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

Living the Evidence-Informed Self: Those Silent Moments (Part 1)

Greetings my gentle readers to another week’s installment of the “Be Yourself, Often” blog. As always this is a time when we can sit and in quiet meditative mindful reflection look at the week that was and realize the impact of the decisions that we have made. For in order to achieve prescribing and dispensing of Spiritual HOPE, then we need to know our root belief systems. We need to be informed of the evidence that presents itself to us, and how we interpret that information through our five senses, but also our sixth sense, which is our very accurate extra sensory perception. As we know HOPE is an acronym that stands for holistic health, outcome driven objectives, personalized care and empowerment.

This week we will extend our thoughts from the root cause analysis discussion of last week and add in the filter of what we see and how we see it. This is a time of empowerment when we can actually in collaboration with our higher power and meditative moments; influence in a positive way our future. In the same way as individuals will go to school for 20 years to achieve an objective, why do we not have the ability, desire, passion and drive to take even a half hour from our day and achieve positive outcomes question how hard is it to enroll in the school of the spirit?

My gentle readers, you are already a student in the School of the Spirit, whether or not you realized this fact. This is potentially a very inspiring and liberating opportunity, or may be extremely scary depending on your perspective. What this means is you are able to achieve an open dialogue with your teacher, who is your higher power.

Unlike school, this Higher Power has the ability to create miracles. All of the colors, sounds, tastes, life and living you have the ability to link to this master. Having that realization will positively influence your ability to filter the evidence in front of you.

Although I have used the term “evidence” multiple times in this blog, what does it mean? Inherently, one is driven to thoughts of police drama television shows. Really, it is not much different than that. Evidence is everything that is all about you and around you. An open and inquiring mind then filters this information through the lens of their belief system.

Your belief system is how you determine if something [such as evidence] is relevant to this particular case. And really, is this case not your life? And to add even further thoughts regarding karmic energies, are these not implications on life and lives yet unlived? Always having a bad day? What is your role in it? How bad is it really? Do you could task your files?

All of this really comes down to the basic concept that if you believe something is or will be bad then it will be so. You are evaluating the evidence as it relates to the case of your life. Having the mental and spiritual fortitude to examine the evidence is a wonderful place to start! Live and love life in the way it is and has been designed, which is full of moments and miracles!

How can this life be wrong or when there are so many miracles and gifts that exist within it? If we embrace our life as a gift in the present, rooted in mindfulness, then we should be able to truly be yourself, often.

~~~ Rev. Dr. Joel Lamoure March 2013