Well, I think I can safely say that I know now why people sing the Blues.
I currently find myself suffering a whole lot of heartache over a loss, yup, a girl, and the other day while in the shower I simply started crooning. Yes, crooning, starting with bits from "Papa was a Rolling Stone" by The Temptations, and finishing with pieces of "Ain't No Sunshine When She's Gone" by Bill Withers, the latter more accurately embodying my current feelings. And that's when it hit me.
Here I am, more or less completely unable to change my current circumstances and feelings, and I suddenly realized that one of the ways to address such matters is through song. Why? Simply because it feels better to sing, and sing in a certain way, like those who sang the Blues. They weren't singing because they were happy, they were singing because they were sad and hurt and felt forgotten, which are the emotional states which often come up when you tune in to this sort of music.
So next time you're feeling down, hurt, or BLUE, and your aren't sure what else to do, try singing. It may pick your spirits up, or simply act as a channel for your pain which could move or inspire others :)
La, La, La,
Andrew*
Friday, February 26, 2010
Friday, February 19, 2010
The Limits of the Mind
Hi All,
Tonight's entry is about something I just realized I have been bumping my head against fairly steadily for a long time - the limitations of the human mind. Allow me to elaborate.
Have you ever tried to think your way out of thinking?
For those of you who have, you know that it is usually nothing more than an exercise in futility, for thinking generally leads to more thinking, as has been the case with me on this fine evening, and realizing it inspired me to write and share my thoughts and feelings on the matter.
I have been thinking about a great many things which define my life as it currently is, and upon speaking with my dear friend Shambunata who is recovering from hernia surgery in Ottawa right now, I realized that in trying to answer the bigger questions in my life which relate primarily to love matters and career, I was driving madly with my mind to find concrete answers to hold onto and act from, but I simply could not.
Know the feeling? I thought you might :)
The Zen Buddhists have an interesting way of dealing with this dilemma, and that is through the use of koans. The use of koans is not solely restricted to demonstrating the limitations of our minds, but they are a handy tool to achieve the objective. For instance, can you tell me what your face looked like before you were born, or what the sound of one hand clapping is? Probably not, and as such, what does that tell you about the nature of your mind?
Our minds have limits, like most other aspects of us, and as such if you use only your conscious thinking as a compass to let you know whether or not you are on your right track, then you may very well be met with disappointment.
So what does that mean and why I am sharing this with you?
It means that sometimes when we are searching for answers we must listen to other parts of who and what we are that have the ability to "know" things. For example, our unconscious minds are constantly communicating with us through the language of symbols in our dreams, and dream interpretation can be a fascinating journey!! We also have our intuition, that subtle something rather which FEELS what is right or wrong for us, or for someone else, or for a group of things. We all have intuitive abilities, some more than others as is the case with any ability, and the neat thing is that we can all work to ENHANCE our intuitive abilities simply by feeding them energy and attention. We have to LISTEN to them and ask that they become louder and clearer, and, as is the case with dreams, in time we will see that our prayers have been answered. Often times this requires slowing down our pace of living, for we did not evolve in such a busy or noisy world as it is today, and, I believe anyway, our intuition did not previously have so much competition! But, no matter, it is still not that hard to attune to, regardless of how many pretty billboards are stealing away your attention :)
What you may find interesting when you start exploring these things, presuming that you haven't already, is that your conscious mind or ego may not react well to your trusting another source of information over "it", and herein lies a classic spiritual obstacle we must overcome in order to "let go, and let God".
I'm going to let you in on a little secret - there is a part of us, a BIG part, that is All-knowing and Un-limited and Omnipresent and UniVersal, and I believe it is that part of us which has all the Answers to all the most important Questions we could ever want to know. The tricky part begins in quieting the ego and mind in order to hear the Divine Whisper within us, and THEN, if we actually get to a place where we hear this Whisper, to actually follow along with what It tells us. If only more of us strived to do this, so much inner and outer turmoil would be avoided and abandoned!!!
