The Secret of Intuition

What is intuition?

It is not a thing of esoteric forces; no magic is involved; nothing supernatural; no elusive mystery of extra senses. Neither is it a bag of parlor trick illusions or smoke and mirrors.

Intuition is nothing more than the ability to see smaller things and draw finer connections from the raw matter of the world around you.

Indeed, intuition is micro-logic -- the kind of logic that is so fine-tuned in its pathways of semantic connections that it seems to escape the rest of your own much cruder macro-senses, and is thus mislabeled as irrelevant. Its basis is so refined that it appears invisible.

Logical subtlety is at the root of intuition -- subtlety armed with finely honed senses that you already possess.

It is an acquired skill. As such, it is a force to be reckoned with.

For intuition is a razor-sharp surgical tool for gauging truth.

Inspiration Around You

Inspiration is always nearby, everywhere around you.

It is you who must become a conductive rod, receptive to its lightning.

Evolving Love

With years, my need for love has changed.

I no longer yearn for the lover but for the saint. I am not drawn to beauty, but to kindness. I desire not sensuality but warmth.

My passion has become a passion for wisdom.

It Matters

It may seem as though whatever you do in your life does not matter on the great universal scale.

But in truth, you and I, we don’t live on a universal scale -- gods do.

And because we live and create on a small relative human scale, surrounded by things that are tiny and yet profound to us, they, the tiny things, do matter -- to us.

As they should.

All we are expected to do is try to achieve the greatest thing to which we can aspire on our own relatively tiny scale. We may exist in a fishbowl, but if we can imbue our small fishbowl with glory and wonder until it is full to the brim, then we have not lived in vain, since it takes an infinite number of the fishbowls to build up the universe.

It is good indeed that all things are relative, because this way we can strive at the level of our own kind, not more not less. It is only when we consider beyond our fishbowl that we may be thrown off kilter and begin to doubt ourselves and our purpose.

When such a thing happens, we must stop, take a deep breath, and again find our own true place, and ignore the grandness, the infinity of the universal scale all around us that may seem a mockery of our tiny selves. It is not -- it only seems that way to us because we are looking in a manner in which we should not be.

And as we take the grounding breath and resume our pursuits, we return to live to the utmost on our own scale.

An ant is not expected to move a mountain; an ant has no concept of a mountain, and no need to consider a mountain as a whole. And yet, an ant, which does not intend to move a mountain -- by moving tiny individual grains -- does.

Connected

If you believe that everything in the universe is connected, that there is a unifying grand design, and that the world is a tapestry of intertwined elements of one organic whole, then you must concede that your right to life, death, and the pursuit of happiness is not always strictly your own.

Have mercy on the ones you love and the ones who love you.

Be flexible.

Do not lose track of your self . . . and yet, know when to concede self to others.

The Heaviest Weight

The heaviest weight settles upon you when it is time to start something important. It's as if gravity has doubled suddenly, and you find yourself unable to move from the spot. You are transfixed by a combination of laziness, fear, procrastination, and just plain entropy.

This is none other than the weight of doubt -- the subtle evil thing that's making you question the worthiness, value, implications, and meaning of the act before you.

You know on some rational level this sensation of weight is only an illusion. And yet you tarry. . . .

It is for this reason that there is only one solution.

Before there's time to take another breath, quickly. . . just do it.

Personal Justice

You cannot be fair to others without first being fair to yourself.

Know that a well-honed sense of justice is a measure of personal experience, and all experience is a measure of self.

Know that the highest expression of justice is mercy.

Thus, as the supreme judge in your own court, you must have compassion for yourself.

Otherwise, cede your gavel.

Cycle of Joy and Pain

When there is only joy, you overload, and the emotion becomes meaningless.

When there is only pain, you become numb and once again, emotion recedes into meaninglessness.

When joy and pain randomly succeed each other in an unpredictable random progression, the result is true personal involvement — real life.

Irritation, Yours or Theirs

Irritation means one of two things -- you are unable to get though to the other person, or you are no longer willing to try.

Maybe you are tired of beating your head against the wall, or find your fount of emotional strength exhausted, or your words fail you. It is also possible that you already tried your eloquent best and the other person simply cannot or will not listen.

Recognize which it is, and then either renew your effort to communicate with better clarity or do what you can to get away from the source of irritation.

