“What’s the name of your studio?” I gently inquire.
“Huh?” you wonder.
“What’s the name of your studio? What do you call the place where you do your creative work?
“You do have a place to do art and to work on creative projects don’t you?”
If you want to build your right brain, and I assure you that you do, then you need to have a studio.
It needn’t be more than a flat surface in the corner of a room stocked with cool pens where you can doodle. But setting aside space gives this aspect of your life importance.
I wanted to explore creating comics more as a way to play, expand my story telling abilities, and to enhance my design sense – all right brain skills, so I went to the library.
Tip: If you want to learn a subject fast and have the maximum amount of fun, look for books aimed at kids.
In this case, I discovered Dewey decimal J808.06674 So, You Wanna Be a Comic Book Artist by Phillip Amara, illustrations by Pop Mhan.
Hot Doggy.
Phillip suggested I name my studio. Cool.
I walked into Suzanne’s room, office, and suggested she name her room. Out of the conversation with her, up bubbled the name for my studio – Chuckling Ferret Studio.
The name needed to be playful – play is right brain stuff you remember.
Did you know that ferrets chuckle when they play? Otherwise, they are silent. I lived with a wonderful fellow, a ferret named, Dakota, for eight years. I miss him still.
Ferrets, like otters, are the most playful creatures I know. They also have an unquenchable curiosity. I want to cultivate these qualities, don’t you?
Ed, the ferret man, said, “Ferrets remain playful, like kittens, their entire lives.” He was right. I want to be playful my entire life, too.
The name Chuckling Ferret Studio also lends itself to some word play. Chuck Ling and his Ferret Studio popped into my head.
One of my on-going fantasies is to rent warehouse space to create art and breed ferrets – hence a ferret studio.
You get the picture – playful.
Chuck Ling also becomes a wonderful pseudonym. What possibilities for art and story emerge from this identity?
What books would Chuck Ling write? What comic books would he draw?
What will you name your studio?
Where will it be?
How will you stock it?
By when will you get it done? Set a date. Do it. Let the good times roll.
***
Paradigms Explored –
· Upgrade Your Right-Brain – Play, Design, Story
· Simple Is Sophisticated
Wednesday, January 16, 2008
Wednesday, January 09, 2008
Presencing
To see a world in a grain of sand
And a heaven in a wild flower,
Hold infinity in the palm of your hand
And eternity in an hour.
-William Blake
Zen and the poets have been addressing presence for centuries. What’s new is that everyone is paying attention to presence now, not just a handful of monks.
Presence lives outside of language so I find it hard to talk about. Blake’s poem points to it brilliantly.
Let me take a stab at it, too.
You travel into Presence often, but perhaps you don’t fully grasp the importance of this. If you’re like most humans, you don’t even notice it.
When you are fully present, the chatter in your mind goes still. You experience this as the peace which passeth understanding.
When you start to notice you are having these experiences of peace and stillness, you can begin to learn to encourage them.
When your mind quiets, your mind’s obsessive concerns and fears no longer drive you. You may even feel at one with all.
This is good, right?
You can think of your frightened, controlling mind as your ego. Yogis and eastern traditions call it the “monkey” mind, which is short for “a drunken monkey who has just be stung by a scorpion” mind.
Have you been there? Of course, you have.
Another name for this mind is the competitive mind. I like this one because it points to the fear that underlies and drives the competitive mind. Yet other names for this are the survival mind and the lizard brain. (See Related Article below.)
What Do You Get When This Mind Is Silent?
· You get the peace which passeth understanding.
· You get a small tastes of enlightenment that gradually become huge tastes and last for ever longer periods.
· You feel one with all.
· You live in the pleasures of flow. (See Related Article below.)
· You feel safe and supported by the whole. There is no need for faith. You become faith itself.
· You get “heaven in a wild flower”.
· You “hold infinity in the palm of your hand and eternity in an hour.”
How, Then, Do You Still the Mind?
You still the mind by being present. When you become present, the mind is still. It has no choice.
“But William, I thought that when I was still, I got to in presence? Aren’t you contradicting yourself?”
“Probably… Hmm…
“Let me see, the confusion comes by using the very similar and related words, Presence with a capital P and present with a lower case p.
