HollySphere

Count Down

hollyakees — Thu, 10 Jul 2008 01:39:45 +0000

Blogging is a hobby I absolutely adore and will continue to do in a more private venue. Engaging with readers and other blog authors is truly rewarding. However, after careful consideration, I have decided to begin removing my public identity from the world wide web. The nature of the work I am about pursue is such that anonymity is the ideal for the safety of both myself and my family. For the next couple of weeks I will leave my blog public. If you are a reader who would like to continue having access to Hollysphere please email me at the following temporary email address vanishing@bigstring.com. After that however, this blog will become private and only individuals with prior approval will have access.

Finding Your Life’s Purpose: Today

hollyakees — Wed, 09 Jul 2008 21:18:35 +0000

The nurturing essence of both Eckharts written work and the podcasts offered through Oprah’s online class provide spiritual substance for one’s soul. The contents, encased in the decorated pages of A New Earth: Finding Your Life’s Purpose, encapsulate illuminating spiritual elements in such a way that they are easily consumed. Continuing the process of consciouses living and remaining aware of the ego’s presence once the pages have been discarded is a key ingredient in your spiritual development.

Fundamental in the pursuit of finding one’s purpose, is the realization that you are not your ego. During moments of turmoil and pain, when the ego is weighing on your consciousness, awareness can liberate the energy which is you, allowing the present moment to shine through.

Life presents unanticipated and unwanted experiences to everyone. Expressing themselves in the form of relationships, roles, possessions, health changes and so much more, human beings conceptualize these experiences through internally generated mechanisms. Holding on to any form of these concepts as they vanish into the present moment can ignite great anguish. As Eckhart points out however, “the primary cause of unhappiness is never the situation but our thoughts about it”. When conceptualized by the ego, our thoughts desperately cling to forms which are believed to be defining. Unable to hold on, the loss of these forms leave the ego vulnerable and exposed, ready to cover itself in the next form that it discovers. Free yourself from form, under which the ego hides, “for when you become comfortable with uncertainty, infinite possibilities open up in your life”.

A New Earth: Awakening to Your Life’s Purpose – Day Three

hollyakees — Sun, 20 Apr 2008 22:36:30 +0000

Although it may seem by the infrequency of my posts that this book is slow reading, the contents are absolutely illuminating. Requiring time for silent contemplation, this is a creation meant to be savored rather then devoured. Approaching the last two chapters, I have returned to the beginning of the book, to sprinkle it with podcasts of the enlightening variety. Truly inspiring and somehow comforting, the dual spiritual study modalities take the idea of mindfulness to another level of consciousness. Again, I have selected some of my favorite quotes from recent readings. Hopefully you will see the windows they open, and feel compelled as I did, towards further exploration. If you do, the accompanying archived web classes are available as are audio and video podcasts.

“The entire civilization is losing itself in doing that is not rooted in Being and thus becomes futile.”

“The paradox is that suffering is caused by identification with form and erodes identification with form.”

“Nothing ever happened in the past that can prevent you from being present now; and if the past cannot prevent you from being present now, what power does it have?”

“There is only one perpetrator of evil on the planet: human unconsciousness. That realization is true forgiveness. With forgiveness, your victim identity dissolves, and your true power emerges – the power of Presence.”

“Knowing yourself is being yourself, and being yourself is ceasing to identify with content”.

“To be in alignment with what is means to be in a relationship of inner nonresistance with what happens.”

A New Earth: Awakening to Your Life’s Purpose – Day Two

hollyakees — Mon, 03 Mar 2008 00:42:36 +0000

Tolle’s extensive discussion about the ego should resonate with many. The distinction made between the ego and the essence of who we are is especially valuable. Quotes that highlighted this important lesson can be found throughout the text.

“Sometimes letting things go is a far greater act of power then defending or hanging on.”

“Attachment to things drops away by itself when you no longer seek to find yourself in them.”

“Whatever you fight, you strengthen, and what you resist, persists.”

“Spiritual realization is to see clearly that what I perceive, experience, think, or feel is ultimately not who I am, that I cannot find myself in all those things that continuously pass away.”

“The ego doesn’t know that your only opportunity for peace is now.”

A New Earth: Awakening to Your Life’s Purpose – Day One Point Five

hollyakees — Tue, 19 Feb 2008 23:15:50 +0000

You may understandably may be questioning why an image of my bathroom would be entitled A New Earth: Awakening to Your Life’s Purpose. Certainly the image is in no way esoteric. What I have to admit, is that the title of this post ends in “Day One Point Five”, and is accompanied by an ivy embellished water closet for a reason.

Tuning into a profound book requires calm and tranquil moments, away from the distractions of a working mothers existence. These moments can be created and nurtured by ones environment. Comforted by bubbles, water and flickering candle light, any stress absorbed throughout the day can be washed away by a therapeutic bubble bath. Having difficulty immersing myself in Tolle’s second book, it was this soothing experience that inspired me to transform the bathroom, into a creation where spiritual nurturing could occur. For everyone, the elements necessary to facilitate spiritual growth are different. Nature has always been one of these elements in my life so the choice to adorn the bathroom walls with ivy was not a difficult one. If spiritual evolution is a priority in your life, you may want to create conditions which will cultivate spiritual development. Creating a tranquil environment is just one of the ways this can be accomplished.

