Awakened Man's World

Bloodletting or Spirited Ride to the Stars?

2011-04-08T03:46:00.001-07:00

Someone told me recently to just let my words bleed out on the page -- as if that was a good and practical thing (admittedly I was working on a piece-for-hire that I had negligible interest in writing at the time.).

The idea left me with images of me lying in a pool of swollen and red words, sentences tattered from emotion, and a completed piece bereft of life. "He was a good author," someone would say, "It's too bad it had to end this way."

Really? Should I bleed out on a page? Or should I find the right vehicle, the write platform for my words? So that instead of needing a bloodletting, the words would effortlessly sparkle out of me and carry me to the stars?

Bloodletting or a spirited ride to the stars?

Is there really anything to think about?

I think that finding the right vehicle for life -- whether we're writers or mathematicians or beauticians or computer programmers -- is the most important task we have. It's easy to find a niche or group of like-minded people; we do that by getting jobs all the time. And because it's a job and we're getting paid, then we have it all. But all we really have is a niche.

How often did or do you find yourself just dying to get out of bed so you can go to your niche? Be with the people who do what you do? Last year, a CBS poll found that only 45 percent of Americans are satisfied with their work.

That statistic leads me to think that, in general, the masses are just trying to figure out a way to bleeding out on the page! Just make it through another day. Convinced of the words of people like my mother (who was a master of settling for what society was best for her): Just be glad you have a job!

Instead of just bleeding out on the page -- or finding a way to put a band-aid on an unpleasant life situation -- I suggest we all find that rocket ship of inspiration that will fly us out of Dodge. That each of us do what American mythologist and author of The Power of Myth Joseph Campbell suggested: Follow your bliss. Campbell wrote:

"If you follow your bliss, you put yourself on a kind of track that has been there all the while, waiting for you, and the life that you ought to be living is the one you are living. Wherever you are—if you are following your bliss, you are enjoying that refreshment, that life within you, all the time."

Don't settle for the bloodletting theory of doing things, the I just want to shut my eyes and get this over with notion.

Find that something that will not only cause you to spring out of bed in the morning; it will hoist you off this ordinary planet and push you into the stars.

ReFirement Has Sure Proven To Be Interesting

2011-04-07T13:22:00.000-07:00

I have to say, reFirement has sure proven to be interesting.

(For those who missed my earlier blog entry, reFirement is my term for the charged up sense I got when I left my wonderful old job and was astounded by all the amazing new life opportunities I discovered were waiting for me.)

Not only am I busier now than I think I've ever been in my life -- but I'm happier. And it's not because of some huge pension (ha!) or because I spend all my time sitting by a pool (I'm not, but wouldn't mind doing so!).

It's because I've found ways to keep myself both busy and inspired.

First of all, there's my website, DREAMWalker Group. This is a massive site I began with the express purpose of creating a web of authors. The theory was that people could go to this hub -- readers and writers -- and locate information about authors.

At DREAMWalker Group, I provide:

Free profiles for each writer along with contact information,

A historical listing of their books (with Amazon.com links to encourage book buying),

Links to other authors in the same subject field, and

(as they say on TV)

Much much more!

I think that the best thing about the site is that every year I take 40% of the commissions I make and give them back to the literary community. I do this by making donations to organizations or by offering sponsorships to their events.

In previous years I've done this for Lambda Literary and the Saints and Sinners Literary Festival. I encourage you all to donate to them, too, by going to the Lambda Literary and the Saints and Sinners Literary Festival sites, respectively.

(If not those groups, please donate to your own favorite literary or arts cause right now!)

Authors who want a free profile at DREAMWalker Group should write me at dreamwalkergroup@me.com; I'll be happy to set one up for you!

When I'm not working on DREAMWalker Group, I'm tinkering around over at Awakened Man. This site is another hub -- but one that's all about me. On it I provide links to the various ways I try to keep even busier -- and pay my mortgage .

They include (but are not limited to):

Healing Body, Mind, and Spirit
I create a safe space to provide healing, learning, & transformation. Energy, body, and soul work on an individual basis.

