Here in Northern California, we’re entering the months when all the trees, plants and vines begin to produce. Everywhere I look there are apples, plums, squash, tomatoes, the list goes on and on. But it’s not just a few of each. There is so much fruit and produce it is difficult to harvest it all. The fruits of the earth are everywhere. 

Everyone begins setting up their drying racks and getting out their canning jars. The cider mills start up their operations and the produce stands are overflowing. There’s someone on nearly every stretch of highway with a pullout spot vending a truck full of fresh items. The vineyards have not yet begun the process of harvesting grapes and fermenting them into the many refined varietals of wine, but it’s right around the corner.

It’s all because of the giving nature of the earth and the ever regenerating spirit of creation that we are able to enjoy such prosperity. Every force in the universe comes together in an exact and delicate way to produce the single plum or kernel of corn. So many things have to go right, and it is still difficult for the experts to determine quite what it is that allows the earth to give so much.

Every particle of matter goes to the right place. Each tiny worm and bit of bacteria engage in their perfect role to create the necessary components. The biodynamics of the earth are constantly working to create the optimum conditions for each other. For each thing a creature takes from the environment, it gives back something for another to use. This is the necessary order of things here on earth.

This patterning of life carries over into what I do and how operate. The same consciousness that creates all that there is and assigns each molecule a part in the universe also governs how I function and each of my thoughts. The abundance of the universe manifests when I allow the replenishing system to live within me. For everything I give there is something that I receive.

What is most interesting about this is that when I am not mindful of this law of abundance or try to accelerate it, it all falls apart completely. Just like that single flower or precious berry, there is a fragile and delicate system of consciousness that is serving all of creation. When it is disturbed or not allowed to function it is unable to work as a conduit for the spirit of prosperity.

Sometimes I get thrown off course. There are times when I am frustrated and things seem impossible, but in the center of my being I know that the perfect universe is playing its part through me. It is showing me exactly what I need to see and what I need to know, and it is doing it without restraint and with profusion. I am extremely blessed to live in the midst of this abundant universe.

I’ve started doing this thing where I imagine what people looked like when they were children. When I’m with a group of people and we are socializing, or any time I’m with someone I’m talking to, I try to see what they looked like when they were five years old. This seems to work for anyone at any age. It’s an interesting thing to do and reveals a lot about the person’s behavior and life.

Everyone has retains the same bone structure and patterning from when they were very young. It’s easy to think back to the time when they were a child and try to deduce the way they looked from long ago. In fact, it’s easy to imagine what they will look like in 20 years, or what their relatives looked like, or just about anything about what they’ve been through or what is about to happen to them.

What is most fascinating about this process is that I start to envision the behavior of the person as a five year old, and how they interacted with others during that time. It turns out to be not so different from the way they operate now in adult life. Most of the ways we learn to associate with others are gathered during childhood, and they don’t really change very much as we age.

It’s easy to think of these current situations as groups of children in a playground and how they might interact with one other. One person may require more attention than any of the others, and another one might need special attention. Some are on the verge of a tantrum and others are feeling a little hungry or tired. These adults operate the same way they did many years ago, including me!

But what really strikes me about this little game is how I am brought back to the state of innocence that resides within each one of us. Essentially, we are all perfect and beautiful children, as pure and complete as we were at the very beginning. No matter how hard we try to be responsible and dependable adults, we are always these little treasures, these wonderful little gifts from God.

And when we accept this as our role the universe, we are transported to a state of full potential and possibility. The innocence of us as children is the fundamental state from which all things have originated in our lives. When we realize this we can understand so much more about ourselves and everyone around us. We can take this concept into our lives and allow it to become the perfect beginning state of everything we do.

So, try it sometime! Maybe it won’t be the same for you, but it’s worth putting some effort into. It’s quite amusing at first, as the scenario shifts to become a little party of tiny toddlers. But what is really amazing is how a person’s face will change to that original state of innocence they were gifted with. A perfect state of existence that lives with us from long before we were born and forever after we are gone.

Yesterday I attended a memorial service for a member of my church community that had made her transition last month. I had taken a class during the past winter that she had helped facilitate, and I was in several of the groups she had helped to lead. I knew her as an accepting, grounded and creative individual with a wonderful sense of humor and lighthearted attitude.

The service was very empowering, and allowed me to understand the many ways she had touched many people’s lives. It was incredible to see how we in the church community supported the family members as we reminisced about things we had done together and experiences we had. Although the focus of the event was the individual that was no longer with us, the service was all about us and the family. 

