the time to nurture the world is NOW

May 2, 2012May 2, 2012Leave a comment

I’m writing an ebook!

“Nurturing Self, Nurturing Others”

the time to nurture the world is NOW

This post is an excerpt where I’m discussing how to the third of the only 3 Non-Rules needed to raise kids (from my years of spiritual stepparenting, being Angel Mom). But first, here are the three in case you need to start working with them in your own situation. They work!

#1 Non-Rule: See God in Each Other

#2 Non-Rule: Listen and Do

#3 Non-Rule: Hands, Feet, Mouth and Words to your own Self

We could summarize how to take thethirdNon-Rule into the world by saying:

“Do unto others as you would have them do unto you” — practicing the Golden Rule, in other words.

How can we say it any better? I don’t think there’s a better way that what the Golden Rule so succinctly states. In all the world religions there is a version of the Golden Rule, Stated either in its negative or positive fashion.

Because this is already a well known adage, and most people believe they live according to the Golden Rule anyway (or would like to think they do) that’s why we urge everyone, young or old, religious or non-affiliated, agnostic or atheist, faith-based or no faith, or trust only in science and intellectual proof of your personal beliefs, people from all walks of life, all ways of living, and from all the corners of the globe—we invite everyone to:

Sign the Charter for Compassion and Live Compassionately!

Get involved in this international grassroots movement (begun in 2008 by a joint venture of many international sources) that promotes the universal, non-political, non-religious understanding of how we can apply the Golden Rule to modern life, no matter where you live, no matter by what standards you live, we can change the world—right here, right now.

Visit the Charter for Compassion’s website and COMMIT to living compassionately. The Charter will be explored in more depth later in our discussion on nurturing.

we all THINK we live compassionately -- but do we, really?

Of course kids look at our behavior all the time, relying on signals and unspoken communications as well as directly spoken messages for how they ought to behave right now, to get clues about how to act later, when they grow up.

When you extend your love and compassion beyond your immediate family, by helping others less fortunate than yourself in any way you can, you teach an indelible lesson to your child(ren).

By refraining from judging others, bad-mouthing others’ behavior, complaining and/or whining about the state of the world affairs, or your neighbor’s weird lawn ornaments, and instead, get into doing and thinking about positive acts toward making our world a better place—this is not only the best way to teach your ward(s) that life is more than just about your own little life, your family, your familiar environment … but about all of humankind everywhere. The entire planet, including the living organism known as Mother Earth. A truly involved and evolved (spiritually enlightened) person cares about the fate of the entire world.

You, as an adult who lives in human society, may not need the “hands, feet” part of this helpful hint of how to nurture. But keeping your thoughts and words positive and uplifting, you feed the solution of our world’s problems rather than add to the burden of our world’s already overwhelming challenges in the years and decades ahead. This how each of us can apply this important Non-Rule to everyday life outside the raising of child(ren) or the uplifting of our own Self.

Remember that everything you say, or think for that matter, sends energy out into the world. Your words and thoughts are symbolic seeds of your intentions.

If you speak negatively, you are adding to the world’s dilemma. If you train yourself to speak positively, and learn to meditate, thereby gaining the ability to re-train your thinking to focus on positive, uplifting things—you are doing yourSelf a great service, giving your child(ren) a terrific boost to their self-esteem and starting them off on the right foot to becoming helpful citizens of the world—and, lastly, you’re helping the future of the entire world.

Everything counts! Every thought, word and deed, adds up!

Keep your words as positive as possible. They are a reflection of the state your mind is in.

Nurturing yourSelf … why, when, how

April 12, 2012April 12, 2012Leave a comment

nurturing Self, nurturing Others--then nurture the World

In the process of nurturing, many positive patterns are developed in a human being. Think of the much-loved infant that gets constantly cuddled and adored, surrounded by smiling faces and constant attention. This is the kind of support you will be giving yourself, and anyone else you choose to nurture, when you have chosen to embrace first self-development, then helping others, and finally reaching out to do global nurturing of all kinds. All three of these kinds of acts, nurturing yourSelf, nurturing others, and nurturing the entire world, are inextricably linked. You can’t practice one without eventually practicing the other. You may, however, focus entirely on nurturing your own SELF first, if you wish. Especially if you think that previously in your life, you have been lacking in this area and are ready to change.

As an aside, I’d like to explain why I use the capital letter “S” to write Self, because I do that purposely. The small “s” self for purposes of our discussion here is regarded as the emblem of a person who lives predominantly from their lower consciousness, sometimes called programming or the ego. Ego is okay in small doses, for without it we would not be who we are. But we need to develop a healthy ego in order to develop into mature individuals. That part of every human being’s personality that psychologists and philosophers call ego, must adjust to the greater good in order to grow into a healthy, spiritually fit, emotionally balanced adult. So for the purpose of our differentiating the spiritually-developed Self from a person’s not-yet awakened consciousness, still immersed in ego and referred to as “self”, the spiritually and emotionally healthy individual in our discussion is refer to as having a healthy “Self.”

The awakening of this Self that resides within us all is what we shall accomplish in our journey here. Together we’ll discover a way to live from our Higher Self and cast aside the old, never-fulfilling, always-painfully lacking smaller, lesser self.

By the way, it’s the lower self that tells us to eat too much, drink too much, take unnecessary drugs, gamble without control, shop as an addiction, and all other negative habits that serve only to numb our pain. Whereas it’s our Higher Self that’s the part of us that says, “Hey! It’s only life! Lighten up! Focus on the positive, let go of the negatives. It’s all about choices, sweetheart.” Each one of us has both aspects, lower self and higher Self. Which voice we choose to listen to, or let rule our lives, and becoming the predominant part of you, and each of us—is entirely own choice.

That positive, fun-filled inner voice is the Higher Self that resides within every human heart. The lower self is the part of you that says, “This is all hog wash. Don’t believe it. Life ain’t that uncomplicated, asshole!”

It’s true. We humans, most of us, don’t like change. And nurturing certainly takes effort. Great effort. We are faced with changing negative traits into better ones for adults, and guiding children, or others, for those of us who find ourselves in that role. If we are among the many who are, or were once addicted to feeling bad-sad-mad, we often resist the concept that every person has the choice to feel good—or not. Some people simply don’t want to believe that by choosing to change we can claim our birthright. Others kid themselves that happiness is illusory, or false, or a drawback to life rather than a respectable, attainable asset.

Whichever type of person you are, whether you’re someone who’s scared, or disbelieving, or addicted to change or someone who’s just plain stubborn about changing, lazy, or a non-believer of the greater possibilities positive-change rewards us with—sooner or later something happens in life that makes all of us want to be different than what we have been up to now.

(excerpted from “Nurturing Self, Nurturing Others” SOON to be available as an ebook. Check back for publishing date!)