I have just returned from a trip to Cambodia and Laos. I went there along with a colleague, Kyoko, to offer training to some local people. The recipients of the training were people that work with youth. It is our hope that the training supports the development of the next generation of leaders in the region.
I had fun meeting everybody and also experiencing a variety of great food. One particular dish was ants, which I would describe as crunchy and spicy.
I was last in Cambodia almost 14 years ago and it was remarkable to see the explosion of growth and development that has taken place there.
In Laos the last day of the training coincided with the beginning of their New Years festival also known as the Water Festival. During this time it seems that the only rule that applies is that everyone must get soaked and stay soaked for at least three days. The energy of the past is washed away to allow a fresh and “clean” start to the coming year.
It became a game of stealth to attempt to move around Vientiane knowing that I would be getting drenched by buckets of water thrown on by well meaning partiers while trying to save my camera from the same fate.
Even my final ride to the airport in an open tuk tuk was riding through a gauntlet of well wishers throwing water using every conceivable container they could find. There is nothing like arriving at the check in counter at the airport soaking wet from head to toe.
Many thanks to the engaged Buddhist movement and SEM (Spirit in Education Movement) and Jar, our friend and South East Asia contact who organized the trip, SRPD in Cambodia and PADETC in Laos for sponsoring us.
Sawaidee Bee Mai (Happy New Year) Everybody
Patrick Ryan
www.AwakenedWisdom.com
Wednesday, May 13, 2009
A Life Well Lived
Imagine a life in which you managed to rise above the fears and concerns that tend to linger faithfully in the background, haunting us with their song of intended safety and urgings to keep the status quo. What if you could shut out the voices that tell you all about what you CAN'T do, the ones that work to diminish the fullness of who you are?
You know the voices I mean. Imagine for a moment, that you integrated those voices in a good way, so that they no longer gripped you but rather just informed you about interesting and relevant conditions to which you should pay attention. And now, as you are no longer held in false constraints you are free - free to listen and respond to the wisdom of the moment, free to wonder what is possible in creating more beauty and dreams, and free to respond to the yearning of your heart that knows more is always possible.
Your wisdom informs you through every beat of your heart and through every thought of inspiration. Your wisdom informs you through your body which responds to the world around you as a drum responds to the vibration of the room at rest; it is waiting for the drummer to pick it up and bring its beat to life. You must of course be willing to respond to this wisdom. You must be willing to risk shaking up your world and the world of those around you and ask, What is needed? You must also be willing to risk losing that which seems precious to you. Holding on to anything is futile. If something is still right for you it will stay, and if it is no longer serving you, your holding onto it will only delay the inevitable. Worry not, because you were never in control of those things anyway.
Allowing good things to pass along through your life keeps the spaces open for other good things to come in, and come in they will if there is space - an opening. You must be willing to engage in the dance of life with flexibility and compassion and as you move you may dance in-joy. Stay in the game and turn it over at the same time. Turn it over to this great universe in which we live. Invite the universe in and listen to the call. Like the call and response of a great drum circle. It’s the call that informs you that NOW is the time to move. Now, is the time for you to commit to take one more step towards that dream that is relentlessly calling you into it.
And why not? Did you think it could wait for another day?
You know the voices I mean. Imagine for a moment, that you integrated those voices in a good way, so that they no longer gripped you but rather just informed you about interesting and relevant conditions to which you should pay attention. And now, as you are no longer held in false constraints you are free - free to listen and respond to the wisdom of the moment, free to wonder what is possible in creating more beauty and dreams, and free to respond to the yearning of your heart that knows more is always possible.
Your wisdom informs you through every beat of your heart and through every thought of inspiration. Your wisdom informs you through your body which responds to the world around you as a drum responds to the vibration of the room at rest; it is waiting for the drummer to pick it up and bring its beat to life. You must of course be willing to respond to this wisdom. You must be willing to risk shaking up your world and the world of those around you and ask, What is needed? You must also be willing to risk losing that which seems precious to you. Holding on to anything is futile. If something is still right for you it will stay, and if it is no longer serving you, your holding onto it will only delay the inevitable. Worry not, because you were never in control of those things anyway.
