tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-69020562580875675642024-03-14T08:07:41.037-04:00Ian Lawtonhttp://www.soulseeds.comIan Lawtonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14515453952874757497noreply@blogger.comBlogger230125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6902056258087567564.post-59496167952599935032012-07-13T17:56:00.000-04:002012-07-13T17:56:56.177-04:00We're ALL related<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhyvHOu5FsPVMN6aqFal19KanSB6P-Whyphenhyphen2CbvilGVudziwkv9dIY2CJCjZDRxup_Joi-x32nBmWZlJibn5skjXfjq9kxLccWwh52CvMdYb9fUJuWhfIZohOVqV0cawBSOvl5pU98hFDqW4/s1600/higgs+behind+couch.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="272" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhyvHOu5FsPVMN6aqFal19KanSB6P-Whyphenhyphen2CbvilGVudziwkv9dIY2CJCjZDRxup_Joi-x32nBmWZlJibn5skjXfjq9kxLccWwh52CvMdYb9fUJuWhfIZohOVqV0cawBSOvl5pU98hFDqW4/s320/higgs+behind+couch.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Arial Narrow', sans-serif;"><span style="line-height: 18px;">I was completely fascinated by the news of the discovery of the Higgs Boson. It came at a time when I was thinking about immigration. So i set my mind to connecting the two issues. it wasn't hard. </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Arial Narrow', sans-serif;"><span style="line-height: 18px;">The connections go ALL the way back. We are ALL immigrants, and the Higgs Boson is our common ancestor.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Arial Narrow', sans-serif;"><span style="line-height: 18px;">I wrote three pieces bringing all of this together. Please explore whichever ones you find interesting.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Arial Narrow', sans-serif;"><span style="line-height: 18px;">1. The Light Side- some humor about the Higgs to introduce the topic. Read more <a href="http://www.soulseeds.com/grapevine/2012/07/the-light-side-of-higgs-boson/" target="_blank">here</a>.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Arial Narrow', sans-serif;"><span style="line-height: 18px;">2. </span></span><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Arial Narrow', sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">Bieber’s Boson, Why It Matters? Read more <a href="http://www.soulseeds.com/grapevine/2012/07/bieber-and-the-boson-why-it-matters/" target="_blank">here</a> about Higgs and its significance.</span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Arial Narrow', sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">3. </span></span><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Arial Narrow', sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 18px;">We’re ALL Immigrants and Higgs is Our Common Ancestor. Read more <a href="http://www.soulseeds.com/grapevine/2012/07/were-all-immigrants-higgs-is-our-common-ancestor/" target="_blank">here</a>.</span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Arial Narrow', sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">Star</span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Arial Narrow', sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"> Wars Obi Wan Kenobi seemed to intuit this development
decades ago when he said,</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Arial Narrow', sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">The Force is what gives a Jedi his power.
It’s an energy field created by all living things. It surrounds us and
penetrates us.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Arial Narrow', sans-serif;">May the Higgs be with
us all as we deepen our oneness and expand our welcome.</span></div>
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<strong style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;">Please consider making a one time or recurring donation to support Ian's work. Click </strong><a data-mce-href="http://ianwlawton.blogspot.com/p/donate.html" href="http://ianwlawton.blogspot.com/p/donate.html" style="background-color: white; color: #888888; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px; text-decoration: none;"><strong>here</strong></a><strong style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;">to submit your donation.</strong></div>
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<br /></div><div class="blogger-post-footer">copyright 2010 by Ian Lawton. All rights reserved.</div>Ian Lawtonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14515453952874757497noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6902056258087567564.post-22699239121308659962012-06-29T12:49:00.001-04:002012-06-29T12:50:09.763-04:00Being Informed<br />
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<span style="color: black; font-family: "Arial Narrow","sans-serif";">Al Gore said, </span><br />
<span style="color: black; font-family: "Arial Narrow","sans-serif";">The
'well-informed citizenry is in danger of becoming the 'well-amused audience'. Maybe its already happened! This week I wrote two pieces about Being Informed.</span><br />
<span style="color: black; font-family: "Arial Narrow","sans-serif";"><br /></span><br />
<span style="color: black; font-family: "Arial Narrow","sans-serif";">You can read the text here,</span><br />
<span style="color: black; font-family: "Arial Narrow","sans-serif";">1. Being Informed, Read the article <a href="http://www.soulseeds.com/grapevine/2012/06/staying-informed/" target="_blank">here</a>.</span><br />
<span style="color: black; font-family: "Arial Narrow","sans-serif";">2. From Knowledge to Wisdom. Read the article <a href="http://www.soulseeds.com/grapevine/2012/06/from-knowledge-to-wisdom/" target="_blank">here</a>.</span><br />
<span style="color: black; font-family: "Arial Narrow","sans-serif";"><br /></span><br />
<span style="color: black; font-family: "Arial Narrow","sans-serif";">Or you can watch Videos of the content here. There are four short videos. Click <a href="http://www.youtube.com/user/soulseedsvideo" target="_blank">here</a> to watch them.</span><br />
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<b>Video 1- Stay Informed- </b></div>
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<b>Video 2- Misinformation</b></div>
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<b>Video 3- From Knowledge to Wisdom</b></div>
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<b>Video 4- Spiritual Intelligence</b></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Arial Narrow","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">Lao Tzu said, </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Arial Narrow","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">Knowing others is intelligence; knowing yourself
is true wisdom. Mastering others is strength; mastering yourself is true power<span style="color: black;"></span></span></div><div class="blogger-post-footer">copyright 2010 by Ian Lawton. All rights reserved.</div>Ian Lawtonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14515453952874757497noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6902056258087567564.post-52404053179471761562012-06-15T09:01:00.002-04:002012-06-15T09:01:51.701-04:00<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWR5eGMChMo8uwTH2IpkGHJUthzzUuRZ5jUVDDY1nZxpDGH58PWPu8tNDKky2hC6fM8oYt1-SOE0OShXg7ijhx4FKwZulKvGW_mDI60R3dF3ccrlYK0YOHxQ5CrJqtDviG6_TSJWsNoxU/s1600/GIRL-BLOWING-BUBBLES.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="212" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWR5eGMChMo8uwTH2IpkGHJUthzzUuRZ5jUVDDY1nZxpDGH58PWPu8tNDKky2hC6fM8oYt1-SOE0OShXg7ijhx4FKwZulKvGW_mDI60R3dF3ccrlYK0YOHxQ5CrJqtDviG6_TSJWsNoxU/s320/GIRL-BLOWING-BUBBLES.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
This week I wrote about education, both from a personal and social perspective. Most of the issues related to education relate to ALL of life. I wrote three pieces on education.<br />
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1. Words have Power. Read more <a href="https://www.soulseeds.com/grapevine/2012/06/words-have-the-power-of-life-and-death/" target="_blank">here</a>. <br />
2. Diverse Intelligence. Read more <a href="https://www.soulseeds.com/grapevine/2012/06/intelligence-is-diverse-and-diversity-is-intelligent/" target="_blank">here</a>. <br />
3. Getting out of the Way of Learning. Read more <a href="http://www.soulseeds.com/grapevine/2012/06/getting-out-of-the-way-of-learning/" target="_blank">here. </a><br />
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I also wrote a description of God Within in 250 words. Read the piece <a href="http://www.soulseeds.com/grapevine/2012/06/god-in-a-yoga-pose/" target="_blank">here</a>. This is part of my <a href="http://www.entheos.com/academy/courses/A-History-of-God" target="_blank">History of God series. </a><br />
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Take whats useful. Much love to all!<div class="blogger-post-footer">copyright 2010 by Ian Lawton. All rights reserved.</div>Ian Lawtonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14515453952874757497noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6902056258087567564.post-3411208841314338162012-06-01T10:31:00.000-04:002012-06-01T10:31:27.103-04:00Memories<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDIBmLGX0p-Q7IB1490Ip4tvWWiHBL3qYaBORPJ3vS6knMQnvbWedYC9rq8lW2SvpCMXo9m2oo5pIaNTCltHsBCWxG5J_xW4_iwGNIoO8b2KU8_mUMuRQ0XO13sqHyxyYNjsFodL1nS5o/s1600/Memories.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDIBmLGX0p-Q7IB1490Ip4tvWWiHBL3qYaBORPJ3vS6knMQnvbWedYC9rq8lW2SvpCMXo9m2oo5pIaNTCltHsBCWxG5J_xW4_iwGNIoO8b2KU8_mUMuRQ0XO13sqHyxyYNjsFodL1nS5o/s320/Memories.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
An elderly couple had been meeting at the same park every sunny day for over
12 years... chatting, and enjoying each other’s company.
