You CAN Paint it Black…or White! (Or Fuchsia!!)

Greetings my gentle readers to another week and another installment of the “Be Yourself, Often” blog at www.joelwlamoure.com . This represents perhaps a checkpoint in the week when we can step back and reflect of the moments and sands of time that have traversed the hourglass and gave themselves to help us reach the point and state that we are today. And that the moment and present that is the now can be translated into the dreams of tomorrow.

There are so many potential subjects that can be addressed from a spiritual nature filtering through the concepts and parameters of H.O.P.E., which we are striving towards.  This is a worthy spiritual agenda that advances our holistic health and ways that we can capture and encapsulate it, outcome driven objectives, personalized perspective and the end goals and challenges associated with empowerment.

If we agree that we are spiritual beings having a human existence and proceeding through the school of life, with all of its classes, challenges, dynamics and trials/ tribulations then we can consider each step begets the next. Ther are the challenges and roadblocks that exist and demonstrate themselves in the course of our life and how we perceive and deal with these define outcomes. Certainly, there are freak accidents and events that we cannot even begin to conceptualize as to the why of them occurring. Far too often, bad things happen to good people and where we translate the learnings defines our “mark” in this particular class.

Do we focus on the learnings in the moment or dream towards the future? Remain firmly rooted in the past perhaps? There are certainly pros and cons to all of these and perhaps as opposed to having to pick one, in this class of life perhaps we may be able to approach it more as a smorgasbord or buffet of life. There are the various courses that we are fully able to mix and mingle and intersperse with other components. Nothing saying that we cannot take the past learnings and nostalgia of times go by, be aware of those moments and enjoy a quiet reflective moment and a tranquil smile. Knowing that YOU have been given that gift to experience such a wonderful thing and that it can persist across the quantum dimension of time… and time past is equidistantly dead and are unable to touch or change that past. So our filter of perspective should be one of positives, for want of otherwise living in regrets.

To capture that moment in the smorgasbord is an intense blend of utilization of our 5 senses in the here and now and encapsulated/imprinted on the psyche in the moment. These imprintations will trigger future memories based on sight, sound, touch, taste, or smells are the root of the event and stimulate our wits, which senses used to be termed in Shakespeare’s time.

But perhaps my friend we are even more than that from a spiritual existence and the senses impart a feeling which we can link and be aware through the gift and inspiration of cognition. So many other senses then are drilled down such as pain, nociception, kinesthetic sensory input and so much more. That we are able to balance and assign a “feeling” to an event that files the event in the sensorium in the filing cabinets of good or bad also will translate through across time.

So then, what we absorb, intuit and feel will become the picture that we will carry around in our mental wallets forever, and through the premises of HOPE can assign the degree of robustness and richness the picture will have. Personally, I feel the truest way of remembering an event in true vivid high definition (HD) imprinted in our mental wallet is to have the event resonate on all senses, embracing it with the gifts and talents and being that we are. My father used to call it being “in country”, which means that we fully immerse ourselves in the surrounding environment and learn by being part of it. That is a wonderful way to collect facts and understand the why of the event as opposed of standing by passively and casting stones and Judgement.

Moments that are very dichotomous in nature as well tend to be filmed in the very best HD film as well. These moments can be easily created by the observer and often creates a smile and pleasurable associations if they are planned to be. They are the adult at play, Light within a period of dark, Water element touching earth and a kind smile on a gloomy day. Captured in fact by the Rolling Stones on their album “Aftermath” and the song “Paint it Black”.  We can be light even in dark.

That is the root of spiritual living is to be the beacon of light and provide a positive lesson to others in the moments of darkness. To help others in an altruistic way see and be the positive side of the dichotomy. There is a choice and that is to be the negative…if you wish. But by seeing the light and positives, then we can help others see it and then me and you can be yourself, often.

     ~~~~ Rev. Dr. Joel Lamoure    April 2013

All the Blessings of Positivity

“As long as enthusiasm holds out, so will new opportunities.”
Dr. Norman Vincent Peale

“If there is no fun in it, something is wrong…”
Dr. Norman Vincent Peale 

Greetings my gentle readers to this weeks installment of the “Be Yourself, Often” Blog. This is a time where we can sit back and share with each other some of the common themes and opportunities and challenges that have occurred through the week and see how it dovetails into us and our basic intelligent concern for ourselves and others, also known as love Have we infused the week with the spirit of us, or have we been mindlessly trucking along dead to the opportunities? 

We are responsible for our own choices, beliefs and actions that we take and make. I am positive of that. Sometimes, they are negative and this is only a big problem if we allow mistakes and negatives to stay negatives. Per wit, one does not Learn from them. That makes one lost, and potentially a fool, in the true medieval sense of the word.

If this discussion stings, there is the chance to leverage, discuss and advance in positivity. The past is history. The new day that emerges is extciting, and a mystery. Today is the day to do with which, as you wish. This is what is is the Present. 

All the blessings of positivity is a wonderful quote that came in the passing through a discussion with a valued friend. This statement really can make one stop and take stock of the inventory within the store as what one says and what one does can be totally different. As well, there may be prismic facets that reflect and refract back different things to different people. Some examples of those may be person, gender, race, religion, culture etc.

What is important here is that the concept of positivity holds a great degree of commonality across all of those facets and religions? It is a state of Being, rather than a truly human quality. If it were a truly human quality, people in North America overall would be the happiest and most positive people on the planet. Why? Their GDP and annual income is some of the highest in the world and unlimited access to gifts of nature, health, wealth and all the shiny spoons and 2-car garages that one can conceptualize. Yet, these people are often negative and being positive is held by very few. The incidence of mental health disorders in this dynamic is about 25 times that of the population in the Southern Sahara.

Why is that? Well…it means that stuff is not a sole root of happiness long term. While it may provide a transient feel good release of hormones and neurotransmitters, it truly is just stuff. And that begets the concepts of hoarding and attachment to said stuff and that begets fear of loss and theft and that leads to bigger fence and walls and the concepts that revolve around “commercial happiness”. My friends, you will never ever be like that person selling whatever on the television or Internet. Why? Because its NOT you and please stop transposing and imagining that you are entitled to be that. You’ve been sold a harsh bill of sale.

All the power of positivity lies within you already and the life and miracles that abound around you if you stop and reflect. To step away from every level of stuff and fluff and exercise basic human kindness with you is a critical first step. One needs to be aware of strong emotions that impact this may have on others and yourself. Transference and counter transference are very very large issues that can suck away positivity faster than a black hole. People that have strong behavioural disorders rooted in Cluster B within Axis 2 are often unable to sustain long periods of positivity. Why is that? Because they are constantly on the attack and fighting the next person that they perceive will “screw them over”, yet not knowing they themselves are the reason their life is so empty. They are devoid of pleasure by virtue of their defense mechanisms. 

Let us be more understanding to each other and a gentle word to ourselves. Small and gentle steps will help us evolve, in the form of mental weight training to build up to be more positive. Why, how and where do we act and react in situations? How could we have done it better? Being in a safe environment with gentle friends who help you see that, vs denigrate or attack you will help you develop through learning. 

At a certain point, the student becomes the teacher and the positivity shine through as the Hand of God and the miracles of the moment may be seen in every small, intricate moment that happens in life. That there is a moment, where even in the darkest hours that will hit and horrid news, periods where one sees that they can move ahead and live. And not only live, but positive this situation will help them help others. 

At that point, surrounded by miracles, you become a hero and inspiration to others and then may just have become and truly be yourself, often.

                        ~~ Rev. Dr. Joel Lamoure   August 2012