Articles / Believing / Choices / Emotions / Negativity / Positive Thoughts

One Step Backward. Two Steps Forward – Chris Cade

by Chris Cade "There actually are great spiritual secrets. They exist. The thing about spiritual secrets is that you can tell them openly. Because the ability to understand something and then the power to integrate into your life are two very different things." - Guy Finley As people on the path of conscious living, we almost always have a gap between what we know and how we live. That's not a bad thing. It's just that living 100% of what we believe to be true is difficult because there's so many subconscious barriers to doing it. We might live 75% of what we know on one day. Then life challenges shift us closer to 50%. Then we do some inner work, and it bounces up to 80%. And this process continues. This kind of "two steps forward one step back" is fundamental on the path of conscious living. On one hand, we can punish ourselves emotionally for not doing what we "know" is right. That's the Inner Critic taking its hold on us. Telling us we "know better" and "should do better." On the other hand, we can accept our humanity and recognize that each step "back" is an opportunity to…

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February 6, 2012
Abundance / Articles / Choices / Dreams / Emotions / Happiness / Meditation / Possibilities

But That’s Not Spiritual – Chris Cade

by Chris Cade I can't count the number of times in the past that I've thought to myself something wasn't "spiritual." In my case, a lot of it had to do with work and not getting enough sleep. I didn't think that working could be spiritual (after all, it's just money, right?). When I had really bad sleep problems and insomnia, I didn't think sleep was "spiritual." Sleep was just another thing on the "to do" list in my already too-few-hours in a day.I thought my job was separate from my spiritual life. I thought that what I ate, how I ate it, and whether I exercised was physical (NOT SPIRITUAL).  I believed my friendships and relationships weren't spiritual. And the reason I thought those things weren't "spiritual" is because they didn't fit into my idea of what was spiritual. I only considered things like "meditation" or "seminars" or "workshops" to be spiritual. If I wasn't doing those things, then whatever I was doing was not "spiritual." I was always separating in my mind, heart, and in my life, what was spiritual from what was not. And whether we realize it or not (I didn't at the time), this kind of…

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February 2, 2012
Articles / Choices / Emotions

How Are You?

by Chris Cade That's an interesting question. This question is asked at least millions of times per day across the globe. Many times the question "How are you?" passes from employee to customer without even being noticed. Strangers might not even hear the question. Those who notice the question, most frequently answer with a commonly expected response: "Fine" or "Good." It's an automatic response that is avoids connection and/or potential confrontation. I know at least for me, there used to be a little voice in the back of my mind that said, "They don't REALLY care how I am. She was just being nice. It's her job at the store to ask those questions." Sometimes that was true. I could sense that the person didn't care. But that doesn't change the fact that a part of me was afraid to engage the other person. What did it matter? We'd only talk for 10 seconds anyway. Why bother being open and vulnerable? It wasn't until a few years ago that I decided to make my best conscious effort to answer "How are you?" honestly. Some days that means I'm wonderful, delighted, having a great day, or simply feeling well. Other days,…

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January 22, 2012
Articles / Choices / Emotions

The True Meaning of Patience

by Chris Cade Many people believe that being "patient" means that you're capable of waiting for something. The more patient you are, the longer you can wait... and you can even wait for "bigger" or "better" things. The most patient people appear calm even when they want something desperately. The dictionary defines patience like this: Capacity For Waiting: The ability to endure waiting, delay, or provocation without becoming annoyed or upset. But is this really patience? Perhaps for the general population, yes. I certainly used to think so. That is probably why so many people consider me a patient person. I have the capacity to delay gratification significantly when needed. I remain calm in extreme circumstances. I'm not certain that's real patience though. What if real patience is more personal? More immediate? More "in the now?" Here's how I would redefine patience: Capacity For Being: The ability to be in the present moment regardless of your circumstances. The difference between the two is interesting. The first and most commonly accepted definition focuses on the future. It assumes there is something "out there" that we are "waiting" for. In other words, trying to be patient requires always pulling our attention towards…

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January 14, 2012
Articles / Choices / Emotions / Opportunities / Possibilities

Old? Get Out! New? Bring it on!

by Chris Cade Or phrased another way, "Out with the old and in with the new." This is the mantra billions of people worldwide have been saying to them as the new year passed from 2011 to 2012. People have made resolutions to be different than they were. To lose weight, meditate more, save money, work harder, start a new business, start a new relationship, exercise more, judge others less, begin personal transformation programs, and so on and so forth. The list goes on. What I find interesting is how all this relates to forgiveness. Most people have the idea that forgiveness is something they give to another person. "I forgive you for hurting me" we might say to a friend or family member. But that's not true forgiveness. True forgiveness is "out with the old and in with the new." It is a letting go of what was to make space for what is. Real forgiveness is the opportunity to see what lies here and now without being clouded by the memories of the past. Put in financial terms: "Past performance does not predict the future." Don't get me wrong. I'm not saying to just discard memories. Forgetting means…

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January 6, 2012
Articles / Choices / Emotions

Exonerate – Chris Cade

by Chris Cade

Definition of “Exonerate:”
1. To free from blame.

