Emotion Commotion

"Only through emotions can you encounter the force field of your soul."

- Gary Zukav

"In hiding our vulnerability and woundedness by fostering a relationship of dominance, we prevent healing, our own healing and the healing of others. In fact, relationships of dominance not only do not lead to healing, they often lead to destruction, the destruction of others and our own destruction. I discovered this fact while being a minister. . . "

- Douglas C. Smith

"By means of all created things, without exception, the divine assails us, penetrates us, and molds us. We imagined it as distant and inaccessible, whereas in fact we live steeped in its burning layers."

- Teilhard de Chardin

Many of us believe that 'doing the right thing' is about knowing and obeying 'the rules' so that God, or the Bogey-man, can't play 'gotcha' with us - even if we transgress a rule in good faith, ignorance, or compassion.

Others consider 'intention' to be the golden rule - though deluded people always arrange to believe that they have only the best intentions (for they know best).

What I know is this: If you do good to yourself and others in gentleness, you will end up a very different person than one who followed every rule perfectly, yet reduced compassion to a slogan.

The Secret

Positive thinkers, prosperity types, fans of "the secret" all tell you clearly what to do: "Feel & Think Positively & Prosperously" but they don't tell you how to do that. Often we end up feeling worse than before when we feel like impostors trying to brainwash ourselves.


Our thoughts definitely shape and color our experience, which is our reality. It is difficult to feel prosperous as you struggle to meet obligations. So what's the "answer?"


I suggest that you focus on finding areas in your life where you can notice your prosperity, where you feel and be prosperous in ways that are detached from $$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$ .


In our culture we equate abundance with finances - even though studies show that, above a certain basic level, more money does not equal more life satisfaction or happiness. So what does?


As we open up to a broader understanding of abundance, life satisfaction & joy, we begin to really notice our life instead of just sleep-walking through it. We inevitably begin to live and to savor the real treasures already in our lives. Mental and spiritual attitudes begin to shift. You will experience your unappreciated abundance first. Once you value, celebrate and enjoy what you have with real gratitude (not a mental strategy that you "try to put feeling behind") MORE will be added to you: pressed down and overflowing. For real!

A L O H A ! Cloudia

Leaders

Normal is getting dressed in clothes that you buy for work and driving through traffic in a car that you are still paying for - in order to get to the job you need to pay for the clothes and the car, and the house you leave vacant all day so you can afford to live in it. - Ellen Goodman

If you would convince a man that he does wrong, do right. Men will believe what they see.
Henry David Thoreau

The secret of leadership is simple: Do what you believe in. Paint a picture of the future. Go there. People will follow. -Seth Godin

We're all burned out on self-promoters, power-trippers, spokesmen, experts, motivational nazis, and salesmen. The best sort of folks are turned-off by the present circumstances. . . just look at how well everything going for the average person! No wonder lots of the best and most sensitive types remain on the sidelines watching the farce with a weird mixture of aggrieved common sense, public spirited disgust, righteous anger, a humorous long-view, and a profound sadness that permeates society like a bad smell. But the Kupuna (Hawaiian: "Elders/Seniors/Parents/Ancestors") showed the way. They knew that there was amazing influence in authentic living and in authentic people. Those who are always, subtly, reaching out respectfully, with inclusive Aloha in the moment. . . moment to moment. Such people are helping all who feel their emanation to respond, to reconnect with the power of their OWN true integrity. This wave ultimately loosens the power of dogma, checklists, and insincere manipulation. . . Lets stop being a culture of the "eye roll," and let it begin with me. . .

Animal Hula

I like living. I have sometimes been wildly, despairingly, acutely miserable, racked with sorrow, but through it all I still know quite certainly that just to be alive is a grand thing.
Agatha Christie

Every time we remember to say "thank you," we experience nothing less than heaven on earth.
Sarah Ban Breathnach

