"Finding the Sweetness"

HAPPY NEW YEAR!

You know, it is easy to focus on the bad stuff.

I hear the news in the US is all about doom and gloom, financial crises, and worse-- sprinkled with hope that a new President can turn it all around and make the old New. Here in the village of Chacala, Nayarít, Mexico, we don't have much of that. Yes, some of the local merchants mention that business is slow, but they also live in paradise, and, hey, tortillas are subsidized by the government! What's to worry!?

Underneath all the fear, all the worry about the future, if we look, I think we can always find the sweetness, the truth, the love. Someone dear to me wrote this to me a couple of days ago:

MySelf and Other are not separate, and the truest love that I have known is the deep abiding respect and acceptance that grows out of that recognition. When I rest in this place, there is no power struggle, there are no differences, and no one to bump up against. There is sweetness, kindness, and faith in Life. There is Love. Simple, sweet love.

There is always sweetness, kindness, and love, simple, sweet love. If we can remember to look, I think we can always find the sweetness.

I was surprised and honored to do some healing work today, in a village an hour from here. I sat with a young woman I knew as a child many years ago, who was nearly paralyzed-- I was told from a great grief. Her hand was cold. She could hardly speak or move. What could I do, but find the sweetness? I helped her bring warmth and strength to her hand.

I kept repeating, "No tienes la culpa." It is not your fault. I asked her if she really really wanted to walk back into her life. She said Yes. I invited her to be a tiger. To growl! To bring the warmth and new strength in her hand into her whole body. And really, all I was doing was finding the sweetness, my faith in Life. Simple, sweet love.

She cried, and she smiled. I could see her pain was huge, and I could also see she was not the pain. She was the sweetness. The light. So beautiful. Such love. And such a broken heart. And still the sweetness lives.

I don't know what will happen. I will go back and visit. I will see the sweetness, and invite her to see it too. Maybe she will, and maybe she won't. But I will. I will know the sweet simple love that she is and that we share.

I am writing this on New Year's Eve to remind you, and me, to Find the Sweetness. New Year's Eve is an arbitrary event, in a way, but special. It is often a time we set intentions, make resolutions, and plan who we will be in the future.

My invitation for this evening, this day, this beginning of a New Year, is to set an intention, make a habit, to demand of your mind, to Find the Sweetness. Find the love, the kindness, and the Faith in Life. Go deep into the truth of who you are-- you are Love. No less. The same love that created you is what you are! Find THAT sweetness within.

And then share it with your world. If there is healing to be done, this is the way we will heal.

Find the Sweetness.

And so it is.


Happy New Year

Joyful Sweetness.



And Love.

A New Year's REVOLUTION

"Making a New Year's REVOLUTION"

We need another REVOLUTION! People in the United States, here in Mexico, and most other countries in the world have revolted against tyrannical and abusive leaders throughout history. Sometimes the revolutions are successful and new freedoms have emerged and stayed, and other times the Big Parasite has triumphed and freedoms have been lost, only to fought for later. 

I think we have already learned that the resolutions we make for the New Year don't last long or work out very well. Out intentions are good, but something usually goes wrong. Perhaps you resolve to give up a habit that goes against you, slim down or buff up, be more loving, meditate more, give up sugar, be nicer to your partner, find a partner to be nice to, pay off your credit cards, make more money, find a better job, start your own business, keep your house/ car/ clothes/ kids/ dog cleaner, and hundreds of other good intentions. 

If you have made New Year's resolutions in the past and "failed" to keep them, and then been mad at yourself or judged yourself for your failure, please, Please, PLEASE don't do that again this year. Instead, join me in a New Year's REVOLUTION. 

Revolt and rebel against the voice of that Judge in your mind that says you "should" make all those changes, and then makes you wrong for being who you are and not following through! Don't tolerate anyone inside or out criticizing you. You are not bad, not wrong, not a failure at anything! Revolt! 