One day, the younger of the two turns to the other and says, "Please
don't be angry with me, but I am embarrassed, after all these years, my memory
is not what it used to be. . .What is your name? I just can't remember."<br />
The other friend stares at her, looking very confused, and finally says,
"How soon do you need to know?"<br />
<br />
Memorial Day has triggered me (reminded me) to write about memories.<br />
<br />
Memory is here today and gone tomorrow. Memories are part fact and part
fiction. Barbara Kingsolver wrote in <em>Animal Dreams</em>, “Memory is a
complicated thing, a relative to truth, but not its twin.” Memories are
somewhere between imaginary friends and blood kin to truth. Either way, they
are present at every family gathering, especially at many family gatherings.<br />
<br />
I wrote two pieces about memory:<br />1. What is the function of memory in our perspective? Read more <a href="http://www.soulseeds.com/grapevine/2012/05/memories-precious-mental-treasures/" target="_blank">here</a>.<br />
2. What about recovered memories and forgotten experiences? Read more <a href="http://www.soulseeds.com/grapevine/2012/05/recovering-memories/" target="_blank">here</a>.<br />
<br />
I also wrote a history of God in 250 words, just for fun. Read more <a href="http://www.soulseeds.com/grapevine/2012/05/the-evolution-of-god-in-250-words/" target="_blank">here</a>.<br />
<br />
<strong>Please consider making a one time or recurring donation to support Ian's work. Click </strong><a data-mce-href="http://ianwlawton.blogspot.com/p/donate.html" href="http://ianwlawton.blogspot.com/p/donate.html"><strong>here</strong></a><strong> to submit your donation.</strong><br /><div class="blogger-post-footer">copyright 2010 by Ian Lawton. All rights reserved.</div>Ian Lawtonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14515453952874757497noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6902056258087567564.post-91904568700287458822012-05-25T08:32:00.001-04:002012-05-25T08:32:36.919-04:00<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8s089dNnpa7gmJH2IK737j9nWkPpjhnH4niieOpmJeGOxheDcfjDNKHcnLllNlSTww0V3npp9jSYWtFJY5BvPg0NWQ5WLM0UDenfBapq-Yj09fbvurksNNDO6Mk3CJeQk-DXe76SGNY4/s1600/private-ryan.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="101" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8s089dNnpa7gmJH2IK737j9nWkPpjhnH4niieOpmJeGOxheDcfjDNKHcnLllNlSTww0V3npp9jSYWtFJY5BvPg0NWQ5WLM0UDenfBapq-Yj09fbvurksNNDO6Mk3CJeQk-DXe76SGNY4/s320/private-ryan.png" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
<b>A Good, True and Beautiful Life</b><br />
<br />
At the end of the heart wrenching WW2 movie, Saving Private Ryan,
Ryan visits the American cemetery in Normandy with his family. Looking
at the grave of the man who died saving his life, he pleads with his
wife, “Tell me that I’ve lived a good life. Tell me that I’m a good
man.”<br />
<br />
How do you know if you’ve lived a good life? The Greek philosopher Plato gave a three point checklist in “<a href="http://www.soulseeds.com/grapevine/2012/05/a-truly-good-life/">the good,</a> <a href="http://www.soulseeds.com/grapevine/2012/05/the-good-true-and-beautiful-life/" target="_blank">the true</a> and the <a href="http://www.soulseeds.com/grapevine/2012/05/a-beautiful-life/" target="_blank">beautiful</a>.”<br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.soulseeds.com/grapevine/2012/05/a-truly-good-life/">The good</a>
is the ethical. <a href="http://www.soulseeds.com/grapevine/2012/05/the-good-true-and-beautiful-life/" target="_blank">The true</a> is reason and science. <a href="http://www.soulseeds.com/grapevine/2012/05/a-beautiful-life/" target="_blank">The beautiful </a>is art
and self expression. The most fulfilling life will blend all three;
where your passion matches your skill and the needs around you in a
perfect storm of goodness.<br />
<br />
To read out more about each of these three qualities, follow these links<br />
<br />
Click <a href="http://www.soulseeds.com/grapevine/2012/05/the-good-true-and-beautiful-life/" target="_blank">here</a> for the true<br />
Click <a href="http://www.soulseeds.com/grapevine/2012/05/a-truly-good-life/" target="_blank">here</a> for the good<br />
Click <a href="http://www.soulseeds.com/grapevine/2012/05/a-beautiful-life/" target="_blank">here</a> for the beautiful <br />
<strong> </strong><br />
<strong>Please consider making a one time or recurring donation to support Ian's work. Click </strong><a data-mce-href="http://ianwlawton.blogspot.com/p/donate.html" href="http://ianwlawton.blogspot.com/p/donate.html"><strong>here</strong></a><strong> to submit your donation.</strong><br />
<br /><div class="blogger-post-footer">copyright 2010 by Ian Lawton. All rights reserved.</div>Ian Lawtonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14515453952874757497noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6902056258087567564.post-36990525415372919042012-04-27T09:06:00.000-04:002012-04-27T09:06:10.781-04:00Putting Heart into Eco-activism<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2F-ZS_HGmw8CkaMu9epshqA1XZzw3XcKZDHO8nYW9PTB2Am2jRw7bi7vFE-lhE1RnggHSNr5vqNUBp1NyQeqvxCo67EJ_kmxxWP_9MqRnkIJbWzd_X-EZErovAfdaNpTR0fVvIYfGXnI/s1600/flower+in+concrete.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2F-ZS_HGmw8CkaMu9epshqA1XZzw3XcKZDHO8nYW9PTB2Am2jRw7bi7vFE-lhE1RnggHSNr5vqNUBp1NyQeqvxCo67EJ_kmxxWP_9MqRnkIJbWzd_X-EZErovAfdaNpTR0fVvIYfGXnI/s320/flower+in+concrete.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
In honor of earth day, I wrote this five part series on eco-activism. Please follow any links that are of interest.<br />
<br />
1. <a href="http://www.soulseeds.com/grapevine/2012/04/putting-heart-back-into-earth-care/">Putting heart back into earth care.</a><br />
2. <a href="http://www.soulseeds.com/grapevine/2012/04/getting-real-about-the-planetary-crisis/">Facing up to the reality of climate change.</a><br />
3. <a href="http://www.soulseeds.com/grapevine/2012/04/up-close-and-personal-with-nature/">Getting up close and personal with the earth.</a><br />
4. <a href="http://www.soulseeds.com/grapevine/2012/04/moon-to-earth-a-cosmic-perspective/">Taking a cosmic perspective on the earth.</a><br />
5. <a href="http://www.soulseeds.com/grapevine/2012/04/green-grass-in-concrete/">Learning perseverance from nature.</a><br />
<br />
May you remember that without darkness nothing comes to birth, as without light nothing flowers.<br />
May the earth teach you courage as the tree which stands tall and strong.<br />
May nature teach you perseverance like green grass in concrete.<br />
<br />
<strong>Please consider making a one time or recurring donation to support Ian's work. Click </strong><a data-mce-href="http://ianwlawton.blogspot.com/p/donate.html" href="http://ianwlawton.blogspot.com/p/donate.html"><strong>here</strong></a><strong> to submit your donation.</strong><br /><div class="blogger-post-footer">copyright 2010 by Ian Lawton. All rights reserved.</div>Ian Lawtonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14515453952874757497noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6902056258087567564.post-7138693298640340332012-04-19T12:09:00.000-04:002012-04-19T12:09:24.233-04:00Titanic Lessons<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQYAu77JMQ1PsNOTK7jfBe-W_GMFzgUOKKf88n6RilqF0ceW2fAOKghnbrxfB9bbQEpk_ae38Q-2KMjYLH0y6Qk78cUfDi5DmrIFJCaUptmCQ5ux2X5BZMIFeRQCvKkDVpAGRphLPuqow/s1600/titanic.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="212" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQYAu77JMQ1PsNOTK7jfBe-W_GMFzgUOKKf88n6RilqF0ceW2fAOKghnbrxfB9bbQEpk_ae38Q-2KMjYLH0y6Qk78cUfDi5DmrIFJCaUptmCQ5ux2X5BZMIFeRQCvKkDVpAGRphLPuqow/s320/titanic.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<br />
<span style="color: black; font-family: "Arial Narrow","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">The story of the Titanic is every person’s story.</span><span style="color: black; font-family: "Arial Narrow","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"></span><span style="color: black; font-family: "Arial Narrow","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">It is a story
of human struggle, and yet it’s also the story of overcoming struggle. </span>
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<br /></div>
<span style="color: black; font-family: "Arial Narrow","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"></span><span style="color: black; font-family: "Arial Narrow","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">In this week's articles, I
explore the <a href="http://www.soulseeds.com/grapevine/2012/04/titanic-wisdom/">lessons from the Titanic</a> as they relate to life today. </span>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: "Arial Narrow","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">1. Hubris (arrogant self
sufficiency) especially as it relates to earth issues. Read more <a href="http://www.soulseeds.com/grapevine/2012/04/natures-titanic-message/">here</a>.</span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: "Arial Narrow","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">2. The Human spirit
especially as it relates to courage and perseverance. Read more <a href="http://www.soulseeds.com/grapevine/2012/04/titanic-courage-and-spirit/">here</a>.</span></div>
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The story is rich in wisdom and meaning even 100 years later. Im sure you will find meaning in thinking about the Titanic along with me in these articles.<br />
<br />
Leonard di Caprio summed it all up nicely in this quote- <br />
<br />
I figure life's a gift and I don't intend on wasting it. You don't know
what hand you're gonna get dealt next. You learn to take life as it
comes at you... to make each day count. Leonardo Di Caprio<br />
<br />
Sign up <a href="http://ianwlawton.blogspot.com/p/resources.html">here </a>to receive my content daily or weekly, by text, audio or video.<br />
Click <a href="http://ianwlawton.blogspot.com/p/donate.html">here</a> to make a one time or recurring donation to support Ian's work.<div class="blogger-post-footer">copyright 2010 by Ian Lawton. All rights reserved.</div>Ian Lawtonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14515453952874757497noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6902056258087567564.post-62964019086452241852012-04-02T08:18:00.000-04:002012-04-02T08:18:03.556-04:00The Wisdom of Folly<!--[if !mso]>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHdFBy4Nvi_oYfCf865YoiUVURXwt-kSgWtUPk6Za6A4MOJBvUkNk5OfKSMntmCqqFxMPrsMyCeW9zDcNUWLtGflYzqDolIzaFMd1fMeY3jARTkvsCzgjIbadXUittSALZTk8UykRovn0/s1600/april_fools_day_010.gif" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="109" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHdFBy4Nvi_oYfCf865YoiUVURXwt-kSgWtUPk6Za6A4MOJBvUkNk5OfKSMntmCqqFxMPrsMyCeW9zDcNUWLtGflYzqDolIzaFMd1fMeY3jARTkvsCzgjIbadXUittSALZTk8UykRovn0/s320/april_fools_day_010.gif" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b><span style="color: black; font-family: "Arial Narrow","sans-serif"; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></b></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Arial Narrow","sans-serif";">Mark Twain said, “The first of April is the day we remember what