“Presence is sacred and although you are part of it and it fills you absolutely, you don’t control it. Being present – being right here, right now – is something you have some control over.
“When you become present, you become still and you enter into Presence or more accurately, you experience Presence directly.
“Does that help?”
You can use silence as a doorway to stillness. Hang out in the silence of nature. Even amongst roaring rivers or melodious birdsong, you will experience this silence and the stillness underneath it.
I have written two books that will show you easy methods to explore Presence. Obviously, they will be of immense help to you.
· Simply Serene – Four Amazingly Powerful Ways to Be Instantly Alert and at Peace
· Looking Deeply into Presence
Here’s the Cliff Note Version for Becoming Present
· First, get some silence.
· Go outdoors – somewhere peaceful. It needn’t be a national park. A city park will do – anywhere you have a spot of nature.
· Practice Owl Eyes – Lightly gaze at something in the distance. Keep your eyes resting there while you taken in as much of your peripheral vision to the right and left as you can.
Slowly, deeply breathe in your belly. Now, while maintaining all of this, take in your peripheral vision above and below. Do this for a few minutes. Your mind has quieted. You’ll notice you have moved into stillness. Yes?
What did you notice when you tried this? More peace I hope.
Practice every day.
Invest in Simply Serene and Looking Deeply into Presence for the full versions.
Smile.
Flow
Although Psychologist Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi, the guru of flow, doesn’t talk about Presence in his books, his observations imply that you be present to get into the lovely state of flow. All of his strategies for experiencing flow, therefore, would be good for becoming present.
Being in flow may be the most important goal of my personal practices. When I am in flow, everything, well, flows. I live in Heaven.
You love flow, too. You’ve been there often.
I want getting into flow to be high on your list of things you want from your Deliberate Living Program.
(Read my article, The Delightful Magic of Flow, below.)
Resources to Guide Your Way
1. The Scent Of Green Papaya – I saw this film in the theatre when it came out. The first five minutes into it were some of the slowest in my movie watching life.
Then I got it, “Oh, this is about Presence.”
This Vietnamese film takes place in French Saigon.
With almost no dialog, a young servant, by simply cleaning and cooking, models how you can move in your world fully awake. It’s lovely. You will emerge from the experience as after a lovely meditation.
2. Eckhart Tolle has written several wonderful books on the subject and I recommend them as a starting point on the subject of presence.
1. A New Earth
2. Stillness Speaks
3. The Power of Now
Find them here.
3. Again, I recommend my two books Simply Serene and Looking Deeply into Presence for working with Presence vs. talking about it or explaining it.
4. Obviously, you can read books on Zen to get a feel for it.
See Fun Resource on Spirituality.
5. The poets have visited Presence often and written beautifully about it.
Mary Oliver is my favorite. Invest in her books so you can dip into them when you want. Her books plus The Sound of Water, a book of haiku, reside by my bed. Find some books here.
Google Mary Oliver Poems – read some. Then invest in her books.
Browse the poetry books and poems I have posted in Poetry and Cool Ideas section.
Also here – Poetry of Life for titles.
And a heaven in a wild flower,
Hold infinity in the palm of your hand
And eternity in an hour.
-William Blake
Zen and the poets have been addressing presence for centuries. What’s new is that everyone is paying attention to presence now, not just a handful of monks.
Presence lives outside of language so I find it hard to talk about. Blake’s poem points to it brilliantly.
Let me take a stab at it, too.
You travel into Presence often, but perhaps you don’t fully grasp the importance of this. If you’re like most humans, you don’t even notice it.
When you are fully present, the chatter in your mind goes still. You experience this as the peace which passeth understanding.
When you start to notice you are having these experiences of peace and stillness, you can begin to learn to encourage them.
When your mind quiets, your mind’s obsessive concerns and fears no longer drive you. You may even feel at one with all.
This is good, right?
You can think of your frightened, controlling mind as your ego. Yogis and eastern traditions call it the “monkey” mind, which is short for “a drunken monkey who has just be stung by a scorpion” mind.
Have you been there? Of course, you have.
Another name for this mind is the competitive mind. I like this one because it points to the fear that underlies and drives the competitive mind. Yet other names for this are the survival mind and the lizard brain. (See Related Article below.)
What Do You Get When This Mind Is Silent?
