Auld Lang Syne

Grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change,

The courage to change the things I can,

and the wisdom to know the difference.

-The Serenity Prayer

Grant me the serenity to accept the people I cannot change,

the courage to change the people I can,

and the wisdom to know it's me.

-The Serenity Prayer Revised

Ken likes to say that the work we do on ourselves,

whether it's psychological or spiritual, is not

meant to get rid of the waves in the ocean of life

but for us to learn how to surf.

-Treya Wilber, quoted in "Grace and Grit" by Ken Wilber

The New Year looms, and a multitude of irritable, recently declared non-smokers are about to be unleashed on an unsuspecting world.

I too, thrill to the siren's call of new beginnings. There is the temptation to create a program of self-improvement for 2006. But...

In the past I have initiated numerous 'regimes,' all of which shared a pathetically short life span. Some focused on the physical, some on the mental, but each one was ultimately an attempt to jumpstart and expand my spirit. Again, but...

Perhaps I should begin with the spirit and let the regimes follow (or not) of their own accord. This approach begs the question, how does one 'begin with spirit?'

What comes to mind, somewhat arbitrarily, is the cultivation of awareness, acceptance and creativity.

I would like to give myself an ongoing wake-up call, and I use the term 'awake' in a Gurdjieffian sense. A sustained effort not to fall into the slumbers of automatic responses, and the clarity of will to avoid tranquilization by the superficial. Pervasive in my daily life I want to remember what it is I'm doing here, even if what I'm doing is simply trying to figure out what I'm doing.

Then, as a complementary process, comes acceptance. I believe it is most rewarding (and certainly most real) to accept myself as I am. I want to look carefully at those things which bother or hinder me, but do not want to sweep them quickly under the carpet or avoid them completely. Then, if desired, I can act either to change those things or to alter the way in which I percieve them. If I attempt change without first having a centered awareness and acceptance, I run the risk of reacting instead of acting. This avoidance-based response often leads deeper into the mire.

Awake. Aware. Accepting. My personal Triple-A-Club. I could do worse in the selection of a mantra and a reminder. It is a touchstone to use as a foundation amidst the abstractions of intellect, habitual reality-tunnels, and the pain/risk/uncertainties that often accompany soul-level change.

Creation. Within the admitted limitations of my knowledge, I have found paradigms to be arbitrary and subject to change. Given this, I would hope to create an optimum world-view for myself. I am not trying to construct a vision of absolutes. It is too common to become trapped in perspectives which should have been temporary explorations or reactions.

Perhaps what I wish to do is create a lifeboat perspective: An RV paradigm. Something which I can climb into when I leave where I've been, but haven't yet arrived at where I'm going. This had better be a comfortable RV, because I spend considerable time in this space.

Bottom-line though, I believe that if I do not consciously and ongoingly create my own vision, then the world will assign me one by default.

So for now: Slow down enough in my interactions with others and with life itself so that I can take stock of what is occurring. Accept that which is not in my power or place to alter; death, aging, external events and the choices of others. At the same time, call forth the courage and perseverence to create the life I would choose for myself. Use humour. Use love. Be open to guidance in whatever form it presents itself.

These concepts are not new to me, nor are they undeveloped. However, as is often the case with core truths, there are limits to be passed beyond and deeper levels to be experienced. I frequently feel as though I am at a crossroads, with the path of personal growth and spiritual evolution as a choice to be made. But maybe this threshold of transformation is continually present, needing only my own consciousness to percieve it. The former Brittish Prime Minister, Harold MacMillan, said, "It is of course a trite observation to say that we live in a 'period of transition.' Many people have said this at many times. Adam may well have made the remark to Eve on leaving the Garden of Eden."

Awake, aware and accepting... I shall see where it goes, and where I take it, from here.

Happy New Year, all.

Namaste,

Greg

P.S. For a (what I found) interesting translation of the word 'Bangkok,' click on to www.coolworks.com/blog/greg.