we are the other 364 days of the year."</span></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Arial Narrow","sans-serif";">His point is that we’re fools EVERY day. On April 1 we stop to
appreciate the wisdom of folly and the gift of surprise.</span></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Arial Narrow","sans-serif";">It’s a rare occurrence for April Fool’s Day to fall on a Sunday,
and even rarer for it to fall on Palm Sunday. It’s the perfect storm of shifting
perspectives. Where did the idea of April Fools come from? It likely goes back
to when the New Year was connected to the beginning of Spring rather than
January 1. In 1564, France moved New Year to January 1. But news travelled
slowly and many country folk didn’t realize. So French city dwellers pulled
pranks on naïve country dwellers by sticking paper fish on their backs, and so
it became a national holiday called April’s Fish, or April Fool’s Day. April
Fools is so popular in Scotland that they run it for two days, the second day
is totally dedicated to pranks involving the backside. Kick me signs are
common. So if you visit Scotland in April, watch out or you might end up the
butt of someone’s joke. </span></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Arial Narrow","sans-serif";">I have to say, I’m right <i>behind</i>
the Scottish ritual. I like their cheek. And I like the idea of setting aside a
day where we have permission to kick each other’s butts, physically, psychologically,
emotionally and spiritually. Not in a cruel or heartless way, but to remind
each other to get off our butts, get active and not to take ourselves too
seriously in the process. </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Arial Narrow","sans-serif";">There are so many challenges in the world, so much suffering and
so much need. Personal responsibility is paramount. The future of the world is
in our hands. Each of us basically has a couple of decades to find our passion,
make a mark on the world and get busy making a difference. That’s a lot of
pressure and a lot of responsibility. Both April Fool’s Day and The Palm Sunday
kick the butt of your passion, and question how you plan to effect change. You
won’t have fun all the time, and obviously we all work through tough times, but
if there is a quality of joy and cheeky determination to the way you do your
work it will be so much more effective. </span></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<h6 style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% white; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "Arial Narrow","sans-serif"; font-weight: normal;">The inner trickster
comes out to play on April Fools Day and tickles your ego with the feather of
surprise to remind you not to let the power go to your head, not to become
overwhelmed with the burden of choice and not to get locked into perspectives. Perspective
is like a deck of cards. </span><span class="messagebody"><span lang="EN" style="font-family: "Arial Narrow","sans-serif"; font-weight: normal;">Choice is an ace up your sleeve, the card that responsibility pulls out
when the deck seems stacked against you. In the game of life, it’s always your
move and there are always more options than you realize. You have multiple
plays, diverse skills, and creative strategies to regroup and respond in the
best way possible. Whenever it starts to feel heavy or joyless, you can always
play the joker and lighten your own load. This is the wisdom of folly.</span></span></span></h6>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span lang="EN" style="color: black; font-family: "Arial Narrow","sans-serif"; line-height: 115%;">The Sufi trickster Nasrudin went every day to beg at the
market. People made fun of him</span><span style="color: black; font-family: "Arial Narrow","sans-serif"; line-height: 115%;"> by playing a trick:
they would show him two coins, one worth ten times more than the other, and
Nasrudin would always choose the smaller coin. The story went round the whole
province. Day after day, groups of men and women would show him the two coins,
and Nasrudin would always choose the smaller one. Then one day, a generous man,
tired of seeing Nasrudin ridiculed in this fashion, beckoned him over to a
corner of the square and said: ‘When they offer you two coins, you should
choose the larger one. That way you would earn more money and people wouldn’t
consider you an idiot.’</span></span></div>
<div style="margin-left: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Arial Narrow","sans-serif";">‘That sounds like good advice,’ replied Nasrudin, ‘but if I chose
the larger coin, people would stop offering me money, because they like to
believe that I am even more stupid than they are. You’ve no idea how much money
I’ve earned using this trick. </span></span></div>
<div style="margin-left: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Arial Narrow","sans-serif";">There’s nothing wrong with looking like a fool if, in fact, you’re
being really clever.</span></span></div>
<div style="margin-left: 0.5in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="Default">
<span style="font-size: large;">The trickster is a mythological character in many traditions. The
trickster is more than a hero, whose self confidence and skill wins the day and
not quite the joker who is able to find the light side in a situation. The
trickster appears clueless but gets results, like Sacha Baron-Cohen asking a
priest at a pro life rally if he was aborted when he was younger, or Michael
Moore wrapping Wall Street in crime scene tape. The trickster paints the world
in a new light. </span></div>
<div class="Default">
<br /></div>
<div class="Default">
<span style="font-size: large;">Byrd Gibbens said, </span></div>
<div class="Default">
<span style="font-size: large;">Humans had to have tricksters within the most sacred
ceremonies for fear that they forget the sacred comes through upset, reversal,
surprise. </span></div>
<div class="Default">
<br /></div>
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Arial Narrow","sans-serif";">In one
classic trickster story from Africa, a village trickster taught two friends a
lesson in perspective. The two friends had houses that faced each other, both
with nice gardens and a path that ran between them. </span></span><br />
<div style="margin-left: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Arial Narrow","sans-serif";">The trickster dressed in a two-color shirt that was divided down
the middle, black on one side and blue on the other side. He then walked
along the narrow path between their houses</span></span></div>
<div style="margin-left: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Arial Narrow","sans-serif";">The two friends were each working across from one another in their
gardens. The trickster made a lot of noise to attract their attention as
he walked the path.</span></span></div>
<div style="margin-left: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Arial Narrow","sans-serif";">At the end of the day, one friend said to the other, “Wasn’t it
strange the way that guy with the black shirt walked right down our path making
so much noise?” His friend replied, “Yes, it was strange. But he had
a blue shirt on.”</span></span></div>
<div style="margin-left: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Arial Narrow","sans-serif";">They started arguing about the color of the trickster’s shirt. “It
was black.” “Blue,” shouted the other. “Black!” “Blue!”
“Black!” “Blue!”</span></span></div>
<div style="margin-left: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Arial Narrow","sans-serif";">Just then the trickster returned, walking back along the path between
them. The two friends stopped and stared. Now they saw only the
other side of the trickster’s shirt.</span></span></div>
<div style="margin-left: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Arial Narrow","sans-serif";">The first friend quickly apologized. “I am so sorry, my friend.
I don’t know how I could have been so mistaken. You are right. His shirt
is blue.” And his friend said, “Oh, no, I apologize. You were
right. The strange fellow’s shirt was clearly black as you said!”</span></span></div>
<div style="margin-left: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Arial Narrow","sans-serif";">Then they both stopped and frowned at each other. They both
thought the other was mocking him. They began to wrestle and roll on the ground
fighting.</span></span></div>
<div style="margin-left: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Arial Narrow","sans-serif";">Just then the trickster returned and faced the two men who were
punching and kicking each other and shouting, “Our friendship is over!”
The trickster walked right in front of them, displaying his two-color
shirt. He laughed and danced around because of their silly fight.</span></span></div>
<div style="margin-left: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Arial Narrow","sans-serif";">The two friends saw that his shirt was divided right down the
middle, both black and bright blue. They stopped fighting and stood
silently. They turned to each other and both said, “I’m sorry.” They had
both been right, and they had both been wrong. It was all about perspective. From
that day, when either one said something the other disagreed with, they would
listen to one another. Different views could indeed both be true, and
partly wrong at the same time. Each person has a different perspective, a
different point of view. Their friendship became unbreakable.</span></span></div>
<div style="margin-left: 0.5in;">
<br /></div>
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Arial Narrow","sans-serif";">The role
of the trickster is to remind you that life is rarely one way or another. It
ebbs and flows from one extreme to another. I heard about an April Fool’s prank
at a hospital maternity ward. On the entrance door, they put the sign, “Push.
Push. Push.” On the door of the Sperm Bank along the corridor was the sign,
“Pull. Pull. Pull.”</span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Arial Narrow","sans-serif";">You’ve got
to respect the push and pull of life. Life is never all one way or another. Its
joy and pain, independence and connection, action and acceptance, yin and yang.
