Tag Archives: Roger Kenneth Marsh

Two winners! Great responses to our survey, “What are your next steps to align with your purpose?”

We have two winners!  Laura Young and Maria Franconi, are the winners in our survey, “What are your next steps to align with your purpose?” We are sending them out a free signed copy of my book NexGen Human – A Modern Age Path to Fulfillment.

Laura wrote:
“I have been listening to speakers online, trying new better ways of “being” and working at putting them into practice. I am gaining new perspectives, clearing blocks, and sorting out what is true for me. I am getting out of fear from the doom and gloom of the old paradigm and into my heart living more in love and joy. Spreading the word God is love and will provide, and sharing my new ways.. I am serving others, many of which are needy, despite being between 2 houses in 2 states trying to get moved.”

Nice, Laura! You are very much on the path, doing your work (both internal and external) and serving others.  To acknowledge and further support the great work you are doing I am honored to send you a free signed copy of my book “NexGen Human – A Modern Age Path to Fulfillment.” 

Maria wrote:
“My next step in aligning with my purpose is actually asking people to work with me. It is so essential to moving forward, the dang ASK. How much more aligned can you be? Yes, always more, but ya gatta ask people if they would like your help, if your purpose is to help them. I’m doing a workshop tomorrow night and I’m going to ask to people to work with me. Programs I had in place ages ago are rusty, because I haven’t asked people to work with me. I’m going for it anyway. As uncomfortable as it may be, I’m aligned and asking. Yah!”

I love how you are being more bold and courageous in getting your gifts out into the world. Reminds me of the saying “You already have the no, therefore you have nothing to lose by asking!”

Congratulations to you both, and thanks to everyone who responded!

Namaste and Blessings,
Roger

Roger Kenneth Marsh

Time to Get Into the Kingdom

This past Monday I played Golf in the Kingdom. The picture above is PGA Champions Tour players Bobbie Clampett (in purple) and Steve Pate (in orange) leading an Impact Zone golf clinic prior to our hitting the links. This was the second annual fund raiser for Integral Transformative Practice International (ITPI). ITPI is the organization stewarding and bringing alive the work that Michael Murphy and George Leonard put forth in their book The Life We Are Given.

ITP is cross training for the body, mind, heart, and soul. It is a physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual practice. ITP is unique in the world since many practices usually only develop one, or maybe two of those. ITP is truly integral.

I have been practicing ITP for more than 8 years now, am a Senior Teacher of the practice, and it is a cornerstone of my daily life. One of the biggest benefits I receive from my ITP practice is a strengthened connection with my deepest self, the Source of my life, of Life itself. If you’re not deeply connected to this aspect of yourself, you’re like a ship without a rudder getting tossed about on the sea of life.

This is what Golf in the Kingdom is all about: playing golf as much in the metaphysical world as in the physical world. One could say it’s the “inner game” of golf – but it’s much, much more than that.

When I wrote my book NexGen Human there was one MAJOR message I wanted to get out to the world. I knew as a human race we needed to develop a new skill to successfully navigate the nature of our time. We need to do a lot more than golf in the Kingdom, we need to live in the Kingdom. In this blog we’ll explore further just what that means.

Read on and enjoy!

Time to get into the Kingdom

As a global society we are well into a major transition as the industrial age gives way to the information age. This transition involves a major change in both our strengths and our values as the emphasis shifts from the tangible to the intangible. Our sense of value in the information age is based more on what we know than on what we have. We are moving out of an industrial-physical-tangible focus and into an information-nonphysical-intangible focus. As we make this transition, the need for a new skill is emerging.

Historically, certain advanced and trailblazing human beings have accessed and developed this crucial skill. So, in one sense, this is not a new development. However, for the grand majority of us, it is absolutely new. The early pioneers came from all parts of the world and from many different disciplines; they were some of the most influential and satisfied human beings to ever live. We are able to study them, celebrate their successes, and stand on their shoulders.

We are part of the evolution; what was once impossible or undreamed of becomes possible, real, and ever more available to those of us who follow the path blazed by these pioneers. Climbing Mt. Everest was once out of the question, just as visiting the moon was humanly impossible. Even ice cream, automobiles, and electricity were once luxuries available to only a privileged few, and yet they are now widely available to all. In the same manner, this critical new skill is becoming available to more and more people, including you, if you choose it. Evolutionary energy and intelligence itself is on the move—in, around, and through you and me.

So what is this critical skill? It is the ability to consciously and consistently partner with the power of the Universe. It’s time for us, both collectively and individually, to develop the skill of joining forces with the Ultimate, most valuable, intangible element in our Universe – the intelligent energy of the Universe itself.

This is a skill you can learn, and develop, to bring the power
of this amazing Universal Intelligence alive in your life.

Fundamentally what this means is to shift our idea and experience of God, Universal Intelligence, Great Spirit, Source, from an external concept, to an internal reality. No longer is God something outside of us whose existence we must take on the word of others and just have faith and believe in. It’s a little like someone describing to you their experience of falling in love – you don’t feel it. You must experience it for yourself to truly get it. In the same way, the old way of relating to God was one step removed. When you don’t have the direct experience of God the relationship must be based on faith and belief. You need direct experience of Greater Power.  

Universal Life Force is already in you and is always available, but it’s up to you to heed the call and maximize your partnership with this force, this intelligence, this energy.

Using new words to describe this energy,
this experience, this “entity,” is part of our evolution.

Note that I am deliberately using multiple words to point to this thing we have historically called “God.” God, as a word, is a good word, however it has picked up a lot of baggage over the years. It has many meanings and forms, and you never know how someone will interpret it. Using new words to describe this energy, this experience, this “entity,” is part of our evolution. NexGen Humans evolve beyond these limitations by connecting personally and directly with Source. In this manner they become free of preconceived notions and open up to the actual experience, beyond all words, thoughts, and concepts.

