Self Awareness

I like the idea of participating in reality.

My understanding is limited.

My senses are limited.

There are times during which I act with care, energy, and enthusiasm.

I'd like to understand more.

What I see at this moment is not true to our best understanding.

I have a world that exists in my mind.

I believe in a world outside of my mind that will exist when my mind does not.

I expect to change and grow.

I think that is good to act in accord with my best understanding.

I believe in reality within me and around me.

I could use some help to become a better student.

I encourage the development of my awareness.
 

Jane Murray

I have especially appreciated Jane Murry's offerings in the newsletters of the School of the Natural Order.
They have brought a tear to my eyes and a smile to my lips and helped me to great days. Her words have helped me to greater awareness and greater serenity.

Thank you Jane.
Thank all of you who support her and the SNO.

The Second Longest River: Guess its Name

The reality of water in the US seems to have begun to save the land from careless exploitation. This next to the longest river in the US, for too long, seemed unable to slack the thirst of its exploiters. Now there seems to be growing awareness of the limits and preciousness of the waters of this river. Some lovers of the "Land of Enchantment" are thanking the gods for the awareness that is slowing the march of exploitation.

Far up this long river one can find certain villages. A wise man on the way up toward those villages may keep his eyes open for the 'asequias' for the old mother ditches. They are well made and of time tested design; tested in old world and new. They were loved and cared for. Those 'irrigation canals were tended with love close to reverence and they watered beautiful, well tended gardens and orchards. Let me name some of these villages: Truchas, Cundiyo, Arroyo Seco, Hondo, Rio Sarco, Ojo Sarco, Cordova, Canjilon, El Valle, Llano, Rodarte, Tierra Amarilla. Some of these were founded as early as the 1500s others as late as the 1800s. Las Trampas, one of those little towns was there when George Washington was born, and it is not the oldest.

Knowing the power of culture, of the lasting of the ways of mankind, imagine the combining and stirrings of cultures of 16th century Spain, with that of the calmer cultures of the 16th century Pueblos, with the newer, cultures of Apache and Navajo.
Now imagine and remember the march of England and most of western Europe across the new continent from sea to shining see. Remember that recent history.

Imagine yourself satellite high looking down on the rivers of that land. Though the name of the river of which we speak is not written across that landscape, its reality may come to you.

Will you comment on water, river, reality, enchantment?

Inspired by and 'Stolen' from "All Considering" blog

"Mindfulness" is a excellent way of saying 'awareness' which many English speaking Buddhists use.

Mindfulness or awareness practice is a way to take some time to consciously be here now. When am I?

Some practical practices may include:
1. attending to your feet while grocery shopping;
2. attending to how you are sitting at the computer;
3. considering the nature or state of your "I" as you go through a door;
4. changing the the way you brush your teeth or put on your shoes;
5. while waiting, attend to your breath;
6. while doing an everyday task, attend to each little step;
7. take a deep breath, look around and see what is there;
8. when you find yourself getting irritated, smile.

Katinka jingled the mindfulness bell and the above came to mind.
Errors and foolishnesses are mine.

Adult Education

Important parts of our learning often proceed as follows:
From awareness,
to practice,
to mastery;
in an ongoing recycling process.
We never complete any of those three areas of learning.

The areas on which we train our awareness may well be: body, emotion, thought, and, perhaps, 'knowing.'

Part of our practice may best include meditation and contemplation.

As most of us will continue to relate to others in a society, it will help to consider the nature of justice, ethics, morality as part of our understanding.

After some growth and maturity we may want to reconsider the nature of reality.

What do we get?
Well, maybe .....
The the satisfaction of being in the process.
Raised consciousness.
A set of skills.
the pleasure of approaching mastery.
Self-knowledge.
An improved way of being in the world.
A way of educating yourself.
A life of greater meaning.
And, you get growth of understanding.

Mad?

We are in a search for meaning.
We are newly urged toward an enormous new collective awareness.
We are subject to insanity.
Our collective awareness may be more or less mad.
How are we recognizing good, better, and best observation?
How are we recognizing good, better, and best interpretation?

Get Understanding Now

Readers or students of "Get Understanding Now," please feel free to ask questions or make comments. If you do not make a comment constructive, please make it courteous.