I always thought I would see her again, and that we would be able to connect in many ways during the coming years. But she lost her life partner of many years during the previous month, and she took her own life after that. She could not stand to be alone. Most of the people at the service understood this and did not question what she did. We all knew the deep pain she was experiencing.

The emptiness we feel when we lose a loved one is insurmountable. Life lacks purpose and meaning following a loss, and we know for certain that there will always be an empty part of our lives that will never return. We can do everything possible to distract, replace and renew but that missing part of ourselves is always there. It never goes away.

I can understand how she felt, and it fills me with compassion to imagine the constant emptiness she must have experienced. I’m sure many people in the community tried to help her through the loss, and it must have been extremely difficult to pull her through the troubled times she had. There is so little we can do to make a difference for another when a loss occurs, but it is also all we can do.

It is so important for us to appreciate the love we have in our lives right now and to relish every moment of it. We must allow our souls to be filled with the goodness of the many hearts around us, and we must keep the fire alive within our selves and all around us. The spirit flowing through us lives forever and is eternally present in all things. The divine intelligence only knows an eternal love and guiding presence. It is here with us now and forever.

Many times I leave where I am and try to find a different place. This happens both physically and mentally. Sometimes I take a physical vacation and transfer my body away from where I am. I try to find a place that’s quieter and less developed, where I can experience nature and enjoy the wonderful feeling of being surrounded by trees and mountains, animals and plants. This helps me let go of a lot of mental baggage and recenter my self.

Other times I take a mental vacation. I find out about something and decide to discover what it’s like. This involves a transfer of my mind into a different realm. Whether it’s a book, a film or a work of art, it always involves changing the way I’m thinking and feeling so that a different set of circumstances will engage my mind. Sometimes it happens suddenly and without effort, but other times it will require a lot of concentration and work.

In each of these situations, I am transformed. Every part of my thinking is affected in some way and I receive a changed outlook on things. But it requires preparation and dedication to get there. For a physical journey I pack the things I will need, prepare a map, and make sure that I have everything. In many ways the mental journey is the the same. I need to hold on to the thoughts I will need, prepare a plan, and make sure that I am able to understand what I am taking in.

With meditation, I transfer my consciousness to a place deep within. But I also go outside my body to every potential location I could ever imagine. The process requires preparation, planning and comprehension, just like taking a trip or reading a book. But I never get to an exactly defined place or state of awareness. My body remains still and my mind goes on a voyage to nowhere. It’s all about the journey. There is no actual result to the process other than itself.

This is very different from the goal seeking behavior that we as a culture are used to. When there is no end reward to something I put effort into, it can seem disappointing. I used to feel like I had been cheated and that I deserved more when I put a lot of work into something and did not see any results. But it turns out that all these perceived rewards are illusions. They were stories I made up with endings that consisted of results that I expected. Reality is rarely like that.

As I travel with my mind and body through this existence with the pure consciousness of good flowing through me, I can be guided instead of guiding. I can be prepared rather than preparing, and I can be assured instead of assuring myself. Rather than pursue dreams it’s important that I allow the dreams to emerge. Indeed, the joy is in the journey and I have everything I need. 

So much of what I do is based in gratitude, the deep thankfulness that comes from appreciating how much I really have. The roof over my head, the clothes on my back, the food in the cupboard are all things that are sometimes taken for granted as I go about life. They are just the basics of life, and they are sometimes forgotten about as I go though life here in this ever changing universe. Through the support of friends and the generosity of loved ones, I am blessed to be able to live this existence.

I see trees of green, red roses too.
I see them bloom, for me and you.
And I think to myself, what a wonderful world.

I see skies of blue, and clouds of white.
The bright blessed day, the dark sacred night
And I think to myself, what a wonderful world.

These lyrics, written by Bob Thiele, portray the universe as a kind and giving entity. Yet they were written at the time of a racially and politically charged climate during 1967 in the United States. Bob was able to see through the difficulty and conflict, and he wrote a beautiful song that reflected the wonder and amazement he saw in the everything.

And people loved it. The attitude of gratitude reached millions over the radio and provided a gentle reminder of beauty and hope in the world. As a ten year old, I remember how this song would broadcast between the wild and crazy rock and roll songs, and how everyone would relax and treat each other a little better, at least for a little while.