Rebel! Fight Back!! Make 2009 the year of your revolt, your revolution against the tyrannical and abusive voices in your head that question you, doubt you, or judge you. Make this the New Year of Freedom in your life! 

YOU ARE PERFECT. I REPEAT, YOU ARE PERFECT, JUST THE WAY YOU ARE, AND JUST THE WAY YOU ARE NOT!

I hope you will think about this if you have not; or, if you need to again:

This universe is animated by an amazing and unknowable force. It seems to be in everything, from trees to turtles, from grains of sand to galaxies in space, and from algae in the swamp to humans in the shoe store. It is everywhere. It is even that force that holds the air between the swamp and shoe store in place, moving, balanced in its elements, and available for all life. 

We can call this animating force LIFE. And I think you will agree that there seems to be only one of them. Trees are animated by the same Life force as turtles (and shoe stores). If there is only one Life animating everything in the universe, then YOU are created, animated, and directed by that Life. If we look at the sum total of everything Life creates and animates, we can see that it is all the same, one unified whole, one living being of Life, manifested in countless forms in a physical world. 

(Still with me?)

My point: If there is only one thing here, in all of its different manifested forms, then it is all PERFECT-- there is nothing to compare it to, nothing outside of it. If the one whole is perfect, then every part of it has to be perfect. And YOU are part of it! Therefore, you are perfect! YOU are Life! 

So, back to the REVOLUTION. Any voice-- inside or out, any person, event, memory, fear, or judgement that doubts your perfection is lying. LYING! Do I  make myself clear?? LYING. There is nothing to fear, nothing to doubt. Just to be YOU! As Life. The perfect manifestation of a perfect force.

Then, if you want to work out or be more loving, of course, go ahead! But not because you "should" or have to, to prove you are okay, or are worthy of love. LIFE IS WORTHY OF LOVE ~ LIFE IS LOVE. You are Life.

REVOLT! Make this January calendar change your New Year's REVOLUTION. Stand up for your freedom, for your perfection, your Divine right to be exactly who Life is, as you! Let us declare our freedom from the tyranny and fear inside first, then the outside. Let's not waste any more time! NOW is the time for the Revolution! The goal is a world of peace inside and out, or as don Miguel Ruiz says, ". . .to the eternal happiness of humanity."

If you think it is time for this personal and planetary revolution, and would like to share these ideas with others, please do so, and copy and paste with this information:

This invitation for Revolution is from Allan Hardman, Toltec Master, at http://www.joydancer.com

My First Night in Chacala- a story about no stories

For those of you following my adventures, and my dream, here is the end of this traveling part of the saga.

After an exciting and boring five-day drive from home in northern California, I arrived in Chacala, Nayarit, in the late afternoon of Friday.  What a relief to be out of the truck, to be "home" in Chacala, and especially to be able to move into my new house here.

Local people showed up to help me move all the boxes into the house, some downstairs, some up to the vacation rental unit where I will be living until the main house downstairs is improved, furnished and beautified.

It was getting dark by the time we finished, so I walked into "town" to welcome myself to Chacala.  It was a warm and balmy evening-- just the way I like them.  After saying Hello, I stopped by Las Brisas, wiggled a plastic chair into the sand, and ordered a real margarita to celebrate.  The half-moon was hanging overhead, the moonlight was glistening on the gentle surf, and there was nowhere else in the world I wanted to be.

About the time I finished the margarita, I became aware of the word "Teotihuacan" drifting on the tropical air, and turned to discover a couple, his brother, and their two little kids at a table behind me.  The brother had just been at Teo, and was describing his visit.

Of course I had to say: "Excuse me, but you just said my Magic Word." They invited me to join them, and we shared our stories.  Suddenly, one of them said, "Hey, you must be the guy that wrote the book on Toltec Wisdom that is in the room we are staying in here!"

Yup.  I knew I was home!

After we parted company, I slowly walked back to my room to sleep.  The moon was bright, the air was so very soft, and I was in no hurry.  I turned the key in the door lock and went around and around and around.  The lock had broken.  I couldn't get into my room.

