Jim Palmer's Blog, page 39
February 16, 2014
I decided to be useful and run for office ( and other stuff)
Life is pretty full these days. My fourth book, Notes from (Over) the Edge, has been out for a few months, and in a couple weeks I’m leading a 21 Day Spiritual Direction Group for a group of folks who have read the book.
I’m eight weeks into the Winter quarter at school, teaching three classes. As an adjunct faculty member, three classes is my limit. The teaching itself is great but it’s difficult to keep up with the administrative components.
Speaking of education, I am running for the Metro Nashville School Board as an Independent. I’ve never run for elected office before, and there’s a bit of a learning curve. I figured I’d make myself useful by serving our city in an area that I am passionate about.
In March I will be in Texas at a Libertarian Party event. Some of you know that I authored a declaration to change our national discourse, sentiments, and actions about the power of religious, spiritual, and philosophical diversity for good. I will be representing the “We Believe in Good” cause at the gathering in Texas.
Heather launched a crochet Etsy business that is keeping her busy. She and I have been doing a juice fast. We detoxed our bodies, shed some pounds, and are adding more solid foods to our diet. I’m continuing to build my endurance back since sustaining a string of injuries. It’s one day at a time in the gym, and running the greenway. Prior to those injuries I was ultramarathons and did triathlons.
The girls have lots going on. Jessica is getting her driver’s permit in April! Whitney is stationed in Seattle with the U.S. Navy. Meanwhile, Cera is fighting growing pains, and entering puberty.
Whether you’ve been my friend a week or ten years, I appreciate your encouragement and the way each of you contribute to my life and journey. I received an email yesterday from someone who said that I should consider writing a book. It was a good reminder that new folks come along and can’t figure out who I am. Hmm… I’m not sure I can even figure that out!
Here are a couple links that might be useful:
My “Jim Palmer for Metro Nashville School Board” page is a work in progress. I just created it yesterday. You can check it out here.
February 14, 2014
More knowledge does not = understanding
Early on in my “shedding religion” phase I went through a period in which i exerted a lot of effort trying to package up my new understandings in language and concepts that appeared “Christian.” But it was like trying to mix oil and water. Eventually I realized that those previous concepts weren’t as “Christian” as I had once thought, and in many cases were diametrically opposed to what Jesus lived and taught. There were also a period in which I was bent on satisfying my mind in grasping truth, which led me down a path of exploring and investigating a lot of philosophical thought. I’m the kind of person when going down a path that I leave no stone unturned. In time the path brought me to a place that has been more about practice. For me, “practice” is mindfulness. In other words, I don’t set out to do “spiritual things,” I just do what I do, spiritually… or with mindfulness. I don’t tell myself, “I should be reading more, doing more, studying more, learning more.” More knowledge is not the equivalent of understanding. Sometimes you can get too smart for yourself and pull the wool back down over your eyes. Knowledge is a temporary expedient – we acquire it, integrate it, and move on. The garbage collector who is unloading trash cans into the back of the garbage truck can do so with mindfulness. He or she is not so easily distracted by the way things appear, and perceives the fundamental truth and essence of all things. This mindfulness is an energy that extends into and conditions the whole. This mindfulness touches those he or she interacts with throughout the day. This mindfulness is the spiritual life. Do whatever you choose to do, and just do it with this mindfulness. Do not fall into the trap that there are all these different things that you “should” be doing. Our biggest obstacle is that we stay distracted. Some people stay distracted from the moment the wake up in the morning to the moment they go to bed at night. Some people stay distracted for years at a time, even an entire lifetime. You must be awake, and be mindful.
February 13, 2014
You can’t outsource happiness
“You outsource most of your life. “Outsourcing” is obtaining goods or services from an outside supplier. This is your model for having peace, well-being, and contentment in life. You depend on an outside supplier. And so we cling. And this clinging is part of the ignorance that causes our suffering.
You say to yourself:
“If only I had…
… more money, a bigger house, a more fulfilling job, a different family, better friends, a different church, a new car, more success, the latest iPhone, improved health, less stress, someone who loved me better…
If only I could…
… lose 25 pounds, take a vacation, get married again, eat Ben & Jerry’s ice cream without putting on weight, follow my dreams and passion, …
I’d be happy.”
It’s a lie. None of this is true except in your mind. That’s actually where your entire problem is – your head.
Happiness is not contingent upon an if-only-I list. We have imprisoned ourselves to that idea. We live by it.
The minutes click off, the hours roll by, the days march forward, and the years of our lives are like grains of sand in an hourglass.
Meanwhile, you suffer… in ignorance… unnecessarily.
We are born and die in an illusion, having never discovered what is real. But it doesn’t have to be this way. There is a different way.”
