) Commencement Address at Guilford College:

Posted on 05/14/2012 by Jeff

“As the great 21st century philosopher, Johnny Depp, has said, “There are four questions of value in life … What is sacred? Of what is the spirit made? What is worth living for, and what is worth dying for? The answer to each is the same. Only love.”

Love is the most important verb.

Change your verbs and you will change the landscape of your life:

Instead of knowing, I hope you will question.

Instead of accumulating, I hope you will give.

Instead of playing to win, I hope you will play to learn.

Instead of competing, I hope you will collaborate.

Instead of hating, I hope you will love.

Instead of remaining silent about inequities, I hope you will speak up.

Instead of despairing, I hope you will be happy in advance.

Instead of fleeing, I hope you will walk straight into all the days of your lives.

Instead of avoiding, I hope you will sit next to someone arm to arm.

Instead of diminishing, I hope you will know, deeply, that every human being you meet is as fully human as you are.

Instead of asking, ‘what will I get from this’, ask ‘what am I bringing to this’?

In addition to working, play.

In addition to protecting, open.

In addition to saving, give.

In addition to dreaming, do.

In addition to doing, dream.

Because it is your dream that matters now. Don’t feel panicked if you don’t know what that dream is yet. It is like those old roadside signs that used to spell out an advertisement one sign at a time as you went down the highway. While you’re navigating the landscape, the atlas of your life, the signs will come to you one by one. The way they connect isn’t known until you get to the last sign. The map is only complete when you stand at the final page of the atlas.

David Orr has written: “The plain fact is that the world does not need more successful people, but it does desperately need more peacemakers, healers, restorers, storytellers, and lovers of every kind. It needs people who live well in their places. It needs people of moral courage willing to join the fight to make the world habitable and humane. And these qualities have little to do with success as our culture has defined it.”

I would ask you to choose being significant over being successful.

Posted on 12/31/2011 by Jeff

I love this feeling of looking to begin a new year. The limitless possibility. The knowing that as I celebrate this life of mine with the right balance of reverence and ultimate openness to what Spirit has imagined for me, nothing will come up that I cannot untangle and that more beauty than I can dream up is on its way to me now. May the new year bring an abundance of love, joy and good health for us all. And plenty of reasons to be breathless by the beauty of Life.
Martell Ogburn

What are you bringing with you into 2012? The mistakes you made this year need to stay in 2011. Regrets and guilt for mistakes in the past are useless emotions that weigh you down. Stop using energy dwelling on things God has already forgiven. Take the lessons learned from your mistakes with you into the New Year. The blessing is in the lesson. “…but I focus on this one thing: Forgetting the past and looking forward to what lies ahead.” ~Phil 3:13
Della Reese

The old year passes into the new and heralds in the possibility of triumph, the triumph of the Spirit in us. But it cannot be done by the dictate of some external authority, it can only occur in our own consciousness when faith shall triumph over fear and love over hate and compassion over unkindness. Then at last we shall sing: Unto God be the
glory.
Ernest Holmes

In whatever sense this year is a New Year for you, may the moment find you eager and unafraid, ready to take it by the hand with joy and gratitude.
Howard Thurman

Posted on 12/31/2011 by Jeff

The Moments of My High Resolve

Keep fresh before me the moments of my high resolve.

Despite the dullness and barrenness of the days that pass, if I search with due
diligence, I can always find a deposit left by some former radiance. But I had forgotten. At the time it was full-orbed, glorious, and resplendent. I was sure that I would never forget. In the moment of its fullness, I was sure that it would illumine my path for all the rest of my journey. I had forgotten how easy it is to forget.

There was no intent to betray what seemed so sure at the time. My response was whole, clean, authentic. But little by little, there crept into my life the dust and grit of the journey. Details, lower-level demands, all kinds of cross currents — nothing momentous, nothing overwhelming, nothing flagrant — just wear and tear. If there had been some direct challenge –a clear-cut issue — I would have fought it to the end, and beyond.

In the quietness of this place, surrounded by the all-pervading Presence of God, my heart whispers: Keep fresh before me the moments of my High Resolve, that in fair weather or in foul, in good times or in tempests, in the days when the darkness and the foe are nameless or familiar, I may not forget that to which my life is committed.

Keep fresh before me the moments of my high resolve.

