Back in Action after a Roadtrip of Roadtrips....

Wow, what a ride it has been. 7000 miles, 17 states, countless cities, 5 sometimes 6 people in a little Dodge mini-van, Georgia the GPS and memories that will last a life time. That pretty much sums up the month of June for me. We started on June 4th in Edison, NJ and ended just a dew days ago in Los Angeles, California. Four of us met in India and the fifth we picked up on the way in Atlanta. We were following a teacher named Deepak Bhai from city to city on his tour. I know it sounds a bit crazy and believe me it was, but when you experience a certain level of truth it's human nature to hold on tight. This is the kind of truth that hits you deep inside and touches something inside that rarely gets touched. When the words come out of his mouth, it's as if you have known it all before, but just didn't want to accept that fact. His teachings are on how to find permanent happiness in this life. We are all looking for happiness and we achieve that happiness through various ways. However, is that happiness permanent or temporary? It is all temporary of course and if you really examine it closely you will be shocked to find that most things that bring happiness, often lead to unhappiness. Look back on all the things that brought you pleasure, whether it be food, relationships, sex, money etc... Eventually once the pleasure of the moment is gone, it turns into stomach aches, extra weight, break-ups, divorces, over attachment, unwanted pregnancy, loss of that money, greed, wanting more and more.....
That is the nature of a dualistic world, pleasure and pain are the ends of the same stick. Our teacher talks about going beyond it all which leads to an inner peace that is out of this world. The five of us, plus many others that joined our travels across the country feel like we have discovered a true diamond that is actually priceless in these times. The fact that it really is priceless is one of the reasons that everything with the organization is free. That is a rarity in these times for sure. Many people think that if it is free it has no value. I assure you that this is not one of those cases. The value is beyond words.....more on this topic to come. For now, you can see the web-site www.self-realization.in.I am off to enjoy the Colorado sunshine ; )

Sun in London is definitely Unexpected.

It hasn't been sunny for one day, it has been sunny for four days running! People that live here are absolutely loving it as am I. When I embarked for India back in December, the last place I thought I would be spending two weeks was England. I am absolutely thrilled about, however. I am here with some beautiful people and we are having a great time. Our friend Martyn, who we met in Tiruvannamalei has a beautiful vintage 1930 House boat that is our main base here in town. It is parked in a beautiful part of London on the Thames river across from Kew Gardens, a botanical reserve. We are here to attend satsang and a process called Gnan Vidhi with our beautiful friend and teacher Deepak Bhai. You can find more at www.dadabhagwan.org. The whole purpose of my journey is to actually experience the love and happiness that is deep within us as our nature. The Gnan Vidhi has been a HUGE help actually I would say more a vital step in my journey. Deepak Bhai and friends will be coming to the United States in June and you can find the schedule at http://dadabhagwan.org/Upcoming-Events/spiritual-ceremony-india.html

If you want happiness for no reason in your life then come to the Gnan Vidhi. It is free and it is powerful! We all know intellectually that we are more than we appear to be. We know we have a higher self, a Divine essence or a soul, however you choose to call it. We have read books from great masters telling us this, we here Priests and Pastors tell us this. It is ingrained in us in a way from a young age. However, from the time we wake up in the morning until we close our eyes at night, we fully experience with our five senses that I am Patrick or Debbie or Jenny. We don't have the experience of this Higher Self, we have the experience that we are the body, the mind and the emotions called Patrick, Debbie or (insert your name here.)

These emotions that we have seem to be very connected and actually pretty much dependant on what is happening in our lives. We are happy when this, this and this happens. We are angry when this, this and this happens. We are sad when this, this and well you get the point. Although this seems to be the nature of life and seems to be normal, what if there was another experience. What if it was possible to experience this divine aspect of our self or our higher self. What if one of the most important properties of the Higher Self was bliss or happiness for no reason. What if you could experience this all the time. Then there would somehow not always be the need to go out and seek happiness from people, from situations or from life at all. Would this change things? This would mean that maybe we wouldn't be so attached to people and how they treat us. We wouldn't rely on others to bring us happiness. That is a lot of pressure if you think about as it's a full time job to keep ourselves happy, let alone another.