Now while grace is forever and always available to everyone (the Kingdom of Heaven is within), it tends to favor those looking for it. As one spiritual teacher of mine put it “Roger, if you want your spiritual cup filled, you have to turn it upright and hold it out.” This is the nature and power of practice; it’s a conscious and intentional turning of our cups upright and holding them out. You can’t force or make grace happen, but you can prepare and make yourself more “grace prone.”

If you are interested in learning how to make yourself more “grace prone” I invite you to engage The Major Good Mojo System.

Your Major Good Mojo Assignment:

Reflect on the following questions:

  • What’s your current relationship with God, Universal Intelligence, Great Spirit, Source? How strong is it, how clear is it, how free and empowered are you in that relationship?
  • Is there an opportunity for you to strengthen this relationship?
  • To what extent do you allow peer pressure and/or fear of change keep you from growing and exploring more of who and what you are?

Just asking yourself these questions and listening to your answers is a courageous act of evolution that will move you closer to Major Good Mojo!

 

 

Take the survey, “What’s Your Next Step?” for a chance to win a copy of my book, “NexGen Human!”

Take my short survey, What’s Your Next Step?”  for a chance to win a copy of my book, Nex Gen Human!  CLICK HERE

Over the past 2 weeks my friend Aline Boundy has been cranking out Major Good Mojo while running the Align With Your PurposeTelesummit.   There is still time to join this free telesummit series and hear from Yours Truly, and 11 other experts in the field: click here to access the info.  The information is truly transformational.

In addition, as a bonus, Aline and I partnered up and created a session called “Launch Your Dream Life.”  On this call we summarize for you the key themes running through all 12 expert interviews.  This is an amazing 60 minute call powerfully condensing over 12 hours of interviews into one information packed call that you don’t want to miss.

Telesummits are awesome and getting essential information is crucial, however it’s important to remember that living your dream life happens one step at a time.  It’s a path you follow that unfolds over time.  You take one step, then from there you can see the next step to take.  The key is taking the steps.  

I’d love to hear from you regarding your next steps for Aligning With Your Purpose and Launching Your Dream Life.  Soooo, I’ve created a short survey for you to share with me exactly that – hoping to inspire some reflection and clarity on your next step(s).  The best answer (according to me :0) will win a free copy of my book “Nex Gen Human” to further support you on your path.  I’ll be sharing some of the answers on Facebook and continuing the conversation there.

Take the survey, running until Friday August 24th: CLICK HERE

Align With Your Purpose – What’s your Next Step?

Aligning with your purpose and living into your dream life happens one step at a time, over time.  We can see this fact of nature in some of the most common things. The tomato plant goes from seed to gorgeous tomato OVER TIME. A baby is created and becomes a baby over 9 months. The tomato plant and baby are good examples because so much happens behind the scenes where you can’t see it – under the earth and in the womb. It would be easy to assume nothing is happening since you can’t see it. However, you would be very mistaken (setting ultrasound and the enlarging mother’s belly aside, there is still a lot going on that is out of sight).

Then BOOM!, in a relatively short instant the tomato plant breaks through the surface of the earth, and BOOM! the baby is born,and both the baby and the tomato plant begin to very obviously grow and our minds are relieved because we can now see the progress and trust that all is OK. But it is still happening one step at a time. The baby grows into a man or woman over years! And the tomato takes months before it is ready to eat. These are natural processes of living organisms growing and transforming in the world, just like we are, and it doesn’t happen in a weekend. 

Much of what we are exposed to completely dishonors the natural process of transformation, growth, and learning.

We all want our happiness, success, and wealth in an instant and we are all too ready to believe the promises of someone saying they can give it to us. Many “Fast-Track to Success” seminars do a major disservice to those new on the path by setting them up for disappointment.

Let’s take the baby example. Here’s the seminar pitch you hear on the radio:  “Tired of waiting for babies to be born? Want the beauty and brilliance of a baby of your own without having to wait? Come to the “Your Baby Now” Seminar where you will learn how to create a real human baby in only 2 days! Yes, that’s right, from conception to delivery in just 2 days! This amazing miracle has been transforming the lives of thousands. Call now!” Of course this is ridiculous, but the example points to the absurdity of ignoring natural law. Your growth and expansion are no different.

If you’re already registered for the “Align With Your Purpose” Telesummit, perhaps your next step on your path of evolution, transformation, and living into your dream life is to listen to the Bonus Call “Launch Your Dream Life,” or listen to some of the other experts you haven’t heard yet.  

And, if you haven’t registered for the free telesummit series Align With Your Purpose, perhaps that is your next step, and here is your chance: http://www.1shoppingcart.com/app/?af=1478276


Your Major Good Mojo Assignment:

Enter the contest and let me know what your next steps are for Aligning With Your Purpose – you might win  free copy of my book “NexGen Human”

Take my short survey for a chance to win a copy of my book, Nex Gen Human!  CLICK HERE

Congratulations!  You are one step closer to Major Good Mojo!

Free Telesummit “Align With Your Purpose”

I so enjoyed the interview yesterday on the free telesummit: “Align With Your Purpose.”  I talked about the concept of the hero’s journey and the vital importance of connecting with your higher self.

It’s not too late to sign up, and then you can hear the recordings. Sign up here, and check out my interview! “Align With Your Purpose Free Telesummit”

This wonderful series continues today with Laura Lawson Boatman, who teaches us her version of EFT, Positive Energy Psychology; another tool to help you eliminate the blocks in your way. 

 

Free Telesummit: “Align With Your Purpose”

As you can see in the picture, when you are Aligned With Your Purpose, you are literally in the flow! If I’ve said it once, I’ve said it a million times, the most fulfilling life is the life lived on purpose. This is the second key – Get Connected to Your Purpose and Passions – of the 3 keys to Major Good Mojo.

