What's Your Divine Sign?

Signs are important in our day-to-day life. They direct our traffic, point us to the correct restroom and enable the disabled. These, of course, are not the signs I'm referring to. I'm here to write about Divine Signs.

As of this month, I have been working for myself as a programmer for about a year now. I have been blessed with enough work from a single corporate client; however, I'm at the end of the projects and starting to see little to no work in the future. What this means to me: I need to either a) Find another client or b) Find another job.

My wife Amy is an amazing woman. When I discussed this predicament with her she put it plainly, "I don't think you're happy working for yourself. Are you?" Smoke may have come out of my ears at that point -- I mean, for the last year, I believed this was what I wanted, I had gone out on my own and made something of myself. I was building my own business and proving to the world that I could be successful on my own. It took me a week or two (and a lot of meditation) to realize she was right.

After just under an hour in deep meditation I had this feeling of inspiration. I sat down at my computer and started job hunting. To be honest, I was not hopeful, my expertise is in a very old programming language known as Visual Basic. Furthermore, I had done this job hunting multiple times in the past years without any luck. In fact, I couldn't even find VB jobs at all. It took me about 20 minutes of searching before I ran across the absolutely perfect job title for my expertise, "VBA Developer (Excel)"

After clicking on the link and reading the job description I start laughing because it was too perfect. I showed Amy and she agreed, "This job was made for you." she said. The only issue was that the job was located in Michigan, but after discussing it, we both agreed that we would move for the right opportunity. Then I saw the Divine Sign that would change our lives forever ...

On the left-hand side of the job description was the recruiter's contact information. The job recruiter's name: STG. My name is Sean Thomas Greenroyd, the recruitment company IS my initials! My name is literally on this job! We took this as a Divine Sign and I revamped my resume and cover letter and sent it in as soon as I could. Two days later the recruiter called me, I had an excellent interview that Friday and the next Monday they offered me a larger salary than expected with full benefits. Needless to say, I accepted the position.

Sometimes the Truth is muffled because my mind is busy with distractions or fooling me into believing I'm limited. But when I opened to the idea of a new job, it made itself known and when I opened up to the idea of moving to Michigan, the way was already paved. Divinity pointed the way and my action made it possible.

God spoke to me and I answered the call. Will you answer yours?

Parenting the Divine

Last week I spent an entire day with my young adult son. I learned so much! I had a clue that my son is a wise man, a gentle soul, creative and driven by an inner push to reach his goals. I had an idea and yet, when I spend time with him I am amazed at who he is: his insight and wisdom when he is afraid, and his courage when he is passionate about something. I find myself awed by the many facets of my son. And then I remember. I remember the Truth about my son. He is made in the image and likeness of the Divine. He is an expression of the Infinite Potential that I call God. Of course he is today more than he was as a child and of course his interests have evolved and shifted over the years – even the weeks since I last spent time with him.  He, like the rest of us is continuing to evolve.

What kind of parent are you? Do you see the Divine in yourself as a parent and in your children sometimes, rarely, all the time?  Whether you are Permissive, authoritarian, certain, or a leaf in the wind your parenting style and experience probably changes with the situation and the child involved. I am the same parent with both of my kids – authentically me - and I use different parenting tools because my two kids are not the same person. Of course! They have unique personalities, they respond to pressure – both self imposed and inferred differently. They respond to my parenting differently. Man it would have been easier if they wanted the same, acted the same, and responded the same – but that’s not the way life works. Every child-parent relationship is unique. Each has their lessons for us and the opportunity for us, the parent, to know ourselves and our children better – and in knowing ourselves and them a little bit more completely, honestly, openly we are allowing the Divine to be known – by means of us.  

