Exploring Visions of the World
One of our favourite Unity Ministers is Bruce Kellogg.
Bonnie worked with him when he was the Spiritual Teacher at Unity of Vancouver.
We recently created a website for him at https://brucekellogg.com.
He is available for personal sessions to help you discover and enhance the authentic, real you.
Learn more at https://brucekellogg.com.
I have been happily addicted to playing Mahjong on my phone.
The goal is to match pairs of identical tiles until all are removed from the board.
I rarely win. Maybe it is the soothing Chung Chong sound it makes when I match a pair.
The main strategy is to free up as many options as possible as soon as possible.
For example, clearing the tile with the two circles at the top of the pile opens up many possibilities.
The same with tiles on the edges.
The worst scenario is when a tile blocks copies of itself. I think there is a lesson in that! We do get in our own way sometimes.
It took me a few months to become aware that I was wasting a lot of mental energy mapping English names to the tiles: red sword, ‘n’, M & M, 1-bar, …
All that did was slow me down.
It is much easier to scan for patterns without thinking verbally.
Like when a person learns a second language and stops translating in their head and starts thinking directly in the new language.
Or a musician simply plays fluidly without thinking about theory or technique.
Simply playing in the moment.
Some would call that Flow.
If you find yourself with a Noisy Mind, no matter what you are doing, ask if the mental chatter, calculations, second-guessing, and like are helping with the task at hand or holding you back.
Look for the simplest, most direct way.
Easier said than done, but important for your success and peace of mind.
Practice Calm Mind, Grass-hopper.
I recently came across this podcast by Danielle LaPorte about letting go of things that weigh us down so that we can come out the current crisis lighter in spirit.
“Binding identities, grievances, expired dreams, regrets, possessions. Can you feel the pressure to let go?
Energetic stagnation makes us more vulnerable to all kinds of viral things—from negative thought patterns to viruses. I’m rolling out “The List of Letting Go” so we can lighten our emotional load to fit through this portal of change.”
— Danielle Laporte
Danielle has an amazing voice and something in this podcast resonated with me. It may also resonate with you.
Reverend John McLean of Unity of Nashville offers a coffee talk every Friday morning.
This week he talks about the relevance of The Optimist Creed by Christian D. Larson.
This is a well needed message for these times and for our lives.
“THE OPTIMIST CREED
Promise Yourself…
To be so strong that nothing can disturb your peace of mind.
To talk health, happiness, and prosperity to every person you meet.
To make all your friends feel that there is something in them.
To look at the sunny side of everything and make your optimism come true.
To think only of the best, to work only for the best, and to expect only the best.
To be just as enthusiastic about the success of others as you are about your own.
To forget the mistakes of the past and press on to the greater achievements of the future.
To wear a cheerful countenance at all times and give every living creature you meet a smile.
To give so much time to the improvement of yourself that you have no time to criticize others.
To be too large for worry, too noble for anger, too strong for fear, and too happy to permit the presence of trouble.
To think well of yourself and to proclaim this fact to the world, not in loud words, but in great deeds.
To live in the faith that the whole world is on your side, so long as you are true to the best that is in you.”
― Christian D. Larson, The Optimist Creed
Join Unity of Nashville on Facebook Live every Sunday at 10 am Central Time.
John McLean, the Peace, Love & Sunday Morning Orchestra, plus solo vocalists are fabulous!
You may know actor Rainn Wilson for parts in The Office, Six Feet Under, and Many others.
The interview that appeared in Religion Unplugged provides a great introduction to The Baha’i Faith.
I know very little about it, though the following quote is why I am interested in learning more.
“Baha’u’llah’s teachings are very much progressive social teachings that are here for the unification of humankind,” Wilson said. “This is why I’m a Baha’i right now, especially because of this current political climate, Baha’u’llah’s message is one of love and unity and bringing people together. It’s the elimination of racial prejudice, the equality of women and men, elimination of extremes between wealth and poverty, universal education and the harmony of science and religion.”
Rainn Wilson
I have often said that if you were to only by a single book on how to understand and live a life from a spiritual perspective, it would be Deepak Chopra’s The Seven Laws of Spiritual Success.
The book is short, barely over 100 pages.
Yet this book explains ancient ideas and Sanskrit words from Hinduism and Buddhism that we often use casually without fully understanding.
Words like Karma and Dharma.
Some may seem contradictory.
How do you reconcile The Law of Intention and Desire?
Deepak Chopra makes it look easy! A true Enlightened Master at work!
Each chapter on a spiritual law is followed by short set of instructions for applying the law of to your life. Here are the steps from Law Seven.
“I will put the Law of Dharma into effect by making a commitment to take the following steps.”
A simple recipe for life!
My challenge is to know what my special gifts are?
The other six laws lead to the seventh law.
Each one has steps to follow for “Applying The Law of …”.
Read the book frequently.
Actively follow the steps to apply each of the Spiritual Laws of Success.
Repeat to make it a daily practice. By some coincidence, there are Seven Laws and Seven Days! You could loop through and practice a new law each day of the week.
