The Roots of Things

Cause and effect is a principle in operation all around us and every day.

With a little effort, one can get to the root of the matter and work at the level of cause.

This can relate to relationships, personal effectiveness, work and business matters, spiritual development and weeding out difficult plants in a garden or area of lawn!!

I meditated on this recently as I was working in my yard.  There is a particular plant which is overcrowding a lovely grassy area.  This plant is very prickly and therefore is not fun to step on while playing barefoot in the yard whether one is human or dog.

The thing is that the roots of these plants grow deep if left too long and they will keep coming back quickly and spread if not removed.  The most effective (eco-friendly) way of dealing with these plants is to pull them out by the root... and to continue to mow them down in the process.

Depending on how fast they have spread and the size of one's lawn, this can seem like a daunting task -and it is for me, as I am speaking of a fairly large area off to the side which has not received much attention over the last few years - other than mowing.  These prickly plants have found a liking to the area and have really spread.

 I have accepted the task of slowly, over time, pulling these plants out by their roots.   If  I am not careful, they also sting and can cause discomfort and irritation to my skin.  (Essential oils can provide relief and healing for this, according to my experience).

The many things we come across in life are no different than this situation.  I contemplate this each time I go out to pull more out.  I contemplate the fact that some of the things we wish to alter in our life have become a bigger issue due to our own neglect.  I also reflect on the fact that transforming certain things sometimes occurs with some pain and discomfort.

Our attitude and approach to the task is something to keep in mind as we set to Work.  How do we go about doing what we have chosen to do in the world(s) we have created?   Are we Working at a vision we have created with heart?  Do we desire some new visioning?

 I also realize that when we unite our self in action to a vision we have, that consistent effort over time will certainly assist us and that we will see progress ... as long as we persist and Work at it in the way that gets at the Root of the Matter.

There Will Be Days

There will be days.    Hmmmm.... have you ever felt like this?   The day moves along .... not much is accomplished, and it all seems to have been a waste...  or just doesn't go as we planned or imagined it would.    Is it just one of those things, or is there a reason for this? 

Yes, the answer is yes.  Ocassionally, there are circumstance and situations which are the result of our acquaintence with or involvement with people and events which have their own sets of causes and effects.   In other words, we do not have control over certain things.  They are, perhaps larger than our own personal world and involve many other factors.   Other times, we are the ones creating the chaos and can not see it for what it is.  This takes awareness and a level of awakening too.   It also takes courage to admit when we are the ones creating this sort of day for ourselves and others (who will experience the results of our behaviours).

What we do have an effect on is our own world we are co-creating all the time ... and therefore the effects of our actions we are always experiencing in the now ... whether personal, familial, work or business.  It is vital for us to determine what is our response-ability and what is not.

Without awareness of our self and without the unification of our body, mind and spirit, we feel like things happen to us and around us all the time.  We have even created a wonderful expression for this: ''Shit happens'' was a very popular phrase not long ago .... but sometimes used to excuse the poor behaviour of our own (and others) doing. 

Clean the mirror of self-reflection and you will see better
all that is within and around you.

There will be days when everything clicks and things just flow along.  Our energy is balanced and we are able to create the sort of day that we desire.

Cleaning our mirrors of self-reflections ... seeing our selves as we really are is a major key in really succeeding in co-creating your life according to our dreams and zestful visions.   It allows us to alter and adjust our selves along our way ... keeping what is working and shifting what is not.

When we are not quiet and still inside, we see ripples in our mirrors ... things are distorted and we neither hear, see, feel, act, think, respond or create with clarity and precision.   We do not do what is best in the moment due to these distorted images and reflections and misuses of our energies ... then we may experience ONE OF THOSE DAYS ... if we are aware, we look at what we can do to alter things that we are response-able for and it will shift.

Sometimes we feel we have focus when what we really have going on is an improper use of focus and attention.   Some of us operate with  hysteria ... others apathy and depression.  We sometimes operate on sugar and caffeine and/or driven mental projections.   We neglect our bodies, emotions, spirits.  Then we are best advised to STOP and see clearly what is needed within in order to gain balance.

