Happy Equinox, Eric + Everyone!

Does Ease increase as consistency of pure intent and good habits increases?

I’ve always found the shorter days and longer nights to be an exhilarating time of the year. For me it feels natural to explore inwards and tap into my superpowers during the winter. The world around me feels colder, less comfortable. In many places in America, to play in the snow requires a strong will or a motivation! For me playing in the snow meant doing something fun, to stay warm, or survive! Whether it was building tunnels in snow piles, or snowboarding and sledding, the only way to keep playing was KEEP PLAYING!! Now that I’m an adult and I’m currently living on the beach where it’s a sweet 72 degrees right now and it’s about as comfortable as a warm jacuzzi, the vibe feels a bit different. Thankfully I’m still going inward, and tapping into some serious potential. It’s led to some illuminating self discoveries. For example, I find the cold to be very necessary! Also, this season for me is a good time to turn on tunnel vision and focus on what makes me happy! This new year I’m focusing a lot on something I heard on a recent Aubrey Marcus Podcast. It went something like “when your desire to spread love trumps any other selfish desires, then you will experience peace or Christ-like-ness. I pray you find joy in this moment ❤️

Everything within the physical realm is cut from the same cloth. It is energy in-formation based on the pure intent of the spirit behind it. We may observe a tree and notice it may not be "perfectly" geometric in shape. Yet it is simply manifesting the pure intent that exists behind it, to the best of its ability. In a movie we have characters playing various roles and interacting with each other. If we identify with the characters and the story we may get emotionally involved, perhaps even reacting to the interplay. If we observe it from the lens that these are actors with personal lives, carrying out a script to the best of their ability, then we will notice other aspects of movie. We may be able to appreciate the writing, the film angles, the lighting, and all the other aspects that were necessary to make the movie possible. We are far less likely to react or be emotionally invested from this perspective. We can observe something similar in a video game, what is playing out is simply the codes. Behind the playable characters exists a player. The player and codes are similar to the pure intent of spirit. There may be bugs in the game resulting in an imperfect experience. The player may make mistakes in their attempt to achieve various goals. Again if we are invested and/or identifying with the game experience we may react or be emotionally triggered by the various happenings in the game. Life is just like this game or movie. There are many characters, objectives, stories, and experiences to explore. They may show up in an imperfect way and we may show up in an imperfect way. This is totally normal. Behind these happenings exists the pure intent of spirit. From this perfective we can appreciate different aspects of the game. The interplay of light glistening on the morning frost, the sweet smell of flowers in the meadow, the ability to move, breathe, etc. All that is woven together to allow each moment to happen in the miracle of life. From this perspectives we are able to be far less invested in our doings. We can find comfort in the understanding that we are not meant to show up perfectly. Just doing the best we can to express the pure intent that is moving through us, playing the character that we are, so that the show may go on.😏

“Talent, if it is anything, is a gift, and nothing of the artist’s own making. This idea is hardly new: Plato maintained that all art is a gift from the gods, channeled through artists who are “out of their mind”-quite literally, in Plato’s view - when making art. Plato, however, is not the only philosopher on the block; while his description correlates well with the functioning of the Oracle of Delphi, idiot savants, and certain TV evangelists, it’s difficult to reconcile with most real world events. Were talent a prerequisite, then the better the artwork, the easier it would have been to make. But alas, the gates are rarely so generous. For every artist who has developed a mature vision with grace and speed, countless others have laboriously nurtured their art through fertile periods and dry spells, through false starts and breakaway bursts, through successive and significant changes of direction, medium, and subject matter. Talent may get someone off the starting blocks faster, but without a sense of direction or a goal to strive for, it won’t count for much. The world is filled with people who were given great natural gifts, sometimes conspicuously flash gifts, yet never produce anything. And when that happens, the world soon ceases to care whether they are talented.” Art & Fear - Observations On The Perils (and rewards) of Artmaking By David Bayles & Ted Orland ————————- Similar to what I have mentioned to others when they say talent is somehow necessary to make art. They haven’t considered that a lot of diligence and hard work goes into honing a craft or skill. It still drives me nuts some days. I also realize that this only a belief, and individuals can also be educated to see the possibility of other perspectives on the subject. This can also be applied to other areas of life where people stop the possibility of self discovery because they think ‘talent’ is necessary.