There is an absolutely good and giving energy in the universe that demonstrates at all times an abundance and generosity. It is without equal. There is nothing we could ever do to duplicate this constant regenerating power existing within every drop of water and particle of matter. It is always showing us the beauty of existence and it is always available to us.

It lives within our consciousness, always regenerating and renewing us with hope and potential. When I forget about this simple truth I lose my way and am led down paths of difficulty that take quite a bit of effort and conviction to get out of. But when I return I am thankful once again to be where I am on this precious planet spinning through the universe.

I recently read David Lynch’s book, “Catching the Big Fish: Meditation, Consciousness, and Creativity”. It’s a wonderful account of how meditation has changed his life and helped him deal with the stressses of living the life of a film director. It was a bit of a surprise finding out about the peaceful contemplative side of someone that has made some very dark and disturbing films. His whole aim is to be less creatively restricted by anger and depression, sadness and hostility and all the other negative aspects of life. 

In one passage of the book, Lynch says that Van Gogh “would have been even more prolific and even greater if he wasn’t so restricted by the things tormenting him. I don’t think it was pain that made him so great. I think his painting brought him whatever happiness he had.” This is a point that is closely related to the methodology of Julia Cameron’s Morning Pages and the illusion that artists are tortured souls trying to find a way out of the madness through their art.

In many facets of culture, there are myths of the hero. Tales of heros have been passed down from generation to generation through storytelling and art, and they are important for establishing a sense of hope and self esteem within a society. The tales describe individuals that have fought and struggled to achieve a significant goal, and these heros are usually rewarded with honor and respect. 

But what happens if an individual goes through an immense struggle only to find themselves alone and neglected at the end? And how often does that happen to people? One of the major obstacles in maintaining an optimum level of creativity is that it’s not worth the effort. Perhaps that’s because we have been presented with myths about artistic heros and legends that will forever overshadow anything we can ever do. And strangely enough, these stories are usually written by artists!

With Van Gogh, art historians and analysts have portrayed the man as a tortured soul, unable to support himself and constantly struggling to make ends meet, both materially and psychologically. What we have been told is that his creativity was the result of coping with conflict and difficulty. But I think that is wrong, and I believe it’s misleading for anyone engaged in the creative process to think that struggle should be the major source for artistic accomplishment.

What is so wrong with believing that Van Gogh was having fun? He would set out into the fields with his paints and the result would be a striking interpretation of the experience, a perfect example of creative inspiration. I don’t think the difficult life he experienced had anything to do with his creative process. In fact, I believe it was alcohol and the other exotic substances available at the time that distracted him from his art and made his life unmanageable. We see this happening to artists all the time, even today.

Creativity is the natural order of life. We are creations, and our role is to continue creativity by being creative ourselves. There is no reason to add excessive drama to this equation. The heros and myths in our culture are powerful examples of achievement and accomplishment, but they have nothing to do with the actual creative process. The real source of creativity lies deep within our hearts, when we are at peace and remain open to exploring our true potential.

I have within a source of understanding that realizes the truth of being. The beauty of this is overwhelming and exciting. To know there is a core of love and goodness within everything I do, everyone I see and every action I take is an incredible gift. It surprises me when I find it in the spaces between my thoughts. When I am still and aware I am able to perceive this energy and substance I am awakened again and again.

Sometimes it happens in the middle of everything I am doing. I am given a glimpse of an immense peace as I become aware of the simplicity of a situation or process. Other times I need to evoke it and settle into a state of realization and awareness. I can sometimes be found staring into space as this truth of being emerges from my center and changes my thinking.

People who do not know what it is will call it irresponsible. They will see it as being spaced out and ungrounded. But it is the truth and the absolute beginning and end of everything. In a constant push to achieve and succeed, many individuals miss this important feature of life. Without knowing the purpose of this centering and peace they go through life feeling despair and alienation.

As I progress through this existence, the understanding guides me from within. I am shown glimpses of this deep pool of potential again and again. It is for me to grasp at each fleeting moment it emerges and take it into my soul. The result is a powerful truth that guides me through difficulty and conflict. By keeping this stillness and peace alive within me I am free.

Realizing my own real essence is the ultimate expression of enlightenment. There is only this absolute energy and it is within everything that ever happened and everything that is yet to be. With each task I undertake I am strong and true to this universal purpose, because I know there is nothing more than a cohesion and unity flowing through all of existence.