· You get the peace which passeth understanding.
· You get a small tastes of enlightenment that gradually become huge tastes and last for ever longer periods.
· You feel one with all.
· You live in the pleasures of flow. (See Related Article below.)
· You feel safe and supported by the whole. There is no need for faith. You become faith itself.
· You get “heaven in a wild flower”.
· You “hold infinity in the palm of your hand and eternity in an hour.”
How, Then, Do You Still the Mind?
You still the mind by being present. When you become present, the mind is still. It has no choice.
“But William, I thought that when I was still, I got to in presence? Aren’t you contradicting yourself?”
“Probably… Hmm…
“Let me see, the confusion comes by using the very similar and related words, Presence with a capital P and present with a lower case p.
“Presence is sacred and although you are part of it and it fills you absolutely, you don’t control it. Being present – being right here, right now – is something you have some control over.
“When you become present, you become still and you enter into Presence or more accurately, you experience Presence directly.
“Does that help?”
You can use silence as a doorway to stillness. Hang out in the silence of nature. Even amongst roaring rivers or melodious birdsong, you will experience this silence and the stillness underneath it.
I have written two books that will show you easy methods to explore Presence. Obviously, they will be of immense help to you.
· Simply Serene – Four Amazingly Powerful Ways to Be Instantly Alert and at Peace
· Looking Deeply into Presence
Here’s the Cliff Note Version for Becoming Present
· First, get some silence.
· Go outdoors – somewhere peaceful. It needn’t be a national park. A city park will do – anywhere you have a spot of nature.
· Practice Owl Eyes – Lightly gaze at something in the distance. Keep your eyes resting there while you taken in as much of your peripheral vision to the right and left as you can.
Slowly, deeply breathe in your belly. Now, while maintaining all of this, take in your peripheral vision above and below. Do this for a few minutes. Your mind has quieted. You’ll notice you have moved into stillness. Yes?
What did you notice when you tried this? More peace I hope.
Practice every day.
Invest in Simply Serene and Looking Deeply into Presence for the full versions.
Smile.
Flow
Although Psychologist Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi, the guru of flow, doesn’t talk about Presence in his books, his observations imply that you be present to get into the lovely state of flow. All of his strategies for experiencing flow, therefore, would be good for becoming present.
Being in flow may be the most important goal of my personal practices. When I am in flow, everything, well, flows. I live in Heaven.
You love flow, too. You’ve been there often.
I want getting into flow to be high on your list of things you want from your Deliberate Living Program.
(Read my article, The Delightful Magic of Flow, below.)
Resources to Guide Your Way
1. The Scent Of Green Papaya – I saw this film in the theatre when it came out. The first five minutes into it were some of the slowest in my movie watching life.
Then I got it, “Oh, this is about Presence.”
This Vietnamese film takes place in French Saigon.
With almost no dialog, a young servant, by simply cleaning and cooking, models how you can move in your world fully awake. It’s lovely. You will emerge from the experience as after a lovely meditation.
2. Eckhart Tolle has written several wonderful books on the subject and I recommend them as a starting point on the subject of presence.
1. A New Earth
2. Stillness Speaks
3. The Power of Now
Find them here.
3. Again, I recommend my two books Simply Serene and Looking Deeply into Presence for working with Presence vs. talking about it or explaining it.
4. Obviously, you can read books on Zen to get a feel for it.
See Fun Resource on Spirituality.
5. The poets have visited Presence often and written beautifully about it.
Mary Oliver is my favorite. Invest in her books so you can dip into them when you want. Her books plus The Sound of Water, a book of haiku, reside by my bed. Find some books here.
Google Mary Oliver Poems – read some. Then invest in her books.
Browse the poetry books and poems I have posted in Poetry and Cool Ideas section.
Also here – Poetry of Life for titles.
Wednesday, December 12, 2007
Is That a SHARK?!
What scares you?
Here’s a 50-word mini-saga for you. Silver members may read more about the amazing Mini-Saga’s here. = > http://tinyurl.com/2ul5z9
Holy poop! It’s a BIG shark! Swimming my way! Through the cavern twenty feet below me. Swim away slowly at a 90 degree angle. Breathe. Don’t look back, yet. Swim away. The fish aren’t worried. Hmm. Breathe. Head for the beach, hang out with the fish.