- Jim Palmer, Notes from (Over) the Edge
February 12, 2014
You can’t fit in a can
Your true Self is not like liquid that was poured into your mind and body. Once while visiting Florida I bought a friend a small souvenir, which was a “can of Florida sunshine.” And yet we all know how silly this really is – as if you could somehow contain sunshine in a small tin can. It’s the same with you. Your true Self cannot be contained within the form of your body or limited to the mental processes of your mind. Your Self is not contained in your body and mind, your body and mind are contained within your Self. You HAVE a body but you are not a body. You HAVE a mind but you are not a mind. Your true Self is without form. Your true Self is not bound by either time or space. Your true Self extends outward, and is the fundamental nature and essence of all things, and is what connects you with all things. Your true Self is an extension of the being of God, which means you are one with God in your true Self. That Self is free, whole, at peace and undisturbed. Your true Self chose to be human and to be here. You true Self took on the dimensions of human personhood for the purpose of the human journey. It’s important to remember that you are IN this world, but not OF this world. Consider dwelling on this for a while. Let it be a matter of quiet meditation, and mindfulness throughout your day.
February 11, 2014
10 things to stop doing
“10 Things to Stop Doing
1. Stop separating people into “us” and “them.”
2. Stop believing you humanity is an obstacle to overcome.
3. Stop treating the afterlife as more important than the herelife.
4. Stop making God about correct theology.
5. Stop dividing up the world up into “sacred” and “secular.”
6. Stop mistrusting the voice inside you.
7. Stop limiting your experience of the divine to the people, places and programs of organized religion.
8. Stop questioning your competence in charting your own spiritual path.
9. Stop apologizing for who you are and your journey.
10. Stop pouring concrete over each new discovery.”
- Jim Palmer
February 10, 2014
21 Day Cohort Group – Notes from (Over) the Edge
We have a good group coming together for the upcoming 21 Day Cohort Group. I can add one, maybe two more people. Let me know today if you have an interest. You can check out the details here.
A call for exploration into ultimate reality
Your true Self has no beginning or end. That Self took on a mind and body for a human existence. The body and mind are characterized by impermanence, and will one day stop functioning. Your true Self, however, has permanence. That Self is the underlying, unchanging, and fundamental nature of all things. The nature of your true Self is greater than your individual human personhood. That Self nature connects you will all things. The disciples were upset when Jesus spoke of death because they were attached to his human body, mind, and personality. They could not grasp his his teaching about the Spirit within them, guiding them into all truth. We are so attached to the things of the body and mind. We are enamored by the transitory and impermanent things of this world. This result of all these attachments is our suffering. Jesus said, “I am IN this world but not OF this world.” Understanding and living the distinction of those two prepositions is key. Today, vow to press deeper into the true reality and nature of yourSelf and all things. Explore this. Loosen your attachments upon this world, and discover that which has no beginning or end, and is the source of true peace, freedom, and well-being.
I expound on many of these themes in Notes from (Over) the Edge.
February 9, 2014
Time is being
We think of time as passing away but consider the possibility that time never arrives. Be neither past-oriented nor future-oriented but absolute-present-oriented. In other words, all that is real, all that is eternal, all that is truth, all that I am, all that are things are – is undisturbed and fully intact continually and in every moment that we mark by any clock. There is nothing of true substance to achieve or attain. It is all there in every moment. It is never lost, never threatened, and never diminished. The realization of this is peace, joy, and freedom. This is the kingdom of God Jesus spoke of. Being awake is eternal life.
February 8, 2014
How did you get in THAT story?
You are attached to a story about yourself that isn’t true. Perhaps you learned that story through religion. Maybe that story was concocted in the cauldrons of heartache and rejection, and certain moments in your life when you wrongly concluded something about yourself – I am bad, I am not enough, I am inadequate, I am ugly, I am broken, I am flawed, I am defective, I am unfixable, I am stupid, I am worthless. How much of your life is going to be dictated by a story that is not true? What would it mean to end that story today, and start writing a new story that honors your worth, value, uniqueness, beauty, and magnificence?
February 7, 2014
What’s the mental energy driving your life?
What will be the mentality or mental energy behind your thoughts, words, and actions today? Whether it’s bitterness, resentment, self-absorption, indifference, or materialism on the one hand, or love, kindness, compassion, peace or generosity on the other, our mental energy can be wholesome or unwholesome.
Our unwholesome mental energy is born out of our craving for pleasures, wealth, power, position, fame, or anything else it can settle upon. Unwholesome mental energy is also a derivative of ill-will and comprises hatred, anger, resentment, repulsion of every shade, whether directed towards other people, towards oneself, towards objects, or towards situations. Unwholesome mental energy can also manifest itself as heaviness, indifference, and apathy, or agitation, restlessness, anxiety, and worry.
Unwholesome mental energy is often a byproduct of our misplaced dependencies for worth, value, identity, security, well-being, peace, and happiness. Rather than seeing that realities as present in every moment and characteristic of our true nature and all things, we go into the world craving them. This craving breeds attachments that become the tentacles that entangle us.
Be mindful… tenaciously mindful… of your true self and the true nature of all things. Spend some moments and recall the true source of all the things you desire. Remember that these are not things to seek, achieve, earn or attain, but things that you are in every moment. See the unwholesome thoughts arise – do not deny or judge them, acknowledge them, and then send them on their way. Do only that which is consistent with the truth, and the way things really are, which is different from how they often appear. Do only that which leads to the liberation of all beings.
Today you will no doubt spot unwholesome energy lurking in the background of your thoughts, words, and actions. When you become aware of this, consciously let it go and return to what you know to be true. You may need to do this hundreds of times. If so, count them as hundreds of victories.
