In the Spirit of Utopian Possibility!

Saturday, December 29, 2012

Yesterday, I saw a “petition” on Facebook asking for support of President Obama’s proposal in regard to avoiding the “fiscal cliff”.  For some reason, I wanted to see the comments so I bravely clicked the appropriate “button”.  I shouldn’t have been surprised by the name-calling and finger-pointing that seems to be the extent of many a person’s contribution to the national dialogue.  Considering the dire nature of the current situation, it’s scary to believe “this is what we got”. 

When I was working with the union, “negotiating” was a continuous part of the job.  However, even in an environment where “negotiating to find solution” (at least this was my interpretation) was prevalent, it wasn’t out of the ordinary to find those who had a different understanding of the concept.  For many, “negotiating” is about winning; it’s about getting their way no matter the cost or level of nastiness.  It may be my “pollyanna-utopian” perspective, but I sense this “winner-takes-all” paradigm only exists because it’s what we’ve been taught and we haven’t slowed down enough to realize there are other possibilities.  As we move into a “Golden Age” of updated truth and unity, it seems appropriate to take the time to match our beliefs, systems and structures with the overall nature of the times we “sense” and to which we look forward.

As far as the “fiscal cliff” and political parties in general, if you can’t agree upon the presented “solution” – then persevere until one is found to which you CAN agree!  If one party presents a proposal with which the other doesn’t agree, then counter with something different until the finest point at which both can give a nod is found.  We can’t afford to just “take our toys and go home” when our proposal isn’t met with excitement and joy!

In my opinion – and in my perfect world – we would just sit down around the parlor table and converse about the truth beneath our surface-level desires and then “negotiate” to find creative solutions that support that truth!  ( J ) Obviously, we aren’t there yet…..but I maintain a steadfast hope and faith that this is a possibility as we move forward into this Golden Age.

In the Spirit of Solution-Oriented Negotiating and Utopian Possibility!

Much love,

Karrie        

Something of a More Truthful Nature....

Thursday, December 27, 2012

Last night, my partner and I had dinner at one of my favorite restaurants.  It’s nothing fancy - just good food, good service and a pleasant ambiance.  However, it was noticeable – as it has been for several months – that the life force of the restaurant is dwindling.  The restaurant staff has been speaking about the loss of clientele for months which I think plays a tremendous part in its decline…you get what you focus on, right?  However, the dying of the establishment – just like anything else - could also be of “natural causes”.  When something or someone has lived its life, done what it needed to do, lost its passion or outgrown its usefulness….it dies, doesn’t it?  Sometimes we sense this and do what we can to “save it” but many times it’s just time to move forward and there really isn’t anything else to be done but let go. 

When I broaden this observation, I can see that the same applies to my beliefs, systems and structures.  Sometimes it’s time to update and expand my vision.  There are many paradigms whose time has come.  Upon noticing, the question becomes how quickly can I release my attachment to the old belief?  How fast can I connect with that which is becoming?  How rapidly can I immerse myself in the excitement of creating and establishing new paradigms – updated paradigms – paradigms of a more truthful nature?  Or will I resist and battle ferociously for my limitations and the limitations of others?

In many ways, I sense this is part of the issue politically right now.  Many are having difficulty releasing old paradigms while embracing that which is emerging.  We forget to step back and take the time to observe what’s happening.  For example, it seems to me that the old paradigm and vision of American as white, male, heterosexual, Christian, etc. is transforming….not as in extinction but as in moving over to allow for the equal inclusion of “All that Is” – a more truthful representation of the incredible diversity more truthfully encompassed in, American.  We are beginning to update our paradigm to one more in alignment with the unalienable truths our nation was founded upon.  If we see equality, life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness as the umbrella of the infinite – the One and Only – then perhaps it’s conceivable that every single possibility co-exists beneath it.  None is left out.  None is excluded.  Unalienable rights know no specific race, ethnicity, religion, gender, sexual orientation, etc.  None is threatened.  Each has the right to exist and be.

This updating of American will also cause the upgrading and birthing of systems and structures more in alignment with this expanded “definition” as well as a more enlightened understanding of equality, life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.  For me, it’s exciting to contemplate these changes.  For some, it may be horrifically frightening.  Nevertheless, our alignment with “something of a more truthful nature” is upon us….the awe-some power and beauty of Creation is beckoning… 

Much love,

Karrie     

Beyond the "Mayan Cliff" - Yahoo!

