“Just The Facts Ma’am”

Greetings my very gentle readers to anther weeks installment of the “Be Yourself, Often” blog found here at: http://www.joelwlamoure.com/id43.html . Ah, that time when we can sit back and appreciate the calm and soothing sense of nature and the chaos theory that abounds within Her.

This week we will take a look at one of my favourite movies, which is Dragnet. The modified one (of course) with Dan Aykroyd as the uber straightlaced, yet prone to impulsive decisions and actions Sgt. Joe Friday and Tom Hanks as his partner with a list of merits ad citations yet a flagrant disregard for the status quo. The dynamic and yet unusual duo that end up together through some cosmic mis-association in the LAPD. We all know the movie!

The Facts present us well and define us when they are filtered through the chaos of nature vs the amorphic and sometime ambiguous definitive lines that exist in a set culture, society or where there is a rigid pecking order. Quite intriguingly in my observations->  it seems across over 20 years of practice (11 in psychiatry), 140 journal articles, unknown OTN lectures and discussions, over 500 lectures, 3 continents and 60,000 hits to this website alone (plus 6000 on Academia.edu: www. http://uwo.academia.edu/JoelLamoure ) that the opposite is true.

Home is where the heart is. Not a place of straight lines, but one of amorphic curves. Per wit, embracing nature vs the man made entities that have their manipulation and unpredictabilities. Sometimes, one has to make a set stand in their Belief Systems and in their Creator to see that. These decisions are not easy, but do reflect how expectations can drive one insane. Totally, truly, clinically insane.

A wise person told me yesterday about anger, uncertainty and stress being like a balloon and how every event is like a puff into that balloon. And ways to distress and decompress that balloon…especially where there are factors that cause inherent impacts on the balloon to start with: like abuse, harassment, PTSD, anxiety, loss, grief to name a few. Interesting as I love writing and using metaphors in my sermons and writings.

“Just The Facts Ma’am” and knowing all the facts before making hasty decisions helps prevent inflation of the balloon and wiser minds to prevail. Step back and analyze what are the root causes and cause/effect and epidemiology and taxonomy of the situation Step back and analyze what are the root causes and cause/effect and epidemiology and taxonomy of the situation and prevent unneeded provocation and escalation. These are the facts of life to live. Peace, patience, silence, humility and serenity as I have stated many times (with varying success). I too fail, often.

Touching nature as it is meant to be in all its glorious, unrefined chaos is an appealing idea. To return to the roots and the Earth is to be yourself, often.

___ Rev. Dr Joel Lamoure    July 2013

“Freedom is Not Free"

Greetings my gentle readers to another week's installment of the "Be Yourself, Often" blog at www.joelwlamoure.com . Hopefully, this is a point of time in the week where we can sit back and appreciate the privilege of being here in the sanctity of the moment. For indeed, if we do not believe that each moment in itself is sacred, and I do not believe it is possible to anybody else will be able to convince us otherwise. Reflecting on this statement, it comes to show exactly the weight of the moments of the days before, the decisions of the been made, the beliefs that have been translated into actions that allow us the opportunity to be exactly where we are. A time indeed of remembrance.

And indeed, where we are is exactly where we are meant to be. It is by virtue of our  beliefs that drive our thoughts, which drive our thought processes, which trigger neurochemical changes in our brain in order to stimulate bodily transmitters that allow us to translate thought into action. It is you the gifts and actions of spirituality and karmic energies that will translate our actions into outcomes. As we stop and think about these conceptualizations, we realize that absolutely everything that we do as a spiritual route with in it. I do not believe that we are able to have positive outcomes if we only put negatives into the equation. While this may occur for a short length of time, across the months and years inherently this will catch up with an individual. Unhappy with your job? Complaining about everything not going your way? Why then, are you surprised when your job is lost, your friends leave because they have heard this same complaint over and over again, and you are left alone. Sadly, this becomes the self-driven prophecy.