Allowing good things to pass along through your life keeps the spaces open for other good things to come in, and come in they will if there is space - an opening. You must be willing to engage in the dance of life with flexibility and compassion and as you move you may dance in-joy. Stay in the game and turn it over at the same time. Turn it over to this great universe in which we live. Invite the universe in and listen to the call. Like the call and response of a great drum circle. It’s the call that informs you that NOW is the time to move. Now, is the time for you to commit to take one more step towards that dream that is relentlessly calling you into it.
And why not? Did you think it could wait for another day?
Wednesday, April 1, 2009
Awakened Wisdom Goes to Egypt
Hi folks,
I am happy to be able to tell you about the first offering Awakened Wisdom presented in Egypt this spring. In cooperation with BLDNA, an Egyptian NGO, our mission was to design a training that would support the BLDNA members in developing and integrating their respective leadership styles with each person’s own idea of a community project they will implement in order to raise the Egyptian society to a higher level.
I was thrilled to present the Ennea Leader Styles to these generous and courageous participants. Based on the Enneagram, the Ennea Leader Styles required each person to be willing to look not only at his or her own brilliance but also at where their styles break down and begin to work against their best intentions as community leaders.
Every person that attended took to the work whole-heartedly and the result was a brilliant experience of personal and professional development. The range of projects that is being initiated now is inspiring. These include ideas such as orphanages for children, a center for mothers, and housing for low income families to name a few.
For me it was gratifying to be able to offer the Ennea Leader Styles workshop in Egypt because this workshop is based on the Enneagram through a leadership context. It is believed that the Enneagram originated from this part of the world and so it was a particular privilege to bring it back full circle to the land of its origin.
I found everyone in attendance to be amazingly generous in energy and I was moved by the willingness of all to get real about identifying their personal work that must be taken on in order to be successful with their project. In particular I want to thank Wael Borhan who extended the invitation to Awakened Wisdom to come to Egypt for such an important assignment. Wael and his family, friends and colleagues personally took responsibility for the success of this event. Everyone was gracious towards me as I learned first hand about the high standards of generosity and hospitality of the beautiful Egyptian people.
I also want to thank Lina Nahaas from Dubai, and Mike Roberts from Germany, who came along and offered their uncompromising support to the event. Their partnership was most helpful as we managed the moment-by-moment unfolding of this three-day event. I am looking forward to returning to Egypt again and continuing the deepening of the Ennea Leader styles.
What is the Ennea Leader Styles workshop?
In short, this three-day workshop is an introduction to the nine fundamental styles of leadership as experienced through the context of the Enneagram and integrated with the Awakened Wisdom philosophy. It is a training that unlocks the mystery of how to be a great leader, by supporting everyone in identifying his or her own particular, individual leadership style. When we understand how to express our authentic leadership fully, the results we can achieve are limited only by our willingness and our imagination. And the more we understand about our styles the more our willingness and imagination is opened up to greater and greater possibilities.
If you would like to bring this powerful training to your organization or community, please contact us to discuss.
Now I am off to Cambodia and Laos to offer training there.
Journey well everyone,
I hope to see you soon,
Patrick Ryan
www.AwakenedWisdom.com
I am happy to be able to tell you about the first offering Awakened Wisdom presented in Egypt this spring. In cooperation with BLDNA, an Egyptian NGO, our mission was to design a training that would support the BLDNA members in developing and integrating their respective leadership styles with each person’s own idea of a community project they will implement in order to raise the Egyptian society to a higher level.
I was thrilled to present the Ennea Leader Styles to these generous and courageous participants. Based on the Enneagram, the Ennea Leader Styles required each person to be willing to look not only at his or her own brilliance but also at where their styles break down and begin to work against their best intentions as community leaders.