Walking in Waikiki
With Cloudia:
Animal Hula

Schools of small fry continue to animate the harbor. Swarms of tiny arrows – bigger everyday – are still learning the stately hula of adult fish. Watching them play & learn, the mind asks: “What breed are those?” The imagination murmurs that it doesn’t really matter as attention shifts, now enraptured by the golden points of sparkle swaying scattered across the unified field of the ocean’s surface. . . I attended the Kava Festival and limited my consumption to one muddy cup of the Polynesian elixir. Still, I forgot to take any pictures, and felt ultra-relaxed for two days! Ahhh. . . Few people walking along the beach path behind the military’s Hale Koa (“Warrior House”) Hotel realize what history lies just below their feet. The cement walkway used to lie below the surface of the beach behind a retaining wall that you can still see and walk on as part of today’s sidewalk. Sentries could use the defensive position in case of attack from the sea. Much of Waikiki Beach, in fact, was barb-wired and ‘off limits’ for much of WWII. The navy requisitioned the Royal Hawaiian and we now know that Japanese submarines often came as close to the beach as possible in order to enjoy the big band music that the sailors danced to. That grass covered “hill” behind the beach is actually Battery Randolph, a defensive gun position so massive that efforts to level it were abandoned. Now it houses the army museum. A Sherman tank, and a few of its comrades from both sides, are parked irresistibly in front where kids can break the rules and climb on them. I enjoy the visual dialogue between the WWII howitzer and the monarchy-era cannon. Both seem hopelessly antiquated as new fighter planes roar overhead. This part of Waikiki beach always hosts lots of warriors; those leaving/returning from active duty as well as veterans revisiting their youth. Fresh tattoos on muscled biceps, blurred old Sailor Jerry ‘hula girl’ tattoos, and the young, tanned, un-inked skin of military dependants, all tell their stories in the sun. Memories and dreams mingle underneath the palms with the smell of barbeque, just like Valhalla. In front of the Army Museum, a circle of sentinel tikis, carved by Hawaiian-blooded artist Rocky Jensen, honors the warriors, Na Koa, of ‘pre-contact’ Hawaii. . . Continuing along Kalia Road we come to the refreshed Outrigger Reef Hotel with its new Polynesian canoe hale overhang and museum-quality artifacts throughout the lobby. Sometimes I like to pause right in front where Don Ho and Sam Kapu strummed ukulele and sang for Bobby & Cindy Brady in that episode when the Brady Bunch Went Hawaiian. Then I look at the Roy’s restaurant where the fast food place used to be and I realize that Waikiki is always fresh, always renewing (like the surf, like the seasons) even if she is always wrapped in precious and beautiful memories of a storied past. Just then a fragrant bride and groom (Covered in lei) exit a white limo onto the sidewalk beside me. Lots of “Congratulations!” from complete strangers fall like rice as I trail along in their wake as they float down the sidewalk. We’re just the blurry faces in the background of their special memories, passers-by they don’t notice in their bliss, but their joy rubs off on everyone. Everyday our streets are full of such sights & joys. Memories are being created all around me as I stroll through my own daily errands and musings. Lucky I live Hawaii. . . Have you been very, very good? Then treat yourself to an early dinner at Ruth’s Chris Steak House at Beachwalk. The happy buzz of our ‘Paris in Flip Flops’ is hushed as you enter the pristine room and peruse the five o’clock early menu. Pleasantly tired feelings sing harmony with the rising anticipation of another tropical night’s music & moonlight as you sip a cool drink. No TV, no newspaper, no distractions. None needed. Soon the hottest plate you’ve never touched is placed before you, and for a short while no president or corporate mogul is eating better than you are – and you certainly deserve it. . . Rejoining the throng outside, I’m struck once again by the beautifully relaxed faces around me. A beloved Hawaiian song comes to mind: “Kaulana Na Pua” (Famous are the Flowers of Hawaii). The flowers of the title are really a poetic allusion to the people of Hawaii, the true blooms of these islands. Why don’t YOU come wave in our breezes for a while? . . Humpback whales have been spotted in the vicinity of Maui and the Big Island. It’s just a matter of time before we’ll see their spouts off of Waikiki. Trade-wind winter is coming and before we know it, Santa will be arriving in his outrigger canoe! Sometimes the tall hotels and happy sidewalks cause us to forget that our town is just a small human place in the middle of vast oceanic nature. Sea turtles feed in the Waikiki dusk right beside wading visitors who can’t believe their eyes. A sacred and rare Pueo (Hawaiian short-eared owl) has lately been spotted on the grounds of historic Iolani Palace in the heart of downtown Honolulu, and the endangered Puaiohi bird is staging a comeback in the forests of Kaua`i. Local resident Jim Snyder has even found a new resident! Zizina otis, the lesser grass blue butterfly, is now happily established in parks and vacant lots right here in Waikiki. These frail natives of Asia and Africa have never been seen here before. “I’ve trained my eyes to be so observant that I see things others don’t see – you see amazing things out there,” Mr. Snyder told a local reporter. Yes indeed, especially here in the sandy, fragrant streets of Waikiki! Actually, I made a great ‘find’ myself, just minding my business downtown on King Street: Elvis and a female companion were enjoying their day, riding in the back of a pickup truck. I would have kept this to myself. . . Except THIS time I remembered to snap a picture. . . So come join us at Da Beach. You never know what you’re going to see next. . . When you’re Walking in Waikiki. . . ALOHA!

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Want to enjoy more Waikiki “street” life with Cloudia? Check out her Hawaii “Taxi Cab” Novel: “Aloha Where You Like Go?” at Amazon.com, local bookstores, or the Hawaii State Library branch near you!

Abundance Subsistance

"A good conscience is a constant Christmas."- Franklin

"Sorrow locks the gates of Heaven" -Hebrew saying

"Nobody ever made a dime by panicking." - Jim Cramer

First I had a cold, or so I thought. Then it turned into the flu. . .When it reached the point where I couldn't breathe I was taken to the hospital - which immediately admitted me. Oxygen helped. The doctors tried antibiotics of various kinds and gave me an HIV test. They finally said that I had some kind of pneumonia.

