Shera R. Sever: Igniting the Spark™

Imagine living with inner peace- what would that look like in your personal life, in your business, your family, your relationships, in your community, on our planet?

“Be on the lookout for symptoms of inner peace. The hearts of a great many have already been exposed to inner peace, and it is possible that people everywhere could come down with it in epidemic proportions.

This could pose a serious threat to what has, up to now, been a fairly stable condition of conflict in the world.“

I recently received this from an anonymous source.  Just learned today, that the author,  Saskia Davis, wrote this back in 1984.  What a visionary she is! It uplifted my spirits, and I want to share with you! Wonderful reminders for our daily lives.

Some signs and symptoms of inner peace:

* A tendency to think and act spontaneously rather than on fears based on past experiences.

* An unmistakable ability to enjoy each moment. * A loss of interest in judging other people.

* A loss of interest in judging oneself. * A loss of interest in interpreting the actions of others.
* A loss of interest in conflict. * A loss of the ability to worry. (This is a very serious symptom.)
* Frequent, overwhelming episodes of appreciation. * Contented feelings of connectedness with others and nature.
* Frequent attacks of smiling. * An increasing tendency to let things happen rather than (try to) make them happen.

* An increased susceptibility to the love extended by others as well as the uncontrollable urge to extend it.

WARNING:

If you have some or all of the above symptoms, please be advised that your condition of inner peace may be so far advanced as

to not be curable. * author: Saskia Davis, www.symptomsofinnerpeace.net

Summer is in full swing, yet admidst all the celebration, we can’t close our eyes to such unprecedented catastrophic events as the BP Oil Spill, unresponsive government and United Nations initiatives that are not functioning.

Most of us are aware that we as a civilization are on the brink of a huge shift-the old paradigms are collapsing.

Thanks to initiatives such as Transition Towns, Awakening the Dreamer, FourYearsGo, and thousands of organizations that are part of Paul Hawken’s Wiser Earth, communities are awakening and reclaiming their sovereignty with local food production, town hall meetings exploring alternatives to health care, crude oil, etc. and community educational and consciousness shifting opportunities that are bringing us back home to the common thread of our humanity.

The shifts and changes are uncomfortable for many , especially for those of us without strong family ties nearby, who have lost their j obs and homes,  or for those living in urban areas where the social fabric is often weaker.

So what can we do to help each other? Who do you know that may be feeling especially uncomfortable in these times?

Move beyond insular comfort. Expand your capacity for inclusivity.

Take the time to reach out and really be present with someone that you normally would not.
Enrolling people you trust and respect to help you and coach you is one of the best ways to navigate the unknown.

I am here to support you through your shifts and changes.

Are we embryos in a cosmic womb, or are we cells in a gigantic organism?
To turn our consciousness to this kind of speculation is to wrench
ourselves from the rust of millennia, from the habits of insular peoples & ideas.

We are trying to make a gigantic leap of faith – going
cosmic without ever having been there.

For do not doubt it folks, we are
being prepared for the biggest jump in history.

-Jean Houston, Jumptime

Equinox-A Moment to Pause & Reflect
by Shera Sever (first posted in Spiral Muse , Sept. 2009)

Feel your inherent balance with a gentle pause between the inhale & the exhale.

Equinox is a time to pause, honoring the perfect balance between light and dark within you and beyond you. It’s a time of reflection and balance, a time for reassessing motivations, intentions, and actions. It’s a time to cleanse, release habits, to surrender, let go, and TRUST in the unknown.

Equinox is a time to honor and recognize the divine in everyone, and experience all beings as your mirror, as your teacher, as your family. Equinox is a time to sit in circle among our friends and peers,  speaking our truth, sharing our joys, our fears and vulnerability, asking for help, offering help, and trusting that our circle will not let us fall, nor fail us.

In the Babemba tribe in Africa, when a person acts irresponsibly or unjustly, he/she is placed in the center of the village, alone and unfettered. All work ceases, and every man, woman and child in the village gathers in a large circle around the “accused” individual. Then each person in the tribe speaks to the accused, one at a time, about all the good things the person in the center of the circle has done in his lifetime. Every incident, every experience that can be recalled with any detail and accuracy is recounted. All his/her positive attributes, good deeds, strengths and kindnesses are recited carefully and at length. The tribal ceremony often lasts several days.

The tribe recognizes that the correction for non-integral behavior is not punishment, but love and the remembrance of identity. They believe a friend, coach, or teacher, is someone who knows your song and sings it to you when you have forgotten it. They are not fooled by the mistakes you have made or the dark images you hold about yourself. They remember your beauty when you feel ugly; your wholeness when you are broken; your innocence when you feel guilty; and your purpose when you are confused.

