I recently listened to an interview with Tom Shadyac, the creative inspiration behind the documentary I AM.  The way he told the story of how the movie came to be and his explanation of the subject matter resonated so strongly with me, that a several hour road trip from was made to attend a preview screening event at a small theater in Chico, California.  The effort was worth while, and the movie is very well done...of course.

It's nice to see someone discuss a subject like the interconnectedness of all things in a way that allows "regular folks" to understand.  These ideas are very well illustrated by people like Gregg Braden and organizations like HeartMath, and of course these ideas are the foundation of many indigenous spiritual traditions, but after repeated attempts over the years to discuss the idea with people, it became apparent that many people have a hard time understanding the subject, simply because our whole world view is based on separation and division.

In a recent conversation with someone the subject turned to how we both like to spend a lot of time alone, and how that is only possible because of the world we live in today.  It is due to things like utility companies and grocery stores that we can live our lives with minimal interaction with others, but that is really an illusion because our whole way of living in the industrialized world is based on a complex and delicate web of relationships that many people aren't consciously aware of.  In centuries past unless you were a monk or royalty who had people handling the details and acting as a buffer from the nitty gritty of daily life, your livelihood was dependent on cooperative relationships with other people.  There is no such thing as separation really, both in our world today and spiritually, that view is simply the result of a limited perspective or understanding of how things really work.

Our state of mind, or rather, the quality and coherence of our energetic field (our vibes) affects in a very real way what we experience in our lives...and even though I have known that for years, maybe lifetimes, even now I still forget.  As an example, I decided to add a short blog entry about this movie several weeks ago, but didn't make time to do it.  Then yesterday I decided to do it, but got busy with other things and resolved as I was going to bed to do it first thing in the morning.  Then this morning some more pressing issues required my attention, putting it off until the afternoon.  

And finally, this afternoon when I sat down to write this entry, I started having technical difficulties with my computer which caused a high-level of frustration, mainly because I am fairly computer savvy and knew that what I was experiencing shouldn't be happening.  I finally hard powered down my computer in disgust and went outside to watch the sunset and get grounded, hoping to release whatever was contributing to my frustration.

I walked outside and towards the sitting area totally oblivious to the surroundings or the sunset, still thinking about the afternoons events and how I got so agitated and in such a disharmonious mindset. I looked up just as a baby deer started running away, followed by it's mother.  The mother and child deer have been sleeping near the house lately, and as long as I am mindful and don't make sudden moves, they will graze or sleep nearby only occasionally glancing in my direction.  I have used the animals in the area, the squirrels and rabbits and deer, as a test to see how peaceful I am, because when I am in a good place the animals will come near and act as if I'm not there.  

However, the fact that I scared the deer away with my mindless tromping to the bench to sit was a clear example of what I was attempting to write about...my state of being, or the quality of my emotional energy (vibes), had an impact on the world around me in a very real and tangible way.

Here I was, wanting to write something about how our inner state affects the outer world, and I was so disconnected from the state of being that produces a peaceful experience of life that I was creating discordant energy with my feelings of frustration, preventing the experience that I wanted to write about.  After a little quiet time watching the sunset, I came back to the computer and tried again. Everything is working fine, and the state of mind I was in before seems silly and unwarranted.

I suppose that the Zen approach would be to not even attempt to write anything, since this entire exercise is pointless.  And, considering the experience I went thru this afternoon that perspective does have some merit, because a lot of time and energy was seemingly wasted and some chaos resulted from my delusional state of being.  However, now that I am on the other side of the experience something valuable has been remembered, which will help the next time I am in a similar situation.  

It's analogous to how we as spiritual beings, fragments of the one consciousness that permeates all things, decide to fragment further in order to incarnate here and experience life in this way.  It can seem difficult and challenging, and it can seem that way for many lifetimes, but the experience and wisdom gained ultimately makes it all worth while.

Same with the world today, and our apparent disconnection from the principles and understandings that help us to live in meaningful and harmonious way.  Life works in cycles, and in the same way that distant ancestors in civilizations long forgotten knew these things, we are now remembering, and have the opportunity to do what we can in our own lives to create a little more harmony a little more often...because it all starts with us, right now.