The Tree of Life

SOMETIMES I THINK AS I WRITE AND IT'S NOT ALWAYS WELL BAKED. THAT'S WHAT I THING OF THIS FOLLOWING POST - IT'S A LITTLE HALF-BAKED. THE IDEA IS GOOD, BUT THE METAPHOR GOES A LITTLE TOO FAR. I DON'T LIKE IT VERY MUCH ANYMORE, BUT I'M NOT DELETING IT - PROBABLY FOR DISCUSSION FODDER AS TO WHICH PARTS ARE WEAK. THANKS, ALL. LOVE, ALWAYS. The Old Monk, 11/12/10.

It seems most if not all civilizations on earth have held a metaphor of “The Tree of Life”. Here is my version:

All of us on earth live beneath a Tree of Life. It is huge, covering all of us easily and completely. Its branches are beautiful and overflowing with all the nourishment we would ever want. To make our story easy, it is an apple tree with perfect fruit easily within an arm’s reach to pick whenever we wish. It is always full and ripe; there is no season without perfect tasty apples ready for us. We all live together under this magnificent Tree of Life, and there are many types of people:

Some people enjoy their days doing whatever interests them. When they are hungry, they reach up, grab an apple, and eat it right there. They know the Tree will always be there and the fruit will always be available and their lives are complete.

Some people don’t know the tree is there (maybe this is most people). Their heads are constantly down and they eat the fruit they find on the ground. Sometimes they get a perfect ripe apple. Sometimes it may be more rotten.

Some people have crafted a basket and pick apples to put into the basket. They don’t need all of the apples now, but they accumulate them anyway for a variety of reasons:

• They may be afraid that a season of drought will occur, or
• They wish to share with their friends, or
• They see people who are crippled in one way or another and cannot reach a branch or don’t know how to reach one. These people share from their basket.
  

Some people go to great effort to create large canvas bags in which they can put many, many apples. Some of these bags are so large they are too heavy to be moved, so the person sits and guards the bag so it is not stolen by anyone else. These people are often like those with baskets sharing a small portion with friends or those who cannot reach the branches. Usually these bags have apples that are so old in the bottom of the bag that they are rotten and putrid, but the bag owner doesn’t notice this.

Some people, as we have mentioned above, may be crippled physically or mentally and are unable to reach the fruit. Some of these see the fruit, some don’t. Some rail at their situation, sitting and screaming demanding help that they sometimes get and sometimes not. So often they eat the rotten fruit on the ground. Some see the problem and build ramps and towers for them and others like them to be able to reach the branches. Of course, both types of people do get help from the basket people and the bag people and others.

Some people see the branches and can reach them, but choose not to. They go to the basket people and bag people and sometimes the crippled ramp people trying to get apples from them. Sometimes that works and when it doesn’t, they pick fruit that may be under-ripe or over-ripe from the branches that are closest to where they are at the moment. Or they eat the rotten fruit on the ground.

Some people see the fruit and want it, but they don’t believe they are smart enough to pick the fruit or think they are not worthy to have something a luscious as a fresh apple off the tree. So they eat the rotten fruit on the ground.

Some people are clever and talk to those who consider themselves unworthy or not smart. The clever people say, “I will take care of you and I will make you worthy, so I give you permission to pick the apples if you give me one apple for every two that you pick. Just put it into my canvas bag. But if you don’t pick enough apples fast enough, I will demand that you give me two apples for every three you pick.”

You see where I am going with this story. I am sure you can think of many other types of people who also live under the tree. And please don't dissect my examples too critically. I have consciously not labeled each type of activity with a name, for that particular judgment lends itself to harsher judgments. There are many motivations for each activity. We are all learning and experiencing as we go along under this Wonderful Tree.

So what’s my point? It doesn’t have to be hard. If we all picked from the Tree as we need it, we would all get along, we would all be happy, and we can experience what we want to when we want to. Or we could all have baskets and share. Wouldn’t that be wonderful. That option is available to us. The Universe really is like that Tree of Life. Full of abundance. Full of everything you might want to experience without pain or discomfort. We just need to open our eyes, look up, and KNOW that the Tree is there. Well, we’re looking and I love all of us for it.

The Old Monk

The Drawing of Spirit

I'm back. You will certainly notice that the last posting was June of last year. Why?

Well, I wasn't drawn with anything to say. The heart of my Law of Attraction learnings had already been said. I knew that I would quickly begin to repeat myself, which does nothing for anyone. So what now?

