This film was passed to me by Dena, of Reconnect Coaching.

ONE The Movie is an amateur film documentary made in 2002, that explores the concept that, ‘we are all one.’ What it lacks in glitz and box-office marketability it makes up for in truth, heart and authenticity. It is perhaps more about the film-makers’ journey, as they listen to and follow their internal guidance and their sharing of that experience with us, than it is about the completed work itself. In 2009 there is a little more glitz as you can see in the official site for ‘One The Project.’

What encouraged some of the world’s renowned spiritual leaders to participate in this film? (Thich Nhat Hanh, Father Thomas Keating, Robert Thurman, Deepak Chopra, Ram Dass….) Was it something in the energy vibration of the idea of oneness? Was it the compassion that rises up through the differences that come through the various messages? On the flip side I was intrigued to hear extraordinary wisdom being spoken by some ordinary people. As well I was fascinated to experience my reaction to various speakers as I contemplated the idea of ‘Oneness.’ With some I did not like the words of reaction and violence they spoke and at the same time I felt a human connection with them that I doubt I would have felt in a different context.

It is 80 minutes long. For me worth the time. If you take the time to watch. Let me know what about the film inspires you, or turns you off. What experience of yourself do you have as you watch?

Have a happy, happy day! If you think a friend might be interested in this article please pass on the url. If you want to be on my email list let me know (djmclean@inflowservices.com) or set up an RSS feed.

I am amazed at how even a very little quiet time, and communing with others’ work can inspire creativity in me.

Below is the short poem that came to me in the shower after trolling through We’Moon ‘09, Gaia Rhythms for Womyn,
a publication by Mother Tongue Ink. This was a lovely Christmas present from a dear friend. It is a 2009 day-journal filled with a compilation of art and writing by women of vision who are bringing the light.

Here is the poem:

Words of Wisdom everywhere,


and none to touch the soul,


till through the truth of experience,


our depths we come to know.

This really speaks to the feeling that has overtaken me repeatedly in the last five years. The feeling that everything I’ve read or experienced from different spiritual traditions has the same essence and passion, just with different language and labels. My journey of incorporating this wisdom has brought me to meditation. Specifically, Kriya Yoga Mediation (Paramahansa Yogananda lineage with Swami Shree Yogi Satyam.)

Here I have found the reason all my external searching has not manifested in great change for me, even though I have been progressing little by little. I have attended the seminars, bought the books and audios, worked through the material and the workbooks. We might say, “I am not diligent enough, I am not applying the learning correctly, I don’t have clear enough intention, I don’t want it enough, I am in some way not good enough.” But, I don’t think that is it for me - or for you. I feel deeply that I have been looking in the wrong place.

The answers are not ‘out there’, no one can tell me. No one can do it for me. I need to experience the truth of the wisdom words for myself - on my meditation seat and in my life. In my life is the deeper work of mediation. This is where my real practice is.

“What truth is my experience revealing to me?”

Coming to know our truth through our inner exploration of our depths is the turn-key to shift from being a ’seeker’ to being a ‘finder’ of truth. I don’t want to be a seekers’ guide in my coaching, I want to be a finders’ guide.

My wish for you, for 2009 - may it be a year of experience and truth-finding.

Have a happy, happy day!

If you think a friend might be interested in this article please pass on the url. If you want to be on my email list let me know (djmclean@inflowservices.com) or set up an RSS feed.

We have been taught and encouraged all our lives to strive, to reach our potential beyond where we are now, to be the best we can be, to do more, to be more, to be less - to essentially be different than what we are.

There in, to my mind, lies the seed of our dissatisfaction and stress, which are the foundation of our harried lives. The Christmas Season with all the parties, and deadlines, and ‘todo’ lists, ups anti and we feel like we are playing a losing hand. Christmas will come and go, and again we will have failed to get ‘it’ all done in time.

As we look to 2009, what if…..?

What if instead of planning to:

Grab it and grow,

Aspire to be our best selves

Set goals

Create winning strategizes

Create a life that we love…..

What if we practice accepting and loving our ’self’ just as we are in this moment? Even that ’self’ when it has lots of stories, drama, judgements and disatisfactions. What if we practice holding ourselves in love, just as we are, instead of wanting to be, do or have something we are not experiencing right now?

