There are many types of love.

Love of family, love for your wife, husband, dog, children, parents, aunts, uncles, etc. — basically love for the individuals and collectives that can be found in your tribe.

Love of stuff, things, and states — such as sunsets, a great salad, beautiful music, inspiring painting, etc.

The list goes on and on… only limited by how loose you are willing to be in your usage of the word. “Oh, my god I just looooove that dress on you.”

All of the above are not included in the “Three Loves” mentioned in the title of this blog. Here are the three loves:

• Love what you do.
• Love the people you do it with.
• Love what you leave behind.

These three loves are not a product of accident, fashion, or preference. These three loves come from directed intentional effort — they take work. And, it is these three loves that will yield a sustained sense of worth — as in a life worth living.

Even a modicum of investigation will reveal that these loves must be the product of voluntary effort.

Name anything that you would “love” to do. Enter into the Twilight Zone, find a handy genie and wish to do that as your job. Before the end of the half-hour show you will realize that doing that thing (whatever it is) tarnishes. It will either become torture or humdrum at best.  Does it have to continue as humdrum or torture? No, but the kinds of people that show up in Twilight Zone episodes rarely have the skill set required to “learn to love it”. And, eventually, you’ll need to learn to love it. Automatic love will not sustain.

Interestingly enough, it turns out that when you include working for the benefit of others into your calculations of what to do, you easily slip into activities not based on your personal preferences and hungers.

But, this blog is not about how to select “what to do.” This blog is an acknowledgement that no matter what you choose to do eventually the glitter will fade and you will find yourself in the position of needing to voluntarize your love for doing it.

And, more to the point, this blog is an acknowledgement of the importance of having the love for what you do — voluntarized or not. Without that love you can’t go the next step.

No one says that you have to love what you are doing. That is not required. There is no law demanding it. If you are a world-class gardener maintaining a vibrant, healthy, beautiful park that may be enough for the powers that be. A great garden was needed and you provided the great garden — bare essentials have been satisfied. But, that is just the bare essentials. And, blessing available to you is missing.

Until you add “love for what you do” into the mix, the transformative potential will be missing. That would be unfortunate. Unfortunate to say the least.

You can do what you need to do, do it with the people you need to do it with, and leave behind the results of this. You could do that.

I believe that to love what you do, love the people you do it with, and love what you leave behind is the real sacrifice — or at least requires a sacrifice. Take “love what you leave behind” for example.

You can use effort, selection, will among other tools and skills to sculpture the nature of what you leave behind. Don’t do those things that you know you will regret, and do those things you believe right. Let’s say you get real good at this — really, really good. Even so, it will be impossible to not have a blemish or two in your record. If you figure it all out by the time you are 40 and all your actions are right actions from 40 on, then as you look back at your life there will be the temptation to regret not having figured it out by 30. If only I had gotten this stuff figured out by 30, then I could invested an additional decade into right action. And so it would go.

If you evaluate what you leave behind through the eyes of an auditor or an actuary, you can’t help but be disappointed. But, if you look back with the eyes of a parent watching a child singing and dancing in their first school play it will be different. Sure there was a missed line or two, and the kid totally forgot the melody, and godfrey daniels they didn’t button the costume in the back. None of that would distract from the perfection of the performance.

If you can sacrifice your attitude, set aside the multitude of shoulds and shouldn’ts implanted by well meaning (or not) parents and teachers, and give up your notion of how it should have been, then you may be able to “love what you leave behind.” This will take some sacrifice… just enough that ultimately you will no longer be who you are. Meaning the relative self, the personality will be set-aside.

Doing all of this loving what you do, loving the people you do it with, and loving what you leave behind will produce a substance — a tangible, sensible, mutable substance that can be bottled, spooned, and spread like jam. Granted the bottle wouldn’t be a physical bottle — but a substance none the less.

When I think of this substance as a royal jelly capable of feeding the Absolute, it feels right — not correct perhaps, but somehow in the right direction of what it would be like.