Our body gives us messages ... the way our life and day is going will tell us things about ourself ... our mental/emotional states are messages ... being quiet and still will tell us things about ourselves if we really want to know them.   If we listen to our self, and apply what we really need, truly, things will shift and we will feel better, and soon will be saying that these are the days of my LIFE!


If  having ''one of those days'' is due to another's behaviour  .... or to a larger effect - like a town or world crisis, then our part is in knowing how to respond in a way that is most beneficial to ourselves and others in that moment.   Cultivate inner peace, a clean mirror and true wisdom.

The Four C's

An interesting phenomenon is that there are things we can pick up as little tools to apply in our life everywhere we go.  This was passed on to me yesterday ... on a truck show, the host asked people to call in to tell him a minimum of two ways that they have become more efficient at what they do .... a mechanic called in and said that it was the Three C's he learned while studying to become a mechanic .... Condition, Cause and Correction.  He said that he used this tool as a mechanic and then found it applied to life too.

He noted that there is often something in the present that becomes a condition we no longer can tolerate ... we then decide that something has to be done.  Then we begin to look into the past or near past to see whether we can determine the cause ... usually, with good investigating skills, this can be determined ... then we have to decide on and apply the proper correction ... and if we do so, the condition we do not desire is eliminated.  If we are effective in this and do not wait until the Condition has run rampant, we become very efficient in whatever we are doing.

So why did I call this blog topic the Four C's?  Well, if you've been reading my other blog notes and check out the website, you will that I repeatedly use the phrase consistent effort over time.  I do so because it is what I have applied in order to get the results I have worked at achieving in various arenas in my life.  So we can add to this tool and call it Condition, Cause, Correction and Consistency.  With Consistency in Application of a Correction, we will maintain the results we want.

I like this tool, because it can demonstrate something we can apply - whether it is to our spiritual practice ... and some of the pitfalls we will experience along the way .... or whether it is a health concern, financial concern, relationship concern ... and so on.

Without calling my method such, I realize that this is one of my ways of approach in Souhl Counsel sessions and other Work we do.  Anyone who has been to see me will realize this.  We discuss the reason for coming (Condition... we also look for multiple conditions which can be related).  We then look at the Cause ... understanding and insight can assist us tremendously - can assist us with gaining awareness of what we do and how we do it in the moment ... which can be contributing factors to our Condition. Finally, we focus on Correction (solutions... tools to apply...what are you going to do about it? ... whatever we want to call it).  We are also reminded in session that consistent application over time is the key.

Here is an example.  This example is health related, but also contains mental/emotional and spiritual aspects:  An individual comes in to see me many years ago due to an appearance of arthritic conditions in their joints ... something they observed had appeared slowly over the last two years.  This person was quite distraught, as they were very active in sports, health conscious and was used to viewing things with a positive mindset.

We proceeded to examine some history.  We found that there was a turning point in this person's life several years ago where stress became an overwhelming factor.  This person relates that their eating and sleeping habits were poor (and not typical for them) and that their negativity in thoughts, words and actions also increased due to feelings of helplessness regarding their situation.

So the person came in with the Conditions they desired to alter: mental/emotional overwhelm - leading to behaviours not typical for them, arthritic symptoms and insomnia.  With work, we discovered the Causes:  perceptions of being trapped in a situation they did not feel able to alter, poor eating habits, poor thinking patterns relating to themselves and their situation, and ultimately lack of the necessary action of dealing with their situation effectively ... in a way they really had the desire to do it (which opened up another area of Work where we went from there... not the focus, here).

We worked with practical actions (Corrections) the individual could take in order to deal with the Conditions, and with Consistent Work over time, these Conditions were corrected.  The person felt better - regaining their balance and harmony inside and out.

Consistency over time is a key.  It is true that it takes time to develop these conditions - they usually do not show up overnight.  Our being can handle certain amounts of stress and strain ... however, consistent stress and strain (of the damaging kind) over time wears us down in many aspects and the effects creep up over time.  This means consistency is key in reversing the effects of the causes.   Then it becomes a lifestyle if one wishes to maintain the positive benefits.

So if there is something you wish to alter ... however big it may feel or appear to you ... despair not, but take the necessary steps to attain what you desire - in any aspect of your being.   Remember that the sooner we we are able to detect the condition creeping up, the easier it is to deal with it effectively.