The path of discovering and following your true purpose is all about hearing and trusting your joy and inspiration, which always guides you to the next step on your journey. What feels joyful to you when you think about doing it? What really inspires you? These are the questions to answer, to discover, to follow and align with your purpose.

To help you Align With Your Purpose my friend Aline Boundy created an amazing new telesummit series called, guess what, “Align With Your Purpose.” She invited me to speak in this brand new online event to help people get clarity about their life purpose. I’m so looking forward to it.

I highly encourage you to register for this free series. The speaker list is impressive – Natalie Ledwell, Dr. Joe Rubino, Christie Marie Sheldon, and yours truly, to name just a few. You can register at this link: Free Telesummit: Align With Your Purpose.  Please join us.

When you register you’ll get free access to all the calls (from July 30th to August 16th) and some amazing bonus gifts and healing tools.

Some key reasons to register:

-       This event has 12 FREE interviews with big names from the personal development world and beyond (including me!)
-       This is an online event so there is no need to book hotels or travel
-       The main event is 100% FREE to attend. You get the choice of two broadcast times each day.
-       You can listen via the web or call in by phone

To register and get all the benefits of this online event use this link: http://www.1shoppingcart.com/app/?af=1478276

Get ready to be inspired on Tuesday, August 7th when I am interviewed as part of the Align With Your Purpose Telesummit Series.

As a teaser, here’s what you’ll hear in my interview:

  In 1993, Roger had come to a point in his life where he had done everything he was supposed to do and was very “successful” from a societal perspective. However, something terribly important was missing, and he had no idea what it was. What he did know was that it wasn’t going to be found in “more of the same.” It wasn’t going to be found in more money, more stuff, or even more time or more relationships. He had it all, and it wasn’t enough. That feeling, that gnawing sense of anxiety, that suffering, sent Roger on a journey.

Perhaps you are at this point in your life, too. You’re no longer satisfied with the status quo, and you’re hoping there is another away. Some call this a mid-life crisis. Roger had his at age 25, more than 20 years ago, and he’s glad! Breakdowns lead to breakthroughs, and there is truly opportunity in every crisis.

In this interview, you will learn:

 The most important thing you must do in order to find and align with your purpose

  • The biggest challenge when it comes to following your purpose
  • How to pursue your purpose even though you feel you have to stay in your current job to make money
  • The biggest myth when it comes to finding and following your purpose
  • The most profound thing Roger has ever heard when it comes to finding your purpose
  • Why it’s important for you to find and follow your purpose – especially now

 Tuesday, August 7th
12noon Pacific; 3pm Eastern; 8pm UK; 10pm Europe and
5pm Pacific; 8pm Eastern; 1am UK.

 For access to my interview, register for the free Align With Your Purpose Telesummit Series: Free Telesummit: Align With Your Purpose.

Your Major Good Mojo Assignment:

Register for this free series of calls and move into the flow and your Major Good Mojo!

 

Slay the 3 Dragons at the Doors of Wisdom!

This picture was taken on my recent trip to Arizona for my Spirit Walk and Vision Quest. The mountains in the background are The Superstitions, east of Phoenix. The giant cactus is the famous saguaro, which can grow to over 70 feet in height! Speaking of superstition; you don’t need superstition when you have access to true wisdom. Again, however, the question is “How do you access true wisdom?”

When you’re on a vision quest you’re all alone. It’s a school like no other; there are no classrooms, no books, and no teachers at the front of the room leading the lessons. It’s just you and nature. But there is still plenty of teaching going on. How can that be? Where is the teaching coming from and how are the lessons learned?

A vision quest takes you out of your normal environment, removing you from all normal responsibilities and habitual cues (aka “distractions”). Very often you’re fasting, so even the distractions of eating and digesting are removed. In nature, in silence, with no distractions for an extended period of time, your senses become heightened. This helps facilitate an altered state of awareness that isn’t normally accessed. In this state of awareness a space is made where you experience thoughts you don’t normally have; these types of thoughts we typically call insights, wisdom, and guidance.

In this blog we’ll explore the challenges associated with accessing deep wisdom, insights, and guidance. We’ll come to understand why this level of “truth” is so uncommon in our world and why it might take fasting and isolation in nature to access it.

Read on and enjoy!

Wisdom is rare and cherished because it comes from a place not normally accessed by most people in day-to-day living. We all typically know it when we hear it, but we’re not always able to produce it for ourselves. Why is that? What stops the average person from being a truly wise and insightful person? What is it about wisdom that makes it so hard to come by?

The answer: Three Dragons. To access true wisdom, insight, and guidance you must navigate past three dragons on your journey. Each of these dragons is unique and formidable and each has won more battles than it’s lost. These block your entrance into the realms of wisdom inherent in your mind, heart, and soul.

In his book Theory U – Leading from the Future as it Emerges, author Otto Scharmer distinguishes these dragons as the Voice of Judgment (VOJ), Voice of Cynicism (VOC), and the Voice of Fear (VOF). To access true wisdom you must do battle with each of these three dragons, or voices, and emerge victorious.

To access the creativity and wisdom available in your mind you must overcome the Voice of Judgment. This is that voice most of us are very familiar with. You know the one, the one that says “That’s a stupid idea.” Or, “Who do you think you are?” Or, “Play it safe and keep your head down beneath the mow line.” These voices of judgment are most often automatic and largely subconscious, habitual, response patterns to anything outside the norm. Therefore, to access anything OUTSIDE the norm (like wisdom) we must be aware of this dragon and be prepared to do battle.