Still working my way through “Reality Is Broken” by Jane McGonigal.  Please don’t consider these blogs anything like a review. It is not my intention to give a fair and balanced review of her book in its entirety. I find bits and pieces of the book especially stimulating and choose to follow the threads of where they lead.

Here’s a quote from page 3 of the Introduction:

“Gamers want to know: Where, in the real world, is that gamer sense of being fully alive, focused, and engaged in every moment? Where is the gamer feeling of power, heroic purpose, and community….”

In video games we have missions. The mission may be to save the Princess Zelda from the evil Gannon. Or, the mission may be to find the broken crown, have it mended and resurrect the Skeleton King. Or, perhaps the mission may be to block a white square from falling off the edge of the screen by hitting it with our paddle sending it back toward our opponent’s side of the television.

In video games we take on these missions and treat them as important with very little fuss and muss. We don’t ask questions like: “What does it matter in the cosmic scheme of things if the Princess is saved from Ganon. Heck knowing the Princess she will probably just get herself captured again soon enough.” That doesn’t happen in a video game. We just plain don’t expect the mission to be of real, global significance. We either accept the mission or we don’t. And if we accept the mission we do everything required to accomplish it. And, while doing this we pour ourselves into the task — hook, line, and game controller.

Let’s stop for a brief moment, collect the question that is lingering on the edge of this conversation, and place it safely on the side for future reference. That question is a bit nebulous — in the early phases of stellar evolution. The exact nature of this question is unformed as yet. It has something to do with “Hey wait a minute, there is something important I’m supposed to be doing. There is something of significance that I promised myself I would remember.” Or, something equally worth addressing and equally beyond our reach at this very moment. Whatever it may be, let’s set it aside — just for the moment.

Having done that, let’s consider the following: Why not take on missions in real life? Why not give them the same commitment, daring, and do? Why not make dinner preparation a mission?  Imbue “making dinner” with the same sense of being fully alive, focus, and engaged in every moment? Why not let “making dinner” elicit the same feeling of power, heroic purpose, and community….”?

Is the mission of “making dinner” any less important than the mission of saving the dragon or fending of the damsel in distress? I hear through the aethers a few folk muttering to themselves: “Ah, I see where he is going with this. He is going to suggest we stop playing video games and devote our energies to so-called real world activities.”  Perish the thought. I say play those video games.  Tackle those cyberspace missions with gusto. Then after practicing the application of gusto apply that skill when engaged in daily activities.

Give the same intensity of focus to your preparation of dinner as you would in the preparation for a WoW Raid. In the larger scheme of things they can be equally important — a dinner no less so than clearing a dungeon of monsters.

Granted fixing dinner is not exotic. It is something that is done day after day — as a part of our regular routine. As such it has drifted into the grey of our lives.  We have given ourselves permission to slack-off and only participate halfheartedly during those grey activities. “It’s a grey activity, it doesn’t really matter how it is done. Throw some grub on the table and clear the dishes when the horde has finished gobbling it down.”

Video games hold the key. Video games can help us do this one important thing: ignore the question of significance. A mission is a mission is a mission.

“feeling of power, heroic purpose, and community” are words used to describe something. This something is not “feeling of power”. This something is not “heroic purpose”. This something is not “community”. Those are words used to describe aspects of what if feels like when this something is. I deliberately say “when this something is” rather than “when this something is happening” because this something is a noun not a verb. This something is a substance. When you execute a mission alive, focused, and engaged at every moment a substance is produced.

Please bring your attention into the present as you read the next sentence.

The production of this substance is not dependent upon the significance of the mission. The production of this substance is dependent upon your being alive, focused and engaged at every moment during the mission’s execution.

Again, if you can possibly manage to pay attention, try doing that during the next sentence.

In the sentence above I made the assertion that production of this substance is not dependent upon the significance of the mission.  I did not say that the nature of the mission was not of importance.  The nature of the mission will have a profound impact upon the alchemical results of your efforts. Put bluntly, clubbing baby seals will have a very different impact than preparing a nutritious meal for the community.

