You become what you think about !

I saw this post on one of my friend's Facebook yesterday
(thanks Russell!) and absolutely loved it! 









 It seems that one of the important features of life today is the growing recognition  of the unseen  worlds of energy, and their enormous influence on every aspect of living.  Even a few decades ago, it was seen to be a bit  'flakey' and 'alternative' to be talking  about that side of life and yet it holds the most profound of clues  to living a progressive and conscious life.  As Einstein says here, it's not philosophy, it's physics!! What a great encouragement to know that if we put ourselves on the frequency of what we want, it will become reality. I think this is maybe another way of saying that we become what we think about !

Nelson Mandela

One of my colleagues from Templates for Change recently visited South Africa. (New U-tube about this appearing on TFC soon on the Human Heritage Series ! )http://www.templatesforchange.org/discovery-zone/human-heritage/ 

He told a couple of stories about Nelson Mandela on his return. One was from the day Mandela was released from prison after 27 year's incarceration. He apparently looked back at the prison on Robben Island and realised that if he didn't let go his anger and negative feelings, then, whether freed or not,  in reality  he would spend the rest of his life in prison ...WOW!!!!  What a very inspired realization...to be a big enough person to let go the negative, and then go on to make the extraordinary difference he has in our fast changing world is so uplifting and inspiring !  What an example !

The other was a quote from him on Resentment which is so profound and so deeply  intelligent.   "Resentment is like drinking poison and then hoping it will kill your enemies"

More on Elephants

Talking to one of my friends about the previous blog, she told me another amazing tale about her daughter working with elephants. Having recently taken a job with elephants, she was warned about a particular large bull called Max who had been cruelly treated. She was told to be careful because his behaviour, not surprisingly in the face of his history , could be dangerous and unpredictable. Ignoring the warning, her daughter was drawn to this elephant and stood close to him stroking the elephant's trunk. He then stroked the girl's shoulder with his trunk. The two stood close  together looking into each other's eyes.

 The girl said she felt such intense hurt and pain coming from Max that it caused her to start crying ... at the same time, she said she felt an extraordinary healing energy surrounding them both. At this point the elephant too began crying ..and both stood with tears pouring down their faces for some time. She said she felt the elephant was being healed of all the hurt and pain that had been inflicted upon him.

After this experience, Max was, in her words, like a little lamb who followed her around - no trouble at all !  This story again made me reflect, not only on how sentient and sensitive elephants can be ...but also how amazing that there are  such healing energies which can soothe and heal some of the ghastly amount of hurt and pain there is in the world....and of course the magic of this story also evokes how that energy can be attracted by a person sensing the need and taking the time and care.

The Elephant Whisperer

I read one of the most intriguing and inspiring of stories just recently about the death of Lawrence Anthony, the conservationist known as the 'elephant whisperer'. Shortly after he died in early February, two herds of wild South African elephants slowly made their way through the Zululand bush ..walking for  12 hours  ....until they reached the house of the late author. The formerly violent, rogue elephants, who would have been shot a few years ago as pests, were rescued and rehabilitated by Anthony, who had grown up in the South African bush. Lawrence's  family were amazed to see this long procession of elephants standing  outside their home 'paying their respects' ... all the more so as they hadn't even been at this property for more than a year and a half.

Doesn't it raise all sorts of questions like....

How did they know he had died ? Did they see him 'in the spirit'
What sort of finesse of emotion and sentiment would prompt the elephants to respond in such a way?
Just how conscious and intelligent are elephants? 
And if true of elephants what about other animals ? 
What does it say about the interconnected web of life?

And not so much  questions ..but isn't life  beautiful, intimate and marvellous? Aren't the mysteries a gateway to a deeper awe and appreciation of life itself?  Aren't we human beings lucky to be conscious players in this great game?

Inspiration from Ghandi

I heard a great inspiring story about Ghandi ...

A mother brought her child to Ghandi and asked if he would tell her boy to stop eating sweets as it was rotting his teeth. Ghandi replied, please bring the boy back in four months time.

The mother did as suggested and brought her son back to Ghandi and said again the boy's  teeth are rotting because he is still eating too many sweets.

Ghandi bent down and looked at the boy and said to stop eating sweets..it is rotting your teeth.

The mother was puzzled and asked Ghandi why he could not have said this four months previously.

He replied

" Four months ago, I was still eating sugar !"

Taking a Position and Making a Difference

I had a fascinating series of conversations with some friends at the weekend about all sorts of things. One was about the callousness and self interest one sees at play in world politics. ....One of my friends began to talk about our inability to make a difference on that bigger world scene...another disagreed radically and said that each person could actually make a difference by talking a position in themselves about the very things we do not want to see in the bigger picture. 

So, what were they really saying ?  In the example above, they were suggesting that if we allow ourselves to become callous, for example, even in small, we were basically playing for the same team as the politicians who were practising callousness on a large and visible scale. In other words, we in our small way add to the growth of callousness in the world. Or if we allow our lives to become governed purely by self interest, then we add to that influence in the world too.

In the light of quantum discoveries,( as well of course as age-old spiritual understandings!)  each of us humans influences the whole of humanity ....so each person's contribution ..even in small..truly makes a difference.

When you add to that,  when a decision is made consciously, deliberately and repetitively, it perhaps holds more transmitting strength than when something happens unconsciously....well, it gives a more positive and hopeful situation in which we all can take a position which can help make the world a kinder place to be.

Are we already evolving into a new species?

Just listened to a Radio 4 program on the way into work this morning about an archaeological dig in Somerset, England. They were talking about discovering evidence of cannibalism in the neanderthals who were living here about 60, 000 years ago and their apparent use of hollowed out skulls as a kind of ritual drinking bowl. Well, not very British, is it !!!

The paleoanthropologist, Chris Stringer, was asked a question about the value of discovering about the past. As well as highlighting how we can learn from the past about what we do NOT want in the future, he said it also makes him wonder if humans will still be here in 100, 000 years time , and finished on a rather stunning comment about wondering whether we are already evolving into a new species!

Great contemplation for the day !