How do I know this? I don't know, really, I just do...
"All of the Answers dwell within, as do the Heavens and Hells and Stars and Earth, all there ad infinitum to be tasted and tested for all eternity." - A.D.B.
Tonight's entry is about something I just realized I have been bumping my head against fairly steadily for a long time - the limitations of the human mind. Allow me to elaborate.
Have you ever tried to think your way out of thinking?
For those of you who have, you know that it is usually nothing more than an exercise in futility, for thinking generally leads to more thinking, as has been the case with me on this fine evening, and realizing it inspired me to write and share my thoughts and feelings on the matter.
I have been thinking about a great many things which define my life as it currently is, and upon speaking with my dear friend Shambunata who is recovering from hernia surgery in Ottawa right now, I realized that in trying to answer the bigger questions in my life which relate primarily to love matters and career, I was driving madly with my mind to find concrete answers to hold onto and act from, but I simply could not.
Know the feeling? I thought you might :)
The Zen Buddhists have an interesting way of dealing with this dilemma, and that is through the use of koans. The use of koans is not solely restricted to demonstrating the limitations of our minds, but they are a handy tool to achieve the objective. For instance, can you tell me what your face looked like before you were born, or what the sound of one hand clapping is? Probably not, and as such, what does that tell you about the nature of your mind?
Our minds have limits, like most other aspects of us, and as such if you use only your conscious thinking as a compass to let you know whether or not you are on your right track, then you may very well be met with disappointment.
So what does that mean and why I am sharing this with you?
It means that sometimes when we are searching for answers we must listen to other parts of who and what we are that have the ability to "know" things. For example, our unconscious minds are constantly communicating with us through the language of symbols in our dreams, and dream interpretation can be a fascinating journey!! We also have our intuition, that subtle something rather which FEELS what is right or wrong for us, or for someone else, or for a group of things. We all have intuitive abilities, some more than others as is the case with any ability, and the neat thing is that we can all work to ENHANCE our intuitive abilities simply by feeding them energy and attention. We have to LISTEN to them and ask that they become louder and clearer, and, as is the case with dreams, in time we will see that our prayers have been answered. Often times this requires slowing down our pace of living, for we did not evolve in such a busy or noisy world as it is today, and, I believe anyway, our intuition did not previously have so much competition! But, no matter, it is still not that hard to attune to, regardless of how many pretty billboards are stealing away your attention :)
What you may find interesting when you start exploring these things, presuming that you haven't already, is that your conscious mind or ego may not react well to your trusting another source of information over "it", and herein lies a classic spiritual obstacle we must overcome in order to "let go, and let God".
I'm going to let you in on a little secret - there is a part of us, a BIG part, that is All-knowing and Un-limited and Omnipresent and UniVersal, and I believe it is that part of us which has all the Answers to all the most important Questions we could ever want to know. The tricky part begins in quieting the ego and mind in order to hear the Divine Whisper within us, and THEN, if we actually get to a place where we hear this Whisper, to actually follow along with what It tells us. If only more of us strived to do this, so much inner and outer turmoil would be avoided and abandoned!!!
How do I know this? I don't know, really, I just do...
"All of the Answers dwell within, as do the Heavens and Hells and Stars and Earth, all there ad infinitum to be tasted and tested for all eternity." - A.D.B.
Saturday, February 13, 2010
...and He saw that it was good...
Now, based on the title of this blog, I know what some of you might be thinking, and the answer is NO, I haven't become a Born-again Christian, but I have definitely seen some Light, and what I'm making specific reference to is ENERGY. Yes, energy, the stuff which animates and gives life to all we know and are, but recently, and in part because of reading a great article sent to me by my friend and Fellow Warrior of Light, Rowan, I have started to think differently about how one gains more energy in healthy ways, and you know what? I think I may have some answers for you :)
First of all, the article I made reference to can be read here: http://search.japantimes.co.jp/cgi-bin/fl20090129jk.html and it is really awesome. Jam-packed full of useful info and life-lengthening tidbits, so I hope you give it a read in your spare time :)
Secondly, and getting to the meat and potatoes, think back to "The Celestine Prophecy". It is a fantastic, little read, and one of the first books I came across that got me thinking in New Ways about what life is all about, and, more importantly, how Human Consciousness Evolves.
