New Becomings

Transformation:  -a complete change in the appearance or character of something or someone, especially so that that thing or person is improved. I woke up today realizing a few things that seem obvious to me, but that I haven't actually put into words before about the 'transformation' I'm consciously trying to invoke. Look around and notice all the "transformations" taking place - it's everywhere - advertisements, blogs, vlogs, shows, movies, books, articles, seminars... Many people are going through many changes, in a sort of Chrysalis of humanity. I believe there are myriad ways these changes are occurring, depending on where each of us are in our individual and collective journeys. At its most visible are the physical transformations people focus on - the diets, workouts, weight loss, strength conditioning, appearance... Personally, physical transformation is low on my list; however, physical health and well-being are important for energy, so I do what...

“I am learning to live between effort and surrender. I do my best and hope for what I want but do not resist the direction of the wind.” Anonymous   The problem with words is that they can have various meanings, and then when a sentence is put together, the message can branch out in different ways. I try to use sentences succinctly when direct information is being communicated, yet there's the creative side that likes to meander with meaning, where phrasing is just as important as the essences being conveyed. This is why songwriting and poetry are beautiful ways of expressing multiple ideas in simple formats. The title "Fighting for Surrender" is one of those paradoxical word-plays. Obviously, I'm not talking about picking up a sword and battling for the ability to raise a white flag in defeat. I'm talking about the internal conflict between 'action/reaction' and 'acquiescence' - that struggle back and forth with taking life by the horns and allo...

    “Your worst enemy cannot harm you as much as your own thoughts unguarded. But once mastered, no one can help you as much...”  ~ The Dhammapada (a collection of Buddhist verses) There is no worse enemy in your life than you, but don't worry, everyone is their own worst enemy, so even if you think you have enemies, those enemies are doing a horrible number on themselves as well, so you don't have to do anything about them (like spending energy trying to trip them up or something). Focus on getting out of your own way, the rest will fall into place. Enemy-schnenemy. 1. You Have No Enemies. Stop thinking that certain people are 'out to get you' or 'not there for you'. Who cares? If you keep depending on others, for good or bad, you're doomed to a life of anxious depression and non-risk-taking (boredom). Maybe there are people actually out to get you, so what? Are you gonna live your life looking over your shoulder all the time? In reality, you're prob...

  First, let me say that I don't have a good argument for anything I'm about to write - and neither do you have a good argument to counter, though we can try in earnest. Second, I don't think I've had solid reasoning behind anything I've ever thought or said or written - and neither have you, yet we continue to confabulate, trying to get something 'right' just so a sense of self feels, well, solid. Nonetheless, I like to write and this is what I've chosen to write today: The common denominator in every single dispute or argument is that each side is certain that they are correct in their ideas about whatever it is. "I know the science!" - yet, science isn't done yet... is it? "I've done my research!" - yet, how much research can one possibly do in the vast still-unknowable space we inhabit?  The only certain thing is uncertainty. The only constant is change. And all those paradoxical things... When I enter a query on my compu...

  The 4-minute mile was broken in 1954 by Roger Bannister, since then it has been achieved by approx 1,500 athletes and has become the standard in middle-distance professional running. What does that mean for all of us non-professional runners? It means that our limited beliefs are holding us back. If you don't believe you can do something, guess what? You can't. As with everything, it's much easier said than done, but there are numerous ways to go about dissolving old paradigms and creating new precedents. First, it takes a hard look at the darkness within and forgiving ourselves for not knowing - we know better now. I used to write out the mental chatter and emotional baggage in journals and songs, but as soon as I lost all of those writings in a fire, I stopped writing. I started reading a lot more than I had before. I seek out everything around the vast expanse of mind and consciousness, space and belief systems... All religions and philosophies and ideas that resonate....

 Spend time contemplating who you want to be. Contemplating who you want to be changes your brain ~Joe Dispenza You don't need anyone to tell you the difference between feeling good and feeling bad. We label our emotions and stick them in a category of good and bad - Though there is a middle category that is neither good nor bad; I like to think of it as the transition field, where we take stock after feeling some sort of bad, before we get to feeling some sort of good. I love that space, it's the figuring out what happened and figuring out what to do next phase. It's a special place to sit, where the ego can't get in because it's not making you a puppet of your emotions. It's meditation without having to sit in a lotus position or having to leave where you are or go somewhere else because it's inside you, around you, it is you. Some people think contemplation is actually about 'thinking', yet I see it more of a rumination in silence, a non-judgement...

Misery is not a badge of 'I have it worse than you, so you can't possibly understand how hard it is.' I've been noticing lately that some people think I'm 'lucky', probably born with a silver spoon or had an easy life to get to where I am. It's pretty obvious when I say something that triggers some sort of jealousy or envy, then excuses come out as to all the reasons why someone can't be happy with what they have -- 'If only I could get rid of _____, I'd be better', 'I need ______in order to be happy' - Maybe without pain, a story has no meaning, maybe then it's boring and maybe that's even worse, a different kind of pain altogether, but it's still misery . It seems that the connection to joy, in the eyes of many, is from privilege or fortune, and if I had had a rough go then I'd be just as miserable as other folks struggling to just be in this world with its greed and anger and anguish and horrible things. I do ...