A course in Miracles

Donya with Garuda in Bali

 

In Feb of 1991, I was introduced to a book written by Helen Schucman a clinical psychologist and professor of medical psychology at Columbia University.  The book is in fact, a life course called “A Course in Miracles”. The objective of the study is to examine our view of the world we live in and in turn explore how our conditioned perceptions affect our attitudes and behaviors. 

What is Real?

An offering to the after life

“Nothing real can be threatened. Nothing unreal exists. Herein lies the peace of God” Schucman

 Life’s transition has my family adjusting to daily living in the USA. We are in a new environment but not completely unfamiliar to me.  Things have changed in the USA since 1996 such as car styles, hand phones and internet.  For my wife and children America is in a New World, with wall to wall carpet, drive through; banking, pharmacies, coffee shops and food stores.  

There is more than one way to look at things

Watching my family discover many of the things I take for granted such as drive through shopping, vacuum cleaners and recreation centers reminds me of when I first arrived in Bali.

I was fresh off the plane and had no idea what lay ahead in South East Asia.  The first night I stayed in a small room in Denpasar, Bali, Indonesia.  The room was clean with white tile floors, a double bed with a thin mattress and clean sheets.  There was no air conditioning but it did offer an attached rest room with a western style Stanley toilet and a separate shower with a tub between the two.   

The weather was a bit humid and in the morning my skin felt clammy so I decided to take a bath in the tub of water next to the shower.  I climbed in; a chore that was not easy due to its tall, narrow construction.  I became a bit frustrated because I craved a full body dunking but the tub was too small to handle my 187cm/6’2”, 130kg/286lb girth and frame.  After several attempts of trying to fold my body into the tub I surrendered and satisfied my need with a shower.  After I was done bathing, I remember making a mental note that the Balinese must be a very small people to fit in such a tiny tub.

I moved to the cooler weather in the mountains a few days later and was enjoying a cocktail with an Englishman that had befriended me soon after I arrived in Ubud.  He was an artist and an expat that had been painting and sculpting most of his adult life.  One night while we were out,  I asked him where I could find a bath tub that was big enough for me?  He looked bewildered as if he had not heard my question.  He said every spa on the island has a tub that would hold me.   I thanked him and told him of my experience in Denpasar.   He began laughing so hard that I thought he was going to pee himself. Once he was finished with his heart felt laugh he said: “You Bloody tourist! That is the water to wash your arse with!”  I had no idea what he was saying so he explained more clearly.  The tub of water wasn’t a bath tub it was a trough of water to replace toilet paper; I was meant to wash my bum with it not bathe in it! 

 

Conditioned Perception

That was my first real lesson in the course of miracles; not everything is as it seems simply because I was taught to interpret what I see in a certain way. Every world is different and at the same time the same hence the saying; same, same but different. 

The key to emotional, spiritual, physical, financial and mental happiness is to accept that everyone is different and that there is no one single right way to live life, follow a diet or eat right.

same, same but different

Human beings around the world are the same but different and it is in these differences that great treasures can be discovered. 

 

Japanese dish

Where food is concerned, all Homo sapiens have the same essential food requirements; minerals, proteins and carbohydrates. There is no need to only eat what we were conditioned to as children. Explore a neighborhood ethnic food store and discover new amazing flavors, nutrition and color.  Visit an Ethiopian or Nepalese eatery and enjoy a great meal.  Open your mind to new ways of seeing the world around you.

Go have some fun.

Always ready for a good time

                                 

Geo                                    

Where ever you go there you are

 

Feeding the Beast

In order to work on commission it requires an optimistic mind set; focus on the possibilities rather than the present.  The circumstances of being an independent, self generating income producer are often times feast or famine.  The early years of my sales career were simple to define; success meant I ate and failure meant I starved.  During the learning period, the journey was full of emotional peaks and valleys. It was during the low times that I learned the most about myself.

Me with Super Star Mr. C. Powell

I was young when it was not too late to turn back and get a wage paying job that offered the security commission sales lacked.  I wouldn’t be telling the truth if I said that there were not many times I contemplated this choice.   A straight job meant I could live the American dream I was raised to believe in; house, kids, pets and two weeks at the lake.  My idea of living in a big house, with fancy cars and traveling around the world was beyond any guaranteed income I qualified for.  I was at a cross road in life; give up on my dreams for the sake of security or pursue my ambitions and face the possibility of failure.   I spent quite a bit of time broke and scratching to put two quarters together for a cup of coffee.  The hook for me in sales has always been the law of averages; eventually someone will say yes. 

McD. the definition of consistency

Success is in becoming a consistent producer, when the skill to produce regularly is present; predictability and stability are added to life’s equation.  Missed opportunities that would allow a stable home life is what breaks most sales peoples will to stay in the business.   I wanted the strength of reliability and realized that every lost opportunity was keeping me from triumph.

Fear of this being my best kept me hungry

Circumstance and environment are what brought my inner beast to life.  I had a burning desire to succeed and a terrifying fear of failing.  I wanted to eat and that meant that I had to hunt. I became a predator; if I was talking I was stalking.  An Opportunist is in many ways similar to a psychopath; no one is safe or out of bounds.  My beast transformed my persona and I became one dimensional; chase dollars and pursue pleasure. 

Fear is a powerful motivator

I was primal; feeding for no reasons other than a burning desire to consume.  I began eating myself to death and destroying all emotional bonds with the weak, my only comfort zone was alone or with other dysfunctional predators.  I reached the point that no matter how much I obsessed; food, wine or women I could not find satisfaction.   I was lost in addiction, I was imploding, self destructing and in dire need of change.  Eventually money, bangles and toys all failed to provide me what I sought after most; peace.  My soul remorse with sin and my heart ached to be free of guilt.    

whiskey fuel for the beast

Exorcism came when I began exploring my inner thoughts, beliefs and childhood programs and in the process discovered what I believed to be my true self and feelings. The Opportunist I had become was the result of a negative self image and a lack of self-worth.  My journey to Asia was a continuation of the exorcism; strange lands, unfamiliar surroundings and no money led to the ultimate discovery of my true value.

Nature calms my soul

I have a beast within; he is strong, cunning, ruthless and unforgiving.  I cannot hate him fore he is me.  I keep him pacified with love; for myself, family and friends and with music, white sand beaches, sunny days and warm sea breezes. 

The purity of innocence pacifies me

The last two months of living on the road, watching late night TV and listening to shock jocks in the USA has also made me aware that my beast still lives. The unremitting commercial assault to my nerves has stimulated an unhealthy impulse to consume.  The clamor has stimulated destructive behavior similar to my past that I in no way want a part of my future.

 It is far better to give than to receive and the road to peace and happiness is found within, tune out commotion and tune in harmony.

Go have some fun,

Heaven sets the limits

Geo

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