What we are doing now is either attending to our awareness or being aware of our attention. I guess awareness is the main focus. We are presently focusing our awareness on the body. We are attending to one small portion of the body at a time to see what we can discover.We may expect our discoveries to be in structure, function, or sensation.

Get Understanding Now

Let me warn you that I intend to act like a teacher. You can call me Profe.

I was going to call this "You U." but that seems a bit grand.

What I intend to offer is suggestions.
I suggest that you get understanding now.

"Understanding" is the key word. It is an activity. One needs to do it. "To get" is also an action. By "Now" I mean here and now in this time and place where everything happens.

Understanding may be analyzed in a variety of ways. For now let's say that it is made up of awareness, practice, and mastery. Much understanding can come to seem hollow if it does not proceed from self-understanding. We seem to begin in an egocentric universe.

We can't understand everything and we don't have to understand anything. We do understand some things and I suggest that we set about understanding some more. So, we need to exercise our power of choice. Since my reason and a number of wise beings suggest that it is best to "know thyself" first, I choose that.

Some things you might try as ways to start to raise your level of awareness are:
~ explore how your body functions, including how it relates to your feelings and thoughts
~ witness your your emotions and see how they relate to your body and mind, including patterns in their happening.
~ observe your thoughts and note how the effect your actions and feelings
~ take some psychological, academic, and physical tests to see what they tell you
~ check out what others have learned about body, emotions, and mind.

Sounds like the course work for a BA in Self. Forget that. You can only do one thing at a time, so it seems best to choose only one thing at a time.
Oh, oh! For me, that's a bit of a problem. I'm coming to believe that there is no such thing as thing.

I'll give you an assignment. Do the following:
~ consider your meaning for 'awareness'
~ check out an other's understanding of awareness
~ try directing your awareness
~ try directing your awareness to your body
~ direct your attention to a small part of your body (nothing naughty)
~ try to make up your mind to pay more attention to what is going on with your body
~ consider getting a notebook in which to note your discoveries and your questions.

Good for you! You have raised your consciousness.

I am:

• willing to consider what the next best step in my life is.
• willing to identify a source of resentment, fear, sadness or resentment in my life.
• willing to keep an eye on the good, better, and best.
• willing to describe why a situation or condition is of concern to me.
• ready to learn to become more aware of the limits of my power within the situation.
• ready and willing to learn to remember how I have dealt with or tried to deal with a similar situation.
• willing to count my my resources and my sources of help, including the best within me.
• willing to remember the healing powers working within me and around me.
• willing to consider the nature of a healing I have seen or experienced.
• ready, willing, and able to be more honest with myself.
• willing to accept the reality of health and wholesome wholeness.
• ready to practice knowing that there is help available to me.
• ready and willing to practice availing myself of that help.
• willing to know myself better.
• ready to learn to know more about myself.
• ready, and willing to learn to know the kinds of problems I have tended to have.
• ready, willing, and able to begin to describe a problem I still have.
• willing to consider a character trait of mine.
• ready to learn to consider a shortcoming of mine.
• willing to reconsider the nature of my motive.
• ready willing and able to practice admitting a wrong of mine no matter its source.
• willing to take appropriate pride in a better character trait of mine.
• willing to better know how to right a wrong.
• good for me.

Awareness

Whitebark pines once thrived in Yellowstone's higher elevations. Now they are dying because mountain pine Beatles live through milder winters in greater numbers to attack the pines more aggressively and in greater numbers. As the white pines die there are fewer white pine nuts produced. The grizzly bears of Yellowstone fatten for hibernation on white pine nuts. With fewer nuts available the bears are less able to survive in good health through the winter. Grizzles are capable animals, they may well learn to fatten on other nuts. If present tends continue you there will probably be no White pines in Yellowstone within less than a decade.

I am pleased to be aware that the climate in California is tending to be warmer in these decades.
Plants are moving higher to find more congenial temperature. Animals follow the food chain.

Climates change. The world and the Universe are in constant flux. That flux is not a reason for guilt or blame; not even when that flux may be driven by human activity.

I don't mind taking some responsibility about that which is happening around me. I find it good to be aware of what is happening. Thus I learn the laws of cause and effect. Knowledge of those laws may save me some grief. Meanwhile I find getting understanding fun.

Check: Yellowstoneassociation.org