Hi folks, I'm Back

It's been a while but now I feel it's time to pick up where I left off.

But firstly I must thank everyone that sent e-mails and who left comments on the blog while I've been away.

And also to Angeleyes, my wife, for her support and strength during the past months.

Got loads to tell and lots to do so welcome back to Scruffyhippo Blog...........

How often have you put off doing what you really want to do, maybe it's the money or lack of it, or not enough time, maybe you have said maybe next week or next month or even next year, what it is the you are yearning to do or achieve, then do it, live has a way of making you take stock of where you are and what you are doing, even heart attacks have reasons beyond the health implications, think about it, what is it you really want to do but never seem to get around to?

Heartfelt words

I started to do the post I wanted here for tonight and I sort of got carried away and have been writing for 2 hours and still not finished it, so I may save it for the weekend :)

So instead browsing through my word files to see what I could use, I came across the words I wrote for my wedding, adapted from something I found years ago, now I know the groom doesn't normally do a speech other than the usual thankyou's etc but I did, and the following was aimed squarely at my new bride.

****************

Before we met, you and I were halves unjoined except in the wide rivers of our minds.

We were each other's distant shore, the opposite wings of a bird, the other half of a seashell.

We did not know the other then, did not know our determination to keep alive the cry of one riverbank to the other.

We were apart, yet connected in our ignorance of each other, like two apples sharing a common tree.

I knew you existed long before you understood my desire to join my freedom to yours.

Our paths collided long enough for our indecision to be swallowed up by the greater need of love.

When you came to me, the sun surged towards the earth and moon escaped from darkness to bless the union of two spirits, so alike that the creator had designed them for life's endless circle.

Beloved partner, keeper of my heart's odd secrets, clothed in summer blossoms so the icy hand of winter never touches us.

I thank your patience.

Our joining is like a tree to earth, a cloud to sky and even more.

We are the reason the world can laugh on its battlefields and rise from the ashes of its selfishness to hear me say,
in this time,
in this place,
in this way - I love you.


scruffyhippo

Should I stay or should I go?

I have been asked many times can the spiritual journey be a shared thing? And the easy answer to this is yes, but that’s exactly what many people do, this doesn’t always mean you would share it with a partner, as many people share with their own group of friends in a development circle or workshop or at a spiritual centre.

But ultimately it can be and often is a lonely journey, your own path is just that, your own path.

Most groups of enlightened people are also very solitary people, what they experience it very rarely shared.

Even in groups we can only teach the basics and given you an insight into how it works with different people, but the eventual discovery is yours alone.

I am going to pose a question and bearing in mind the implications and the ultimate experience that you would go though before you answer.

I am one that would give up many things for the ultimate experience but where do you set the limits.

Ok here goes;

One night while walking home in the dusk light you hear a noise from across the fields, you walk off into that direction and the trees are lit with a pinkish tinge, as you walk closer you are aware of something pulsing in the trees.

Your intrigued, and want to find out more.

There in the clearing just beyond the trees is a large craft not of this world, you have no fear but only interest and still you walk closer.

A figure reveals himself (you assume it’s a he) and offers out his hand, with this you offer yours………

After a while you are joined by two more and with little effort speak the same language as you, they tell you they have come from across the galaxy from a planet that has two suns and has everything they ever need.

You are offered the chance to go with them and discover untold places in a far off galaxy, the ultimate experience…..

But there are two things, firstly you would have to go now as they need to leave the earths atmosphere, and two they can’t bring you back.

What would you do? Stay or go !................


scruffyhippo

What does 'I know' mean?

I’ve been doing a lot of reading again recently, not on the internet I may add but reading books, the last few weekends I have been paying a visit to the local boot sales as they are known here, you know people sale all their old toot for a few pennies and I have been buying up books.

Not that I really need anymore, my book collection would challenge the local book shop for shear numbers, ok it’s not quite that bad, but you get my drift, it amazes me what people sell, for next to nothing, last week I bought a computer programme that runs a full astrology chart you can print off complete with book in it’s box for £1.00…..one miserly pound, it’s works too, anyway I’m rambling a bit so back to the reading.

