Apr 04

The Application of Shakespeare’s “To Be or Not to Be?”

In Shakespeare’s famous soliloquy from the play “Hamlet”, the main character, Hamlet, is racked with despair, and is questioning whether or not the unknown world beyond death will be easier to bear than the current life. Hamlet is in such despair that he is contemplating whether or not he should continue to “suffer the slings and arrows of outrageous fortune”, or if he should “take arms against a sea of troubles”, by possibly committing suicide. However, Hamlet is unsure of whether or not he should act on his wish to end the pain he is suffering, because he is unsure what will await him in the afterlife in that “undiscovered country from whose bourn no traveler returns”.

While every sentient being suffers in one form or another, it appears to be a uniquely human characteristic to wish, or at least look forward to death. Many people turn to the concept of the afterlife presented in their religion to such an extent that they cease to truly live in this current stage of life. For example, some Christians look so forward to the day when Jesus Christ will appear in his prophesized second coming, that they are constantly trying to interpret every disaster as some sign of the upcoming Rapture and Armageddon. Other people are so disheartened with the world around them that they buy into the newest doomsday prophesy that the world is soon to be destroyed. Read the rest of this entry »

Mar 30

Coming to Terms with the Past in Order to Enjoy the Now.

When thinking about the past, most people tend to dwell on the negative, instead of focusing on the positive things in their past. For example, when I used to look back on my undergraduate days, instead of thinking about how I met my wife, achieved in school, had many pleasurable experiences, etc. In the past I tended to think about the rigors of balancing my education with having to work night shifts at a 7-Eleven to pay for my school and expenses. Until recently, when I thought about law school, instead of focusing on the achievement of a goal, having a child, and the good friends that I made, I tended to think about the long hours of studying and how much I hated the Socratic method when I was the one being called out for questioning in front of 100 people in a class room. I recently had a close friendship dissolve, and instead of focusing on the positive aspects, and what I learned from him, I catch myself focusing on the bad circumstances surrounding the dissolution of the friendship.

Focusing on the negative aspects of our past is detrimental to our spiritual progression, as well as our enjoyment of the now. By focusing on negative experiences in the past we are wasting our time and energy on things that cannot be changed, they are merely ghosts in the ether of time. While exploring our past, and coming to terms with it is an essential part of spiritual development, you should take care to only use your past in a constructive way. If you are constantly filled with regret or anger because of past decisions or experiences, you should  forgive yourself or whomever caused the pain, which will release the power the memory has over you. Use the past as a learning lesson on how you can be a better person today, and not repeat the mistakes which led to the painful memory to begin with. Read the rest of this entry »

Mar 27

Subduing the Ego… the Pesky, Pesky Ego

Today our society seems content with feeding the lowest part of our psyche, what is generally termed as “the ego”. The ego is the part of your psyche that constantly seeks out gratification as well as praise and acceptance from others.  The ego is the voice in your head which constantly fills your waking moments, and even dreams, with a constant dialog that you are not good enough, a victim, or that you are somehow superior to someone else. Succumbing to the ego, and fulfilling its voracious needs, can become a type of vice that will stunt your spiritual growth and development. Many people need to “feed” their ego just like a drug addict, shopping addict, sex addict, or any other addict needs to feed their addiction first and foremost (these addictions are all caused by the ego to begin with).

The ego, if left unchecked, is the antithesis of spiritual development, and must therefore be properly channeled in order to develop yourself spiritually. A properly channeled ego is present in a spiritually developed (awakened) person, because a spiritually developed person is not concerned with public praise, gratification, and power.  A spiritually developed person is not concerned with the desires of the ego, because the things that the ego feeds off of are only temporary.  When you die your earthly possessions will eventually turn to dust, your legacy will most likely be forgotten by future generations, and the addictions which consumed your life will be meaningless. Read the rest of this entry »

Mar 25

The Frailty of Life

I am sitting next to my father who is lying in a hospital bed, and I can’t help but be reminded about how frail life truly is. As I walk down the hallways people are in a daze from worry and grief, shuffling from one point to the other. I overheard one person state that they wish they had been able to spend one more day with their loved one. The driving force behind the creation of this blog is to have people realize just how precious and amazing life truly is. Most people live life like a ship without  sail, simply drifting around the ocean of life. Others, are so focused and driven that they are solely focused on a perceived end goal, and never stop or slow down in order to enjoy the scenery of life.

Each one of us holds the keys to living a joyful and fulfilling life; however, we must choose to use these keys in order to open the doors in front of us. It is imperative to slow down and enjoy the moments of life. Living in the now means to truly enjoy spending time with your loved ones, enjoying the moments of life that make you smile, and not focusing on the negative which only causes stress and grief. Read the rest of this entry »

Mar 23

Book Review: Lucid Living, By Tim Freke

The tag-line for this book is, “A Book You Can Read in One Hour That Will Turn Your World Inside Out”. This is a true tag-line! The book is designed to literally be read in approximately one hour, and it spells out simple ways to live life fully in the moment. I read this book a little over a year ago, and have since loaned it out to several friends who have also enjoyed the book.

This book is a simple, engaging read, that can easily be read in less than an hour. Therefore, for those of us who can barely find time to read anything for pleasure, this is a book that you can start and finish on your lunch break. Mr. Freke spells out the teachings contained in the gnostic spiritual tradition in a comprehensive and easy to understand manner, which will serve as a good primer for those who are new to spiritual seeking, or as a good refresher course for those who have been seeking for some time.

If you are interested in purchasing this book, the link below will direct you to Amazon where the book can be purchased

http://rcm.amazon.com/e/cm?t=livinthenow-20&o=1&p=8&l=as1&asinss=1401920403&ref=qf_sp_asin_til&fc1=000000&IS2=1&lt1=_blank&m=amazon&lc1=0000FF&bc1=000000&bg1=FFFFFF&f=ifr

7P36GT7W4TWR

Also, please check out my book, “The Path: Using the Religions of the World as a Guide to Personal and Spiritual Development.” (Click on the book cover to view on Amazon.com)

Mar 23

Book Review: Lucid Living, By Tim Freke

The tag-line for this book is, “A Book You Can Read in One Hour That Will Turn Your World Inside Out”. This is a true tag-line! The book is designed to literally be read in approximately one hour, and it spells out simple ways to live life fully in the moment. I read this book a little over a year ago, and have since loaned it out to several friends who have also enjoyed the book.

This book is a simple, engaging read, that can easily be read in less than an hour. Therefore, for those of us who can barely find time to read anything for pleasure, this is a book that you can start and finish on your lunch break. Mr. Freke spells out the teachings contained in the gnostic spiritual tradition in a comprehensive and easy to understand manner, which will serve as a good primer for those who are new to spiritual seeking, or as a good refresher course for those who have been seeking for some time.

If you are interested in purchasing this book, the link below will direct you to Amazon where the book can be purchased

http://rcm.amazon.com/e/cm?t=livinthenow-20&o=1&p=8&l=as1&asinss=1401920403&ref=qf_sp_asin_til&fc1=000000&IS2=1&lt1=_blank&m=amazon&lc1=0000FF&bc1=000000&bg1=FFFFFF&f=ifr

7P36GT7W4TWR

Also, please check out my book, “The Path: Using the Religions of the World as a Guide to Personal and Spiritual Development.” (Click on the book cover to view on Amazon.com)

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