A New Earth: Awakening to Your Life’s Purpose – Day One

hollyakees — Wed, 06 Feb 2008 03:28:06 +0000

Spiritual development is a life long process which requires both commitment and a willingness to be open to new ideas. An amazing teacher, Eckhart Tolle’s book A New Earth: Awakening to Your Life’s Purpose is a must read if spiritual development is a priority in your life. To encourage others (the two who read this new blog….) and as a way to process my own thoughts, the next few posts will be dedicated to this book and my experience with Oprah’s online class. To start out, here are some quotes from his book to wet your spiritual appetite:

“When you don’t cover up the world with words and labels, a sense of the miraculous returns to your life that was lost a long time ago when humanity, instead of using thought, became possessed by thought.”

“One thing we do know: Life will give you whatever experience is most helpful for the evolution of your consciousness”.

“Ego is always identification with form, seeking yourself and thereby losing yourself in some form”.

It feels difficult to expound on Eckhart’s ideas, and give them justice. At this point, I am simply absorbing the experience.

Online Class Opportunity

hollyakees — Sun, 03 Feb 2008 22:06:26 +0000

Impressed with the Power of Now, I am excited to see that Oprah is teaming with the author, Eckhart Tolle to present an interactive web experience based on his latest book A New Earth: Awakening to Your Life’s Purpose. Oprah is truly an inspirational woman. A firm believer that remaining true to one’s life purpose is an essential leadership ingredient, this creation from two great leaders of our time should be worth your while. The opportunity for learning is free to anyone who is interested. Simply register online, and you can participate either Monday when the class begins or through the video archive as time allows.

Unnecessary Clutter Series – Part Two

hollyakees — Sun, 13 Jan 2008 20:58:11 +0000

Hopefully eliminating clutter has simplified your existence in 2008. While freeing yourself from oppressive baggage, consider this:

Suggestion

Paper can quickly accumulate, and effectively managing it is necessary to keep from getting bogged down in useless print. Start defending yourself against paper invasions by visiting the Direct Marketing Association. They provide an online form for removing your name from mailing lists and opting out of credit card offers.

Purging outdated material at least once a year is recommended. This includes disposing of warranties and user manuals that are no longer needed. If your files are getting thick, eliminate all out of date contents. Finally, try maintaining records on the computer instead of on paper.

Resource

Check out Vickie and Jen’s the Big O: Organization podcast series for more ideas on reducing clutter. The DIY Networks Organization Channel also has some useful suggestions.

Inspiration

Two days and three piles (Donations, Trash, Keep) was all it took to reduce the clutter our household had begun to accumulate. For the Kees family, it was just a matter of taking the time to pear down the excess baggage and we are back to appreciating our possessions again.

Unncessary Clutter Series – Part One

hollyakees — Thu, 27 Dec 2007 16:10:00 +0000

Accumulation of unnecessary clutter creates literal barriers to a rewarding life experience. Following the passing of my father, this fact suddenly became my reality. Up until the acquisition of someone else’s lifelong collection of stuff, the accumulated Kee’s family collection of memorabilia was treasured and appreciated. Since acquisition overload however, possessions have been transformed into unnecessary clutter. Slowly but surely over the past year, yard sales, donations and such have put a dent in our collection of things. However, with a constant stream of toddler toys and necessities entering the home, it is time to focus efforts more effeciently. In order to avoid being weighed down by material burdens, eliminating clutter has become a Kees family priority.

Purging excess belongings is not an easy feat, however it is a necessary one if you do not want to be bogged down by “stuff”. As our family works on eliminating unnecessary clutter, I encourage your family to join us. This series of posts will provide you with resources, suggestions and hopefully inspiration to become clutter free.

Suggestion

Begin by evaluating what area’s of your home seem to attract clutter. As you begin to eliminate the excess “baggage”, partialize your goals into manageable objectives. Rather then trying to get rid of all clutter, start by focusing on either a specific space (i.e. office) or on a specific type of clutter (i.e. paper work). By partializing, you will create an objective that is easier to accomplish, in shorter period of time. You will feel rewarded once the objective is accomplished, and success will provide you with confidence that the remaining tasks are not insurmountable.

Resource

Clean Sweep is a Discovery Station production which presents a team of organization and design experts who come to rescue people who have accumulated too much stuff and need help reducing clutter. Watch one or two episodes and you will certainly come away with some ideas and inspiration to get you started.

Inspiration

You are not alone. The Kees family is working on reducing clutter too. By partitializing it was relatively easy to reduce the clutter. Since Christmas brought many new toy’s into the home, I selected toys to be the first type of clutter to reduce. By separating the toys into three categories; 1. Keep 2. Donate 3. Trash I was able to significantly reduce clutter. Additionally, some of the toy’s we kept were stored away. Children become overwhelmed with too much stuff. By rotating the toys available to them to play with they will appreciate what they have more and chances are when you break out a toy they have not seen in awhile it will seem like Christmas all over again.

WordPress Plugins

hollyakees — Sat, 08 Sep 2007 20:27:12 +0000

One of the reported benefits of wordpress is the availability of numerous plugins allowing for increased functionality. At this point I am still learning how to integrate them into my blog. One of the first questions on my mind was whether or not the free version of Word press.com would accommodate them. After reading what Lorelle had to say I began to realize that there were even more wordpress variety’s then I had initially thought.

WordPress.com is what I am using now. It took me only a few minutes to set up. No need for me to regurgitate information already readily available from people who actually know what they are talking about. If you want to learn about using wordpress.com check out what they have to say about it’s features.

Regular wordpress requires you to download their software. You can download the full version and use it for free. Also referenced is wordpress MU which has all the bells and whistles. There is further information available if you are interested. From what I can tell, it is best to start with the .com version, become familiar with it and then determine if the platform is for you. If it is, there are a whole bunch of fun things you can do to spice up your blog with upgrades.

I am sticking with the basics for now and my primary blog remains with blogger as I educate myself on this new platform.