I tend to absorb a lot of information from different sources and after recently visiting blogs such as Bob Johnson’s site (see link in sidebar) and his recent post about the sun, has got me thinking about this tiny planet we call home, as well as reading books on history, myths and many un-related topics inspired this post tonight.

Sometimes I get frustrated that I know very little if anything, especially with so much still to learn, so what is it we actually know?, most we have learnt from either out schooling or from books or even from having a passion on a particular subject, but mostly it’s someone else’s opinion or someone else’s ideas, how much of it do we question?

Much of what we assume we know comes from way back as I found out reading some old books last night, and how we think things are new ideas or new ways of thinking such as the so called lost lands of Atlantis and Lemuria.

Lemuria in particular in the last few years has seen this place gain more interest and websites than ever before, but a book I picked up last night blew open where this name came from, not from some channelling of a higher spirit from a place of that name or from long lost crystals only recently found in Peru ( by recent I mean the last 10 years or so) also reported to be from the people of Lemeria, but from a reference to an article back in 1880 on Atlantis, and it seems at the time while searching for the fabled Atlantis, reports of another large landmass surfaced, which has been inspired by Charles Darwin’s theory of evolution, which sought to explain, among other things, why certain species of plants and animals are located where they are. Noting that Lemurs (small predecessors of the monkey) were abundant in this area of interest, An English zoologist Philip Sclater, called this lost land Lemuria (after the Lemurs).

Ok you could say it had to be called something, that’s true for ease of reference it should, but it’s all the stuff that has come up recently that, in my eyes is called into question, but what do I know?

Charles Darwin’s theory is only one theory, that we come from fish! Or could it be we really did come from Adam and Eve?

I remember reading something back in the 70’s about the human race coming from other planets, and this planet was once like a prison colony, so if you were a intergalactic thug you were stuck here, out in the middle of nowhere!....interesting theory, it went on to say (really straining the brain to remember that far back) it would explain all the different races on this planet, I’ve been told many times, I must be from another planet, I wonder how close to the truth they are.

But what do I know?

Personally I go with what feels right for me at the time, I am open minded and willing to change my mind or point of view if something comes along that ‘feels’ or fits better, then always review what I think, being stayed or narrow minded in one’s belief or way of thinking is too limiting, freedom of thought should always be maintained.

So what do I know?...I know that your own opinion and thoughts on any subject is worth far more than anything else, what YOU think IS important.

Six months ago today on Wednesday January 3rd, I started this blog, so by way of a celebration I have dug out my First Post for you

scruffyhippo

What's in the box?

I did a post a few days ago called Finding your true path Today I will give an insight into what this question meant and hopefully give a few of you a look at who you are.

Whichever way you look at this question and whatever answer you have given isn’t wrong, there is no wrong answer, what the question gives you is an insight into your own spiritual path, lets remind ourselves of the question; If you are given two boxes and asked to choose either one, which should you pick?…… they are both the same size and colour and look identical……. So you pick one….. you open the box and find it contains some money, do you think wow that’s great and go off happy or do you wonder what was in the other box?

The money could well be symbolic of whatever you value most in life or whatever you aspire to, the question could well be put many other ways such as; if you had one wish what would it be? The first thing that would run through your mind is all things you have ever wanted to do, all the things that you would of liked but could never afford, it would be a hard decision.

Ok so you have picked a box, are you happy with your choice? Or do you wonder what the other box contained?

Lets see what some of the readers said;

(The answers below are based on the way you answered)


Anna Lozyk Romeo said…
Peter, thanks for this very educational post. Most of the time I answer something else, but I will try to be the first one. I just take the money and be happy. I think and I hope money is just representation. Sometimes its better to take what you got and make best of it. Suppose the second box had more money, then what, I will be asking myself why I did not choose the second -...Anna :)

Anna, you are right but not knowing what’s in the second box doesn’t seem to bother you too much, this in itself makes you a happy person and content with what you do have and receive, anything else is a bonus.

me said...
If I am given the two boxes and specifically asked to choose one, I will pick one and stay happy with it. I would think about the second box but for a moment because I am human.