To access the rich depth of wisdom and joy-filled love and connectivity available in your heart, you must overcome the Voice of Cynicism. This is the voice that keeps you “safely” separate from others and the world, putting everything and everyone at arm’s length. This voice is afraid to be vulnerable and sees vulnerability as a direct threat to survival. This voice says “Oh no, we already tried that before and we got hurt, remember? We ain’t going there again.” Or worse, “You can’t trust anyone,” “It’s better to hurt others before they hurt you,” and the infamous “It’s a dog-eat-dog world out there.” This voice, this dragon, will keep you separate, alone, and bitter.

And finally, to access your deepest wisdom and guidance, the wisdom and guidance of your soul, you must overcome the Voice of Fear. While the voices of judgment and cynicism are formidable, they can’t hold a candle to the voice of fear. This is the ultimate dragon at the gate that goes right to your core animalistic instincts for survival. This voice strives to maintain the status quo and holds onto what you already have and know. Doing battle with this voice, this dragon, can feel like death itself. All of your deepest fears can become activated: “I’ll be broke and homeless,” “I’ll be rejected and ridiculed,” “I’ll be all alone.” Because some of your most powerful wisdom and insights reside in your soul, it of course has the biggest dragon to slay.

I bet you can recognize each of these voices and dragons in you. I’m sure you’ve done battle with each of them at some point in your life. Did you win? Or did they win? The truth is, we win some and we lose some. But the most wise, authentic, inspired and fulfilling life is marked by simply being aware and being willing to engage these battles. Whether you win or lose is not so much the point. But did you engage whole-heartedly and honorably?

These “battles” are only with ourselves. As one of my favorite trainers, T. Harv Eker has said “A warrior is one who conquers oneself.” Your best “weapons” for these types of “battles” are awareness, courage, and compassion. First, be aware that these dragons, these voices will be on your path. Just being aware is half the battle itself! Second, have the courage to face them and engage them. Don’t back down; know that HOW you engage is more important than winning. And third, have compassion for not only yourself, but have compassion for these aspects of yourself;  have compassion for these dragons and voices. Ultimately they are far more afraid than you are – you need to step up and show them the way out of their suffering and smallness.

All this is not to say that sometimes these voices SHOULD be listened to. They really are there to protect us. From their limited perspective they think they are helping and protecting us. However, more often than not, they are way overprotective.  Knowing when to listen and when to ignore is part of a discernment you can develop over time. As you get to know your voices and dragons they become more and more familiar, making them a lot easier to sort out and move on through and beyond.

If you are interested in learning how to slay the dragons on your path to wisdom, I invite you to engage The Major Good Mojo System.

Your Major Good Mojo Assignment:

As I said above, awareness is the first step to winning the battle with the dragons at your gate. Take out a piece of paper, divide it into three sections and label the first section Voice of Judgment, the second section Voice of Cynicism, and the third section Voice of Fear.

Take a deep breath and ask yourself “What are some automatic judgments I often make that keep me safe and small?” And write down whatever comes up. Keep asking yourself that question until the answers stop coming. Then do the same process asking, “In what ways am I cynical and keeping everyone and everything at arms distance, staying separate and alone?” And finally ask yourself, “What are my biggest fears stopping me from truly being who I am and doing what I came here to do?”

Just asking yourself these questions and listening to yourself is an act of wisdom that will move you closer to Major Good Mojo!

 

Do God, your Higher Self, or Vortexes in Sedona Exist or Not?

The picture is of me in Sedona, Arizona on the Airport Mesa Vortex.  Being in Sedona is like living in a postcard.  The scenery is so beautiful it feels surreal.  As you probably know, Sedona has various spots spread out around the valley among the rock formations that are designated as Vortexes.  A Vortex is a place exhibiting unique geological energies that can increase and enhance intuition, insight, intention, vitality, and even wisdom. 

Whether you believe these Vortexes actually exist or not depends on you.  Many people come to Sedona to meditate, pray, and perform rituals on the Vortexes.  These people have deep and profound experiences at these sacred spots and absolutely validate their existence. Others come to Sedona with an open mind and visit the spots out of curiosity just to see if they experience anything; some do, some don’t.  And others have no interest in the Vortexes, believe they have no power or existence in the real world, and that they are the made up fantasies of people slightly “off their rocker.”

So, how is it for you? Typically, how you approach the phenomenon of Vortexes determines your experience of them.  Why is that?  This is not true of all things in our world.  I mean, you don’t have to have an open mind and believe in the Sun to validate its existence; anyone can look up in the sky and see the brightly burning ball of light.  Hello!  There it is!  There is obviously something there.  So what is it about a phenomenon like the Sedona Vortexes that results in a wide variation of human experience – from those who discover a profound reality, to those who believe it is all a ridiculous made up fantasy?

In this blog we’ll go a little deeper into the nature of subtle phenomenon and explore why there is such a wide range of human experience with these things. In many ways “God” or your Higher Self is a subtle phenomenon – just like a Sedona Vortex.  Being able to know and experience your Higher Self or your God as a profound reality for you is a major outcome of the Major Good Mojo System.

Read on and enjoy!

Do God, your Higher Self, or Vortexes in Sedona Exist or Not?

The first reason there is a wide variety of experiences when it comes to some elements of life has to do with how easy, or difficult, it is to experience something.  Some elements of life are easy to experience and validate as “real,” and some elements of life are more subtle and therefore more difficult to experience and validate as real.  Note: this does not mean they are less powerful, it just means they are more subtle, and because of that, they are more difficult to access and experience.

Many things in life are very easy to experience.  Examples of commonly experienced phenomenon in the world, things that are easy to experience, include: the sun, a cloud, the temperature of the air, the hardness of cement, the taste of food, the smell of a rose, the sound of a symphony.  To experience these things as real, we use our normal and established senses of seeing, touching, tasting, smelling, and hearing.  If we can see, touch, taste, smell, or hear something, we say that it is “real,” we say that it “exists in the real world.”  On the other hand, if we cannot see, touch, taste, smell, or hear something, most people would have no experience of that thing and therefore would say it does not exist.  But is that really true?