The trickster occasionally visits to remind us that we only have a partial view
of life and not to get locked into conclusions. There is always more. If you’re
pushing too hard, the trickster tickles your ego until you have to let go. The
trickster is within, always prodding your expectations, popping the bubble of
your assumptions and shining light on new possibilities.</span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Arial Narrow","sans-serif";">Author
Christopher Paolini said, </span></span><br />
<div style="margin-left: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "Arial Narrow","sans-serif";">The
trickster, the riddler, the keeper of balance, he of the many faces who finds
life in death and who fears no evil; he who walks through doors.</span><br /><br /><span style="color: black; font-family: "Arial Narrow","sans-serif";"></span></span>
</div>
<span style="font-size: large;"><b><span style="color: black; font-family: "Arial Narrow","sans-serif";">Palm Sunday and Creative Protest</span></b></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Arial Narrow","sans-serif";">Let me see if I can offer a slightly different take on Palm Sunday, the
story of Jesus riding into Jerusalem on a donkey before his execution. The
story seems to emphasize the trickster side of Jesus’ character. It’s intended
to kick your butt. Think about the donkey in the story, and another trickster
donkey, the donkey in Shrek.</span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Arial Narrow","sans-serif";">In the beginning of the move Shrek, the king’s soldiers are buying up
all the fairy tale creatures. A woman comes forward to sell a donkey. “I’ve got
a talking donkey,” she says. The donkey refuses to speak. The woman says, “Go
ahead, say something.” The guard isn’t buying it and tells his men to take her
away. But they knock over a container of fairy dust that flies into the air and
then lands on the donkey. He begins to float up into the air. Donkey says,
“Hey, I can fly!” The crowd is amazed. The guard says, “He can talk.” Donkey
responds, “That’s right fool. Now I’m a flying—talking donkey. Maybe you’ve
seen a housefly or a maybe even a superfly, but I bet you never saw a donkey
fly.” At that point he begins to drop back to the ground. As he lands he runs
for his life, with the guards in hot pursuit. The only thing that saves him is
running into Shrek, the ogre, who scares all the guards away. From that moment
on, Donkey doesn’t stop talking. At one point later in the movie, Shrek is so
tired of listening to Donkey’s nonstop chatter he says, “Maybe there’s a good
reason why donkeys don’t talk.”</span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Arial Narrow","sans-serif";">It’s not healthy to live in a Disney style fantasy world. Donkeys DON’T
talk. People DON’T rise from the dead. The trickster in the story, whether its
Shrek or Palm Sunday, bypasses the literal details. The multiple versions and
many inconsistencies in the Palm Sunday story make an ass out of anyone who
tries to take it literally.</span><span style="color: black; font-family: "Arial Narrow","sans-serif";"> Just a quick snapshot will give you a
sense. The different versions of the story don’t gel. Some of them include just
a donkey and some have a donkey and a colt. How can one man ride both a donkey
and a colt? Then there are the palms. Some versions have people waving leafy
branches. Others have people laying their clothes on the road. One version took
place in Spring. Another took place in Fall. </span><span style="color: black; font-family: "Arial Narrow","sans-serif";"><span> </span>The trickster has other interests. It wants to
excite your inner activist’s imagination. It encourages you to consider the
power of creative activism.</span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Arial Narrow","sans-serif";">The story is told of the Sufi trickster Nasrudin.</span></span><br />
<div data-mce-style="padding-left: 30px;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Arial Narrow","sans-serif";">Every month he brought a caravan of donkeys
into Persia from the East, laden with goods. The government inspector becomes
suspicious, sensing that the Mullah is smuggling something into the country,
while avoiding taxes. But he can’t seem to find it. He goes through every item
in every bag, and still he can’t discover what it is. This goes on month after
month and he increasingly becomes convinced that the Mullah is a smuggler, but
he is never able to catch him.</span></span></div>
<div data-mce-style="padding-left: 30px;">
<br /></div>
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Arial Narrow","sans-serif";">After some years the government inspector retires. He then confronts
Nasrudin: He says, “all these years I’ve inspected your caravans bringing goods
into our country. I know that you are smuggling goods, but I haven’t been able
to find what they are. Now I haven’t the power any longer to prosecute you,
would you tell me, just to give an old man some rest, what it is that you are
smuggling?”</span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Arial Narrow","sans-serif";">After a moments pause, Nasrudin replies, “Donkeys, inspector, I’ve been
smuggling donkeys.”</span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Arial Narrow","sans-serif";">Not that I’m encouraging illegal activity or smuggling. Apply the same
creative thinking to constructive activism and protest. </span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Arial Narrow","sans-serif";"><br /></span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Arial Narrow","sans-serif";">The most effective protests include an element of surprise, like riding
into a major city on a donkey. A few years ago, a female contortionist curled
herself up in a transparent suitcase. Someone placed her on the baggage
conveyor at a European airport. She was protesting human trafficking. The Free
Hugs movement is another creative protest, challenging the mindless and
heartless lifestyle we so often live.</span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Arial Narrow","sans-serif";">Another one of my favorite protests was from a group in New Zealand
called Madge, Mothers Against Genetic Engineering. We lived next door to the
woman who started it. She and her husband were two parts of the 80s pop group
The Thompson Twins. Madge used some very eye catching protests. A group
of Madge women got into the New Zealand parliament and stripped down to their
pink undies and bras, to serve notice that they should take these women and
their concern for food safety seriously. Madge also placed billboards around
town of a woman with four breasts, being milked, the point being that if you
are going to design the milk we feed our children, why not just design women to
produce the milk.</span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Arial Narrow","sans-serif";">The protest that I especially loved was when a group of women went to
the local store. They all filled up shopping trolleys and went to the check
out. They timed it so that they were next in each line. Once they had unloaded
all their stuff on the checkout counters, they walked out, effectively bringing
the store to a standstill. Their message was that women have purchasing power
and their demands need to be taken seriously.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Arial Narrow","sans-serif";">In more extreme actions, people set themselves on fire to create the
element of surprise (shock!) in their protests. At least 30 Tibetans have burnt
themselves to death in China so far this year to protest Chinese rule in Tibet.
Not to forget the Tunisian fruit seller who set himself on fire and launched
the Arab Spring.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Arial Narrow","sans-serif";">What issues fire you up? What causes capture your imagination and your
full conviction? Work out what makes your blood boil and get active. You WILL
offend people in the process. You can’t be both an activist and universally
loved. But the people who get you will stay with you, and the people who don’t
get you were likely never with you to begin with.</span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><strong><span style="color: black; font-family: "Arial Narrow","sans-serif";">Trickster and Appearances</span></strong><span style="color: black; font-family: "Arial Narrow","sans-serif";"></span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Arial Narrow","sans-serif";">One of the things we get locked into is expectations and appearances.
The lesson of the trickster is that things are not always as they appear. A
great prophet riding on a donkey is not quite the picture you expect. The Palm
Sunday story tells us that Jesus wept when he saw the city of Jerusalem. He was
overcome with grief and anger. He both wept and he rode in to Jerusalem as
trickster activist. Therein lies the balance. Tears and surprise. Compassion
and skill. Intensity and humility. Focus and perspective.</span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Arial Narrow","sans-serif";">What’s the relevance today? Think about this in terms of the death of
Trayvon Martin in Florida last month. We spend most of our energy talking about
WHO killed Trayvon. In a brilliant eulogy that MLK gave at a white Unitarian
pastor’s funeral, Dr King said the better question is WHAT killed Pastor James
Reeb and in this case WHAT killed Trayvon Martin. One man pulled the trigger
and needs to be brought to justice. One state struggles with some absurd and
oppressive laws and needs to be challenged. But we ALL killed Trayvon Martin
because we ALL play a part in perpetuating a culture based on appearance and
prejudice. We need compassion, indignation and self reflection.</span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Arial Narrow","sans-serif";">This is what Dr King said in his eulogy in 1965-</span></span><br />
<div data-mce-style="padding-left: 30px;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Arial Narrow","sans-serif";">James Reeb was murdered by the indifference
of every minister of the gospel who has remained silent behind the safe
security of stained glass windows. He was murdered by the irrelevancy of a
church that will stand amid social evil and serve as a taillight rather than a
headlight, an echo rather than a voice. He was murdered by the irresponsibility
of every politician who has moved down the path of demagoguery, who has fed his
constituents the stale bread of hatred and the spoiled meat of racism. He was
murdered by the brutality of every sheriff and law enforcement agent who
practices lawlessness in the name of law. He was murdered by the timidity of a
federal government that can spend millions of dollars a day to keep troops in
South Vietnam, yet cannot protect the lives of its own citizens seeking
constitutional rights. Yes, he was even murdered by the cowardice of every
Negro who tacitly accepts the evil system of segregation, who stands on the
sidelines in the midst of a mighty struggle for justice...</span></span></div>
<div data-mce-style="padding-left: 30px;">
<br /></div>
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Arial Narrow","sans-serif";">Powerful words! He questions the whole culture of hypocrisy, prejudice
and indifference. King was no trickster. He was in the hero category, pure
passion and intensity. The trickster directs the light back on unseen,
individual prejudice. The point is made by the Sufi trickster Nasrudin.</span></span><br />
<div data-mce-style="padding-left: 30px;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Arial Narrow","sans-serif";">“What is Fate?" Nasrudin was asked by a
Scholar.</span></span></div>
<div data-mce-style="padding-left: 30px;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Arial Narrow","sans-serif";">"An endless succession of intertwined
events, each influencing the other."</span></span></div>
<div data-mce-style="padding-left: 30px;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Arial Narrow","sans-serif";">The scholar answered, "That is hardly a
satisfactory answer. I believe in cause and effect."</span></span></div>
<div data-mce-style="padding-left: 30px;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Arial Narrow","sans-serif";">"Very well," said Nasrudin,
"look at that." He pointed to a procession passing in the street.</span></span></div>
<div data-mce-style="padding-left: 30px;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Arial Narrow","sans-serif";">"That man is being taken to be hanged.
Is that because someone gave him a silver piece and enabled him to buy the
knife with which he committed the murder; or because someone saw him do it; or
because nobody stopped him?"</span></span></div>
<div data-mce-style="padding-left: 30px;">
<br /></div>
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Arial Narrow","sans-serif";">When you look at the injustices of the world, both weep AND get
creative. We can’t solve the problems of the world with the same type of
thinking that created them. We can’t conquer despair with more despair. We
can’t beat violence with more violence. We can’t beat hatred with hatred.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Arial Narrow","sans-serif";">We beat despair, hatred and violence when we overcome thought patterns
and systems based in prejudice, beginning with our own minds.</span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Arial Narrow","sans-serif";">Let the trickster kick your butt this year. What sort of a world do you
want to live in? What are you going to do about it? How are you going to do it?