Me, your answer is similar to Anna’s but also honest enough to admit to your own shortcomings and a sign of not only being human but also realistic.

Nature Nut /JJ Loch said...
I would do both. Take the money and while I'm spending some and saving some, wonder what was in the other box.

Nature Nut, you have given an honest answer too, you admit you would wonder about the other box, but then you question things in life too, that’s no bad thing, I do the same, although you would be happy with the contents of the box you have chosen, your inquisitiveness would get the better of you, I to can be that way, I always strive to be better and am my own worst critic.

Two Feathers said...
I would spend the rest of my life wondering what was in that other box. I might even spend all of my money getting a hold of that other box so that I could see what was in it.

Partly, I suppose, because I would wonder if there was something even better that I had missed out on, and partly out of curiosity... was it a rock? was it a dead man's hand? was it a ring? was it THE ring? was it diamonds? was it a frog? was it cobwebs? was it happiness?

Two Feathers, You made me smile, that’s shows you really are looking for the answers to everything, and why not? Only by questioning everything may we get a glance of what it’s all about.

GO! Smell the flowers said...
We would try our best to be in the moment and accept what was in the box for to compare and wonder about the other box would lead to resentment or jealousy.
Take what comes. Right?

Flowers, yes right, but as I have said there are no wrong answers, but again this shows you are a content person you are and in many ways excepts your place on this earth and what you can do in return, you ask for very little and in return get abundance.

Marisa said...
I'd swap the box for the other one. It isn't that I'd be dissatisfied with whatever is in the one I got, but rather that the curiosity of not knowing what was in the other box would haunt me forever.

Marisa, you are a bit like Two Feathers, although in this case only you would give up what you have for something else, even though you may lose out you are prepared to go forward and discover the truth, good move, but although it may lose you what you have, you have gained the knowledge you may otherwise not had.

Life is full of choices, but is that choice always the right one to make? it's hard to say until it's been done, but remember one thing we have to make that choice to move on forward in life and if it's wrong, we learn by it.

Thankyou to all the above readers for their participation in this post :)

What's that?...what's in the other box?...do you really want to know?

Ok Click Here

scruffyhippo

Finding your true path

If one thing came up more than any other over the last few months is people asking about what their true path is.

And also many seem to have re-occurring cycles in their lives, almost the same things happening over and over again.

Over the last month since our summer camp I have delved deeply into a new cycle of learning, and have taken on board working out who I am and why I am here, it’s not an easy task, but……

By looking at yourself and learning from your past you can make the future the way it should be

If we are to continually learn and grow, there are two necessary conditions: gratitude and detachment. The gratitude is being thankful for whatever is in your life, good and bad, for it is there as a teacher. Some situations feel like a punishment and make you question why they're happening to you.

What did you do to deserve this in your life? It's not so much about deserving it, but rather to recognize patterns that are continually repeated. Once you learn the lesson inherent in the situations, these patterns will cease to exist.

The detachment is there to remove the emotional attachment you feel for the person or situation and to be able to more objectively view the situation.

This does not mean you no longer care for the person; just look at your relationship almost as an outsider. In this way, you are more likely to see the lesson than if you are reacting emotionally. These are not easy lessons to learn, and they require much practice. It may take a while. But the effort is extremely worthwhile. Different aspects and experiences converge to create an overall picture of who you are and what your place is in the world. Once you find yourself in the proper context, life no longer feels like a struggle. Not to say that no more struggles will occur.

Conflict is inevitable, both internally and externally. It is our reactions to these struggles that define us as a person. By understanding ourselves, we can increase trust in the decisions we make and the paths we choose to follow. Each of us must find their own way of connecting to the Universe. I encourage you to read about a variety of spiritual paths and journeys and see what feels right to you. It may be that the combination of several will create what you seek. By virtue of the fact that you are seeking an answer to this type of question indicates that you have already begun your spiritual journey and, in fact, have always been on a spiritual quest.

