DOUG WRITES | Consciously Conscioius

Consciously Unconscious

By Douglas Allen

The unconscious is a powerful part of our existence that gets to sort itself out when we meditate and dream.  If we pay attention and incorporate its language in our waking state, it connects us to creative ideals and meaningful imagery. Carl Jung, the Swiss psychiatrist and dream analysist, formed a basic tenet that said all products of the unconscious are symbolic and can be taken as guiding messages.  He has been a powerful influence in the pursuit of my truth through the continual analysis of my dreams and meditative states.  Witnessing a part of our psyche that does not usually enter our awareness is frightening and enlightening at the same time.  These fleeting moments of ah-ha and eureka, if jotted down and interpreted, can be golden opportunities to help us avoid traps, and can lead us towards where we ultimately want to go!  It is all about intention at a deep-seeded level. In my dream last night, I was looking at two trees which were severely cut back for the season.  I felt the shock that they had experienced during the cutting.  On the trees were still some remaining orange seeds. The image and sensation was like in a stand-still.  Then, like a fluttering lens trying to find its object and focus, the image shifted in a blurred and jumpy way to another image.  The dream now fixated on a magnificent tree standing in all its glory; wicked tall and with an impressive trunk and a unique shape.  It was complete. Upon waking, I wrote down my dream like I’ve been consistently doing for fifteen years now, and it had been an invaluable experience to learn about my inner psyche through these messengers. Lately, I have felt densely trimmed, stripped of what I have known, bare, in shock, and without my typical expression, and yet, there are seeds of growth in that state.  Life and healing (one in the same) is a process, and the shifting focus represents time passing.  I then saw a whole tree, representative of myself, fully realized.  “To believe you are magnificent.  And gradually to discover that you are not magnificent.  Enough labor for one human life.”  -- Czeslaw Milosz

MUSIC | Donna Summer; Honoring A Disco Legend

In honor of a disco legend's passing, this offering from the legendary Donna Summer!

VIDEO | Arthur's Inspirational Transformation

Arthur was getting stronger rapidly, and he was losing weight at an incredible rate! Because of DDP's specialized workout, he gained tremendous balance and flexibility -- which gave him hope that maybe someday, he'd be able to walk again.

His story is proof, that we cannot place limits on what we are capable of doing, because we often do not know our own potential. Niether Arthur, nor Dallas knew what he would go on to accomplish, but this video speaks for itself. In less than a year, Arthur completely transformed his life. If only he had known what he was capable of, 15 years earlier.

Do not waste any time thinking you are stuck - you can take control over your life, and change it faster than you might think.

Hopefully this story can inspire you to follow your dreams - whatever they may be.
Anything is Possible!

MUSIC | Djivan Gasparyan : Armenian Duduk

This haunting piece of music has made it's way into all of my recent yoga playlists and into my morning meditation-in-motion everyday this week.

POETRY | Lawrence Ferlinghetti : #11

#11

-Lawrence Ferlinghetti

from the collection “A Coney Island of the Mind”

The world is a beautiful place

            to be born into

if you don’t mind happiness

            not always being

  so very much fun

        if you don’t mind a touch of hell

now and then

  just when everything is fine

because even in heaven 

they don’t sing

all the time

The world is a beautiful place

to be born into

if you don’t mind some people dying

all the time

          or maybe only starving

            some of the time

      which isn’t half so bad

        if it isn’t you

Oh the world is a beautiful place

    to be born into

if you don’t much mind

  a few dead minds

      in the higher places

  or a bomb or two

  now and then

in your upturned faces

or such other improprieties 

            as our Name Brand society

      is prey to

        with its men of distinction

                    and its men of extinction 

          and its priests

        and other patrolmen

      and its various segregations

      and congressional investigations

and other constipations

that our fool flesh 

is heir to

Yes the world is the best place of all

for a lot of such things as

          making the fun scene

and making the love scene

        and making the sad scene

and singing low songs and having inspirations

    and walking around

  looking at everything

  and smelling flowers

    and goosing statues

  and even thinking

        and kissing people and

  making babies and wearing pants

          and waving hats and

dancing

and going swimming in rivers

    on picnics

              in the middle of the summer

      and just generally

‘living it up’

    Yes

      But then right in the middle of it

comes the smiling

mortician

ROGER WRITES | Rut or Groove?

