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January 2008In this Issue: Qualities |
I trust that the New Year turned well for you and your family. In this month’s essay entitled “Qualities” I write about a practice that has served me well for some time now; for those of you who would like to develop a theme or quality in 2008, and would like to enjoy the support of a life coach, contact me. From now until March 1st, new clients can benefit from an introductory life coaching offer: Three months of coaching for $950. In addition, I ask that new clients make a donation of their choice to a men’s or women’s shelter in the town that they live in. I am encouraged to report that six men have already signed up for the Arjuna Conference in June. Due to venue requirements, we need a minimum of 12 guys to decide by February 1st to register for the men’s weekend for it to go ahead. So if you’re considering joining us, jump in early please. With warm regards for the New Year, *If you'd like to share this issue with a friend, they can view the newsletter online at http://www.seanleclaire.com/ezine/, or you can use the Forward link at the bottom of this issue. If you'd prefer not to receive future issues of Be The Change, click the Unsubscribe link at the bottom of this message. QUALITIESOne way to shift how we use our minds to engage the world is to cultivate a theme or quality for the year… Like “creating space,” or “ease,” or “patience.” In 2008, coaching clients I work with are cultivating such themes as self care, calm decision-making, detachment, love-in-action, calmness, ordinary presence, self acceptance, passionate purpose, presence, and speaking truthfully. Please know that these are not New Year’s resolutions. It is not about merely making an intention, then flip-flopping around until the snow melts and letting things slide. There’s commitment and work involved. Imagine the sales rep approaching the boss at quarterly reporting time, with his good intentions around achieving set-targets, but with no tangible sales to speak of. Or a person who declares “health” as their quality then proceeds to watch porno, eat at McDonalds and stuff their belly with Ben and Jerry’s. We all struggle in some way with change. As soon as we are ready for more than superficial change, then much of what we are not appears for healing and letting go—thoughts, feeling, bodily sensations and impulses that have blindly led us around, become apparent. Deeply held and unconscious beliefs, mindsets and emotional patterns must be faced for real change to happen. Walking around saying, “I know it’s just my mind” doesn’t mean a thing if you’re still suffering. When I do not do what I truly want to do that is the exact area which I need to work on. Choosing one quality or theme is a powerful way to affect change in your life. In doing so, a person can take personal responsibility and choose to focus their mind and, “dig one well, get water,” to paraphrase many spiritual teachers. A year-long inquiry can be a dynamic process of self-discovery. The key is to work with potential not only the problem! Periodically face and look at the problem, and if your mind is too emotionally charged and in control then get appropriate support as required, while directing more of your attention and energy on the quality which you want to develop. In the Bhagavad Gita one of the slokas speaks about “an irresolute mind knows many possibilities.” Choosing ONE quality to really get into for a year focuses my mind and can change both my inner life and outer circumstances. Quality development involves self-observation, inquiry, study, reflection, and right action. Earth is the plane of action. Thoughts and feelings, although informative in themselves, often lie to us and regularly mislead and distort current reality and our perceptions. Cultivation of a theme and quality is more like taking a vow—intention coupled with right action arising from deeper waters within a person’s being. In early winter I had a run in with a teacher of mine, which was tough; they always are. The person spoke of me “needing to get some humility.” And although I suspect she could benefit from an increased capacity for humility herself; I decided that wasn’t my business, and began to reflect on what she had said to me. Three things immediately came to mind. Firstly, that where I come from, not only is humility not valued, it was crushed. Secondly, the coaching industry, like the yoga-business in America , are hardly humble environments to work in. And thirdly, all I really know about humility can fit into a thimble. For the most part I have made my way in this world with courage, genuine confidence, some false bravado, willingness, hard work, and support from intelligent, caring people. I approached a couple of friends with the idea of me choosing “humility” to inquire into and open space for in 2008. The first, my companion of five years, suggested “humbleness” as a slight refinement on the wording and she added that the inquiry and quality development of humbleness would serve me well in her opinion. The second friend said, “Why not just enter into a study in humility?” Then he grinned, like trickster he is, and made a reference that I seemed annoyed by the very suggestion of looking into humbleness. “It’s like the word humility smells like a bad fart to you!” I sense humility needs to be teased apart from core fear, vulnerability and awe, in order for me to learn and more fully embody the Self. I have ongoing “experience” of what can be named awe and stunning openness, when I am completely present—a timelessness—that is truly awesome. A new teacher of mine has shown me that these are “states of exalted consciousness and openings into pure perception but not Awareness.” That teaching and insight has been most helpful. For me, humbleness brings up some very old and sticky experiences which I thought I was done with; apparently not. So you know what I’m into for 2008! The renowned Russian theatre actor and director Michael Chekhov wrote: “Deep, deep within ourselves, within the treasure house of our souls are buried tremendous creative powers and abilities, but they remain unused as long as we do not know about them or as long as we deny them.” I’m actually quite enthusiastic about the humbleness inquiry, not like a dog with his favorite bone, more like a man driving in the rain with old windshield wipers and a desire for deeper appreciation and gratitude for God’s wonder and grace. BODY-CENTERED BREAKS (BCBs)The Body-Centered Break is a body-focused inquiry and awareness meditation lasting only two minutes and done whenever and wherever you are in your day. Benefits as described by coaching clients include: calmness of mind, overall sense of well-being, sharpened mental focus, reduced anxiety, increased ability of autonomous nervous system to recover rapidly from stress, and an increased capacity for learning. CLICK here for an audio-guided BCB at any time you feel the need to slow down and center into yourself. Enjoy the Benefits NOW! HeadRest Radiate QuietMind SteamValve SHARED WISDOMYou can never get enough of what you don’t really want.
POEMI don’t know exactly what prayer is.
INQUIRYWhat do I get out of not doing what I truly want to do? WONDERINGWhat is attachment? WORKSHOPS AND EVENTS RIGHT ACTIONIf you’re feeling down… serve somebody, anybody! Sometimes when I’m blue, I just go for a walk and smile at people. It’s a simple practice and it works wonders or me. I usually go to Kmart or Walmart… many people in the store appear sad.
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© 2008 Sean Casey LeClaire, all rights reserved. |