Setbacks will occur periodically, no matter how far down the path you may find yourself. They are put in your way to teach lessons and gain knowledge about yourself and to test your strength and resolve. You may choose to view setbacks as unnerving scenarios that are depressing and anxiety provoking, or as exciting opportunities to overcome adversity and be a much stronger person as a result. It is up to you which path you follow.

As a final thought on this for today;

If you are given two boxes and asked to choose either one, which should you pick?…… they are both the same size and colour and look identical……. So you pick one….. you open the box and find it contains some money, do you think wow thats great and go off happy or do you wonder what was in the other box?
I will post what your answer means after a few have responded to the questions, in the mean time see if you can work it out for yourselves.

The web we weave

A long pause, and then……silence……..

Somewhere in the distance is the faint sound of a dog howling, you struggle to make out your surroundings but the light is fading fast.
Each cautious step you take forward echoes around you like a steel sheet hitting concrete.
You shudder as a cold tingle goes down your back and take a few more steps in the now almost darkness.
Your still coming to terms with being here, the last thing you remember is eating your lunch on the park bench on a sunny midmorning, but you don’t seem to remember how you got here.
You can hear the sound of dripping water somewhere around you but again the echo makes it sound in a dozen different places.
The air is cold and you wrap your arms around you stepping forward into the gloom.
The next step makes a splash as you step into a puddle, as does the next, your caution overtakes you coldness and you now hold out your arms and hands in front of you feeling your way forward, totally disoriented you take each step hoping there is something to stand on.
Something just moved! To the left of you…….. You stop.
Straining to hear in the silence all you here is the drip echoing…..nothing.
You take another step…..There it is again…….
Your anxiety starts to build into fear and you strain to make out what it is in the darkness, your eyes start playing tricks on you as one second you think you see a dog shape and the next second it looks like a man. You want to run but the fear of falling stops you.
You freeze on the spot waiting for your worst nightmare to happen………
Something has changed! The dripping has stopped, now there is just silence…….. a silence so quiet it’s deafening.. .................

What is it that make us scared in the dark? why does it effect us and add the fear factor?

What are your priorities today?

Thought for today

When we clearly set an intention, our conscious and subconscious minds mobilize to help us meet that intention. At the start of each day, thoroughly review what commitments you have made to others for the day, and decide what commitments you will make for yourself.

What can you do today that will move you one step closer to your personal goals? Own your power to choose to meet your own needs. After all, we are much better able to help others when our own needs are met. And at the end of the day, when you've honoured your commitment to yourself, acknowledge your success.

"Most people are so busy knocking themselves out trying to do everything they think they should do, they never get around to do what they want to do."
-- Kathleen Winsor

"If you want to make good use of your time, you've got to know what's most important and then give it all you've got."
-- Lee Iacocca

"Time is life. It is irreversible and irreplaceable. To waste your time is to waste your life, but to master your time is to master your life and make the most of it." -- Alan Lakein

Sing your own Song

Thought for Today

Great forces are directing you to conform to the patterns of your society. You have DNA that has been handed down from generation to generation, coding repeated behaviour patterns into your being. You have archetypal energies setting the standards for how you behave as a man or a woman, as husband or wife, as father or mother .... You are immersed in consensual reality, whereby the world around you reflects societal understanding of how life has been and is to be.

At the same time, you have an even greater force within you inspiring you to wake up and recognize the reality of who you are. This force, the creative power underlying the entire universe, is urging you to create brand new standards of reality.

The status quo is blind to our creative power. Create a brand new world for yourself, one that meets your deepest needs, and you will help raise the quality of consciousness of the entire world.

"Since you are like no other being ever created since the beginning of time, you are incomparable."

-- Brenda Ueland

Open to awareness

Thought for today

Why do we want to become more aware?

If we remain unaware, we:
- repeat the past,
- remain stuck in relationships,
- live superficial, literal and one dimensional lives,
- lack experiences of love and beauty, and
- have limited connection to others and the universe.