Don’t waste another minute.

Because perpetuating anyone's state of irritation -- including your own -- is as bad as letting a faucet perpetually run water.

Faith

Faith is so overrated.

It is also only a small part of the equation.

What good does it do if you and I believe in something when we don’t take advantage of the knowledge and understanding that this faith gives us in order to act for the greater good?

An example of misused faith, taken from the Judeo-Christian traditions -- Satan has great faith and believes in God.

Maybe it is better to love than to believe.

Act of Love

One who truly loves, takes responsibility for others, regardless of ability, cause, guilt, fault, or preference.

If you are not anyone's brother-keeper, then find someone closest to you who is in need and become one. You will not need to look far, since we all can use a helping heart -- for a hand alone will not do -- whether we admit it or not. So, go ahead, choose any one of us and then lighten our burden with subtlety.

See through us.

As the Rain

Rain beats against the world outside in torrential streams of sky water.

It washes away everything.

May our forgiveness do the same.

New Beginnings

The New Year is a reusable blank slate. No reservations or regrets. Every moment you can begin anew with passion.

Use the bouquet of moments well.

Creating the Next Step

When making resolutions, we feel optimistic and energized. It seems as if we've focused our immediate future into a single powerful beam of clarity, and shaped it, given it real tangible form.

Indeed, it is exactly what happens.

In the creation of each new concrete goal we create the rest of our life.

The Pucker-Up Test

Take this test:

Shape your lips into a kiss-pout. Go ahead, do it right now, regardless of whether you are alone or in a public place. Hold the pose for 5 seconds.

How did that make you feel?

Playful? Daring? Silly? Sexy? Empowered? Cool? Hot? Brazen? Wanting to whistle?

Whatever your reaction, take your pick.

And now, analyze what you chose. Because the result reflects your personal vulnerability.

Harsh Teacher

Why is it that things become painfully important only when we find them gone?

While the sun shines, we pay no attention. While we see color, hear music, feel the softness of cotton, taste the tang of a ripe apple, we ignore them and take them for granted.

While those we love are with us, alive, we don't consider the profundity of it.

Don't allow loss to be your harsh teacher.

Open your eyes and look around you now, and see.

The Stories

The story of your life and mine is told through words, but it is experienced through the senses.

So, how is it that words "dissolve" in the transformational barrier of our imagination and come out on the other end as smells, tastes, images, sounds and touches? What kind of mind magic is it that transports us from the perception of dead symbols to a participation in a vibrant living reality?

Well, it is not magic, but your own ability to connect to the rest of the world.

Without the willingness on our part to reach out and connect to others, stories would not exist. We would have no desire to participate in experiencing them, and hence in creating them.

We would not know them.

And you would not be reading this sentence.

Indeed, you would not be reading at all.

Terrifying, isn't it? Well, good thing you can imagine the scenario, because in the act of doing so you are negating it.

So relax, and read on.

The stories are all safe and waiting for you.

First Nourishment of the Day

For many of us it is a quickly snatched hot cup of coffee or tea, and maybe a portable energy bar or a breakfast sandwich wrapped in foil and received from a fast food window.

As we consume it -- liquid or solid, hot or lukewarm or cold -- we pay it only a smidgeon of our attention. Maybe the heat briefly scalds the mouth as we rush to swallow, or the familiar flavor strikes the taste buds with "eggness," or "cerealness" or any number of other well-known things we consume all our lives.

The rest of our attention is on the world around us -- whether it is the road as we hold the wheel, or the work on the computer screen in our office. And thus we rush to swallow, to chew, to blandly fill ourselves.

The first nourishment of the day, the energy that will power and drive us, is taken in without awareness, or appreciation.

It is a pity. Because if we took the proper time to focus upon it, it would do us more tangible good.

Warmth of the Moment

The cold stands outside and beyond, but you are wrapped in a cocoon of warmth.

It is your home. No matter if it is only a home of the moment.

Cherish it.

Marriage of Elegance and Grace

What is the difference between "elegance" and "grace?" Both notions are rich with fine nuances of meaning.

Elegance suggests smooth secular style, while grace hints at spiritual, even religious finesse.

During the holidays, may your spirit be elegant and your state of grace be achieved in high style.