One of the most important lessons we can learn from evolution is that we are related to all that lives. Consider the fact that your personal DNA is 99.99 % identical to the DNA of every other human being, and to all that has ever lived. Once we begin to include ourselves in the story that we are no longer on an individual journey, we have joined the grand caravan of “endless forms -most beautiful and wonderful”. This is cooperation and collaboration at it’s core essence

So, I encourage all to offer some time to BE with your fellow travelers (friends and “strangers” alike) this week, reminding each other that we are one beautiful family on an unprecedented journey back home.

“Sit by the fire and share the truth within your Heart.”

I am starting a personal campaign today- 10 days of presence and appreciation.

I’m choosing to not buy gifts this year.  Rather, I am giving my PRESENCE,  my APPRECIATION,  my TIME (including  gift certificates for coaching and other inspirational “gifts” that I create), and SERVICE-helping others complete or “seal” a project.  

What if we all  gave the people in our lives the best gift of all–our presence and appreciation–  by letting  others know what we appreciate about them and how they have impacted our life in a positive way?

The gift of PRESENCE– Is there something you’d like to share with another- perhaps there is something incomplete that needs to be released? Create some time to be present with this person and ask yourself in the words of Hafiz: 

“How Do I Listen to Others?

As if everyone were my Master

Speaking to me

His

Cherished last words.”

Remember what most people want, more than anything else, is to know that they are loved, valued, and appreciated–that’s the best gift we can give to them – for the holidays and at any time of the year. 

May all beings be at peace,

May all beings be the light,

May all beings be happy and free!

Breathing In- I know I’m alive.

Breathing Out, I smile to my aliveness.

Thich Nhat Hahn

If you don’t feel grateful for what you have, what makes you think you’ll be happy with more?

Last night I went to hear the Tuvan Throat Singers and Stephen Kent perform in the cave tunnel at Hawk Hill in the Marin Headlands. The event was produced by the Green Music Network.

The tunnel is perched far above the Golden Gate Bridge with a surreal view of the Golden Gate Bridge, San Francisco City lights and the entire Bay. Several hundred creative catalysts, paradigm shifters, leaders, writers and artists were comfortably huddled inside, enjoying the perfect acoustics provided by the cave tunnel. What an absolute blessing to be here in the Mecca!

September 22, Fall Equinox, is when day and night are once again equal; time is in balance. In many cultural traditions, this time is often referred to as the Festival of Thanksgiving. It is the season to reap what we have sown from our spring planting- indeed a time of giving thanks!

It’s challenging to feel balance amidst so much uncertainty. Yin and Yang are continually in a state of flux and always looking for the balance point. Take some extra time for mediation this week, giving attention to inner equilibrium by balancing your inhale and exhale. We are all finding our way back home.

Many blessings on this day!

The Executive Director of Bread for the Journey is a friend and recent client of mine. As a long- time Buddhist practicioner and supporter of Spirit Rock, I am compelled to share this with all.

The Levine’s have helped so many heal from traumatic incidents over the years, and here is a wonderful opportunity to be part of a community that keeps on Giving.

An Open Letter from Jack Kornfield, Ram Dass, and Sharon Salzberg

Dear Friends,

We are writing to ask your support for two beloved friends of ours, Stephen and Ondrea Levine. They are currently facing significant difficulty. After a life-time of giving, they are now at a time to receive from those of us whose lives have been touched by their presence and teaching. Their greatest needs are financial. Ondrea has Leukemia and the costsof her insurance and treatment have used up their savings. Stephen’s health is not good either, and he is too frail to travel or teach. When we heard about this, we felt moved to contribute to a fund set up for them, and to encourage others to do the same.

Stephen and Ondrea have been among our generation’s most important teachers, demonstrating and encouraging others to embrace the power of love and generosity. For three years, they ran a 24-hour-a-day, seven-day-a-week free phone line for those dying or in need of support. When the phone bills got too high, they sold their house to keep the project going. For decades they regularly corresponded with thousands people who were seeking spiritual guidance, giving freely to those in need, many of whom were sick or in the final years
of their life.

The circle has now come around, allowing us the opportunity to give to these two life-long givers. We hope to raise several hundred thousand dollars in small and large donations to help them through this time.