2. To free from a responsibility, obligation, or task.

 

The first example is how it’s used in the common context of legal matters. An innocent man exonerated after the evidence proves his case. If a person is lucky, she’ll even be exonerated before she is even charged with a crime.

 

The second definition is quite interesting in the context of personal transformation. What does it mean to be “free from a responsibility, obligation, or task”?

 

Consider this…

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December 6, 2011
Articles / Choices / Emotions / Gratitude / Happiness

The Land of Truth

By Chris Cade

A certain man believed that the ordinary waking life, as people know it, could not possibly be complete. He sought the real Teacher of the Age. He read many books and joined many circles, and he heard the words and witnessed the deeds of one master after another. He carried out the commands and spiritual exercises which seemed to him to be most attractive.

He became elated with some of his experiences. At other times he was confused; and he had no idea at all of what his stage was, or where and when his search might end.

This man was reviewing his behavior one day when he suddenly found himself near the house of a certain sage of high repute. In the garden of that house, he encountered Khidr, the secret guide who shows the way to truth.
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November 11, 2011
Articles / Choices / Emotions / Opportunities / Possibilities

Shining the Light on a Broken Heart

by Chris Cade Yesterday I shared how pain is like a hardened shell around our hearts, and when that shell breaks, it doesn't literally break. It opens up that exterior to reveal the gifts and joy within. I also promised to share with you my thoughts about that from a "light" perspective.You might think of it this way... Frequently when in pain, we close our eyes. We cover them. We cower. We hide. We do whatever it takes to avoid feeling the pain. We're naturally pleasure-seeking-pain-avoiding creatures, so we instinctually do whatever it takes to make the pain go away. It's a survival mechanism, and when we were younger it was an important one. As a child, we didn't have the capacity to deal with pain. The way to get our needs met was by pleasing our caregivers, and it's a rare family where emotional pain was supported, embraced, and honored. Instead, most of us learned that pain had to be hidden if we were to get what we want. So we hid our pain. And we still do until we learn how to work with it differently. The perspective of light gives us that opportunity. The painful hardened shell…

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November 9, 2011
Articles / Believing / Choices / Happiness

Zombie Kids Like Turtles

by Chris Cade The other day I was curious about what the top YouTube videos are of all time. Mostly at the top is some combination of Justin Beiber and other popular singers... and a bunch of random videos. One video title caught my attention: "Zombie Kid Likes Turtles" So I watched it. It was a news clip. And was quickly reminded why I don't watch the news. Most news falls into two categories: Dumb and discouraging. Dumb is stuff like Zombie Kid Likes Turtles. It's when the filler in the news lacks any useful or emotional substance. It's arguably even an ineffective attempt at bringing some heart into the news. Calling it dumb isn't a judgment. Dumb news isn't necessarily good or bad. It's dumb because it lacks intelligence, substance, and even humor. Then there's the "discouraging." That's all the stuff we "think we have to keep up with" so we can "be prepared." Bad news. Murders. War. Bad economy. Corruption. Drugs. Natural disasters. Scandals. Affairs. Negative politics. The list goes on... And every moment you expose yourself to bad news, you are subconsciously reinforcing pain, negativity, and fear. Your mind subconsciously learns and believes: "This is how the…

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November 8, 2011
Articles / Choices / Emotions / Gratitude / Happiness / Opportunities / Possibilities

How to Solve Your Problems Pt 2 – Chris Cade

Last week I shared with you my perspectives on "How to Solve Your Problems," and I received some interesting feedback and questions. If you haven't yet had a chance to read that email, click here to read it on my blog. Today I thought I'd share how one of those interactions went on Facebook. Annette wrote... "What if the person or persons are toxic, blames everything on you, or is always criticising you (dumb, never be good for anything) or blaming (my problems are yours because you won't fix them or give me $). Is my perception of that wrong? If I view it differently what will happen? What about verbal abuse?" Those are interesting questions. Because we all are unique individuals with unique experiences, only you will know the real answers to those questions in your own life if you are able to completely view it differently (including both conscious and subconscious beliefs). One thing I have observed in my own experience... As I change, the relationships I have with others changes as well. Other people respond differently to my deeper sense of Strength, Courage, Willpower, Peace, Presence, Joy, Authenticity, and other qualities. Some people are melted by the…

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October 15, 2011