Find your passion and get to work. When your self aware passion coincides with
the world's needs, the effect is phenomenal.</span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><strong>Please consider making a one time or recurring donation to support Ian's work. Click </strong><a data-mce-href="http://ianwlawton.blogspot.com/p/donate.html" href="http://ianwlawton.blogspot.com/p/donate.html"><strong>here</strong></a><strong> to submit your donation.</strong></span><span style="color: black; font-family: "Arial Narrow","sans-serif";"><span style="font-size: large;"> </span></span><br /><div class="blogger-post-footer">copyright 2010 by Ian Lawton. All rights reserved.</div>Ian Lawtonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14515453952874757497noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6902056258087567564.post-87878375808855435762012-03-07T07:59:00.002-05:002012-03-07T07:59:57.672-05:00No Time For Superstition<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdCIldSJaDkIM0JMTtu2IafvRgwcgUC89nCdnMeYVBjMf8BBWiBcXkx81TBGveRO2fHQXEmV1MNuqEFbeyUXJOpdlryZLPbWTWdJtU4o8h0PuWI7w0xPXOCzwzxhotGulYU5ps3XyC6iU/s1600/superstition.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="228" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdCIldSJaDkIM0JMTtu2IafvRgwcgUC89nCdnMeYVBjMf8BBWiBcXkx81TBGveRO2fHQXEmV1MNuqEFbeyUXJOpdlryZLPbWTWdJtU4o8h0PuWI7w0xPXOCzwzxhotGulYU5ps3XyC6iU/s320/superstition.jpg" width="320" yda="true" /></a></div>
Two robbers are ransacking an apartment. They hear noises at the door. The first thief says, “Oh no! The police are here. Quick! Jump out of the window!.” <br />
The second thief says, “You’ve got to be kidding. This is the 13th floor.”<br />
<br />
The first thief says, “Come on. Move it. This is no time to get superstitious.”<br />
<br />
My theme is superstition; the good, the bad, and the lucky. Are you superstitious? What are your quirky superstitions? What do you see as both the value of superstition, and the downside? <br />
<br />
I don’t know about you but before I get out of bed in the morning I cross all my fingers and toes, clutch my rabbit’s foot and thank my lucky stars that I’m not superstitious. Then I reach down for my left slipper, knock on wood, turn the handle on my bedroom door counter clockwise, walk down the hall way avoiding all the cracks to preserve my mother’s back and get on with the day. Thank goodness I’m not superstitious. It’s bad luck to be superstitious. In all seriousness, while I see the reasons behind superstition, I don’t think this is the time to be getting more superstitious. This is the time for honest enquiry, personal responsibility, common sense and a direct experience of all the beauty and meaning that is here and now. But I’m getting ahead of myself.<br />
<br />
What is superstition? There tend to be two aspects to superstition; meaningful patterns and a belief in supernatural cause and effect.<br />
<br />
1. Meaningful Patterns<br />
<br />
Part of superstition is the tendency to find patterns or create cause and effect connections between an event and a consequence. For example if I walk under this ladder, something awful will happen. If I see a black cat, it will be bad luck. Touching wood, blessing people after they sneeze, and the number 13 are all examples of enduring superstitions. Did you know that 80% of elevators around the world do not contain a button for the 13th floor?<br />
<br />
What are your superstitions? When I was a kid, I believed there were monsters under the sheets at the end of my bed. I also believed that if I pedaled as if I was riding a bike that the monsters would never get near me. This was generally working for me, but I wasn’t sure what to do about going to sleep. So I added a new rule. I decided that pedaling had a cumulative effect. So for every pedal the monster was pushed back a step. If I pedaled really hard and fast for several minutes, I could create enough pedal credit to keep the monsters at bay for hours. <br />
<br />
The cumulative effect of superstitions is that the longer you believe them, the more evidence you have that they are working. To this day I have never been attacked by a monster in bed, aside from the occasional restless leg outburst from Meg. This is the power of the human mind to join the dots between experience and meaning. If I HAD been attacked by a monster in bed, I could just as easily conclude that it was because I was pedaling my legs. So then I could create a new superstition to stay very still and see if that was more effective. <br />
<br />
The point is that the human mind is creative when it comes to superstitions, experience and meaning. As British author Daniel Tammet, who incidentally has autism and savant syndrome, wrote, <br />
<br />
Moment by moment throughout our lifetime, our brains hum with the work of making meaning: weaving together many thousands of threads of information into all manner of thoughts, feelings, memories, and ideas. (from Embracing the Wide Sky, 2009)<br />
<br />
As an adult, I no longer believe in monsters. But I still have my superstitions. When flying, I ALWAYS tilt my armrest upwards during takeoff as if I’m actually helping to fly the plane. The pilot can’t do it without me. The incredible thing is that to this day, hundreds of flights later, it has worked every time. I have never been on a plane that has failed to take off.<br />
<br />
2. Supernatural Agency<br />
<br />
Once we join the dots in our mind, the next tendency is to draw conclusions about the wizard behind the curtain; who is the masked man, woman or super power behind the mysterious connectedness of the universe. So the second aspect of superstition is that there is usually someone pulling the strings of superstition. Do you remember the 1980’s cult movie The Gods Must Be Crazy? A primitive Kalihari tribe believe that everything that happens is directed by the gods. When they hear the sound of thunder but see no clouds, they assume that the gods have eaten too much and their tummies are rumbling. When they see the trail of airplanes, they believe that the gods have flatulence.<br />
<br />
Is it even possible to be religious without being superstitious? Is it possible to believe in God without being superstitious? We’ve all seen superstition in extreme forms of religion, for example Mitt Romney’s family reportedly arranging for his dead father in law to be baptized into the Mormon faith…posthumously. Romney’s father in law, Edward Davies was a prominent atheist in his day. As Bill Maher said, he was probably hard to baptize because he was squirming in his grave. This is part of a fairly widespread practice of baptizing the dead souls of people of other faiths or no faith, including Holocaust survivors. It’s extremely offensive in its implications and superstitious to the nth degree. This is an extreme form of religion. What about more moderate religion?<br />
<br />
As someone who was raised in a moderate, evangelical, Christian tradition, I was taught to be very skeptical about superstition. I was taught that superstition is a tool of the devil and not to trust any paranormal, or new age, spirituality. Evangelicals say that the only reliable revelation from God is in the Bible. This is highly superstitious to imagine that an unseen being zapped the words of the Bible through the minds, mouths and quills of ancient authors, as a divine mandate for all time. So evangelicals use their superstitious worldview to critique new age superstition. The moderate religious perspective is full of its own superstitions.<br />
<br />
It seems to me that the whole notion of a religious worldview is based in superstition. The belief in God or spirits, the belief in an afterlife, the belief in prayer and divine intervention, and a divinely inspired Bible, are all superstitions. What many people mean by spiritual is also based in superstition. The beliefs that there are unseen spirits, or communication with the dead, or that humans have souls, and that the universe is alive with unseen powers guiding our lives, are all superstitions. <br />
<br />
Why am I writing this? My intention is twofold; <br />
<br />
1. Challenge those who hold religious worldviews to consider the role of superstition in your beliefs. Because there is no scientific way to measure the “truth” of religious beliefs, the best measurement of a religious belief is its fruits. Does it make you a better person? Does it encourage you to take personal responsibility for your choices? Does it make you a more peaceful person, inside and out? Does it build love and goodwill in the world? Does it unite people and work for the betterment of all?<br />
<br />
2. Articulate a non religious worldview that inspires high levels of integrity and satisfaction, meaning and morality, without the need for superstition. Personally, the main reason I’m interested in a non religious worldview is to rid my life of the fear and paranoia of superstition. I trust my mind and common sense to fill my life with meaning and optimism and to live my life with compassion and integrity, without imagining that there are any supernatural being(s) or creator behind it all. You only need open your eyes and mind. Everything you need is here and now. <br />
<br />
In some upcoming articles, I will dig a little deeper into both the advantages and dangers of superstition, and finally propose that we emphasize intuition in place of superstition. <br />
<br />
As Ataturk, or Mustafa Kemal, the first President of Turkey said, <br />
<br />
We do not consider our principles as dogmas contained in books that are said to come from heaven. We derive our inspiration, not from heaven, or from an unseen world, but directly from life.<br />
<br />
<strong>Please consider making a one time or recurring donation to support Ian's work. Click </strong><a data-mce-href="http://ianwlawton.blogspot.com/p/donate.html" href="http://ianwlawton.blogspot.com/p/donate.html"><strong>here</strong></a><strong> to submit your donation.</strong><br />
<br /><div class="blogger-post-footer">copyright 2010 by Ian Lawton. All rights reserved.</div>Ian Lawtonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14515453952874757497noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6902056258087567564.post-47443088422600550672012-03-01T11:27:00.000-05:002012-03-01T11:27:03.237-05:00<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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I wrote this week about living without defensiveness. There are four pieces to look over, summarized below.<br />
<br />
1. The first was a response to the Oscars, and The Help in particular. Beat the cycle of defensiveness by not buying into other people’ drama. Click h<a href="http://tinyurl.com/7n466f5">ere</a> to read more. <br />
<br />
<br />
2. The second was a more pointed critique of institutional religion. As Bill Maher said, "Religion is dangerous; it allows human beings who don't have all the answers to think they do." Click <a href="http://tinyurl.com/879hxts">here</a> to read more. <br />
3. This is a piece I found online, and couldnt find an author so I adjusted it a little. Its an inspiring piece about the symptoms of living with spiritual freedom. It includes frequent attacks of joy and random bursts of laughter. Click <a href="http://tinyurl.com/7n3brp2">here</a> to read more.<br />
<br />
4. Using the old kid's story Grandpa's Slippers, I wrote about letting go and moving on. Read more <a href="http://tinyurl.com/8xlslh3">here</a>. <br />
<br />
<br />
If you appreciate this free content, please support it with a one time or recurring donation. Click <a href="http://ianwlawton.blogspot.com/p/donate.html">here</a> for more infomation. <br />
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Make it an awesome and empowered week.<div class="blogger-post-footer">copyright 2010 by Ian Lawton. All rights reserved.</div>Ian Lawtonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14515453952874757497noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6902056258087567564.post-29617015368437513922012-02-24T17:02:00.003-05:002012-02-24T17:02:53.679-05:00<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<h6 class="uiStreamMessage" data-ft="{"type":1}">
<span class="messageBody" data-ft="{"type":3}">In preparation for the Academy Awards this weekend, I wrote this affirmation-</span></h6>
<h6 class="uiStreamMessage" data-ft="{"type":1}">
<span class="messageBody" data-ft="{"type":3}">Most of us could be nominated for an Academy Award for playing the part of whoever we are pretending to be to gain the approval of our peers. Imagine if you could be completely at ease with who you are and let others be who they are. Stand at the dais and collect the life time achievement award for playing the best version of YOU.</span></h6>
<h6 class="uiStreamMessage" data-ft="{"type":1}">
<span class="messageBody" data-ft="{"type":3}">Say to yourself: I am at ease in my own skin, at peace with myself.</span></h6>
<h6 class="uiStreamMessage" data-ft="{"type":1}">
<span class="messageBody" data-ft="{"type":3}">I also wrote two articles</span></h6>