What if we accept this ’self’ just as we are, even for just one breath? One conscious breath.

I don’t mean do nothing, rather do with love, loyalty, and enthusiasm. Do with an open heart and acceptance of self with all our ’stuff’. Do with non-judgement. Do without labeling good or bad. Act from a place of love instead of place of fear. This centered place has a power, which we humans are just starting to comprehend.

My hypothesis is that self-love and self-acceptance, moment by moment, is the ‘rosetta stone’, the critical key to the translation of the seemingly difficult problem of human happiness. Self-love and self-acceptance appear to melt away the facade self and lets the true amazing self shine through - hence the supposed contradiction, “We are what we seek.”

Accepting ourselves without judgement, just as we are, seems to magically change our road from uphill to downhill as we begin to show up in our lives as our best selves more often.

Experiment. Be a scientist in the laboratory of your life. Practice self-acceptance and love and notice the changes. Changes in how you feel and in how you feel you are treated by others. Notice the changes in your relationships. Notice if you experience more ease, if things seem to flow. Life is change. Change is life. Hold each with love and it changes again. It is subtle. It is not what we think. It is neither more or less. It just is. Start with you. Try this:

When you find yourself - stressed, worried, anxious, frustrated, angry - in traffic, in lineups, with people and things and weather that don’t behave the way you want them to - take a breath. Then acknowledge what is happening. Say to yourself, “Although ____________ is happening and I feel ___________, I truly and deeply love and accept myself just as I am.”

What do you notice?

How is your experience of self different?

What might another breath do?

Love and acceptance. Isn’t this the message of enlightenment? Isn’t this the essence of Christmas?

Love, light and best wishes for a Very Merry Christmas and Loving 2009!

Have a happy, happy day!
If you think a friend might be interested in this article please pass on the url.

If you want to be on my email list let me know or set up an RSS feed.

Some of you may have heard me talking about Trina and her work. That is Dr. Trina Read - sexologist, sex coach, speaker and writer. She is a lovely person, a busy mom and knows lots of stuff! ;->

Check out her site and her new book Till Sex Do Us Part: Make Your Married Sex Irresistible

She is running a great promotion - when you pre-order her from Amazon before January 7th, you’ll receive $500 (yes $500) in really great free product.

Enjoy! Happy, happy day!

As always comments are welcome. Your wisdom makes for better reading on the site.

If you think a friend might be interested in this article please pass on the url.
If you want to be on my email list let me know (djmclean@inflowservices.com) or set up an RSS feed.

In his book Love Is the Killer App: How to Win Business and Influence Friends, Tim Sanders articulates what I feel about business, “Pay it forward with the intention of being in service and be alert to all the ways the Law of Attraction shows up on your doorstep with opportunities ripe for the picking.” Sanders evangelizes the value of shared knowledge, the power of personal networks, and the karma of human compassion. All this is for the purpose of helping people succeed by ‘showing love.’ In helping others we build ourselves as an outstanding brand - marketing advise that will create winners in any setting. Sanders weaves universal truth, personal observation and sound-bites from some of today’s best business thinkers. At 194 pages I found it a fast, value packed read.
As always comments are welcome. Your wisdom makes for better reading on the site.

Have a happy, happy day!

If you think a friend might be interested in this article please pass on the url.
If you want to be on my email list let me know (djmclean@inflowservices.com) or set up an RSS feed.

This Upstream TV video of GoodGuide was referenced on a tweet. Awesome video and concept!

GoodGuide is a product database that rates consumer products on many factors including: Health Performance, Environmental Performance and Social Performance. GoodGuide then gives an overall rating out of 10 based on a proprietary algorithm.

Live Broadcast by Ustream.TV

Check out the GoodGuide site. Also read the TechCrunch post about GoodGuide.

I am very impressed with the idea and the huge amount of work that has gone into the data collection to date. I wandered around the site looking for some of the products I use for Kathryn (4.5 years old) to help prevent her eczema breakouts.

George’s Cream - It was not listed so I sent GoodGuide a note with the George’s website to ask them to include George’s in their research and postings.