Every person that attended took to the work whole-heartedly and the result was a brilliant experience of personal and professional development. The range of projects that is being initiated now is inspiring. These include ideas such as orphanages for children, a center for mothers, and housing for low income families to name a few.
For me it was gratifying to be able to offer the Ennea Leader Styles workshop in Egypt because this workshop is based on the Enneagram through a leadership context. It is believed that the Enneagram originated from this part of the world and so it was a particular privilege to bring it back full circle to the land of its origin.
I found everyone in attendance to be amazingly generous in energy and I was moved by the willingness of all to get real about identifying their personal work that must be taken on in order to be successful with their project. In particular I want to thank Wael Borhan who extended the invitation to Awakened Wisdom to come to Egypt for such an important assignment. Wael and his family, friends and colleagues personally took responsibility for the success of this event. Everyone was gracious towards me as I learned first hand about the high standards of generosity and hospitality of the beautiful Egyptian people.
I also want to thank Lina Nahaas from Dubai, and Mike Roberts from Germany, who came along and offered their uncompromising support to the event. Their partnership was most helpful as we managed the moment-by-moment unfolding of this three-day event. I am looking forward to returning to Egypt again and continuing the deepening of the Ennea Leader styles.
What is the Ennea Leader Styles workshop?
In short, this three-day workshop is an introduction to the nine fundamental styles of leadership as experienced through the context of the Enneagram and integrated with the Awakened Wisdom philosophy. It is a training that unlocks the mystery of how to be a great leader, by supporting everyone in identifying his or her own particular, individual leadership style. When we understand how to express our authentic leadership fully, the results we can achieve are limited only by our willingness and our imagination. And the more we understand about our styles the more our willingness and imagination is opened up to greater and greater possibilities.
If you would like to bring this powerful training to your organization or community, please contact us to discuss.
Now I am off to Cambodia and Laos to offer training there.
Journey well everyone,
I hope to see you soon,
Patrick Ryan
www.AwakenedWisdom.com
What is it to be a great leader? What is it to be human?
There you are in the center of who you are; in a way you are trapped by all the ideas that you have made up about who you are. You are trapped by the habits that you have created, and you are trapped by a life of living from an ego structure. It is the work then, of being human, to find your way through and past all the STUFF that separates you from living your full brightness all the time.
Finding your way is not an easy task and though it is possible to find your way home while blindfolded and groping your way along in the dark it is unlikely it will work quickly or well. It is much more effective to have a structure and a system that can provide a guiding affect to support you as you journey towards being a human freed of all your “stuff.”
In the center of who you think you are is your essence. That is the light of who you are. Your essence has been there all along it is just covered in veils of behavior that bury it deep and hide it from you.
We are each on a journey to reveal that essence to ourselves and in that revealing we discover a way of being in the world that honors the magnificence of who we really are.
When we touch into that light we shine brightly on those around us and in turn the people around us are then moved to show up at their best.
That is leadership at its finest. Walking a walk that supports all those around in developing themselves as well, while you accomplish the fulfillment of your vision.
Check out our new programs that are all intended to support you in revealing the best of who you really are.
Patrick Ryan
www.AwakenedWisdom.com
Finding your way is not an easy task and though it is possible to find your way home while blindfolded and groping your way along in the dark it is unlikely it will work quickly or well. It is much more effective to have a structure and a system that can provide a guiding affect to support you as you journey towards being a human freed of all your “stuff.”
In the center of who you think you are is your essence. That is the light of who you are. Your essence has been there all along it is just covered in veils of behavior that bury it deep and hide it from you.
We are each on a journey to reveal that essence to ourselves and in that revealing we discover a way of being in the world that honors the magnificence of who we really are.
When we touch into that light we shine brightly on those around us and in turn the people around us are then moved to show up at their best.
That is leadership at its finest. Walking a walk that supports all those around in developing themselves as well, while you accomplish the fulfillment of your vision.
Check out our new programs that are all intended to support you in revealing the best of who you really are.
