2 steps to Inner Peace

To find inner peace, stillness, awareness, enlightenment, nirvana or whatever you want to call it, there are 2 important steps:

The first step is thinking about it.

The last step is NOT thinking!

[So, next time you’re sitting on the couch, staring out into space and your spouse says, “Honey, you look like you don’t have a thought in your mind”, you now know what to tell them, “Yes dear, that’s right, I was in a state of (choose from above) ….!!]

Jon J

Part of the Journey

It’s all part of the Journey, whether you meditate 12 hours a day, work 12 hours a day or drink, yep, you guessed it, 12 hours a day. It’s all part of the Journey. There is no difference.

Some might say, “when we meditate, we are on the Journey” meaning that when we get caught up in the “material” world and are focused on the “real” world instead if the spiritual side of things, that it’s not part of the Journey, that we are off course like a ship without a sail adrift in the sea. That is wrong. All aspects of everything we do are part of the Journey. None are better than the other for all are chances at learning and “growing’. Sometimes, we grow more when we look, reflect inward while other times, we actually “grow” more when we are living in the “outer” world because the opportunities for growth are greater. I feel that when I am not focused on the spiritual side of things and living in the “real” world, that I’m actually being tested on what I learned from the inner world, from my thoughts. It’s a test of my faith; a chance to put what I feel, how I feel we should think and act toward others and nature into action. It’s like an athlete, you can train all you want but until you’re tested in a game, you will not know how good you are or how well you’ve learned.

Overall, there is no difference as opportunities are abound in both.

So don’t dwell so much when you are stuck in the real world and feel as if you are “off the path”, it’s all part of the Journey.  Embrace it and make the most of it but most importantly, be cool, be calm and enjoy the ride!

Jon J

Journey Detours

The Journey we are on has a 1001 detours. Do not despair, for if you are truly seeking yet feel lost, far away from the way, you shall return to the path you were on … eventually J 

Or, did you even leave that path??

Jon J

                                                              NOW

Soul, 3 Questions

There are 3 main questions when pondering the Soul.

The first question and perhaps the most obvious one is, “What is a Soul”?

Which would lead to the next question, “Do we have a soul”?

And if we do have a soul, then the third question is, “What happens to the soul after we die”?

The first 2 questions, I will deal with later. Right now I want to briefly deal with the 3^nd question; what happens to the soul after we die?

To me, there are 3 possibilities as to what happens to the soul after we move on.

The 1^st possibility as to what happens to the soul after we die is…. NOTHING!

Some people believe that when we die, when our body gives up and no longer functions, then the soul also goes away. That is, it dies too. That’s the end. No more life equals no more soul!

The 2^nd possibility and this one is a widely held belief that is fueled behind the teachings of most religions. That belief is that the soul either goes to Heaven or it goes to Hell to “live” forever based on how “good” you were during that one lifetime.

The 3^rd possibility and one that has grown in acceptance in the West but is an old belief in the East, is that the soul continues, through rebirth, on its journey.  Now this journey, according to the beliefs, is a journey to reach “perfection” or as it’s sometimes referred to as, Nirvana. (No, not the band but a state of mind!) The soul is reborn, in many possible forms, as many times as needed in order to reach that state of mind, whatever you want to call it.

I tend, after years of thoughts on this matter and after having grown up in a Catholic atmosphere during my childhood days, toward believing in the 3^rd possibility. I believe in rebirth and believe that the soul will continue on its so called journey for as long as energy exists. (The soul is a form of energy, by the way)

What are your thoughts?

What do you believe happens to the soul after our human form “dies”?

Do you even believe we have a soul? 

Jon J

Could we be 1 ?

If I were blind,

Would u see me?

If I were deaf,

Would y hear me?

If I were alive,

Would you live for me?

If I were dead,

Would u die for me?

If I were you,

Would you be me?

What if I AM you,

And you ARE me?

Could we be 1?
Like Yin and Yang?
Or something even greater....

Jon J

Winter Hibernation

I feel as if somebody hit a pause button on my quest for knowledge about the soul’s journey.  

It’s as if I pulled into a rest area on the highway to take a short nap, to rest the mind. 

Or maybe I'm just, like a bear, taking a brief Winter Hibernation …

Jon J

Given

Nothing is a given until it’s given 

Jon J

Success is ...

One of my favorite quotes!

“To laugh often and love much; to win the respect of intelligent persons and the affection of children; to earn the approbation of honest citizens and endure the betrayal of false friends; to appreciate beauty; to find the best in others; to give of ones self; to leave the world a bit better, whether by a healthy child, a garden patch or a redeemed social condition; to have played and laughed with enthusiasm and sung with exultation. To know even one life has breathed easier because you have lived --- this, is to have succeeded;" 

Ralph Waldo Emerson

Jon J