Going down this theory, in order to achieve freedom, we must be willing to make a stand for what we believe in. Freedom, as it is well stated, is not free. It is an end result of making a stand for what we believe in, rooted in thoughts and spirituality, which ultimately define and drive our actions. Freedom is not about merely speaking, but about being willing to stand with conviction for what you believe in. Ideally, freedom would be interspersed and as human beings we would be willing and able to understand each other's perceptions and as such could achieve freedom at a larger scale.

Indeed, do you not think that is possible? Even though we as human beings are different and have different thought processes, it is possible that some of the thoughts may overlap and be able to enrich in others lives if we were willing to take off blinders. For wit, to allow the scales to drop from our eyes. However, it is very difficult to be able to be willing to understand, much less accept, another person's point of view in the face of hostility. In true human nature, and in order to achieve and strive for freedom, sometimes stand needs to be taken. But what a better world this could be if we were able purely to be able to understand and appreciate each other's differences and dovetail it into our own.

This is where we see that we are different. If all individuals were full of love, light, peace and the desire to advance humankind then we would not have the negative outcomes that we see. Positive outcomes usually appear in the form of the structuring of a cultural identity, way of life or meaningful representation of  Spirit in an earthly form. This is where the dark side of humanity eclipses the positive radiance that is able [and should] be emanating like a beacon from each and every one of us. From a scientific, educational, cultural organizational perspective when each and every one of us are at our brightest it advances a culture and from a heritage conceptualization defines our history. It is most unfortunate that hatred, darkness, warmongering often denigrates humankind and produces the negative outcomes that we observe.

Our history and our past is defined by individuals and their root belief systems that have translated across the decades, centuries, and indeed millennium to bring forth the ideally creature of light that is reading this currently.