Patrick Ryan
www.AwakenedWisdom.com
Monday, March 2, 2009
Getting to Know the One in Me that Reacts.
Getting to know the One in me that reacts.
One day I was walking along a crowded street in India. It was my first time visiting this country and I was shocked by much of what I was seeing. It all seemed so chaotic and the condition of some of the people was deeply disturbing to that part of me that wants everyone to be fine.
I was getting hooked by it all; my defenses were closing me down. When those particular defenses go down I get what I call tunnel heart. I am seeing it all and I am not allowing it to impact me, I am not allowing it to get in. It is a defense for a very sensitive, empathic heart. As I noticed my reaction to the experience of walking through this sea of intense humanity I wanted to learn how to walk with an open heart. How could I allow all this to touch me and still maintain, I wondered.
I choose a perspective that went like this: Imagine that every person here represents an aspect of who I am. Notice who and what is hard to look at. Notice what hurts. Notice who or what causes me to get angry or sad or happy. First – just notice.
I was opened from this and suddenly around myself I saw five thousand faces of my self. Every one became a part of me and I of them.
And I then allowed each person that I was noticing to represent a part of me. The beggar allowed me to face the beggar in me. The Sadhu became the Sadhu in me, the taxi driver the same and even the policeman, and on and on for each one that came to my attention.
As I experienced each one I also got to experience that part of me that reacted to the sight, sound, smell or touch of these individuals.
When we say, “I am uncomfortable/angry/happy here.” We are not really being accurate. It is more accurate to say that an aspect of you is uncomfortable/angry/happy here. Then it is possible to get the paradox of the moment - that one part of you may be angry, another part of you sad, and yet another part of you excited about any given situation.
The more we can learn about these aspects of us the more we can heal and integrate them into the wholeness of who we are.
The next step is to get curious with the one in you that is reacting. For example, if a beggar approached me and I felt uncomfortable I then got curious with the one in me that was uncomfortable.
I would ask to that part of me:
What is it about this beggar that makes you uncomfortable?
What is it that you are afraid of?
What is needed to stay open here?
Pay attention to any thoughts that occur during this process.
This is helpful in any day of our life. Perhaps someone at work pushes your button a lot. It is really not about him, it is YOUR button that is getting pushed, not his.
Instead of making others wrong for pushing your button try this:
Bless them first with loving-kindness. Open to that person, AND to the one in you that got triggered. And ask yourself:
- What is it that bothers me here?
- How am I creating this reaction?
- What does this part of me need in order for it to be healed?
Anytime people trigger us, it is never about them. It is about what is waiting to be revealed in us. So in my mind I say to those who trigger, “Thank you for triggering my anger/sadness/frustration and for showing me where my work is.”
At times like this, ask yourself – What is it time for me to heal/let go of/forgive?
It is great to be a human. We have so many opportunities to grow ourselves.
No one said it was going to be easy.
Patrick Ryan
Chief Waker-Upper
One day I was walking along a crowded street in India. It was my first time visiting this country and I was shocked by much of what I was seeing. It all seemed so chaotic and the condition of some of the people was deeply disturbing to that part of me that wants everyone to be fine.
I was getting hooked by it all; my defenses were closing me down. When those particular defenses go down I get what I call tunnel heart. I am seeing it all and I am not allowing it to impact me, I am not allowing it to get in. It is a defense for a very sensitive, empathic heart. As I noticed my reaction to the experience of walking through this sea of intense humanity I wanted to learn how to walk with an open heart. How could I allow all this to touch me and still maintain, I wondered.
I choose a perspective that went like this: Imagine that every person here represents an aspect of who I am. Notice who and what is hard to look at. Notice what hurts. Notice who or what causes me to get angry or sad or happy. First – just notice.
I was opened from this and suddenly around myself I saw five thousand faces of my self. Every one became a part of me and I of them.
And I then allowed each person that I was noticing to represent a part of me. The beggar allowed me to face the beggar in me. The Sadhu became the Sadhu in me, the taxi driver the same and even the policeman, and on and on for each one that came to my attention.