Have you ever thought about just how this process works? I have, A LOT, and the most recent place my journey has taken me is to the Awareness and Cultivation of Energy.
As with many other things, I learned about this the hard way through dealing with my now-ex girlfriend, Jenny. Jenny and I fell in love very quickly, however she was looking for love and I was not, at least I didn't think I was, and what unfolded from that part on was a whole lot of bickering, fighting, yelling, crying, and all else that relates to human conflict, save for any sort of physical violence!! This, as you can imagine, was an exhausting process for the both of us, but one of the best lessons we both learned has to do with...you guessed it - ENERGY.
What she and I both began to notice was that I would frequently start fights with her in and around the time she would be studying hard for an exam, or, a time when she would be paying me little attention. It was these times, and I feel like a little child saying this, that were the times I always felt provoked to start fights, and this was very trying for poor Jenny. I had no conscious idea at the time of what I was doing, but now I realize that that was my strategy for getting her to give me the energy I so desired. Yes!! I was acting like a vampire, and she was going along with it out of love, and that's what people do, especially children, before they realize what they are doing. Even when some people realize what they are doing to another, THEY KEEP DOING IT!!! It's bloody awful, if you ask me, and I have been watching a lot of vampire anime films lately to boot (archetypal identification) which supports my hypothesis of where my intentions have laid. I feel utterly rotten for my childish behaviour, but thankful to have learned the lesson.
For those of you who know anything about quantum physics, this behaviour and it's accompanying phenomenon are scientifically and empirically supported (see http://www.scribd.com/doc/16301069/Attention-Intention-And-Will-in-Quantum-Physicsby-Henry-PStapp-WWWOLOSCIENCECOM for a very detailed account), and basically, from the perspective of quantum reality, you give energy to a place, person, thing, or idea if you focus your attention or intention on it. For example, if there is something you really do not like about your life and you do nothing but focus on it, you are actually sending out a message to the UniVerse that you want more of it and that it is good (like in "The Secret"), for God/the UniVerse exists to support your Free Will, and not the other way around. God simply wants to experience itself THROUGH you, not TO you, although both certainly occur, and that is pretty profound and wonderful and delightful and AWESOME when you actually wrap your head around it (please read "Conversations with God" by Neale Donald Walsch if you haven't already!). Likewise, as can be the case between people and was the case between Jenny and I, when you focus a lot on a person, you essentially are giving them your energy, and to them it will feel great, but to you, if you give too much, anyway, it will feel tiring and depleting, which is how Jenny felt after sending me a lot of love energy to soothe my anger and childish fighting tendencies.
So you see, vampires actually ARE real, and we all have the ability to become one, but that is why we must strive to rise above and find other, healthier sources of energy, which brings me back around to the article about the 97-year-old Japanese physician. He reminds us to think back to when we were children and how little most of us were interested in eating or resting. Remember those days? Great times, right? Well you will be happy to know that you can forever live like a child in certain ways, you just have to surround yourself with people, places, causes, ideas, and anything else you can possibly think of that brings you joy, inspiration, and excitement. That's all it takes!! We think it gets trickier with time and age, but I really don't think it does. I think it is moreso a matter of having the courage to let out our inner child as much as possible and simply let them point us where to go. They have our Answers!! You just need to sit back and listen :)
One of the reasons I started writing these blogs is because of a conversation that Jenny and I had when we were both calm and clear-headed about this very topic of energy. She was the one who saved me from my evil ways, who lifted from my blind eyes the veil of ignorance and showed me just what I was up to. She calmly explained to me, just like Dr. Hinohara does in his article, that there are a great many ways to gain energy from all around us, and it is simply a matter of picking what activities, places, people, ideas, music, etc. excite, move, and inspire us the most, and incorporating them into our lives as much as possible. For me, something I love to do which excites and enlivens me is write, so here I am, gaining energy and sharing with you positivity, love, and hopefully insight.
