The Mistaken Mystic

There was a young mystic who thought he was weird. He sparkled in darkness; he had a grey beard. He whispered in poems; he listened in rhymes. His life was a mystery most if the time.

Then one day his sparkling saved a girl's life; his poems made cheerful an old hermit's strife. His grey beard was playground to fingers of babes and he felt his weirdness just slipping away.

Are you the mistaken mystic? Does your life touch more people and affect more situations than you know or give yourself credit for? Is it possible to measure your life from some not so standard standards?

For those who live life from the inner realms and less from the domain of accomplishment and success, it is tempting to take a stock of one's accomplishments through the lenses of the world's standards. The world's standards have some validity, but they are not the final record of accomplishment.

I suggest you write a Record of Accomplishment for your life. Don't record what you think of as your failures. You may, however, list things you've overcome, such as recovery from alcoholism. If you've learned from a mistake, then include it in your list, because when you learn from your mistakes, it then becomes an accomplishment. Here's a list of things to include in your life's record.

• Make a list of what you've accomplished in the physical world, such as degrees or learning to play the piano, ride a bicycle, act, math, spelling, calculus, etc. If you get creative and include things such as learning to talk and walk, you'll be surprised at your worldly accomplishments.

• Make a list of the places you traveled. Make a list of the times you've helped others.

• List the people who have passed through your life who left a lasting imprint on your soul. Notate how you prospered from or grew from that relationship.

• Find your own way of measuring your emotional growth. Be kind. List the ways you have changed emotionally through the years. What things used to send you through the roof and now don't bother you. How have you detached from drama?

• Make a list of your life skills. Have you learned to listen and give everyone time to speak? Have you learned to work for a team and not just for yourself?

• What life-supporting things have you done for your body, such as exercise, diet, and giving yourself sufficient rest? Be specific about the lengths you have gone to support your body.

If you do these steps, and measure your life from a holistic standard, you may find that your life has been and is just the way it should be. To trash yourself using your memories of failures or your judgment of yourself is emotional terrorism. It's time to be a mistaken mystic, not a failure. Revamping your life story is just one way to make your life easier. And remember the eight word miracle mantra; "Everything can be easy or at least easier."

Contemplate the "Re"s

Reflect, Renew, Revitalize, Refresh, Regroup, Realize, Restore, and Resource. By now, if you've read my newsletter for any length of time, you discovered my fascination with the power of words and the ability to learn directly from words through contemplation. When we work with contemplative practices, we train the mind to become quieter; slowing down the mind is a training process. Could you imagine having a gold medal for mind practices? The gold medal for compassion goes to the America team. The gold medal for being the most peaceful goes to the country of India. The medal for best mediator goes to ... you get the picture.

Words have energy and presence that tie us or point to the experience of which they speak. The word "love" is not the expression and experience of love, but the word can communicate something that lies beyond the word itself.

Contemplation of any word, coupled with awareness, awakens the living meaning of the word. Ponder the "re" words in the first paragraph one by one and experience the word as it is born in you. Focus on the area in the center of your upper chest.  Imagine there is a still pond in your chest and see a drop of water falling in the pond sending out circles. See each drop as a word. See the word "reflect' drop in the pond. Go slowly. Monitor your body and continue to let go at deeper levels. Do this five times and then go to the next word.

This will take about 20 minutes. When you are complete, write down any impressions you may have about any of the words. It is astounding what bubbles up when we intentionally focus and still the mind.

A rested mind is a competent mind. When the mind is rested, it is more resourceful, it has direct access to wisdom, and it handles challenges in more creative ways. And when the mind is rested you will find that "Everything can be easy or at least easier."