As I experienced each one I also got to experience that part of me that reacted to the sight, sound, smell or touch of these individuals.
When we say, “I am uncomfortable/angry/happy here.” We are not really being accurate. It is more accurate to say that an aspect of you is uncomfortable/angry/happy here. Then it is possible to get the paradox of the moment - that one part of you may be angry, another part of you sad, and yet another part of you excited about any given situation.
The more we can learn about these aspects of us the more we can heal and integrate them into the wholeness of who we are.
The next step is to get curious with the one in you that is reacting. For example, if a beggar approached me and I felt uncomfortable I then got curious with the one in me that was uncomfortable.
I would ask to that part of me:
What is it about this beggar that makes you uncomfortable?
What is it that you are afraid of?
What is needed to stay open here?
Pay attention to any thoughts that occur during this process.
This is helpful in any day of our life. Perhaps someone at work pushes your button a lot. It is really not about him, it is YOUR button that is getting pushed, not his.
Instead of making others wrong for pushing your button try this:
Bless them first with loving-kindness. Open to that person, AND to the one in you that got triggered. And ask yourself:
- What is it that bothers me here?
- How am I creating this reaction?
- What does this part of me need in order for it to be healed?
Anytime people trigger us, it is never about them. It is about what is waiting to be revealed in us. So in my mind I say to those who trigger, “Thank you for triggering my anger/sadness/frustration and for showing me where my work is.”
At times like this, ask yourself – What is it time for me to heal/let go of/forgive?
It is great to be a human. We have so many opportunities to grow ourselves.
No one said it was going to be easy.
Patrick Ryan
Chief Waker-Upper
Wednesday, February 4, 2009
Awakened Wisdom in the Middle East
January of 2009 was a most interesting month. Among many other events, I was blessed to be able to present the Awakened Wisdom work to two incredible groups of people in the Middle East - in Israel and Dubai. Both gatherings were filled with extraordinary people who really allowed themselves to touch deeply into the questions of what is needed for we humans to live Awakened lives. Blessings to all who attended.
When I was preparing to go to Israel as the first stop on my trip to the Middle East, the military action in the Gaza strip was full on. I left with a prayer that the fighting would stop when Awakened Wisdom was there and thankfully that is what happened. On the day I arrived a cease-fire was announced and the day the workshop started all the troops had pulled back. May this blessing continue!! As a backdrop to the event the ceasefire added a preciousness to the experience. I found that I was especially grateful that all those who attended could have a time of dreaming into a future that would be filled with peace and hope and love for everyone. Thank you Einav for your amazing energy and for holding the ground and making this event possible.
From Israel I headed off to Dubai where I was once again blessed to be able to work with another group of creative and open, hearts and minds. The people who attended this event were from a wide variety of European and Arab countries. Once again we journeyed through the Awakened Wisdom process and moved closer and closer to each other and by extension to all humans everywhere. The people dreamed, cried, hoped, and planned how to move forward in a more Awakened way. Thank you to Lina for her magic in gathering in the people for this event.
I love diversity and all the beauty that comes with it. I still marvel at how at the end of the day we are all so much the same. We laugh, we cry, we love, we get angry, we learn, we grow, and we move our lives forward one day at a time. Every one of us wants to live a fulfilled life and each of us will navigate our own way through a myriad of challenges and opportunities. As for me I am grateful for the tiredness I feel in this moment. It is a tiredness of being well used in these last few days. Stay tuned, as the next few months will take Awakened Wisdom and I to the USA, Canada, Spain, Egypt, Laos, and Cambodia for a more growth and exciting adventures.
And please do join us at an Awakened Wisdom event near, or far, from you.
Rumor has it that the magic is real.
