Imagine

I was listening to Joan Baez earlier today. It's been quite awhile, and I was again being moved by her astonishing voice and her style. As I listened I realized that I couldn't understand her completely due to my quirky hearing. As I accepted that it became perfect. I realized that the words weren't really that important. I knew she was telling me a story and that it was an old story. No matter how beautifully told, it was a story from the past.

It occurred to me that there might be a convergence of all the old stories. What if there is a moment in time - whether it's a second or a year or a century - What if there's a moment where all of the old stories converge? All of these stories, whether written or spoken or beautifully sung, bring us to where we are right now. What if these stories give us who we are, where we are, what we are but they don't give us the future? What if the future is up to us? What if it is up to us to take on being responsible for what we are creating?

This could occur as a very scary idea but I can't see any future in taking it in that direction. I would rather take it toward creating the world as we would have it be. For me that is in the direction of bringing forth a world at peace - a world where love is first and foremost for one and all.

I turned Joan back on. The she was just beginning was John Lennon's "Imagine." I'm not a believer in coincidence - certainly not in situations like this. What a powerful take on leaving the old stories behind - "Imagine there is no heaven ..." and bringing forth a whole new world - "Imagine all the people / Living life in peace ... I hope someday you'll join us / And the world will live as one". This occurs for me as a new story - creating a future from this moment forward.

Love, Woodson

Acknowledging that it didn't go as said

The crystal is lit.

I said: "The circle will start no later than Sunday, September 17." It won't. And I won't waste my energy or yours on explanations.

Today is a day when I can accept that I have no greater purpose in life than to simply be here - alive right now. I smell the fall air for the first time this year. I see a few leaves on the ground - are they, like me, eager for a future completely transformed from a past measured in epocs.

And I choose again to be here, in this meaningless, timeless moment of being the perception of the cool air on my skin, the scents, the colors, the sounds and so much more that goes beyond my powers of articulation. And I allow my purpose to be nothing but a design to sense this creation - my creation.

I love you for reading this.

Of course, I love you whether you read this or not so it can hardly be considered a reward to you. But, it is an acknowledgement of your generousity - your expression of love in reading.

Love, Woodson

The Love Virus Circle

I'm delighted to notice that coming here to write calls me to do something special. It corresponds nicely to a practice I have when journaling - I turn on a very pretty light that casts beautiful colors into a crystal above it. The lit crystal represents a spiritual choice on my part - to be who I say I am - to be present - fully awake.

The crystal is lit.

The circle (sort of like a round-table without the table) will be an exploration into finding ways to express love that actually has the effect of someone else actually feeling loved. And, the really tricky part is how to do so in ways that actually alters the overall field of being in the world. That is to say, I want to look for ways to express love that results in somebody else being moved to do something loving that they weren't going to do. I think this kind of expression shows up with entertainers who "express love" on stage but I'm looking for ways for the rest of us to make a difference. I don't expect to make as much difference as these very public people might make all at one time but I do expect to make a substantial difference one person at a time over the long haul.

I live in the belief that it is possible for each of us as individuals to generate ripples that spread love and peace in the world.

I'm thinking of a group of 6 to 10 people in a circle setting meeting one evening each week for two or three hours. The idea of the circle setting is to encourage participation by everyone present. The intended outcome of a series of maybe 10 weekly sessions would be that we would be showing up in our world in ways that would have others with whom we come in contact feeling loved and wanting to find ways to spread the feeling.

As far as I can tell, if I want to express love, I can easily come up with ways that work for me. Simply telling someone I love them works very well in some circumstances and less well in others. I like bumper stickers as a way to communicate to a larger audience. I saw one the other day that said: "Caution, Driver singing". That occurred for me as an expression of love but I know it won't work for everybody. Out in the country, well away from the big city people frequently wave at folks they see along the road. That occurs for me as expressing love but I don't think it works for everybody.

This circle will include the loving support, wisdom and participation of my favorite spiritual mentor, Cynthia McMahon. Cynthia is a teacher, leader and organizer in the tradition of Shamanic Journey. You can check her out at her web site via the link labeled Cynthia.

The circle will start no later than Sunday, September 17.

Please contact me if you are interested.

Love, Woodson

Well, I've received my first comment - from a dear friend. I'll use that as all the encouragement I need to post another entry myself.

First, my thanks to the lovely and talented Marita. She has done the design and most of the work and provided invaluable help for me to get my web site up. Check it out. And she has provided the support I needed to get this blog going.

Second, my thanks to Marita for the right on the money response to the idea of the Love Virus. I do want to note that she has a particularly lovely smile herself so, in my mind, her smiles will generate more of the good stuff in the world than will mine. None-the-less, I'm taking her suggestion to heart. I may not actually count my smiles, but I will take on paying more attention to when I do have opportunities to "offer" a smile as an expression of love to others. And I will take on taking those opportunities - actually smiling - more frequently; most especially in relation to strangers.

Third, I intend to put together a class or seminar to bring together a few folks who are interested in developing ourselves as physical/ spiritual beings. Of course, I have the particular focus in mind of finding ways to express love such that we actually contribute to bringing forth peace on earth.

Love, Woodson

A love virus

The Love Virus is about looking for the opportunities that we have in our lives to express love as a way to spread love - like a virus - to those around us.

Even if nobody knows about it, we can express love that makes a difference. In some cases, when other people do know about it, it can spread. The intention is to infect more and more people with the notion that we can change the world by looking for opportunities to express love in our otherwise ordinary lives.

I noticed today that I was expressing love by washing my hands after using the toilet. It's something I usually do but it doesn't always occur for me as an opportunity to express love. But it is expressing love by honoring the well being of those around me. And, even though nobody else even knows about it, I have this sense that, as long as that is my intention it somehow makes a difference in the world - however subtle it might be.

Two examples where I get love being expressed by others. The more examples I see, the more opportunities I notice for me.

I love the line in the song What A Wonderful World (George Weiss and Bob Thiele): "I see friends shakin' hands, sayin' 'How do you do?' / They're really saying 'I love you.'"

I notice, when out in the country, people wave to one another - even including strangers like me - and that looks to me like a way to express love.

The purpose of spreading this virus is to bring forth peace on earth.

I would love to hear from anybody who likes this idea and/or has any fresh ideas on how to empower love as the dominant expressin of being human.

Love, Woodson