For The Inward Journey
by Howard Thurman

Posted on 12/22/2011 by Jeff

If you love and must need have desires, let these be your desires: To melt and be like a running brook that sings its melody to the night. To know the pain of too much tenderness. To be wounded by your own understanding of love; And to bleed willingly and joyfully. To wake at dawn with a winged heart and give thanks for another day of loving; To rest at the noon hour and meditate love’s ecstasy; To return home at eventide with gratitude; And then to sleep with a prayer for the beloved in your heart and a song of praise upon your lips.
Kahlil Gibran
In truth everything and everyone Is a shadow of the Beloved, And our seeking is His seeking And our words are His words… We search for Him here and there, while looking right at Him. Sitting by His side, we ask: ‘O Beloved, where is the Beloved?’
Rumi
Drop the idea of becoming someone, because you are already a masterpiece. You cannot be improved. You have only to come to it, to know it, to realize it.
Osho
Now is the season to know that everything you do is sacred.
Hafiz

Posted on 12/19/2011 by Jeff

“Letting go is one of the most difficult challenges human beings ever face. I’ve always pictured letting go as transformation – moving from a closed fist to an open hand. As we take an open-handed attitude toward life, we can be free of the self-made obstructions that litter our path. This process requires a willingness to shed our persona – those inauthentic trappings we hold onto for identity but that no longer serve us. The choice to let go frees us to follow the pathway to our soul.”

Benjamin Shield

We aren’t bodies at all; who we are is the love inside us, and it is that love alone that determines our value. When our minds are filled with light, there is no room for darkness.
Marianne Williamson

If we had no winter, the spring would not be so pleasant; if we did not sometimes taste adversity, prosperity would not be so welcome.

Anne Bradstreet

“You don’t have to be brilliant, It’s enough to become progressively less stupid”
Marshall B. Rosenberg

Posted on 12/18/2011 by Jeff

The tendency of modern physics is to resolve the whole material universe into waves, and nothing but waves. These waves are of two kinds: bottled-up waves, which we call matter, and unbottled waves, which we call radiation or light. If annihilation of matter occurs, the process is merely that of unbottling imprisoned wave-energy and setting it free to travel through space. These concepts reduce the whole universe to a world of light, potential or existent, so that the whole story of its creation can be told with perfect accuracy and completeness in the six words: ‘God said, Let there be light’.

Sir James Jeans

When you look at this life of action—the growing tree, the bird on the wing, the flowing river, the movement of the clouds, of lightning, of machines, the action of the waves upon the shore—then you see, do you not, that life itself is action, endless action that has no beginning and no end. It is something that is everlastingly in movement, and it
is the universe, God, bliss, reality. But we reduce the vast action of life to our own petty little action in life, and ask what we should do, or follow some book, some system.

Krishnamurti

Life is a wave, which in no two consecutive moments of its existence is composed of the same particles.

John Tyndall

Posted on 12/09/2011 by Jeff

Every one of us needs a home. The world needs a home. There are so many young people who are homeless. They may have a building to live in, but they are homeless in their hearts. That is why the most important practice of our time, is to give each person a home.
Thich Nhat Hanh

I understand that my body goes with this world, so I take care of it. My attitude is that the body is a temple. This is a place where God can dwell. What am I doing to make it a place where God is welcome?
John Morton

We are not held back by the love we didn’t receive in the past, but by the love we’re not extending in the present.
Marianne Williamson

Posted on 12/06/2011 by Jeff

Going alone into wild nature is an ancient way of connecting with your own soul. Simply being alive and fully present in the moment opens a direct connection to all of Creation which shamans call a state of ecstatic union. If you can feel this even for a moment, it will change your life forever. In the seeming simplest ways is hidden profound wisdom. The gateway is within.

Barbara Furlotte

Children are happy because they don’t yet have a file in their minds called “All the Things That Could Go Wrong.” They don’t have a mind-set that puts “Things to Fear” before “Things to Love.” Children are happy because they don’t have all the facts yet.
Marianne Williamson

Start living now. Stop saving the good china for that special occasion. Stop withholding your love until that special person materializes. Every day you are alive is a special occasion. Every minute, every breath, is a gift from God.
Mary Manin Morrissey

Posted on 12/01/2011 by Jeff

Do you dare to achieve your goal? Do you care what other people say? Do you care if they laugh, or gloat over the fact that you didn’t succeed? Remember that this isn’t about the rest of the world, it’s about you. Never abandon a goal that resonates deeply in your heart. That’s the same as saying “No” to life. Don’t give up on anything that really excites you, even if it looks impossible at first. And don’t underestimate the tremendous power that comes from within when you truly believe in your goal and make a commitment to achieving it. That is when you can do the “impossible.”

Randi B. Noyes

“So many people work so hard, to achieve, attain, accumulate and cherish their fortunes. How many of us blissfully fill our days and nights being the Divine expression we are? This is the meaning of life. It is to be. As a result, all of your creations are a
natural outflow from the Divine within your being. This is the joy of life.”
Barbara Rose

I want to know if you can be alone with yourself, and if you truly like the company you keep in the empty moments.