This was something that I intimately understood and practiced as a child, but, like so many of us, forgot along the way, so now I ask you...
How do you get your energy?
First of all, the article I made reference to can be read here: http://search.japantimes.co.jp/cgi-bin/fl20090129jk.html and it is really awesome. Jam-packed full of useful info and life-lengthening tidbits, so I hope you give it a read in your spare time :)
Secondly, and getting to the meat and potatoes, think back to "The Celestine Prophecy". It is a fantastic, little read, and one of the first books I came across that got me thinking in New Ways about what life is all about, and, more importantly, how Human Consciousness Evolves.
Have you ever thought about just how this process works? I have, A LOT, and the most recent place my journey has taken me is to the Awareness and Cultivation of Energy.
As with many other things, I learned about this the hard way through dealing with my now-ex girlfriend, Jenny. Jenny and I fell in love very quickly, however she was looking for love and I was not, at least I didn't think I was, and what unfolded from that part on was a whole lot of bickering, fighting, yelling, crying, and all else that relates to human conflict, save for any sort of physical violence!! This, as you can imagine, was an exhausting process for the both of us, but one of the best lessons we both learned has to do with...you guessed it - ENERGY.
What she and I both began to notice was that I would frequently start fights with her in and around the time she would be studying hard for an exam, or, a time when she would be paying me little attention. It was these times, and I feel like a little child saying this, that were the times I always felt provoked to start fights, and this was very trying for poor Jenny. I had no conscious idea at the time of what I was doing, but now I realize that that was my strategy for getting her to give me the energy I so desired. Yes!! I was acting like a vampire, and she was going along with it out of love, and that's what people do, especially children, before they realize what they are doing. Even when some people realize what they are doing to another, THEY KEEP DOING IT!!! It's bloody awful, if you ask me, and I have been watching a lot of vampire anime films lately to boot (archetypal identification) which supports my hypothesis of where my intentions have laid. I feel utterly rotten for my childish behaviour, but thankful to have learned the lesson.
For those of you who know anything about quantum physics, this behaviour and it's accompanying phenomenon are scientifically and empirically supported (see http://www.scribd.com/doc/16301069/Attention-Intention-And-Will-in-Quantum-Physicsby-Henry-PStapp-WWWOLOSCIENCECOM for a very detailed account), and basically, from the perspective of quantum reality, you give energy to a place, person, thing, or idea if you focus your attention or intention on it. For example, if there is something you really do not like about your life and you do nothing but focus on it, you are actually sending out a message to the UniVerse that you want more of it and that it is good (like in "The Secret"), for God/the UniVerse exists to support your Free Will, and not the other way around. God simply wants to experience itself THROUGH you, not TO you, although both certainly occur, and that is pretty profound and wonderful and delightful and AWESOME when you actually wrap your head around it (please read "Conversations with God" by Neale Donald Walsch if you haven't already!). Likewise, as can be the case between people and was the case between Jenny and I, when you focus a lot on a person, you essentially are giving them your energy, and to them it will feel great, but to you, if you give too much, anyway, it will feel tiring and depleting, which is how Jenny felt after sending me a lot of love energy to soothe my anger and childish fighting tendencies.