<h6 class="uiStreamMessage" data-ft="{"type":1}">
<span class="messageBody" data-ft="{"type":3}">1. Not taking things personally- read more <a href="http://tinyurl.com/6pf6s48">here</a></span></h6>
<h6 class="uiStreamMessage" data-ft="{"type":1}">
<span class="messageBody" data-ft="{"type":3}">2. Learn to love yourself- read more <a href="http://tinyurl.com/6rcf49j">here</a></span></h6>
<h6 class="uiStreamMessage" data-ft="{"type":1}">
And if you want sign up to receive daily or weekly content by email, please sign up at <a href="http://ianwlawton.blogspot.com/p/resources.html">this page.</a> </h6>
<h6 class="uiStreamMessage" data-ft="{"type":1}">
Have a great week. Remember to be kind to yourself.</h6>
<div class="uiStreamMessage" data-ft="{"type":1}">
<br /></div>
<div class="uiStreamMessage" data-ft="{"type":1}">
<br /></div><div class="blogger-post-footer">copyright 2010 by Ian Lawton. All rights reserved.</div>Ian Lawtonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14515453952874757497noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6902056258087567564.post-55904612010236784472012-02-03T08:08:00.000-05:002012-02-03T08:08:24.142-05:00Thriving in Spirit<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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I continued the theme of body, mind and spirit this week with an emphasis on spirit. I wrote three pieces, as listed below. If you prefer to receive this content by email, click <a href="http://ianwlawton.blogspot.com/p/resources.html">here </a>and you can choose to receive it either daily (as the article are written) or weekly (in one longer email). You can also receive audio and video of the weekly content. Click here for <a href="http://www.soulseeds.com/podcast/Spirit02_02_12.mp3">audio</a> or here for <a href="http://vimeo.com/36113536">video</a>.<br />
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1. What is spirit? What does it mean to thrive in spirit as well as body and mind? Click <a href="http://tinyurl.com/7e2yebr">here</a> for more.<br />
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<br />2. Spirit is not external. It is an inner sense of wellbeing. YOU have access to it ANY time. Click <a href="http://tinyurl.com/76ngcdv">here</a> for more. <br />
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3. Mind and body have intuitive, extraordinary, wisdom. Click <a href="http://tinyurl.com/7kyphoe">here</a> for more. <br />
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<br />I leave you with this thought from Aldous Huxley, <br />
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The spiritual journey does not consist in arriving at a new destination where a person gains what he did not have, or becomes what he is not. It consists in the dissipation of one's own ignorance concerning one's self and life, and the gradual growth of that understanding which begins the spiritual awakening. The finding of God is a coming to one's self.</blockquote>
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<br /><div class="blogger-post-footer">copyright 2010 by Ian Lawton. All rights reserved.</div>Ian Lawtonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14515453952874757497noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6902056258087567564.post-36943737923472775942012-01-20T13:02:00.000-05:002012-01-20T15:25:59.384-05:00<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRGqEJc2QbxHuP8EVqoRiO9nDuxe2HCEOujXvbc0_GEO7sEO_egVCrOKFrTOWmZch-Nxwo6PZf3HHEj_2mgCaKsfx_PLpQTXFBMye4R8pg02H4y32wty9Yj5KUkgAYyT0sHXq4cWocOkk/s1600/yoga.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" nfa="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRGqEJc2QbxHuP8EVqoRiO9nDuxe2HCEOujXvbc0_GEO7sEO_egVCrOKFrTOWmZch-Nxwo6PZf3HHEj_2mgCaKsfx_PLpQTXFBMye4R8pg02H4y32wty9Yj5KUkgAYyT0sHXq4cWocOkk/s320/yoga.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">This week I wrote about bodies, as part of a larger intention of thriving in body, mind and spirit in 2012. There are three articles to look over;</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">1. Bodies Matter- Appreciate your beauty inside and out. See YOU for who YOU are. Click </span><a href="http://tinyurl.com/6nfwxgo"><span style="font-family: inherit;">here</span></a><span style="font-family: inherit;"> for the</span><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"> article.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">2. <em><span style="font-style: normal; mso-bidi-font-style: italic;">Caring for your body is a way of caring for others. Your body matters. Click <a href="http://tinyurl.com/6t262jk">here</a> for the a</span></em><span style="font-weight: normal;">rticle.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-weight: normal;">3. </span><span style="font-weight: normal;">Wellness is not about being perfect. It is about being perfectly YOU. ALL of you. Click <a href="http://tinyurl.com/7fbekyw">here</a> for the <span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">article.</span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Please note that you can now receive my content by email, either daily or weekly and by text, audio or video. Sign up for this free service </span><a href="http://ianwlawton.blogspot.com/p/resources.html"><span style="font-family: inherit;">here. </span></a></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Have an awesome week. I leave you with this quote from Geneen Roth, author of Women, Food and God.</span></span></span><span style="font-weight: normal;"><strong><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;"></span></span><br /><span style="font-family: inherit;"> </span></span></strong></span></div>
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<span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">It’s never been true, not anywhere at any time, that the value of a soul, of a human spirit, is dependent on a number on a scale. We are unrepeatable beings of light and space and water who need these physical vehicles to get around. When we start defining ourselves by that which can be measured or weighed, something deep within us rebels. We don’t want to EAT hot fudge sundaes as much as we want our lives to BE hot fudge sundaes. We want to come home to ourselves</span></span></span></span></span></blockquote>
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</div><div class="blogger-post-footer">copyright 2010 by Ian Lawton. All rights reserved.</div>Ian Lawtonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14515453952874757497noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6902056258087567564.post-6091954628621554962012-01-12T09:51:00.001-05:002012-01-12T09:51:08.068-05:00<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcSpgTAtWr-vD-Ox9lPz9nho96u8cPKNU-Tb_MgMfZ-doXS6FOiPv0_jmBpQCzS1BdPnJXAUQaDNBZewxMinpYP0z7UjWSr_FmhlBOp_pWVtBiEdS12hiIYslkFrEF2zVvQxOdsG-61OE/s1600/Dream-Bigger.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="108" kba="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcSpgTAtWr-vD-Ox9lPz9nho96u8cPKNU-Tb_MgMfZ-doXS6FOiPv0_jmBpQCzS1BdPnJXAUQaDNBZewxMinpYP0z7UjWSr_FmhlBOp_pWVtBiEdS12hiIYslkFrEF2zVvQxOdsG-61OE/s320/Dream-Bigger.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: "Arial Narrow", "sans-serif";"><strong><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Happy New Year. May it be your best ever. I started out 2012 with a series of articles called "Coming Out Head First in 2012". More about those articles below.</span></strong></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Arial Narrow", "sans-serif";"><strong><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">First, I want to bring you up to speed with some exciting new developments. I am now offering the ability to subscribe to my weekly content in a way that suits you. I generally write four separate articles per week on a theme. You can opt to receive them by email as four articles over four days, or you can subscribe to receive one longer article once a week. You can also opt to receive the content by text, audio, video or all three.</span></strong></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Arial Narrow", "sans-serif";"><strong><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I'm offering this content for free but encourage you to make a tax deductible donation (either one time or recurring) to support my work. There are costs associated with the administration of this subscription system, and your donations will help to cover some of these costs. Please visit the </span><a href="http://ianwlawton.blogspot.com/p/resources.html"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Resources</span></a><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> page to subscribe to my content in a way that suits your needs. I will continue to post a summary of my weekly articles on this blog.</span></strong></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Arial Narrow", "sans-serif";"><strong><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">As for Coming Out Head First, the New Year is a great time to get your head straight about your intentions, claim the power of your mind, recommit to possibility thinking and transform your memories. Please follow any link below that interests you.</span></strong></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Arial Narrow", "sans-serif";"><strong><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">1. Diving Into 2012- click </span><a href="http://tinyurl.com/79plz7d"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">here </span></a><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">to read more.</span></strong></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Arial Narrow", "sans-serif";"><strong><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">2. Claim the power of your mind- click </span><a href="http://tinyurl.com/825hfj2"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">here</span></a><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> to read more.</span></strong></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Arial Narrow", "sans-serif";"><strong><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">3. Recommit to possibility thinking- click </span><a href="http://tinyurl.com/74ae42r"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">here</span></a><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> to read more.</span></strong></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Arial Narrow", "sans-serif";"><span style="font-size: xx-small;"><strong><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">4. Transform your memories- click </span></strong><a href="http://tinyurl.com/7hufd99"><strong><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">here</span></strong></a><strong><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;"> to read more.</span></strong></span></span><br />
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<strong><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">May your mind transcend limitations.</span></strong><br />
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<strong><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">May your consciousness expand in every direction.</span></strong><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><strong>May you discover yourself to be a greater person by far than you ever dreamed yourself to be.</strong> Patanjali</span></span><br />