Oriah Mountain Dreamer

Posted on 11/30/2011 by Jeff

Strange is our situation here upon earth. Each of us comes for a short visit, not knowing why, yet sometimes seeming to a divine purpose. From the standpoint of daily life, however, there is one thing we do know: That we are here for the sake of others…for the countless unknown souls with whose fate we are connected by a bond of sympathy.
Many times a day, I realize how much my outer and inner life is built upon the labors of people, both living and dead, and how earnestly I must exert myself in order to give in return as much as I have received.
Albert Einstein
Spirituality is recognizing and celebrating that we are all inextricably connected to each other by a power greater than all of us, and that our connection to that power and to one another is grounded in love and compassion. Practicing spirituality brings a sense of perspective, meaning and purpose to our lives.
Brené Brown
Just as the wave cannot exist for itself, but is ever a part of the heaving surface of the ocean, so must I never live my life for itself, but always in the experience which is going on around me.
Albert Schweitzer
Our ancient experience confirms at every point that everything is linked together, everything is inseparable.
Dalai Lama

Posted on 11/26/2011 by Jeff

When we honestly confront ourselves as we are we meet both our best and poorer sides. To meet the one we must also meet and learn to accept the other, and acknowledge that our darker side plays a key role in our contacting a force that’s infinite and greater than we are, but is at the same time contained in us. Being what you are at this very moment is right, because you are exactly as you should be. By going through the dark of night we walk toward the light of day. The truth will free us to be just as we
are.
Randi B. Noyes

Our minds are always wandering, reacting to other people’s behaviors and words, and taken over by the thoughts and memories streaming through our awareness. So it is also fruitless to seek lasting happiness through thought, or even through sensual pleasures. What attracts us today fails to satisfy tomorrow. Yet we continue to think that serenity comes from something we do or have, rather than the way we are.

Chandra Alexander

It doesn’t interest me where or what or with whom you have studied. I want to know what sustains you from the inside when all else falls away.

Oriah Mountain Dreamer

Posted on 11/21/2011 by Jeff

None of us can decide not to be in a relationship. Try not being in relationship with your breath! Life is about relationship. We’re going to be in relationship anyway so our task is to learn how to experience a deeper, more profound meaning in the relationships that we are in, the greatest of which is our relationship with God.
Mary Manin Morrissey

The deepest hunger of the human soul is to be understood, to feel heard, to feel validated. The deepest hunger of the human body is for air. If you can listen to another person, in depth, until they feel understood, its the equivalent of giving them air.
Steven Covey

It doesn’t interest me how old you are. I want to know if you will risk looking like a fool for love, for your dreams, for the adventure of being alive.

Oriah Mountain Dreamer

Posted on 11/19/2011 by Jeff

We have to understand that it’s not bad to feel anger; anger is simply our conditioned response to life when it doesn’t match our pictures. We only make matters worse by adding to the anger self-judgment and self-hatred, both of which are rooted in more pictures of how we, or life, should be. Instead, we can bring loving-kindness — the essence of which is nonjudgment to our practice, lightening the heaviness and self-importance of our own drama.
Ezra Bayda

There are no mistakes. The events we bring upon ourselves, no matter how unpleasant, are necessary in order to learn; whatever steps we take, they’re necessary to reach the places we’ve chosen to go.

Richard Bach

Learn to get in touch with the silence from within yourself, and know that everything in this life has purpose. There are no mistakes, no coincidences, all events are blessings given to us to learn from.
Elizabeth Kubler-Ross

It takes courage to grow up and become who you really are.
e. e. cummings

Posted on 11/15/2011 by Jeff

We are all born into this world with this intuitive guidance system. And if we had all been raised in a more enlightened way, we would have learned to follow this inner guidance throughout our lives. Instead, most of us did not receive much support or encouragement in trusting our own deepest feelings. In fact, many of us were actively taught not to trust ourselves but instead to follow an external authority. Or we were encouraged to be rational — to the exclusion of our intuitive faculties. As adults we can take responsibility for rediscovering and reconnecting with our natural intuitive sense. As we learn to listen to and follow our intuition, we develop an increasingly trusting and
powerful relationship with our own inner guidance.

