commentary by marti

POWERFUL TOOLS FOR
INNER WORK

DEALING WITH OBSTACLES –BUILDING INNER STRENGTH

A meaningful life is a life of deep awareness. Who we are, why we are here, what we have come to receive, what we can give back. Below are some questions and comments that we can ask ourselves and each other. Useful for self-inquiry and community workshops.

REMEMBER

If there are no difficulties, there is no inner strength.

To try is to risk failure.

To hope is to risk disappointment.

To live is to risk dying.

There are no mistakes, only experiences and lessons.

Those who are not afraid to risk may open the door to true freedom of spirit.

Tool one

SELF INQUIRY

• WHO AM I?

•  Am I really happy?

•  What do I hope for?

•  What do I fear?

•  What are my passions?

•  When do I react and why?

•  What do I want to work on?

•  Is my life a real learning experience?

Tool two

SELF INQUIRY

• WHAT WORKS IN MY LIFE?

  Examples:

  I am fulfilled when …

  I love doing …

  I am not afraid to …

Tool three

SELF INQUIRY

• WHAT DOESN’T WORK IN MY LIFE?

  Some examples:

  I’m sad about the planet.

  I’ve lost my spiritual thread.

  It’s always the same old thing.

  I need to learn something new. 

  I need to deal with not being valued for who I am.

  I count on myself even though others may not realize it.

  Fears that overcome me are…

  Ways that I can deal with a lack of confidence or trust are…

Tool four

SELF INQUIRY

• HOW CAN I CHANGE SOME ASPECTS OF MY LIFE?

  Some examples:

  Spend more time in nature.

  Give more love to my family.

  Go somewhere inspiring.

  Make my projects work.
  …

Tool five

SELF INQUIRY

• HOW HAS MY PAST INFLUENCED MY LIFE?

• Where am I coming from?

• What has been my past experience?

• Where am I now in my life?

• Where am I going? (goals/objectives)

• What do I need to get there?

• What could stop/prevent me from doing this?

• Do I help or sabotage my own efforts?

• How do I keep myself from accomplishing my goals?

• What’s next?

Tool six

SOCIAL INQUIRY

• WHAT IS MY IDEA OF COMMUNITY? 

• Am I living in community?

• Am I living my dream?

• Am I part of a global family?

• How can I use my life experience in the best possible way?

• What have I accomplished of meaning in my life?

• What would I like to work on now?

Tool seven

SPIRITUAL INQUIRY

• WHAT ABOUT OUR INDIVIDUAL AND COLLECTIVE SPIRITUAL EVOLUTION?

• Do we take account of the present?

• Are we living in the now? 

• Are we learning together?

• Do we really care about transformation of consciousness? 

• What about cosmic planetary awareness and awakening? 

Tool eight

SPIRITUAL PRACTICE

• HOW DO I DEFINE MY DAILY INNER WORK?

• How to I connect with my inner being? 

• Do I focus on my body and contemplate its well-being and health?

• What is my spiritual practice?

• Do I practice yoga, meditation, martial arts, meditative music, deep contemplation?

Tool nine

ECO-SPIRITUAL BALANCE

• HOW AWARE AM I?

• What are my operating beliefs?

• Do I play the game of who’s right? 

• Am I careful about moralistic justice?

• Do I practice compassion through discernment?

• How do I manifest the divine?

• Are my beliefs shaped by my experiences?

• Do I experience what I believe?

• How can I detach myself from my emotions and be really free?

Tool ten

DISCIPLINE AND IMAGINATION

• HOW CAN I REACH MY COSMIC CENTER?

• How can I discipline my thoughts?

• Does my life force make room for imagination and dreams?

• How can I be mobile and flexible?

• Am I keeping my brain alive & creative?

• How can I transform my mind into infinite potential?

• How can I cultivate a quantum leap that brings change, lightness, & brightness into my being?

• Am I aware that every day is a new day?

KEYNOTE

Those who are not afraid to risk may open the door to true freedom of spirit.

“Come to the edge,” he said.
They said, “We are afraid.”
“Come to the edge,” he said.
They came. He pushed them. 
And they flew.