Eventually you will integrate each of the Laws of Success to simple be living the Seven Laws of Spiritual Success every day.
Enjoy!
— Greg Dixon
Here is a simple meditation to ground yourself.
The words may have come from Deepak Chopra.
Repeat to create a lightness of being and love in the world.
Here a version you can do with simple breathing.
Tip: Breathe deep into the bottom of your lungs, expanding your lower rib cage.
Your Body
Love is the Key
The stream is on the Xenia Retreat Centre on Bowen Island, near Vancouver, British Columbia.
The retreat centre is open for bookings such as weddings, silent retreats, artist retreats, writing retreats, executive retreats, yoga retreats, and more.
I am embarking on a new adventure to explore various spiritual paths and beliefs, starting with my own notions. It will start with blog posts and will likely involve interviews with a wide range of seekers and thinkers. There could be a book or two. There could be a documentary.
Let’s see where this path takes us.
My mother fled the farm and the Catholic church when she was 18. She raised us to be independent thinkers and make our own choices choice about religious or spiritual beliefs or lack thereof.
When asked, I will often give the following smart-ass answer:
I am an Existential Christ-ian Taoist Shaman with a Buddhist Interpretation. Or perhaps simply a Free Agent.
Greg Dixon
I say it mostly as a joke, though it begins to hint at a very broad range of enquiry and experiences.
Although I seldom had a plan, there are a few interesting patterns visible when look at the ground I have covered in my life:
Always a guest observer, never a member.
There will be blogs and articles on topics that include things like:
If you are inclined to dogma and fundamentalism, you will probably resist almost everything I will write about.
If you want to explore a range of perspectives, then this could be for you.
Join our list to receive notices about new posts, articles, and videos related to Walking This Path ~ An Exploration of Spiritual Perspectives.
Welcome to the Age of Global Disruption.
Like many of you, our plans A, B, and C evaporated with the Coronavirus lockdown.
We have to adapt. The meteorite has hit the planet. Many people, families, and businesses will be devastated by the likely global recession. Millions more will die of COVID-19 and its variations. Millions more will be on the streets or succumb to depression and suicide.
The dinosaurs will go extinct, while other life forms will adapt and thrive.
The blessing in all of this is that humanity needs to figure this out and help each other through this.
Greg Dixon
And some people will survive and thrive with this. Some will succeed by serving and others will succeed through exploitation.
Bonnie and I have been working to learn skills and acquire tools to help people and businesses.
And we have a natural instinct to help others, even when we need help.
I will give you a recent example. Bonnie got in the car and drove to a grocery store to get groceries for a friend who is shut-in due to the coronavirus.
We are not sure how we are going to put gas in the car or pay for insurance or buy food for ourselves next month. But today we can help.
There is a lot of need right here right now. Many of you are shut in afraid and need a helping hand.
Bonnie and I will do what we can to help. And we can help in a lot of ways.
One of our services is to create personal, family, and business story productions.
Now maybe the time before the opportunity passes.
Bonnie and I have a head start on many businesses in terms of being mobile and online.
Here is how we can help:
We have tools and expertise to take the right idea from start to generating hundreds of thousands of dollars to millions of dollars.
Maybe you have the right idea for this time?
We are prepared to do any and all of that according to need and means:
Contact Greg Dixon at gregdixon@sharedvisions.com to request help.
Here is your opportunity to pay it forward or pay it back.
Make a contribution to help us help others.
Send money
Offer services or supplies.
What can you offer to help?
Contact Greg Dixon at gregdixon@sharedvisions.com to offer help.
The need is much greater than what we can do ourselves.
Please let us know if you want to help with your time or expertise.
Contact Greg Dixon at gregdixon@sharedvisions.com to join the team.
One of your first impressions of Vancouver, British Columbia, will be that there is water everywhere. Burrard Inlet to the North, the Fraser River to the South, and False Creek in the middle.
Seawall with paths for bicycles and pedestrians follow the entire waterfront around False Creek.
Two companies operate cute tiny ferries to take people between eight locations around False Creek. Each stop has its own charm.
We bought a day pass and shot photos and video of all eight stops served by AquaBus ferries. Here are the highlights.
Granville Island was an industrial area important during World War II. Today you can get fresh produce, seafood, unique arts and crafts and much more in the Granville Island Market.
Restaurants, Granville Island Brewery, theatres, art galleries, funky shops, and an art school for kids provide a lot to see.
The next stop on our tour is Stamps Landing just West of the Cambie Street Bridge.
In June 1867, Edward Stamp build Vancouver’s first industrial operation, Stamp’s Sawmill.
Today the area features apartments with a fabulous view of the water and boats, Mahoney & Sons Irish Bar and Grill, The Wicklow Public House, and the charming Branas Mediterranean Grill. Eat, drink, and be merry!
Orca whales are a rare sight in False Creek. We caught 4 on camera just West of Stamps Landing.
© 2021 Shared Visions Unlimited
Theme by Anders Noren — Up ↑