Growing weaker, everything physical and mental became arduous. When you can't breathe nothing else much matters. I wondered if I'd ever play my flute again. Usually I felt like I'd never "made it" with my music. Sure I'd played in some bands, done a little recording, made some people happy. . . wait a minute! I finally realized what solace, pleasure, sharing, and insight into the deeper rhythms of life that my flutes had given me. I remembered the pleasure of escaping as a kid and playing in the trees behind my house. The birds seemed to listen, and I learned to listen to them. I remembered being the only light-skinned person in a dark backroom in the disreputable part of town, and a teenager to boot(!) yet playing music with old old men who'd lived a long hard life and who knew many deep things unsuspected in my sweet striving suburb. Music opened those doors. John Sephus (sp?) a beautifully worn blues-man said: "You play the hell out of that thing, kid" backstage at some festival years ago. My dear friend Labig, a cowboy/country/folk song-stylist, who made his living as a city desk reporter ,was there: beaming at me. One of the great moments of my life! I guess music brought me my some of my best friends. Laying in that hospital bed, I knew that if I ever had the chance to play a little tune, or to ride my 33 year old motorcycle again, I would finally understand the glory of it and appreciate it! As I hovered close to death, Jim and other friends & family who had passed felt very near. There were others there too; and a little bird came to my window ledge every day. He seemed to know his business and communicated deep things very simply in the dusk. At one point I felt myself moving up and out. I could see the room, the hillside, all of my dear Honolulu and then the countryside on the other side of the Ko`olau range. I felt compassion for myself: "Poor jerk," I had been so busy worrying that I'd never really just ENJOYED this amazing life. I saw and knew (and cared about!) all the people laughing, loving, striving, crying, winning, losing, musing, and dying all over the world. I felt deep love and care for the entire lovely writhing, suddenly very beautiful earth. As I wondered with immense compassionate concern what would happen next to everyone, a voice (that wasn't a voice exactly) whispered in my ear: "It's not your kuleana (Hawaiian: 'responsibility') anymore." Suddenly something snapped. I didn't care about any of it anymore; I was too busy suddenly beginning to remember. . . to real-lax. . . to feel the thrill of finally arriving home at the safest harbor where everything makes beautiful, complete, sense. Later I began to recover. I started to slowly rejoin the world and the illusions that we share. I had seen the complexity of our world that appears so random, responds to each person's choices & actions, and yet fits together seamlessly. Naturally and easily I finally understood some answers instead of just searching for them; and they were obvious once I had a different perspective. My views on lots of things changed. I now understand that most of what we think of as "important" is really just the 'props' and window dressing of our stories and choices. And too much of what REALLY COUNTS we consider trite & trivial. For the most part, it's not the 'whats' of our lives that matter, it's the "WHOs" and the "WHYs" that really are the whole point. Wealth and security are just concepts. True wealth and security are always right here. The wealth of playing a worn instrument for a few moments in a busy day, the wind in your hair, in fact: EVERY BREATH is truly a gift. These are not things I say, they are facts I lived! As long as we live, God, or Spirit, or Aloha, or whatever YOU call it, is with us. I KNOW that now. And I also learned that when we leave this existence: we go to be with Him/Her/Them/LOVE. There is truly nothing to fear, but it would be a real shame to miss the glory while we're in it - this beautiful Earth! I walk down the street loving everyone, because I now know that being "strangers" is just an agreement we made in order to play here.

Subsistence, having enough, is abundance. Wanting more, wanting a guarantee for tomorrow, is just an illusion, a 'plot' in your story. . . ...........A L O H A ! Cloudia

Because

Everybody is ignorant, only on different subjects.

-Will Rogers

Accustom yourself continually to make many acts of love, for they enkindle and melt the soul. -Saint Teresa of Avila

In the depth of winter, I finally learned that within me there lay an invincible summer.

Albert Camus

Every Day

Every day there are miracles
So mundane that we take them for granted
Sun-set, sun-rise
The voices of birds
Who could fully appreciate
The daily gift of a loved one’s return?

A L O H A ! cloudia

A Path. . .

"The only devils in the world are those running around in our hearts. That is where the battle should be fought." Gandhi

Morning comes to New York, to the lava fields of the Big Island Hawaii, and to the healing sands of Waikiki. . .

Sometimes I awaken anxious. But there is always a calm to be claimed if we will. Why do we feel guilty turning off worry? Afraid we'll miss something? Lose our edge? Gently, not by force of will, simply de-couple, de-escalate from the entrainment of worry. Allow your body-wisdom to take over. Pause, clarify, breathe. What do you see? Hear? Smell? Feel?

There is a clearing in the woods, and the "path" to it is more than a poetic image. It is a real way to get somewhere. Believing something is not the same as walking your path step by step. Stop knowing for a while. Watch the comical parade of worries pass you by.

Pilgrim Congregational Church in Massachusetts encourages folks to bring their dogs to "woof & worship" services. "Dogs bring such hope in a world where we're surrounded by such hopelessness," says Reverend Bickford.

Look into the eyes of a pet, a child, or that own inner child looking back from the mirror. Morning comes to our shores again. It's gonna be a nice day; a gift. If we can only receive it that way. . .

A L O H A ! Cloudia