I ask again – What scares you?
When you’re present, you can see danger early and clearly. I did. If you stay present, breathe, you can notice the fish aren’t scared. Fish are easier food, bite size, and closer, they don’t even appear to notice this monster predator.
Afterward, back at the beach rental, my research tells me, the fish know. This large guy, five feet long, is the white tipped reef shark who feeds on the bottom, right where I saw him. He likes lobsters not third-aged men.
Fear is the enemy, not sharks. What are the sharks in your day-to-day life? Stay present and notice. You’ll be fine.
Need help with staying present? Get Simply Serene. It will tell you how. Really, it’s a great ebook.
Go for it => http://tinyurl.com/mbd4x
Blessings,
William
P.S. Pass this post on to anyone who you think would
Prosper & enjoy these wonderful insights.
Here’s a 50-word mini-saga for you. Silver members may read more about the amazing Mini-Saga’s here. = > http://tinyurl.com/2ul5z9
Holy poop! It’s a BIG shark! Swimming my way! Through the cavern twenty feet below me. Swim away slowly at a 90 degree angle. Breathe. Don’t look back, yet. Swim away. The fish aren’t worried. Hmm. Breathe. Head for the beach, hang out with the fish.
I ask again – What scares you?
When you’re present, you can see danger early and clearly. I did. If you stay present, breathe, you can notice the fish aren’t scared. Fish are easier food, bite size, and closer, they don’t even appear to notice this monster predator.
Afterward, back at the beach rental, my research tells me, the fish know. This large guy, five feet long, is the white tipped reef shark who feeds on the bottom, right where I saw him. He likes lobsters not third-aged men.
Fear is the enemy, not sharks. What are the sharks in your day-to-day life? Stay present and notice. You’ll be fine.
Need help with staying present? Get Simply Serene. It will tell you how. Really, it’s a great ebook.
Go for it => http://tinyurl.com/mbd4x
Blessings,
William
P.S. Pass this post on to anyone who you think would
Prosper & enjoy these wonderful insights.
Thursday, December 06, 2007
Cool Way to Stretch
Your Story Telling Muscles
Write an exactly 50-word mini saga. I hear this can become quite addictive. I enjoyed writing this one, it’s a memoir --
Certainly, you can write your mini-saga longhand. The more intimate the saga the better it lends itself to handwriting. Handwriting may also bring you more into the present than keyboarding.
Play with it. Experiment.
I like MS Word because it’s easy to track how many words I’ve composed using its word count tool. It even has a toolbar you can use to keep a quick count.
What would your life be like if you wrote one a day for a month?
This idea for the 50-word mini saga comes from A Whole New Mind: Why Right-Brainers Will Rule the Future by Daniel Pink. Enjoy the book.
Blessings,
William
P.S. Pass this post on to anyone who you think would
Prosper & enjoy these wonderful insights.
***
Alluring Paradigms Explored in this Story:
· Upgrade Your Right Brain – Story, Meaning
· Simple Is Sophisticated
· And a bit of Spaceship Earth
Your Story Telling Muscles
Write an exactly 50-word mini saga. I hear this can become quite addictive. I enjoyed writing this one, it’s a memoir --
Orion
Predawn, on the dock, overlooking the Sound, I see Orion rising over the hill behind our condominium for the first time this season. I recall this was Dad’s code name during the war – the hunter – recovering looted Nazi art. I am saddened I never heard those stories from my father. (50 words.)
Certainly, you can write your mini-saga longhand. The more intimate the saga the better it lends itself to handwriting. Handwriting may also bring you more into the present than keyboarding.
Play with it. Experiment.
I like MS Word because it’s easy to track how many words I’ve composed using its word count tool. It even has a toolbar you can use to keep a quick count.
What would your life be like if you wrote one a day for a month?
This idea for the 50-word mini saga comes from A Whole New Mind: Why Right-Brainers Will Rule the Future by Daniel Pink. Enjoy the book.
Blessings,
William
P.S. Pass this post on to anyone who you think would
Prosper & enjoy these wonderful insights.
***
Alluring Paradigms Explored in this Story:
· Upgrade Your Right Brain – Story, Meaning
· Simple Is Sophisticated
· And a bit of Spaceship Earth
Friday, November 30, 2007
*** FLYING DRAGONS AND OWL EYES ***
I titled my next project I’m working on for you – Flying Dragons and Owl Eyes. Fun, huh?