Shakti Gawain

When we release the bitterness, judgment and blame of the past, whether of ourselves or others, the past becomes a stepping stone to spiritual growth, to increased compassion, understanding and love. Today, repeat several times, “I bless my past and see it as a stepping stone to greater good.”
Mary Manin Morrissey

My advice to you is not to inquire why or whither, but just to enjoy your ice cream while it’s on your plate.
Thornton Wilder

Posted on 11/14/2011 by Jeff

What is essential can be seen only with the heart. Your heart will have the final yes or no. If your no is not strong, then your yes will be weak. Allowing your mind to polish ancient hurts as though they were treasures, will only weaken your spirit. What is then essential to you is your cherished pain. Free yourself. You cannot carry around your
unforgiveness like a trophy, and hold on to love at the same time. A weak yes can only bear a strange, joyless fruit. Let your heart carry a strong “yes.” Close the door to unhappiness and open a window to the love you have need of. It is essential.
Alexandra Brooks

The love, the peace, the joy, the wisdom, the harmony—these are all qualities of the spirit that it’s seeking to express through us. And so as we become more awake, more aware of that, our life is filled with that kind of vibration, that kind of feeling tone.

Michael Beckwith

Love is a freeing power, not holding power.

Raymond Charles Barker

namaste…

jeff

Posted on 11/05/2011 by Jeff

When you are inspired by some great purpose, some extraordinary project, all your thoughts break their bounds: Your mind transcends limitations, your consciousness expands in every direction, and you find yourself in a new, great, and wonderful world. Dormant forces, faculties, and talents become alive, and you discover yourself to be a greater person by far than you ever dreamed yourself to be.
Patanjali

Feelings are our bodies signaling us that we need something we are not getting at the moment. They are the “stuff” of which close, intimate relationships are made. They are the nourishment of the psyche, mind and heart. They enrich and add passion to our experience of being alive. Suppress them and you miss out. Identify and express them and you become a lot happier and more fulfilled.

Lloyd J. Thomas

“It’s not denial. I’m just selective about the reality I accept.”
Calvin & Hobbs

Posted on 11/02/2011 by Jeff

To pray for “Thy will” is to desire that this original, divine wholeness be expressed in its completeness. We should pray for the answers to our specific needs – for abundance,
physical healing, etc. – by knowing we are in line with divine will. But we should not necessarily pray that everything we wish for might happen, because in our present state of evolution, we are not always wise enough to know what is for our highest good.
Ernest Holmes

Never think that you can live disconnected from that which is Life. If you wish to call this conscious union with Life religion, well and good, for it is the essence of every religion. If you wish to call conscious union with the wholeness of things spirituality, well and good, for it is the very essence of spirituality.
Ernest Holmes

The potential of all things exists in the Universal Wholeness.
Ernest Holmes

Posted on 11/01/2011 by Jeff

Last night, I saw the realm of joy and pleasure. There I melted like salt; no religion, no blasphemy, no conviction or uncertainty remained. In the middle of my heart, a star appeared, and the seven heavens were lost in its brilliance.
Rumi

But let there be spaces in your togetherness and let the winds of the heavens dance between you. Love one another but make not a bond of love: let it rather be a moving sea between the shores of your souls.
Kahlil Gibran

The meeting of two personalities is like the contact of two chemical substances: if there is any reaction, both are transformed.
Carl Jung

No creature is fully itself till it is, like the dandelion, opened in the bloom of pure relationship to the sun, the entire living cosmos.

D.H. Lawrence

Posted on 10/31/2011 by Jeff

I will greet this day with love in my heart. And how will I do this? Henceforth I will look on all things with love and I will be born again. I will love the sun for it warms my bones; yet I will love the rain for it cleanses my spirit. I will love the light for it shows me the way; yet I will love the darkness for it shows me the stars. I will welcome happiness for
it enlarges my heart; yet I will endure sadness for it opens my soul. I will acknowledge rewards for they are my due; yet I will welcome obstacles for they are my challenge.
Og Mandino

The whole difference between construction and creation is exactly this: that a thing constructed can only be loved after it is constructed; but a thing created is loved before it exists.
Gilbert Chesterson

I, you, he, she, we. In the garden of mystic lovers, these are not true distinctions.
Rumi

namaste…

jeff

Posted on 10/30/2011 by Jeff

The choice that you, as a Soul, have in relation to anything is always to be loving. Do you understand that this is the divine purpose that all of us as humans have been given — to love unconditionally?
John Morton

Perhaps many of us do not like it where we are in the universe now, but we can all be certain that we got where we are by our own decisions to expand in love or withdraw from it.
Thaddeus Golas

To see the universal and all-pervading Spirit of Truth face to face, one must be able to love the meanest of all creation as oneself.
Gandhi

namaste…
jeff

Spirit as Jeff

Opening Hearts, Awakening Souls & Healing Lives

The following is from Patti Digh’s (http://www.37days.com/ ) Commencement Address at Guilford College: