Close To The Heart There Are No Obstacles.

Ben Capozzi

This has been a year of surprises. Opening always to change, listening always deeper for change, knowing the direction I take is truly now impossible to be forced - old trick! -  but discovered, through appreciation and listening. Closely: I find daily patience.

Close to the heart there are no obstacles. 

The farther we stray from the heart, the more obstacles we will find, and life will feel difficult.

I am learning to not follow these strains... naming them either as triumphs, ambition, or careerist-success; or, as the necessary 'have to's.' Success is contentment. It is the sigh alone, upon the moment we complete a thing. And to follow success only - to be lead by that sighed sensibility - is to find that there is no burden near the heart: that place where we feel our radiant best. When I reside near that heart, appreciative of my own very life, that alone is the compass by which I discover: community, friendship, honesty, trust, wonder, joy, welcome forthrightness... forgiveness coupled to love, the shared tears which are all of the above through the lens simply of another and others. We all move together so. And we all wish to do so, always more thoroughly - deeply.

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I Ching Trigram Study

Writing is a collected set of wrapped presents - words - which give life to others. Writing is, and is not, sharing that immediate 'thing' before you: It is to share that-thing and of-yourself toward your own benefit absolutely last. Words are like blood, or money: no one owns either, truly: we all use them temporarily. By such light, words themselves are the last vestiges of The Commons, flowing unhinged between us all. The day we monetize words alone - and I regret to say that we are not above such crazy sub-division - is the same day stupidity makes itself a visible entity and truly catches up to us - and keeps pace! - and stares us into the face.

Likely, there will be no such decree of monetizing words, but I think there will be a time soon - full - when we take that second glance, that long look as if the sun did something different, and from this changed light see all things new.

Our monetized psyche of today has the opportunity to change.

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Writing is blood, writing is money, but never is writing blood-money. It has been a true freedom for me. I think it is the most precious thing I partake of (next to shared food, and the sparkle in the Others eye as we eat). Writing is where I feel a sense of totality - where I understand I can be of best use in this life. Words have been my study in many forms: theatre, poetry, reading avidly...

Kuan Yin

when honest - at rest -
knowing this here me a riverbed 

which over words and ideas 

are shared, borrowed flowing 

long enough to bend their 

shape, their arrangement

words the water

eyes clear through

skyward: I write,

I write, I write


Please Visit:

The Book of Gardens: 

A Lover's Manual for Planet Earth

... And I decide the Sea.

Taking a break from my Perma-culture Internship, I headed to Victoria. Over an incredible salmon-eggs-Benny at the Chateau Victoria, I noticed a few ships in the harbour: the exact kind I had sailed upon during Jr. High, aboard the SALTS program. I had a few hours to spare, so I grabbed my camera to get up close again to these two-masted beauties, knowing full-well how 'the Ship,' has become a central metaphor for my understanding of the human psyche.

I discovered Dr. Paul Debransky's "Mind OS" system several years ago now, and have found his visual model extremely useful in navigating not only the day-to-day, but also for making large decisions. In time, I recognised a parallel between his three axes, and how a ship operates.

The emotions, I parallel to the mast and sails of the ship: some emotions fly above you, out of control, others come from way below, travelling vertical and downwards through our body. At the extremes of the scale, elation and depression alone denote this vertical movement. Standing on the mid-deck, though, one has a sense of security, of happiness and well being. Dr. Paul goes into tremendous detail on the two emotional spectra, positive and negative, so I find here the double mast ships to reflect which 'pole' one can be gravitating toward.

I believe I was all of fourteen years old on this sailing voyage, and I spent most (if not all) my spare time in the Robin's nest; and getting up there was an enjoyable challenge. We would tie a rope around our waist - having studied all kinds of knots - and clip ourselves onto the rope-ladder with each step until we climbed to the top. For some odd reason, I was the only one who really enjoyed it up there... I remember - so clearly - seeing a seal, far into the distance: The afternoon was sunny, and I sent out my imagination for miles and nautical miles upon all the diamonds... conjured up by wind and sunlight sparkling on the sea(!) It was perhaps one of my earliest experiences in a very consciously chosen Mindfulness state....

As I took this picture of the mast, I was thinking of how tangled a person can become, navigating the emotions we are all sway to, and I remember clearly, also, falling near-dead asleep below in the bunks. My assigned bunk was right foremost into the bow of the boat, so it was very dark and isolated. I had to crawl over one bed through a narrow opening, sleeping right at the that front tip in the bow, just below the deck, where gracefully I was rocked to sleep each night by the living ocean. I learned of bioluminescence on night watch, and funnily, it was my principle whose bunk I had to crawl through to get to mine! 

This 'nap,' had me out like a light for the better part of the afternoon. I missed lunch, and upon waking I had an incredible headache - probably one of my first migraines - and crawling out from the dark recess took a seeming eternity. I had missed an on-board class too, which I believe cost me the end exam... I was having such trouble in school that year, and though I failed the section on 'Sea-Faring Right-of-Way,' I still passed, and the overall experience continues to prove both memorable and formative. How interesting: my elation in the Robin's Nest, and how terrible my mind having extended my time "below."

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Later, returning to the Chateau, I discovered a whale tour with this incredible jaw-bone: also a reminder of how our imagination can intensify emotions. Through Mindfulness meditation, we can understand and harness that exact energy to befriend emotion, and the emotion in others, avoiding Gilligan's "three hour tour." 

I am an advocate for Marshall Rosenberg's 'Non-Violent Communication,' whose content is better reflected in the title "Compassionate Communication." As emotion, when recognised, isn't as scary as we might otherwise imagine.

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The intellect, I parallel to the oars of a boat. On these particular ships, there are no oars. Life-boats, yes, but a complete dearth of Viking action. Dr. Paul calls the complimentary halves of the intellect 'book smarts,' and 'street smarts.' I found that the side-to-side - steering - aspect of the ship mirrors this movement: at some point the 'people' on one side of the boat are going to over-power the people on the other side, and so too with your knowledge. Sometimes you'll need hard facts to navigate what lies before you, and at other times you'll need a clear, more intuitive sense for the situation at hand. When both sides are rowing in tandem, one has a feeling of control, or, as Dr. Paul suggests, of success. 

Finally, I parallel Dr. Paul's decision making with the length of the ship, the keel from bow to stern: consciousness is out in front of us, while our intuition speaks to us from behind - sometimes each at a distance. The balance point between the two, Dr. Paul claims as being wisdom.

Each balance point on each of the three axes arrives at a common central point. Balanced emotions bring us happiness, a balanced intellect (or perspective) moves us toward success, and any balanced decision enhances our wisdom. 

Happiness, Success, and Wisdom: each then are we captain of our own vessel. Standing upon the ship-deck, centred, we are able to navigate our lives effectively. I captured it once in a poem to a now former lover:

decisions: the keel

sails: the emotions

oars: to know the water

and understand the waves

three axes, intersect finely above deck

in the mind of the shipwright

...  

The title of this blog post derives from a different poem I wrote in my "Book of Gardens: I Ching inspired Eco-Theology," based on hexagram number 60, "Regulation." Regulation is a time described within I Ching of finding "joy within danger," which I find to be a fine metaphor for the day-to-day. Conscious awareness of one's own emotions - top to bottom - while navigating the world of emotions in others is clearly one of the giant joys in life - if one chooses it as joy. Certainly this day to wander downtown Victoria brought out much much elation, well harboured in my memory.

Dr. Paul Debransky is a very eloquent speaker and writer, and his years in the psychology profession have brought him to a place of very mature compassion. I have listened to him speak on pod casts countless times, until his visual model embedded itself into my daily knowing. I highly recommend his work, and it is tailored for Men. As I wandered along the Victoria Harbour, I felt so elated about the things I have learned thus far in life. I spoke to some of the youngsters about to depart on their first sea-faring trip, to let them know such an adventure was a true highlight of my life. 

It was wonderful to have that elation overtake me again. I am amazed at just how completely 'the Ship' continues to resonate with me.

Money Assassins

Certainly ones own financial success is of special concern these days, and under the guises of Equilibrium, or Sta-sis, I think this is a great topic of discussion. This post is of specific concern for those of us interested by mindfulness, as much too often the trendy expressions of "abundance" tend to dodge 'good accounting,' which is not only a measure of smart financial decision making, but also a practise of personal accountability. But let's pan-out for a moment, first, to look at the big picture.

Personally, I do not think the economic events in Greece and the EU are isolated. Canadians might be able to brag about the intrinsic strength of its banking system, but to overlook the fact it is but a cog in the machine of a global economy would be an unfortunate thing to do. Everyone, today, carries some degree of debt, if not actually a considerable amount. Along such lines, I consider Greece a litmus, and to observe its current cultural transformations is to better prepare oneself for the future. If we avoid anything of the like within our own borders, you can label me by whatever terms you wish, but do know that my concern and empathy for our situation is great - hence this post, and certainly more to follow.

The relevance of the global economic picture, I find affects me daily. I would rather be as best educated to the forces affecting my life than to have found myself hiding underneath some spiritual-like blanket, numb. I do not call such a strategy, mindful.

photo credit

I recently spoke with author and financial advisor Chad Viminitz. I have long been of the "Conserver Lifestyle" myself, and have dared on several occasions to identify as a "True Conservative." ... But before you mis-identify what colour my thoughts and ethics may be (namely, blue), allow me to say at the very least how giddy I was when reading Thoreau's first chapter on 'Economy' in his timeless (and timely!) book Walden - many years ago. Finally the world made sense to me.

I had many blessings in my childhood: noble and humble parents, an orderly home, access to education, and access to parkland. I realised from reading Walden, then, the nature of my social difficulty: I was brought up to always spend less money than I made. Always. That, simply, is the heart of the conserver lifestyle which runs so contrary to a lot of N.American hustle and bustle. Often misunderstood as 'cheap,' or even 'poverty stricken,' or my latest favourite "living from a place of scarcity," the conserver takes a radically different view of what is deemed necessary toward happiness, well being, and what constitutes actual wealth. Actual wealth is not a chick flick. It doesn't pretend. It doesn't manipulate. It is either there, or it isn't. And this particular author does not respond well to falsity.

find a copy on Amazon

Chad's book is incredible. I think it a work of compassion. Indeed, meeting with Chad was to receive compassion from a very unlikely source. RTR in its appearance is exactly what you would expect from an investment and financial advice house: all very posh, with exceedingly comfortable chairs and even a waterfall. The advice, however, is truly radical. Crucial even. Chad paid attention to my individual needs...

That's what a financial advisor is supposed to do, right? Well then... why don't they? Why do they just sell you seemingly random mutual funds with over-arching labels like "ethical," when you know full well "ethical investments" only invest in soft porn, and the gold miners earn fourteen cents per hour instead of ten... Why is Chad so unusual - what makes him different...?

My goals in life are to write, publish, and live unencumbered by debt, and I am in a lucky position today, comparatively speaking. This does not make me unique in the slightest: however, my lifestyle works in accord with those goals, whereas the consumer lifestyle, often works against the grain of our larger social values.

The layering within the conserver lifestyle is a rich avenue of study, and I highly recommend this book. Every word speaks toward finding a thorough and honest equilibrium in your life through a financial lens. As we are bound by the ideology of economy - it is the crucial means by which we organise ourselves - learning to navigate it with effectiveness, "and even brilliance," is the direct route to honest success.

Thank you Chad!

www.moneyassassins.com

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