With awareness, we are fully involved with life. Awareness is sensing deeply and sensitively for what really is. To do this, we need to approach the present as totally new. When we can be open and attentive in each moment, we begin to free ourselves from the conditioning of the past and the suffering that it so often brings.

"Mindfulness means moment-to-moment, non-judgmental awareness. It is cultivated by refining our capacity to pay attention, intentionally, in the present moment, and then sustaining that attention over time as best we can. In the process, we become more in touch with our life as it is unfolding."
-- Myla & Jon Kabat-Zinn

"If moment by moment you can keep your mind clear then nothing will confuse you."
-- Sheng Yen

Thought for today

Thought for today

A young man wanting to find truth goes to see a famous guru. 'Master, can you teach me meditation and truth?' he asks. The guru agrees, and the disciple immediately assumes the lotus posture, closing his eyes and breathing rhythmically to show what he knows.
The master doesn't say anything but picks up two stones from the ground and starts rubbing them against each other. Hearing the strange noise, the disciple opens his eyes and asks, 'Master, what are you doing?' The guru answers 'I'am rubbing these stones against each other to polish them into a mirror so I can look at myself.'
The disciple laughs, 'but master, if you don't mind my telling you: you'll never be able to make a mirror of these stones by rubbing them against each other. You can do that forever, and it won't work.'
'Similarly, my friend,' the master says, 'you can sit like that forever, but you'll never be meditating or understanding truth.'

What's the big picture for your life?

Thought for today


"We need to learn to set our course by the stars, not by the lights of every passing ship." -- Omar Nelson Bradley

Every day, there are so many details to be managed. So many distractions. So many demands placed upon us. No wonder we end up allowing other people and circumstances to set the agendas for our lives.

It's understandable. Is it acceptable? NO!

Think about it. It's your life! It's all you've got. What are you making of it? What does the big picture look like for you? If your life were captured on film, would you (or anyone else) want to watch it?

If this question pierces your heart and mind, please MAKE THE TIME to reflect on what makes your life meaningful. Dream a little. What would you do if you could do anything at all? Connect with the longings of your heart and resolve to attend to them. Your meaningful dreams are worthy of being brought to life.

And don't sell yourself short! If you can conceive of something, you can achieve it. Call forth the power of your imagination to create a vision of what you most want your life to be. Feel yourself living that life in your imagination. Do something every single day to bring you closer to making your big picture a reality.

When you clearly know what you want from life, you have the foundation for saying "No" to those activities that pull you away from your dreams. Meaningful goals will give you the courage to make empowering decisions. They'll give you the ammunition to resist being swayed by the agendas of others.

You have choice in every moment. Choose what matters for you.

Every day, take just a few moments first thing in the morning to connect with your goals. Every day, as often as you remember, ask yourself, "What's most important for me to be doing right now?" And remember that what's most important is not usually what's most urgent.

So cast yourself as the hero of your own feature film. Make it as big and dramatic and powerful as you like. Wear the hats of producer, director and star. Be creative with this magical opportunity to express the uniqueness of who you are. Then watch yourself grow to fill this big picture of your life!

"The tragedy of life doesn't lie in not reaching your goal. The tragedy lies in having no goal to reach." -- Benjamin E. Mayes

"The world would have you agree with its dismal dream of limitation. But the light would have you soar like the eagle of your sacred visions." - Alan Cohen

No judgment

Thought for Today

Everything in life holds both a blessing and a curse. We deny this when we label the events of our lives as either good or bad. The following old Zen story illustrates this lesson most effectively.

A farmer had a horse but one day, the horse ran away and so the farmer and his son had to plough their fields themselves. Their neighbours said, "Oh, what bad luck that your horse ran away!" But the farmer replied, "Bad luck, good luck, who knows?"

The next week, the horse returned to the farm, bringing a herd of wild horses with him. "What wonderful luck!" cried the neighbours, but the farmer responded, "Good luck, bad luck, who knows?"

