be the Rose that you are and shed the thorns.” I am working on this, working on the openness. Is it always safe to do this?

Wednesday evening Rosemary and I were part of a Spiritual Exploration Group. It is a group that comes together by invitation to share deeply. It is a safe place; and many of us share very deeply about personal experiences. Everything shared stays in the room. It is easy to shed my thorns in this group. I have no fear of my space there. Can I take this feeling of safety into the outer world and share my light? Can I shed all my defenses and open my lamp-shade to let out the light?

It is time. We have moved beyond 2012 and well into the 21st Century. It is time for all of us to come into our true selves, to shine our light and to be open to the flow of the Universe. It begins inside, where the light originates. We first let go of the thorns that prick us from the inside; some call them our “demons.” Egos have thorns that keep us in line! These are good for survival, just as the rose uses her thorns to protect her space for survival. But maybe we need to move beyond basic survival needs and into the light.

We cannot transform the world with thorns. We can work toward a better world through open acceptance of our light and to shine that light through fulfilling our purpose, what Rosemary calls our “soul commitment.”

Maybe that commitment needs to be stronger than our need for protection!

Where Are You Headed? – Richard’s Commentary

Permission, Dreams, Plans. Yes, these are the steps to answer the question of heading.

Permission is a big first step! Many of us find ourselves in situations that are stressful, unfulfilling, and far from the dreams we may have had as kids or younger adults. And nearly as many find themselves with the sense they are locked in to a life “not of their choosing.” Well, I don’t like to be the bearer of bad news, but humans are all about “choice.” We do choose everything that leads to every moment whether we want to believe this or not.

Staying in a situation that is stressful, unfulfilling and far from our dreams is a choice. We may feel like we can’t make a change. But we must give ourselves permission to make the changes that will lead to more satisfying lives. This is the time, right now, when we must begin to live into our purpose. And there is no external authority to give us this permission, this choice. This can only come from within. Yes, sometimes it takes courage to give ourselves this permission, to choose to change. But there is little chance of improvement without change.

Dreams are the second step in determining your heading. I am not suggesting a change in heading without careful examination of what you want in life. Perhaps security is more important to you than living the life of your dreams. In this case remaining in a secure but stressful environment may be the better choice. Do a gut check. Do a values check. What is most important? If your answer is greater fulfillment then go back to your dreams. Imagine the life you want. Fill in the details, begin to feel that life, breathe it, taste it, hear it, see the way it unfolds. This is creating the detailed vision of that dream. Dare to dream big. Let your imagination soar. This is the creative and fun part of this process.

Plans are the details of the dreams. Without plans dreams will remain idle, the hazy, cloud-like sketches of fantasy. Plans are an extension to the details of the vision, another layer to continue to build the dreams toward reality, the blueprints for the transformation. Plans generate the actions you need to take to make the changes. They identify the resources you need and outline the schedule and sequence of those actions.

And plans require attention too. Measure and assess the work toward the desired changes to track progress and to adjust the process as you gain additional information. As you implement your plans you will get continuous feedback; use this to make any needed adjustments. One of Rosemary’s mentor’s, James Roché refers to this process as kaizen: making small adjustments to improve a process based on continuous feedback and assessment. Even after your dream comes true kaizen can be applied to make the dream even better!

I just finished a four-day workshop with Jeff Primack, his Qi Revolution program. And it was awesome. I’ve been doing qigong for about a year now and have embraced the concepts, worked through a couple of forms and have incorporated it into both my health regimen. I also plan to blend some qigong concepts into a workshop of my own I am planning for this summer. Qi Revolution changed this vision I have, not only for my workshop but for my entire life! This is an excellent example of kaizen. I am making adjustments to my workshop plan and my vision for my future based on the feedback, in this case from the Universe, which brought me to Jeff’s workshop. It’s not a total change in direction, but a significant refinement in heading, a course correction that will get me to my dream more effectively and maybe even more rapidly.

Have you given yourself permission to dream big, beyond your current situation? It’s a big step! Dare to dream!

 

INSPIRATION: Where Are You Headed?

My video for the week: Where Are You Headed?

PS: I have had such a good time with my “15 for 50″ calls I’ve extended the offer for a few more days. So,  if your plans are not shaping up as easily or quickly as you’d like, consider a special Compass Call: that’s a quick dive with me into Dimensional Exploration to confirm your direction or choose your next step.   But hurry, it expires soon!

Buy it here:

Be Bold. Step Out. Take Action – Richard’s Commentary

I too like the word “audacious” as Rosemary said in her Exploration of this week’s theme. It sounds like the word audition and reminds me of our daughter-in-law, an actor in Hollywood who goes on a huge number of auditions working hard to break in to the big-time. She is one of the hardest working people I know, dedicated to her craft, keeping her talents sharp with classes, all the while working a full-time job in an important position at Sony in LA! Yes, she is my idea of the audacious auditioning actress! She is bold, she steps out to audition for many roles and she takes action to pursue her passion, her career in acting! Keep up the hard work, Angie; you’ll make it!