I don't know how it works, just as I don't know how Deeksha works, but the Gnan does deliver a very special gift in an hours time. In this time the Gnani (Giver of Knowledge) repeats very specific sentences in the Indian language of Gujurati. There is something sacred about the combination of the words used and the amount of time the statements are said that creates a very subtle yet powerful shift in our ego. It gives you the direct experience of "Who you really are" in just the slightest way. I didn't believe it was possible until I experienced it...but it is VERY possible! After the Gnan Ceremony, you are given awareness tools that help you when difficult or sticky situations come up in life. It is all so very beautiful!!!!

When you know and experience who you really are even in the slightest way, everything and I mean everything changes! So give yourself this gift and see if Deepak Bhai will be anywhere near you this summer. He is one of the most pure and beautiful human beings that I have ever met! Today we are having the ceremony in London for a few hundred people. I have several friends coming that I have not seen in a long time and I am so very excited for all of them!

I will write more soon, but for now I am off to catch the Tube ; )

Liveeee From Andra Pradesh.....It's Amma and Bhagavan!!!!!

It is getting harder and harder to actually function here at the Oneness University. The energy is getting stronger by the hour. When I am lying or sitting still it's like there is powerful generator in my heart area just flooding energy into my body! No matter what happens to be going on outside of my body, inside the body there it nothing but bliss and joy. This is a beautiful state unless you have to actually function, to say write a blog or content for a web site. Luckily, it seems everyone else around here is experiencing the same thing so nobody seems to care. The problem, not that it is really a problem, is that nothing matters. You actually see the absurdity of it all and see that we are really just actors in this movie called life. Everything from the buildings, to the trees, to the cars on the road and the clouds in the sky are simply props. They are really great props as in Oscar Award winning for set design, but they are really just props!

When I wasn't in this state I would have told someone who says this to go shove it and you can feel free to say the same to me. When things feel heavy and serious there is no use using intellect to say it's all an illusion, because in no way shape or form does it seem like one!!

I am here to tell you though that there is a freedom available to us all in which I have described which is only the beginning of what is possible. Imagine the freedom when no matter what happens there is joy, bliss and or peace. You can say get in a car accident like we did today and you feel peace and joy. You can have someone yell at you and there is peace and joy. You can be told that the job you thought you had secured may not happen and there is peace and joy. By no means am I telling you all of this to say, "Ha Ha look what I found and sucks to be you!"

I am telling you this because it's my truth and that if I can experience this then you can, your family can, your co-workers can and everyone else on the planet can to. How? Start looking inward and find other people living this and ask them how they got there. It is different for everyone, there is not one single 5-step process to get you there, but what works for some does work for others.

I give all the credit to the Divine inside me that has been guiding me all along and is guiding you right now whether you think so are not. At first this Divine part of me appeared to manifest outside of me in the form of a 59 year old Indian man named Bhagavan. One day about 3 years somebody told me to come to this thing in Maui called "Deeksha." I said what the hell is that? Well these people have gone to India and did this 3 week training and now they can put their hands on your head and your brain will change and your level of consciousness will raise and eventually you will have the experience of being the Divine that you really are!

Well that sounded all great, but a lot of things sound great and to me this one sounded like total BS! I did not believe it for a second! However, the guy who told me wouldn't leave me alone and after a month of harassment, I went just to get him off my back!

To make a very long powerful story short and simple, let's just say to my utter complete and absolute TOTAL surprise it changed everything in my life. I am now currently in India where this Deekhsa, now known as the Oneness Blessing began at the Oneness University! Most of the stuff I experience here is still hard to believe even after being around this place for three years. Much is written about the Oneness Movement as it's called both positive and negative! All I know is what I experience and for me it's been miracle after miracle.

So this Saturday March 7th for the first time Bhagavan and his wife Amma, who are considered Avatars here in India will be doing a blessing for the public online. It sounds crazy, but the Blessing Givers have experienced a few of these so far and trust what happens is crazy in a good way. You can simply sit quietly with no expectations and just see what happens ; ) Trust me on this one.....