As a practice, we can make the effort to get to know another side, the divinity of our kids by remembering the truth about them, and ourselves, by looking with an expectation of seeing the divine, and with the humility of knowing it has been there all the time. Sometimes that is tough, even seems downright impossible! I know. I have been there. But wait; there is help for this work!!!  Each month at the Parent Forum we challenge our old views, beliefs and strategies. We hold them up to the light of Love, Truth and Reality within the loving support and wisdom of the group. The life of the parent is one who is constantly being challenged, praised, criticized and idealized. Find some peace and clarity in your own experience at the Parent Forum on April 9^th.

Beginner's Mind

"The mind that dies every day to the memories of yesterday, to all the joys and sorrows of the past -- such a mind is fresh, innocent, it has no age; and without that innocence, you will not find God."  J. Krishnmurti

Is your mind getting old? Is it showing wear and tear of holding on to anger, sorrow, disappointment or loneliness? Are you forgetful? Do you search for the right word more than occasionally?

In Perlmutter's book, Grain Brain, he writes that the brain, like every other cell in our body, regenerates itself! This was great news to me! What used to be believed by neurosurgeons is that once you lost any mental capacity it was gone for good. we were taught that  things like excess alcohol usage killed brain cells and once they were dead, they were gone! Isn't it great news, that brain cells can be regrown?

What great news! We could have newish brains, the instrument for our minds to use, can be restored.  Perlmutter's theory is that it is the foods that we are eating that is making us forgetful, and causing dementia, depression and other neurological disorders. We can choose to live a healthy life.

However if you eat right and live a healthy lifestyle and poison your mind with negativity, envy, anger, disappointment and loneliness, the results will still be an experience of an aging mind. As J. Krishnamurti points out, no matter what our age, if we cannot let go of the memories of yesterday, we will not find God. If we do not find God, our lives will be filled with despair, worry, confusion and our bodies, including our brains will suffer from that consciousness.

Isn't it time, to put that baggage away that you have been carrying around? It gets so heavy after awhile. Of course, you know that you are only harming yourself. The person that "done you wrong" is not suffering at all. You can't undo the past, but you can take the sting out if it. Let it go. See the perpetrator as a small child not knowing any better. If he or she could have done better in that moment, he/she would have.  Surrender it to God. let it go.

Choose to have a ageless, healthy mind in an ageless, healthy body. 

Thoughts On Death And Spirituality

To the Men & Women of the HMM-364 Purple Foxes
We Salute You

At 10;30 am every Sunday, We Light the Flames of Faith, a call to service. Where we recognize the many paths to Spirit, and of Service.

• We light the candle for the Shamanic Traditions, honoring the beliefs and practices of all indigenous peoples, The way of Primal Spirituality.

In today's excerpt from the Joyous Living Journal we are inspired to find our "Healing Chant" in indigenous peoples this was also called the "Death Chant". In the native american tradition this chant was discovered thru spirit quest, or passed down thru your relations, and sung in moments of adversity.

This year I have embraced my inner Cherokee, by fasting and then attending ceremony on Saturday evenings with my friend and Vietnam veteran +Gene Stone. This has been a very powerful experience and has brought a centeredness to my life that is hard to put in words. The chants we sing, the prayers that have been asked and answered have been profound and amazing. You should check out his blog from a Native American Viewpoint "We are All Part of the Earth" the way of Primal Spirituality.

Yesterday, I had another powerful experience when I went with one of my blogging students +Paul Gavin  to view the end of a long chapter in our nations history, covering a twelve ship "Heritage Flight" of the USMC HMM-364 World Famous Purple Foxes as they transition from flying the Phrog to the Osprey. This is the end of a 50 year history of service where these birds were very much the horse of years gone by. The Purple Foxes got our fighting men and women into and out of all kinds of sticky situations around the globe. And we remember the sacrifices they have made for our country, and the Marine motto of "Do The Right Thing, For The Right Reason."

When your time comes may your healing chant include that you did all the right things, for all the right reasons, a message I have heard time and time again in ceremony and in service.
Your heart will be your guide for this, And So It Is.