Joseph Campbell - Hero and rediscovery

The mythical stories that exist within every subculture point to the hero and rediscovery.  The hero's quest is not one of attainment of something higher than the self, but of re-attainment of the self that previously existed.

As children we are born pure and aware of our being, as we are so connected to our body and our senses.  As we learn to think with language, and to interpret, and are socialized; the pure self is lost.

The hero's path is to rediscover the self within that is Being.  The self that is in the state of a child; but of a child with knowledge of the path that was previously trodden on, the hope for the path ahead, and the fact that the only moment that ever exists is the present one.  Therefore, savor it, the moment; and let go of all constructs of thought.  Simply BE

Mindfulness

Breathe in and focus on the stress that has accumulated over a long work day.  Breathe out and let it all go.

A Course in Miracles

I've been listening to Oprah's Super Soul Sunday and several of the guests have discussed a book called, A Course in Miracles.  Soooo....I bought it on Amazon for 10 bucks for the Kindle Version.

It's full of empowering and inspiring dialogue.  I've started the first chapter, where it discusses the "projector theory."  It speaks of our thoughts being the film for a movie, our mind being the projector, and the external world as being the screen.

It has sparked a lot of thought for me already!  It's another way of explaining that the outside world has no value, except for the value that we assign to it.  While driving to work a car cuts you off, an external event.  The bridge between the external world and the internal world are your senses, your emotional responses, and your physical responses.  You SEE this occur with your vision.  You FEEL this with your heart beating faster and a large gasp of air.  You feel fear, anger, shock.

Then, the programming of your brain interprets the sight, emotion, and physical response that you are internally experiencing and creates the "film."  You think, "That guy is such an asshole.  You can't just cut people off!"  Or, you may think, "That was close, thankfully I saw him and braked.  That person must be in a hurry to get somewhere.  I hope they make it on time safely."

I can see how genuinely responding in these two very different ways can change your emotional and spiritual position for that moment, a few minutes, an hour, or the rest of the day.

Maybe, you complain about it at work when you get there to a co-worker.  Continuing the emotional experience of anger and fear.  Or, maybe you think the latter thought.  Then, you have wished the person well and moved on, grateful that you did not get in an accident this morning.

I hope this course teaches me to respond in the healthier, more positive way of thinking.  My thoughts are automatic sometimes, and going to therapy for nearly a decade has allowed me to understand where my thought patterns were wired in childhood.

My purpose as an adult, is learning to change the wiring of my brain.  I want to be able to either genuinely react more positively and gratefully.  Or, I want to be able to accept my "negative" reactions and be able to calm myself down and come back to a place of positivity.

GRATITUDE

GRATITUDE

I read about a gratitude jar today and have been listening to Oprah's Super Soul Podcast, where sooooo many of the guests talk about gratitude, including Oprah herself.

Just write down three things in the morning, night, or anytime and drop it in the jar.  Whenever you are feeling negative, read papers from the gratitude jar to help get you back to positive town or at least neutral.

I'd like more happiness and joy in my life....but have never found a pill I can take, besides sertraline to help with that.

Even the sertraline, just prevents downward spirals into depression, where all I can feel is hopelessness, mistrust, fear, and sadness.  But, it's never really brought me JOY or HAPPINESS.  And don't we all want that?

Positive Emotions 

     Joy is a positive emotion that most people are familiar with, but how do you cultivate it in your life?  I'm still figuring that out, but GRATITUDE, is Joy's cousin, and an easy way to train for more positive feelings of gratitude is a Gratitude Jar. 

Gratitude pills for today:

•      I'm grateful for being able to take a walk, without needing assistance.  My legs were able to carry my weight for 20 minutes, my heart was able to pump blood to my legs and lungs, and my lungs were able to give my body enough oxygen to do it.  And, my brain ran the whole show.
•      I'm grateful for learning some tools today to help me cope with my emotions - one being the gratitude
•     Thank you for being able to give yourself enough rest today, take care of your body by eating lots of vegetables today, not drinking, and for learning.

Today I put my three gratitude thoughts in a glass lol