You can go to www.onenesswebcasts.org to sign up for $10. It might just be the best $10 you have ever spent! Be patient with the technology on the day, as we are going live from India where well it's India ; ) The times are listed on the web site. If you are into self growth, self-realization, self healing, love to pray to any God, love to sit quietly or just want to have an interesting experience than give it a shot!!!

Have fun and tell your friends and family!!!

Dying for Truth

Talk about Unexpected....

Here was the plan three days ago:

I was going to grab a rickshaw to the Bus Stand in the Village and then take a Public Bus to Tiruvnnamalei to grab my suitcase, say Hi to friends and then return to Oneness University the next day to continue working on the web site!

Here is what actually happened three days ago:

I went to the gate to get a rickshaw and a taxi was there. I ended up taking the taxi all the way to Tiru instead of the bus stand. I arrived in Tiru, picked up my stuff, saw my friends, tried to leave the next day, but my heart told me I needed to stay. I decided to leave anyway, so I got all my things together, but then my intuition said you MUST stay no matter what.

So I stayed and am currently attending a retreat called Dying for Truth! It is about how to Awaken during the death process just in case it doesn't happen in life. It is also learning how to be with people that are dying and also with their families. It has been very beautiful so far!

I also received an amazing massage today and life is pretty GREAT overall! I have absolutely stopped making plans, because they are useless and just cause more problems than good. When you really live in the moment and take your cues from Guidance it is pretty hard to make any plans and follow through with them!

We all have guidance, inner guidance and what I call Universal Signs. Inner guidance sometimes can get skewed by what we want to happen or what we want to do. Universal Signs are signs in that the Universe throws at you. If you really become aware you will see them all around you. These are not influenced by your mind or desires, so if you are having a tough time discerning what is guidance and what is your mind, take a look at the Universal Signs. They will always point you in the right direction. The best part is you can actually never go in the wrong direction, even when it seems like it, it is all happening for a perfect reason! The best thing you can do is become very comfortable with the unexpected and learn to let go of always needing to know what will happen and control what will happen! This will allow you to flow with Divine guidance and then although you may not have a clue what will happen in an hour, let alone next week I promise you it will be an exciting life. Not only that Divine Guidance always leads to more awareness, more truth, more love, and more growth! That my friends is a beautiful thing......Be Well and be In Joy!

Sometimes you just have to....

SLEEP! The energy on this campus of Oneness University is something you have to experience to believe. It is such high energy that there are many nights that I only sleep three to four hours if at all. Well today my body finally overpowered the energy and I pretty much slept all day. It feels good to do that every once in awhile! I just got done having dinner in the cafeteria. It wasn't quite like the pizza from yesterday that's for sure! I connected with a beautiful couple from New Zealand who have dedicated there life to helping others, it's so beautiful. There are people here on campus right now from all over the world dedicated to doing the same from America, Russia, Scotland, UK, Thailand, Brazil, Kazakhstan, Australia, New Zealand, Uruguay, Canada, Germany, Chile and more. They have one goal. To teach people how to become at peace and experience causeless joy no matter what is going on around them. Unfortunately, it seems like the times are getting tougher and some say times are about to get down right nasty. I hope that's not the case, however I do feel things need to get shaken up a bit here on Earth. So let's see what happens...

I know this that is it possible to be experiencing so much joy that it doesn't matter if you are rich or poor, in a mansion or on the streets, in love or by yourself, healthy or sick. Instead of trying to control all of our outside circumstances which are literally controlled by millions of factors, I feel to teach people how to get themselves in a space internally in which the peace and joy simply overflows. How nice would it be to not be dependant on circumstance to be happy? Circumstances are always changing, some times are good and sometimes are not so good. This is the nature of life, the ebb and flow. Over the past few years I have been exposed to many teachers and teachings that all point to this experience. In the past six weeks I have actually experienced this first hand and the freedom that it gives is like nothing else that I have experienced.