To know if something exists or not, we need to have SOME experience of it, beyond the thought in our head.  Otherwise it really is just a made up fantasy that has no existence in reality for us.  So HOW do we experience the more subtle phenomenon in our world?   How can we validate their existence?  Answer:  we need to either enhance the power of the senses we do have, or develop new ones.

Examples of the first method are very common in today’s scientific world.  Take for example the electron microscope.  This is a man-made enhancement to our sense of sight.  With the electron microscope we can see things that we normally cannot see with the naked eye.  Both the microscope and the telescope, enhancements to our sense of sight, have opened up whole new worlds of experience (and reality) to us.  And there are many other examples of man-made sense enhancements.

At this point I want to point out something very important:  just because you initially cannot experience something with your normal senses, does not mean it does not exist.  For example, just because you cannot see an atom or have any real experience of it with any of your normal senses, does not mean that atoms do not exist.  Obviously, we know they do.  Also, with your normal senses while on earth you cannot see that the world is round, yet I bet you believe it is round.  So obviously, things can exist in reality that we cannot experience with our “normal” senses.  All you can truly say is “I have not experienced it” or “It does not exist FOR ME.”  From there, determining whether something is real or not for you, becomes more about seeking the experience of it.

So, again, back to our question of HOW do we experience the more subtle phenomenon in our world.  The first is by man-made enhancements to our senses, which we just talked about.  The second is by naturally enhancing our own normal senses and developing new ones (e.g. the sixth sense).  So how do we do this?  Mostly it’s done by paying attention to them.  Where attention goes, energy flows.  You can expand your sense of seeing, touching, tasting, smelling, and hearing just by paying more attention to them.  We’ve all experienced this before.  For example, you can enhance your hearing by really listening to someone.  What is really listening?  It’s paying attention – bringing your awareness to a focused point.  You can do this with all your senses. You could say this is a “presencing” practice – the practice of being fully in the present moment.  When you are fully in the present moment, all of your senses are enhanced and you come alive.  You see things you didn’t see before, hear things you didn’t hear before, and feel things you didn’t feel before – LIKE A VORTEX!  

You see, the main barrier to experiencing the more subtle aspects of living is being up in the head thinking, analyzing, and judging (this is Human Doing vs. Human Being).  If you are up in your head thinking, analyzing, and judging, you are not in your body and you are not open and fully present; you are doing-thinking and not being-here.  Therefore, you cannot access the more subtle aspects of the present moment. Heck, most people are not seeing, hearing, and feeling most of the NON subtle aspects, never mind the very subtle aspects!  If you wolf down your food at lunch, barely tasting a thing, then race out to this vortex-thing in the desert, chances are high your experience will be no more than one of simply standing on a rock and naturally you will conclude “There is nothing going on here.”

In addition to this natural tendency on doing-thinking, we have been trained by “normal life” to need explosive experiences to experience anything at all.  Look at the Hollywood movies today – the experience is like being hit over the head with a two-by-four with 10 million watts of surround sound blasting out and 3D images practically punching you in the face.  Many people have become so accustomed to this “in your face” level of experience, that unless life is coming at them at this level they have no experience at all and “nothing is happening.” 

I’ve been practicing presencing for more than 10 years now.  It’s a practice of dropping down into my body, out of my head, and fully opening up to the present moment.  I bring my awareness to my breath and relax and open every cell in my body.  It is a meditative state of full presence.  When I first got to the Airport Mesa Vortex I was awed by the view, but I was not having any “profound” experience of energy.  However, as I found a place to sit – away from others – and slowly moved into my state of full presence, I experienced an amazing energy moving through my body, illuminating and opening all my chakras, and became so resonant with joy that it brought tears to my eyes.  I experienced an extraordinary integration with nature and everything around me. I was one with all and very happy to be there.  I felt dizzy after the experience and somewhat floaty, it was like walking on air.  For me, there was an unusual and very powerful energy available at this Vortex spot, but only experienced when I became fully present, open, and available to it.  For me, the Vortex was and is a profound reality, something that actually exists in the real world.

So do God, or your Higher Self, or Vortexes in Sedona exist or not?  Are they part of the real world, or are they a made up fantasy?  The answer is up to YOU.  You get to say what’s true and real for you. 

If you are interested in developing your access to these more subtle energies in the world and tap into the extraordinary power they have to offer, I invite you to engage The Major Good Mojo System.

Your Major Good Mojo Assignment:

Take a moment and reflect upon HOW you determine what’s real for you and what’s not.  How much do you rely upon what others say?  Think about the more subtle and “hard to believe” aspects of your life and living.  Do you automatically dismiss the possibility that something exists if you have not experienced it yourself?  Or are you more open to the possibility and willing to say “I have not experienced it so it does not yet exist FOR ME.” 

For those areas of your life that you find hard to believe, see if you can adopt the more open-minded perspective of “Just because I have not experienced it, does not mean it does not exist,” and exercise your willingness to explore these subtle and harder to experience aspects of your life.  This is the first step to actually experiencing them and making them a reality in your life!  What an adventure!

Developing your access to the more subtle energies in the world and tapping into the extraordinary power they have to offer is a major key to Major Good Mojo!

We are All Connected! Literally!

Last weekend I spent a blissful 2.5 days at The Esalen Institute in Big Sur on the beautiful California coast with my ITP (Integral Transformative Practice) Mastery community.  As you can see from the picture above, we were literally glowing from the experience. If you’ve been to Esalen, you know what I’m talking about. If you have not, I highly recommend you go.

