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IN THIS ISSUE: "ONLY DEAD FISH GO WITH THE FLOW!"
WISDOM: "The supreme value is not the future but the present. Whoever builds a house for future happiness builds a prison for the present." Octavio Paz
BOOK REVIEW: "The Power of Now" by Eckhart Tolle
SOUL TRAVEL: Elephant Encounter
COACH'S CHALLENGE: The present has all of the answers and resources that you need.
RIVER TRIP - Space still available for gorgeous white water trip down the Green River - July 21-24. Treat yourself to an adventure. See website www.dancewitheagles.com for details.
"ONLY DEAD FISH GO WITH THE FLOW!"
I chuckled when I saw "Only Dead Fish Go with the Flow" on a bumper sticker. A "catchy" little phrase (forgive the pun), I thought. It probably was intended to be a direct assault on zoned-out couch potatoes and others who allow life to wash over their minds and bodies without participation or challenge. Since I do not know any dead fish, I decided to take a different approach.
It seems to me most of us would love to have our lives going with the flow - to live life effortlessly instead of frenetically. It is possible. Life flows when you are living in the present, unfettered by the past or paralyzed by the future. Flow is something that happens when you are Being, not just Doing, Wanting or Needing. It means you are being Fluid, moving and responding smoothly and with continuity.
Take a look at your life and see how much time is spent compensating for or resolving the past or strategizing or worrying about the future. If it is taking more than 10% of your time, it is robbing you and those around you of the richness of the present. The present is what is and it is all we truly have so being in sync with it is the best way to optimize your present and your future.
How to know when you are going with the flow.
By Thomas Leonard, founder of Coach University
1. You are less likely to lose your composure when you get bad news.
2. You become a very curious person and enjoy discovering the perfection in the present, even the bad parts.
3. You relax and enjoy the present, even if it's not what you wanted.
4. You set fewer goals and instead seek and find the opportunities in the present.
5. You make the most of reality because you're not wishing it were different.
6. You save energy because you don't battle the universe daily.
7. You are free to do more with what you already have.
THOUGHT FOR THE MONTH:
Be an alive fish and GO WITH THE FLOW as it is this very minute. This way you will be conscious enough to pick your own river. - Allison
SOUL TRAVEL: ELEPHANT ENCOUNTER
Kenya, Africa. My guide and I had been out all afternoon on a game drive. It was dusk and we were returning to camp. Suddenly, the guide turned the jeep sharply and began racing across the veld, making a beeline for a place I had not yet discerned. Alone in the open truck bed, I hung on for dear life. Suddenly, I saw them - a herd of elephant feeding by the side of the road, their gray hulks masked somewhat by the waning light. We slowed and crept within a short distance of the herd; the guide turned off the engine. Four adult females and a number of young of different ages glanced our way but ignored our presence except for a young male who faked a charge but he was only showing off. We watched in silence.
Slowly the elephants began to move toward us, some crossing in back and some in front of our vehicle. The guide, ensconced in the reasonable safety of the cab of the truck, motioned to me to be still. He needn't have worried. I was frozen. The truck was now surrounded, dwarfed by these behemoths. To my left was the matriarch, very large and very close. I looked up at her huge head, our eyes met and we stared at each other for several seconds, her giant tusk no more than six feet from my face. I smiled at her and felt an overwhelming connection and a sense of peace I shall never forget. Gradually, they moved off and, only after we lost sight of them in the dark, did we return to camp. Upon reaching my tent, I collapsed on my bed and wept with joy.
My camera was useless in this situation (as was I) but I have included some other images from Africa for your enjoyment.
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BOOK REVIEW: "The Power of Now", by Eckhart Tolle
"The Power of Now" is filled with much wisdom and many challenges for the reader. Some of it was too much for me, more than I am perhaps ready for at my stage of my journey but never not worth the read. The author's goal is to help us reach a "profound transformation of consciousness" that will allow us to function fully in the present and thereby access what each of us knows deep within but have forgotten. In this way, he promises we can access our true wealth which is the radiant joy of Being (defined as our very essence) and a deep, unshakable sense of peace.
Tolle tells us that first we must free ourselves from the enslavement of the mind. The mind and our identification of Self with the mind blocks consciousness and comes between us and our true Self, others, nature and God. (God may be defined in any manner one wishes.) He challenges us to become observers of our mind when in thought and to practice stilling the mind. Only in this way can we become truly present. He points out that there is a vast realm of intelligence beyond the mind and, in fact, states that "all that truly matters arises from beyond the mind.".… "You will soon realize that you are the voice and here you are listening to it, watching it."….. "Now you are fully aware of yourself and the moment. Thought loses power over you. Whatever you are then doing becomes an end in itself. This intense consciousness of the present moment enhances your alertness and vitality."
It is thought that takes us away from the moment and engages us in the past or the future because that is the only place it is needed. That is also the dwelling place of the ego. The mind is an instrument, a tool - do not let it take over, he warns. Real love, joy and peace arise from beyond the mind.
"The more you identify with your mind and the unobserved mind runs your life, the more you suffer." Pain from all the hurts in our life becomes lodged in us. As pain accumulates, it occupies mind and body and takes on a life of its own. Emotion is body's reaction to the mind. Referring to the accumulated pain as the Pain Body, Tolle expresses the danger of allowing the Pain Body to become identified with the Self. "Neither the mind nor the Pain Body are you." When we feel the Pain Body awakening, he tells us to "focus attention on the feeling inside you; know that it is the Pain Body; accept that it is there; don't think about it; don't let the feeling turn into thinking; don't judge or analyze; don't make an identity for yourself out of it; stay present and continue to be the observer of what is happening inside you; be aware of not only the emotional pain but also of you, the Observer. This is the power of now, the power of your own conscience presence. Then see what happens."
Problems, he poses, are manufactured by the mind. There are no real problems, just situations that either must be dealt with in the present or accepted. If you create problems, you create pain. Think about the occurrence of an emergency situation. Your mind does not have time to make it a problem, ie to muck it up with the past and the future. You must deal with it in the present. In a true emergency, the mind stops and your whole being focuses on resolution. Think of some of the amazing feats ordinary people have performed in emergency situations. This is not the work of the mind but of something infinitely more powerful.
His essential message: YOU ARE NOT YOUR MIND! YOU ARE SO MUCH MORE! THE GOAL IS TO BE ABLE TO ACCESS "THE MORE".
This is just a teaser and I am sure some of it is challenging your credulity. That's good. There is plenty to chew on in this book and it is worth your consideration no matter where you are in your journey. The book is also on tape, which is my preference for a work of this nature so I can listen to it many times. Book or tape can be ordered from Amazon.com. but I suspect the book is in all the major bookstores.
Until June. Take care of yourself; Live your best, and Have a wonderful day!
EXPLORE MY WEBSITE AND PHOTO GALLERY AT WWW.DANCEWITHEAGLES.COM
Feel free to forward this on to anyone you believe might enjoy it and encourage them to subscribe for themselves. Comments, submissions and suggestions are welcome. My email is allison@dancewitheagles.com Although this material is subject to copyright, you may reprint this publication in whole or in part or use it in any way you feel it might be of benefit. Please state the following: Reprinted with permission from Allison Quattrocchi of Dance with Eagles, www.dancewitheagles.com All past museletters are posted on my website.
Names of subscribers will never be shared or sold.
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WINGS Vol. 1, No. 4, May, 2002
