Complete your experiences by doing "Closure"

In our busy lives, one experience tends to blend into another. Often we do not complete the previous experience before starting the next one. This keeps us from being present. The unfinished experiences start to build up. They keep us feeling anxious and overwhelmed.

One way to complete experiences (and not drag one into another) is called "Closure." Bart Anderson articulates the 6 steps of Closure as following:

1. Acceptance of the reality of the situation.

2. Reconciliation: Learning something.

3. Asking: What can I do about it?

4. Determination to have things differently.

5. Look at your possibilities.

6. Put your focus in front of you!

Closure can be done immediately following the experience, at the end of the work day, or before bed to complete the day. At the end of the day, it is useful to identify and do closure with all of the experiences that affected you significantly that day.

Within second step of closure lies the key to resolving any past experience- true reconciliation. You cannot undo an experience or "make it right". You can, however, learn from it- so that experience adds value to your life. This is called "blessing the lesson" (see previous blog).

Once completing these steps, you are free to be present for your next experience. You can sleep and dream peacefully. You can start a new day without dragging the unfinished business of the previous day into it.

And... don't forget to do closure at the end of your Friday- so you can have a good weekend.

An Addition to the Law of Attraction?

The Secret by Rhonda Byrnes describes a "law of attraction" that governs the way that we can attract the things we want to ourselves. Byrnes explains "negation" one element of this law, "The law of attraction doesn't compute 'don't' or 'not' or 'no' or any other words of negation." As you speak words of negation, such as I don't want a bad haircut, the law of attraction is receiving, "I want bad haircuts." She concludes, "The Law of attraction gives you what you a re thinking about- period."

Bart Anderson, teaching from a Native American perspective, explained, "Spirit only knows the collective and connection. It does not recognize "I consciousness" and separation." He continued, "If you want your prayer or intention to be answered, always pray in terms of "we." Include other people in your "stream of consciousness" or people working with the same awarenesses as you. He added, "Make sure that your intent is what is best for the whole. Then Spirit will answer your prayer."

So maybe it is time for an addition to the law of attraction. This additional law would state that the law of attraction only recognizes things that are based on the collective or "we consciousness." If I say I want this for the gratification of my ego, this additional law of attraction does not hear it. However, if you say I want this so it can benefit a number of people including myself, the added law of attraction receives that and provides what you are after.

Of course, that would require seeing ourselves as part of something greater than ourselves.

How do you choose to express your joy?

My all time favorite quote is "The choice is: how we affect, how we reflect our Buddha nature" by Bart Anderson.

What if we did have did have a "Buddha nature" inside of us- a pure beauty, joy, and love that is pure possibility? Buddha nature (or Christ consciousness, life force, chi, passion, prana) is pure spiritual energy that is available to be "reflected" any way we choose. When we are angry that is how we are reflecting our Buddha nature.

Or if you like... What if the only true emotion is joy? And, all the other feelings and emotional states are derivations of joy. If we are feeling sorry for ourselves, that is how we are expressing our joy.

So, how do you choose to express your joy? How do you choose to reflect your Buddha nature?It may be the most important choice you have. It may be the only choice you have.

The choice you make in expressing your Buddha nature in any given moment is your "offering" to those around you and the world. It is your prayer. It is how you "make a difference." It is whether you contribute to peace or violence. It is whether you uplift or drag down. It is whether you create or destroy.

The choice you make in expressing your joy is "how you affect." It is also the experience that you choose to have. And... it makes all the difference in the world.

I pray for not only me, but "For All My Relations"

My spiritual teacher, Bart Anderson, conducted Native American sweat lodges to help get in touch with themselves. He described sweat lodge as a place you go to pray. When praying in lodge, he suggested that I pray for the people that are in my "stream of consciousness" and for the things that I am part of. He said to do this because spirit does not recognize the concept of "I". It does not recognize separation- only connection. It is only us that views ourselves as separate. We create the illusion that we are separate and not connected to "all things."

The Lakota Sioux people pray by saying "Mitakuye Oyas'in" which means "for all my relations." Or, I ask this for not only me, but for all my relations. If you pray this way, he explained, spirit will answer your prayers. It will recognize your prayer as praying for the betterment of your people- which actually means something.

What if we saw ourselves that way all the time. If we expanded our level of consciousness to include all the people that we are a part of. As well, whenever we are in an experience, we encompassed all of the people that were involved in the experience. We could then consider what was best for the whole. Our life and expression would be a walking prayer that spirit would acknowledge and bless. Our life would be in harmony.