So you see, vampires actually ARE real, and we all have the ability to become one, but that is why we must strive to rise above and find other, healthier sources of energy, which brings me back around to the article about the 97-year-old Japanese physician. He reminds us to think back to when we were children and how little most of us were interested in eating or resting. Remember those days? Great times, right? Well you will be happy to know that you can forever live like a child in certain ways, you just have to surround yourself with people, places, causes, ideas, and anything else you can possibly think of that brings you joy, inspiration, and excitement. That's all it takes!! We think it gets trickier with time and age, but I really don't think it does. I think it is moreso a matter of having the courage to let out our inner child as much as possible and simply let them point us where to go. They have our Answers!! You just need to sit back and listen :)
One of the reasons I started writing these blogs is because of a conversation that Jenny and I had when we were both calm and clear-headed about this very topic of energy. She was the one who saved me from my evil ways, who lifted from my blind eyes the veil of ignorance and showed me just what I was up to. She calmly explained to me, just like Dr. Hinohara does in his article, that there are a great many ways to gain energy from all around us, and it is simply a matter of picking what activities, places, people, ideas, music, etc. excite, move, and inspire us the most, and incorporating them into our lives as much as possible. For me, something I love to do which excites and enlivens me is write, so here I am, gaining energy and sharing with you positivity, love, and hopefully insight.
This was something that I intimately understood and practiced as a child, but, like so many of us, forgot along the way, so now I ask you...
How do you get your energy?
Friday, February 12, 2010
The Gift of the Gab
So I had my first session a few weeks ago with my new naturopath who is also a homeopath and a dreamworker. Super cool dude named Dr. Chris Sowton, and if you are in need of help and feel attacted to or are curious about any of his aforementioned disciples, holler at him: 416-588-9649. Working with him so far has been incredibly worthwhile!!!
So anyway, I am sitting there dumping out a ton of personal stuff and trying my best to answer his questions to the best of my ability (y'all know I don't like to mince words), and then came what I felt was his golden question: "Andrew, what is the most healing thing you have ever experienced?" I paused for a moment to search the catacombs of my mind, and then the answer softly dawned on me: "Talking," I said with a big smile.
For those of you who are into astrology, specifically the Western branch, then you may have some idea that talking to a Gemini is like water to a fish - it is everything. Geminis seem either to be introvert or extrovert, for it is also the two-faced or two-sided sign and is the embodiement of duality, but for those of us who lean towards extroversion (i.e. me), talking is one of the greatest joys in life, and, more specifically, talking to someone or to a group of people who are ACTUALLY LISTENING!!! Lol.
So combine my experience with Chris with my exposure tonight to my friend Hugh Smiley's new blog, and I was moved to create my own :) TA DA!!! Hope you like it, and stay tuned...
"The art of self-expression is the art of realizing that your secrets do not truly belong to you, they belong to the world." - Andrew D. Baker
BTW, check out Chris here: http://www.dreamreading.ca/dreamreading/Christopher_Sowton.html
and Hugh here:
http://korason.wordpress.com/
One more useful quote: "I have never encountered a problem communication could not solve. I have only encountered people who are not willing to communicate." - A.D.B.
So anyway, I am sitting there dumping out a ton of personal stuff and trying my best to answer his questions to the best of my ability (y'all know I don't like to mince words), and then came what I felt was his golden question: "Andrew, what is the most healing thing you have ever experienced?" I paused for a moment to search the catacombs of my mind, and then the answer softly dawned on me: "Talking," I said with a big smile.
For those of you who are into astrology, specifically the Western branch, then you may have some idea that talking to a Gemini is like water to a fish - it is everything. Geminis seem either to be introvert or extrovert, for it is also the two-faced or two-sided sign and is the embodiement of duality, but for those of us who lean towards extroversion (i.e. me), talking is one of the greatest joys in life, and, more specifically, talking to someone or to a group of people who are ACTUALLY LISTENING!!! Lol.
So combine my experience with Chris with my exposure tonight to my friend Hugh Smiley's new blog, and I was moved to create my own :) TA DA!!! Hope you like it, and stay tuned...
"The art of self-expression is the art of realizing that your secrets do not truly belong to you, they belong to the world." - Andrew D. Baker
BTW, check out Chris here: http://www.dreamreading.ca/dreamreading/Christopher_Sowton.html
and Hugh here:
http://korason.wordpress.com/
One more useful quote: "I have never encountered a problem communication could not solve. I have only encountered people who are not willing to communicate." - A.D.B.
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