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<strong><br /></strong><div class="blogger-post-footer">copyright 2010 by Ian Lawton. All rights reserved.</div>Ian Lawtonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14515453952874757497noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6902056258087567564.post-18248147236268831262011-12-15T16:27:00.000-05:002011-12-29T11:46:14.545-05:00Thriving in the Holidays<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgylqhyphenhyphen1_BkPLa67-MM_sXWxFRH8ka3NOMih-LOCdFekH_MLRAx1jGHJSIuP6neUSkgscBWNsulMWB6EdP1wcrRPmGgcsSytSzty-FFXFJKPX_XXdI5a9pVwOVV96wMIHOodYRNbte7JJM/s1600/angel+print.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="239" oda="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgylqhyphenhyphen1_BkPLa67-MM_sXWxFRH8ka3NOMih-LOCdFekH_MLRAx1jGHJSIuP6neUSkgscBWNsulMWB6EdP1wcrRPmGgcsSytSzty-FFXFJKPX_XXdI5a9pVwOVV96wMIHOodYRNbte7JJM/s320/angel+print.jpg" width="320" /></span></a></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">This is my last post for 2011. Thanks to all who have stayed in touch with my blog. I trust that you received what you needed from it. After a short break over the Holidays I will write again. My first opportunity in 2012 is a teleclass on change that I am leading in conjunction with Brian Johnson's En Theos Academy for Optimal Living. All are welcome to join the class, which is using some cutting edge technology to create a truly interactive experience. Read more about the course <a href="http://tinyurl.com/7kp2qlb">here.</a></span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">Most likely your attention is now focused on the Holidays, time with family and your own journey through Christmas. My writing this week has focused on these things. Take what is meaningful from the following-</span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">1. An inclusive spiritual perspective on Christmas, read more <a href="http://tinyurl.com/86rrb3u">here</a>.</span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;"><span style="color: black; font-size: 10pt;">2. Four Agreements to help prepare for an awesome Holiday season.</span><b><span style="color: black; font-size: 7.5pt;"> Read more <a href="http://tinyurl.com/c4x4ghr">here </a></span></b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="color: black; font-size: 10pt;"><b><span style="color: black; font-size: 7.5pt;"></span></b></span><span style="color: black; font-size: 10pt;">3. Inspired by the Christmas story. But which story? Four Christmases, read more <a href="http://tinyurl.com/bv7ddmf">here.</a></span> </span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">Above you are the stars. Beneath you is the earth. Within you is the light of life. Like the stars may your vision be clear. Like the earth, may your life be grounded. Like the light within, may your spirit shine.</span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">Much love and gratitude, Ian.</span></div><div class="blogger-post-footer">copyright 2010 by Ian Lawton. All rights reserved.</div>Ian Lawtonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14515453952874757497noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6902056258087567564.post-50933250997250367622011-12-08T10:22:00.001-05:002011-12-29T11:45:18.136-05:00Inner Clarity, Outer Vision<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4YnFGHtFDxOVsBfAOjxPeqXa9hJ2dXI0DILjGk0FerEAEwrmKK6KP5y1naA_3K7cGghFd5Ry3_I8CGP9aMQkzK3bjoQaMPUW10YCeY6rHVKvxbKAgdhMYUFErKPInh8zNQHLHJY329N8/s1600/the_eye_of_future.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" mda="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4YnFGHtFDxOVsBfAOjxPeqXa9hJ2dXI0DILjGk0FerEAEwrmKK6KP5y1naA_3K7cGghFd5Ry3_I8CGP9aMQkzK3bjoQaMPUW10YCeY6rHVKvxbKAgdhMYUFErKPInh8zNQHLHJY329N8/s200/the_eye_of_future.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>
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<span lang="EN" style="color: black;"><span style="color: black; font-family: inherit;"><span lang="EN" style="color: black;">Helen Keller said, "The only thing worse than being blind </span><span lang="EN" style="color: black;">is having sight but </span><span lang="EN" style="color: black;">no vision."</span></span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN" style="color: black;"><span style="color: black; font-family: inherit;">Last week I wrote about doubt. This week I wrote about clarity of vision. There are six articles. Feel free to explore any or all of them at your leisure.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span lang="EN" style="color: black;"><span style="color: black; font-size: 12pt;">1. </span></span><span style="color: black;">Vision grows out of what you see <a href="http://www.soulseeds.com/grapevine/2011/12/vision-if-you-can-see-it-you-can-be-it/"><span style="color: black;">inside yourself</span></a> (click <a href="http://tinyurl.com/86u8zph">here</a> for <a href="http://www.soulseeds.com/grapevine/2011/12/vision-if-you-can-see-it-you-can-be-it/"><span style="color: black;">part one</span></a> in the series). </span></span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: inherit;">2. Vision involves <a href="http://www.soulseeds.com/grapevine/2011/12/squinting-at-the-sacred/"><span style="color: black;">squinting</span></a> at your own sacred essence ( click <a href="http://tinyurl.com/7xymmj9">here</a> for <a href="http://www.soulseeds.com/grapevine/2011/12/squinting-at-the-sacred/"><span style="color: black;">part two</span></a> in the series). </span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: inherit;">3. Vision stretches you to see what lies ahead (click <a href="http://tinyurl.com/846mdfc">here</a> for <a href="http://tinyurl.com/846mdfc">part three</a> in the series).</span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: inherit;">4. Di-vision gets in the way of da-vision. Beware of double vision (hypocricy) and focus on authenticity more than size (click <a href="http://www.soulseeds.com/grapevine/2011/12/di-vision-bringing-it-all-together/">here</a> for <a href="http://www.soulseeds.com/grapevine/2011/12/di-vision-bringing-it-all-together/">part four</a> in the series)</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="color: black;"></span><span style="color: black;">5. Vision boarding is a practical way to clarify your vision (click <a href="http://tinyurl.com/7nzxn9x">here</a> to read about <a href="http://www.soulseeds.com/seed-exchange/2011/12/what-is-a-vision-board-by-christine-kane/"><span style="color: black;">vision boarding</span></a>),</span></span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: inherit;">6. T<a href="http://www.soulseeds.com/grapevine/2011/11/meditation-on-becoming/"><span style="color: black;">his visualization</span></a> on your life five years back and five years forward will help give you perspective on your growth.</span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: inherit;">Remember that, in the words of Dan Zadra, "Your resources are always far greater than you imagine them to be." Wake up to all that you can be. Shine some light on a vision that may have been buried under a pile of fears for too long. Set out on a path that may feel hard, but you know it’s right. It’s time to emerge from your own dark age and shine your light.</span></div>
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<br /><div class="blogger-post-footer">copyright 2010 by Ian Lawton. All rights reserved.</div>Ian Lawtonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14515453952874757497noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6902056258087567564.post-60398199385932516822011-12-01T16:29:00.001-05:002011-12-01T16:35:45.986-05:00Gratitude and Doubt<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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This week began with Thanksgiving and ended in Great Doubt. Its been said that successful people have doubts. They just don’t let doubt stop them. So my message this week is to doubt, and doubt boldly but don't let it paralyze you. Let your awareness grow beyond a shadow of doubt and take you from strength to strength. I wrote four pieces. Please peruse at your leisure.<br />
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1. Gratitude in ALL Circumstances, both the ups and downs, the doubts and clarity. This article is about gratitude and growth, through ALL that was, all this is, and all that is to come. <a href="http://tinyurl.com/7a2z9mc">Read more.</a><br />
2. Doubt is often seen as a weakness. Reframe doubt as powerful and beneficial. Give yourself the benefit of doubt. This article describes the benefit of doubt both personally and socially. <a href="http://tinyurl.com/cdxgukl">Read more.</a><br />
3. In the third article, I spoke personally about working through Great Doubt at a Zen retreat in 2005, and outlines the five stages of enlightenment from Tozan. <a href="http://tinyurl.com/79tzvxz">Read more.</a><br />
4. The fourth article is on a different topic, the ongoing question of how to change well. This piece is about eliminating things that aren’t serving you and adding more of the things that make you feel alive and inspired. <a href="http://tinyurl.com/c3cybgp">Read</a> more.<br />
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Namaste!<br /><div class="blogger-post-footer">copyright 2010 by Ian Lawton. All rights reserved.</div>Ian Lawtonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14515453952874757497noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6902056258087567564.post-82543550601727981182011-11-25T10:35:00.001-05:002011-11-25T10:45:52.270-05:00<br />
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Nelson Mandela said, "There can be no keener revelation of a society’s soul than the way in which it treats its children."<br />
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This week I wrote about protecting children, in the light of revelations about the Penn State abuse scandal. There are five pieces to explore-<br />
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1. Honoring the innocence of children while teaching them about boundaries. Help kids to develop wise trust. <a href="http://tinyurl.com/6w225d4">Read more</a>.<br />
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2. Protect children before protecting institutions like the church or college football programs. <a href="http://tinyurl.com/8xuz5cn">Read more</a>.<br />
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3. Become a whistleblower for kids in danger. Learn to see the signs of danger, and empower kids to trust their intuition. <a href="http://tinyurl.com/88qwyz3">Read more</a>.<br />
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4. Learn to forgive yourself when you fail to see the signs or act on warning signs. <a href="http://tinyurl.com/7ukm7su">Read more.</a><br />
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5. We need to believe that good people do bad things so that we are not blindsided by abuse. <a href="http://tinyurl.com/6w3swoj">Read more.</a><br />
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In the end, it all comes down to what sort of world you choose to dwell in. I imagine a world where children are fiercely protected and people are mindful of the effect of their actions.<br />
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I love the ritual among the Masai tribes of African. Even though they were considered the most fearsome of all warriors, they use a greeting that is amazingly gentle. They greet each other with the words, “Kasserian ingera?’ which means “How are the children?” Even warriors with no children of their own would give the answer, ‘All the children are well.”<br />
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If the children are well, it is well with all. If the least visible and least powerful are well cared for, society as a whole is in a healthy state. Start by caring for the vulnerable child within who needs to be empowered with courage to heal from past choices and move on making powerful choices. Ask yourself often, “How is the child within?” May your answer be, “The child within is well.”<br />
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<br /><div class="blogger-post-footer">copyright 2010 by Ian Lawton. All rights reserved.</div>Ian Lawtonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14515453952874757497noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6902056258087567564.post-53816466798089862692011-11-03T09:54:00.000-04:002011-11-03T09:54:53.793-04:00Occupy Wall Street<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">This week I wrote about transformation, particularly in relation to the Occupy Wall Street (OWS) movement that is gaining momentum. Please follow the links below to read each article.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">1. <span style="color: black; font-family: "Arial Narrow", "sans-serif";">Reform changes things at the surface. Transformation changes from the inside out. Click <a href="http://tinyurl.com/3uowzum">here</a> to read more </span><b><span style="color: black; font-family: "Verdana", "sans-serif";"> </span></b></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">2. Getting beyond labels that divide. <span style="color: black; font-family: "Arial Narrow", "sans-serif";">Spend less time defining who we are, and more time BEING who we are. Click <a href="http://tinyurl.com/3r3dqf8">here </a>to read more </span></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">3. <span style="font-family: "Arial Narrow", "sans-serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: Tahoma;">Visualizing Transformation, a visualization for anyone managing change, using the analogy of a butterfly. Click <a href="http://tinyurl.com/3zmelb6">here</a> to read more. </span></span></span><div class="blogger-post-footer">copyright 2010 by Ian Lawton. All rights reserved.</div>Ian Lawtonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14515453952874757497noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6902056258087567564.post-8352718897180189442011-10-27T08:33:00.003-04:002011-10-27T08:35:59.549-04:00Acceptance<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">I chose to give my creative mind a rest this week and only wrote once. The piece I wrote was on acceptance and living with no strings attached. The harp created my guiding metaphor, which led to a visualization which I found meaningful. I hope you do too. You can read the article and visualization </span><a href="http://www.soulseeds.com/grapevine/2011/10/acceptance-no-strings-attached/"><span style="font-family: inherit;">here.</span></a><span style="font-family: inherit;"> </span><br />
