Friday, March 21, 2014

THE JOY OF SPRING


          It's springtime! A time of fresh buds and blossoming branches, of new beginnings and renewed energy. I look forward to celebrating the beginning of Spring with a rich evening of powerful music, meditation and silence this Saturday night at the Cave Without a Name (advance tickets are available online at cavewithoutaname.com/events
 - or by calling the Circle office before noon on Saturday at 210-534-3737).
            We'll also be celebrating Spring with a joyous SundayMorning Circle in the light-filled gallery at Say Sí, 1518 S. Alamo, 78204.
            But I'm not waiting till then to revisit the Ten Allowances, which I compiled for myself in the course of writing my book, Hurry Slowly, a number of years ago. I wrote them because I wanted a succinct summary of the lessons I've learned and taught about living life on purpose (as opposed to living life as a victim of circumstances or as a haphazard dance of habit...). I offer them here to remind you - and myself - about the power of making conscious choices.

            


            With blessings, 
              Rudi


THE TEN ALLOWANCES
Guidelines for Living a Life of Love, Ease and Abundance
  

1.  Allow yourSelf time to listen.
Sitting still and focusing directly on Deep Silence works -- but so does focusing on a flower, rock, cloud, or candle. Miracles happen when you give yourself regular opportunities to simmer in the silent spaces between your thoughts.
2.  Allow yourSelf time to connect with your Purpose in life. 
It is helpful to define your personal Statement of Purpose as succinctly as possible, then focus on it as often as you can remember to do so. 
3.  Allow yourSelf to follow your intuition. 
(Hint:  it requires listening. See #1 above.) It is central to staying on course and Living on Purpose.
4.  Allow yourSelf good food and drink.  
There's no need to get rigid about it -- but the fact is that your Body Temple functions better when it is being fed the optimum fuel. It's quite likely that you already know what those foods are. Eat them as often as possible.
5.  Allow yourSelf time to do what you love to do as frequently as possible.
Don't wait until that Magic Someday when you will have enough time. Do some of what you love to do today.  Don't try to "make time" or "take time" to do what you love; simply allow time for it. You deserve it!
6.  Allow yourSelf to notice what you really "hate" to do - then do it anyway from time to time, with as much love as you can muster.
You'll be surprised what gifts this "hate" has for you, if you'll welcome it instead of trying to push it away. 
7.  Allow yourSelf to "fail" the tests and temptations occasionally.
There will always be tests. Some you'll pass with flying colors; some you'll think you failed miserably. But the Good News is that these are "open book tests," i.e. either you already know the answers, or they're readily available if you'll allow yourself to stop, look and listen with your heart. (see Allowance #1...)
8.  Allow yourSelf to associate with other people who are doing what they love to do.
Birds of a feather succeed together! Do your best to give, buy or barter from people who are doing/selling what they truly love. You'll be amazed to discover how many people are eager to support you in doing what you love, when you consciously choose to support others in doing the same. Quality counts. Avoid buying stuff just because it's cheap or readily available.
9.  Allow it to be easy.  
By definition, living a purpose-full life of love, ease and abundance is easy. If what you're doing feels too hard, stop as soon as possible. Then just sit (or stand or lie still) for a few moments, listening for whatever is next for you to hear. You'll know the important stuff when you hear it. Then wait just a little while longer, till the feeling of struggle passes and is replaced with ease and well-being. Nobody said life would always feel fun - but, by and large, there's no reason why things can't feel peaceful.
10.  Allow yourSelf to enjoy the process of remembering your Path.  
It's important not to beat yourSelf up when you forget or lose your way. If you notice that you're off track, let yourSelf feel good about the fact that you've remembered. What you focus on expands -- so you might as well focus on feeling love, ease and abundance. Why not?

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