Then, the farmer's son was thrown as he tried to ride one of the wild horses, and he broke his leg. "Ah, such bad luck," sympathized the neighbours. Once again, the farmer responded, "Bad luck, good luck, who knows?"

A short time later, the ruler of the country recruited all young men to join his army for battle. The son, with his broken leg, was left at home. "What good luck that your son was not forced into battle!" celebrated the neighbours. And the farmer remarked, "Good luck, bad luck, who knows?"

"Do not judge, and you will never be mistaken."
-- Jean Jacques Rousseau

What needs attention

Thought for Today


Look at your career, finances, relationships, growth, health and emotions. Where are you experiencing major challenges? Of these, which area most needs your attention at this time? Set an intention to face this struggle and resolve it. ATTENTION on your TENSION often releases it.

"The measure of success is not whether you have a tough problem to deal with, but whether it's the same problem you had last year."
-- John Foster Dulles

"We often spend so much time coping with problems along our path that we only have a dim or even inaccurate view of what's really important to us."
-- Peter Senge

Reawaken your curiosity

Thought for today


Young children possess what Zen calls ‘beginner’s mind.’ They are awed and fascinated with the wonder of the world, open to discovering and experiencing new things. Anything is possible. Life is a great adventure.

For almost all of us, the systems that ‘educate’ us to be adults stifle our natural joy and curiosity. We lose touch with our innate appreciation of life. We forget how to dream.

The blessing is that with attention, patience and love, we can reawaken our sense of wonder. We can again dance with life.


"What a distressing contrast there is between the radiant intelligence of the child and the feeble mentality of the average adult."
-- Sigmund Freud

Freedom

Thought for today

A Greek myth can help us understand the freedom that comes with power of choice.

In the Underworld, Sisyphus was condemned to roll a large stone up a hill from which it always rolled down again. Realistically, he was trapped in an endless cycle of rolling the stone. When he perceived himself to be imprisoned by the curse, he was a victim.

At one point, however, he turned the tables -- he changed his mind and decided to CHOOSE to roll the stone up the hill. In doing so, he empowered himself and defused the curse.

"Our ultimate freedom is the right and power to decide how anybody or anything outside ourselves will affect us."
-- Stephen Covey

"One cannot make a slave of a free person, for a free person is free even in a prison."
-- Plato

Faith of the unknown

Thought for today

When you get to the end of all light you know, and it's time to step into darkness of the unknown, faith is knowing one of two thing will happen; either you will be given something solid to stand on, or you will be taught how to fly

Edward Teller

Go for what you want

Thought for today

It’s hard for some of us to believe that the world is served when we seek our own happiness. We’ve been taught that this is selfish.

If we stop to reflect on how we are in the world when we are happy, we can see how this serves. We have more vitality. We’re more loving and generous to others when our own needs are met.
What activities bring you greatest joy? Your unique gift to the world will be found in those pastimes you love the most.


"Spiritual growth is not made in reaction against, for all striving against imposed restrictions is imaginary. Spiritual growth is accomplished by inclination toward. We grow like the sunflower, following the light."
-- Joy Houghton

Thought for today - Emotions

Thought for today

Many of us believe that we need to keep a tight lid on our emotions. We fear that if we ever allow these emotions to be expressed, they will do serious damage.

But if we summon up the courage to truly feel our emotions, we discover that they don't last. The monster in the closet turns out to be a pussycat. In fact, if we are willing to experience our emotions completely, without resistance of any kind, they burn themselves out in only a few minutes.

The only thing that keeps emotions alive within you over long periods is your unwillingness to acknowledge them.

Positive Pause

Another interesting video link, this one has been around awhile but many people tell me they haven't seen it yet, so will post it here today as my regular 'Thought for today'

Oh and if anybody knows how these are made let me know I would love to do some of my own (my guess is it's done with powerpoint)

Positive Pause

Life continually evolves. We’re always moving into new experiences, new possibilities. This constant change unsettles the personality, which finds security in stability. But with life always in flux, that security is an illusion. We experience pain by trying to hold on to things that are not solid