Social Media Management
I'll update your website news/blog entries, manage/update your LinkedIn, Facebook, & Twitter accounts, and encourage the acquisition of new followers/fans.

Writing/Editorial Services
Specialties include features, humor, new age, nonfiction, spirituality, and website development.

I'll tell you one thing good about reFirement. It keeps me busy and it keeps me out of trouble. And it's all achieved without medication!

Just the occasional hop, skip, jump, and whistle to let the world know I'm here!

Thanks for your incredible support everybody!
You're all awesome!
Michael Walker
Washington, DC
202-256-9198

Me @ Social: Facebook Foursquare LinkedIn Twitter
Me @ Website: Awakened Man DREAMWalker Group

2011-04-07T05:15:00.001-07:00

Nothing can feel more lonely than when a path seems to end and you're standing all alone in the awe or fear of what comes next. But you are never alone and only the ego wants you to believe the path has ended.

That is the fear part.

The enlightened part of you understands that there is no end -- no beginning, either.

The awakened part of you KNOWS that Spirit, The One, Intuition, God/dess is ALWAYS there to hand you the baton that YOU will carry to the end of yet another path or journey.

Then, no doubt -- and if you are human -- you'll have forgotten momentarily once more, and will juggle with fear and awe.

Remember to always choose awe over fear and you will know that death is nothing more than the continuation of the same incredible path you're already on.

Truth

2011-04-03T05:34:00.000-07:00

No dream is too big once you realize it's all a dream to begin with!

Splishing and Splashing

2011-03-31T05:54:00.001-07:00

‎If there is anything preventing me from having the most amazing life today -- it is me. The universe is here to support me -- and will do so as long as I permit it. It's my job to experience joy by going with the flow. If I splish and splash and fight the flow, it not only hampers my forward movement, it gets innocent people wet.

Response to a Friend's Facebook Posting

2011-03-27T07:11:00.001-07:00

A friend of mine recently posted a note on Facebook. Here's the note and my response.

There are times when I know I should be praying but I'm not. When I remember it again, my first prayer is of thanks. It's just automatic; that's the first prayer that hits my mind. It's what I pray when I receive the Eucharist, too. Anybody else have that mindset?

---

A good way is to pray without ceasing. Just make it part of your 24/7 as best you can. Stay conscious of the divine being you are -- one connected to God --who adores you just as you are.

Imagine yourself nestled in His caring hands. Continually comforted. Constantly loved. You're human -- the universe knows that and -- so don't beat yourself up for feeling the ups and downs of your humaness.

Your life is unfolding exactly as it should; and expressing gratitude for that is probably appreciated more by God than anything else.

Having a cup of tea that you love? Smile and love the smell because God gave it to you. Enjoying a sunset? Thank God. Got fired from a job? Be grateful for the lessons learned and because something miraculous is right around the bend.

(Your friends love you, too.)

Response to a Friend's Facebook Posting

2011-03-27T07:11:00.000-07:00

---

A good way is to pray without ceasing. Just make it part of your 24/7 as best you can. Stay conscious of the divine being you are -- one connected to God --who adores you just as you are.

Imagine yourself nestled in His caring hands. Continually comforted. Constantly loved. You're human -- the universe knows that and -- so don't beat yourself up for feeling the ups and downs of your humaness.

Your life is unfolding exactly as it should; and expressing gratitude for that is probably appreciated more by God than anything else.

Having a cup of tea that you love? Smile and love the smell because God gave it to you. Enjoying a sunset? Thank God. God fired from a job? Be grateful for the lessons learned and because something miraculous is right around the bend.

(Your friends love you, too.)

First Day of Spring

2011-03-21T08:16:00.001-07:00

Move through the layers -- pass through and let go of what you see with your eyes. Let go of your body, stories, thoughts, feelings, sounds -- and ride down deeper into the energy that is you. Go deep enough and in time you will experience God/dess, Spirit, Great Mother/Father, The One, Love. Now you are home; now you are where you began; now you can see that separation from your core is impossible. Let go of the fear that you abandoned The One. You merely lost your way for a fragment of time. Breathe deep and enjoy today ... it is, after all, the first day of Spring. And we are all ONE.