As I stood there comprehending my circumstances, mildly buzzed on the tropics, I noticed that I was not telling myself any stories about my situation-- there was only curiosity about what Life would offer next.  I liked that.  And so, of course, I turned the key around and around again!

I walked downstairs and into the street, and thought: "OK, Life, show me."  I turned right.  I strolled.  When I got to Antonia's, I knew she might be a source of a bed for the night in one of her rentals.  She wasn't home.  So, I walked a few more blocks, bought a bottle of water, came back, and waited in the dark.

When Antonia came home she was happy to see me, and I was happy to see her.  She offered me a bed in a little unit, and as she moved the plastic chairs out of the from doorway with no door (it was in town being painted) she said: "Thank goodness there aren't any thieves in Chacala."  It was hot, and I slept.

In the morning, the former owner of my house, borrowed a big rickety ladder next door, climbed into the vack patio of my carefully locked room, opened the door, and replaced the lock for me.

Later in the day, I noticed gazillions of tiny little ants streaming across the bed.  I followed them until I found their secret lair-- under the mattress!  If I had slept in that bed the nigh before, it would have been very interesting.  "Man's Tropical Dream House Becomes Nightmare!"

Now, all is well.

Thank You, Life.

The Joydancer Summer Celebration of LIFE!

Wow, I am excited about our fourth annual Joydancer Summer Celebration of Life.

It is going to be an amazingly wonderful event. With talks by me, Allan Hardman and a host of talented teachers, ceremonies, and music by Melissa Phillippe, James Nihan, it just doesn't get any better than this! And you MUST be there! (In fact, I heard your soulmate is going to be there).

The Joydancer Summer Celebration of Life


THEME 2008: "Faith in Life"

DATES: August 8 ~ 10, 2008

LOCATION: Walker Creek Ranch, in West Marin County, northern California

COST: Varies depending on accommodations and options. Lots of camping available, dorm, or semi-private rooms. Cheap!!

THE WEEKEND: Friday evening through Sunday lunch. Five Meals, two nights. Music, lectures, experiential groups, a keynote talk by me, Allan Hardman, and a fire ceremony. At the Sunday morning Circle of Love we affirm our intentions to release the limiting beliefs that hold us back in our lives, and embrace new awareness and agreements to be in tune with Life itself, trusting it to guide and inspire us. You will be transformed!

OPTIONS: Come all day Friday for Men's and Women's Wisdom Circles, with Friday lunch and dinner.
Saturday night, experience an all-night DreamTime Mitote, and blow that old dream right out of your mind!

The Joydancer Summer Celebration of Life

We everyone who wants a better life, more fun, greater personal freedom, and a heart filled with love to share this powerful weekend with us. That means you. Space is (really, actually, truthfully) limited, so make your reservation now. Don't be turned away from this incredible experience.

Read, listen to audio descriptions, and claim your space here:

The Joydancer Summer Celebration of Life

I look forward to sharing this powerful weekend with you.

Yours IN love,

ALLAN

The True Meaning of Forgiveness

"The True Meaning of Forgiveness"

Most religions and spiritual paths include some sort of system or expectation of forgiveness. Very often, unfortunately, these ideas of forgiveness include judgement and a sense of victimization: "You are a __________, and you have hurt me, but I forgive you." Someone once said (or maybe oftener) that everything after the word "but" in a sentence is a lie. In this case, I believe that is true. This is not real forgiveness, it is a generosity for the sake of appearing pious for the sake of the other person, the Judge Within, or God -- or all at once.

So what is true forgiveness? What better description could we find than in my new Everything Toltec Wisdom Book. . .??!!

"In the old dream, there is a "forgiveness" that is actually based on personal importance. It says: "You have hurt me, I judge and condemn you, but I am a better person than you, so I will forgive you." There are many variations on this theme, but they all reflect the old dream of wrongdoing, judgment, and victimization. It is not actually forgiveness at all.