If we were all living our passions I am convinced this world would be a happy place for everyone. Our passions are fired by living our purpose. I have heard Rosemary say, many times, that we are all here on purpose. This life on Planet Earth at this time is no accident of birth, no random combination of genes and DNA that just sprang to life out of nowhere. We are here, now at this juncture of time, space, star configurations and expansion for very particular reasons. And it is individual Purpose that is the foundation for our “bold stepping out and taking action.”

Angie knows her purpose. She is fired up. And when she is on stage, acting the roles she wins she comes alive and puts herself into those roles. She is living her purpose, boldly, out there, in action.

I struggled with my purpose for a long time. I’ve done many things. All of them have been wonderful experiences. I often laugh and claim to have led many lives already in this one life-time. But I also know that those lives, those experiences have all come together to create the person I am today. Nothing random here either. And when I got my hands read using Scientific Hand Analysis with Baeth Davis, one of Rosemary’s mentors, all those lives came together in a well formulated Purpose for me. No, I didn’t learn something brand-new about myself. What I got through the process was confirmation that I’m OK, that I’m doing and being exactly what I am here to do and be. I am living my purpose.

So, why bother? It is great to get the kind of confirmation we all seek that we are on the right path. It means we can stop looking, stop wondering…and we can be bold, audacious even, in the pursuit of our purpose. We can get passionate about that purpose because we know it is our purpose! It’s written in our hands!

No, this is not about “palmistry” although the science of “Scientific Hand Analysis” did get its start in Palmistry (or did Palmistry emerge from the science of hand analysis?). There are patterns in our fingerprints and in the markings of our palms that can be categorized, analyzed, measured and compared that become the signposts and mile-markers for our journey. The fingerprints never change. They are formed well before birth, at about 16 weeks! And we have them for life. These are the basic pointers to our Way. The hand prints, the lines, the crosses and stars and various marks on our palms do change. They develop as our brains develop. Changes in our palms can be mapped to changes in our neural pathways and developing neural networks as our brains develop and expand with new knowledge, new beliefs, transformations of mind and spirit!

How cool is this? I can get pretty bold in writing on this subject! Why? Because I think if we all knew our purpose, like Angie, and lived our passion the planet would be a pretty cool place! We would all be bold, we would all step out into our purpose and take action to live the life of our dreams!

Here’s a link to learn even more: Scientific Hand Analysis

PS: Happy Valentine’s day! And you can still get that special gift for your Valentine! Here’s one action you can take: get them a Compass Call with Rosemary; that’s 15 for 50, her special offer available only through February 14. Act Now Here

EXPLORATION: Be Bold. Step Out. Take Action.

Be Brave, Daring, Intrepid, Audacious, Unflinching.  Pick one of these synonyms for ‘bold’ and use it as your mantra.  (I like ‘Audacious’!)

How can you show up in your life, your work, your relationships as ‘bold’?  Have you ever thought about using that word to describe yourself?  What would you do today if you were really bold?  What would you dare to do, who would you dare to be if there were no end to your courage?  What if you knew you could not fail? Would you make a different choice?

It might be a conversation that needs to take place.  You might have an idea that has been teasing at the edges of your consciousness but you haven’t given it energy because you’re waiting for the perfect time or circumstances.  Do you have a project that is half finished because you’re afraid of what others might think or say when they see it?  Is there someone’s approval that you are hoping for and the lack of that approval is keeping you stuck?

These are the situations in which we find ourselves when we forget to be bold.  And it is about ‘forgetting.’  You ARE bold!  You have taken many courageous steps in your life.  Do you disagree with me?  I’ll be you can think of at least one time in which you were bold.  Take a moment to remind yourself of how it felt. Run that feeling in your body for awhile.  Look at the effort it took to be bold in that moment and then reassure yourself that you survived, you’re here today.  Sometimes our stress mechanisms go a little haywire and try to convince us that being bold will get us hurt but, I assure you, there are no sabre-toothed tigers waiting to jump on you!  Your stress mechanisms might not believe me, though, so you must act despite their illusions.

Step Out.

Once you have decided to Be Bold, it’s time to move forward, step out of the box of your own beliefs and limiting thinking.  What is holding you in place?  Who is telling you what the limits are?

Sometimes the voice in your head can be from the distance past, like a first-grade teacher or a parent, and sometimes it comes from a belief structure that you developed later in your life, all on your own.  Determining where the limits live is the first step in expanding your horizon.

