Guest Post by Jim Aycock

I’m reading “The Art of War” by Steven Pressfield. A must read for anyone intending a Greater Life. In the chapter entitled “Life and Death” he speaks of the actor Tom Laughlin of “Billy Jack” fame. Tom is also a Jungian psychologist who has a foundation that works with people who have been diagnosed with terminal cancer.

Pressfield states that “…The moment a person learns he’s got terminal cancer, a profound shift takes place in his psyche. Things that sixty seconds earlier had seemed all-important suddenly appear meaningless, while people and concerns that he had till then dismissed at once take on supreme importance…maybe it isn’t so crucial that he have the last word in the fight with his wife…maybe he should tell her how deeply he has always loved her…what about the gift he had for music…the passion he once had to work with the sick and the homeless? Why do these unlived lives return now with such power and such poignancy?”

Laughlin believes that “..the seat of our consciousness shifts from the Ego..(who we think we are).. to the Self…,” the place from which dreams and intuitions come.
The world is anew. Surface concerns drop away and we suddenly know what is of true importance.

This is Laughlin’s approach: he tells his clients to not only make the leap mentally but to live out there dreams literally. Resume that career once given up, the dream to play music, for example.

And guess what happens? “…cancers go into remission. People recover..Is it possible, Tom Laughlin asks, that the disease itself evolved as a consequence of actions taken (or not taken) in our lives? Could our unlived lives have exacted their vengeance upon us in the form of cancer? And if they did, can we cure ourselves, now, by living these lives out?”

Think about it. Feel it in your heart, and with all your heart. Search your Self. And live your Greater Life. Now.

 jimzine@aol.com

Jim Aycock

http://www.greaterlifemedia.com

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An Afternoon with Inspiration

A post by Natalie Gregson and Charlotte Phillips

August 11, 2009

On this particular day when I got off work, I had this deep desire to get away and be inspired by nature.   So I invited my Mom to go take photographs for inspiration. I grabbed the camera, hopped into the car, and we drove off to Aldridge Gardens, a local residential house which has been turned into a botanical garden. When we arrived at our desired destination, the sky was turning menacingly dark and thunder began to roar over head. For a moment or two, we were filled with despair that the storm might keep us away, but we quickly realized that we could decide our own destiny and keep going. We looked up at the sky and saw a break in the clouds so we jumped out of the car, umbrella in hand and descended upon our photographic journey through nature. The photos turned out fantastic, with droplets of water lightly sprinkled  all over nature. Inspiration can be found everywhere. Even if you are depleted of your creative intuition and need to take a break to get back to nature, you can grab a camera or a pad and pencil and get out there and see what your creative eye can discover. For me, the day brought out some of my most influential work. If I had just given up, I would have missed out on a golden opportunity to connect with nature and my creative spirit.

                           

Brewing Storm

             Original Photos

 

Have you ever noticed when a storm is brewing? You sense it, feel it, and even anticipate it. Storms can be powerful, magnificent, and threatening, but they also offer a chance for the earth to cleanse itself of negative impurities. 

When you look up at a the clouds during a storm they tell a ghastly story of turmoil and sometimes destruction, but after awhile, somewhere in the distance there is a break in the clouds where the sun begins to shine through the darkness and it is then that you truly see the light at the end of the very dark tunnel.

Nature can be a fantastic metaphor for your own life. Every so often we have to look within ourselves and cleanse our emotions of issues we have held onto. Much like nature does with storms we must purge out the negativity that is harbored within all of us. For after we have cleansed ourselves can we then find the light at the end of the tunnel. 

Next time you see a storm brewing take a few minuets and look up at the clouds, let the rain be an example to cleanse you own emotions.

By: Natalie Phillips Gregson

  Original Photo enhanced using Photoshop  

Photography by Natalie Phillips Gregson

All Photographs are for use by the artists and should not be copied or used without permission.