When a Toltec Warrior clears an incident with recapitulation, there is no longer any hurt, no perpetrator, and no victim. The entire incident is released. There is no need to forgive, because from the eagle's perspective, there is no offense to be punished or forgiven. There is no blame. In the Toltec wisdom, this is the true forgiveness, knowing there is nothing to forgive.

This forgiveness results from a change of the assemblage point away from victim and perpetrator to the eagle's view of the perfection of the universe. The cleansing power of this truth releases poison from old emotional wounds. When the warrior applies the poultice of self-love to those cleansed wounds, they heal with only the trace of a scar. When someone touches that place, there is no longer a need to protect it, so the warrior can step forward with his arms wide open to embrace the world."

In the story of Jesus, they say he looked down from his cross, and said "Forgive them father, they know not what they do." Isn't this the message of true forgiveness? We are all doing our best, and sometimes we may react to others as though they deliberately hurt or betrayed us. The Toltec Warrior knows that this universe one big system of actions and reactions. Everything is in contact and changing and acting and reacting everywhere in every time.

There is no where that one action begins (perpetration) and ends (victimization). Everything is acting on everything else, constantly. In that action/reaction you can see the Divine Perfection of each and every movement in the matrix of our world.

There are many days set aside to focus on Forgiveness. Global Forgiveness Day is on August 27, 2008, World Forgiveness Day is March 3, and October 4, is International Forgiveness Day. If you are not ready to forgive yet, you can always wait until Regular Forgiveness Day, on June 26th. Of course these dates may change depending on what organization is promoting them.

Perhaps every day can be your Personal Forgiveness Day. You can begin with the self-forgiveness that says, "I am always doing my best. I am not bad or wrong. I am the only Me there is, and I am being the perfect Me." From that place of self-acceptance, you can accept not only yourself but all of Creation. After all, Creation is doing its best being itself, too.

You are forgiven.

This post is adapted from my Joydancer Weekly Word and News e-newsletter of August 3, 2007. To subscribe, go to my homepage at www.joydancer.com.

Celebrating This Winter Solstice

THIS OFFERING ABOUT USING THE WINTER SOLSTICE IS A GIFT FROM FRANK HAYHURST, aka FRANCIS RICO, A TEACHER IN THIS TRADITION FROM SONOMA COUNTY, CA. . .
It is good advice for anytime, of course:

Beloved fellow travelers of the mystery trend:

Creation offers to share with us her gift of expansion of light, a gift 14
billion years in the making - a gift that is now appearing it's full
blazing glory this Friday, December 21st, at 10:08PM Pacific Standard Time.
(Work it out for your time zone.)

You might ask "how can we possibly share in this cosmic gift, considering
the toxic mess we humans are making of this little planet?"

A native holy man, Joseph Rael - "Beautiful Painted Arrow" - had a vision
of this moment, and he puts it this way:

"We humans have fooled around long enough, and God is now taking over. From
now on, we are going to get plenty of everything we focus on and act on. If
we focus on conflict, we will get more conflict. However, if we focus on
peace we will get plenty of peace. As soon as we focus on a goal, the
universe will take us in that direction."

So, a good question would be: What do you intend for yourself?

It is a wonderful opportunity we are being given! We are "presents" from
Creation to Herself. And, this Solstice Celebration is like a party at
which we are invited to open our present, to open to the precious gift that
we are, opening to find the deep wisdom and freedom that wrap the wild and
beautiful truth of our selves.

Could this be done anywhere, anytime? Yes.

However, with the spiraling energy of our Earth circling our Sun, in a
spiraling galaxy within an expanding cosmos -- well, you get the picture,
this Solstice is a special moment of whirling dancing Light -- of Light
returning to grow the seeds of intent that you select.

Another good question would be: What do you intend to grow in the Fields of
Light of your life?

On Friday evening, create a ceremony, a celebration, with friends. Make it
a party, a SERIOUS party! It is respectful to our hostess, Creation, to
align ourselves with her, leaving the petty hierarchies of humankind out on
the porch, like muddy shoes that are not invited inside.