Caring for friends and teachers is an essential part of any spiritual life. As we age, spiritual friends are more important than ever. Stephen and Ondrea have been dear spiritual friends to us and to thousands of others through their books,workshops, and correspondence.

In honor of the immeasurable gifts Stephen and Ondrea have given to the family of the earth, Bread for the Journey has generously offered to manage the fund with 100% of your donation going to the Levine Fund. If you are one of these people and are moved to give, below are three ways to donate to the Levine Fund at Bread for the Journey. Bread for the Journey informs us that donations are tax deductible.

With gratitude and love,
Jack Kornfield, Ram Dass, and Sharon Salzberg

Mail: Send to: Bread for the Journey, 267 Miller Ave., Mill Valley, CA 94941. In the letter, please enclose a note indicating that your gift is for the Stephen and Ondrea Levine Fund and in the note section of your check write “Levine Fund.”

Online: click here and designate the donation to the Levine Fund.

Even if you’re sitting on the right track, you’ll get run over if you just sit there.” -Will Rogers

Like many clients I have worked with, I am a Personality Type Seven in the Enneagram System meaning, I like to keep my options open. In Northern California, some call this “going with the flow”, and may use this strategy as their chosen methodology for postponing decision-making and commitments.

Now, don’t get me wrong. I am all for being in the flow. After all, that’s where magic happens. There is a great awareness that arises in this “Being with What Is”- or as Gil Fronsdal calls it, the Practice of “Not-Knowing”. Socrates said, “The realization of not knowing is the beginning of wisdom.” Practicing being comfortable with the unknown, yet trusting in an inherent wisdom by keeping the channel open is what Martha Graham coined, “The Blessed Unrest”.

I have spent many months in this “Blessed Unrest, practicing the “Not-Knowing” inquiry. I’ve learned to befriend radical uncertainty. When we practice being comfortable with the unknown, a deep inner knowing does emerge of a what is possible. This or something better! We don’t need to have all the answers to take action towards a desired outcome.

With the recent explosion of The Secret & The Law of Attraction, we have all been reminded that desires and passion coupled with focused intention and trust is the most powerful formula for manifestation. In order to create change and see specific results, it is essential to put our attention on what we want.

The Key is to FOCUS on the OUTCOME
as if it already EXISTS.

So, do you want to create the momentum that will produce optimal results in your business or organization? Would you like to attract more ideal clients? Increase your revenue? Double your income? Transition into a new career? Try these seemingly simple steps for 60 days and see the results:

1. Write your goals as affirmations. Writing is essential.It creates suggestion in the subconscious. Use present tense, with specifics: It is now March 2008, I have/am________ or my company is/has________.
Write what you will be doing and feeling when you are living in this outcome. Include as much detail as possible for evidence of achievement. This is a critical component in knowing/seeing that you have achieved your desired outcome.

2. Read these goals aloud 2-3 times a day- first thing in the morning and right before bedtime is very effective.

3. Use visuals to support your goals/affirmations: Create a collage or vision board. If you are leading a management team, facilitating a change initiative or strategic visioning process, I recommend using more sophisticated graphic template guides such as those available at www.grove.com.

4. Surround yourself with people who will support the achievement of your outcomes and hold you to high standards. Remove yourself from people and environments that do not support your vision.

5. Get inspired. Read autobiographies and biographies of your heroes, living or not. I was very motivated in my recent re-reading of Think and Grow Rich by Napoleon Hill, and following his “secret” 100%.

6. Saturate yourself with learning. Engage in personal development workshops and seminars. Harv Eker’s Millionaire Mind Intensives and Guerilla Business School are life-changing.

7. Vow to Play a Bigger Game. Marianne Williamson said it best: “. . . we ask ourselves, who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented and fabulous? Actually, who are you not to be?”

8. Maintain a consistent exercise program and balanced, healthy nutrition. Drink plenty of water. Reduce/eliminate sugar, alcohol, caffeine and red meat intake.

9. Every moment is a choice point. Living in this realization is very empowering. If you find yourself unclear at a choice point, be with the uncertainty. As one of my mentors often reminded me in times of anxiety or fear: ‘Don’t do anything, just be still.” Allow the inner flame of clarity to emerge. Then, refer back to the picture /words of your DESIRED OUTCOME and select an ACTION(S) that propels you towards your desires and goals.

10. Have fun with the process and enjoy the journey!

If it’s humanly possible, you CAN DO IT!

We all need support. Are you seeking a professional partner and vision keeper committed to helping you achieve desired outcomes in your business, organization, or with your “blessed unrest”? If so, contact me.  I’m here to serve!