It does matter what you do. But, significance is not the yardstick you should be using to measure this. Maybe that is because significance is a mental thing and you should really be using more of your “heart” to make this kind of judgement.

Well, this blog wandered about a bit. Didn’t even get to the point I thought I was going to make. And definitely dropped a couple of real groaner puns along the way.  Now the question is, do I dump this and try again later, or hit the “Publish” button. If you reading this, then you’ll know which option I chose.

As you may guess from my blogs and multitude of websites, I have more than a few irons in the fire. You’ve probably heard the story: over commit, get excited about a zillion different things and start going in a million different directions.

That’s my story.

One of the exciting break-through projects during the past few months is Urthgame. On urthgame.com we use 3D gaming technology to create non-violent life-affirming interactive games. I started working with the G.O.D.D. team years and years ago partially as a result of nephew. Continue reading →

I am reading Jane McGonigal’s book “Reality is Broken, Why Games Make Us Better And How They Can Change The World.” Actually as of this moment, I have made it to the Introduction.

In the Introduction Edward Castronova has this to say:

“Anyone who sees a hurricane coming should warn others. I see a hurricane coming.

“Over the next generation or two, even larger numbers of people, hundreds of millions, will become immersed in virtual worlds and online games. While we are playing, things we used to do on the outside, in “reality,” won’t be happening anymore, or won’t be happening in the same way. You can’t pull millions of person-hours out of a society without creating an atmospheric-level event.

“If it happens in a generation, I think the twenty-first century will see a social cataclysm larger than that caused by cars, radios, and TV, combined. . . . The exodus of these people from the real world, from our normal daily life, will create a change in social climate that makes global warming look like a tempest in a teacup”

Very stimulating material.

Given the mad dash to assemble resources for the upcoming Prosperity Path game release, Prosperity Path was rumbling around the space between my ears while I read the above passages.

I have played Neverwinter Nights, Guild Wars, and World of War Craft (and many other games as well). I have experienced how these games can consume time that might otherwise be used in “real life”. Please don’t think I’m complaining or making an accusation. I am definitely not saying this is good, nor am I saying this is bad. Just an observation that these games had the specific effect of redirecting my attention into the game and things of the game. To the extent that I would find myself walking around doing “real” things such as grocery shopping while thinking about what was, is, or will be happening in the game. Again, I am not taking a stand on is this good or bad. Just observing that it happens.

With the Prosperity Path Orbs, the attention is directed back into “real life”. The time spent in the game is being used as a tool to enhance one’s experience of life. For example, if someone wishes to have more love in their life, to experience love more, then running the Love orb might be the prescription. The Love game is not used as a substitute. It is used as a tool. Which means that while one is running it, there is the ever present notion that “I am doing this to modify my life experience.” Which further means that after one finishes playing the game the attention is sharply focused on “real life” as one looks for evidence of “it worked.”

So instead of looking for substitute love in the Love orb, one uses the Love orb as a tool to stimulate the finding of love in one’s life — in all aspects of one’s life. I can imagine a situation where someone could run the Love orb in order to help them find love in WoW. <lol> That would not be a bad thing. That would simply be how it is for that person.

I guess you could say that I was happy to have the idea pop into my head that the Prosperity Path orbs were actually helping to enhance “reality” rather than take away from it.

Before closing, I should confess that to my way of thinking it is all reality (or none of it is reality). Some days I’m not sure which.

Wikipedia declares the following about “affirmation”:

“Affirmation is a declaration that something is true.”

“Affirmations (New Age), the practice of positive thinking in New Age terminology”

“Affirmative prayer, a form of prayer that focuses on a positive outcome”

This blog is not an introduction to affirmations, nor is it a defense of the positive effects of affirmations. The definitions from wikipedia are introduced to establish a common focus. For discussions about “how do affirmations work” or “do affirmations work” try google, bing, or bongie.

This blog is for those that have had experience with affirmations and have found them effective, or for those that would like to experiment a little with this affirmation stuff. Continue reading →

I’ve been following a thread on Prosperity Path Form. In the discussion the following was offered by I.W.