Monday, December 24, 2012

Well, we’re still here!  We have survived the “Mayan Cliff”.  I don’t know about you but I am releasing many a “Yahoo!” and “Woohoo-kachoo”!  I feel like we’ve entered a time of great promise only limited by our self-created boundaries. 

The past several years – and especially this last year in particular – have been marked with radical purification processes.  From politics to human-initiated tragedy to natural disasters and more, our hearts have been ripped open time and time again, making room for the love, light and promise of a new eon.

Last night, my partner and I hosted our weekly program - Daring to Live Outloud! - on Blog Talk Radio.  Our guests were 4 young women, ages 14 to 23.  The topic was “next steps” as we move forward after the shooting tragedy in Connecticut.  All I can say is “WOW….”  I smiled through the entire show.  Oddly, I felt an enormous sense of “relief”.  As I went a little deeper with this feeling, I realized it was coming from “relief” that the world was in such good hands.  In fact, tears are coming to my eyes now as I remember it.  I invite each of you to listen to the show if you haven’t.  (www.blogtalkradio.com; search: konsciouskonnection; click on the most recent show) It’s inspiring to hear such wisdom and authenticity in the voices of those whose time has come. 

It becomes clear in listening to our young people that love, respect, communication and support for our uniqueness are among the guiding principles as we move forward into the new world beyond the “Mayan Cliff”.  The question becomes how do we create systems that support these principles?  The old systems do not.  Many of our current systems are based in shadow competition…right/wrong…. good/bad…and a “success” that is defined by forces outside ourselves.  It seems imperative that in order to assist with the prevention of tragic life-extinguishing violence initiated by those who feel excluded from the narrow definition of “acceptable”, we must expand our consciousness and celebrate the unique gift each human being is to this world.

I don’t know about you but I am absolutely ecstatic about the possibilities for 2013!  I wish each and every one of you a peaceful, relaxing and joyous end to the infamously transformational 2012 and an invigorating, love-filled, dream-made-manifest 2013.

Much love,

Karrie

From the Fire of Heartbreak....

Saturday, December 15, 2012

Heartbreaking…..the word I heard and saw repeatedly regarding the horrendous school shooting in Connecticut.  I saw the headline on the internet and mentioned it to my partner but didn’t open the article to read it.  I thought “Good God – another school shooting” and went on to the next of my morning activities.  It wasn’t until my sister called me and shared that 20 elementary aged children had been gunned down that my heart broke and the sobs emerged.  On one hand, I find it alarming that I might consider any school (mall, theater, mosque, hotel, etc.) shooting an event not out of the ordinary.  (How did that happen?)  On the other, I am now awake – painfully so.

This “slow to demand change” patterning seems to be a part of human nature.  Within the Declaration of Independence is the statement, “mankind are more disposed to suffer, while evils are sufferable, than to right themselves by abolishing the forms to which they are accustomed.”  It’s horrendously unfortunate that our seeming willingness to endure evils while sufferable has resulted in a cosmic two by four fitted with shards of broken glass, nails and a machete or two, ripping at the hearts of humanity.  Many are crying for more stringent gun laws which may be part of the solution.  However, for me, the problem goes much deeper.  How do our children become young adults filled with such hatred, pain and disdain for life?  I see the appalling event of December 14, 2012 as a catalyst to address what’s missing in America (the world).  Where are we going “wrong”?  From politics to education to everyday life, where has all the pain, hatred and anger come from?  And now that the “evils are no longer sufferable”, what are we willing to do about it?        

Pondering change....

Much love,
Karrie

That which calls us....

Thursday, December 13, 2012

We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.  (The Declaration of Independence – 1776)

 

Though I have contemplated this statement from the Declaration of Independence for several years and written about it on various occasions, my passion and soul-initiated desire to enter a state of oneness with its enlightened meaning have yet to be satisfied.  The deeper I go, the more enthralled I become.  For me, the never-ending journey into the depths of this statement has become a path of enlightenment facilitated by a faceless guru infinitely prodding the curiosity and expansion of an awakening consciousness.