Neutrogena Sensative Skin Sun screen - not found, but Neutorgena Sunblock Lotion, SPF 30 was. Its rating was Good-7.4 out of 10. This overall was made up from an Excellent-9.7 out of 10 for Health Performance, Good-6.2 out of 10 for Environmental Performance and Good-6.4 out of 10 for Social Performance.

Ombrelle Sunscreen Lotion, SPF 30 by L’Oreal SA - found and given Good-6.5 out of 10 rating. This rating was based on Environment and Social Performance _only_. There is _no_ Health Performance information at all.

Also I noticed when I searched the category Sun Care, I got only 10 results. None of which was Neutrogena or Ombrelle products that I clearly know are in the database. So I submitted a note to their “Found a bug? Let us know here” link.

Huggies Natural Care Baby Wipes, Unscented, by Kimberly-Clark Corporation. Its rating was Good-7.6 out of 10. This overall was made up from an Excellent-9.6 out of 10 for Health Performance, Good-7.1 out of 10 for Environmental Performance and Good-6.1 out of 10 for Social Performance. I wanted to see what made up that Excellent-9.6 out of 10 for Health Performance. It looked good as I started reading 10 out of 10 for Reproductive and Developmental Effects, Cancer Effects, Long-Term and Short-Term Health Effects. The ratings dropped to Good-7.9 out of 10 for General Health and Safety. That seemed odd to me given the glowing 10 out of 10 for the previous specific health factors.

“I wondered, how can a product get ‘Excellent-10 out of 10′ on some key specific health factors and then drop to ‘Good’ for General Health and Safety?”

Looking yet another layer deeper I found that the scores on the two “Certifications and Listings” categories were only Fair: ‘Safety Score’ was Fair-6 out of 10; and ‘Found Safe As Used’ was Fair-5.7 out of 10. Clearly there is a weighting system in play. However, the mom in me was very concerned about seeing such low scores for ‘Saftey’ sections and the product still ending up with a Excellent-9.6 out of 10 for Health Performance. I posted my concern and question to GoodGuide in a search for clarity.

OK I am a mom and the hierchy of needs for the mom in me is: #1 Is my kid safe?; #2 Are your kids safe?; #3 Are other people and the world safe?

I know this is not very spiritually enlightened of me to put my kid first. At some level of me I know all are one. I am still very ego attached to my kid. ;-> For the moment this is the way I am. I know too this will change - I will be able to learn to love unconditionally without ego attachment. (I will keep practicing my Kriya Yoga meditation.)

In the mean time:

-GoodGuide is a great idea, awesome first wave, needs even more data for consistent information between products.

-GoodGuide seems to be very customer driven, open to information and feedback.

-We can help. Go to the site search for products that are most important to you and your family and communicate with GoodGuide. Is the product listed? What level of information is available? Does it make sense to you? Tell GoodGuide your experiences. I believe it can only make this site and tool better for all of us.

I have not seen any feedback from GoodGuide to my suggestions and questions. If and when I do I will repost and let you know.

Enjoy! Happy, happy day!

As always comments are welcome. Your wisdom makes for better reading on the site.

If you think a friend might be interested in this article please pass on the url.
If you want to be on my email list let me know (djmclean@inflowservices.com) or set up an RSS feed.

“Truth is in the experience not in the description.” I have heard this said many, many times by my Kriya yoga meditation teacher. I do not know if it is original or a quote. It doesn’t matter it resounds with me ever time I hear it, every time I think it. It is one of those zen things that is way deeper and multilayered than it first appears.

Love is like that - way deeper and multilayered than it first appears.

Love is:

gentle; kind, compassionate; willing; experimentation; practice; devotion; doing again, and again, and again without expectation of getting something or getting rid of something; presence to this breath; presence to this life; intent to learn; not fear; in the experience, in the experience of pain, in the experience of joy, in the experience of the moment; connection.

We humans seem to feel the deepest connection with self and with each other in our experiences of deepest joy and in our experiences of deepest pain.

I read an article recently in Glamour magazine while waiting for Kathryn to finish her clay class. It was by Eve Ensler. Do you remember her? Celebrated playwright. Creator of the Vagina Monologues.

