Save the World!

It seems that I cannot get too far into anything without someone trying to recruit me to save the world. Even my new magazine subscription. The interesting thing is that to convince me, they go so deeply into the description of what is so terrible that needs fixing that there is no vision of what they are wanting to accomplish or create other than: Not this.

Don't get me wrong: There are certainly things that I would change about the world to make it a better place for everyone. But it is my commitment to put my energy and focus into a positive vision of the future, not into fighting against the "bad stuff." I would be much more inspired to join in if people took the extra step of articulating or painting a picture of the ideal outcome they are creating.

I guess it is the "news" philosophy: Drama sells. Well, as more and more people pay attention to the discipline of living consciously, I am optimistic that we will find that vision wins over drama any day of the week.

The takeaway for me: I'm committed to finding communities that I align with and can fully embrace, contribute to and put my energy into. My daughter's school is one of those places. I'm eager to find more, even if it takes wading through the contrast to get to the vision.

What is Enlightenment?

As I get connected to more and more resources and communities that integrate the thinking that I am exploring personally, I ran into this magazine at my local health food store. What is Enlightenment does a terrific job of exploring topics in the spiritual, cultural and philosophical areas and how they impact politics, business, science, the arts, and the environment.

I subscribed. Not only that, but I also joined the Zaadz community for online discussion. I must say, I feel an almost physical sensation of being puuuulllllleeeeed out of my private little world where I have explored only personally for many years and I am both excited and feeling quietly cautious about going public and connecting with like-minded people around the world!

We'll see...

Trust Yourself

Today, while much of the country was enjoying freezing winter weather, we dressed the kids in their bathing suits and headed to the beach. It was a beautiful almost-spring day.

When we got there, the surf had created a big drop -- 5 feet or so-- between the sandy sand and the shoreline. I started to warn the kids not to get too close to the edge when John stopped me. "Where better can the kids learn about climbing and jumping and test their boundaries than in the soft sand at the beach? They can learn to trust themselves."

Lesson learned. Again. I feel like I'm learning that lesson all over the place these days. As I continue my new year promises, particularly the Light Body course, I've definitely had many questions and have been guided to many new things to explore. Part of me really wishes I had some sort of guide to follow, but in an area that is totally personal, there is no such thing. Of course there are lots of things that claim to be that, but those don't work for me. "Go inside and listen to your guidance" is all the meaningful direction I get.

I'm learning to trust myself. Sometimes it is liberating. Sometimes it is a little scary. Sometimes I feel like I'm really doing great. Other times, I feel myself falling back on my busy life to avoid newness for a while. I know it is all OK and I'm really enjoying the journey.

I'll link to some of the resources and new discoveries I've been finding in future posts. I'm not sure where they all fit. Some I'll explore more deeply than others. But it is all part of the web and a format like this helps me keep those links alive.

Thinking About Thinking

I've enjoyed reading Ken Wilber for the last 10 years. I like the intellectual challenge and many of the topics are along the same lines of things I'm exploring for myself. I especially like his exploration of spirituality lately from a rational approach. Sometimes a mommy needs a good brain workout and an abstract here fills the bill.

Guiding the Next Generation

My daughter's school had a very interesting meeting today -- they asked parents to come together to discuss how to formalize a "human potential" or "human development" curriculum at the school.

That was one meeting I wasn't about to miss! Already, I love her school and the environment it provides for my sweet kindergartner. What an opportunity to help shape the future of her and my son's education in this way!

It was an interesting discussion, thinking through what a "human development" centered curriculum might look like. Conversation included topics like attending to the whole child, fostering self actualization, promoting social responsibility, wellness, individuality and leadership. Even visualization came up as a possible area to look at. Already many of these pieces are in place, but once a formal framework is created, it will be easier to see where gaps may exist and then where to improve.

I came away energized and eager to continue the process! It is clear to me that somewhere in this realm of human potential is where I want to end up spending more of my time.