There are no mistakes, only experiences that lead to lessons.

WARMING THE HEART

• The heart of the COMPANION: a loving heart characterized by sharing, friendship, cooperation

• The heart of the GUIDE: a caring heart characterized by patience, compassion, reason 

• The heart of the GUARDIAN: a fierce heart characterized by integrity, courage, and justice

FOOD FOR THOUGHT: BRAINSTORMING, CREATIVE IDEAS & IMAGINATION

• Ideas are tools.

• The idea of the hologram was in our consciousness for centuries before it was developed and used scientifically. 

• The true nature of every person is transcendental. It is based on the capacity to be fluid and change.

• Live each moment deeply. Look with your Buddha eyes. We are in paradise. 

• Use the energy of mindfulness. (Ashoka: sorrow and the absence of sorrow.)

• The universe arises with awareness and then there is the awareness of awareness.

• Individuals sharing the same belief, whether defined or indoctrinated, form a collective consciousness that can define and shape the world. 

• Creating the container is as important as understanding the contents. It is always the first step. Then form can create matter in movement.

• Consciousness does not evolve from the universe. The universe evolves from consciousness.

• Our true home is the here and now.

• We are often very good at making preparations but not at living in the moment.
  

  (Here’s a mind-twister. You experience what you believe, unless you believe you won’t. In which case you don’t, which means you did.)

THE ILLUSION OF SEPARATION

• Separation is an illusion created by language and the mind.

• There is no inside or outside, only the altogether one.

• Observe without evaluating. Judgments separate us from belonging.

• The capacity to love someone depends on the capacity to love ourselves and to see the world as one.

• We always have a choice to try to look for a decision based on respect for ourselves and others. 

• Refuse expressions such as, you make me feel….

• Own up to what you say. I feel this or that.

• Anything that we do out of fear of punishment, rebuke, or anger, we pay for in the long run.

• When we react without respect we feel disappointed angry/scared/powerless/frustrated/ and above all, unfree. 

• Observe and learn.

• Needs are life energies seeking expression.

• We have to acknowledge our needs but we also need to see how we can give and be free of unnecessary needs.

• Desiring and resisting require effort. Accepting and appreciating are effortless.

CONFIDENCE: EMPOWERMENT & DREAMS

• We create possibilities by believing ourselves into them. 

• We dissolve limitations by experiencing ourselves outside of limitation. 

• Anything and everything are possible. 

• There are always things that are surprising and unexpected in our lives.

• We are active participants in the unfolding of our own potential. 

• Beyond delight and dismay comes discernment. 

• The more we have the capacity to shift and change, the younger we get.

• Explore life with a fine-tooth comb, a pinch of salt, and the wildness of a disciplined and free mind.

• We are dreamers and dreams accomplish wonderful things. 

• Our imaginations have unlimited scope to make things happen.

COSMIC PLANETARY CONSCIOUSNESS

• In the West, we try to localize the soul in the body. 

• In the East, the body is part of the spirit. It is the instrument for the spirit.

• Imagine a windless starry night and all that you can do with your life.

• Write down what you perceive to be your positive and negative characteristics. 

• Which traits do we carry and need to transform?

• To meditate is to sit anywhere with an empty mind.

• Consciousness and energy create the nature of our reality.

• How can we be more conscious of consciousness?

SCIENCE AND SPIRITUALITY

• What about science and spirituality? 

• Our brains unfold in quantum fields.

• Technology, which is another kind of mirror, helps us to see that new insights come from everywhere. 

• We can always see the universe with new perspectives and this is exciting.

• There will be quantum leaps at surprising moments. 

• How can we cultivate a quantum leap that brings change, lightness, & brightness into our being?

MY PERSONAL EVOLUTION

(This is for you and by you. It is your own confidential message to youself.)

Name 10 things that you like about your life.  
1.
2.
3…

Name 10 things that you want to change.
1.
2.
3…

Name 10 things that  you want to do before  you die.
1.
2.
3…

NOTE: This worksheet was compiled by MARTI for use in Gaia Education Eco Village Design programs. It works in any context for personal and/or community evaluation.