In researching this book and video project, I taped a conversation with the playfully inspiring Kim Ivy of http://www.embracethemoon.com/ about the magic of standing meditation.
We discovered in our 35-minute conversation some surprisingly powerful secrets emerged. These gems were secrets for us, too. That’s the value of these freeform conversations inspired by presence. You discover what you didn’t know that you knew.
You can get listen to this freebie here => www.BodyAndSoulMentor.net/getstandingmeditation.html
Why would you want to listen?
Because –
· You’ll get to listen to a great example of playful wisdom.
· You’ll find out why standing is so good.
· You will learn to transform waiting in lines into an opportunity for enlightenment.
· You’ll discover one potent secret that can make each moment of your life magical. True!
· You’ll hear a few words from the Mysterious Madam Ling.
Again, you can get this freebie here => www.BodyAndSoulMentor.net/getstandingmeditation.html
Blessings,
William
P.S. Pass this blog on to anyone who you think would
enjoy these wonderful insights.
In researching this book and video project, I taped a conversation with the playfully inspiring Kim Ivy of http://www.embracethemoon.com/ about the magic of standing meditation.
We discovered in our 35-minute conversation some surprisingly powerful secrets emerged. These gems were secrets for us, too. That’s the value of these freeform conversations inspired by presence. You discover what you didn’t know that you knew.
You can get listen to this freebie here => www.BodyAndSoulMentor.net/getstandingmeditation.html
Why would you want to listen?
Because –
· You’ll get to listen to a great example of playful wisdom.
· You’ll find out why standing is so good.
· You will learn to transform waiting in lines into an opportunity for enlightenment.
· You’ll discover one potent secret that can make each moment of your life magical. True!
· You’ll hear a few words from the Mysterious Madam Ling.
Again, you can get this freebie here => www.BodyAndSoulMentor.net/getstandingmeditation.html
Blessings,
William
P.S. Pass this blog on to anyone who you think would
enjoy these wonderful insights.
Friday, November 09, 2007
Evening
Evening
It’s one o’clock in the morning and my brother, John, and I are sitting on either side of my father’s hospital bed in the quiet, dimly lit care unit in lovely costal southern California.
Our father is dying.
For several hours he has been disappearing into some realm where we could not follow. He stops breathing. Minutes pass. Then with a huge effort he takes another breath and returns.
He talks with us, making sure things are good between us, stays as long as he can, then some wind sweeps him away on his journeys. He repeats his coming and going all night.
John and I peacefully observe this profound mystery unfold.
My brother and I each have 30 year meditation practices. We’re comfortable just sitting. Just breathing. Even while our father dies.
It was intense, and it was sweet.
It was one of the richest times of my life and continues to inform my work and inspire my life.
The film, Evening, parallels John’s and my journey with our father.
I recommend you watch it. Here’s why. You can upgrade your right brain, (one of my four alluring paradigms) with this film.
This film will present you with beautiful design (one of the six skills for upgrading your right brain). It takes place by the sea in Newport, RI in a beautiful mansion.
I mostly want you to see it for its ability to fortify your empathy. Empathy is another of the six right brained skills you need to navigate the 21st C. Strengthening your empathy enhances your ability, as well as everyone else’s, to thrive.
Vanessa Redgrave plays Ann who is dying and drifting into and out of this and other realms like my father who thought he was in France. Claire Danes plays Ann as a young woman in the flashbacks.
The two sisters are played by Toni Collette and Natasha Richardson, who is the real life daughter of Vanessa Redgrave. Their bedside scenes will move you.
Some of the most fun, yes fun, and deepest wisdom come from the interactions between Ann and Ilene Atkins, the night nurse, while she is wearing a ball gown.
Even with all this death, my fathers and Ann’s, you will be richer for the journey.
Rent the DVD Evening. http://tinyurl.com/y6dmfn
It’s one o’clock in the morning and my brother, John, and I are sitting on either side of my father’s hospital bed in the quiet, dimly lit care unit in lovely costal southern California.
Our father is dying.
For several hours he has been disappearing into some realm where we could not follow. He stops breathing. Minutes pass. Then with a huge effort he takes another breath and returns.