 

As a result of many a pondering, I came to the recognition that these unalienable rights are “inseparable from my being” because they are characteristics of Consciousness – the One and Only – and since I am Consciousness, these attributes are innately and inalienably mine.  Through continued and in-depth contemplation, life has become an opportunity.  As long as I am breathing….I have an opportunity.  In the same manner, I have come to know Liberty as the freedom to choose.  I am always choosing – consciously or unconsciously - and as long as I have breath…I have the freedom to choose.  Looking back, connecting Life and Liberty to their unalienable nature was natural – it made sense.  However, the pursuit of Happiness wasn’t quite so clear.  I wasn’t able to make the same connection with the same clarity.  I wasn’t certain as to how this particular “right” had made the unalienable cut.  I wasn’t sure what Thomas Jefferson meant when he inserted “the pursuit of Happiness” into the Declaration of Independence. 

 

A few days ago, I began reading a book by Jon Meacham entitled, Thomas Jefferson – The Art of Power.  The book includes excerpts from many a letter of Jefferson’s as well as family members, friends and others.  These writings have brought Jefferson to life for me.  It is through these personal correspondences that I have come to the conclusion that Thomas Jefferson meant exactly what he wrote.  I sense that he believed each and every person had the right to pursue that which called their attention, excitement, curiosity, passion or love nature.  After reading a large portion of this book, I believe this is the way he led his own life…pursuing – with great intensity – that which called him….he was constantly in the pursuit of Happiness. Though he came from an affluent background which perhaps more easily supported his many callings and desires, he truly believed that each and every person had this right – why?  It seems clear to me that to Thomas Jefferson - one of the more enlightened Americans in our nation’s history – the pursuit of Happiness may have been unalienable because it is natural to pursue that which calls our attention.  We’ve just been trained otherwise.  We are called constantly to something via excitement, curiosity, love, passion, etc.  It’s quite natural.  And because it’s natural for each and every one of us, it is therefore unalienable.

 

It seems to me that as we re-connect and awaken to the opportunity, the power inherent in the freedom to choose as well as the inner “happiness” compass pointed toward that which calls us – the world will continually become a much different place.  I sense that much of my own unhappiness has been due to “forgetting” the “set-up” I’ve been gifted.  Perhaps NOW is the perfect time to remember….. 

 

Much love,

Karrie

Contemplating Equality....

Thursday, December 6, 2012

I went to see the movie Lincoln for the second time a couple of nights ago – and I may go a third.  It really is an incredible film and for some reason I feel called to it…connected to it in some way.  Perhaps it’s Lincoln’s contemplative depth…his determination – as well as anguish – to do the right thing as aligned with the ideals this nation was founded upon.  Maybe it’s his connection to the Declaration of Independence and his belief and evolving understanding of equality…and freedom.  Perhaps it’s the realization that as in the day of Lincoln, we are in the midst of a great shift in paradigms….expanding the umbrella of freedom as well as the archetype/definition of “American.”  It could also be the recognition that the pain and suffering that often accompany “unconsciousness” are still alive and well today…as in many ways we continue to persecute those who are different – or believe differently – than we do.  I sense another commonality may be the greatness and history-making that is afoot…if only we have the eyes to see.

At one point in the movie, Lincoln uses one of Euclid’s “truths” to understand equality – If two things are equal to the same thing…then they are equal to each other.  For me, this is equivalent to the fact that each and every one of us is enlivened by the same life force.  We are each individualized expressions of the One – therefore, we are equal to each other.  Equality is not affected by experiences, circumstances, race, gender, sexual orientation, religious affiliation, financial situation, decisions, right or wrong or any other “consequence” of life.  The fact that each of us carries the sacredness of the One and Only within is enough….and deserving of a sacred respect no matter the “wrapping”, experiences, beliefs or circumstances.  When we see the face of another…or our own face as we look into a mirror…we are seeing the face of the One and Only….and that is cause for celebration and honor, isn’t?  This reminds me of another movie – The Blind Side.  There is a scene in the film where the main character’s two moms meet….one affluent and one much less affluent.  Yet there is respect….regardless of circumstances or choices…whether there is agreement or not….there is respect.  Yes, we must learn to respect ourselves….AND we must also open to respecting each other….for we are the faces of one and the same. 

In equality…

Much love,

Karrie