“Imagine you have put seeds in the soil from a plant that you know produces magnificent flowers, but you are unaware that it only flowers once every hundred years. Such plants are rare, but they do exist. So, you wait, feeling anxious and troubled… Your impatience proves only that you do not know the nature of this beautiful flowering plant. But then, there are other seeds that produce flowers after only a few weeks. Of course, this pleases
you more, but the flowers are more common.

“Every activity you engage in is like a seed you plant. If you get rapid results, you are satisfied, but ask yourself sometimes whether the seeds that develop rapidly are the best.  Often, it is rather the opposite.”

Thank you I.W. for that contribution. I’d like to start from this notion and offer a little expansion of this idea.

To my way of thinking, the grand endeavor we have chosen for ourselves is not the same as planting a single seed. We are not looking for just one plant to grow and bloom. Rather the path consists of hundreds and thousands of plant that will grow and bloom — all in their own time. Continue reading →

Years ago, back when people walked ten miles through the snow to get to school, I was in a Molecular Biophysics graduate program — my study involved quantum mechanics of biophysical mechanism.

When I accepted the offer to study biophysics, I was making a choice between Molecular Biophysics and Psycho-Pharmacology.  (Do well enough on your mcat, sat, and gre and you get offers. Which was lucky for me, since I had more brains than money.)

I did my graduate work in northern Florida. Something you might not know about northern Florida is the fact that it is rampant with cow pastures, cows, cow poop, and mushrooms growing in said cow poop.

My lab mates at the time, decided that it would be a good idea to run a few experiments involving the ingestion of mushrooms. Because of my pre-existing research and interest in psycho-pharmacology, I agreed to sit in as a kind of life-guard.

During the first experiment, M. expressed that fact the mushrooms were having no effect on him — none whatsoever. I asked M. why he was lying on the floor. He indicated that in so far as the walls were breathing and he didn’t have any ability to move the stuffed sausage doll’s body he was inhabiting, he figured the floor was a good place to be. And yes, he still persisted in his claim that nothing was happening and that the mushrooms had no effect.

Later it came to light that M. had decided long ago (prior to any actual experimentation) that the one and only symptom of “it is working” would be tiny (4 inch to 6 inch) refrigerators running around on the floor. Since on the evening in question there were no refrigerators of the 4 inch variety running, walking, or even sitting quietly in the corner, he was absolutely certain that “it wasn’t working.”

It is possible to have expectations (generated by our own imaginations, or stories from others) . It’s hard (or impossible) to avoid some expectations. Expectations are okay. However, it is important to avoid letting unfulfilled expectations blind us to what is actually happening.

Look to the details. Have an impartial attitude. Be willing for it to work, and be willing for it to not work.  Expect miracles and be okay with the fact that they may not happen over night — or, perhaps they will.

The experiences of others is a guideline of what might be possible. The less you require your experience to match a preset pre-existing set of criteria, the better off you will be in your relationship with “what is.”

Imagine going on a blind-date with a head full of guidelines — a massive checklist of conditions for the potential date to match — height, weight, hair color, background, attitude, genetics, religion, favorite author, top-pick music group, etc., etc., etc.

Actually you don’t have to imagine. This is what happens every day, zillions of times a day.

How about this, imagine what it would be like to walk into a situation with little or no expectation of what can (or will) happen.

Now stay awake and pay attention.

The new didge arrived today.

As you can tell from the video, the didge has an excellent breadth of tones. It doesn’t really show in the picture on the website (Cherry Blossomz <– website here ) but the mouth piece is pretty small. Not too small, just smaller than than behemoth my Bb didge has. The result for me is: it is much easier to implement the circular breathing.  Continue reading →

Working with the technique from Part 3 of the Didgeridoo Dojo Circular Breathing lessons. Like the break-down of the lessons. Feels like I’m starting to get somewhere with the circular breathing — but, it is adding a definite challenge to the “getting my embrasure on”. Continue reading →