Well she has certainly taken it to the next level. She takes us past our comfort zone. She takes us where most of us would not go alone or without guidance. She takes us to a world of deep love born of deep suffering. The article is, Women left for dead–and the man who’s saving them.

It is painful, provocative, moving. It is seeping, oozing and sticky with love.

Love is not only in beauty. It is also in the ugly. Love is everywhere. Love is in all things. The trick is can we see it. Often we can feel it way before we can see it. This is my experience. I feel before I see, then I struggle to translate those feelings into words - an ineffectual attempt to communicate to another human being. An attempt to connect.

This is my experience of love - feeling, connecting, again and again, coming to know my self more and more in the process of knowing others.

Love too, like truth, seems to be in the experience not the description. Perhaps love is truth. What’s love got to do with it? Perhaps everything. Maybe it is not the second hand emotion Tina Turner sang about in 1984. Maybe I am not as cynical as I was in 1984.

What is your experience of love?

What is your experience of truth?

Enjoy! Happy, happy day!

As always comments are welcome. Your wisdom makes for better reading on the site.

If you think a friend might be interested in this article please pass on the url. If you want to be on my email list let me know (djmclean@inflowservices.com) or set up an RSS feed.

Mike sent me this pretty interesting article in Scientific American by Carol S.Dweck, “The Secret of Raising Smart Kids.” He thinks it is a good read and there is nothing really surprising in it.

‘Nothing really surprising’ translates as common sense to me. Common sense, in my experience and the experience of lots of other people, is not all that common. It is right up there with all the things we say ‘we know’, the things we ‘know we should do’ and the things we ‘want to do.’ Often many of these things we are not actually putting into practice or doing.

Why?

Resistance.

We are in resistance to doing what we know or what we want. Resistance is subtle. It is, more often than not, at a less than conscious belief level. We actually don’t want to, or we are attached to the pay-off we get for staying just as we are.

Reminders help us refocus.

This article is a great reminder. It focuses on educating our kids, yet I suspect these principles would work with adults too.

Enjoy! Happy, happy day!

As always comments are welcome. Your wisdom makes for better reading on the site.

If you think a friend might be interested in this article please pass on the url. If you want to be on my email list let me know (djmclean@inflowservices.com) or set up an RSS feed.

I have been having quite a lot of fun connecting with people through FaceBook.

One delightful application is ‘My Question’ wherein you can pose a question that your friends and network may choose to answer if they wish.

Beata’s question was: If you saw a UFO would you tell anyone?

My answer (blogged due to character restraints - this is why I do not Twitter - I seem to need a lot of writing to process myself down to the essence of my point - this is also why I am in favour of journaling):

Question: If you saw a UFO would you tell anyone?

Answer: Hell ya! Only special people get to see UFOs. For example it is only my nearest and dearest who get to see my Thanksgiving turkey - Ugly Fowl Offering.

Oh, oh, you meant Unidentified Flying Object, which is just that UNIDENTIFIED. UFO is also, known as ‘flying saucer’, which by my dictionary is a UFO described as being Saucer Shaped.

So why is there social stigma around UFOs or Flying Saucers? (If there were no social stigma, there would be no reason to not tell.) What is it about “Unidentified” and “Saucer Shaped” that is freaking us out?

What does social stigma mean anyway? According to Merriem-Webster online, ‘stigma’ means; “a mark of shame or discredit.” And ‘social’ means; “of or relating to the welfare of human beings as members of society.” OK I think the issue arises with the meaning of ‘social’, specifically the word ‘welfare’, which is defined as; “the state of doing well especially in respect to good fortune, happiness, well-being, or prosperity.” Hmmm any feelings coming up for you of wanting to protect your “good fortune, happiness, well-being, or prosperity?” There is for me. I want to protect my good fortune, happiness, well-being, and prosperity.

What I know to be true is that, as soon as I shift to a an intent to protect I have moved into a space of fear – fear of loss in this case. Further, the word ‘unidentified’, really means not identified.

To me the real crux of the issue is the ‘un’ part, the ‘not’ part. Unidentified implies not known. As a general statement we human beings are scared spitless of the unknown. Unknown makes us feel unsafe. What do we do when we feel unsafe? We tend to have an overwhelming desire to protect. Bare with me as I repeat. What I know to be true is that, as soon as I shift to a an intent to protect I have moved into a space of fear. (Let me say here that my knowing my truth does not preclude, in my mind anyway, you from knowing your truth, which may well be different than mine.)