Your fiendish ego and its lies

2011-03-19T13:19:00.000-07:00

If you think your ego is your friend, you are miserably mistaken. The fiend is continually trying to convince you that you are not part of God/dess and that the reason for that is something foul you have done. In fact, you ARE one with God/dess; you could not possibly do anything wrong in the eyes of Spirit; and separation is not even possible. The only real lie? The ego. It is false and its function is to keep you trapped here on a world God would not even create. Let it go. Let it all go.

Back from Wonderland

2011-03-18T11:34:00.001-07:00

Maybe it's just the incredibly beautiful weather, but I'm feeling truly wonderful today. It's as if I had stepped through the mirror into Wonderland for a spell, and I've recently stepped back into the topsy-turvy world of the here and now -- only everything feels normal and exactly as it's always supposed to have been (but wasn't). Very cool.

Words of Today

2011-03-17T11:28:00.000-07:00

‎The instant we think of ANYTHING outside of ourselves (you, me, it, them, they, Des Moines, heaven, Saturn, or the kitty litter box) we have separated away from God/dess, The One, Great Mother/Father, The Force, All. At that moment, we open ourselves up to the unimaginable horror and pain of separation. The fix? Let it all go and embrace your Oneness.

Today's Word

2011-03-13T07:10:00.000-07:00

‎Witness, silently, the One; and observe the ego's tendency to facture that into a million bits. One simple fear of being separated (impossibly) from the One turns into untold stories that seem to make it true. Let it all go and know without doubt that you are home.

Very wonderful things are in the air.

2011-03-06T07:14:00.000-08:00

‎Very wonderful things are in the air. Breathe them in deeply, run them through your heart, and turn them over to the universe with great expectations. All is well.

Breathing deep and letting it all go.

2011-03-04T08:51:00.001-08:00

"Breathing deep and letting it all go. Irksome blockages, dis-ease, and and my own willful judgments cannot affect me if I witness them and let them go. 'Nothing real can be threatened. Nothing unreal exists. Herein lies the peace of God. [A Course in Miracles]'"

Major Thought for Today

2011-02-26T10:42:00.001-08:00

‎"Instead of trying to fix the dream, why not just wake up from it?"

These days I aim to discover the kernel

2011-02-25T07:50:00.000-08:00

"Be patient toward all that is unsolved in your heart and try to love the questions themselves like locked rooms and like books that are written in a very foreign tongue. Do not now seek the answers, which cannot be given you because you would not be able to live them. And the point is, to live everything. Live the questions now. Perhaps you will find them gradually, without noticing it, and live along some distant day into the answer." -- Rainer Maria Rilke, Letters to a Young Poet

I like this quote a lot. I'm looking more and more these days for those who live their spirited lives without focusing just on the "spiritual" aspects. All of life can be spiritual -- even if we don't use those words.

Writers and musicians and chemists and lawyers and housekeepers and gardeners and mountain climbers and doctors and nurses and physicists and even religious practitioners -- all have the potential of being and living spiritual lives. These days I aim to discover the kernel of whatever it is that separates the spirited from the non-spirited; the hopeful from the hopeless; the ordinary from the extraordinary; the fabulous from the mundane.

What do you think that kernel can be?

Wednesday, February 23

2011-02-23T09:08:00.001-08:00

Heading home. Sigh.

Tuesday, February 22

2011-02-22T10:10:00.000-08:00

Starting today with a 9:30 massage from Marty Guerriero. I totally need this!
Thailand Cuisine for lunch.
Gasoline at Tesoro.
Sarento's for final Maui dinner.
Glee night at Ambrosia.

Monday, February 21

2011-02-22T09:41:00.000-08:00

Casanova's Coffee Shop in Makawao (Casanova Italian Ristorante & Deli)

Casanova's Coffee Shop

Komoda T Store & Bakery in
Makawao-Paia for Malasadas.

Komoda T Store & Bakery

Grandma's Coffee House in Kula

Grandma's Coffee House

Ham and Cheese Sandwich!