The world obviously is being sucked into the Facebook game. People lose hour after hour either rambling themselves or reading other people's ramblings. I admit it is enticing (everyone loves to have other people pay attention to their ramblings - cheaper than a therapist). On the other hand I don't think I want to invade my daughters' lives that closely, so I think I will pass on the Facebook phenomenon.

Look! I'm rambling!! Damn.

But I am back here; hopefully, with fresh insights expanding into the spiritual world beyond just the Law of Attraction. And here, only those interested in the topics will find me, not the daughters' friends or worse, the less-enlightened members of my family.

So I start today with a few questions for you to ponder. Fortunately (or unfortunately to some) there are no answers to the questions other than what you decide. Well,....... you decide:

#1. What am I? Not who you are - your name, race, address, beliefs, but WHAT you are.

#2 What is God to me? Again, not who is God. Not a Christian or Muslim or Hindu definition of God. And note it is a two parter: WHAT is God to YOU?

#3. Where am I now? Not your address and not who. WHERE are you now?

Enough for the moment? I'd love to have a bottle of Pinot Noir with you to discuss the options.

I love you.

The Old Monk

Most Benevolent Outcome

GOD, ANGELS, and GUIDES

Please help me today so that
I will have a

MOST BENEVOLENT OUTCOME

In my work

In my health

In my relationships

In my finances and

In all aspects of my life.

Thank you.

The Old Monk

Law of Attraction for Groups

Hello! I have been on vacation for much of the last two weeks, so that is a partial explanation for my delay in entering any posts here. During our vacation, Beverly and I spent some time on the shore of Delaware with our great friends Bill and Dayna. Bill is a wonderful person except that sometimes (usually) he overserves me wine.

During one of our discussions, Bill told me about the office he shares with 6-7 women. Apparently, they interact a great deal and occasionally that interaction is not conducive to a good environment. So on occasion, Bill has gone into his office, shut the door, then slammed a book down creating a resounding boom. Then he would go back to the common area, empty a big bag of candy or chocolate, and announce, “Candy break!”. Part of their business is education and training, so Bill has used his considerable skill with them to teach cooperation and other characteristics to promote a good work environment, but he admits that he hasn’t had much success.

He has said that when he arises each morning he sets his conscious intent that he will experience joy and success for the day. That is perfect, so I suggested to him that since he cannot change another’s behavior, only his own, that he should add some of the following intentions to his day:
"These women aren’t always bickering."
"Actually, they are good friends and support each other often."
"This really is a wonderful cooperative office where everyone gets along marvelously."

Of course, Bill needs to do this regularly and believe it in spite of what he may see at any moment. If so, I predict that he will see changes in the office and how his people interact. Not immediately, because there has been too much energy going the opposite direction. You can’t get a car to instantly stop on the freeway and turn around at the same speed. But he will notice some change pretty soon and the office will look much different in 60 days. He may be very surprised at some of the changes, too. For example, some may quit saying they just don’t like it there. Actually, what will be happening is that the energy in the office will improve and they are unable or not wanting to cope with the changes. Sadly, calm joy is just very foreign to some people. But don’t worry, because if his intent is a cooperative, efficient office, the perfect new employee will show up at his door.

Plagiarism time! I have often in these posts praised Abraham-Hicks work and stolen their words. I also have a link to their web site below. One of their recent daily inspirations was a perfect fit for Bill’s situation:

You don't have to worry about what their vibration is if your vibration is one of connection. Because if your vibration is one of connection -- you're going to dominate the vibration. This is the way you learn your relationships. The thing that most people do not understand, is that you get to control the way you feel, because you get to choose the thoughts you think. Most people think that they only have the option of responding to the circumstances that surround them. And that's what makes them attempt the impossible, which is to control the circumstances around them, which only feeds their feeling of frustration and vulnerability, because it doesn't take very much life experience to discover you can't control all of those circumstances. But you can control your vibration. And when you control your vibration, you've controlled everything that has anything to do with you.
Excerpted from a workshop in El Paso, TX on Thursday, March 28th, 2002

So, Bill……….. if you read this and if you apply any of these concepts plus related one’s you think of, please let us know how you are getting along. Anyone else as well. It’s easy to leave comments, anonymous or otherwise, to any posts. I would love to hear of others experiences and beliefs because we are all connected. Wonderfully and lovingly so.

The Old Monk