One of our objectives for the weekend was to activate and explore the “unified field of practice.” This is a basic concept of Gestalt theory, best described as a “web of interconnection between person and situation, self and others, organism and environment, the individual and the communal.[i]

There is more and more evidence being produced which indicates everything is connected – literally! And some of the experimental evidence indicates that these connections can be strengthened or weakened in various ways. We intuitively know and experience this; the more time you spend with someone the more connected you become. However, this is happening in a far more profound way than we might at first imagine.

There are far-reaching implications involved in really grasping the knowledge that we are literally connected to all things. All things are truly affecting one another. With a deep knowing and experience of this invisible truth, your life can be transformed in the most beautiful ways.

In this blog Major Good Mojo we’ll explore this unfolding reality and knowledge of our deep connection to all things. Coming to know and experience this connection for yourself is a major outcome of the Major Good Mojo System.

Read on and enjoy!

We are all connected! Literally!

“The most definitive experimental support so far for the idea of nonlocality in human brain-minds was performed by neurophysiologist Jacobo Grinbert-Zylberbaum and his collaborators. In this experiment two subjects are instructed to interact for a period of thirty or forty minutes until they start feeling a “direct communication.” They then enter separate Faraday cages (metallic enclosures that block all electromagnetic signals). Unbeknownst to his or her partner, one of the subjects is now shown a flickering light signal that produces an evoked potential (an electrophysiological response produced by a sensory stimulus and measured by an EEG) in the light-stimulated brain. But amazingly, as long as the partners in the experiment maintain their direct communication, the unstimulated brain also shows an electrophysiological activity, called a transfer potential, quite similar in shape and strength to the evoked potential of the stimulated brain. (In contrast, control subjects do not show any transfer potential). The straightforward explanation is quantum nonlocality: The two brain-minds act as a nonlocally correlated system – the correlation established and maintained through nonlocal consciousness – by virtue of the quantum nature of the brains.”
The Self Aware Universe
~ Amit Goswami

The Self Aware Universe was published in 1993. At that time this experimental evidence was ridiculed and dismissed by some as random chance and trivial. However, in the time since then, the study has been replicated by other research centers lending far more credibility to the results. This data indicates we truly are connected in a metaphysical reality beyond our normal senses and everyday awareness.

 As a Licensed HeartMath Provider I am well aware of the scientific data indicating our connections to one another via an electromagnetic field. This field has been measured up to 10 feet away from the body. And, when two people are together their heart and brain waves (measured by EKG and EEG) become synchronized; they become entrained. This alone is an amazing fact and it’s powerful to realize the power of your heart and its effect on your environment.

However, the data presented by Amit Goswami points to an even more stunning revelation of connection, a field of connection we have not measured, a field of connection where we see only effects indicating its existence. This is a field beyond our sense capacities, yet impacting our normal day-to-day lives. As a species, we are only just now beginning to comprehend this reality and grapple with its far-reaching implications.

In ITP, when community members are not together, we say they are in the “long body.” The long body is a concept indicating we are all connected through a larger entity of which we are all a part, a body if you will, a long body that covers any distance that may be between us. And, as connected practitioners, how we are (or are not) practicing, affects everyone in our community, through this long body. Others benefit from my strong practice, and I benefit from theirs. And this applies vice versa, with respect to not practicing.

To make this more vivid, consider the analogy of white-water rafting. Think of a raft with eight people in it, navigating frothy, fast-moving, white water. Everyone in the boat benefits from each person’s active paddling. Each person contributes. AND everyone suffers when even just one person stops paddling and “goes along for the ride.”

As George Leonard so eloquently wrote in his book, The Silent Pulse:  “A world of connectedness, potential, and evolution turns us toward a vivid sense of community along with the acceptance of personal responsibility; toward a de-emphasis on competing and winning along with reemphasis on participating and experiencing; from aggression toward gentleness and enjoyment; from dominance of nature to blending with nature; from exponential growth in production and consumption to a more moderate, more ecological standard of living along with a powerful intentionality toward social justice throughout the world.

Perhaps more than anything else, the new world offers us the thrill of novelty and surprise. Can we call it Transformation?”

To develop your knowing and felt sense of connectedness to all things, I invite you to engage The Major Good Mojo System.

Your Major Good Mojo Assignment:

Close your eyes, take a few deep breaths, and sense into your connectedness with all things. If it’s true that you are connected, literally connected, to all things (and experimental evidence is demonstrating this is so), what does this mean for your life? How might you live differently? Jot down a few notes and continue to contemplate and live into this new reality for the next few days (or the rest of your life if you so choose J)

Congratulations, you are one step closer to Major Good Mojo!

 

 

 

 




[i] http://www.gisc.org/gestaltreview/documents/TheUnifiedFieldinPractice.pdf

Surfing the Cycles of Life – The Tide Rolls In and the Tide Rolls Out

This past weekend I enjoyed some glorious time at the beach at California’s Half Moon Bay, with a couple of friends. I often used to go to this beach with my grandparents when I was a kid, and now, fortunately, it’s only about an hour’s drive from where I live. To honor those great memories, my friends and I shared a bucket of Kentucky Fried Chicken – I know, I know, not the healthiest of choices, but it is the perfect beach and picnic food!

It was terrific to be in nature, to hear the ocean waves crashing and feel the hot sand under my feet and between my toes. I thrilled to the icy water on my skin and the sparkling ocean air. It was rejuvenating on so many levels, both conscious and unconscious, and helped restore balance to my life.

I was reminded that much in nature parallels the rhythms that move through our lives. The tide comes in, and it goes out, comes in and goes out. This is just like our breath cycle, we breathe in, we breathe out. We hardly give this a thought. However, life is cycling through us at multiple frequencies, from those that are very short, as in breathing, to those that are longer, as in the path birth to death.