Move into silence. Let Creation speak within your heart.

Then, CELEBRATE! Share this good fortune, this opportunity to live wild and
free, with all of our relations, our friends, families, neighbors, and ALL
who we share this gift of life with.

As you plant, so shall you reap. It has always been this simple, but as of
now, it is simple to the tenth power!

love you! Many blessings!

Frank - Francis Rico

The Secret About Dreaming

In a recent post, I shared some of my “Secrets about The Secret.” I am pleased (of course) to hear from so many of you that agreed with my observations. You shared your experiences as friends and therapists listening to people’s self-judgment for failing to manifest the perfect life, and you shared your own frustrations from trying to use the ideas of The Secret and The Law of Attraction to change your circumstances.

Let us not use these criticisms of the latest pop-culture ideas about how to strike it rich (in money, love, and body perfect) to obscure a very important reality: You do manifest the universe you live in through how you dream it. What do I mean, and why is that different than The Secret?

Basic “Dreaming 101:” You do not see “what is out there.” The light you perceive reflects off the objects in the universe, and enters your mind through your eyes and other senses, and creates a little virtual reality in your mind. The image you see is in your mind, not out there in the universe. That is an amazing and indisputable fact: You only see what is in your mind’s virtual reality, not what is out in the world.

In the Toltec tradition, we call this virtual reality in your mind your “Personal Dream.” You are dreaming reality. Your body is an organ of perception—it collects data from the world around you. That information passes through “channels of perception” in your mind, picking up stored information made up of biases, agreements, emotional memories, fears, traumas, desires, belief systems, and all the knowledge stored in your mind.

That stored information distorts the incoming messages carried on the light, and it is the distorted light that creates the virtual reality dream. You look at that dream and think you are seeing “out there.” You are not. You are dreaming. We could call your mind an organ of “deception,” since it creates the distorted dream of a world that has nothing to do with what is really out there.

“The Secret” says that (simply stated) if you can think the right thoughts you will attract to yourself the right things. The Law of Attraction says that like attracts like. Miguel Ruiz, in The Four Agreements, tells us: Always Be Impeccable With Your Word. He explains that your Word is every thought, action, spoken word, and your most deeply held beliefs.

In other words, your Word is how you dream. Your dream was programmed into your mind from the very beginnings of your awareness. You were taught what was right and wrong, good and bad, who was Us and who was Them. All that stored information and knowledge, which you continued to add to and refine all of your life, is the dream of the world you live in.

The dream in your mind out-pictures itself into what appears to be Reality. If you dream that money is hard to get, so it shall be. If you dream that love is dangerous, you will attract dangerous love. If you believe you are not worthy of kindness and consideration, you will attract abuse and hurt. If you believe you have a Parking Fairy, you will believe the Fairy finds you parking places. It has nothing to do with the nature of the world or your ability to create it, but you will accumulate evidence for the truth of how you dream by what your dream creates—in the dream! None of it happens out there. Am I making sense?

Yes, it is true that your thoughts create your reality—but only in your mind. That is the only place that the universe you live in exists. Yes, there is a universe there, but you cannot perceive it. You can only dream. Everyone lives in a distinctly different universe.

If you can do your deep inner work, clean out the memories, traumas, old belief systems and agreements, etc, from your channels of perception . . .if you can clear away the conflicting desires and the resistance in your programming . . .if you can let go of any attachments to the outcome of your manifesting . . .then perhaps you can make these laws of The Secret work for you. If you get that clear, you probably won’t care about manifesting riches.

Of course, there is always the issue of the Action/Reaction nature of the universe to deal with. Everything is in action all the time everywhere, reacting with everything else in the nonexistent universe. Where does your power and influence begin?

We can come back to that part of the conversation next time.

Thanks for reading.

This post was adapted from "The Weekly Word and News," my e-newsletter from Joydancer.com.