To my mind and heart fear is the opposite to love. Intent to protect and its opposite intent to learn are terms I took away from my work with theInner Bonding process. (If you check out their site, don’t miss their tag line, “Grace through Growth.” I just love it. To me grace is unconditional love warmed by the breath of the divine.)

I find both pairs of opposites (love:fear, intent to learn:intent to protect) applicable to life in general. I use them as reference points. I check in with my feelings and behaviours. Where am I in this moment? Am I coming from a place of love or fear? Am I in an intent to learn or an intent to protect. The forced choice of the pairs helps me identify what is going on for me in my world and so reduces my anxiety. (Oh come on people, like none of you experience anxiety. ;->)

I further find opportunity to learn about another from peeling back the layers of why we would do what we do. A great book of the same name Why We Do What We Do - four pathways to your authentic self describes eight patterns of behaviour from the perspective of inner family archetypes. It is a delicious mix of family myths and practical tools to engage and integrate the less dominate parts of our personality. To nurture, if you will, our psychological wounds. As always I am excited to share that the co-author of this book, Caroline Hanstke, a veteran psychologist, runs a practice in Calgary. If you are wondering, I am a Boy-Girl. That is boy in my thinking, girl in my feeling, mother in my spiritual space and father in my unconscious or shadow (to use a Jungian term.) No real surprises in that for me, yet the perspective derived from the mythology has been deeply insightful.

I believe also, that fear is what drives us to be less than truthful with ourselves and with others. For a truly marvelous, insightful and textured look at truth-telling please see Herriet G. Lerner’s, The Dance of Deception. Her entire “Dance” series is worth reading.

I digress. It is my habit. Today I am accepting of this habit within me.

So back to UFOs. I would say it is fear that makes some of us fussed about UFOs and/or Flying Saucers. Fear is what would keep us from telling if we saw a UFO. If I saw a UFO would I tell anyone? Hell ya! Only special people get to see UFOs. The aliens are only interested in the best-of-the-best. ;->

Happy, happy day!

As always comments are welcome. Your wisdom makes for better reading on the site.

If you think a friend might be interested in this article please pass on the url. If you want to be on my email list let me know (djmclean@inflowservices.com) or set up an RSS feed.

Wow it is that season again. As my dear friend Deb used to call it, the “Silly Season”, mostly because most of us become so silly with, running around and buying and baking and generally making ourselves a little crazier than usual when the whole point really is to relax, be kind, be generous and to love.

We fail to direct much if any of all this good stuff; relaxing, kindness, generosity and love, toward ourselves.

So let’s all be good to ourselves. Here is a recipe of Deb’s that is ridiculously easy, (buy pre-made tart shells!) Share if you choose or just put your feet up and enjoy. I know best intentions, just buy enough supplies when you are at the store for two batches.

Deb’s Best Ever Butter Tarts

24 large unbaked Tenderflake tart shells. Oven 350 degree F.

3 eggs
1 cup corn syrup
2/3 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup melted butter
1 tsp vanilla
1 cup raisins
Optional : 1/4 cup walnuts or pecans

Beat the eggs until frothy, add syrup, sugar, melted butter & vanilla. Mix well.
Place a few raisins into the bottom of each tart shell, ladle in egg mixture.
Bake 350 - 375 F 20 to 25 min.

DJ’s Note: I use Demerara sugar, think it makes a richer taste, ya like I know you need “richer” in a butter tart. ;->

DJ’s Note: I just made these and used a 350 degree F. oven and about 30 minutes - point is first time watch em till you know what your oven does.

DJ’s Note: Don’t forget the brown sugar!

DJ’s Note: It is possible to pour all the goo out of 24 tart shells back into your bowl, add the brown sugar, mix, re-ladle, bake and end up with perfect tarts with no one being the wiser. Oh! Oops! ;->

DJ’s Note: I hear coconut is yummy!

A big thank you to Sandra, Christine & Kay (you know who you are) who found Deb’s recipe for me since I have misplaced my copy.

Happy, happy day!