How free are you? It is better to aim for the stars, and be allowed and able to do so, and to miss then to never try. We have that ability to advance ourselves through this experimentation that we call life. Never trying, or facing repression is like having the wings bound. We never get the chance to try the fly. And that, my gentle readers is a horrible place to be, meaning that we are missing out on the gifts and sacrifices of the days and years past, indeed our own efforts. For in this journey of flight we want you to be yourself, often.

~~~ Rev. Dr. Joel Lamoure  May 2013

Lightning in our Orbit

From: www.joelwlamoure.com


Greetings my gentle readers to this weeks instalment of the "Be Yourself, Often" blog. Ah, a time when we can sit back with a piping warm cup of coffee or tea and reflect on the moments of the week that has passed. No matter what, good or bad in the week... the thing to keep in mind and consider is that the week has and did and does continue to fold out exactly as meant to be.


This week I decided to focus on a question that tends to come around quite a bit clinically. Usually it is attached to a whine or lament-> "Why me?" For we are the centre of that universe that we call us that encompasses a sun of various appearances and many, many planets. Depending on the individual, the sun (or suns) usually define around Us, Ego or Spirituality or an Other planet. Any of these are planets in and of themselves, but what of the centre core and being of OUR existence? I think that some people may ascribe to having Pluto at their core, but lets not go there- either the buddy of Goofy or a cold uninhabited ice sphere...


"Why me?" is so integral and central in fact to survival and existence as it is a reality check, a way to ensure we are surviving and moving along and either a pathetic whine or a term of self reflection. Lets talk about those people that use these questions as a form of self reflection. These are the inspired ones, the crazy ones... the ones with the square pegs in the round holes. But they are often visionaries and gentle, spiritual and loving souls. I am so fortunate to know many of these people and they are not rooted in the here and now of stuff, but engaged in a dialogue with the Universe. That they accept with equanimity what transpires and then use that to help others, makes them heroes on this rolling blue marble.


These are the ones that Lightening sadly seems to attract... as they have their feet in the water, head in the air and may be perceived to be "poorly grounded". Now that last bit is a scoietally driven spin on the whole matter as I actually find that these people are the most grounded, and serve as a conduit for some pretty bright flashes on inspiration, but ones that may send a non inspired, non-lightning rod person to the morgue. Ouch.. seeya baby, dont write.

People that are rooted in Other vs themselves and in spirituality vs dry dogmas tend to gravitate to the ring around the sun and a position of catching some pretty sweet waves. But it does and may happen again. How many prophets have we NOT heard about in the Bible that went on a 40 day magical mystery tour and had their minds fried? How many miracles unsung? There is so much that exists all around us. And interestingly, like in this case DOES attract like in my experience, totally counter to the rules of magnetism. People that are these divining rods of lightning in their darkest hours attract others of the same spirit and capacity to help prevent shorts and destruction of their grid. These saviours that help us are our grounders, yet also have the ability to attract the power from the sky. They understand and have been there.


So, before you ask the question "Why me?", perhaps we should look to the fact that it is as meant to be, be at ease with that and the untapped skills we have. Perhapsby touching those skills, eventually and at ease in this moment you may be yourself, often.

---  Rev. Dr. Joel Lamoure     June 2012 

The Nav Path of Life

From: http://www.joelwlamoure.com/2012.04.01_arch.html

The Nav Path of Life

Greetings my gentle readers to this weeks "Be Yourself, Often" blog. Ahhh that time that we can wonder where our path is and look at the often small changes and deviations from the week before. To sit back in a degree of quiet contemplation and see where out flight is taking us. Has it been a week of balance, smooth sailing and learnings, or one of crisis, psychotic pilots and emergencies?

We learned and discussed last week, which was captured in Tuesdays radio show "Prescribing Spiritual HOPE" from the 27th of March that even before the flight and path evolves, that it is a good thing to address the instruments that we will use when flying. To look at the Pilot Operating Handbook and also to write out systems checklists and contingency plans in advance of the flight. I dont know about any of you, but my ability to do clear and rational thought processes is hampered in a crisis, much list write out a clear plan when in panic mode. So there is references already there for you.

So as we look to preventing pilot and person and equipment failure... we may already know where we wish to go on this journey. That is out Internal Navigation System (INS) and hereafter known and discussed as our Nav system. These are the brains of the plane as they will help guide us to the destination that WE select. This is the first issue and opportunity in spirituality and conceptualization. That being that we have a chance and a choice, plus a conscious opportunity to enter into our mental Nav system where we want to go. What is the end destination that we hope to achieve? There are 2 planes of sight (2 and 3 dimensional) on the visible earth... that is Life and Death. Life is programmed in and Death is a long way on the horizon.  However, depending on the flight, that final destination may only become a way point, whether it be called after-life, Heaven,  reincarnation, samsara, Elysium Fields, Valhalla, Olam Haba or She'ol to name a few. Across mankind and thousands of years there has been that opportunity of discussion.