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<span class="googqs-tidbit1"><span style="color: black; font-family: inherit; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">Throw yourself into every moment with no strings attached, with no assurance that your efforts will be rewarded. Plan your next steps with no certainty of the outcomes. Pour yourself into a cause or project you believe in without knowing where it will take you. Do it as an authentic expression of who you are.</span></span></div><div class="blogger-post-footer">copyright 2010 by Ian Lawton. All rights reserved.</div>Ian Lawtonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14515453952874757497noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6902056258087567564.post-8078599208369862112011-10-20T09:05:00.000-04:002011-10-20T09:05:43.092-04:00<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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This week I wrote a four part series on authenticity and taking off masks. Jim Morrison, Doors frontman, said, "The most important kind of freedom is to be what you really are." Please follow each link below to read the series as it unfolded.<br />
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1. The first article is about the power of authenticity. Click <a href="http://tinyurl.com/3tbtqzr">here</a> to read.<br />
2. The second is about authenticity’s payoff. Recover your born identity. Click <a href="http://tinyurl.com/6k3kwhd">here</a> to read.<br />
3. The third offers practical steps to live more authentically. Its exhausting not to live authentically. Click <a href="http://tinyurl.com/3e9ddsv">here</a> to read.<br />
4. The fourth piece is about the connection between living authentically and the needs of the planet. Masks and the Occupy Wall Street movement. Click <a href="http://tinyurl.com/649qt4y">here</a> to read.<br />
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In order to BE yourself, you have to KNOW yourself. Once you start living authentically, life becomes filled with joy. And as Gandhi said, "The best way to find yourself is to lose yourself in the service of others."<br />
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Have an awesome week of finding, living, loving and being yourself. <br />
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<br /></div><div class="blogger-post-footer">copyright 2010 by Ian Lawton. All rights reserved.</div>Ian Lawtonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14515453952874757497noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6902056258087567564.post-20168480297749039052011-10-13T08:49:00.001-04:002011-10-13T08:49:55.587-04:00<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Last week I wrote about taking responsibility. I mentioned responsibility’s mantra, IF IT IS TO BE, IT IS UP TO ME. When you see something that needs to be done, get in and take responsibility. But is there such a thing as taking too much responsibility? What happens when you feel overwhelmed by the needs of the world? How do you persevere when it feels like you’re running backwards into a stiff headwind? How do you remove unhealthy burdens from your life? How do you keep caring without letting the pain destroy you? These are some of the questions I addressed this week. <br />
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Please follow the links to read more about<br />
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1. 10 ways to know if you are taking on too much responsibility. <a href="http://tinyurl.com/67fcvfy">Click to read more.</a><br />
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2. 10 practical ways to overcome overwhelm. <a href="http://tinyurl.com/3ptfnxo">Click to read more.</a><br />
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3. What is the connection between empathy and overwhelm? <a href="http://tinyurl.com/3ma22lr">Click to read more.</a><br />
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4. What does the phrase, “pain hurts more, but bothers you less” mean? <a href="http://tinyurl.com/3r3rxsv">Click to read more.</a><br />
<br />Have a great week, and live with awesome balance between care and acceptance.<div class="blogger-post-footer">copyright 2010 by Ian Lawton. All rights reserved.</div>Ian Lawtonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14515453952874757497noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6902056258087567564.post-49266897522770055572011-10-06T12:10:00.001-04:002011-10-06T12:10:36.739-04:00Personal Responsibility<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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The Dalai Lama said,<br />
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Today, more than ever before, life must be characterized by a sense of Universal responsibility, not only nation to nation and human to human, but also human to other forms of life.</blockquote>
This week I wrote about personal responsibility. It seems to be one of the defining qualities of human evolution. I looked at four issues. Follow the link to read each article. <br />
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1. <a href="http://tinyurl.com/3hc9gew">Response-Ability</a>- What is personal responsibility? Learn to take responsibility for both your successes and challenges.<br />
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<a href="http://tinyurl.com/3vg6tb7">2. Empathy and Responsibility</a>- The level of your responsibility will mostly match your level of care or empathy.<br />
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3. <a href="http://tinyurl.com/3ke2a5h">Spirituality and Responsibility</a>- Take responsibility for your own spiritual path, your beliefs and destiny.<br />
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4. <a href="http://tinyurl.com/6grqof5">Responsibility and Awareness</a>- Your responsibility stretches as far as your awareness reaches.<br />
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<div class="blogger-post-footer">copyright 2010 by Ian Lawton. All rights reserved.</div>Ian Lawtonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14515453952874757497noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6902056258087567564.post-3433393574250724212011-09-29T11:18:00.001-04:002011-09-29T11:18:38.094-04:00New Beginnings<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<b><span style="color: black; font-family: "Verdana", "sans-serif";"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Last week I wrote about ending well. This week I wrote four articles about beginning well.</span></span></b></div>
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<b><span style="color: black; font-family: "Verdana", "sans-serif";"><a href="http://tinyurl.com/3jvvh8q"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The first</span></a><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> piece was about the opportunity for renewed </span><a href="http://tinyurl.com/3jvvh8q"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">authenticity</span></a><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> in beginnings. </span></span></b></div>
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<b><span style="color: black; font-family: "Verdana", "sans-serif";"><a href="http://tinyurl.com/6jrtpgd"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The second</span></a><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> was about using </span><a href="http://tinyurl.com/6jrtpgd"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">nervous energy</span></a><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> to your advantage. </span></span></b></div>
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<b><span style="color: black; font-family: "Verdana", "sans-serif";"><a href="http://tinyurl.com/5wz4pb8"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The third</span></a><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> was about the excitement of joining change at </span><a href="http://tinyurl.com/5wz4pb8"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">the ground floor</span></a><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">.</span></span></b></div>
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<b><span style="color: black; font-family: "Verdana", "sans-serif";"><a href="http://tinyurl.com/3gkoqkq"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The fourth</span></a><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> was about </span><a href="http://tinyurl.com/3gkoqkq"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">setting the tone</span></a><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> for your life by putting your best foot forward.</span></span></b></div>
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<b><span style="color: black; font-family: "Verdana", "sans-serif"; font-size: 7.5pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">Below is an extract from part 4. Please follow the links above to read them in order.</span></span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><blockquote>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">New beginnings are a privilege, and not to be taken for granted. The opportunity to <span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">start over, start new, rewrite the script, build something from the ground up, set the tone for an intention, are all part of the forgiving nature of the universe. Second, third and seven hundredth chances are built into the nature of life. When you truly believe that, you can set about living on purpose and without regrets. You are not alive at this time in history with your unique blend of experience and skill by accident. You are not reading this article at this time in your life by accident. There are things that you still need to express and manifest in the world, and your next thoughts, words and actions will set the tone for the rest of your life and help to create the future for all. Your kindred spirits are others who believe in second chances and fresh starts, and live their lives putting their best foot forward. Imagine the love revolution if more of us lived this way.</span></span></span></blockquote>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /><span style="font-size: small;"></span></span></span></span><div class="blogger-post-footer">copyright 2010 by Ian Lawton. All rights reserved.</div>Ian Lawtonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14515453952874757497noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6902056258087567564.post-63183632617069417222011-09-24T18:54:00.000-04:002011-09-24T18:54:26.925-04:00<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7cQh9y7R3hKaK1lPxQvLlkfCcUsg1EKG6v-PpsrYWtJnZHRYzd7YGsnY8EkkN8nG6SqGm1GhyphenhyphenPxz2DNaM-j8-ADs8-j50TYZBa3hUku7Ygcd_xEcRpO4BoCTlD9gviayTx4DCNyrGW20/s1600/change-your-life-301.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" hca="true" height="133" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7cQh9y7R3hKaK1lPxQvLlkfCcUsg1EKG6v-PpsrYWtJnZHRYzd7YGsnY8EkkN8nG6SqGm1GhyphenhyphenPxz2DNaM-j8-ADs8-j50TYZBa3hUku7Ygcd_xEcRpO4BoCTlD9gviayTx4DCNyrGW20/s200/change-your-life-301.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>
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<b><span style="color: black; font-family: "Verdana", "sans-serif";">This week I wrote four articles on ending well. We all face many endings in life and they bring an opportunity to end well so that you can begin again well and fully without baggage and regrets. </span></b></div>
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<b><span style="color: black; font-family: "Verdana", "sans-serif";">I encourage you to read them all on my Soulseeds blog.</span></b></div>
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<b><span style="color: black; font-family: "Verdana", "sans-serif";">The first part looked at <a href="http://tinyurl.com/5tqtzks">impermanence</a>. </span></b></div>
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<b><span style="color: black; font-family: "Verdana", "sans-serif";">The second looked at <a href="http://tinyurl.com/5vgmnag">ending well</a>, especially in the case of <a href="http://tinyurl.com/5vgmnag">divorce or relocation</a>. </span></b></div>
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<b><span style="color: black; font-family: "Verdana", "sans-serif";">The third looked at <a href="http://tinyurl.com/68umnao">assumptions</a>. </span></b></div>
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<b><span style="color: black; font-family: "Verdana", "sans-serif";">The fourth part looked at <a href="http://tinyurl.com/445sbpe">making peace with time.</a></span></b><b><span style="color: black; font-family: "Verdana", "sans-serif";"></span></b></div>
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<div class="blogger-post-footer">copyright 2010 by Ian Lawton. All rights reserved.</div>Ian Lawtonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14515453952874757497noreply@blogger.com0