Tag: peaceful warrior

Hard Won Lessons

 

“You haven’t yet opened your heart fully, to life, to each moment. The peaceful warrior’s way is not about invulnerability, but absolute vulnerability–to the world, to life, and to the Presence you felt. All along I’ve shown you by example that a warrior’s life is not about imagined perfection or victory; it is about love. Love is a warrior’s sword; wherever it cuts, it gives life, not death.”
― Dan Millman

 

Sometimes the hardest thing to do is surrender to life and be vulnerable. I have tried in many areas to control the flow of my life, second guessing my every word and action and worrying about the result only to end up totally tied up in knots. I believed that doing this would make me a better partner and father only to find that it puts unimagined strains on relationships. Little by little I am learning to let go and trust a bit more. Letting my son make and learn from his mistakes (as long as they are not endangering the life of himself and others) strengthens our relationship the more that I can do it. This extends to my relationship with my partner and my relationship with my life as well.
The less I resist in my life, the more flows through. Its amazing how much my constant questioning and over-thinking of things has impeded my quest to be more authentic. I have spent so much time trying to figure out what i want that i have stopped living it. When I give that up and let myself be and shut down the endless yammering of thoughts for awhile, I find my life a much happier place to occupy.
Blessings, G

 

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Facing ShadowFacing Shadow by G A Rosenberg

 

Interference2Interference 2 by G A Rosenberg

Exploring in Familiar Places

“All of life is a foreign country.”
― Jack Kerouac

 

What is the first thing you do when you enter a country for the first time? I find that
whenever I travel to someplace new, I first acclimate myself. I look around and see what is different from what I have experienced before and what is similar. I love experiencing things for the first time and delight in people watching. What can I learn here and now that I have never known? How can I expand my knowledge? Each place ends up marking me in a new way.
When is the last time you looked around at your present environment as if it were a new country to explore? How much do we take for granted in our everyday lives that could if looked at with no expectations, reveal new things about life and the world around us? Life is never static and much happens around us every day. As Dan Millman’s teacher Socrates says in “Way of the Peaceful Warrior”, “There is never ‘nothing going on’.”
I would like to challenge everyone reading this to wake up tomorrow and experience something familiar as if you are seeing it for the first time.
Blessings, G

 

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On His MindOn His Mind by G A Rosenberg

 

Scarlet DreamScarlet Dream by G A Rosenberg

A Cure For Bordom

“Banality is like boredom: bored people are boring people, people who think that things are banal are themselves banal.
Interesting people can find something interesting in all things.”
― Idries Shah

 

Does what you’re doing seem really tedious? Does it feel like the world has ceased to entertain you and that what you do seems repetitive and has lost meaning? When is the last time you studied something new? or made up words to a song inside your head? When is the last time you really tried to answer questions about meaning that you may have given up on? When is the last time you wondered how your life would be different if everyone you knew was gender-swapped? How about wondering if it was possible that everyone around you had actually reached the peak of spiritual evolution and your mission in life was to learn from them everything you possibly could? Do things seem a bit less boring now? As Dan Millman expresses it in his Peaceful Warrior books “There is never nothing going on,”
Blessings, G

 

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Come This WayCome This Way by G A Rosenberg

 

Balanced AbstractionBalanced Abstraction by G A Rosenberg

Removing the Armour

“You haven’t yet opened your heart fully, to life, to each moment. The peaceful warrior’s way is not about invulnerability, but absolute vulnerability–to the world, to life, and to the Presence you felt. All along I’ve shown you by example that a warrior’s life is not about imagined perfection or victory; it is about love. Love is a warrior’s sword; wherever it cuts, it gives life, not death.”
― Dan Millman

 

What do you use for armour? I have used humour and I have used anger. I have used words,  sorrow and resignation. Each of these offered me various degrees of protection. They protected me from love. They protected me from awareness. They protected me at times from realizing that things were not as frightening as I believed they were. They protected me from exposing myself to my whole being. Now this warrior is weary. Piece by piece I dismantle my armour. I realize that even if battle killed my form that this is merely a suit of clothes that I wear. I have worn others in other lives. If I become hurt, then I will learn the lessons of pain and I will grow stronger. I will lead with my love and my thirst for understanding as open as I can and I know that no matter what transpires I will triumph.
Blessings, G

 

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Contemplating TransformationContemplating Transformation by G A Rosenberg

 

Emoting StarEmoting Star by G A Rosenberg

Quote of the Day – September 18 2012

“A warrior does not give up what he loves, he finds the love in what he does”
― Dan Millman

 

Somedays it gets harder than others. Could be a thousand small fires or messes spring up that have to be solve. Perhaps arguments with loved ones. Perhaps we fell just distracted diffused and impatient and irritable. Somedays we have to work to feel love for what we’re doing and see the beauty that’s out there. Because face it, the world has as much magic when we’re a mess as it is when we’re centred and feeling the joy.  It may be a bit more difficult to see it and appreciate it. Sounds like it may be time to take a deep breath, count to 10 and find something to appreciate, something that may make us smile. Curiosity has always been a good thing for me. What can happen next? What outlandish thing can I think of? What could the true nature of that flower be? How many colours in the sun? What’s the most beautiful thing in my line of sight. What do you love? Where can you see it the most closely? Go there if only in your mind…

Blessings, G

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Ganesh Within by G A Rosenberg

 

Lonely Orb in the Mind Stream by G A Rosenberg

Quote of the Day – July 14 2012

“The world is full of magic things, patiently waiting for our senses to grow sharper.”
― William Butler Yeats

Another night walking the dogs. The skies are hazy due to fires in Washington and the moon down to her last quarter so the night with its first cool breeze kind of wraps around us as we walk. I hold the question in my mind about what subject should I use for tonight’s blog and the answer comes back “Wonder” and for several minutes the inner light flashes on. I reach out for a tree and I feel it still filled with life not only its own but that of the moss and bugs that call it home. A plane flies overhead and I get struck by the lives of all the passengers, some of them reading and sleeping. Others waiting to land with the accompanying little thrill of anticipation that strike so many of us at take offs and landings.

I pass houses and people sleep, read, watch television, read email, each ones with lives at least as vital as my own. Grass and other plants sleep for the night but still have the imperative to grow and thrive. I have been experiencing first hand that Dan Millman quote from his Peaceful Warrior books that there is ‘never nothing happening” and its amazing. I feel gratitude for the gift of insight.
Blessings, G

 

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Night Journey by G A Rosenberg

 

Atomic Teal Mandala by G A Rosenberg

Quote of the Day – December 7 2011

“So be gentle with yourself; show yourself the same kindness and patience you might show a young child – the child you once were. If you won’t be your own friend, who will be? If, when playing an opponent, you are also opposing yourself, you will be outnumbered.”
–Dan Millman

This lesson seemed to take so long to learn and accepting it has been one of the nicest things I can do for myself. So often, it feels easy to take things on when someone criticizes us. We feel bad then we start to feel sorry. We may lash out at the person who has criticized us without even trying to understand what brought them to say it. Usually it is something in them. When you feel criticized take a moment to ask your friend, your self. “Is this true?” “Do I really do this?” Perhaps you do then you can say to the person honestly “Thank you, I hadn’t realized…or thanks this is something i’ve been struggling with” Then go on. If its not true, thank them for their feedback (without sarcasm, remember they’re on their own voyage) then go on. This is not always easy. Namaste — GAR

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Act of Will by G A Rosenberg

Patterns Rising into the Light by G A Rosenberg