When I was preparing to go to Israel as the first stop on my trip to the Middle East, the military action in the Gaza strip was full on. I left with a prayer that the fighting would stop when Awakened Wisdom was there and thankfully that is what happened. On the day I arrived a cease-fire was announced and the day the workshop started all the troops had pulled back. May this blessing continue!! As a backdrop to the event the ceasefire added a preciousness to the experience. I found that I was especially grateful that all those who attended could have a time of dreaming into a future that would be filled with peace and hope and love for everyone. Thank you Einav for your amazing energy and for holding the ground and making this event possible.
From Israel I headed off to Dubai where I was once again blessed to be able to work with another group of creative and open, hearts and minds. The people who attended this event were from a wide variety of European and Arab countries. Once again we journeyed through the Awakened Wisdom process and moved closer and closer to each other and by extension to all humans everywhere. The people dreamed, cried, hoped, and planned how to move forward in a more Awakened way. Thank you to Lina for her magic in gathering in the people for this event.
I love diversity and all the beauty that comes with it. I still marvel at how at the end of the day we are all so much the same. We laugh, we cry, we love, we get angry, we learn, we grow, and we move our lives forward one day at a time. Every one of us wants to live a fulfilled life and each of us will navigate our own way through a myriad of challenges and opportunities. As for me I am grateful for the tiredness I feel in this moment. It is a tiredness of being well used in these last few days. Stay tuned, as the next few months will take Awakened Wisdom and I to the USA, Canada, Spain, Egypt, Laos, and Cambodia for a more growth and exciting adventures.
And please do join us at an Awakened Wisdom event near, or far, from you.
Rumor has it that the magic is real.
Monday, January 5, 2009
Awakened Wisdom Heads to Israel
So here we are entering 2009 with so many mixed signals coming in from around the world. Most recently we have an escalation in the challenging situation between Israel and the Palestinians. We have an on-going economic crisis (or opportunity, depending on how you view it) and we have new leadership taking over the United States of America, which wields a powerful global influence. It is a most important time to be staying resourceful and awake.
As a new level of violence in the Middle East breaks out again, Awakened Wisdom is scheduled to head over to that region. As I believe everything in our journey is synchronous, I ask what is the reason AWE is going to the Middle East at this time? What part can I play according to my wisdom? What contribution can AWE make? It is with great humility that I will intend to bring the spirit of peace and reconciliation to the people of these troubled regions.
In general I prefer not to tell people what they “should” be doing, or thinking. I prefer rather to remind people that we are each amazing beings who need not be afraid if we stay resourceful, flexible and willing. If every one of us can stay out of blame and judgment and instead keep our intention of creating peace, beauty, and life giving energy then the seeds of such violence would not have soil in which to take root. What is needed to make this happen? We need to be awake.
To be awake means to be grounded in your highest wisdom or Divine Self, and to respond to the unfolding of the world around you in ways that are wise, resourceful, and creative. Being awake does not mean that life is easy or that it goes the way you want. It means that you develop yourself through the experience of the moment you are in. As we respond to life’s challenges we continually shape our character. The one we are now, in this moment, is the result of who we were in moments past. And who we are now in the moment sets up who we will be in future moments. It is never too late to set a new course or to bring out the best of who you are. What is important and oh so challenging, is to bring the best of who you are forth into each and every moment of your life.
What is needed to be fully awake?
1) First what is needed is the willingness to forgive. As long as the actions of the past are used against people in the present then the opportunity for peace is slim. It is easy to cite the past as a case for present moment actions, as justification, as rationale. It is easy to judge and blame. What is more challenging is to set all that aside and ask, what is needed now for us to live in harmony here and then truly listen for the wisdom to reveal itself. Divine Self is always willing to forgive. Divine Self is always willing to live in harmony.
2) Second what is needed is the willingness to listen. Both sides of any conflict have “good” reasons to justify their feelings and behaviors. And, it’s easier and feels more solid to act from a defended position. What feels more risky is to act from the Divine Self to be willing to listen, to really listen to each other and see where our pain and grief are common. Witnessing each other in our pain, in our grief, is a powerful step towards healing. Even if you think you have “heard it all before” that is not the point. It is the act of listening, with open ears and an open heart that is so powerful. To listen without defending your position, to listen without a position at all, is a courageous act.