You must be brutally honest with yourself here.  The field of all possibilities is right in front of you but you can talk yourself into believing that there is only a narrow path available to you to pursue.  Step outside the box of this thinking.  Step outside your comfort zone and stretch yourself into the greater space of possibilities.  It’s okay.  There are no sabre-toothed tigers here, either!

Take Action.

Choose a path and step onto it.  Move yourself forward with confidence.  When you ask the Universe to support your efforts and you visualize your dreams you must also put some energy into the forward motion toward those dreams.  Raise your consciousness and move your feet.

If you feel you aren’t sure which action to take, then do some inner work.  Get in touch with your inner guidance. Ask your coach or mentor or counselor to help you work through the blocks.  Choose one step you can take and do it.  Very few choices are irrevocable.  If you get feedback that this choice isn’t taking you in the direction you desire then take another action in a different direction.  There’s nothing wrong with trying something.  Ask Edison about all the tries before he got the light bulb working.  Ask anyone in a research lab and they will tell you that there is good information in the paths that don’t work.  Look at the story of Post-It Notes that came about because the glue wasn’t perfect.  Just take action.

Be Bold.  Step Out.  Take Action.  You are ready!

PS: It ‘s not too late to get that special gift for your Valentine! Here’s one action you can take: get them a Compass Call with Rosemary; that’s 15 for 50, my special offer available only through February 14. Act Now Here

INSPIRATION: “Be Bold, Step Out, Take Action!”

My video for the week: Be Bold, Step Out, Take Action!

PS: Are you stuck for that special gift for your Valentine? Here’s one action you can take: get them a Compass Call with Rosemary; that’s 15 for 50, my special offer available only through February 14. Act Now Here

EXPLORATION: The I’s Have It

Most messages are about serving, about how connected we all are, how helping others is helping ourselves.  Today’s message is different. This one is about YOU and taking care of YOU.

Society teaches us to serve others until we are depleted.  At least, that’s what I learned as I was growing up, especially as a woman.  ‘It’s better to give than to receive.’  ‘Love your neighbor as you love yourself.’

The problem with those sayings is that we didn’t get the nuance that we ALSO need to take care of ourselves or we won’t have anything to give to others!

If we give, give, give until there is nothing left to give, then the next person who needs us is out of luck.  I learned from Lisa Nichols the best image of appropriate service.  She used the metaphor of a cup and saucer, where the cup represents you and you fill it up until it overflows, then you serve from the saucer.  If you are always filling up your cup, there is always overflow from which to serve and you are never depleted.  This means that you don’t have to stop serving to restore yourself – you keep filling yourself up and you can keep serving from the saucer.

And if it’s so wonderful to give, what about those of us who have learned to give but have never learned how to receive?  Aren’t we depriving others of the opportunity to give to us?  Think about that nuance.  Maybe it is better to give someone else the opportunity to give to us than to always receive the pleasure of giving without letting anyone else have that fun.

Now, I’m not referring here to the political debates about the ‘givers’ and the ‘takers.’  Those labels are being used maliciously to justify certain positions and we’re not getting into politics here.

But most of us know what giving to others means and our generous, conscious, compassionate humanity leads us to give what and when we can.

It’s okay to consider yourself and your own needs.  Sometimes we need permission to do that.  You have that permission now.  Focusing on what you need is vital to supporting your efforts to help others in need.  Fill up your cup so you can serve from the saucer.

Reframe the word ‘selfish’ to ‘self-focused’ so you can release the pejorative judgments that go along with the idea of thinking of self.  YOU are the one on Planet Earth at this time to live YOUR Soul Purpose.  Taking care of yourself is essential to showing up for your Purpose.

Recently I’ve been doing Scientific Hand Analysis sessions for clients who are in the School of Service, one of the four schools in this system.  The lesson in this Life School is to become a Master of Service Consciousness, understanding the difference between Service and Servitude.  Service comes from a place of joy in the service and the act of serving is its own reward, with no concerns about ‘thank you’ or reciprocation.  Servitude is saying ‘yes’ and then resenting that choice, wishing we’d said ‘no’ and wanting to get out of the obligation, or, worse, resenting the person to whom we made the commitment.

All of us are here to serve, not just those whose handprints indicate that their Life School is Service [this is just their Major at Earth University!], but we all need to learn to take care of ourselves so that we are available to help others.

What does this mean for you?  Are you able to say ‘no’ when you need to, without feeling guilty about it?  Are you filling up your cup so you can serve from the saucer or do you wait until you’re depleted so you can give yourself permission to stop and refresh?

Be conscious about putting ‘I’ on your to do list!  Take care of YOU first and you’ll be able to take care of everyone who needs you!

After all, ‘Love your neighbor as you love yourself’ doesn’t mean much if you don’t love yourself enough to take care of YOU!

PS: Are you curious about how your hand and fingerprints reveal your Life Pupose? Explore this more here.