In this blog we’ll go a little deeper into the cycles of our lives and demonstrate that both expansion AND contraction are necessary and normal phases of being human. Being powerful and able to embrace all cycles and phases of your life is a major outcome of the Major Good Mojo System.

Read on and enjoy!

 Surfing the Cycles of Life – The Tide Comes In and Goes Out

In the past, under the false belief that I should operate like a machine and produce results 24/7, 365 days a year, I struggled desperately to maximize my output and productivity. In frustration one day, I tried to figure out what, exactly, increased my energy and what decreased it. So I created a spreadsheet. I listed out about 15 or 20 different factors that I suspected had an impact on my energy level, things like amount of sleep, types and amount of food, water intake, caffeine intake, exercise, work demands, amount of outdoor exposure including sunlight, the experience of stressful or inspiring events in my life, etc., etc. I had it all on there. Then I set up a 6-month timeline and captured what I did each day and what I experienced in these areas. I then rated my energy level for the day on a scale of 1 to 5. 1 represented super low, basically dragging my ass through the day, and 5 was outstanding and amazing energy, where I effortlessly and magically moved through my day. (Don’t you love those days?)

You know what I discovered? No matter what I did, no matter how much demand there was on me, my energy CYCLED. There was a very pronounced weekly cycle, where on a pretty routine seven-day cycle I had two days of very high four or five-level energy, two days of very low, one or two-level energy, and about three days of average or three-level energy. I was blown away to see this cycle running through my life, REGARDLESS of how much caffeine I had, how good my diet was, how much sleep I was getting, or whether I exercised or not! No matter what was going on in my life and what I was doing, my energy levels were cycling in this sinusoidal-like fashion, from high through the middle ground, down to low, then back through middle ground, and up to high again.

Ever since then I’ve watched this– it is a feature of life itself! It’s reflected in the seasons: winter is low-energy season; summer is high-energy; and fall and spring are the transitional, or average-energy months. Energy comes up in the spring months, and falls in the autumn.

You can see these cycles in the dynamic of a day, as well. Energy is at its lowest ebb at night, whereas dawn sees energy rising. At midday energy is the highest, and then at sunset energy is decreasing, on its way back to the low point of the nighttime.

And you can also witness the phenomenon in your breath cycle. Most people think of the breath as only a two-phase process, in and out, but it’s actually a four-phase process when you include the two moments of transition between the in and out phases. So, when you’ve fully exhaled, that is the lowest energy point (equivalent to winter). Then there is the transitional moment when you stop exhaling and begin to inhale, where the energy turns and begins to go up (equivalent to spring). When you’ve inhaled and your lungs are full that’s the moment of peak energy (or summer), and then when you stop inhaling and begin to exhale the energy turns and heads back down (or fall).

My point is: Energy cycles, in the Universe AND in you. It expands and it contracts. And this is NORMAL. To the extent you are aware of this, you can be fully present in both the expansion AND contraction stages, to partner with it.

Note that it’s the contraction phase that we tend to resist. It feels like death to us, and we are afraid of death – we don’t like to think of or experience things dying, so we try to be busy ALL THE TIME. But we totally miss and disrespect the opportunity that the contraction cycle is: it is from the contraction that expansion can even take place. You cannot have one without the other, just as you cannot breathe in if you don’t breathe out.

The key is to be wise and aware of this expansion and contraction; we must recognize it is a normal and natural part of the path and of life itself. Because of this, you can embrace the contraction, knowing expansion is sure to follow. In the darker times of your life you can take comfort in the knowledge that change will follow. The tide goes out, and the tide comes in, the breath goes out and the breath goes in. If you pay attention you’ll see this pattern in YOUR life too, and you can be more powerful through all phases, resisting nothing and allowing it all.

To develop your capacity to see and embrace all cycles and phases of your life, I invite you to engage The Major Good Mojo System.

Your Major Good Mojo Assignment:

Reflect upon the nature of contraction in your life, or those times when the metaphorical tide is going out. Do you recognize and embrace these times in your life? Do you fear them? Do you cling to expansion, resisting the contraction and “trying to make things happen,” trying to make the tide come in when it is naturally going out?

Can you improve your ability to “be with” the times of contraction in your life? It is indeed possible. Just like you can be with your exhale, knowing and trusting that the inhale is right behind it. It’s a matter of awareness, trust, and allowing. You don’t have to make the tides come back in, they will come back in on their own. With conscious, trusting and allowing practice, they will come back in your life, as well.

Developing your ability to be strong during the contraction phases of your life is a major key to Major Good Mojo!

 

 

 

 

Wisdom Part 2: True Wisdom Takes Real Courage

 

“Wisdom is not finally tested in the schools, Wisdom cannot be passed from one having it to another not having it, Wisdom is of the soul, is not susceptible of proof, is its own proof.”

Walt Whitman (1819 – 1892)

 

A couple of weeks ago I attended the Wisdom 2.0 Business Conference at the Palace Hotel in San Francisco. It’s a gathering of more than 500 people exploring ways to bring wisdom, consciousness, presence and mindfulness fully alive in the business context. It was a fabulous conference and I highly recommend you consider attending the next one in February 2013, I’ll be there! You can find more information here: Wisdom 2.0 Conference.

There was a great deal of positive optimism, hope, and inspiration present in everyone. However one of the things I found very interesting was also a sense of cynicism and skepticism. As we all know, “there is no crying in baseball” right? The world of business is a tough, dog-eat-dog world where you put your nose to the grindstone, don the flack-jacket and take no prisoners. This is no place for weak, mushy things like love, compassion, caring, appreciation, and whatever this thing “mindfulness” might be. Right?