3) Third, what is needed is to look into the situation and ask your self, what have I contributed to creating this situation? We all have an impact and we all contribute to what is going on right now. The more willing we are to own our part of the situation, the more likely it is that something different will become possible.
4) Fourth, what is needed is the willingness to be flexible. The more firmly positioned we get on a certain point, the less likely it is that we can find a solution that is workable for everyone involved. The last thing to get stuck on is principle. Stay willing and flexible and ask, what is needed here for the best outcome for everyone?
No matter where we live in the world, as we each stay willing to examine the wounds we carry in our own souls and heal them, the brighter our contribution will be to issues that seem far away and so much bigger than us. As you sit here right now, in this moment, you are having an effect on worldly matters. Are you willing?
Patrick Ryan
www.AwakenedWisdom.com
As a new level of violence in the Middle East breaks out again, Awakened Wisdom is scheduled to head over to that region. As I believe everything in our journey is synchronous, I ask what is the reason AWE is going to the Middle East at this time? What part can I play according to my wisdom? What contribution can AWE make? It is with great humility that I will intend to bring the spirit of peace and reconciliation to the people of these troubled regions.
In general I prefer not to tell people what they “should” be doing, or thinking. I prefer rather to remind people that we are each amazing beings who need not be afraid if we stay resourceful, flexible and willing. If every one of us can stay out of blame and judgment and instead keep our intention of creating peace, beauty, and life giving energy then the seeds of such violence would not have soil in which to take root. What is needed to make this happen? We need to be awake.
To be awake means to be grounded in your highest wisdom or Divine Self, and to respond to the unfolding of the world around you in ways that are wise, resourceful, and creative. Being awake does not mean that life is easy or that it goes the way you want. It means that you develop yourself through the experience of the moment you are in. As we respond to life’s challenges we continually shape our character. The one we are now, in this moment, is the result of who we were in moments past. And who we are now in the moment sets up who we will be in future moments. It is never too late to set a new course or to bring out the best of who you are. What is important and oh so challenging, is to bring the best of who you are forth into each and every moment of your life.
What is needed to be fully awake?
1) First what is needed is the willingness to forgive. As long as the actions of the past are used against people in the present then the opportunity for peace is slim. It is easy to cite the past as a case for present moment actions, as justification, as rationale. It is easy to judge and blame. What is more challenging is to set all that aside and ask, what is needed now for us to live in harmony here and then truly listen for the wisdom to reveal itself. Divine Self is always willing to forgive. Divine Self is always willing to live in harmony.
2) Second what is needed is the willingness to listen. Both sides of any conflict have “good” reasons to justify their feelings and behaviors. And, it’s easier and feels more solid to act from a defended position. What feels more risky is to act from the Divine Self to be willing to listen, to really listen to each other and see where our pain and grief are common. Witnessing each other in our pain, in our grief, is a powerful step towards healing. Even if you think you have “heard it all before” that is not the point. It is the act of listening, with open ears and an open heart that is so powerful. To listen without defending your position, to listen without a position at all, is a courageous act.
3) Third, what is needed is to look into the situation and ask your self, what have I contributed to creating this situation? We all have an impact and we all contribute to what is going on right now. The more willing we are to own our part of the situation, the more likely it is that something different will become possible.
4) Fourth, what is needed is the willingness to be flexible. The more firmly positioned we get on a certain point, the less likely it is that we can find a solution that is workable for everyone involved. The last thing to get stuck on is principle. Stay willing and flexible and ask, what is needed here for the best outcome for everyone?
No matter where we live in the world, as we each stay willing to examine the wounds we carry in our own souls and heal them, the brighter our contribution will be to issues that seem far away and so much bigger than us. As you sit here right now, in this moment, you are having an effect on worldly matters. Are you willing?
Patrick Ryan
www.AwakenedWisdom.com
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