I want to share with people all that I have learned. This is one reason for writing my book, but the other is to show that there is another side to life that is so fascinating and brings so much joy that isn't dependent on anything and its available to anyone that is looking. I am not talking about airy fairy stuff, simply to access an energy that by it's nature is peace, love and joy! The first step is to really look inside and look at the relationships in your life. Are you at peace with those closest or are you in conflict? We want peace on earth, but we don't have peace in our own homes or families. This is step one! The best thing you can do is to really put yourself in their shoes and try to experience what they were experiencing and the only way I know to do this is through the Oneness Blessing. You ask the Divine to give you the other person's experience before you receive the Blessing and let grace do the rest. When you experience what the other is going through, basically walking a mile in anothers shoes then and only then can you fully understand why they were the way they were. If they caused you pain, it's because they were in deep pain them self. If they gave you joy, they were in joy themselves. To find Oneness Blessing Givers in your area go to www.onenessnothamerica.org

What a beautiful day!

So if I just told you that I snarfed ( a word meaning ate really fast without breathing) down some pizza and then danced the night away to the heavy heart pounding music techno style with the beat of drums and accompanied instruments I bet the last place you would think I would be is an ashram in India. However that is exactly where I am. This unexpected journey always has beautiful and well yes.... unexpected twists and turns. I am currently in South India at an amazing place called Oneness University. It is a a place where people from all over the world from different religions and cultures come together to learn to find peace in their own lives, their families lives and the lives of all of humanity, to heal relationships and to expand their level of consciousness. More about Oneness later.....I am here volunteering for a new web site that will be launched soon.

I have been here in India since the first part of December. It is my third time here in as many years. If you would have told me 6 years ago when I was at the bar downing shots of Grand Marnier chased by 6 beers into my 300 pound body that I would be going to India three times in the next ten years I would have slapped you and asked you why you drank so much ; ) When I look back at the past four years I really wonder how my life became like a Hollywood Movie. It literally all started in a Bar in Arizona with a Capt Morgan in my hand. Who would have thunk it????? That was why it started as UNEXPECTED and has pretty much kept to that theme ever since.

I am in the process here in India of finishing a book about the last few years of my life in which it has literally been transformed in every area. Divine Grace has been running the show and I have slowly but surely over the years given up the reigns as hard as that has been. back to the here and now otherwise known as today, I was talking to a great friend of mine earlier, she suggested I make my book an e-book forgoing the traditional arduous paper book process. It was interesting that I had not thought of this option, but I guess I was so stuck on that I would have many publishers dying for my work and they would be bidding for my story. Hey it could happen ; ) My main goal is to get the story out to as many people as possible as quickly as possible....So when she said E-book and explained the trend in e-books I got an immediate yes inside. Within a couple hours I had this blog and a few possible domain names purchased for the books web site.

I had a couple of great friends online helping me narrow down the website. Once the process was over I was called to go to a homa, which is an ancient vedic fire ceremony. The celestial gods and goddesses are contacted through the means of agni, the ancient fire. The intent of the homa was for success in worldly ventures that spread the news of anything that helps to reduce human suffering. You have to experience a proper Homa, before you can understand the immense power that that have. The Divine Presence is so thick in the room that even the most dense people energetically feel it.

All I know is that it was not a coincidence that this homa was performed on the day that I spontaneously decided to launch this venture. It was not a coincidence but the entire day was Unexpected...hence going along with the major theme of my life the past few years which has been an Unexpected Journey! I had my bags backed to catch a bus to Tiruvannamalei this morning, which is a beautiful little town 5 hours south of here. I need to go to get the other half of my stuff , because once again it is totally Unexpected that I would be staying at this ashram for 6 weeks helping out. As you get to know me you will understand and see this theme with me more and more and you will see also how grateful to the Divine inside of me I truly am that has actually graced me with enough love and awareness to actually let go of the wheel. This allows me to be grateful for the unexpected instead of upset. There is a freedom in that that every ancient tradition has spoken about. With that thought, I will leave you for today! Infinite Salutations to the Eternal Divine within all beings....