Ok.  So this week's episode of The Spandananda Show was wicked fun to make and totally life changing.  It took three very long days to film, edit and release, which included at least 10 costume changes.   But it's really been in the making for a long time because I've been in a deep process around what makes me come alive for the past few months.  This episode is really the culmination of many different aspects of my life all brought into one dazzling 8 minute video.

Ram Das said that we are in alignment when everything we think, say, feel and do all line up.  I've had moments, brief moments, when that has been true in my life, but honestly, it's mostly been momentary glimmers of it.

So, I sat myself down and contemplated.  (It wasn't really as simple as just sitting. I stood, I drew, I journaled, I walked, I thought, I meditated, I talked about it with friends, etc..) Finally, I listed the things that were important to me, and I realized that the things that are most important to me all fit into a few categories:  being in nature, creating art, moving my body, adventure, and quiet time to contemplate.

At any moment in my life, if I'm in a rut or some kind of funk, I can choose something from this list to turn that rut into a groove. Please watch this video, and even more importantly, make a list for youself of what inspires you.

THE SPANDANANDA SHOW | Rut or Groove?

The Spandananda Show : Episode 6 : Rut or Groove?

Is your potential energy stuck in third gear? Move from a rut to a groove with these five vivacious and contemplative exercises! With a refreshed state of mind, body, or outerwear, you'll be saying "so long" to your blue funk!

1. GET OUTSIDE Getting outside instantly changes your perspective, especially if you have been inside for a lengthy time.   Dress up in your favorite outfit, and walk around the block if you only have a few minutes, or allow yourself more time by going to your nearby park to people watch, sky gaze, or journal.  Be an explorer with how you walk, letting your need for a variation of movement be the impetus that gives you the freedom to do this even with people around.  A slow, contemplative stroll?  A fast, energetic skip?  Try it backwards!  Is it an investigation into the children’s fortress?  Twirling round and round?   Let me tell you how much fun this is!  So, if it’s raining, bring an umbrella!  If it’s not raining, bring an umbrella!  Where do you sit?  At a bench, or on the Earth?  In lotus pose or lying down, fully relaxed?  Listen for your needs, and also be sure to take a risk and try something new!  And remember, you’re outside, so breathe in that fresh air!    2. CREATE ART We all have art supplies, we just may not think of them as such.  Be creative, and use what you have.  Even if you just have magazines, scissors, glue, crayons or markers, there are an infinite number of ways you could use them to create a piece of art that reflects where you are in this moment.  What we’re going after is helping you to make sense of what you’re going through in a way that is outside of your head.  Do something you love, or try something you are totally unfamiliar with.  Perfection is not the goal of this exercise.  What you create may be abstract, or not fully understood by you, and that is the beauty of it!  Do it just for you and keep it private, send it to a friend, or post it on Facebook! 3. MOVE YOUR BODY Ah yes…I really do mean it…DANCE!  Many people have a fear of dancing, when in all honesty, there is nothing more authentic than someone giving themselves permission to move their body in any such way that feels real.  We all have our “home moves” those movements that we feel comfortable with and will do if asked to dance, but I encourage you to vary the way your body typically functions through life, which is a dance in and of itself!  Choose some music:  one song, two songs, a whole playlist, or put your itunes on shuffle and come what may!  Shake, swivel, undulate, spin, bust a move!  A fast thrash, a slow riff,  a waltz or a polka…anything is possible! 4. DRESS UP All of us have costume elements that we pull out once a year for Halloween. Dressing up is not just for a holiday!    Elevate your spirit of fun and frivolity by painting your face, putting on a mish-mash of colors and textures, and do a  photo shoot!  If you are really adventurous, do the shoot with a friend on the street, to fearlessly bring more creativity to yourself and anyone you come in contact with! Talk about a mood changer!  Having a mask or goggles can really allow for further freedom, as no one knows who you are!  Be safe and respectful of course, and interact!  5. MEDITATE Take the time to create a lovely space, which could easily consist of one or more of the following: a shawl, cushion, yoga mat, a candle.  Clear your mind and sit in viparita karani  or lie in savasana.  Just be with your mind still, or pay attention to the thoughts and sensations as they come and go.  Keep experiencing!

TED | John Hardy : Green School in Bali

Join John Hardy on a tour of the Green School, his off-the-grid school in Bali that teaches kids how to build, garden, create (and get into college). The centerpiece of campus is the spiraling Heart of School, perhaps the world's largest freestanding bamboo building.