He talks with us, making sure things are good between us, stays as long as he can, then some wind sweeps him away on his journeys. He repeats his coming and going all night.
John and I peacefully observe this profound mystery unfold.
My brother and I each have 30 year meditation practices. We’re comfortable just sitting. Just breathing. Even while our father dies.
It was intense, and it was sweet.
It was one of the richest times of my life and continues to inform my work and inspire my life.
The film, Evening, parallels John’s and my journey with our father.
I recommend you watch it. Here’s why. You can upgrade your right brain, (one of my four alluring paradigms) with this film.
This film will present you with beautiful design (one of the six skills for upgrading your right brain). It takes place by the sea in Newport, RI in a beautiful mansion.
I mostly want you to see it for its ability to fortify your empathy. Empathy is another of the six right brained skills you need to navigate the 21st C. Strengthening your empathy enhances your ability, as well as everyone else’s, to thrive.
Vanessa Redgrave plays Ann who is dying and drifting into and out of this and other realms like my father who thought he was in France. Claire Danes plays Ann as a young woman in the flashbacks.
The two sisters are played by Toni Collette and Natasha Richardson, who is the real life daughter of Vanessa Redgrave. Their bedside scenes will move you.
Some of the most fun, yes fun, and deepest wisdom come from the interactions between Ann and Ilene Atkins, the night nurse, while she is wearing a ball gown.
Even with all this death, my fathers and Ann’s, you will be richer for the journey.
Rent the DVD Evening. http://tinyurl.com/y6dmfn
Friday, October 26, 2007
Sacred Intervention
You’re riding your bike at a good clip through the early fall grayness and suddenly, you glance a swath of glorious green, sun light illuminating the ridge, just there…
“Wow…”
For a moment, you’re speechless, everything stops and you’re in heaven. You feel deep serenity. You experience the peace which passeth understanding.
“Oh this is cool, I should tell people about this…” your mind is back and chattering again.
But even with the renewed chatter that inevitably comes, everything has changed by this intervention of the Sacred upon the mundane.
Your ego mind can’t let this peace stand too long. It will reassert itself with its familiar chatter. But for this brief moment, the veil between you and Heaven drops and you see clearly.
You look upon everything with a renewed eye, perhaps, for the rest of your life. Maybe just for this morning.
Do you know what I’m talking about?
How often does this happen to you? Daily?
Want more? I aim at experiencing this Heaven multiple times a day. It is part of why I do the work I do.
Want to know how to have these experiences on demand?
You can touch Heaven any time by utilizing spiritual practices that bring you into the present.
Painting, Taiji, drawing, making love, and meditation are all ways to get there. Cooking and gardening work for clients of mine. Drinking a cup of tea in silence will do it.
SIMPLY SERENE has four beautiful and easy ways you can do it.
Get some Heaven => http://tinyurl.com/mbd4x
Blessings,
William
P.S. Pass this blog on to anyone who you think would enjoy
these wonderful insights.
“Wow…”
For a moment, you’re speechless, everything stops and you’re in heaven. You feel deep serenity. You experience the peace which passeth understanding.
“Oh this is cool, I should tell people about this…” your mind is back and chattering again.
But even with the renewed chatter that inevitably comes, everything has changed by this intervention of the Sacred upon the mundane.
Your ego mind can’t let this peace stand too long. It will reassert itself with its familiar chatter. But for this brief moment, the veil between you and Heaven drops and you see clearly.
You look upon everything with a renewed eye, perhaps, for the rest of your life. Maybe just for this morning.
Do you know what I’m talking about?
How often does this happen to you? Daily?
Want more? I aim at experiencing this Heaven multiple times a day. It is part of why I do the work I do.
Want to know how to have these experiences on demand?
You can touch Heaven any time by utilizing spiritual practices that bring you into the present.
Painting, Taiji, drawing, making love, and meditation are all ways to get there. Cooking and gardening work for clients of mine. Drinking a cup of tea in silence will do it.
SIMPLY SERENE has four beautiful and easy ways you can do it.
Get some Heaven => http://tinyurl.com/mbd4x
Blessings,
William
P.S. Pass this blog on to anyone who you think would enjoy
these wonderful insights.
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