Frankly, there is SOME truth to this. The business world is unique in its demand for efficiency and careful allocation of resources. The margins for error (think wasting time and money) are narrower in the arena of business than pretty much anywhere else. If you waste too much time and money, eventually you have no business. So it’s understandable why folks might believe you have to be an intense driver and make things happen. Hello! You can’t just be sitting around meditating! Time’s a wastin’!

But I want to go deeper into this belief – deeper into what’s really driving and underlying this “take no prisoners” attitude. People at the conference knew it would take a new level of courage to bring about this change we were all seeking. Why will it take a new level of courage? What’s this all about? Why so much resistance?

In this blog we’ll go a little deeper into this resistance and see why true wisdom takes real courage. Being able to access your own wisdom is a major outcome of the Major Good Mojo System.

Read on and enjoy!

True Wisdom Takes Real Courage

As a wise and conscious person I bet you can guess what is underlying the “take no prisoners” attitude about business. Yep, that’s right, fear. We are afraid that if we don’t MAKE THINGS HAPPEN AND CONTROL EVERYTHING, that everything will go to hell in a hand basket and everyone, including us, will be screwed. AKA “out of business, broke and on the streets, a loser in the world.” Right? We are afraid of that happening so we get very busy, trying to dominate and control everything.

Parker J. Palmer wrote a fabulous little book called Let Your Life Speak. At one point in this book he outlines what he calls the “shadows of leadership,” negative concepts or beliefs that we hold that can block us or render our path almost impassable. Examples are insecurity about identity and worth, the belief that the universe is hostile, and fear of the chaos of life. These are some of negative concepts that can block us. I’ve seen and experienced them in myself and seen them in others. But there was another that Palmer described, called “Functional Atheism.” This is a BELIEF that ultimate responsibility for everything rests with us.

 Palmer states:

“This is the unconscious, unexamined conviction that if anything decent is going to happen here, we are the ones who must make it happen. This belief leads us to impose our will on others, stressing our relationships, sometimes to the point of breaking. It often eventuates in burnout, depression, and despair, as we learn that the world will not bend to our will and we become embittered about that fact. It drives collective frenzy as well and explains why the average group can tolerate no more than fifteen seconds of silence: if we are not making noise, we believe, nothing good is happening and something must be dying.”

Wow. And ouch. This need for control stems from fear and underneath that fear there is distrust. Or said another way, a lack of trust, and this lack of trust is ultimately in the Universe itself. Can you see that? We don’t trust the Universe, therefore we are afraid. Because we fear things are not going to turn out, we must dominate them and force them and control them in a mad frenzy. What fun. I have a friend, who, after regaling me with the troubles and stressors in her life, wailed, “Oh, if I could just get CONTROL, then I could RELAX!” When she realized what she had said, we both burst out laughing.

 So where did this distrust come from? Why do we have this underlying lack of trust in the Universe? Is it founded on good data? Do we distrust the Universe to beat our hearts for us? Do we distrust the Universe to provide us air to breathe? Do we have to make the sun rise each day? Do we have to create gravity each day so we don’t fly off the planet into space? Do we have to make the rain fall so we don’t die of thirst? ALL of life is ultimately a partnership with life itself. Even making money, making products, delivering services, any project or activity you can think of, is actually a partnership with life, with the Universe.

Fundamentally any effort-filled, forceful, tiring, stressful struggle is based in ignorance. It’s a lack of awareness of life energy itself. It’s based in fear (that the results will not happen), distrust (the Universe will not provide), attachment (that if the results I want don’t happen then bad things WILL happen), and separation (I’m the only one who can make this happen – just little ole’ me who must shoulder this burden). Fear, distrust, attachment, and separation…hmmm. We can start to see why there is skepticism and cynicism when it comes to bringing Wisdom alive in the workplace, and why a fair amount of courage will be required to bring it about.

The truth is you DO have a role, and effort is required, it’s just that it’s not ALL about you. What I’m talking about is awareness and partnership. It is about maximizing and optimizing your role and the role of the Universe. It’s a dance, a dance in awareness that you are part of something far larger than your self (small “s”). The truly wise person will partner with that something else, TRUST it and work with it to maximize the experience of being alive, (and yes, this is a practice that is engaged day-in and day-out, over time). Ultimately, you can maximize the results you have been inspired to create, even bottom-line business success.

There IS room for wisdom, compassion, mindfulness, presence, joy, trust, and even love in business. Frankly, these are all traits or characteristics of a spiritually grounded and connected person. Or instead of using the word spiritual (since business does not like that word) you could say awake, alive, and fully integrated human being. This is what is missing in most corporations today. There is a HUGE opportunity not only for each of us as individuals, but also for corporations in this. And it’s up to us to bring it alive

To develop your felt experience of true wisdom and a deep trust in the power of the Universe herself, I invite you to engage The Major Good Mojo System.

Your Major Good Mojo Assignment:

Our lives are so full of stuff. Not just material physical stuff, but sound and noise as well. How often during our days do we get to really experience a powerful silence?

Parker J. Palmer said the average group of people can tolerate no more than 15 seconds of silence. 15 seconds! This is how long most people can be quiet before someone feels compelled to “make some noise” and say something. He points out the belief that if we aren’t making noise then NOTHING is happening and likely something is even dying. So we get busy and fill the void with noise.

There’s some kind of discomfort that arises in silence, especially in groups – I’m sure you’ve experienced it, I know I have. We even have a name for it, “the uncomfortable silence,” as in “an uncomfortable silence fell over the room.” But we also have another term, “the pregnant pause,” that is pointing more toward what I’m talking about here: there is something in the silence that wants to be born.

Close your eyes, take a slow deep breath, and give yourself the gift of 60 seconds of silence and just notice what you notice. Relax into the arms of the Universe and make some space for GRACE.

The more powerful you become sitting in the silence, the more you can access Major Good Mojo!