Ali'i Kula Lavender Farm in Kula

Ali'i Kula Lavender Farm

Hosmer Grove

Hosmer Grove

Leleiwi Lookout

Leleiwi Lookout

Patrick, Sal, and I

Haleakala Volcano Crater

Tour Master Wade Holmes (No Ka Oi Adventures) and I sharing a moment at Haleakala)

Haleakala Summit

Yours truly at the summit

Myself, Wade Holmes, and Sal Rinaudo

Cafe Mambo's in Paia

Menu at Cafe Mambo

Sunday, February 20

2011-02-22T09:40:00.000-08:00

To be revealed ...

Saturday, February 19

2011-02-20T13:12:00.000-08:00

Sal and I walked along Sugar Beach this morning -- across from Maui Sunseeker -- totally enjoying the morning as it slowly woke up from its slumber. Picked up a bunch of coral to bring back to DC .

Afterwards, Sal and I went to Kihei Cafe for breakfast. Interesting place and the food was to yum for.

Now we're heading over to the public, clothing optional sun deck and hot tub here to rest a bit prior to going on the Gay Whale Watch. This is at 2:00 today on the Pacific Whale Foundation's "Ocean Spirit." It's a whale watching cruise to benefit Equality Hawaii -- and Maui Sunseeker is providing free tickets for all their house guests. Way to go guys -- you're awesome!

More later ... or tomorrow!

Friday, February 18 -- Oopsie

2011-02-19T07:53:00.000-08:00

Right now, I'm trying to record yesterday's No Ka Oi Waterfall Adventure, with photos -- but the plan to go to Little Makena Beach today is in direction opposition to that plan.

Oopsie.

As noble an endeavor as it was for me to think I could blog while on holiday, this is turning out to not be the case. There's just too much to do and too much weariness when I finish doing it.

More details to follow!

I'm just going to have to beg everyone's forgiveness on this and go and have a nice, relaxing time today. And if you never hear from me again, it means I'm having a very, very, very nice and relaxing time. Heh heh heh.

===

Makena Little Beach during the day. Pupu Lounge for an early dinner. Broke out the Moët & Chandon that was gifted to us from Maui Sunseeker today ... enjoying out private hot tub while watching the sunset. Today was a lusciously relaxing day and I'll try to write more about Little Beach in the days to come.

Thursday: After Night One

2011-02-17T09:00:00.002-08:00

Just getting ready to go on the waterfall adventure after a nice night sleep at Maui Sunseeker. Kept thinking I was hearing wind all night; but it wasn't wind ... it was the sound of waves. Zounds was I exhausted.

LOVE this place -- so rife with amenities. Every time I turn around, I find more, LOL. Sounds silly, and I suppose I'm just like a kid in a candy shop!

Did our personal hot tub (again) this morning ... only this time it was about 5:30 a.m. And the huge moon was setting into the water. Astounding stuff. Water so nice on my jet-bound muscles. Tried to take photos but the iPhone was being grumpy and couldn't do the moon justice.

Feeling the stress slowly unwind. Who know I was so tightly wound?! (I know, some of you are smiling knowingly.)

Sal just walked by with his knapsack on ... a full 23 minutes before Wade (No Ka Oi Adventures) is expected to arrive. Guess he's ready to venture to waterfalls. So I better finish getting dressed!!

Namaste.

8:51 Hawaii Time

2011-02-16T22:51:00.001-08:00

Got up at 2:15 a.m. Eastern Time Wednesday and am off to sleep now at 8:52 p.m. Hawaii Time. Isn't that something like a tad over 24 hours awake? That explains grouchiness and the sense that I need to reboot my brain, LOL!

Anyway, getting up 6:00 a.m. So well be ready to meet Wade Holmes from No Ka Oi Adventures at 7:30. More soon. But first, zzzzzzzzz!

10:41 a.m. Central Time

2011-02-16T08:40:00.000-08:00

Just got my seat assignment changed from the second-to-last row in the plane ... to 27G -- totally much MORE FAB!!!!

And bought a healthy BLT Cobb salad for noshing in-flight. Had a carb slip, though, and ate a sausage, egg, and chess biscuit for breakfast at McDonalds!

The plane is waiting and Sal and I are READY!!!