But for the here and now flight path that we program into the Nav system? Do you want an intercontinental flight and deadhead across the Atlantic or Pacific or even across the great countries of Europe or North or South America?  Most people do seem to want that. Circumnavigate the globe with just a few stops to prevent a deep vein thrombosis (DVT) and get it done as soon as possible! The only time otherwise that touch downs happen are in times of emergency (which hopefully you have with due diligence prepared that contingency plan!) Now if we were to look at a life like that, there are a few milestones (births, deaths, jobs) and many turbulent situations and full crisis that occur (financial, health, situational) along the Nav Path of the Life. Any of these will force the plane to land and refocus. The rest of the time though, the headphones are one, watching a movie and lulled to pacification by the good and wonderful food and diversions for which you are being fed. The worst part is because the Nav path is locked in so far in advance, there are so few course corrections, and most only happen in these emergency situations.

Here is a different concept my gentle readers... and that is to consider small steps along the path, charting our way across new adventures and stopping at several places of call and explore and feel and live the culture of the moment and embrace the people there. Not to see them as different, but to assimilate through osmosis some of the learnings and teachings and mayhaps impact some of your own along the way? That we can learn in a gradual way, not unlike placing small stones across the river that allow us to traverse safely and through an embraced and shared learnings. Sure, seems like more work and may very well be. I cant say that I circumnavigated the globe x amount of times by doing it this way, but the life that I can live is potentially richer. That there is less chance of a catastrophic crash and along the way be able on these short Nav trips to learn and see more. Certainly it isnt as fast or fly as high, but I believe and observe that it allows one to actually fly higher and more intensely with the gifts and bounty of life there to be explored. And you know what? Its just fast enough.

Help me help you place the stones to traverse the waterways with the internal gifts and nav systems that we have and have been given. Theres also a sense of wonderment and potential joy to it for along the way you can be yourself, often.



  --- Rev. Dr. Joel Lamoure    April 2012

Balancing Acts of Gods and Generals

From:
http://www.joelwlamoure.com/2012.03.01_arch.html

Balancing Acts of Gods and Generals

Greetings my gentle readers to this week's (albeit late) edition of the "Be Yourself, Often" blog. Ah yes, a time that and when we can step back and reflect on the subtleties and largeties of the day and week, break bread together in a few moments of peace.
This has been such an exciting and wonderful week as it relates to many topics and moments and glimmers of light radiating through unopened doors with the map in the mind serving as a vista to step from. A week where the belief, faith and hope resonated strong and wonderful friends, colleagues and family come to play. These are such exciting times and we are actually exceedingly privileged as we move ahead my friends to have such friends that will help you mind and reflect. In challenges come wonderful opportunities and the layers of the mask addressed.
As layers of the mask come off and we really truly address the core and root individual that we are, it was postulated by a wise colleague of mine that sometimes maybe the world doesnt want to entirely see the total without makeup side that we have. And in fact, it may do us benefit to maintain some autonomy behind a mask or two. Being the person that I am, I can and will wholeheartedly agree, that sometimes the honesty and up front may just be too much for people!
But what a wonderful discussion and reflection to move forward with! And another set of very key discussions had to do with balance. Who is who that we are in the situations that arise and what do we stand for versus the what that the situation demands? And in all of those reflections on balance and that some aspects may just get lost in the mask themselves, it is the root that we must be ourselves often. To look at the who that we are and in balance be comfortable with that person and live the dream that we are living and to do it well and with personal integrity.
In challenges come wonderful opportunities and clarity. That is the times when one doesnt thing that things are going exactly the way that WE expect them to... that always, always, always a new set of opportunities come. Per wit, we have exhausted and come to the end of the map in our mind. Do we play that level again, or with inspirations and support of those around look to the lines and shadows and new doors of opportunity either personally or professionally to advance? And if we knock or try to push open those doors, what lies on the other side? It truly is a fools guess to try to think what the other person may be thinking, planning, doing and in any way, shape or form to step away, fight or impede what the wheel of samsara has come around to. That we are open and receptive and gracious when a situation arises. That is the tool of leaders versus cowards. The choice of Gods and Generals.
For we are to understand and forgive and learn. To make an accurate determination of the lay of the land with a fearless review of the resources and internal skills that we have and possess. That can not be taken away unless we take them away. To practice and belief with high integrity.
And that my gentle readers stems back to the ability to listen careful and as I am learning to ask and encourage the feedback that will help advance the thought process, make it even richer and allow a situation where all are heard. That we are able to feel and see that kind and loving reflection that we have been afforded, and make do and also be comfortable with it! That we then know the lay of the land and what is needed and afforded much clarity, with (most of) the masks removed. And that we are comfortable with that person. This opens the vial of spiritual hope. For that we are allowed then to advance down a complete and holistic path which is rooted in the REAL goals and outcomes set for us, versus what we believe and believed is our due (oh the RICH delusions we create!!!). That knowledge and surrounded by like minded empowers us and the story is all about personalization and this is my story.
Holistic health.... to be light at heart and mind and comfortable with the surroundings and the miracles that abound around us in the momemnt. Yes, I think that just may allow you (and me) to be yourself, often.


--- Rev. Dr. Joel Lamoure      Match 2012