MUSIC | Au : RR vs. D

MUSIC | Blank Blue : In The Swim

POETRY | Danna Faulds : Just For Now

Just for now
-Dana Faulds

Just for now
without asking how,
let yourself sink into stillness.
Just for now,
lay down the weight you so patiently bear upon your shoulders.
Feel the earth receive you, and the infinite expanse of the sky grow even wider as your awareness reaches up to meet it.
Just for now,
allow the wave of breath to enliven your expierence.
Breathe out whatever blocks you from the truth.
Just for now,
Be boundless, free, with awakened energy tingling in your hands and feet.
Drink in the possibility of being who and what you really are-
so fully alive that the world looks different, newly born and vibrabnt,
Just for now...

VIDEO | An Invocation for Beginnings

ROGER WRITES | Sticky Notes

I joined the gym when I moved to Portland.  This feels a little like I’m making a confession. I haven't belonged to a gym since I was 20 years old working as a proofreader for a pharmaceutical company wearing a suit and tie to work 5 days a week.  I actually liked my job. I made my way up the ranks a little before I was fired.  I wasn't fired because of incompetency.  I was quite good at what I did.  On the contrary, I was fired because I was too happy.  Seriously.  I decorated my cubicle with bright colors, plants and pictures.  I smiled at everyone.  One day, on my 15 minute scheduled break, I drew happy faces onto sticky notes and posted them all over the building-- on the door handles, the wall above the urinals, next to cubicle name tags, on the coffeepot, etc..  I used the copier to make photocopy art.  I wrote poetry about corporate blandness.

I was fired via the telephone on a Friday evening.  The woman was sweet about it, and I wished her a good life.  I think she liked me despite her corporate need to squelch the  life out of people. I got off the phone and literally started laughing.  I packed my bags and tossed them into my smoke gray '83 Chevy Chevette (diesel), and the very next day I hit the road for a 2 week road trip.

My gym membership expired.

Not long after that I went to a yoga class, which was, in a good way, a little like getting run over by a train.  My eyes opened.  My brain fell out of my head. The teacher was using words I'd never heard before.  It felt exotic. I didn't walk out of that class, I floated!  Yes, a lot of you recognize that feeling, right?

So, almost 20 years later, I find myself walking through the doors into a room of sweaty, buff men and women.  I've been going 4 - 5 days a week, and I'm loving it.  I'm using the tools of yoga to dance with the weights.  I stand in tadasana with a lifted chest as I do arm curls.  I do handstand in between sets.  As I run on the treadmill I practice ujjai pranayama to keep a calm, focused energy.  I still smile at people.  One day I might even bring a sticky-pad to the gym with me!

Across the back of the gym there’s a big sign that reads: You have what it takes.  I see that every time I go to the gym, and it reminds me of the untapped potential that lies dormant, just waiting.  Oftentimes I add on to it: You have what it takes to be successful, to be happy, to be fulfilled, to laugh about life's ups and downs.

So, the next time you're stuck, in a blue funk, or a self-limiting belief takes the wheel remember:  You have what it takes!

POETRY | Marge Piercy : To Have Without Holding

To Have Without Holding
Marge Piercy

Learning to love differently is hard,
love with the hands wide open, love
with the doors banging on their hinges,
the cupboard unlocked, the wind
roaring and whimpering in the rooms
rustling the sheets and snapping the blinds
that thwack like rubber bands
in an open palm.

It hurts to love wide open
stretching the muscles that feel
as if they are made of wet plaster,
then of blunt knives, then
of sharp knives.

It hurts to thwart the reflexes
of grab, of clutch; to love and let
go again and again. It pesters to remember
the lover who is not in the bed,
to hold back what is owed to the work
that gutters like a candle in a cave
without air, to love consciously,
conscientiously, concretely, constructively.

I can't do it, you say it's killing
me, but you thrive, you glow
on the street like a neon raspberry,
You float and sail, a helium balloon
bright bachelor's button blue and bobbing
on the cold and hot winds of our breath,
as we make and unmake in passionate
diastole and systole the rhythm
of our unbound bonding, to have
and not to hold, to love
with minimized malice, hunger
and anger moment by moment balanced.

MUSIC | Goldfrapp : Happiness

Finding the real inner you may mean jumping through your town!